How Open Source Projects Can Boost Your IT Resume

Competition for top IT jobs is fierce. In order to stand out from the competition, you need to make a big impression from the start, and that takes a great looking resume. If yours could use a boost, consider listing your experience working on open source projects. Here’s why:

Show Off Your Initiative

Working on open source projects is a highly productive form of volunteer work. You are essentially using your own time to contribute to a project that could eventually be used by millions and have a valuable impact on the tech community. That says a lot about your character and priorities. Hiring managers are increasingly evaluating candidates based on both their hard and soft skills. Open source experience included in your IT resume proves that you have the soft skills these managers are looking for.

Validate Your Skills

If you are like a lot of IT professionals, you have skills that you didn’t learn in school and don’t necessarily use at your job. But without having this educational/professional foundation, it’s hard to validate that you really do have the credentials you claim to. Describing open source projects that you have worked on is one way to illustrate the full depth and breadth of your skill set. And since these are formal projects – rather than hobby projects – they tend to carry more weight.

Appeal to the Community

The vast majority of professionals working in IT look at open source projects favorably. They understand the kind of valuable contribution these projects make, admire the sophistication of the technology they use, and generally share the collaborative/communitarian spirit that underpins all open source projects. Your open source experience demonstrates to your future boss and co-workers that you are the best kind of IT professional.

Highlight Your Relevance

Most companies now make use of some kind of open source technology, and adoption is only increasing. Unfortunately, most companies also lack IT staff that can make the most of these technologies. Open source experience may not have been listed in the job description, but it’s a good bet it will be an asset to your potential employer. If you are the only candidate that highlights your open source credentials you immediately set yourself apart from the rest of the candidate field.

What is perhaps best about using open source experience to boost your IT resume is that it’s so easy. Unlike getting a new degree or certification, picking up open source experience only costs your time. Learn more about revising your resume to appeal to today’s tech recruiters by working with INSPYR Solutions.