IT Resume Thread

I'm not sure I'd quantify things with "Expert" or "Intermediate". "Working Knowledge" is OK to indicate exposure to something, I guess.

As with many of the other resumes here, you don't give any details. "Java code development" could mean that you wrote 10 lines of code or wrote ten systems at a million lines each. What did the systems do? What value did you add to the project? "Project estimation" doesn't make much sense.
 
Better?

Code: 
Summary
Senior Application Specialist with 8 years of experience in development, stress testing, troubleshooting and deployment of an enterprise wide CRM suite for over 10,000 users.

Technical Skills
•	Data manipulation language (DML), Oracle9i, 10g
•	Data definition language (DDL). Oracle 9i, 10g
•	Unix(Solaris) knowledge
•	Application Performance tuning
•	Shell scripting for automation and application deployment
•	Batch scripting for SQL automation
•	Websphere Application Server and WAS cluster troubleshooting
•	Websphere MQ
•	JAVA knowledge for debugging and development
•	SAN and NAS experience
•	TCP/IP, DNS, SMTP

Work Experience
New York Life, Corporate Information Department
10/11 – Current 	Senior Application Specialist
•	Liaison to software vendor for systems access 
•	DB knowledge transfer from previous vendor to new vendor
•	Development of threaded Java application to import 600K records into two Oracle Databases in less than 5 minutes.  
•	HTML/CSS/JavaScript debugging
•	Provide time estimates for project planning

04/08 – 10/11 		Application Specialist
•	Production Support for 10,000 user CRM Software
•	Oracle data analyst
•	Troubleshoot ETL tool for legacy software conversion

10/06 –04/08  		Programmer Analyst
•	Develop Shell scripts for application deployment.
•	Create and run SQL scripts to extract data from Oracle databases
•	Application log analysis

9/04 – 10/06		Programmer
•	Create MS Access databases for reporting purposes
•	Develop Crystal Reports from customer requirements
•	Develop application test scripts and Winrunner scripts
•	Administer web CRM application (G2X Agility & EZ-Data SmartOffice) 

10/03 – 9/04		Application Development Testing Associate
•	Configure and deploy Crystal Reports
•	Create test scripts
•	Discuss software bugs with the application vendor
•	Test vendor application 
•	Create bug reports

Education
Bachelor’s of Science in Information Technology, University of Phoenix expected  December 2011
Pursued Liberal Arts Degree, Purdue University 2000-2002

Activities
Zeta Psi, Tau Gamma Chapter, Purdue University
Technology Chairman
•	Setup computer network throughout entire house
•	Applied patches to operating systems
 
A little bit; still needs lots more details to have any meaning to someone reading it. There's tons of bullet items in there that give me no idea what you really did.
 
I assume you are talking across the board. Basically our vendor collapsed and we took over production code changes. Most of my work is production fixes of broken code. Whether it e Java?HTML/CSS/Javascript.

At what point does it become TMI for a bullet point? I will work to make it more specific and less general.
 
Right now, your resume is worthless because it tells me nothing about you.

Code: 
•	Create test scripts

What were you testing? On what platform? With what language and tools? Automated testing, or written testing scripts that other people executed? How many tests? How many features? Product wide, or some small scope of the product? Did you make tools to help other people write test scripts, setting up test plans, making an architecture for automated testing, or were you just making the minimal contribution to get this "create test scripts" bullet? Did you really only create them, and never maintain them?

You've got along way to go before you have to worry about too much information.
 
OK, took another run at it. Better? Also if I continued to perform a task with differnt job titles should I carry it over from the previous title on the resume, or is the assumption that I still perform those tasks?

Code: 
Summary
Senior Application Specialist with 8 years of experience in development, stress testing, troubleshooting and deployment of an enterprise wide CRM suite for over 10,000 users.

