IT Resume Thread

[mikeblas]

Any tips on salary negotiation? I've received an offer for $100k ...and my target goal is $110k..I would take it either way but anything extra to cover my travel costs (86 miles round trip roughly $6000 in annual costs in gas and tolls) would be icing on the cake.

I replied to their offer letter with this...

The letter seems reasonable enough to me, though I'm not sure my counter would've been my limit. That is, if you wanted 110, you might've asked for a bit more -- 115, say -- in order to settle on what you actually wanted.

Your letter is quite sincere, but you also don't mention what the problems are: in this forum, you've told us the commute is a concern, but you don't mention it in your letter. What if they stayed at $100, and said you could work at home, say, four days a month? There are probably other counter-offers along that line, and maybe even other lines where common ground can be found.

Had you thought of calling HR and negotiating over the phone instead of writing?

 

[TheMadHatterXxX]

The letter seems reasonable enough to me, though I'm not sure my counter would've been my limit. That is, if you wanted 110, you might've asked for a bit more -- 115, say -- in order to settle on what you actually wanted.

Your letter is quite sincere, but you also don't mention what the problems are: in this forum, you've told us the commute is a concern, but you don't mention it in your letter. What if they stayed at $100, and said you could work at home, say, four days a month? There are probably other counter-offers along that line, and maybe even other lines where common ground can be found.

Had you thought of calling HR and negotiating over the phone instead of writing?

I did but the rep wasn't returning my call so I figured just write it and email it...they came back with 105 and I accepted. Still a decent 25k bump from my current position.

 

[Quartz-1]

'On-boarded'??? WTF is that? If you trained them, say so!

'Drove development of multiple initiatives' - name them!

You might want the skills and certifications sections up top. If you want to progress up the management food chain, you might want to look at some education there. 'Taking evening classes in Management at XYZ college' or similar.

 

[Gillette]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[GhengisKhan]

I started a new thread in genmay before being told about this thread, so I'm moving my resume over here. I hope it's not too dead in here to get some help.

I only do IT as a side job / hobby. My main career is as a Maintenance Technician, Mechanical and Electrical.

I think my resume looks decent, and I do get a lot of call-backs. But I was just wondering if there are any improvements you guys here could suggest.

The first one is my original resume from the other thread. The second one is the updated version due to the advice that I received there.

 

[AltTabbins]

Just a personal thing. I would change your font. Times New Roman is a great way of blending in. You don't want something flashy, but something more modern goes a long ways. I tried out a few and like Book Antiqua. Try a few out. As for format, I would look at some of the resumes here, see which ones you like, and try and model yours after theirs. Its what I did over a year ago to get my current job.

 

[Quartz-1]

Can you please turn those into PDFs?

 

[GhengisKhan]

Several of the places I have applied to specifically state no PDFs, but here you go...
This is just the second version (what I'm sending to prospective employers)

 

[Quartz-1]

Thanks. It's just that PDFs are less likely to get mangled. Anyway, your CV looks boring and is uninformative. All those jobs 2007 and before? Just put the job title, the employer, and the dates - just a single line each. None of your prospective employers are going to care about AEGIS, are they? Have you got any certifications? Up top. For each job you detail, put in 3-5 roles / responsibilities and 2 achievements (rule of 7). 'Maintained and repaired production equipment' tells the recruiter absolutely nothing.

Remember that it's the top half of the first page that tells the recruiter to keep reading.

I've attached the CV template I use.

 

[BobSutan]

How about that. I created this thread 12 years ago and it's still going. I do believe this qualifies as an [H] institution

 

[Ur_Mom]

How about that. I created this thread 12 years ago and it's still going. I do believe this qualifies as an [H] institution

And it's a very informative thread. Very appreciative of all the hard work of the people helping out in here.

