IT Resume Thread

BobSutan

[H]F Junkie
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If you would like help with your networking/telecom resume, feel free to post it here. If you are going to comment on someone's resume, prefix the thread with the person's name of who you're trying to help. Othewise with all the resumes we won't know which one you're commenting on.

If you make changes or updates to your resume, do it in the original thread. Lets keep this streamlined and condensed like the FS/FT forum's threads. This is the only way to keep this from getting out of control.

To get things started off, here is an example of my resume template.


BobSutan's advice on resumes...

You only get 10-15 seconds to make an impression with HR when they view your resume, so the layout is just as important as the content, if not more so. Think of it as commercial for yourself. To exend the commercial analogy, if you have a technically superior product, but your commercials for it suck then you're not going to sell too many of your products. That's the lesson the 70's and 80's tought American advertising agencies and resumes are no exception.
 
I definetely concur ... Make sure you list everything on your Summary of qualifications ... the IT profession has so many niches, that trivial info may be the key for you to have an interview.

example:

I studied Computer Programming in Columbus State Community College this included 3 quarters of Oracle database programming, and design ...

I listed all the skills I learned in this classes ... scripting, business practices, forms reports, and application development ... this are the skillsets that got me an interview. I showed them the hardcopies of all my work on this area, and got hired.

I don't even work with oracle in my job... :D
 
Great idea for a sticky thread!!! I've been reviewing resumes for about 7-9 years now and have considered writing a small guide to it myself and putting it online. The only thing is that there are a couple of awesome books out there that do just about the same thing -only they take a bit of a long time getting to the point. I along with some other great posters made some useful comments many of you can read through in this thread:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=773615

But I'd be more than willing to look over individual resumes in this thread (as I'm sure others will help with as well). Just make sure you remove your personal info from the heading (like your phone number and address) unless you aren't that worried about it...
 
I suggest moving the skills up ... maybe the first grouping ...
then employment, and education last ... that's how mine is organized ...
 
Here are my comments for pointdexterish:

I suppose references are nice but I personally don't think they belong on a resume. That's what the job interview and the application are for. If you think they'll help sell you then go for it but I just think it's a waste of space on the paper.

I also would like to see your skills listed at the top first. Here's the reason for it in your case: Your work experience is fairly short and your education seems to be without a degree. It looks like about 2 years work experience (and maybe not even full-time). So don't list any of that at first glance. Simply list your skills first.

Now about your skills list as you have it now, it's too jumbled and disorganized. "General Skills" could very easily be organized into two categories or at least sorted out a bit -say, experience lists for Hardware, Applications, OS. This way you can list the hardware platforms you're familiar with, the different apps you know, and what family of OS you can work around. I would also word your skills a little better than just a "list". Here's an example from my own (very outdated) resume online. You can see from the skills list that each one starts with an actual sentence! I also like to include a time format in my skills inventory so that the employer has more concrete information to work with from the start. For exaple: "Extensive CAD experience" could mean 10 years or 10 months. As an employer, without a time reference to your experience, I'd be assuming that you have NO experience worth listing! Even if its only a couple of years, its better than nothing. The other nice thing about the Skills list is that you may actually have years of experience above and beyond what your work history will show. Say you've been playing around with networking platforms for a year before going to school. That would mean that you actually have 3 years experience instead of the 2 you now have listed.

Regarding your Education listing, you show no degree so I can assume a lot -but I shouldn't have to. I prefer something like this:

"89 credits completed towards BS degree in Underwater Basket Weaving."

This way you can show that you've not just wasted your time being on the school roster for a year or two. You've actually made some progress. Listing the GPA and your Dean's List stuff is pretty good though!

On your Employment listings, Put your job title first. Get their attention with your title before they have the chance to look at the dates of your employment. Remember to always put your most impressive selling points first in a resume!

Lastly, and this is totally my personal opinion (like most resume stuff), I would stroingly encourage you to write a "Summary" statement (just don't use the format of the one on my own online resume). If they can only read 1-2 sentences, make it at the very top of the sheet and sum yourself up there. Something like this:

"An IT networking specialist with 2 years solid experience working in medium to large enterprise corporate networks. Skilled in both hardware and software setup, support, troubleshooting, and planning"

Or something like that...
 
fibroptikl said:
Critique mine. I'll be sending it in to a place of work soon.

http://fiber404.com/resume.doc

Looks a little familiar to me but then again I've read a lot of resumes lately! Ok here goes...

Change "Objective" to "Summary" and re-word it to something like this:

"SUMMARY: Schooled and certified network administrator with XX years experience managing corporate network systems and equipment."

There's no need to list an objective since we all know what your objective truly is: "I want a job. Here's my resume!" The summary statement will get their attention quickly and let them know if they need read any further.

