Technical Resume: Template, Guide & 20+ Examples

You came to the right place to write your technical resume. But first, here's a thought—

Job growth in the U.S. is on a bender. With the tech talent shortage, you can write your resume in Intercal and you'll get the job.

But hold up a sec.

You don't want just any tech job. You want a unicorn job. One with great benefits, where management treats employees like Bitcoin.

To get that kind of tech job, your technical resume needs to shine like lens-flare in a J.J. Abrams movie.

This guide will show you:

• A technical resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a technical resume that lands more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a tech resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for technical jobs that really works.

Here's a technical resume sample made using our resume builder.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Use this resume template

Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume samples here.

1

24 Great Free Technical Resume Templates

Looking for an IT specialist technical resume sample? The example tech resume above is your killer app.

If you need resumes for other tech jobs, see the 12 great samples and guides below.

Just want advice to make the best resume for a technical job you can? Scroll down. We've got zillions of tech resume tips and samples to help you nab the interview.

You can also use our online resume builder to make your own technical resume format for download.

Want to make sure your resume will hook every recruiter and get you that interview? Get our free checklist and learn what makes a job-winning resume: 46 Things You Need To Do Before You Send Your Resume

Technical resume fail!

The hiring manager just nuked your great tech resume.

It'll wither in the Almighty Sarlacc for 1,000 years of unemployment.

Why?

It wasn't your skills or experience. Those are both great.

You just picked the wrong tech resume format.

Format matters in a job where small details build massive systems.

Choose a respected format like reverse-chronological. It shows your best achievements first.

Use plenty of white space, big, accessible headings, and a no-nonsense font.

Finally, save your tech resume as a PDF. Tech resume PDFs look great on any machine. MS Word-formatted resumes can turn to spaghetti in transit.

Pro Tip: Check the tech job description to ensure it doesn't ban PDFs. Some Applicant Tracking Systems stumble on technical resume PDFs.

Want to check our math on the reverse-chronological format for your technology resume? See our guide: 3 Resume Formats: How to Choose the Best One [Examples]

Good news!

The hiring manager has three hours to read your technical resume. She'll understand every word.

Not.

In reality she's got a stack of tech resumes as big as 350 East Cermak to get through by snacktime. And according to our HR statistics report, she'll only spend six seconds on yours, if you're lucky.

That means you've got to grab her like a DNS request.

Do it with a resume summary or a resume objective.

A resume summary uses your experience to prove you fit the job. Choose it if you've got servers full.

A resume objective cites your passion for the job opening. Use it if you're still wet behind the .EAR files.

Either way, include your biggest, baddest achievements.

Here are two examples:

Technical Resume Examples – Resume Summary

Try to find the difference in these two professional technical resume samples:

What's the issue there? Nothing, on its own. But stack it up near 200 others and it reads like an infinite loop.

It needs specifics, and measurable accomplishments.

That's more like it. The hiring manager just stopped daydreaming about The Walking Dead.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

Create my resume now

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

Don't have that kind of experience? Don't worry. The technical resume objective statement is here to help.

How to Write a Resume Objective for an Entry-Level IT Resume

Even with no experience, your technical resume doesn't have to seem "under construction."

A resume objective shows passion with no experience. But there's no reason you can't inject a little experience in anyway.

Look at these two tech resume examples to see what I mean:

That first technical resume sample could be Leonard from The Big Bang Theory. The second is very nearly undefined.

But wait. Where did a total noob get that kind of tech resume experience? 

He did it by doing a couple freelance projects and looking at past non-tech jobs for evidence of tech skills. I'll explain more next.

Pro Tip: Your tech resume summary or resume objective is your elevator speech. Write it last so you'll have plenty of material. Then make it short.

For more help, check out the sample technical resume template up top. Also, see these guides: How To Write A Resume Summary: 21 Best Examples You Will See and +20 Resume Objective Examples - Use Them on Your Resume (Tips)

How important is experience in a technology resume?

Only as important as hardware, software, and data.

