Information Technology (IT) directors are the technical geniuses who keep businesses’ computer networks, hardware and software up and running and manage teams of software specialists. IT directors are indispensable to any organization that relies on IT. And if you’re in this field, then a bug-free IT director resume is indispensable to you.
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This writing guide, along with the attached IT director resume example, will cover what you need to know about how to write, design and format a flawless CV in order to find your ideal job.
What we’ll go over here:
- What does an IT director do?
- How to write an IT director resume
- Best format for an IT director resume
- The essential components of an IT director resume
- Resume layout and design considerations.
Additionally, resume.io offers 350+ occupation-specific resume examples so you’ll have plenty of inspiration and bonus material to get you started.
What does an IT director do?
IT directors manage the technological resources for any business or organization: software assets and systems, developer and QA teams, analysts and so on. They determine the strategies for software use and development, along with occasionally determining IT security policies, hardware operations and other essential functions.
Depending on the organization or business, they may perform the same functions as a CTO or report to them (large organizations are likely to have IT directors subordinate to CTOs).
IT director salary and job outlook
Computer and information systems managers, including IT directors, earned a median salary in the U.S. in 2022 of $164,070 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top 10% earned more than $239,200.
Job outlook is very promising, with a projected 15% increase in the number of jobs from 2022 through 2032. That compares to a projected 5% increase in all occupations over the same period.
Creating your IT director resume can be difficult. To help you view our related Information Technology resume samples below:
- Systems Analyst resume sample
- Technical Project Manager resume sample
- Network Engineer resume sample
- Computer Science resume sample
- IT Project Manager resume sample
- Software Engineer resume sample
- Film and Video Editor resume sample
- Motion Graphics Artists resume sample
- Network Systems Analyst resume sample
- 3D Animator resume sample
- Software Developer resume sample
- Web Developer resume sample
- Programmer resume sample
- Data Scientist resume sample
- IT manager resume sample
- Data Analyst resume sample
How to write an IT director resume
In most cases, writing an IT director resume means creating a one-page document, consisting of five components (as shown in our resume example):
- The resume header
- The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section
In some rare cases, when vying for a top management position, a resume can be a 2-page document that includes additional sections or content. However, these scenarios are very few and far between and shouldn’t be considered the norm. It’s vitally important to understand the goals and underlying psychology of each resume section, as well as how to maximize the effectiveness of all the resume elements.
The resume header is the place at the top of the page where you put your name, occupation, mailing address, phone number and email address. It may also contain a link to a website that showcases your professional qualifications, like your LinkedIn profile. The summary, work history, skills and education sections are all very different as well and require their own approach (which we’ll cover below).
Best format for an IT director resume
When creating an IT director resume, you have a few format decisions to make, including the overall layout and design (discussed below). Many of these choices will already be incorporated into the resume template you choose.
But one other decision you have to make is whether to put your employment and education history in chronological/reverse chronological order, or whether to choose a functional or hybrid format.
The chronological (also known as reverse chronological) resume format is the most common, and in most cases should be the go-to choice. In this format, you list your past jobs in reverse chronological order, meaning you list your current or last job first and your first job last. The advantage of this format is that it will presumably present your most senior (and impressive) jobs first and your lower-level jobs later.
However, a functional resume format can also be useful, especially for technical professions. In this resume style, you focus more on your skills than on just listing your past jobs. You can also choose a hybrid format, which is a combination of the chronological and functional styles.
Resume summary example
Directly under the header of your IT director resume, write two or three sentences in one continuous paragraph that provides the most persuasive evidence for what makes you an excellent IT director. This text block is called a summary or profile, and sometimes a personal statement.
Lead with your strengths, which might include your years of experience, your technical savvy and/or an advanced degree in a relevant field. You don’t want to sound arrogant or presumptuous, but you do need to blow your own horn a bit, making an irresistible pitch that a hiring manager will find it hard to ignore.
While most of the rest of the resume is a collection of lists, the summary is a golden opportunity to showcase your proven excellence and your passion for doing your job. You have considerable freedom here to say whatever you like in your own words — but keep it short, and make every word count. Note that the word “I” is not necessary — for example, instead of “I am a highly experienced IT director…” just say, “Highly experienced IT director….”
Optimize for the ATS
Most larger companies seeking computer experts, believe it or not, use computers to narrow the search. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software applications that are instructed to scan resumes searching for keywords that describe critical job qualifications. If your resume doesn’t contain these crucial keywords, it may be sent to the reject pile by the ATS software, and human beings may not even bother to review it.
