As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the hiring landscape, standing out in a competitive job market has never been more challenging or important. In the US tech sector, employers are increasingly relying on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and AI-driven screening tools to manage high volumes of applications. While these technologies streamline recruitment, they also raise the bar for job seekers. A well-crafted resume must appeal not only to hiring managers but also to algorithms. So, what does a great resume look like in 2026? We spoke with Ketzia Woodard, Senior Technical Recruiter, to find out. 1. Keep your resume simple and ATS-friendly With AI playing a significant role in the hiring process, simplicity is key. Overly designed resumes with complex graphics, columns, and unconventional fonts can confuse screening systems and reduce your chances of progressing. “Right now, because of market changes and the volatility created by AI, I see a lot of jazzy resumes with extra formatting,” says Woodard. “One of the most important things to keep in mind is to keep it simple.” Use clear headings, standard fonts, and a straightforward layout to ensure your resume is readable by both technology and recruiters. Top tips: Use standard fonts such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Avoid graphics, images, and text boxes. Stick to clear section headings like Experience, Skills, and Education. Submit your resume as a Word document to ensure the recruiter has easy access to edit and copy. 2. Showcase recognizable experience, skills, and measurable impact Well-known organizations can help signal credibility and professional rigor, and hiring managers may use brand recognition as a quick reference point when assessing candidates. However, brand names aren’t the only way to demonstrate value. In-demand technical skills, platforms, and measurable achievements can be just as powerful, especially if you’ve worked with widely used tools like Salesforce or delivered meaningful results in smaller or less recognizable organizations. Leading with a mix of recognizable companies (where applicable), core skills, and clear outcomes helps hiring managers quickly understand the scale, complexity, and relevance of your experience. This approach also supports ATS optimization, as many systems are designed to identify both employer names and specific skills or technologies. Your resume should focus on results, not administrative or structural details. Hiring managers are far more interested in what you achieved than how you were contracted or paid. Whether you worked as a consultant, contractor, or through an LLC, emphasize the client or organization you supported and the value you delivered. Recognizable brands can act as powerful social proof, but they should sit alongside clear evidence of impact. Remember, hiring managers typically spend very little time reviewing each resume, so it’s important to make those moments count by highlighting measurable outcomes and real-world results. Top tips: Highlight well-known companies where relevant, but don’t rely on them alone. Call out key technical skills and platforms (e.g., Salesforce, AWS, Python) prominently. Lead with the client or company name when possible. Clearly indicate contract roles with titles such as Senior Project Manager (Contract). Quantify achievements with metrics and results. Showcase the scale of your responsibilities, such as budgets, teams, or revenue impact. 4. Adopt a skills-first approach We find it's best to present your skills and experience to support shaping the best first impression in the hiring process. Presenting your credentials strategically ensures your skills remain the focus. We recommend that applicants remove all potential distractions, such as eliminating their graduation dates and early career shifts. After several years in the workforce, what you’ve accomplished matters far more than when you earned your degree. This approach helps position you as current, competitive, and aligned with today’s market. Top tips: Omit graduation dates unless you are a recent graduate. Highlight recent certifications and technical skills. Focus on achievements from the past 5-10 years. Ensure your resume reflects modern tools and methodologies. 5. Curate your experience for relevance A resume is not a career history, it’s a strategic marketing document. Every line should demonstrate your ability to solve a specific problem for an employer. Tailor your content to align with the role you’re pursuing, prioritizing recent and relevant experience. Removing outdated technologies and redundant information ensures your strengths remain front and center. As Woodard’s insights reinforce, clarity and relevance are essential in a fast-evolving, AI-driven job market. Top tips: Prioritize relevant experience over trying to tailor your resume for every application. Remove outdated skills and technologies. Highlight modern tools and methodologies. Summarize older roles to show career progression without clutter. Stand out and secure your next opportunity AI is transforming recruitment, but it hasn’t replaced the human element. A standout resume in 2026 strikes the right balance between technological optimization and authentic storytelling. By keeping your resume simple, highlighting credible experience, and focusing on measurable impact, you can position yourself for success in the US tech hiring market. In an age of algorithms, clarity, relevance, and results remain your greatest competitive advantage. Ready to take the next step? Explore our current jobs and discover opportunities that match your skills and ambitions.

