IT Resume Thread

What he said, and BTW, since posting my resume, I have had three interviews and am starting a new job at the end of the month. Thx for all your help.

I just found a great article concering cover letters. Its also information that you can apply to the bulk of your resume, just good sense really.

Note: please forgive me if it seems like an ad for the guy's book. Just take the free info he provides and run with it.

Summary

I am a young, eager, and willing computer technician, with a broad range of skills and two years of experience. I have the reputation for providing outstanding service, and for being a dedicated employee that will go the extra mile.

Skills and Abilities

•Wireless networking and wireless security including 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g
•Administering and maintaining Windows XP, 2000, ME, NT, and 9X
•Constructing wired Ethernet networks
•Installing and implementing new hardware into workstations and servers
•Help Desk support
•Dial-up support

Professional Experience

Network Innovations Chippewa Falls, WI
Field Service Technician/Help Desk Support January 2004 – February 2005
• Administer and maintain the company’s workstations onsite. (Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 98)
• Help desk support for a 10,000 user base dial-up ISP
• Setup and install DSL service in local businesses and home residences
• Help systems engineering with various tasks
o Install various varieties of Linux onto servers
o Install Windows Server 2003 onto servers
• Fix machines that local customers brought into building including:
o Virus removal/antivirus client update
o New hardware installation/configuration
o Operating system maintenance (Windows 98 and Windows XP)

U.S. Army United States of America
Telecommunications Operator/Maintainer (MOS 74C) July 2002 – March 2003
• Supervised, installed, operated, and performed unit level maintenance on manual and automated telecommunications equipment centrals and associated peripherals
• Operated automated message switches and strategic telecommunications centers using system command consoles, computer terminals, processors, magnetic tape units, disk packs, tape readers, visual display units, facsimile, and associated COMSEC devices
• Completed U.S. Army training for operating and maintaining computers including:
o A+ Certification Class
o N+ Certification Class
o Cisco Certification Class

First Link Technology Denver, CO
Intern January 2002 – June 2002
• Build, administer, repair, secure, support and maintain systems for corporate office, ISP operations and collocated equipment.
• Developed corporate customers businesses which included buying, installing, and repairing equipment including servers, citrix clients, workstations, and software
• Systems Administrator for 40 customer networks ranging in size from 5 to over 1000 users in a variety of environments (Windows, Novell, UNIX)

I am currently seeking a job and would appreciate any advice regarding my resume... btw it looks a lot different in word.

Since reading this thread and tweaking my resume a lot has happened...

After I tweaked my resume and posting to Careerbuilder, I had 6 hits in about 4 days,
(not counting the BS spam ones)...

I have been hired by KForce and am now involved in a huge PC rollout/swapout, data migration project at one of the biggest hospitals in the country...
BTW onsite I am a representative for a rather large computer company that I can't name..
but they bought Compaq out a while ago


The wage is a considerable improvement over what I'm used to, ( I believe directly related to the wording of my resume)...

Needless to say, if I hadn't stumbled on this thread and gotten many great ideas and pointers, I'd probably still be struggling with it...

One thing the interviewer pointed out was that the bullet pointed lists of software
and hardware experience, without years of experience was preferable to a list with
the years of experience labels...
Just so long as what you list, you can back up in the interview...

I also have to say though that this resume created one of the easiest interviews I ever had,
because they just kept picking up on a bullet, and then I rolled with it...

Thanks to all in this thread...

Jon (BONEHEAD)

^^^^^good to hear a success story. ive noticed myself that not having a lot of experience doesnt neccasarily count u out, if u can get their attention w/ ur resume then sweet talk em come interview time. pardon my nosiness but how much more are u making than u did at ur last job? kforce is a staffing agency right? are u temp or full time?

just wondering

I've been in the midst of trying to beautify my resume because, quite frankly, it sucks. Any help would be appreciated. I have also done consulting work for the last 4 years on and off but it isn't in any official capacity, I usually throw that on my cover letter. I have also edited out my address and phone number (that is why there is the blank spaces)


Phone:
E-Mail: [email protected]
______________________________________________________________________

Technical Skills And Experience:
Operating Systems:
Windows NT 4.0 Unix
Windows 95/98, 2K, ME, XP, 2k3 Linux Red Hat 6.0
Novell NetWare 5.0 DOS

Application Software:
Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint)
Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, Firefox, Test Track Pro, DevTrack, AlienBrain

Additional Experience:
• Configuration and upkeep of 6 non-networked computers for students in a classroom environment.
• Installation and configuration of a network for Al Bahr Shrine. Including installation of the computers, running cable, configuration of the server, network shares, and back-up software.
• Assistant Developer for Star Wars Galaxies. Work with Maya, Perforce, and the SWG God client.