I'd also change what information you put first and in bold. For instance, your education listing has the name of the school first and in bold. Your Degree should be listed this way! The name and location of the college ins't as important as what degree you have (unless its something like Yale or MIT). The same thing goes for your employment history. List your job title first and in bold. The name and location of the company isn't as important as what you did at that company!

Understand that there's a lot in this resume that you don't say about yourself. You have simply listed your networking skills and background. You look very one-dimensonal from this resume. I don't know if you can do anything else. I think you did mention that you did some user training a little but I just feel like you're missing a lot of your attributes. What that means is this: Either totally re-write your resume, or make sure that your cover letters are drop-dead awesome. You'll know based on the job listing you're applying for what additional skills they're looking for so just make sure you're targeting them one way or another.

Also understand that at some point in the future you're primary selling point will not be your education or a simple list of the platforms you're familiar with or what certifications you carry. That means that you'll be re-writing your resume in a fairly drastic way. Getting a book like "Resumes That Knock 'Em Dead" [amazon.com] is an awesome tool for helping you come up with the best phrases. For instance, I can easily gather how much experience you have in networking from the fact that your range if experience is fairly limited. As time goes on, you're going to need to better describe your level of experience for each facet of your skill set.

Hope this helps...
 
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jmroberts70 said:
Looks a little familiar to me but then again I've read a lot of resumes lately! Ok here goes...
That's because you did look at it, but didn't go into as much detail as you did.
Change "Objective" to "Summary" and re-word it to something like this:

"SUMMARY: Schooled and certified network administrator with XX years experience managing corporate network systems and equipment."

There's no need to list an objective since we all know what your objective truly is: "I want a job. Here's my resume!" The summary statement will get their attention quickly and let them know if they need read any further.
Thanks. My school did objective, but I didn't like it - and only went on the advice of the school. However getting information from a person who's looked at resumes has truly made me understand my school was truly horrible at critiquing resumes.

I'd also change what information you put first and in bold. For instance, your education listing has the name of the school first and in bold. Your Degree should be listed this way! The name and location of the college ins't as important as what degree you have (unless its something like Yale or MIT). The same thing goes for your employment history. List your job title first and in bold. The name and location of the company isn't as important as what you did at that company!
I agree the location isn't important but the name is important somewhat. However I will switch the location of my degree and where I got it from.

Understand that there's a lot in this resume that you don't say about yourself. You have simply listed your networking skills and background. You look very one-dimensonal from this resume. I don't know if you can do anything else. I think you did mention that you did some user training a little but I just feel like you're missing a lot of your attributes. What that means is this: Either totally re-write your resume, or make sure that your cover letters are drop-dead awesome. You'll know based on the job listing you're applying for what additional skills they're looking for so just make sure you're targeting them one way or another.
So what do I need to include to make it so it is not one-dimensional? Would saying what I've done perhaps in more detail; instead of "Managed servers." include "Administrated Windows 2000 Server running Domino 6.5."

Also understand that at some point in the future you're primary selling point will not be your education or a simple list of the platforms you're familiar with or what certifications you carry. That means that you'll be re-writing your resume in a fairly drastic way. Getting a book like "Resumes That Knock 'Em Dead" [amazon.com] is an awesome tool for helping you come up with the best phrases. For instance, I can easily gather how much experience you have in networking from the fact that your range if experience is fairly limited. As time goes on, you're going to need to better describe your level of experience for each facet of your skill set.
Of course I've got to use my experience and my education to get my foot in the door; with out it they're as good as not having them. I have experience managing and deploying all sorts of stuff, and have used them in nearly all of those location's (and more smaller things I haven't listed).
Hope this helps...
Yes, it does.
 
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I was just given the task of reading a couple of resume's and evaluating them for a Computer Lab Manager's position ... after reading a couple ... I've already seen a couple of comments ..

Please re-read your document ... then have somebody read it word for word, line by line ... wrong grammar, and misspellings are OK here in the forums ... but looks weird in a resume, specially if the claim is 15 years of experience in with 8 of those as administration, with a Masters Degree to boot ... :eek:
 
Could I get some input on my resume also.

How important is it to keep your resume to one page. Right now I'm pretty much filled up the first page but I still want to add a skills section, even though it would only add about 3 or 4 more sentences to the resume those extra sentences would spread out to the second page which I think would look bad.


http://www.puck3d.net/resume.doc
 
Great idea for a thread. I am open to any suggestions for my resume'.
I will openly admit my resume writeing skills are not the greatest, so I am curious to hear what some of you veterans think of it.



