The Tech job market is getting saturated as years go by. Layoffs.fyi attests that over 200,000 professionals were sacked from technological businesses in 2023. The massive awareness and belief that it’s quick money has made more individuals troop into the industry. This has created a tough job competition. The only way to break through remains to create a compelling resume that highly positions your expertise.

However, employers aren’t only looking for top talent with excellent tech skills, hands-on practical experience, and applications. How do you balance your technical knowledge/certifications with practical expertise? This guide details the strategies to create this balance and shine your way to clinch your dream job.

Highlighting Practical Experience

Aside from certifications, employers value applicants with a vast array of practical experiences like successful projects, internships, team contributions, and freelance jobs. Your ability to creatively integrate this information is advantageous to sieving through the job market.

First, expand on the different work experiences and indicate the skills you used and achievements attained. Quantify the results and your overall contribution to the companies and projects you worked on.

For example, a graphic designer would write:

“Graphic Designer at TechXlo: I served as the professional graphics designer for Techxlo, where I used Adobe Suite applications to create project flyers, banners, and social media designs. During my stay, Techxlo observed a 23% increase in product sales and customer interaction. I also achieved a 45% increase in online engagements on Twitter and Instagram..”

Finally, include leadership and teamwork skills. Employers value individuals with rich practical experience who have led a group of individuals or collaborated on a project. This shows versatility in varied work settings and the work they want individuals to perform. 

Showcasing Certifications on resume

Certificates show the credibility of your ability in a specific tech skill. They prove that you’re capable and proficient in carrying out the task in the job description. Usually, employers love individuals with educational backgrounds and certifications relevant to the desired role. However, having an array of certificates can make it difficult for applicants to choose the relevant ones.

The key to including your certificates in your resume is identifying and specifying only the ones relevant to the job. Carefully read the job description and decide which one aligns with the role. For example, when applying to be a graphic designer for a tech business, you should include certificates showing expertise in Photoshop, Illustrator, and other relevant Adobe suite applications.

Furthermore, ensure that you have a credible tech certification source. Employers usually prioritize the source and recruit individuals with credentials from well-known organizations. Examples include Microsoft, Google, CompTIA, AWS, Cisco, etc. It’s also essential to know the highly reputable companies in the industry and include your certificates from them.

Tips to include certificates on tech resume:

  1. Create a unique certifications resume: while crafting your resume, create a dedicated certifications section. Other individuals may have this information juggled with others, making it difficult for recruiters to locate it quickly. Therefore, specify a part of your resume, label it “certifications,” and proceed to detail every piece of information perfectly.  
  2. Include necessary information: the best way to balance your certifications with practical expertise is to expand all your certifications with essential details. Don’t just list them. Aside from the name, include the issuing organization and the date you received them, and summarize information learned and skills acquired.
  3. Associate achievements: Add your achievements in your previous work experience using your certifications. For example, an SEO manager who took the “SEO Expertise by Globus University” should state how the course has improved the previous companies they worked with.

Striking a balance on your resume for the tech market

Finding the balance between many tech certifications and work experiences requires a winning strategy. An excellent one is to use professional resume templates from experts like cvwizard.com or ReviewNPrep. You get compelling, industry-standard resumes that perfectly coincide with your education and work experience.

Here’s how to integrate the balance that’ll make your application stand out:

  1. Streamline resume to the job description: Instead of sending out generic applications using the same resume, craft a unique one tailored to the job description. Each role arrives with specific instructions and preferences. Rather than going out and including every certification and work experience, specify the only ones relevant to the job.
  2. Quantify results: Another winning strategy is to expand your achievements in numeral terms in certifications and work experience. For every certificate, include and quantify the achievements attained with previous job experiences.
  3. Show dedication to continuous learning: In the tech industry, employers choose individuals who show a balance between an array of degrees and certifications and work experience. One good way to show this excellence is to include ongoing education, training programs, and every venture you’re on that’s committed to keeping track of the newest technological trends. 
  4. Include hard and soft skills: aside from having the expertise to work in the tech industry, it’s essential to prove your excellence by including hard and soft skills in your resume. Abilities like interpersonal relationships, teamwork, adaptability, and problem-solving are ingredients for success in any tech company, and that’s what employers love. 

Ultimately, degrees and certifications don’t directly equal expertise in a tech job. Practical experience through previous work does the trick. Combining them perfectly on your resume is a winning strategy to display proficiency and clinch your dream job.

Further Reading:

5 resume tips you need to follow to make an impact for getting that dream job.

Check out this blog on how to impress your interviewer and get hired quickly.