Problems-Solutions-Results: Is PSR Part of Your IT Resume Portfolio?

Here's the story of two IT directors. Both were engaged with medium-size operations, and both had 15+ years of experience building, launching, and maintaining/transforming IT organizations. And both spent about 6 months putting feelers out conducting a job search. Although they live in two different areas of the country, on paper, at least, they were comparable.

But only one of them had success, while the other was left wondering what went wrong.

Although there are a variety of factors involved with any search, in this particular case, the IT director who successfully landed a new position had something in his arsenal that made a big impact in each and every interview he engaged in: a PSR page.

Problems-Solutions-Results

Traditionally, IT and technical resumes have followed a chronological format, and by and large, they should continue to do so. However, poor hiring practices combined with a flood of potential candidates are making it difficult for companies to differentiate good talent from bad. A PSR page as an addendum to your chronological resume can help do just that.

Simply stated, a PSR page (emphasis here on page singular, not pages plural; keep it pithy!) should highlight two or three of the most complex projects you have worked on, providing an overview of the problem, the solutions you employed to resolve it, and the quantifiable results of your efforts (saved $X or X downtime, etc.).

The idea here is that you are showing two things: 1) how you problem solve and 2) that you recognize your work in IT as a strategic business partner, transforming and enhancing business operations.

For the successful IT director, this approach had a big impact because he was able to go beyond just listing credentials and he was separating himself out from the herd by showcasing the scope and complexity of the work he had done.

So if you haven't considered putting together a PSR page, you should. It just might make the difference.