[email protected]


TECHNICAL EXPERTISE:
* 2 years experience testing and installing PC/Server hardware and software in a 24x7x365 datacenter environment.
* Some PERL programming experience, as well as advanced batchfile design.
* Experience in installation / configuration of Cisco 1700, 2500 routers and 2900 catalyst switch's
* Experience with Windows 95/98/NT4/XP/2000, Linux, and all MS Office Products
* Extensive knowledge of TCP/IP protocol suite.
* Terminated CAT5e cable to network jacks, and patch panels. Knowledge of common Data Networking cabling methods (Straight Through, Rolled, cross-over, etc) as well as all tools/color codes involved.
* 2 years experience installing / cleaning fiber optic cabling.
* 4 Years experience Troubleshooting and testing electronic and optical circuits.

AREA OF EXPERTISE:
Troubleshooting
Training those with less experience
Technical Research
Problem Solving
Customer Service
PC/Server Hardware

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Lake Washington Technical College 2003 - 2004
Student
Successfully completed 550 hours of hands on experience in a multi-protocol, multi-os, 802.x networked environment. Troubleshoot Microsoft DOS, Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP PC’s in a client / server environment. Familiar with Novell NOS and NDS structure. Experienced DNS, DHCP, Active Directory, and WINS. Knowledge of OSPF, RIP Routing protocols. Experience in administering Cisco 1700 / 2500
routers and 2900 catalyst switch’s. Extensive knowledge of the TCP/IP protocol suite. Pulled and Terminated CAT5 cable to network jacks, and
patch panels. Knowledge of common Data Networking cabling methods (Straight Through, Rolled, etc.) Experienced in using Linux, Windows 95/98/NT4/XP/2000, as well as all MS Office products.


Allegiance Telecom 2001 - 2003
Operations Technician
Responsible for installation and maintenance of Fujitsu OC-48 fiber rings. Troubleshoot DS1/DS3/PRI/OC3 circuits with LEC’s .Used cable
testing equipment to certify Cat5 installations. Installation and maintenance of CPE equipment (Adtran, Vina, Tiara, Cisco) Proficient in
Acterna 2310/310/224 and 950 test equipment. Install and terminate Cat5 cable in various environments. Proficient with many of the hand tools /
color codes associated with telecommunications. Troubleshooting Cisco 1720 routers and remedying subnet conflicts.

MCI Worldcomm:
Transport Technician Level II October 2000 - Present
Perform DS1, DS3, OC3 and OC12 test, turn-up and acceptance. Handle trouble tickers for internal and external customers. Type II turn-up,
and end-to-end testing including: 3/1 and 1/0 DACS, T1 cross-connect, and DS3 cross-connect. Provision Mux's for proper conditioning for the
customer (i.e. B8ZS/ESF, or AMI/D4). Also perform maintenance of digital transmission equipment systems. Worked on Nortel OC48/OC192,
Fujitsu, and Cisco 15454. Experience with DWDM Multiplexors and MOR Pipes. Familiar with T1/T3 OC-XX and Ethernet Wiring Standards. Intermediate knowledge of the SONET transport system.


Amazon.com July 1996 - August
PC/Networking Technician
Installed and Configured PC's in Server/Client environment. Experienced with creating and maintaining user accounts in NT4 Server.
Familiar with Client/Server trust relationships. Thorough knowledge of PC/Server hardware and adjuncts. Installed and Configured Compaq and
Dell Servers and RAID Array's (0+1, and Level 5) in Windows NT4/2000. Pulled and Terminated CAT5 cable to network jacks, and patch panels. Knowledge of
common Data Networking cabling methods
(Straight Thru, Rolled, etc.) Experienced in using Linux, Windows 95/98/NT4/2000, as well as all MS Office products.
 
puck said:
Could I get some input on my resume also.

How important is it to keep your resume to one page. Right now I'm pretty much filled up the first page but I still want to add a skills section, even though it would only add about 3 or 4 more sentences to the resume those extra sentences would spread out to the second page which I think would look bad.


http://www.puck3d.net/resume.doc
You got too much space between your lines.
 
fibroptikl said:
So what do I need to include to make it so it is not one-dimensional? Would saying what I've done perhaps in more detail; instead of "Managed servers." include "Administrated Windows 2000 Server running Domino 6.5."

Well maybe nothing yet. I think it still works for the time being. Getting a good resume book the the one I mentioned and start thinking about how you may re-write your resume in the future would be a good place to start. The fact that you only have approx 2 years of documented work history means that you may want to be a little more creative with your wording. You may have experience in networking in the past but wasn't in an official capacity. That may still count towards your "networking experience" category. If your formatting was more subjective, you'd be able to list that better. If you see the fairly out-dated example of my own online resume, you'll see a little about what I'm talking about -and a book with ton's of examples will help even more. Suffice it to say that I don't think you need to start from the drawing board at this point!

fibroptikl said:
Of course I've got to use my experience and my education to get my foot in the door; with out it they're as good as not having them. I have experience managing and deploying all sorts of stuff, and have used them in nearly all of those location's (and more smaller things I haven't listed).