Education:
Coleman College, May 2001
Computer Applications and Networking GPA 3.52

Work History:
Sony Online Entertainment

Compatibility Lab Analyst: Responsible for using different configurations of computers to test the compatibility of games (EverQuest, Star Wars Galaxies, Planetside) with new hardware, drivers, and patches. Also responsible for the testing of installers and patch verification.

Sony Online Entertainment
Training Specialist: Responsible for the training of new hires in the Customer Service department. Including technical support representatives and In-game representatives. When there were no new hires the department would hold classes on new expansions, how to properly use tools, or any new information that was pertinent to the customer service department.

Sony Online Entertainment
Technical Support Representative: Provided phone support, e-mails, and live chat, helping the customers to resolve their technical issues. This included troubleshooting of their computers, networks, and other connections. This position also dealt with billing support; over charges, charge backs, cancellation of accounts, and other billing discrepancies.

My most recent jobs have been help desk. I am trying to get away from this type of position and back to a LAN support type job. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

JASON


QUALIFICATIONS
High energy, results driven individual with a proven and successful track record as a LAN Support Technician. A strategic thinker with a strong business sense experienced in management of systems, people and administrative responsibilities.

SKILLS
• Excellent understanding of network and routing protocols (TCP, IP, SNMP, HTTP).
• Solid grasp of event monitoring (alerting, diagnostics, solutions).
• Strong technical knowledge of digital network technologies (including, routers, switches, etc.) and associated protocols (including DHCP, TCP, IP, etc.).
• Experience with: Digicards, Baystacks, Digital Telephone Systems (Nortel), Network Printers, Veritas Backup Exec 8.5 for Windows, Citrix client 6 and MetaFrame XP, and Lotus Notes 5.
• Competent in various operating systems, such as Windows 95/98, Windows 2000/XP Professional, Windows NT Workstation & Server 4.0, Windows 2000 Server.

CERTIFICATIONS/TRAINING

Ø MCP Training Classes

EXPERIENCE
Command Center, SunTrust August 2004 to April 2005
Personal solutions to meet your needs

Support Operations
Support onsite install technicians with expertise
• Supported 20 installation teams simultaneously during branch migrations
• Create status reports logging all known and recurring issues into an Excel database for further analysis
• Monitor network and software issues and escalate them as necessary
• Coordinated with project managers and install managers for equipment deliveries, branch deployments,
and over all project implementation

Service Center, Next Star Communications March 2004 to August 2004
Providing excellent customer service for all your wireless needs

Lead Service Technician
Responsible for management of daily service center activities
• Organized service center for more efficient processes improving productivity and customer service.
• Efficiently test and troubleshoot problems with Motorola phones.
• Complete soldering of circuits to motherboards for builds of phones.
• Train new service techs on policies and procedures.
• Support users of Nextel Blackberry 6510 and 7510 devices by manually setting up hardware and
training the user.
• Configured Blackberry Webclient and Desktop redirector software for efficient access to emails
• Manually installed Enterprise server in sync with Microsoft Exchange in a testing environment of ten
users.
• Manage development of website http://www.nxtstr.com


MIS Department , Market Velocity, Inc. April 2003 to January 2004
The emerging global leader in providing electronic marketplace management solutions

LAN Support Technician
Responsible for assisting in the management of the Computer Services networking facilities.
• Installed PC software/hardware and setup PC workstations, which required a working knowledge of Windows NT, Windows 2000, Microsoft Office and Lotus Notes.
• Efficiently ran diagnostics to troubleshoot problems involving, PC's, LANs, and a wide range of output devices.
• LAN Administration plus General LAN performance monitoring and tuning.
• Suggested improvements to website for more efficient access to data and created website instruction manuals for operations.
• Assessed internal security issues using an industry standard audit process.


Remarketing/Refurbishment, Southern Refurb, Inc. November 2002 to February 2003
One of the world leaders in reselling pre-owned mainframe computers, PC's, and hard to find parts

Product Quality and Assurance
Responsible for conducting PC testing and fully refurbishing small to midrange computer peripherals.
• Successfully built and tested refurbished used parts and computers for re-sale in the marketplace.
• Worked with other members of the marketing and performance teams to assist in getting the best price for outdated excess hardware, IBM, and Memorex/Telex parts and machines.
• Effectively tested equipment for quality assurance.

Information Technology, DataScan Technologies November 2001 to March 2002
Delivering networking, wireless and mobile technology business solutions to companies across a wide variety of industries

Jr. LAN Support Technician
Responsible for analyzing and resolving complex software/hardware problems, including the setup of Win 2K workstations/devices and the replacement and or elimination of equipment problems.
• Administered a Gigabit Ethernet network running Windows 2000/XP Professional by using Active Directory Tools
• Manually installed drivers and other software onto servers and workstations. (Peachtree Accounting, Citrix, Lotus Notes, Norton Antivirus, Microsoft Office, Crystal Reports)
• Performed routine hard drive, RAM, peripherals, and processor installations for improved performance on workstations and servers.
• Assisted in the corporate wide software/hardware migration from Windows NT 4.0 Server to Microsoft 2000 Server by effectively configuring and rebuilding servers.
• Successfully rebuilt internal workstations for clients (Accounting, Developers, Sales/Marketing, Administrative) on the local area network.