Employers care about experience even more than education.

If you don't have it, don't panic. I'm about to show you how to get some, fast.

If you do, display it right or the recruiter will drop you like a 400 request.

List your last job first. Add 4-6 bullet points that match the tech job description.

That's crucial, so look at these two technical resume examples to see how.

Senior Technical Resume Examples

Yuck, that last one, right? It's just so... unconfigured.

But the first tech resume sample would get you an IT job on the Enterprise.

Next: What if your tech experience is file-not-found?

How to Write a Technical Resume with no Experience

"You can't have a job unless you've had one."

That logic is so looped you could use it to count sand.

The good news? You don't need years of experience to get a tech job. Even if the job description calls for "1-2 years experience," that's usually flexible.

To get some experience:

• Do freelance projects. Get on FieldNation, WorkMarket or other freelance sites.
• Post code you've written on GitHub, or on a personal website.
• Do volunteer projects or personal projects.
• Contribute to open source jobs online.
• Take part in hackathons.
• Look at past non-tech jobs where you performed technical duties and responsibilities.

Watch how that works in these two entry-level technical resume examples:

Entry-Level Technical Resume Samples – No Experience

See that second example? I for one welcome our new tech employee overlord. But it didn't take two years to build that experience.

It just took a little volunteering, a few home projects, and a little scrutiny of past tech-free jobs.

Pro Tip: You could probably write 100 bullet points from your last job. Just pick the 4-6 that match best with this job opening.

Want to keep that hiring manager from low power mode? Salt your professional technical resume with action words. See this guide: +80 Examples of Resume Action Words for Every Profession

Wait.

Didn't he just say education doesn't matter?

Not quite. I said experience matters more in a good technical resume. But education is like a golden ticket that can get you in the door.

Or it can be, if you use it right.

It's not about what school you went to, though obviously MIT beats Charley's House of Tech Stuff Larnin'.

It's not about your coursework either. Though, yeah, a tech degree crushes a sheepskin in "exercise science."

It's about linking you to the job like you used a cable lock.

Of course you'll add:

• College Name and Location.
• Years in School.
• Degree.

But the real gems are in the bullet points.

Two Technical Resume Examples – Education

Awful, right? All your construction job are belong to us.

But look what happens when we add the right details:

Poof. Like Chewie's resume to Han.

When I say, "right" details, I mean they've got to fit the job description.

Pro Tip: To GPA or not to GPA? If it's impressive, add it to your technology resume. Otherwise, toss it down a deep, dark hole.

Want to make your web technical resume blaze like Marvel's Tesseract? See our guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]

Let's meet the hiring manager. Her name's Jill.

Nice buckyballs toy.

Near it, on her desk, sit 350+ technical resumes.

They are giving her a headache.

All of them list the same technical skills.

How is she supposed to know one from the next?

Then she reads your tech resume. She stops. You've done something so simple, but so brilliant, that she starts to smile.

What did you do right?

You used the right skills, then you proved them.

Like this:

Technical Resume Skills and Experience Section

The skills in Jill's tech job description are Help Desk, customer service, and problem solving.

You list those, plus troubleshooting and server support to take it up a level.

Then you prove those skills in technical resume bullet points:

• Provided Help Desk-based IT phone support to end users for a fast-paced web hosting firm, including troubleshooting, server support, and customer service.
• Maintained 15% above average customer satisfaction in post-call surveys. Used deep compassion and listening skills for best customer experience.
• Became a trusted resource through high-level problem solving skills. Solved customer issues with 12% more success than the company average.

Perfect.

The hiring manager's thinking you're the next Larry Ellison.

List of Skills to Put on a Technical Resume

Let's get this party started with a list of resume technical skills.

Fill it in with more from your own history, and from job offers online.

Resume Technical Skills

Do the above, and your tech resume will make you look like Sheldon Cooper with people skills.

Pro Tip: Not every IT job needs programming languages. If a skill speaks to the job description, add it to your tech resume. Otherwise, it's sayonara.