And many times that experience does say a lot about your character. Having experience is good but being the type of character they are looking for is pretty valuable too. Employers like to know that you can write a report that people can understand; that you can stand up in front of a group of people and not embarrass the company; that you can effectively communicate complex IT concepts to lame-brain CEO's and get through! Hell I still list my construction background when I was a kid!

Still, I'd not lose any sleep with the small changes we've already talked about. It will still stand out from the crowd these days --trust me on this one. I've read a lot of bad resumes in the past few years! Simple, to the point, easy to navigate. Don't worry about it. Send it out today!!
 
jmroberts70 said:
The fact that you only have approx 2 years of documented work history means that you may want to be a little more creative with your wording. You may have experience in networking in the past but wasn't in an official capacity.

And many times that experience does say a lot about your character. Having experience is good but being the type of character they are looking for is pretty valuable too. Employers like to know that you can write a report that people can understand; that you can stand up in front of a group of people and not embarrass the company; that you can effectively communicate complex IT concepts to lame-brain CEO's and get through! Hell I still list my construction background when I was a kid!

Still, I'd not lose any sleep with the small changes we've already talked about. It will still stand out from the crowd these days --trust me on this one. I've read a lot of bad resumes in the past few years! Simple, to the point, easy to navigate. Don't worry about it. Send it out today!!
Thanks. I edited the first paragraph out to save space - however explain how I could be creative in my wording and what you mean by "You have have experience in networking the past but wasn't in an official capacity." so I could get a clearer understanding, especially "official capacity"

As the second paragraph goes; I had Technical Writing and Public Speaking in school, and I do it fairly well. I'll send it in. Wwith a cover letter and that someone will be bringing a hard copy over to HR directly; that might give me another advantage. And a referral from him as well, so ... we'll see how it goes.

Thanks.
 
fibroptikl said:
Thanks. I edited the first paragraph out to save space - however explain how I could be creative in my wording and what you mean by "You have have experience in networking the past but wasn't in an official capacity." so I could get a clearer understanding, especially "official capacity"

Well what it means is that when you have a resume that simply lists your "Skills" at the top, you have the liberty to put any amount of experience you feel is correct. If you mean to include the year you spent learning how to setup a LAN party, feel free. You may need to be prepared to back up your information in an interview but the fact that you weren't paid to setup the network, nor was it something that goes in your "Work Experience" list, does it mean it is not valid networking experience? That's where I'm going with having a resume that starts out with an inventory of your skills -and a fairly brief and to-the-point description of that skill. Just listing that you have networking experience isn't enough. Even listing that you have 3 years neworking experience doesn't cut it. A paragraph like this:

"3 years network administration experience including designing, upgrading, supporting, and troubleshooting networks ranging from small offices to multiple campus wide-area networks."

I'm sure you can elaborate from there but I wouldn't add more than maybe 3 lines of stuff. I believe this kind of a wording goes further than just a bullet list -but your list is still pretty good to have.
 
jmroberts70 said:
"3 years network administration experience including designing, upgrading, supporting, and troubleshooting networks ranging from small offices to multiple campus wide-area networks."
So that would be a "Summary" at the top of the page?
 
fibroptikl said:
So that would be a "Summary" at the top of the page?

Good question that I will now explain:

First of all, that example of a skills description was VERY abbreviated. Checking my personal online resume example may show how this works. The Summary statement will simply sum you up in a couple of lines. Your Skills descriptions will then expand on yourself and get more detailed. You may also have skills that simply aren't mentioned in the summary statement.
 
puck said:
Could I get some input on my resume also.

How important is it to keep your resume to one page. Right now I'm pretty much filled up the first page but I still want to add a skills section, even though it would only add about 3 or 4 more sentences to the resume those extra sentences would spread out to the second page which I think would look bad.


http://www.puck3d.net/resume.doc

If you check out my online resume here you may get some answers to your questions. Mind you that I haven't worked on that resume in a couple of years and I actually don't like some of the wording I've used there.

With that said, If you want to add a Skills section, just shorten your work history portion to the format I have in my own resume. You don't need both a detailed work history AND a skills section. The skills section will do a better job of describing your abilities than your work history anyways. In most cases, employers don't want to know your life history. They just want to know if you can drive a forklift or something like that. Breaking down your skills for them in a simple format will do them a huge favor. I shorten my work history down to a two line description for each job. I always keep a detailed work history on file if someone asks for it but most of the time they don't. If an employer wants to know more about your work at a certain position, they'll just call you in for an interview!