Intern, DataScan Technologies July 2001 to October 2001

EDUCATION
B.B.S., Telecommunications Management, DeVry University, June 2002

WARNING!!!

Do NOT post your real email addresses in posts, especially with your real name. You could be signed up for all sorts of nasy online stuff if someone wanted to go through the trouble of using your email addy instead of theirs, just ask Kyle. Additionally, spam bots crawl forums like this one all the time, which can result in you being spammed like crazy.

/Public Service Announcement

Though I took that schtuff out. Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks Bob for that reminder!!

Just to let you all know, I haven't forgotten about these new resumes that have been posted. I'm in the middle of starting my own business and suddenly have not free time these days. I still plan on sitting down sometime this weekend and looking over these resumes though so don't worry!

It's also great to hear some of the good news coming back from some of you!! I think I speak for most all of us when I say that I'm just happy to help out here as this place has helped me out over the years many times.

Recently quit my job as I couldn't stand my employer any longer. Been about 3 weeks unemployed and have sent out about 11 resumes. The only bite I've received was from a national IT staffing firm. The only work I have is a one day project thanks to the staffing firm. Other than that, I'm out of luck, and am running out of time/money.

I'm 21, have 3 years of help desk/tech support experience, and 1 and a half years of technical school training. Looking for an entry level IT position. Would shoot higher given the skills I know I have, and the work exp. Although, my lack of confidence, and given the fierce competition, I have not been shooting for any thing higher.

When sending a physical copy, this is what I use: http://www.thecompnerd.com/resume/JALwebresume.pdf

If it's via the email, I use this much smaller sized (38KB vs 875KB) resume in word:
http://www.thecompnerd.com/resume/jay-resume-web.doc

I do not have a cover letter, as I've been told that cover letters aren't quite as critical as they used to be. Don't know how credible that is, but maybe some one here is in the know?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Just an FYI, but I plan on supplimenting my lack of formal training (college) starting this summer, working towards at least an Associates in Computer Science. Also, aiming to get my MCSE in the next couple of months.

cmputrnrd4lif said:

Recently quit my job as I couldn't stand my employer any longer. Been about 3 weeks unemployed and have sent out about 11 resumes. The only bite I've received was from a national IT staffing firm. The only work I have is a one day project thanks to the staffing firm. Other than that, I'm out of luck, and am running out of time/money.

I'm 21, have 3 years of help desk/tech support experience, and 1 and a half years of technical school training. Looking for an entry level IT position. Would shoot higher given the skills I know I have, and the work exp. Although, my lack of confidence, and given the fierce competition, I have not been shooting for any thing higher.

When sending a physical copy, this is what I use: http://www.thecompnerd.com/resume/JALwebresume.pdf

If it's via the email, I use this much smaller sized (38KB vs 875KB) resume in word:
http://www.thecompnerd.com/resume/jay-resume-web.doc

I do not have a cover letter, as I've been told that cover letters aren't quite as critical as they used to be. Don't know how credible that is, but maybe some one here is in the know?
.

Click to expand...

I'm not the expert here and I like the way your resume looks. What I would add is that your WORD resume looked like mine. I have been searching for a new job for about a year. I sent that old resume to my new employeer twice two interviews but nada ( no cover letter either ). I sent the new resume I wrote after reading the stuff here and that day that same employer who I have interviewed twice with called me back. I was interviewed by a total of 5 people, 3 the first day, 2 more two days later. Both of the other time I had interviewed, it had only been with one person. One of the guys actually said to me, "Well your the last one so you must be important."

A few things I picked up from various websites:
1. The E-Mail is your cover letter.
2. Thank you letters are important ( I wrote 6, 5 to the interviewers and 1 to the HR person who set them up for me)

To contiune my story, I updated my resume on the major sites that same day and recieved 2 phone calls from other prospective employeers. I start my new job tomorrow morning, my first real tech job. Why? because I went from focusing on my experience to focusing on my Skills. neither of your resumes focus on skills. The first thing I notice is that you work somewhere for 3 years as a help desk tech. I would reorder it into something like this: ( Based on what I have picked up in these forums.)


Jay La Valle

Summary:
A computer professional with 2 years of experience drawing upon . . .

