14 minutes read

Industry-specific Resumes

Speak the language of your target industry

Industries
Customization
Specialization

Why every resume should be industry-specific

Recruiters can tell within seconds whether a resume understands the codes of their industry. Those who adapt content, language and success metrics significantly increase their chances of an interview.

Industry Overview

Focus, format and specifics at a glance.

Tech & IT

Focus: Technical competence

GitHub
Tech Stack

Format: Modern & structured

Length: 1–2 pages

  • Skills matrix
  • GitHub/Portfolio
  • Technical projects
  • Programming languages
  • Agile methodologies

Creative & Design

Focus: Creative achievements

Portfolio

Format: Visually appealing

Length: 1–2 pages + Portfolio

  • Portfolio-URL
  • Design-Software
  • Visuelle Projekte
  • Trend-Awareness
  • Collaboration Tools

Finance & Consulting

Focus: Numbers & achievements

KPIs

Format: Classic & professional

Length: 1–2 pages

  • Certifications (CFA, FRM)
  • Deal successes
  • Education
  • Analytical skills
  • Compliance

Marketing & Sales

Focus: ROI & revenue

Performance

Format: Results-oriented

Length: 1–2 pages

  • Campaign KPIs
  • CRM systems
  • Social Media Stats
  • Customer focus
  • Digital Skills

Healthcare

Focus: Qualifications & Compliance

Zertifikate

Format: Detailed & chronological

Length: 2–3 pages

  • Approbation
  • CME-Punkte
  • Patientenerfahrung
  • Fortbildungen
  • Teamfähigkeit

Engineering

Focus: Technical projects

Engineering

Format: Project-based

Length: 2 pages

  • Project examples
  • CAD/CAM
  • Certifications
  • Problem solving
  • Project management

Tech & IT Must-Haves

Must-haves

  • Programming languages & frameworks
  • Databases & tools
  • Version control
  • DevOps/Cloud Skills
  • Automated tests

Nice-to-haves

  • Open-Source-Contributions
  • Hackathons
  • Tech Blog
  • Speaker Slots
  • Kaggle & Wettbewerbe

Avoid

  • Prominently listing outdated technologies
  • No project links
  • Unclear metrics
  • Buzzwords without application

Tech CV Best Practices

Skills-Matrix

Structure stack by categories and levels (Beginner → Expert).

Quantify projects

Include performance, cost or usage metrics.

GitHub & Demos

Place repos, documentation and live links prominently.

Creative & Design Industry

Must-haves

  • Portfolio-URL
  • Design-Software
  • Kreative Projekte
  • Brand-Erfahrung
  • Collaboration Tools

Nice-to-haves

  • Behance/Dribbble Profil
  • Awards & Recognition
  • Freelance-Projekte
  • Trend-Knowledge
  • UX/UI Methoden

Avoid

  • Too text-heavy
  • Boring layout
  • Outdated work
  • Missing visuals

Finance & Consulting Essentials

Finance

Numbers & metrics-driven

  • CFA, FRM, CPA Zertifikate
  • Deal-Erfahrung & P&L Verantwortung
  • Tools: Bloomberg, Reuters, Excel
  • Regulierung & Compliance
  • Abschluss an Target Schools

Consulting

Project & methodological expertise

  • Case Study Erfolge
  • McKinsey/BCG/Bain-Struktur
  • Industry Expertise
  • Client Management
  • MBA von Target Schools

Metrics instead of listing tasks

Instead of: "Worked on M&A transactions"

Better: "Led due diligence for three M&A deals worth €450M with an 85% closing rate"

Other industries overview

Healthcare

Qualifications & compliance

  • Approbation
  • CME-Fortbildungen
  • Klinische Erfahrung
  • Interdisziplinäre Teams

Education & Academia

Research, publications, teaching

  • Publikationsliste
  • Forschungsgrants
  • Konferenzen
  • Lehrevaluationen

Law & Justice

Specialization & mandates

  • Zulassung zur Anwaltschaft
  • Rechtsbereiche
  • Verfahrensreferenzen
  • Bar Exam Scores

Universal principles

Research is a must

Analyze job postings and successful profiles.

Industry language

Choose terminology, KPIs and storytelling appropriately.

Cultural codes

Understand differences between startup & corporate, creative & conservative.

Ready for the industry boost?

With the Talent CV Editor you can create tailored resumes including KPI templates and portfolio links.

Industry-specific Resumes | Career Wiki