Here's what I'd do with your summary:

"Certified computer technician, with [XX years] experience maintaining, installing, configuring, and administrating Windows and Linux based systems and networks."

You MUST be specific when you ever mention "experience". If you don't define your experience with a number, we assume it means "no experience".

Make your major stand out in your Education section by listing it before the school. Make it bold too. Do the same thing for your work history. Your job title shold be first and in bold.

Cool that you are from Daytona! I went to Embry-Riddle for 2.5 years in the late 80's. Had a great time there (but hated the humidity)
 
Flagg said:
Great idea for a thread. I am open to any suggestions for my resume'.
I will openly admit my resume writeing skills are not the greatest, so I am curious to hear what some of you veterans think of it.

Actually I am liking your resume so far. I'll admit that it needs some work but not too much. I'd suggest first reading through the entire thread so far. I think you can learn from the discussion to this point. You already have a breakdown of your primary technical skills as well as some other areas of expertise. That's a much better place to start from than just having a simple work history! Now I'd suggest working on a better description of your skills and try sorting them out by major categories. Your work history could be abbreviated if you better list your skills with specific amounts of experience. That way someone will be able to quickly decide if you have what they're looking for. If your writing skills aren't the best, I strongly suggest getting the book I mentioned earlier. There's ton's of real-world resume examples in there for inspiration in your wording. And, as always, spelling and grammar are very important!

Not too shabby though!
 
jmroberts70:

Odd question, but what are some good font's for a resume? And what font's are overused?
 
fibroptikl said:
jmroberts70:

Odd question, but what are some good font's for a resume? And what font's are overused?

Once again, this is all my opinion here...

Fancy fonts are useless. Unless you're shooting for a position like graphic design or advertising, forget about making your resume "visually pleasing". I personally like Arial but its not that important. Standard fonts with standard formatting will be the best. The content is what people are looking for so don't try and take attention away from it with some sort of special presentation font -or special paper for that matter.
 
jmroberts70 said:
Once again, this is all my opinion here...

Fancy fonts are useless. Unless you're shooting for a position like graphic design or advertising, forget about making your resume "visually pleasing". I personally like Arial but its not that important. Standard fonts with standard formatting will be the best. The content is what people are looking for so don't try and take attention away from it with some sort of special presentation font -or special paper for that matter.
Well I sent my e-mail off with the cover letter and resume. Cover letter was in Arial and resume was in Times New Roman, both size 12.

Now it's wait and hope.
 
So...

Do you guys think we should put together a "Resume Writing FAQ"? I'm sure we could get a lot more contributors than just me with it but I do get a lot of the same questions from time to time and it may be good to have somewhere to go first...
 
jmroberts70 said:
So...

Do you guys think we should put together a "Resume Writing FAQ"? I'm sure we could get a lot more contributors than just me with it but I do get a lot of the same questions from time to time and it may be good to have somewhere to go first...

that is a neat idea ... then we can submit sample resume's ...
 
jmroberts70 said:
Actually I am liking your resume so far. I'll admit that it needs some work but not too much. I'd suggest first reading through the entire thread so far. I think you can learn from the discussion to this point. You already have a breakdown of your primary technical skills as well as some other areas of expertise. That's a much better place to start from than just having a simple work history! Now I'd suggest working on a better description of your skills and try sorting them out by major categories. Your work history could be abbreviated if you better list your skills with specific amounts of experience. That way someone will be able to quickly decide if you have what they're looking for. If your writing skills aren't the best, I strongly suggest getting the book I mentioned earlier. There's ton's of real-world resume examples in there for inspiration in your wording. And, as always, spelling and grammar are very important!

Not too shabby though!

I looked at your online resume and I really like that layout. It is a much more concise and cleaner look to it. I to have my own domain name, to you find it advantageous to have your resume posted on a website of your creation? Either way I think I will switch my resume to a similar format like yours.
 
Flagg said:
I looked at your online resume and I really like that layout. It is a much more concise and cleaner look to it. I to have my own domain name, to you find it advantageous to have your resume posted on a website of your creation? Either way I think I will switch my resume to a similar format like yours.

When I was looking for work hot and heavy a couple of years ago it was a very helpful thing. I didn't always need to attach a file to an email when I would apply for a job. The problem came when I would modify a resume so that certain skills stood out from the others. For example, if I was applying for a CAD drafting position, I'd list my CAD skills first and then Design. But for a helpdesk position, I'd list my Computer skills first and then CAD...and so on... This meant that there was no ONE resume for me to use. I currently keep about 4 resume versions on tap depending on the type of work I'm looking for. I also found that many HR people aren't that computer savvy and, for them, I found that putting in a "link" to a resume as opposed to an "attachment" just was too advanced for them to grasp! I still keep that page up (although it's probably 3 years outdated now) mainly for illustrative reasons.