Skills:
Computer:
Microsoft Certified Desktop Technician ( MCSDT )
CompTIA A+, Network+ Certified
2 years experience as a Help Desk Technician.
2 years experience using Microsoft Office ( Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint )
Additional Experience includes : ( Other things like that I have dabbled in MySQL and VNC or VPN)
Operating System Fluency: I listed everything I still felt comfortable using and supporting which got me a few laughs from the interviews. And a great question, " So if some one called and said they had a Windows 3.11 machine and wanted couldn't get hooked up to their ONT what would you tell them?. And " OS/9 ?" I even listed Linux and they asked me questions about that as they do have a few customers that use Linux instead of Windows.
Communciations: ( Start listing out your skills and grouping them )

Then your Employment History, mine was 7 lines with Titles, Dates, and who I worked for, and at the end what my degree was in.

Well that's the nutshell.
Your resume looks great but both focus on where you've worked. Focus on your skill and ceritfications and use the summary line to Summurize what you are.

Xneff has a lot of good points, but one i thing i noticed is that you only sent out 11 resumes in three weeks. no i dont know how big of a city you live in, but that's not a lot. as u said urself the comp is tough, so send a resume to every company and position you can, even if your somewhat under or overqualified. i got offers for network administrator jobs (in another city tho, so i couldnt leave) even tho i had no admin experience just because i submitted my resume. a friend of mine whose dad is a hr person for a lot of fortune 500 companies said the requirements they have on those job descriptions are not set in stone. no matter how u slice, they WANT someone to fill that spot even if they dont meet all the qualifications. keep sending out resumes, and go through and read EVERY THREAD and take notes, then redo ur resume. a lot of people have had successm Xneff and jonlberg to name a few, so you know something these people are saying is right.

and if u get a job u feel ur underqualified for, take it; just dont let them know that

good luck w/ everything.

ne0-reloaded said:

no i dont know how big of a city you live in, but that's not a lot. as u said urself the comp is tough, so send a resume to every company and position you can, even if your somewhat under or overqualified.

Click to expand...

I live about 15 min away from Oklahoma City, so you could imagine just how big (or little actually) the market is. Most tech jobs here are posted by employment agencies such as Adecco, Express Personnel, and Robert Half International, just to name a few. I've seen very few businesses actually posting jobs themselves.

I keep up with most of the job postings in the paper and all postings on monster.com (have a job tracker setup). And I've applied to all of jobs in which I feel I'm qualified, or maybe just a bit underqualified. For the time being I may get with an employment agency to see if they could at least put me into some temp work. Any one have any luck or comments with any such agencies?

I've taken some suggestions, looked at others' resumes, and think I've come up with some thing a lot better than I previously had. Tell me if I'm on the right track here:

www.thecompnerd.com/resume/altern-resume.doc

Also, any one have any clue if a pdf is any acceptable format to send my resume in? Size alone it makes more sense to send a word document instead, but I really like the pdf resume my g/f created for me. Would just hate to minimize any chances I have of being looked at purely based on the format of my resume.

Thanks for the continued suggestions and comments. This really is a great thread!

Hopefully that is not your real address in that.

cmputrnrd4lif said:

I live about 15 min away from Oklahoma City, so you could imagine just how big (or little actually) the market is. Most tech jobs here are posted by employment agencies such as Adecco, Express Personnel, and Robert Half International, just to name a few. I've seen very few businesses actually posting jobs themselves.

I keep up with most of the job postings in the paper and all postings on monster.com (have a job tracker setup). And I've applied to all of jobs in which I feel I'm qualified, or maybe just a bit underqualified. For the time being I may get with an employment agency to see if they could at least put me into some temp work. Any one have any luck or comments with any such agencies?

I've taken some suggestions, looked at others' resumes, and think I've come up with some thing a lot better than I previously had. Tell me if I'm on the right track here:

www.thecompnerd.com/resume/altern-resume.doc

Also, any one have any clue if a pdf is any acceptable format to send my resume in? Size alone it makes more sense to send a word document instead, but I really like the pdf resume my g/f created for me. Would just hate to minimize any chances I have of being looked at purely based on the format of my resume.

Thanks for the continued suggestions and comments. This really is a great thread!

Click to expand...

that's a lot better but im pretty sure u have more skills than that. expound on them some more, or try grouping them into categories, ie web tech, networking, desktop apps, etc. for example, if u know html, css, javascript, iss, and exchange, under skills have a section stating that. if ur good w/ tcp/ip, dns, dhcp, nat, vpn's have a section stating that called "Networking" or something similar. it's a lot better than previous ones, but it could still use some work.

also, for job postings, check out careerbuilder.com and dice.com. i get more callbacks from careerbuilder than i do monster. oh, try hotjobs.com too, that's yahoo's job search site. msn might have one too, but im not sure

edit: i checked ur site out and it's pretty good, i like the border w/ the ide cables and cat5 wires. u made that urself or did someone else do it?

Nightfall84 said:

Hopefully that is not your real address in that.