- U.S. tech workers the most likely to work four or even five days in the office - But Americans are the happiest tech professionals globally and the most likely to have received a promotion and pay rise of 10% of more - High levels of retention compared to global counterparts Although twice as many tech professionals in the U.S. are mandated to attend the office four/five days a week compared to any other country (34% vs 17%), a new global study finds that they are the happiest with their role amongst the countries surveyed, and are the most likely to have received a pay rise of 10% or more (38% vs 25%) and/or a promotion (24% vs 22%) in the last year. The ability to work from home appears to matter less to U.S. tech professionals than those in other countries, with only 38% considering it important compared to 52% globally, and only 34% saying they wouldn’t consider a role that didn’t have some degree of remote working compared to the global figure of 50%. The Harvey Nash Tech Talent & Salary Report, that surveyed over 3,600 technology professionals globally (629 in the U.S.), also found that high levels of promotion and financial reward in the U.S. tech industry are driving improved retention levels, as U.S. tech professionals are more likely to have been in role 3-5 years than those in any other country (26% vs 20%). There are other favorable factors supporting job satisfaction across the U.S. tech sector: more U.S. professionals report that they have seen reduced workloads than in any other country (21% vs 13%) and they generally feel less under-resourced than their global counterparts. Tech professionals based in the U.S. also feel the most supported with both their physical (37% vs 34%) and mental wellbeing (40% vs 35%). Jason Pyle, Global COO & President of Harvey Nash USA & Canada said: “At a time when much of the conversation around the tech labor market has been pessimistic, our U.S. data tells a far more encouraging story. Many tech professionals are feeling valued, rewarded and supported at work – and that’s translating into higher levels of job satisfaction and retention. What stands out is that U.S. organizations are successfully linking investment in people with business outcomes. Competitive pay rises, promotions and a stronger focus on wellbeing are clearly resonating, even in more office‑based environments. For employers, this reinforces an important point: engagement and reward still matter more than any single policy on where work gets done. However, this shouldn’t lead to complacency. The most sought‑after, niche skills remain highly mobile, and expectations continue to rise. Organizations that want to attract and retain specialist tech talent need to continue to evolve their employee proposition to compete.” Across the 629 U.S technologists surveyed, The Harvey Nash Tech Talent Report also found the following: Push and pulls factors for technologists: - Push factors - For over three quarters (43%) of technologists in the U.S., pay retains its top position as the primary reason for considering leaving their role, with the culture of their organization second (35%) and career progression not far behind (33%). - The most important pull factors for men and women - Female technologists in the U.S. are slightly more concerned with factors such as paid time off, flexible working hours and retirement benefits than their male peers. In turn, men are more interested in opportunities for career progression and the nature of the projects. Reskilling and upskilling in AI: - AI is taking my job – More U.S. respondents than in any other country feel that their role is under threat from AI (49% vs 43%). - Experimenting in AI – Almost two thirds (64%) report being given access to AI tools and platforms, and 34% are given dedicated time to experiment and learn. - Waiting for training or left to self-learn – U.S. organizations are the least likely to provide employees with internal training programs (51% vs 69% globally), and a quarter of technologists (24%) are expected to either self-learn or are waiting on formal training. Good tech leadership: - Great leaders - When it comes to defining what makes a great tech leader, more than half (54%) of respondents say that great communication remains key, and 43% value their leader’s ability to create a positive culture within the team. - Deep understanding of tech – Technologists in the U.S. also continue to value their leaders having a deep understanding of technology, with almost half (46%) making this one of their top three leadership traits. 1 in 8 feel that a lack of technology understanding amongst leaders is a huge barrier to delivering their tech goals, with a quarter (25%) rating it as a significant issue. IT Strategy also appeared on the top list of leadership qualities for the first time in several years of reporting – a sign that technologists may be concerned about the need for clear strategic and business case direction in the age of AI. The Inclusive workplace: - Tech sector not doing enough - While just under a half (48%) think the tech sector is doing enough to support female participation in technology, almost one third of female respondents (30%) actively disagree, wanting to see more concrete action – much higher than amongst men where only a fifth (19%) feel this way. - Decrease in focus and investment in DEI – Although almost all (80%) think their organization does enough to support diversity as a whole in the workplace, around 2 in 10 technologists report a decrease in focus and investment in DEI over the last two years. - Sense of purpose vs. DEI - Almost all (87%) tech professionals in the U.S. stated that an organization’s sense of purpose is important when selecting a new role, but only 61% think their approach to DEI holds the same weight. This rises to 71% when the respondent identifies as any ethnicity other than white; 46% of white males agree. Simon Crichton, CEO of Harvey Nash concluded: “With technology moving so fast, and AI beginning to change the game, technology leaders have many plates to spin. Tech professionals are looking to their leaders with an expectation of clear strategic direction, fair reward and a supportive environment in which they can build