The nice thing about writing a resume as I have it now is that you actually have the ability to tweak the presentation of your skills depending on the job you're shooting for. If all you have is your employment history, you don't have that option...
 
Hi,

I thought this suggestion might be useful for a resume thread.

For an online submission of a resume (sending an e-mail to the hiring person), what is the best way to attach everything and in what format? Right now, I have the cover letter in the body of my message and attach my resume in both PDF and Word format... Would this be acceptable to employers?

Thanks
 
zeroace said:
Hi,

I thought this suggestion might be useful for a resume thread.

For an online submission of a resume (sending an e-mail to the hiring person), what is the best way to attach everything and in what format? Right now, I have the cover letter in the body of my message and attach my resume in both PDF and Word format... Would this be acceptable to employers?

Thanks

That is a good question! And to answer it from my perspective, I'd suggest just submitting Word documents. I normally convert them to an Office2000 format just to make sure that they have the best version. I also like the RTF format too. Once again, most HR people aren't the most technical people. They're used to one way of doing things and not too much deviation. So to that end, a simple Word document formatted for the most compatability would be my choice. Converting to PDF is a good idea since no one will be able to modify the document -and you can set the print formatting easily. But most of the time editing your resume isn't something that is of great concern.
 
my resume, although i did take out the most important contact info

Shaun T. McCloud
[email protected]

objective: To obtain an entry-level computer networking position so I am able to use the skills I learned in college

summary: • Trained in use of web tools, including Java HTML, and PERL
• Trained in Cisco Routers, Linux, Unix, Windows
• Experience in Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint

education: BS in Network Modeling and Simulation
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota

AA in Computer Programming
Ridgewater Community College Willmar Campus, Willmar, Minnesota

Courses taken include:
SAS Programming C++ Programming
Web Authoring/Administration Data Network Performance Analysis
Data Network Design Advanced Microcomputer Programming
Contemporary Networking Microcomputer Networking I & II
Regression Analysis of Variables Survey Planning/Contingency Tables
Operating System of Microcomputers
x86 Assembly Language Programming

Work Set-Up Crew, May 2004 to May 2004
History: Wal-Mart, Willmar, MN

Parts Picker, August 2003 to October 2003
Mill’s Parts Center, Willmar, MN

Warehouse/Receiving, May 2002 to May 2003
Mill’s Fleet Farm, Waite Park, MN

Parts Picker, April 2000 to May 2002
Mill’s Parts Center, Willmar, MN

activities/ • Hall Council for Benton Hall
awards: • Benton Hall Executive Board Member
• Experience A Greater Living Environment award for Unsung Resident
• National Dean’s List
 
runt said:
my resume, although i did take out the most important contact info

Shaun T. McCloud

Well to start with, read the previous postings in this thread. They may give you some pointers on what you already have here. For instance, get rid of the "Objective" statement. You can read above for my thinking on the matter but suffice it to say that it is not needed.

I'd also work on your "Summary". It's good that you have one -better than not. But I'd suggest not using bullets to format it. Instead, think of the couple of "titles" that describe you in a nutshell. Something like this:

"A well-rounded network adminstrator with XX years training and real-world experience ranging from Cisco router setup and network modeling to DSL installation at my mother's house!"

I think you see the humor at the end but I also hope you get the idea of what the "Summary" statement should do...

After your summary statement, I'd have you throw in a list of skills. That will give you the ability to create your bullited lists (as you should also move the list from your "Courses taken include" section. Since you don't have much real-worl experience, list your skills first. List your education second (that way they see what you can DO before they see your lacking experience). I also see that you don't list your year of graduation. That can say two things to me as an employer: 1) You haven't completed your courses, or 2) You don't want to say when you graduated so I won't realize that you're still just an inexperienced kid. Put your graduation year in the list and just let the cards fall as they may...

Great addition of your civil awards at the bottom. This is good for a couple of reasons. Primarily, it shows that you aren't a one-dimensional person, secondly, it shows that you aren't a one-dimensional person! ;-) But seriously, that's a great section to include.

Great work Shaun!
 
jmroberts70 said:
Well to start with, read the previous postings in this thread. They may give you some pointers on what you already have here. For instance, get rid of the "Objective" statement. You can read above for my thinking on the matter but suffice it to say that it is not needed.

I'd also work on your "Summary". It's good that you have one -better than not. But I'd suggest not using bullets to format it. Instead, think of the couple of "titles" that describe you in a nutshell. Something like this:

"A well-rounded network adminstrator with XX years training and real-world experience ranging from Cisco router setup and network modeling to DSL installation at my mother's house!"