Click to expand...

Flippin' crap... oh how forgetful I've become.

ne0-reloaded said:

that's a lot better but im pretty sure u have more skills than that. expound on them some more, or try grouping them into categories, ie web tech, networking, desktop apps, etc. for example, if u know html, css, javascript, iss, and exchange, under skills have a section stating that. if ur good w/ tcp/ip, dns, dhcp, nat, vpn's have a section stating that called "Networking" or something similar. it's a lot better than previous ones, but it could still use some work.

also, for job postings, check out careerbuilder.com and dice.com. i get more callbacks from careerbuilder than i do monster. oh, try hotjobs.com too, that's yahoo's job search site. msn might have one too, but im not sure

edit: i checked ur site out and it's pretty good, i like the border w/ the ide cables and cat5 wires. u made that urself or did someone else do it?

Click to expand...

You're right, I probably do have some more skills I could add. Guess what I'm afraid of is adding way too many skills and filling up the page with information that the interviewer deems unimportant. But I shall add some more to the skills section.

I'll check out the other sites you mentioned. Thanks!

Thanks for the compliments on my site! I got bored a couple of weeks ago and decided I needed to revamp my web site. So I grabbed some spare computer parts I had layin around, used them as a reference, and drew every thing in photoshop. I like how it turned out - nerdy!

cmputrnrd4lif said:

Flippin' crap... oh how forgetful I've become.



You're right, I probably do have some more skills I could add. Guess what I'm afraid of is adding way too many skills and filling up the page with information that the interviewer deems unimportant. But I shall add some more to the skills section.

I'll check out the other sites you mentioned. Thanks!

Thanks for the compliments on my site! I got bored a couple of weeks ago and decided I needed to revamp my web site. So I grabbed some spare computer parts I had layin around, used them as a reference, and drew every thing in photoshop. I like how it turned out - nerdy!

Click to expand...

that's cool. i need to learn photoshop, cuz im getting into web design myself. i know html, css, and shit, but it's finding images on line to fit what i see in my head. did u use a book to learn ps, or did u just tinker around w/ it for hours at a time?

Nightfall84 said:

Network Innovations Chippewa Falls, WI
Field Service Technician/Help Desk Support January 2004 – February 2005

Click to expand...

Just curious to why you left.

fibroptikl said:

Just curious to why you left.

Click to expand...

PM Sent

Also, if anybody has any suggestions as to my resume please let me know. I'm desperate as I am about to start working for 711 next week (or so) because I am running out of money

I have had a few interviews so far and each of them ends in "To be honest we are looking for somebody with a little more experience than you currently have" Well... wtf did you call me in for an interview for then? You saw my resume before you called me and asked me to come in... *sigh* I may have to just stick it out at a shit job until I can start and finish school.

Also, has anybody compiled a list of websites to find jobs at? I check these every day and if anybody knows any other good ones to add please let me know.

http://www.monster.com
http://www.hotjobs.com
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.dice.com

Nightfall84 said:

Also, has anybody compiled a list of websites to find jobs at? I check these every day and if anybody knows any other good ones to add please let me know.

http://www.monster.com
http://www.hotjobs.com
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.dice.com

Click to expand...

www.computerjobs.com
www.intelligencecareers.com*
www.defensejobs.com
www.clearancejobs.com

* Everytime I refresh my resume with them I get a flood of offers, sometimes within hours of posting.

Here's mine. All comments welcome. Here it is in Word Format

Here's my basic problem: I seem to be either overqualified or underqualified. I can't find anything that's a good match. Everything is either for people w/out a 4-year degree, or for 4-year degree + at least 3 years experience

Jonathan E. Calvert
<Address>
Raleigh, NC 27609
<Phone>
<email>

Education:
B.S. in Computer Science, graduated in May 2004
North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC
GPA: 3.24

Work Experience:
Functionality Development Engineer contracted to IBM in Research Triangle Park, NC
June 2004 to December 2004
* Working with IBM Advanced Server Management product line prerelease firmware and software for xSeries servers
* Troubleshooting and bugtracking via automated test plan tools
* Writing defect reports for the software development team

Network and Systems Administrator for Lee Industries, Inc. a 400+ employee furniture manufacturer located in Newton, NC
Full Time during Summers and Holidays with telecommuting and travel as needed during semesters - May 2001 to January 2004
* Deployed and integrated web and email solutions
* Administered network security measures
* Developed a Java based system for website to handle vendor inquiries.
* Developed and installed a system to handle e-mail inquiries
* Developed a full backup system
* Maintained website with website visitor statistical database

Teaching Assistant at North Carolina State University - Spring 2002
* Administered a weekly Java programming laboratory
* Instructed both engineering and non-engineering students
* Evaluated students’ work

Software Development with Red Hat, Inc. through North Carolina State University - Spring 2004
* Development of a TFTP system to enable remote booting of systems
* Software team works independently with contacts at Red Hat

Computer Skills:
* Operating Systems: Windows 2k, XP & 2k3ES, Linux, Solaris
* Programming Languages: C/C++, Java, Perl, PHP, Python
* Application Technologies: SQL, Oracle, Apache, Active Directory, Qmail, .NET Framework, IMAP, IIS, LDAP, Access
* Networking: TCP/IP, DNS, Firewalling, E-mail services, File sharing, PXE, DHCP, Content filtering, Remote Control, SNMP

I can tell you firsthand that the market in RTP isn't even close to what it was from 1997 - 2000. Back then it would have been much easier for you to find multiple companies interested in you.

