Ask the Recruiter: 4 Resume Must-Haves
We asked our recruiters to outline resume must-haves that will truly set you apart from other candidates seeking healthcare IT consulting roles. Follow our tips and you’ll leave every recruiter and hiring manager wondering where you’ve been all their lives.
Update your resume for each position
While IT consultants typically utilize the same skills at each job they work, that doesn’t mean they should use the same resume forever or across different positions (coordinator, analyst, builder, trainer, project manager, engineer, developer, etc.) in the same fields. In this case, “update your resume” means highlighting the skills or job functions that best match the role you're applying for. If you're a trainer with build skills, for example, consider maintaining one resume to apply for training roles and a separate one for builder jobs.
"We want to see a detailed description of responsibilities for each role with buzzwords that stick out pertaining to the specific position, such as the name of the software system you've worked on, the build, the name of the software module, etc.," said Caitlin Gentry, Epic Consultant Advisor.
Explain yourself and your roles clearly
If you had an unusual title in a previous job or performed duties outside of your title’s typical job description, briefly explain your roles and responsibilities on your resume (one or two sentences, tops). Then list relevant skills, programming languages, professional certifications, experience, achievements and specific dates for each.
"List months and years in the dates you worked at a job, not just years," said Justin Couch, Consultant Advisor. "We see, for example, '2011 to 2011' beside some jobs on resumes and don't know what that means. It looks odd and raises questions more than anything."
"Be specific and detail everything on your build," said Dimple Kochikar, Director of Recruiting. "More is actually better - extend your resume to three or four pages if that's necessary to explain the level of detail."
Show future employers that you've grown
Even if you haven’t received a promotion, your resume should still show hiring managers that your responsibilities have increased with each job you’ve taken. Mention interns or peers you’ve mentored, explain complex projects you’ve worked on, show that you’ve been a part of assignments from start to finish or list certifications or training you've received while on the job.
"Certifications need to be the first thing on a resume," said Christine Woods, Consultant Advisor. "Also, include a bullet-pointed list, not paragraphs, of what you accomplished in each project or role."
Prove you've made an impact at previous employers
Describe your impact on the department and organization instead of listing tasks in your job description. In addition to making yourself stand out, your impact proves you provided solutions to challenges an employer had – and can do it again for another employer.
"To show impact, it helps to list the clients/projects you worked at instead of the consulting firms you worked for," said Couch. "Future clients want to know what types of projects you’ve been on so they know if it’s compatible, especially in academia."