If you’re in IT operations, your work does speak for itself. If you’ve been working for a company and the product or service it’s promoting is doing well in the marketplace, you can usually thank an IT operations person. IT operations is the backbone of our digital services. Almost every company relies heavily on these professionals to keep the lights on. This may tempt you into thinking that you don’t need a resume. After all, your services are highly in demand right now, why would you need a resume when recruiters are pinging your LinkedIn profile every day.
You couldn’t be more wrong. The bare minimum you need today is a resume to help you compete. A resume lets the employer know what you can do for them. That’s the intro you need right now to get a better career opportunity.
How Strong is Your Resume?
The IT operations field is highly competitive. This high-level position requires oversight over the IT infrastructure of a business. You may handle everything from overseeing laptop set up for new employees to worrying about your cybersecurity infrastructure. Because the role is generalist in nature, a resume is a good way to capture all of the experiences you’ve had that will benefit your employer. The wide range of responsibilities simply can’t be captured in a social media profile.
The IT operations role is growing and changing even as we write this. If you’re applying for an IT operations position this year, consider that hiring teams will want to see a mix of both soft and hard skills. For example, your computing experience will be just as important as your leadership skills as these roles digitally transform. Communication skills and leading teams are just as important as configuring computers or working with a SaaS vendor.
Some of the top skills that we look for in an IT operations professional include:
- Adaptability
- Computer programming
- Conflict management
- Critical thinking
- Delegation
- Employee management
- Infrastructure (hardware and software) management
- Leadership
- Organization
- Planning
- Reporting
- Teamwork
When working on your resume, try to use each experience as a way to illustrate these skills. Some of the kinds of experiences we see typically represented in an experienced IT operations manager include:
- Develop and implement IT roadmap directives.
- Ensuring SaaS products comply with policies and goals.
- Purchasing and implementing IT equipment.
- Managing telecom and computer contracts.
- Managing IT department employees.
- Coordinating and tracking budgets.
- Responding to the needs of cross-functional departments.
When creating your resume, consider it from the employer’s perspective. For example, most IT operations managers are tasked with doing more with less budget these days. Instead of listing “managed global SaaS contracts” consider saying “managed global SaaS contracts, reducing costs by 40% over the first year.” The idea is that you share both your results along with the responsibilities you held. The same is true for IT operations employees who don’t have management responsibility.
Why is all this necessary? Your resume is a reflection of the work you’ve accomplished. It’s a way for employers to get to know your skills. So, of course, you need a resume in today’s competitive job market. Blackstone Talent Group is standing by to review your resume and provide our expert advice. Contact us when you’re ready for a career change.