Recession-Proof Your Resume

There is Always a Bright Side

Contrary to any gloomy economic news that might imply shrinking IT budgets, the agreement among recruitment and placement companies seems to be unanimous that the IT sector has weathered the current financial situation remarkably well. Yes, there are positions no longer being filled (particularly in banking and automotive), but this has been more than offset by those positions that historically have demonstrated themselves to be quite recession proof.

What's Still Hot?

Some of the most recession-proof IT positions according to industry experts: software design and development, network and systems administration, software implementation analysis, QA, and database administration. A highly successful international placement agency listed significant activity in these areas: virtualization, VoIP (both of which are considered cost-cutting measures), data warehousing/data analysis, and Web 2.0 technologies.

Recession-Proof your Resume

Employers no longer want to see just technical skills. In addition, they want to see the soft skills that will contribute to the business side of the equation.

• Have you taken any writing courses, or done any acting or public speaking training? Be sure to put those in your resume. It reflects a desire to improve your communication and presentation skills.
• Do you regularly attend local user group meetings? Put that down. It reflects a desire to keep one's skills fine tuned.
• Do you attend national conferences? Put that down, too. It reflects your desire to go the extra mile to stay up to date in your industry.
• Do you answer questions on any Tech Forums? Add that to your resume. It shows that you have a desire to help others.

Yes, employers will still emphasize your technical skills as a top priority, but it's often the communication skills and presentation skills that tip the balance in your favor in an interview.
As always, we're interested in hearing how your job search is going. Feel free to contact us.