Want to hack your skills section? Use the technical resume template at the top of this post. Also, see this guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips)

Stop.

You think you're writing an original resume, but the odds are against you.

The biggest complaint from hiring managers? Most resumes are as alike as tarballs.

Your technical resume needs to prove that you can run the table.

You'll do that by providing proof.

That means testimonials, awards, test results, and projects you have worked on.

Put those in "other" sections in your tech resume.

Make sure every bullet point will widen the recruiter's eyes like Elliott's when he first saw E.T.

Technical Resume Sample "Other" Sections

Certificates

• CompTIA A+ Certification
• MS Server Certification

Languages

• Java, C++, PHP, MySQL, Javascript, JQuery

Additional Activities

• My article, "Maximizing Help Desk Success" was linked to by HuffPost.
• Active member, CompTIA association.
• My IT Podcast "Technical or Bust," has 1,400 subscribers.
• See my professional portfolio online at emilykupic.com.

See that? Those aren't just needlepoint and bowling team fluff. They'll make your technology resume stand out like a lightsaber at a Chuck E. Cheese.

You can add CCNA certifications, Microsoft certs, Help Desk, A+, or other licenses to a resume for a technical specialist.

Why You Need an Online Portfolio

A resume is kind of like a postage stamp. You can't fit much on it, but at least it sticks.

An online portfolio can teleport the hiring manager beyond your tech resume.

If you don't have one, build one. Then link to it from your great resume.

Can't fill a portfolio? Sign up for some small projects or freelance jobs, or do a little fun work for yourself.

Even a project that takes hardly any time can make a technical resume for freshers stand out like Bill Gates in a paper hat.

Pro Tip: If you're an entry-level IT specialist, work for a small company. Big companies will let you sharpen pencils. A smaller one might put you in charge.

Need more pointers for your tech resume "other" sections? See our guide: "+20 Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests To Put on a Resume (5 Tips)"

Are cover letters a waste of time?

If that's true, so is writing a technical resume.

Yes, half the hiring managers won't read technical cover letters.

The other half won't read tech resumes without them.

So, write a cover letter, but here's the trick:

Don't make it a rehash of your resume. Make is short. Make it sweet. Make it personal.

First, use the hiring manager's name. Don't know it? Find it out online, or call the company.

Second, prove you understand the problem. Read the job description for a hint.

Third, show how you can help. You can point to an accomplishment as simple as an article you wrote.

Add a call to action like, "I'd welcome the chance to talk more with you."

That's it. You're done.

Pro Tip: After you send your professional technology resume, follow up! A call or email in about a week can put you top-of-mind at just the right moment.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

Create my cover letter now

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Want more advice to make your professional technical resume cover letter win like Elon Musk? See our guide: How To Write A Cover Letter [Complete Guide With Examples]

You're doing it wrong.

You probably know to add your:

• Full Name
• Updated Phone Number
• Professional Email Address

Like this:

Emily Kupic, [email protected] - 216-774-3373

But if you're not adding a LinkedIn profile, think again.

LinkedIn is a great way to let managers switch off your cloaking device.

You can also add your Twitter handle or other social media addresses to a tech resume.

Pro Tip: Turn your LinkedIn profile into part two of your good technical resume. See our guide on LinkedIn profile mastery here.

Want more advice to make a technical resume that does the trick like Tony Stark? See this guide: How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide (+30 Examples)

Even with the best resume templates and examples, writing your own is hard. Follow these key points to show you fit the job:

• Read the job offer. Highlight all the skills in it. Then list them in your tech resume.
• Put a well-phrased technical resume summary or objective at the top.
• Prove your skills in your experience section. The best bullet points in a resume for tech jobs will always match the job offer.
• Add "other" sections that prove your muscle. If you don't have any accomplishments to put in them, create some.

Do you have questions on how to write a great resume for technical jobs? Not sure how to describe your skills or achievements? Give us a shout in the comments! We love to help!