Technical Skills
•	Data manipulation language (DML), Oracle9i, 10g
•	Data definition language (DDL). Oracle 9i, 10g
•	Unix(Solaris) 
•	Application Performance tuning
•	Shell scripting for automation and application deployment
•	Batch scripting for SQL automation
•	Websphere Application Server and WAS cluster troubleshooting
•	Websphere MQ
•	JAVA knowledge for debugging and development
•	SAN and NAS
•	TCP/IP, DNS, SMTP

Work Experience
New York Life, Corporate Information Department
10/11 – Current 	Senior Application Specialist
•	Liaison to software vendor for corporate systems access 
•	DB knowledge transfer from previous vendor to current vendor
•	Development of threaded Java application to import 600K records into two Oracle Databases in less than 5 minutes 
•	HTML/CSS/JavaScript debugging of enterprise CRM software
•	Provide estimates for project planning

04/08 – 10/11 		Application Specialist
•	Production Support for 10,000 user CRM software solution.  This includes troubleshooting data issues, 24/7x365 support for application downtime
•	Troubleshoot ETL tool for data conversion from legacy desktop CRM into new Oracle based enterprise CRM
•	Analyze HP LoadRunner results to target poorly performing transactions and optimize associated SQL queries
•	Review Technical Specification Documents to ensure they conform to requirements

10/06 –04/08  		Programmer Analyst
•	Develop Shell scripts for application deployment.
•	Create and run SQL scripts to extract data from Oracle databases
•	Websphere Application Server system log analysis
•	Log4j log analysis and configuration for CRM application
•	Support for 120+ Websphere MQ Queue environment for nightly data loading of over 1 million records on a nightly basis
•	Review Functional Specification Documents to ensure that they meet requirements

9/04 – 10/06		Programmer
•	Create MS Access databases for reporting purposes
•	Develop Crystal Reports from customer requirements
•	Develop application test scripts and Winrunner scripts
•	Administer web CRM application (G2X Agility & EZ-Data SmartOffice) 

10/03 – 9/04		Application Development Testing Associate
•	Configure and deploy Crystal Reports
•	Create manual test scripts for regression testing of Enterprise CRM suite
•	Discuss software bugs with the application vendor
•	Test all aspects of vendor WAS clustered CRM solution 
•	Create bug reports

Education
Bachelors of Science in Information Technology, University of Phoenix expected 12/11
Pursued Liberal Arts Degree, Purdue University 2000- 2002

Activities
Zeta Psi, Tau Gamma Chapter, Purdue University
Technology Chairman
•	Setup computer network throughout entire house
•	Applied patches to operating systems
 
Can you please critique my resume? I've copied it onto Pastebin for personal reasons instead of pasting it here.

http://pastebin.com/gPZWiEh2

The top part I just made up real quick now, I know it's pretty lame. Keep in mind I am a fresh graduate with little professional experience so some things are purposefully vague. Such as "set up computers" (in reality just put them in the desk and plugged wires into them.. but want the employer to think maybe it was more to get the interview).

This is going to entry level help desk type of positions. Should I maybe remove the teller/cashier (shows customer service) part and instead expand on my education such as what classes I've taken? Currently my edu only lists my AAS degree and high school info. This resume is currently exactly one page long
 
You've got the same problems as most of the other resumes recently here: no detail is given about your positions and what they meant. You've also got claims that don't reconcile -- you claim 15 years of experience but only show about four years of work history.

There's really no reason to leave any particular experience out.
 
Some of the career advice posted at The Ladders is iffy -- particularly when it resolves in promotion for Ladders products, like their resume writing service. They made a recent post that has some good ideas in it, though.

Interviewing yourself is a pretty good idea. It can prepare you for a real interview, if you think of questions that you're likely to be asked. You can think of soft skills questions, like "how do your co-workers describe you?" and "tell me about one of your hardest days". You can also think of hard questions -- programming or other skills questions that you're likely to find during an interview.

Doing such an exercise can also help you even if you're not thinking of looking for a new position. If you can take an accurate inventory of your own skill set, you'll have a way to assess yourself and figure out where you might have room to grow. There's lots of posts in the programming area of this forum about wanting to learn a particular language, but very few of them indicate any particular goal with that knowledge. Learning something without a measurable goal at the end is largely a waste of time.
 
