Question

how would you change your resume using SFIA

Answer 1

Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)

It is a model for describing and managing skills and competencies for professionals working in ICT, software engineering and digital transformation.

Steps to consider to change the resume for better improvement

Step 1

This is the lowest entry level into a professional career. You may need to draw on your non-work experience to demonstrate the required skills (e.g. from academic or non technical work experience).

Focus on your employability – employers want to be confident that you will be able to operate in a work environment.

• Show you can use basic information systems and technology applications, and processes.
• Demonstrate an organised approach to work.
• Show you are quick to learn new skills and apply newly acquired knowledge.
• Show you understand the need to follow organisational procedures
• Show that you have basic written and spoken communications

Step 2

• Show how you have resolved issues and problems
• Describe your interactions with your team and department. How do you work with them and collaborate.Describe how you area team player.
• How do you deal with customers; what feedback do you get
• Describe the range of activities you perform to demonstrate versatility and willingness to learn and stretch you responsibilities
• Show how you approach your work and that you analytical, organised and responsible and that you can operate effectively in the modern workplace.

Step 3

• Show how you have applied your technical or business domain knowledge.
• Describe your interactions with internal and external customers. Internal customers include people inside the IT / Technology function but in different teams.
• Don’t just list Technologies / applications you have worked with – try and describe what SFIA responsibilities you have displayed .
• Show evidence of interacting within the team. What do you do and how does it make a difference?
• Mention the individual decision making capabilities
• Don’t just list tools – explain how you have used them and what SFIA responsibilities this has displayed.
• Explain any new techniques you have used or introduced into the work environment
• Demonstrate the breadth of work and complex / non-routine projects or operational areas you have worked in.

Step 4

• Describe situations where leadership activity has been performed
• Work being performed should be more complex and should show multi application experience – demonstrate leadership qualities and being successful in a range of complex activities
• Explain the project-based or and process-based skills and experience
• If leading a team you should mention the Team Size

Step 5

This Level reflects a more managerial role through usage of ‘Ensuring the tasks are accomplished or ‘Advising’ teams throughout project / service life cycle

• Need to explain more on technical experience – not just number of years.
• Use SFIA wording to describe depth and complexity of tasks and responsibilities.
• Where applicable – show Team Size and scope of work
• Be clear on demonstration of leadership capabilities
• Stress work which has been personally initiated e.g. projects, process improvements, other initiatives
• Resource management and decision making skills needs to be highlighted

Step 6

• At this level it must be clear that you can ‘Initiate or Influence’ strategies which in turn means influencing organization, business stakeholders, customers.
• This Level reflects Senior Manager or Senior Technical specialist roles. You need to demonstrate dealing with Senior Management levels within the organisation and externally.
• Your authority and responsibility must be for a significant area of work including technical, financial and quality aspects.SO describe how big your responsibilities are. Note this is may be size of team but is not restricted to only team size.
• Even without a team you can establish organization objectives and delegates responsibilities.
• Need to stress capabilities of defining and implementation of organizational level objectives
• Customer and supplier relationship at senior management level capabilities needs to mentioned
• Project and process management capabilities with evidence of setting policies to enable strategy execution. Just following policies is not a level 6 responsibility