 

[David-Duc]

I'm kinda back on the job market, looking for a a Sys Admin position in the DFW area. Would you guys mind taking a look at me resume?
OneDrive:

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AkE61CLVqz2thgs5V3U7QcwiWnHF

 

[Quartz-1]

Do you need to detail your immigration status? With your name and your origin, people will want to know. Your email address doesn't look like your name. Why have are you looking to change jobs so soon? Some blurb at the top might help here.

You should have 1 or 2 achievements for each job.

Do you really need to list the location of each job?

Keep all the sections together - the TNC Computer section should be all on one page. Consider just making it one line as it was so long ago.

Other than that, it looks nice and clean.

 

[David-Duc]

Do you need to detail your immigration status? With your name and your origin, people will want to know. Your email address doesn't look like your name. Why have are you looking to change jobs so soon? Some blurb at the top might help here.

You should have 1 or 2 achievements for each job.

Do you really need to list the location of each job?

Keep all the sections together - the TNC Computer section should be all on one page. Consider just making it one line as it was so long ago.

Other than that, it looks nice and clean.

- I'm a green card holder so what do you suggest? I thought the only limitation is federal jobs and jobs that require security clearance, correct?

- Could you please elaborate more on the "blurb" part? Basically my current job is pretty much a dead end. We're still using Windows Server 2003 and 2000 Advanced Server here and managers without technical knowledge don't listen to their IT. The tipping point is one person (not my direct manager) that is really close to the president asked me to help download a pdf file from a ftp server, I download it and VERIFIED the checksum against the source, the file turn out to have a lot of corrupted pages and I got yelled at??? I wasn't hired to be a computer janitor.

Thank you very much

 

[Quartz-1]

- I'm a green card holder so what do you suggest?

I don't know American employment laws, but as I said, they're going to take one look at your CV and wonder about the legalities of employing you. So you need to reassure them,

I thought the only limitation is federal jobs and jobs that require security clearance, correct?

I've no idea - I'm not American.

Could you please elaborate more on the "blurb" part?

A carefully crafted couple of sentences about who you are and what you want.

Basically my current job is pretty much a dead end. We're still using Windows Server 2003 and 2000 Advanced Server here

Welcome to the real world. I was looking after NT 4 Workstation boxes as late as 2007, and printers and plotters from c1990. Remember that computers are tools that are doing a job. Replacing them is a business, not a technological, decision. Show your bosses that new technology will save them money - preferably within a year, two max - if you want to get things upgraded. You may also get increased respect and salary out of it.

The tipping point is one person (not my direct manager) that is really close to the president asked me to help download a pdf file from a ftp server, I download it and VERIFIED the checksum against the source, the file turn out to have a lot of corrupted pages and I got yelled at???

A hostile working environment is never nice; you're right to be looking elsewhere.

 

[David-Duc]

I don't know American employment laws, but as I said, they're going to take one look at your CV and wonder about the legalities of employing you. So you need to reassure them,



I've no idea - I'm not American.



A carefully crafted couple of sentences about who you are and what you want.



Welcome to the real world. I was looking after NT 4 Workstation boxes as late as 2007, and printers and plotters from c1990. Remember that computers are tools that are doing a job. Replacing them is a business, not a technological, decision. Show your bosses that new technology will save them money - preferably within a year, two max - if you want to get things upgraded. You may also get increased respect and salary out of it.



A hostile working environment is never nice; you're right to be looking elsewhere.

Here's a new one, try to consolidate it down to 1 page and add some more info. Thank you for your help

 

[Quartz-1]

At the top, you are a System Administrator and an Information Technology Associate.

Is the location of each job important? For instance, you could have

Tidel Engineering - Rework Technician Aug 2013 - July 2016

and save yourself a lot of space.

Again, it's a decade ago, so for your first job just condense it down to the employer, job title, and dates.

Remember that it's the first half of the first page that gets you through the initial sift. Yours looks good but it needs a personal statement or something. This should be personalised to the job.