I am applying for a job that is over 700 miles away.

Is there anything special I should include in my cover letter about not needing relocation assistance, or maybe something about how I have been wanting to move to the area, or something like "please do not let my application fall through because I am so far away" ?

Thanks!
 
ciggwin said:
I am applying for a job that is over 700 miles away.

Is there anything special I should include in my cover letter about not needing relocation assistance, or maybe something about how I have been wanting to move to the area, or something like "please do not let my application fall through because I am so far away" ?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You don't have to be that clear-cut, but if you've always wanted to live in City X, or you went there as a child and knew you'd want to return, or you're just moving there because your partner is relocating, put a line about it in your cover letter. That's really your chance to tell the employer why you are qualified and why you want the job. If the location is desirable to you, you should tell them so.
 
This may not be relevant to most IT/management hiring departments, but hopefully someday in future it might be, but depending on what company I'm sending my resume in to, I've added the following to my experience

Eve Online Corporation CEO & Founder (Online Gaming)
Summary: 300 Direct Reports logging in everyday for essentially a second job they pay to work at. Brilliant.
Performed quarterly employee evaluations and set department level KPIs
Executed negotiation and implementation strategies that increased market share of key commodities
Successfully integrated the merger and takeover of several smaller companies
Increased employee engagement through implementation of social media and other toolsets


This has actually gotten me more than a few interviews and 2 offers. Maybe in a decade or so, having something like this on your resume, will actually mean something to almost everyone.
 
rykker said:
This has actually gotten me more than a few interviews and 2 offers. Maybe in a decade or so, having something like this on your resume, will actually mean something to almost everyone.
Click to expand...

Heh. At first I was amused, but after I thought about it for a moment, I realized it's not that different from being any other sort of online community administrator. Depending on what you are applying for, it could be a good thing to have on there. As Mike said, there's no reason not to include experience you think is relevant.

On the other hand, I'm not looking forward to a future where people brag about how many TF2 hats they have on their resume.
 
mikeblas said:
Not sure if trolling or just stupid.
Click to expand...

I never played EVE, only watched others. Am I overestimating the kinds of work someone would do as manager of a 300-person corp?

Either way, I was drawn in by it, which is exactly the point of a resume, is it not?
 
Can you critique my cover letter?

Department of Human Resources
555 Administration Bldg.
1000 Green Clover Ave.
City, State 12345

Mr. John Smith
Asst. Director Infrastructure and Support
Engineering/Computer Science 123
Division of Information Technology

RE: IT Support Associate

Dear Mr. Smith,
I hope you will consider me for the position of IT Support Associate, as advertised in the jobs section of ********. I was very excited to see a position open in the IT department at ****, as I have long been a big fan of the collage and have always wanted to work for ****.

Reading over the job description for the position, I recognized myself. As you will see with the attached application, I have over 10 years experience in IT helpdesk and desktop support. As one of the lead Helpdesk Annalists for my current employer I’ve consistently had a knack for putting even the most antagonistic employees at ease. They may call in yelling, however they would hang up happy thanks to a well-established problem solving ability and calm demeanor. I’m a quick learner when it comes to anything Tech oriented and I take direction well, but can also be trusted to take the initiative when it comes to finding innovative ways to solve customers' issues.

I think my skills and experience are an excellent match with what you are seeking, and I am excited about the chance to work with you.

Sincerely,

John Doe
Click to expand...
 
Zetro - Looks good. I wouldn't make it any longer. I work for a Global firm and have talked to our US CIO and he said he had someone apply with a 6 page resume and tossed it. No time to read a story.
 
On resumes if you have certifications should you incorporate the certification number on the resume?
Also having Advance CPR and Advance First aide certs or even basic cpr/ first aide should you list those even if they are not needed for the job?
 
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Hi guys. Thoughts on my resume? I'm looking for an internal desktop support position in the Chicago area and not having the best of luck. I'm a very right-brained person, so creative writing is not my strong suit. It's very hard to even get a response back, so I'm looking to increase my chances.