I think you see the humor at the end but I also hope you get the idea of what the "Summary" statement should do...

After your summary statement, I'd have you throw in a list of skills. That will give you the ability to create your bullited lists (as you should also move the list from your "Courses taken include" section. Since you don't have much real-worl experience, list your skills first. List your education second (that way they see what you can DO before they see your lacking experience). I also see that you don't list your year of graduation. That can say two things to me as an employer: 1) You haven't completed your courses, or 2) You don't want to say when you graduated so I won't realize that you're still just an inexperienced kid. Put your graduation year in the list and just let the cards fall as they may...

Great addition of your civil awards at the bottom. This is good for a couple of reasons. Primarily, it shows that you aren't a one-dimensional person, secondly, it shows that you aren't a one-dimensional person! ;-) But seriously, that's a great section to include.

Great work Shaun!


i can see one problem with your idea for my summary statement though, i have no experience, well none more involved than home networking :(
 
runt said:
i can see one problem with your idea for my summary statement though, i have no experience, well none more involved than home networking :(

Here's what I did when I don't have any formal experience yet ..

December, 1997 – Present Freelance Computer Consultant – Columbus, OH
• Create, design and maintain website(s)
• Setup, repair, assembly and troubleshooting of personal computers,
• Tutor in programming languages like Assembler, COBOL, RPG, PL/SQL
• Tutor in the use of software like MS Office, Eudora, etc…
• Setup SOHO networks

YOu have to be a little creative with how you word it ... an experience is experience ... although not formally employed ... it is still networking ...
 
jmroberts70 said:
That is a good question! And to answer it from my perspective, I'd suggest just submitting Word documents. I normally convert them to an Office2000 format just to make sure that they have the best version. I also like the RTF format too. Once again, most HR people aren't the most technical people. They're used to one way of doing things and not too much deviation. So to that end, a simple Word document formatted for the most compatability would be my choice. Converting to PDF is a good idea since no one will be able to modify the document -and you can set the print formatting easily. But most of the time editing your resume isn't something that is of great concern.

Thanks for the tip. The thought about HR people not being the most technical people is a good point to remember. I attached both PDF and Word format because I knew many people used Microsoft Word and my school started to use a lot of PDF formats so I thought it was the more common format to use when submitting documents..

But would you agree with having the cover letter in the body of the e-mail?
 
I updated the layout of my resume' and wanted to get your opinions. (The layout probavbly looks familiar :) )

Do you think it wise for me to list under work experience the things I did in school. This was a VERY intesensive hands on course, and technically its my only formal experience (except for Amazon.com several years ago) Thanks for any advice and let me know what you think

SUMMARY: A voice / data networking professional at the leading edge of information technology using established skills in design, implementation, and systematic problem solving of networks.

Key Qualifications

* Powerful communications and customer service skills, with the ability to handle high-pressure situations in a professional and effective manner while using strong computing skills in daily activities
* 3 years experience supporting a large enterprise environment with a customer base of 1000+ users
* Certifications – Net+, Networking Technician Cert, PC Client networking certification, Certified lucent Defiinity administrator, T1 / T3 Installation and Troubleshooting
* 2 years experience installing and configuring PC/Server hardware and software in a 24x7x365 datacenter environment. 5 years experience in LAN installation / troubleshooting
* Experience with routed and routing protocols to include TCP/IP, RIP, and OSPF
* Knowledgeable in the programming of Cisco 2500 routers, and Cisco Catalyst 1900, 2900 switches
* Possess knowledge of Linux, Novell, MS-DOS, Windows 95/98/XP/2000/2003, Active Directory, MS Office Products, T-carrier circuits, Optical Carrier circuits, ISDN, VoIP, and 802.11 Wireless
* 5 years experience terminating CAT5 cable to network jacks, and patch panels.
* Possess knowledge of common Data Networking cabling methods (Straight Through, Rolled, cross-over, etc) as well as all tools/color codes involved

Professional Experience

Student Lake Washington Technical College 2003 – 2004
Successfully completed 550 hours of hands on experience in a multi-protocol, multi-os, and 802.x networked environment. Troubleshoot Microsoft DOS, Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP PC’s in a client / server environment. Administered Novell NOS including the creation of login scripts, add/remove users, assigning permission rights and setting security policies. Installed / Configured Microsoft’s DNS services on Windows 2003 to support a multi-LAN environment. Installation / Configuration of Cisco 1700 / 2500 routers and 2900 catalyst switches.