fulfilling careers. A standout feature this year is tech team members’ concern that IT strategy should be clear. There are undercurrents of worry about the impact of AI – even if it also presents career opportunities. The best technology leaders are those that integrate the development and deployment of AI into a coherent overall strategy that continues to have the skills and abilities of tech professionals at its heart.” -ENDS- About the report The Harvey Nash Global Tech Talent & Salary Report is based on a survey of over 3,646 technology professionals globally (including 1,394 in the UK and 629 in the US). The survey took place between 4th November 2025 and 26th January 2026. This report is part of a suite of reports and surveys that Harvey Nash publish annually, including its highly respected Digital Leadership Report, which was launched in 1998 and is the world’s largest and longest running survey of senior technology leaders. To request a full copy of the results, please visit https://www.harveynashusa.com/research-whitepapers/tech-talent-and-salary-report-2026. About Harvey Nash Harvey Nash is a specialist global technology recruitment firm that connects the world's most innovative companies with the technology talent they need to succeed. For over 35 years, Harvey Nash has been a pioneer and leading voice in the global technology space, having long term strategic partnerships with blue chip customers. With offices across multiple continents, including North America, the UK. Europe and Asia, Harvey Nash experienced in partnering with organizations on their specialized technology talent requirements including Cyber, DevOps, AI & Automation, Data, Cloud and Software Engineering. For further information visit https://www.harveynashusa.com/ Media Contacts:Michelle Thomas Harvey Nash michelle.thomas@harveynash.com +44 (20) 7333 2677

How to protect skills pipelines in the age of AI AI is scaling, but skills pipelines are under pressure, and digital leaders are feeling both realities at once. Technology teams are delivering faster with AI embedded across engineering, testing and delivery. Yet underneath that acceleration, new capability risks are emerging. As AI takes on more foundational work, the pathways technologists traditionally used to learn, practice, and progress are being reshaped. If workforce models are not redesigned alongside technology adoption, organizations risk creating a future where productivity rises but deep technical capability thins out. This tension sits at the heart of our recent Tech Flix film, ‘The AI Skills Paradox’: AI is Scaling, Skills are Not’, which explores the widening gap between the rapid rise of AI and the skills needed to harness it. It brings together perspectives from industry, education and government to examine how organizations can prepare their people for the future of technology. For a frontline operational view, we also spoke with Nash Squared CIO Ankur Anand, whose perspective reflects how these shifts are playing out inside technology teams today. The digital talent paradox inside tech teams AI adoption across technology functions has accelerated rapidly, but workforce readiness is moving at a different pace. The 2025 Nash Squared/Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report shows that demand for AI capability continues to surge, with AI and machine learning remaining among the fastest-growing skills areas globally. Yet access to talent remains constrained, with digital leaders consistently reporting skills shortages in critical technology disciplines. This creates a structural paradox. Organizations are scaling AI delivery while facing persistent gaps in the very skills required to implement, govern and scale it effectively. Our recent Tech Flix film reinforces this divide, highlighting how AI is advancing faster than workforce preparedness, creating pressure on leaders to rethink how skills are built, not just how technology is deployed. The real risk to junior and mid-level roles Much of the external narrative focuses on AI threatening entry-level roles. Inside tech teams, the structural pressure (how the shape of a tech team is shifting) is more nuanced. Development copilots, automation tooling and internal knowledge systems now allow junior engineers to complete tasks that previously required several years of experience. As CIO of Nash Squared, Ankur explains, early-career productivity is rising sharply. Junior engineers can interpret requirements, generate code and build solutions far earlier in their careers than before. But the structural impact falls most heavily on the mid-experience layer. “It’s creating more risk for the people with mid-level experience compared to the more senior and experienced people as well as the juniors,” he notes. Work traditionally owned by engineers with two to five years of experience is being compressed. It is absorbed upward through AI-augmented senior oversight and downward through AI-enabled junior execution. This does not remove technology roles, but it does reshape career pathways. Without intervention, organizations risk narrowing the bridge between entry-level exposure and senior accountability. Productivity is rising & experience is evolving While risk exists, AI is also transforming what early-career technologists can achieve. Ankur points to initiatives delivered by engineers with less than a year of experience, including platforms launched within months. These were AI-enabled from inception and did not follow traditional development learning curves. “The impact of AI on fresh talent is very high. Their productivity is now almost as good as people with three to five years of experience.” Access to automation, coding copilots and internal data environments allows early-career engineers to contribute meaningful outputs faster than ever before. The challenge for digital leaders is ensuring that accelerated output still translates into deep expertise over time. How technical skills development is evolving AI’s impact is not uniform across the technology landscape. In modern product and platform environments, AI is embedded across delivery, accelerating coding, testing and documentation. Engineers are building AI-enabled solutions from