You can tighten things up a bit. You should also provide specifics:

Norman International Dallas – System Administrator, IT Support - July 2016 – Current
 Supported 80+ desktops and laptops: PC setup, imaging, active directory account creation, NTFS permission setup.
 Setup, maintenance, backup, and repair of network infrastructure (servers, switches, routers, NVR, PBX etc) to minimise downtime and ensure uninterrupted business operations.
 Improved reliability, cost-effectiveness and uptime of IT services, by XX% resulting in cost savings of $YYY,YYY.
 Designed network for new facility: optimized and consolidated servers using virtualization and VLANs. (Detail the savings.)

Giving specifics of the benefits - money saved most especially - is important.

Watch your grammar - in particular plurals, capitalisations, and punctuation.

 

[David-Duc]

At the top, you are a System Administrator and an Information Technology Associate.

Is the location of each job important? For instance, you could have

Tidel Engineering - Rework Technician Aug 2013 - July 2016

and save yourself a lot of space.

Again, it's a decade ago, so for your first job just condense it down to the employer, job title, and dates.

Remember that it's the first half of the first page that gets you through the initial sift. Yours looks good but it needs a personal statement or something. This should be personalised to the job.

You can tighten things up a bit. You should also provide specifics:

Norman International Dallas – System Administrator, IT Support - July 2016 – Current
 Supported for 80+ desktops and laptops: PC setup, imaging, active directory account creation, NTFS permission setup.
 Setup, maintenance, backup, and repair of network infrastructure (servers, switches, routers, NVR, PBX etc) to minimise downtime and ensure uninterrupted business operations.
 Improved reliability, cost-effectiveness and uptime of IT services, by XX% resulting in cost savings of $YYY,YYY.
 Designed network for new facility: optimized and consolidated servers using virtualization and VLANs. (Detail the savings.)

Giving specifics of the benefits - money saved most especially - is important.

Watch your grammar - in particular plurals, capitalisations, and punctuation.

I really appreciate your help. Will iron out those over the weekend. I've been super busy but not in a good way. Doing others' jobs just because the VP want me to and my manager just cave in every time.

 

[BobSutan]

Time to breath new life into this thread. If you have questions, I've progressed to being one of the hiring folks for the company I'm at, so now I have additional tips for interviews.

 

[Bigbacon]

So, it has finally come. Time for me to brush up the old resume and see what else is out there. I ABSOLUTELY love my current job but I am seriously underpaid and the yearly raises are so small anymore (1.7% this year). I'm not getting anywhere and advancement opportunities are not existent. I probably 20-30% underpaid compared to peers in the same area doing the same work.

PROBLEM:
I haven't updated a resume in YEARS! I have absolutely no clue what to do and I'm sure my most recently updated one is not good/bad when it comes to layout etc.

Would anyone be willing to share either a template they've used or even their resume to at least help me get started?

I am in IT, been a programmer for 12 years.

Other dilemma:
Although I don't need a new job, I am looking to try and move up in the world. Since 2012 I have more or less been a project manager just without title and without managing people directly. Not sure what else you call that. My manager gives me a project and I am 100% the person in charge of making sure it happens. He only gets involved if things start going poorly (which never really happens)

I really want to try and move up into an actual project management job just not sure how realistic that is. Anyone, without just getting promoted into it, gone from one company to another and bumped up like this without actually having the full experience?

I work on lots of big enterprise level projects all the way down to simple little things. Things that save the company 10s to 100s of thousands in licensing costs for software they don't need to purchase because we write it in house. A few example of this are Learning management system (LMS) and expense reporting. I also deal with many financial applications. I wrote the entire amortization system for ALL the media stations we have so they can keep track of all the financials for the contracts they have with vendors. (IE, what we pay to show TV show X or movie Y)

help?

TL;DR
-I suck at resumes
-Need help with resume

 

[BobSutan]

Look at the examples contained in this thread and then post a rough cut of what you've got.

 

[hlfbkd420]

I see a lot of resume's that come from indeed. I absolutely hate that all of them are formatted the same way. If you use indeed to apply for a position, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES let them format your lovely looking document into one of their cookie cutter POS formatted resumes...

