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Welcome to this edition of Practical IT Manager Tips Newsletter.
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IT Manager Institute
2006 schedule
Mar 20-24 - Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
May 7 - Jun 2 - Belmont University
May 22-26 - Nashville, TN
Sep 25-29 - Nashville, TN
Nov 13-17 - Johannesburg, South Africa
Achieve higher levels of success with your
IT Business Manager Certification (ITBMC)
LEARN MORE
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This week's article
Put some "punch" into your resume
I see lots of resumes of IT managers who find themselves looking for that next great opportunity. In many cases, I know the person and know what he or she is capable of doing for a company. Most IT resumes list lots of "things" you have accomplished but miss the "punch" that gets you an interview. Learn how to put "punch" into your resume that gets an executive's attention.
Read the article below.
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IT Business Edge content /search now on the MDE web site
IT Business Edge has access to thousands of articles that are pertinent to our role as technology managers. MDE has just negotiated the ability to include an ITBE search function on MDE web sites. Also included will be three new "hot topic" articles listed daily.
The search box allows you to pull in thousands of articles from ITBE's growing database - an excellent way to research topics of interest that help IT managers learn and improve. What's even better - it is free.
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Click here
Tell your friends about the
- free Practical IT Manager Tips Newsletter,
- free IT Management-101 ebook, and
- 7 free tools from Mike Sisco's IT Manager ToolKit.
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Put some "punch" into your resume
Are you at a crossroads and beginning to think about the next opportunity? Maybe your company is going through some organizational changes and you find yourself on the outside looking in and have to find another opportunity. This is the reason I see lots of resumes from IT managers all over the world. For whatever reason, they are looking for a new opportunity and ask my advice about their resume.
In many cases, I know the person and may have even worked with him or her before. In those cases, I already know the value the manager offers a company.
The problem: most resumes do not indicate the value of the person
This is very consistent among IT managers and technical people when they develop their resume. They list lots of accomplishments and things they have worked on or know about, but they do not deliver the "punch".
"Punch"? "What is 'punch'?", you might say, "and how do I put it into my resume?"
Your resume is a tool like any other tool. If you look at it as a tool, you begin to try to understand its purpose. A resume's purpose is simple: provide enough information about the candidate to get the interview.
Resume purpose = Get the interview
Great, if the purpose in using a resume is to get the interview, then how do we go about doing that?
You must define your value as you describe your experience.
Value is different depending upon who you are talking to so let's break the person who will likely interview you for an IT management position into three groups:
1. Human Resources
2. CEO, CFO or other business executive
3. CIO
1. Human Resources - In some cases, the resume is sent to someone in Human Resources to screen the candidate and to find "suitable" interview candidates. This group is by far the most difficult to judge since you can't really tell what they are looking for. Some are very capable and understand a good bit about what an IT Manager or CIO needs to be able to do for their company. Some are simply looking for certain technical terms on the resume to make the call. When you have to go through the HR organization, getting the interview has a lot to do with timing and luck. It's usually a crapshoot at best.
2. CEO, CFO, or other business executive - This group is business minded and one of the best targets for an interview you can have. They are interested in managers who have the ability to identify and quantify issues, define project initiatives that address these business issues and that are consistent with company needs, and who can deliver projects successfully that deliver tangible value in helping the company meet its objectives.
What this says is that these people are usually not looking for a technical expert or someone who has all the technologies "under his/her belt". They look for business minded managers who know how to recognize company issues and who can direct technology resources in solving their business issues.
Business issues for this group almost always revolves around cutting cost, improving productivity, or helping the company gain a competitive advantage. In other words, it's all about improving profitability in one way or another. It is definitely not about technology in most cases. If you present a "technical" oriented resume to this group, it's unlikely you will get an interview.
3. CIO - If the person you are trying to get the interview with is the CIO, then you need to learn what makes this particular CIO "tick". There are two types:
A. The technical CIO - This CIO is probably interested in certifications and lots of specific knowledge in certain
technologies being used or anticipated to be used in the company. Many of these CIO's want a "hands on" manager
who has technical expertise. My sense is that this CIO is a dying breed because there is clear movement for the CIO
to become much more business oriented. One of the things that suggests that this is happening as well as needed is
that in most CIO or business executive surveys that list their key concerns always include the issue of being able to
keep IT aligned with business needs near the top of the list. Companies don't need IT managers who focus entirely
on the technology and forget the business. In fact, they want managers to focus on the business and only use
technology to support or enhance the business.
B. The business minded CIO - If you are looking to work for a CIO, this is the one you want to work for. These
individuals understand the importance of doing things, and only those things, that support the business. To get an
interview with this group is similar in seeking an interview with the CEO, CFO, and business executive group. To get
the interview, your resume has to ring with "value" and not technical know-how. Business minded CIO's know that
it's not important for an IT manager to be a technical expert. What's important is for the manager to lead a group of
technical efforts and to insure their focus delivers real value to the business.
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So where is the "punch"
No, I haven't forgotten. The "punch" that you need to have in your resume is what speaks volumes to a business minded person, whether he is CEO, CFO, CIO, or HR. It won't speak to the technical minded person, but it absolutely does to the business minded individual.
The "punch" is the value or benefit of what your deed, project, or experience you list in the resume created. What you want to do is to take a look at your resume right now. My suspicion is that it lists lots of things you have accomplished, lots of technologies that you have experience with, and maybe even some of your responsibilities that you have had as an IT manager. All of these items are good, but they don't have much impact if you can't quantify what the benefit to the company was when you accomplished or managed these things.
Value to business minded people lies in the following areas:
1. Reduced cost
2. Helped improve revenue
3. Differentiated the company
4. Improved productivity
5. Created a competitive advantage
In other words, in some way it probably helps improve the financial bottom line.
Here are a few examples on how to add "punch" to a resume point:
1. "Managed the assimilation of three company acquisition technologies onto the same platform."
This is a great accomplishment, but what was the resulting benefit to the company?
Value statement:
"Reduced IT operating expenses by $330,000 by consolidating the technologies of three company acquisitions."
2. "Automated the billing department's insurance claims process."
Again, a great thing to have on your resume but it doesn't spell out the value such an experience has
Value statement:
"Helped reduce the Billing Department's clerical staff expense by 35% ($2 million annually) by implementing electronic billing and remittance."
3. "Improved the company's Help Desk processes and improved client relations."
Good stuff but it isn't specific and lacks the value proposition
Value statement:
"Improved User satisfaction by modifying our Help Desk processes that reduced client calls by 22% and improved IT response times and closure rate by 35%."
The value statement doesn't necessarily have to include dollars and cents, but every point on your resume needs to spell out, "Why is this important and what benefit was derived?".
If your resume isn't spelling out the benefits of what you have done, it lacks the "punch", which is what business minded managers and executives look for. They need IT managers who can make a difference where it counts - profitability and user productivity. It's what makes companies thrive and grow so don't miss the opportunity to tell them what your true value is.
Final words
It's always helpful to have a current resume handy. Why not take a few minutes now and spruce up your resume by adding some quantifiable business benefit "punch" to it.
I hope this article and others I write are helping you. Send me an email message at mike@mde.net and let me know if they are and how they help or even the type of article you might like me to write about. Getting feedback from you is not only helpful, it is highly motivating and why I do what I do.
Best of success,
Mike Sisco, ITBMC Founder
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