If I were you, I would drive around RTP and get the names and addresses of every company with a stand alone building. Research the company on the web and see if they have jobs posted on their site. Many companies don't post their positions on the big job boards due to the cost or massive volume of people that apply with no qualifications.

Usually you can contact your local Chamber of Commerce and see if they have a list of the areas largest employers. Usually you can get that for free or a nominal fee. There will be companies on there that you never would have thought to apply to...it's something a little different than others competing for the same jobs might not think to do.

Check with the career center at NC State and see if they have some leads. Most of their leads are for positions where the will look at entry level candidates, but would probably gladly take someone with more experience.

If the major job boards like Monster, Careerbuilder, Dice and Hotjobs aren't working for you, try the path less traveled.

- some old school recruiter

http://www.boneheadgrafix.net/websample

Truthfully this is all that I posted on CareerBuilder, and got 6 hits in 4 days...
One of those is the job I landed.
I used PC Specialist / Network Technician as my resume description.

Currently I am on an 800 PC rollout at a large hospital campus.
On track for a 3 year contract (14,000 PC's).

I am employed by a technical staff company (KFORCE).
On Site I represent one of the largest comp companies in the world(HP).
Last month I represented another Fortune 100 company as an installation tech
for Point of Sales (POS) computer replacement.

I still have 2 quarters of school left, no certs (yet), and a great job.
I live in Cleve, OH where the tech jobs are pretty much only found online.

How I did this...
Stumbled on this thread about 3 months ago (JAN 05) ...
Read it over completely,
Checked out a sweet resume book, (post link later)...
got to hacking on my resume, hacked it some more
posted it on Monster, Careerbuilder, Hotjobs.

2 things I've noticed in this thread are
*People thinking they are over or under qualified
*Where to find the jobs.

Most worthwhile entry to mid level tech jobs are hired through staffing companies.
RHI, Volt, KFORCE etc. are the main ones in my area.

A staffing company is not neccessarily going to decline you for being under or over qualified. This is where your list of tech skills is the negotiating table.
Be completely honest about what you know or don't know.
The recruiters job is to get you employed so he can make a commision.
(Often they suggest how to polish up your resume, added bonus)
Remember you are a commodity and are treated like one.
I know this sounds kind of harsh, but truth be told that's how the game is played.
Staffing companies give you the advantage of testing the water's also,
You usually find out within a week whether you like what your doing or not.
If not, then tell your recruiter," This job sucks, could you find me something else ".
They also give you the opportunity to be flexible with your resume while gaining experience.

Well anyway this is what works for me, thanks to JM and others for this thread.

BONEHE@D

I've sent this to various people for critique, and my supervisor turned me on to this thread (he's the one that started it). Open to any and all suggestions, I'm trying to get it bullet proof.

http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?p=4208518#post4208518

^^^ that's the only way I could post it for the time being, sorry to cross link.

Undecided,
I did not look at the actual content of your resume so much, as I only feel like i have the room to judge layout aspects. So here does my list of suggestions..

1. Try to keep everything looking very consistant. There are various types of bulleted lists in your resume, while I would have stayed with one simple style. I belive that it makes things look much more clear.

2. Your resume appears pretty long, but it could be shortened by aligning things differently. My biggest concern is the use of Arial for a font. The only time i would ever use Arial for something that would be printed, it was when i wanted to make my school assignments longer. I think the HR dept would be happier if it were as short as possible while retaining the same amount of information.

3. Your certifications list is very long, and is not bulleted. Again you should keep it consistant. In order to shorten the length of the page, I think you should try to make a two column bulleted list.

I think thats all I have for now. These are only suggestions, and hopefully are good constructive criticism. I hope to have my own resume up for critique soon, although my problems are more on the content side of things. ie. no work experience with the field I am pursuing.

If anyone is still interested in compiling a list of tips and such, I'll go ahead and edit the initial post. I also need to revamp my resume and repost it since iupload took a dump.

I've edited Undecided's resume to spruce up the formatting and tried to give it a little better flow. You can download it here.
If you ask me, the font is all wrong. Then again it might just be my computer monitor playing tricks on me.