Operations Technician Allegiance Telecom, WA Jun 2001 – July 2003
Key technician in deploying high-scaled communications packages. Responsible for installation and troubleshooting of the Allegiance Telecom network. Installed / Configured remote data circuits utilizing T-carriers, Optical Carriers, and Pairgain HDSL Proficient in Acterna 2310/310/224 and 950 test equipment. Deployed 5 multi-site OC-48 Fiber rings utilizing Fujitsu FLM Optical Carrier equipment. Provided/Maintained CPE equipment, Vina, Cisco, Adtran, and Tiara with the ability to support over 4,000 customers while providing 24 hour on-call technical support.

* Interface via phone or in person with customers that had open trouble tickets. Worked with customers until problems were resolved.
* Primary contact for any and all vendors who worked with allegiance customers
* Primary contact for interfacing with ILEC technicians, as well as responsible for the testing of all DS1/DS3/and OC circuits
* Installed, configured and maintained 5 redundant international Fujitsu OC-48 Fiber Rings utilizing Fujitsu FLM equipment

Transport Technician II MCI WorldCom Sep 2001 – Nov 1998
Provisioned DS1, DS3, OC3 and OC12 circuit as well as handling all testing between customer and MCI. Primary contact for handling trouble tickets for internal and external customers. Proficient in Type II circuit turn-up, and end-to-end testing including: 3/1 and 1/0 DACS, T1 cross-connect, and DS3 cross-connect.

* Assisted in installation of network infrastructure including CAT-5 cabling, fiber optic cabling, and DS1/DS3/OC-X circuits
* Configured OC48/OC192, Fujitsu, and Cisco 15454 SONET Equipment.
* Experience with DWDM Multiplexers and MOR Pipes

PC/Networking Technician Amazon.com Jun 1997 – Nov 2000
One of many technicians working in a team environment where the quality of our work and customer satisfaction was our first priority. Supported a 1000+ customer base via phone and Remedy trouble ticket system, I have the ability to help users at all experience levels, ranging from complete novice to “power-users”. I was also, responsible for installing and configuring PC's (PC Clones, and DELL Dimension) in Server/Client environment, running Windows 98/XP/2000 as well as Linux. Experience imaging hard drives utilizing tools such as Norton Ghost. Experienced with the creation and maintenance of user accounts in NT4/2000 Server as well as administering user security policies. Installed and Configured Compaq and Dell Servers with Compaq/digital RAID Array's (0+1, and Level 5) in a 24x7x365 Data Center environment. Responsible for administer Lucent G3r and G3Si PBX system.

Education and Training

CompTia Net+ Certified July, 2004
Networking Technician Certificate Lake Washington Tech. College 3.5 GPA
PC Client Networking Certificate Lake Washington Tech. College December, 2003
Certified Lucent Definity Administrator Lucent Academy February, 2000
Nortel OC-48 OAM&P Certification 80 hours, 2000
Nortel OC-192 OAM&P Certification 80 hours, 2000
Nortel MOR/MOR+ and DWDM Certification 40 hours, 2000
T1/T3 Provisioning and Troubleshooting 80 hours, 2000

References:

4 references are normally listed here
 
Flagg said:
Professional Experience

Student Lake Washington Technical College 2003 – 2004
Successfully completed 550 hours of hands on experience in a multi-protocol, multi-os, and 802.x networked environment. Troubleshoot Microsoft DOS, Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP PC’s in a client / server environment. Administered Novell NOS including the creation of login scripts, add/remove users, assigning permission rights and setting security policies. Installed / Configured Microsoft’s DNS services on Windows 2003 to support a multi-LAN environment. Installation / Configuration of Cisco 1700 / 2500 routers and 2900 catalyst switches.

I take it this was a technical course of some kind? If so, do not list is as "Professional Experience" and put it under your Education and Training. Professional Experience should be reserved for actual paying jobs you have held (exceptions: intern and volunteer work).

Also, where are you planning to work at? It'd be bad for both of us if a potential employer came across our resumes (seeing as yours has such similar language as mine).
 
I am looking for employment in washington state only. As far as the Education and training, can I keep a summary of what I did in that traiining (basically keep the desctiption I have now, just move it under Education) Also, what do I put in work experience right now? i have my previous telecom exp, but I dont think that does much for employers.
 
Flagg said:
I am looking for employment in washington state only. As far as the Education and training, can I keep a summary of what I did in that traiining (basically keep the desctiption I have now, just move it under Education) Also, what do I put in work experience right now? i have my previous telecom exp, but I dont think that does much for employers.

I wouldn't expand on what you did. Pretty much keep it to one line item if you can. It helps with the formatting and you can explain what all you did there at the interview.
 
BobSutan said:
I wouldn't expand on what you did. Pretty much keep it to one line item if you can. It helps with the formatting and you can explain what all you did there at the interview.

Okay sound fair enough. Any advice as to what I should put for my current experience. its not like I am coming into this field blind, I have been doing this type of work as a hobby/side job for almost 6 years. How do you translate that on a resume'
 
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