Oh, triple check for grammar and spelling errors. If you are an engineer, make sure you can spell the fucking word!

 

[runt]

I have decided to start looking for a new position as the promised split of my dual role position into two positions will more than likely not happen in the near (< 10 yrs) future.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dcB8q09ZVyJ547Rx9DqK-GXwmtzB9Wo5T7jW5lTLya0/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Dead Parrot]

I have decided to start looking for a new position as the promised split of my dual role position into two positions will more than likely not happen in the near (< 10 yrs) future.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dcB8q09ZVyJ547Rx9DqK-GXwmtzB9Wo5T7jW5lTLya0/edit?usp=sharing

Might include type/brand of SQL under Geocomm in case HR is looking for magic words like Oracle or Microsoft. Same for GIS brand.

Might split software into OS and Application lines.

 

[vr.]

I have decided to start looking for a new position as the promised split of my dual role position into two positions will more than likely not happen in the near (< 10 yrs) future.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dcB8q09ZVyJ547Rx9DqK-GXwmtzB9Wo5T7jW5lTLya0/edit?usp=sharing

Move your skills summary above your work experience. Include years of each skill near them even.

Trim down the bullet points in Unimax. Example, nobody is really going to care you "managed lab phone and voicemail systems" unless you tell how and who's brand of voicemail systems you managed. Get rid of overlapping fluff like that since you have a Cisco UCM bullet point. Merge them into a single, more articulate bullet. Re-evaluate all your bullets on every job. Are you really wanting to ruin your chances to sit across from a hiring panel by wasting space on your resume with something generic like "managed production environment" ? What did you do that was more heroic than Jeff the intern or Imam from India at a fraction of your wage?

 

[Satyrist]

What would be some advice for those looking to switch fields into IT-related fields from something else?

My field's been in advertising and marketing, I'm looking to switch since the industry I was in for 20+ years is pretty small, and continuing to shrink; I got laid off at the end of September, though the thought of switching has been with me a long time.

I am looking at getting trained, and getting CCENT/CCNA certs within a few weeks, though I do have expertise with computers (hardware upgrades/repair) and with network/software setup and maintenance, just no certs to speak of.

What are some of the things I would do well to pay attention to once I get my certs?

 

[Bigbacon]

Any ideas on how to move from a work at home job and actually find another one?

 

[Tazman2]

Looking to relocate and just in general find a new job. I gave up on mentioning the relocation as people lose interest as they assume you want/need help but I don't. Family there now so I have somewhere to stay for a bit till I'm settled, etc. Here is my resume curious on what I can improve and/or fix. Thanks!

 

[Farva]

Looking to relocate and just in general find a new job. I gave up on mentioning the relocation as people lose interest as they assume you want/need help but I don't. Family there now so I have somewhere to stay for a bit till I'm settled, etc. Here is my resume curious on what I can improve and/or fix. Thanks!

Remove the summary.

 

[vr.]

Looking to relocate and just in general find a new job. I gave up on mentioning the relocation as people lose interest as they assume you want/need help but I don't. Family there now so I have somewhere to stay for a bit till I'm settled, etc. Here is my resume curious on what I can improve and/or fix. Thanks!

Relocating for another I.T. job is one of the easiest to do it with. All you have to do is identify on Careerbuilder, Dice, whatever the areas you want to work and take a contract gig in that area to get you there.
Having said this, your resume is the sole reason you're not getting a job. It's the worst layout ever used. Don't just throw out the summary. Throw away the entire thing and rewrite it using a conventional format.

 

[Tazman2]

Relocating for another I.T. job is one of the easiest to do it with. All you have to do is identify on Careerbuilder, Dice, whatever the areas you want to work and take a contract gig in that area to get you there.
Having said this, your resume is the sole reason you're not getting a job. It's the worst layout ever used. Don't just throw out the summary. Throw away the entire thing and rewrite it using a conventional format.