It still needs some work and maybe some more content or core skills to fill things out some. It'll also help show how well rounded your skills are.

Wow, I'm soo far behind here! I've been so busy lately that it's been all I can do just to keep on on the latest posts here. I promise to get around to all the newly posted resumes here as soon as I can block out a good hour to put my mind to them fully. I do want to say that I'm just overjoyed to hear about many of you and your employment success. It's good to know that we're helping each other out like this. I've gotten so much from these forums over the years and it's just encouraging to be able to give back somehow.

With that said, here are a couple of thoughts I've got on some recent posts:

1. I'm actually leaning towards a completely new sticky thread for a compilation of resume tips as I think the original discussions that transpired through this very thread are very helpful the way they are and I'd hate to alter anything here.

2. I REALLY love the listing of employment "watering holes". I think that can be the next step in what we've been doing here: Now that you've got a well-made resume and cover letter, here's how you get your name out and find an open job! I know from personal experience that finding work is just as much a skill as anything worthwhile doing. I worked as a technical contractor for many years. That means I've changed jobs just about every year on average for the past 8 years! I've had to learn how to keep my options open -and I've learned a lot of these lessons the hard way so I'd love to help others not repeat the same mistakes. Anyways, I guess I'll have to start typing out these lessons learned here some day as well...

Well that's all I can muster up to type for the moment. Thanks again for many of your encouraging words and I promise to get to the resumes that haven't been reviewed as soon as I can!

Thanks all for the tips (hope to see more). When I get home the resume will go under the knife again.

Here's mine. I've been looking for almost 3 weeks now. I'm running into "lack of experience" I believe. I have probably applied to 75 positions within the past 3 weeks, and just today got the first interview that wasn't with a staffing agency.

Places I'm looking:
jobsearch.org
craigslist.com
dice.com
roberthalftechnology.com
computerwork.com
monster.com
caljobs.ca.gov

I've also scouted the area for businesses that looked like they would have their own IT department. This includes the local utility companies, phone, cable, and internet providers, schools, etc.

I use my PDF formatted resume as much as possible, and have this txt formatted one to use on form-based online applications. I use the DOC format only when specifically asked for. I know that it's been mentioned in this thread to omit the objective and use a summary instead. I was taught differently in school, but have no objections to using a summary, I just need to come up with one I guess.

Here it is:

BrkDncr said:

I have probably applied to 75 positions within the past 3 weeks, and just today got the first interview that wasn't with a staffing agency.

Places I'm looking:
jobsearch.org
craigslist.com
dice.com
roberthalftechnology.com
computerwork.com
monster.com
caljobs.ca.gov

Click to expand...

Finally, after about 1 month of unemployment I landed a new job! Now, for this month of unemployment I've been with 3 different staffing agencies. The most professional and enlightened was Robert Half Technology, through which I scored my job. The two guys I worked with were very enthusiastic and on the ball with the client. The other agencies were less interested in me personally and getting me prepared for the interviews. I had to interview twice with the company that just hired me, and both times I was prepped by RH right before the interview. They also personally drove me to both interviews and sat in the interview with me. Not to mention they reimbursed me for parking fee's incurred while interviewing as my car sat in a parking garage downtown. I'm extremely pleased with their effort to help me land this job.

I'm not sure if others have had such a positive experience with RH, but I would personally recommend them to any one in my area.

Any way, hope I've stayed within the context of this entire thread. And Good luck to you BrkDncr, hope you find some thing soon.

P.S. Once again, I appreciate the comments received earlier about my resume. The final product is a lot more impressive, and businesses have been extremely receptive to it.

OMG, I'm a full month behind on your resumes!! Does this mean I have a life? NO!! Quite the opposite I'm afraid. Anyways, I'm going to attempt to give my thoughts on as many of the resumes here as I can in one sitting so here goes...

>>Disclaimer again: This is all my OPINION only. When it comes to resumes, there is no hard and true set of rules or anything. Only opinion (although some are from the "real world" and some are not).<<

Garzilla04:
Sad to say, this is a classic example of a traditional resume. That means that most of it is fairly useless to an employer. I'd suggest reading through my previous resume reviews in this thread for better descriptions of what I'm about to criticize:
1. Lost the objective
2. Your "Highlights of Qualifications" bullets are useless too. They tell me nothing about your true skills.
3. I'd convert your resume to a "combination" format (also shown here on this thread). There's a lot of skills I'm sure aren't being well described or explored with you being limited to only listing your employment and educational history.
4. lose the "References and Career Portfolio Available Upon Request". Not necessary to say.
-You're very right to have a "qualifications" section. I'd put more time and energy into that section than anything else on the page. Trim your employment history down to just the name, title, location, and duration. All else is in your skills list and descriptions.