As a very basic example, if a company posts an ad seeking an “IT Director,” but you describe yourself as an “information systems manager,” the ATS may reject your resume outright because it’s missing the most important keywords of all. Even if these are just two different ways of describing the exact same job, the system won’t recognize that unless it’s been programmed to search for this synonym.
This is why it’s extremely important to read job listings closely and match their language as precisely as possible. Look at the specific skills the employer is seeking, and if you have those skills, mention them in your resume using the same terminology used in the job listing.
This brings us to another vital point: a resume should be an adaptable document that’s customized for each job application. Another company may be looking for an IT director, but they describe this role as “Information Systems Manager.” In such a case, you should describe yourself at least once in your resume using the same job title the company uses.
The summary is the only piece of freeform writing on your resume and this often gives a lot of trouble to candidates who are prone to writer’s block. To help with that you can check out our related Information Technology resume examples.
Also, don’t forget that our resume builder has a machine-learning writing suggestions feature.
Here’s an example of a resume summary/profile for an IT director:
Results-driven IT Director seeking to leverage vast experience directing IT infrastructure to cut costs and data processing times. Bringing forth the ability to effectively manage IT teams to achieve business priorities combined with analytical research designed to inform software solutions and improve function.
Employment history resume sample
Top off your IT director resume with a list of impressive job-related skills. These should include a mix of “hard” and “soft” skills. Hard skills are technical capabilities, like expertise in Unix systems, mainframe computing or specialized software for the industry in which you’re seeking a job.
Under each employer, include a bullet list specifying your primary accomplishments on the job. Be specific, using facts and figures wherever possible (for example, the size of the budget you managed, the number of employees you oversaw, and/or some way of quantifying the size of the computer network you managed).
Here’s a sample of a work history for an IT director resume:
Director of Information Technology at Evol Technology, Boston
July 2018 - Present
- Effectively managing software, network, and cloud infrastructure.
- Establishing IT operations best practices, policies, and tools.
- Overseeing IT projects and teams to ensure company goals are met.
- Identify trends using data and work towards solutions and improvements.
- Develop strategies to improve IT functions and overall company growth.
IT Manager at JForce, New York
October 2015 - May 2018
- Successfully oversaw all systems and software operations.
- Designed and implemented systems and procedures.
- Worked to uphold user needs and the highest level of system functionality possible.
- Audited systems and assessed overall performance.
- Assisted with establishing budgets to honor company goals.
- Recommended software that fulfilled operational needs.
Resume skills example
Top off your IT director resume with a list of impressive job-related computer skills. These should include a mix of “hard” and “soft” skills. Hard skills are technical capabilities, like expertise in Unix systems, mainframe computing or specialized software for the industry in which you’re seeking a job.
Soft skills are “ people skills,” like talents in communication, collaboration and management. If you speak foreign languages, that’s a plus you should mention as well.
Here’s a resume sample below:
- Process Management
- IT Service Management
- Effective Analysis Research
- Adaptability
- HTML/CSS/JavaScript
Resume education section
IT directors generally need a four-year bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, although a postgraduate degree is preferable. List the educational credentials in your IT director resume in reverse order (highest degree first), including the name and location of the institution and degree received.
You may also choose to list any special distinctions, like graduation with honors or membership in computer-related university organizations.
If you have a college degree, it’s usually not considered necessary to say where you went to high school, although it’s OK to do so if you have room.
Here’s an example of the education section for an IT director resume:
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Hunter College, New York
September 2011 - May 2015
High School Diploma, Xavier High School, New York
September 2007 - June 2011
Resume layout and design
Looks matter, so you want your CV to have an attractive design and layout. ( Curriculum vitae or CV, by the way, is simply a term commonly used for resumes outside the U.S. and Canada.)
Hiring managers should be able to hold your resume at arm’s length and find that it’s attractively put together, even before they read the first word. This means that it needs a well-designed header and overall visual structure.
The page should have an eye-pleasing balance so that, for example, it doesn’t have all the text at the top and nothing at the bottom. Nor should it have all the text at the left and big blank spaces at the right (which can happen with short bullet points that are all aligned left).
White space (containing nothing at all) is also important, so make sure you have adequate margins and spaces between the various sections.
Most of these issues will be taken care of for you if you choose a professionally designed resume template like those we offer at Resume.io.
Key takeaways
- IT directors are well-paid and face excellent job prospects in the decade ahead, but you need an outstanding resume to compete in this field.
- A resume must contain five essential elements (header, summary, work history, education and skills) but should generally be contained to only one page.
- Resumes should be customized for each potential employer, anticipating the requirements of its ATS software.
- Attractive resume design and layout is essential. If you’re not an expert designer, use a resume template, where the entire resume is already laid out, and all you have to do is replace the text with your own.
Best of luck in your job search!