day one, working in automation-rich ecosystems where delivery speed is significantly enhanced. As Ankur notes, when reflecting on recent initiatives, many programmes today are designed around AI from inception rather than layered in later. But the picture shifts in high-accountability, experience-led environments. In domains requiring deep expertise, risk ownership and judgment, human capability remains central. As Ankur explains, “Where you have high-skilled jobs with more experience and manual decision-making required, you can’t rely on junior or entry-level talent to take those judgment calls. But you may augment AI for experienced people so they can make faster decisions.” This creates two distinct capability pathways: AI-enabled engineering environments where automation drives productivity Experience-led environments where AI augments but does not replace human judgment Digital leaders must build strength across both. Governance is now a delivery priority As AI accelerates output, governance becomes inseparable from capability. “AI without governance is equally a big risk and can have unexpected consequences,” Ankur warns. AI-generated code can introduce vulnerabilities if deployed without architectural understanding. Security design, data privacy and resilience frameworks are not inherently embedded in AI outputs. Rapidly developed applications may function but fail under scrutiny or scale. For digital leaders, this reinforces four operational priorities: Security-first engineering principles Responsible AI training Human review layers Structured governance frameworks Speed must be balanced with safeguard design. Five leadership moves to protect the skills pipeline Protecting capability does not require slowing AI adoption. It requires designing workforce models that evolve with it. Drawing on insights from our recent Tech Flix film, the 2025 Digital Leadership Report and Ankur’s frontline perspective, five priorities stand out. 1. Redesign early-career roles AI enables juniors to deliver faster, but learning must remain intentional. Exposure to architecture, testing and decision-making must sit alongside AI-enabled execution. 2. Accelerate mid-level progression As delivery work redistributes, mid-career technologists must be supported to move into higher-value domains such as security, platforms and governance. 3. Embed governance into engineering workflows Governance cannot sit outside delivery. Secure design, AI oversight and risk accountability must be built into day-to-day development. 4. Build dual capability pathways Leaders must invest in both AI-enabled product skills and AI-augmented legacy expertise to sustain transformation. 5. Design blended operating models Future tech teams will combine AI-enabled early talent, experienced engineers, governance capability and platform leadership rather than flattening structures entirely. The capability question facing digital leaders AI is already reshaping how technology teams operate. It’s accelerating junior contribution, redistributing mid-level work, and augmenting senior oversight. But long-term capability will not build itself. As Ankur emphasizes, the priority now is workforce design. Leaders must ensure accelerated productivity today still produces the deep technical expertise organizations will depend on tomorrow.

Harvey Nash is proud to announce they have been named a 2026 Strategic Supplier by Allegis Global Solutions (AGS) across North America and EMEA, recognizing the company’s consistent performance in delivering high-quality technology and professional talent to global enterprise clients. The AGS Strategic Supplier designation is awarded to a select group of partners who demonstrate exceptional performance across key metrics including quality of hire, responsiveness to requisitions, successful placements, bill rate management compliance and overall partnership effectiveness. For Harvey Nash, the recognition reflects a long-standing commitment to operational excellence and trusted partnership within AGS workforce programs. In North America, this marks the 11th consecutive year Harvey Nash has been named a Strategic Supplier by Allegis Global Solutions. In EMEA, Harvey Nash has achieved this recognition for 7+ consecutive years, underscoring the company’s global strength in delivering specialized talent across key technology and digital roles. Being recognized as an Allegis Global Solutions Strategic Supplier for the 11th consecutive year in North America is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our teams,” said Keegan Banks, Senior Vice President of Client Delivery, Harvey Nash USA. “Our partnership is built on deep integration, specialized delivery, and a proactive approach to anticipating workforce needs. This enables us to deliver exceptional technology talent while helping clients stay ahead in an increasingly complex and rapidly transforming technology landscape.” In EMEA, Harvey Nash’s continued inclusion on the Strategic Supplier list highlights the company’s ability to support complex workforce programs across multiple markets and industries. Allegis Global Solutions evaluates suppliers through a comprehensive performance framework supported by its Acumen® Intelligent Workforce platform, alongside direct feedback from client program teams. “As the workforce landscape continues to evolve, our supplier network plays a critical role in helping us lead with agility and innovation,” said Allegis Global Solutions President Steve Schumacher. “Our 2026 Strategic Suppliers deliver specialized talent quickly, adapt to changing business needs and drive impactful results for our clients. We value their collaboration and look forward to continued success.”Harvey Nash’s continual highlighted in the Strategic Supplier program reinforces its reputation as a trusted global partner for organizations seeking highly skilled technology professionals. About Harvey Nash Harvey Nash, part of Nash Squared, is a global professional services and technology recruitment specialist. With decades of experience connecting organizations with highly skilled technology and digital talent, Harvey Nash partners with clients across industries to support transformation, innovation and growth.