DaturaX:
Well first off, I'd forget about having a "general" cover letter that you always use. I'd write a custom cover letter for each job you're applying for. The purpose of the cover letter is to help the employer make a CONNECTION between their help wanted ad and your resume. So you need to use as many of the keywords and items they're looking for in your cover letter as possible.

Now for the resume, I think it's a great start for sure! The formatting is pretty close to what I prefer and I'd not worry about being too wordy. Here are my thoughts:

1. In your summary, you don't want to mention that you're hoping to "break into" anything! Especially since you already have IT experience to draw upon. It sounds an awful lot like a summary/objective statement and it sould be just a summary! The fact that you're applying for a network admin job will give an employer all the information they need to know about your "objective"!
2. Spend more time on the skills and less time on the work history. In fact, I'd lose the "detailed" aspect of your work history. Create major categories for your skills and start describing them in greater detail there instead of in your life story!
3. Lose the references. Not necessary.

Nightfall84:
Another great start! Here are my thoughts:
1. "young, eager, and willing" aren't terms I'd suggest using. It's good that you have given yourself a title though. That's usually the hardest part for most of us! I'm not sure about your second sencence either. I'd rather you say something about "proven ability to provide customer service that exceeds expectatios..." [or something like that]
2. Again, I'd suggest that you trim down your work experience and fatten up your skills and abilities section. There you will be better able to sort out and order your skills into a few major categories (and maybe even add a few skills that just don't go under your work experience).

Also Nightfall84, than you for your service in the US Army. Thank you for serving my country in any way you can. Believe me, we appreciate it!!

Ghim:
You're the perfect candidate for a combination resume!! Read through the previous posts for more help on how to write one but simply put, you need first a summary statement. 1-2 sentences that describe you. Next a detailed skills list, and then a basic employment history list. A lot of the experience you normally have to put in your cover letter will now have a place on your resume! Give that a shot and re-post your new resume here and we'll go from there.

liquidmocean:
I like youre resume so far! Here are some thoughts:
1. Your summary statement (that's what I'd re-name your "qualifications" title) is excellent but it needs a TIME element.
2. "Excellent understanding of...", "Solid grasp of...", "Strong technical knowledge of...", "Experience with...", "Competent in..." All are great statements of your experience but none of them give me an idea of what LEVEL of experience you have. Either qualify them with a number of years experience of find some other way to do it (certifications, awards, etc).
3. I actually don't understand your "certifications/training" statement. Do you have an MCP cert or did you just take a class for it?
4. The rest of the resume is simply too long. I'd go to a combination resume completely my friend. There's just too much information to convey from here -and your work history is just not the best way to get the job done. I can tell you that most HR people are just not going to take the time to comb through your life story just to find out if you can manage a SQL server!

cmputrnrd4lif:
Good start but you need a lot of work. I'd first suggest reading this entire thread (or at least a good portion of it). I'm sorry I don't just have a decent online guide to what I like to see in a resume but this thread is about the best thing to it right now. I'd just start you there.

As far as cover letters go, check out my comments on DaturaX's cover letter for help.

OH CRAP!! I just saw your newly revised resume entry! Well I've run out of time tonight so I'll have to pick up from there tomorrow afternoon. Looks a LOT better though!

**more to come**

Does anyone have any links on information as to areas that have high IT growth/job availability? I'm thinking relocation is in the cards for me, although I have an interview for a Jr. Software Engineer position on Friday.

Hello,

Well I am tired of living in a po-dunk town, and making po-dunk cash. So I think it is time to move back to the states and seek a REAL job.

I was hoping that you kind and wise souls could give me some pointers as to how to jazz up my resume. IT is at http://viriiguy.bravehost.com/viriiguy01-resume.html

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Randy

ViriiGuy said:

I was hoping that you kind and wise souls could give me some pointers as to how to jazz up my resume. IT is at http://viriiguy.bravehost.com/viriiguy01-resume.html

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Randy

Click to expand...

1. Lose the Objective statement
2. Move your Skills list to the top.
3. Be specific with your experience levels. "5-10 years" is now an acceptable amount of experience for a resume. Actually, I'd put those experience levels directly in the descriptions you have above that list -then lose that "Specific Skillsets" section.
4. Add a summary statement to the very top of your resume. Read this thread for some tips on how to do that.

Good luck on your job search!

The DarkBlade said:

Does anyone have any links on information as to areas that have high IT growth/job availability? I'm thinking relocation is in the cards for me, although I have an interview for a Jr. Software Engineer position on Friday.

Click to expand...

http://www.acinet.org/acinet/default.asp

Also, check out www.computerjobs.com, simply plug in the city you are thinking about and you should get an idea of how it stacks up to other cities. In fact, I think they've got a job survey you can view that should have all the info summarized.

Seems like the D.C. Metro area may be the place for me. Anyone have any experience with the market in this area?