View attachment 145378

Thanks for the brutal honesty guys! I am ready to burn my last one as I did nab it off the net at some point and made some tweaks but I'll play along! Do you happen to have a link to a template of said resume? I see some similar ones but... Thanks!

 

[vr.]

Thanks for the brutal honesty guys! I am ready to burn my last one as I did nab it off the net at some point and made some tweaks but I'll play along! Do you happen to have a link to a template of said resume? I see some similar ones but... Thanks!

You don't need a template. The image I linked is not complex. Also, if you struggle with formatting a basic document, perhaps I.T. is not for you? Bob in accounting is going to wreck your week when he's hounding you on why his pivot tables quit working.

Get good, solid content into a document and then worry about shifting alignments.

 

[Tazman2]

You don't need a template. The image I linked is not complex. Also, if you struggle with formatting a basic document, perhaps I.T. is not for you? Bob in accounting is going to wreck your week when he's hounding you on why his pivot tables quit working.

Get good, solid content into a document and then worry about shifting alignments.

LOL it was a simple request! I've always been better at the hardware side then the receptionist stuff! I can fudge it but figured I would ask!

 

[Ur_Mom]

Looking to move into a more solid admin role instead of the help desk/admin role I have now (more admin stuff than help desk stuff, but paid help desk wage). Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

 

[vr.]

Looking to move into a more solid admin role instead of the help desk/admin role I have now (more admin stuff than help desk stuff, but paid help desk wage). Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

What is "Provid"?

Your SCCM bullet should be #1
Your PowerShell bullet should be #2.

"Build and decommission Windows Server using physical or virtual machines."
Break this into a separate bullet and expand it. This is something you'd want to showcase "as an admin". This should be bullet #3

Skills...Funny how you list all the stupid Windows flavors (versions) but generalize the Linux ones. Let's be honest with yourself here, you don't stand a chance landing a Linux server admin role approaching it this way. Just get rid of the phoney Linux "skill". Or generalize the Windows to just "Windows" and let "Operating Systems" be a talking point if they have you in for an interview.

Nobody cares you know how to add/remove users in AD. Dig into the non routine things you've done with ADUC. Debugged GPO problems... Resolve replication issues... Wonky tombstone issues... things that articulate you've done real admin work. Showcase that.
And O365 administration is in demand. Expand on that. Get rid of the on-call line. Just about every admin participates in 24-7 on-call rotation. This is not worthy of inclusion.

 

[dar124]

I've been at my current place 2 years, but they've recently made some changes and things are moving towards being more micro-managed. I'm not liking the direction things are headed. It's turning into a toxic work environment. Someone in our department was fired 2 weeks ago and another quit. It's time for me to get ahead of the curve start looking for another company!! I've spend the past couple of days updating my resume with info from my most recent position. I'd appreciate any feedback.

I'm pretty happy with the resume. But I do feel like I've added a lot to the "Qualifications & Skills' section. Was thinking maybe I should remove some of the older software listed there (XP, Office 2010, etc)??

Thanks again for any suggestions.

 

[BobSutan]

Those with a TS/SCI with poly please send me your resumes. A buddy of mine's company is having a massive hiring spree. To help get talent they made a competition--even if you don't need a job just having resumes to submit will help him out. Worst case you might get a sweet job offer in the DC/MD/NOVA region. Win-win.

 

[BobSutan]

Wow, this thread is coming up on 17 years old.

Some of you reading this may not even been born yet. :feels old:

If anyone needs help with their IT resume though, this is the place for you.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Wow, this thread is coming up on 17 years old.

Some of you reading this may not even been born yet. :feels old:

If anyone needs help with their IT resume though, this is the place for you.

Do today's youth even know that forums exist? I thought they all used the more ephemeral social media.

 

[schizrade]

T

Do today's youth even know that forums exist? I thought they all used the more ephemeral social media.

They are all over at r/sysadmin carrying on and on and generally being terrible to one another.