Thanks :)

Code: 
NAME
EMAIL
PHONE

OBJECTIVE
	A full time position in the IT field as Desktop Support or Systems Administrator.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
	-Hardware/Software troubleshooting and fault resolution
	-Windows client operating systems, XP/Vista/7
	-Windows server operating systems, 2003/2008/2008R2/WHS
	-Linux distributions
	-Apple OSX
	-pfSense (FreeBSD) router operating system, including RELEASE 2.0 and 1.2.3
	-Familiarity with command line interfaces (CLI), can troubleshoot from command line
	-Intermediate LAN, DHCP/Static IPs, network drives and shares, subnets, wireless
	-Intermediate WAN, DNS, Domain registration and assignment, firewalls, ports
	-IIS7 webhosting
	-VMware and VirtualBox Virtual Machine creation and management
	-Active Directory user administration
	-Remote Desktop and Ultra VNC server/client for remote administration
	-VPN setup and administration
	-RAID systems, including hardware controllers and experience with RAID 0/1/5/6
	-Working knowledge of all Office and other related productivity software
	-Familiarity with system hardware and various server technologies
EDUCATION AND AWARDS
	-Bachelors of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois (100/128 hours)
	-CompTIA A+ Certification, May 2011
	-Eagle Scout, BSA, May 2006
WORK EXPERIENCE
	Freelance IT Troubleshooting (Sept. 2009 – Present)
-AD user management, fileserver builds and setup, LAN administration and network expansion, pfSense routers, IIS website hosting, domain registration and DNS forwarding, assorted system builds and troubleshooting.
	Partner/Engineer, Ballistic Speed Motorsports (March 2008 – March 2011)
-Solidworks drafting for external clients, vehicle engine management tuning, performance vehicle component installation, minor electrical work, learned MIG/TIG welding, soldering, managed PC network and local fileserver, interacted with customers and created relationships for repeat business.
	Projection Crew, AMC Theaters (June 2004 – July 2006)
-Responsible for screening schedule, projector upkeep, digital projector network, small office troubleshooting, and assorted tasks in the theater.
 
saedrin said:
Hi guys. Thoughts on my resume? I'm looking for an internal desktop support position in the Chicago area and not having the best of luck. I'm a very right-brained person, so creative writing is not my strong suit. It's very hard to even get a response back, so I'm looking to increase my chances.
Click to expand...

I'd start by transforming some of your "skills" statements into concrete examples of how you've applied those skills or have delivered value for an organization using them.

For example
Planned, deployed and managed a mixed-mode Active Directory environment for 100+ client workstations backed by Windows Server 2008
Click to expand...
looks better than
-Windows client operating systems, XP/Vista/7
-Windows server operating systems, 2003/2008/2008R2/WHS
-Linux distributions
-Apple OSX
Click to expand...

Some of this is already present in your experience section at the bottom, it's just a matter of drawing out the details and more directly tying your experience to the needs of the organization.
 
bigdaveberg said:
On resumes if you have certifications should you incorporate the certification number on the resume?
Also having Advance CPR and Advance First aide certs or even basic cpr/ first aide should you list those even if they are not needed for the job?
Click to expand...

Why not? Just make sure you spell it correctly: "Advanced CPR" and "Advanced First Aid". Otherwise, you'll look a fool.
 
Read through almost every page of this thread as I am restarting my job search after getting a year of experience after college. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

*See next post*
 
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Annihilator_4 said:
Read through almost every page of this thread as I am restarting my job search after getting a year of experience after college. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13y3TPoK4C9XZizHhNQRWfhXZmvqmh22pbhH0rYjwlB8/edit
Click to expand...

Kudos to you for plowing through this very long thread! More kudos for making it to Eagle Scout!! I have a few thoughts:

1. I'm not sure if the word "versatile" is what you want to use in your summary. Are you trying to convey that you can do a large variety of things or are you more of a certain type of networking specialist? In fact, I'm not even sure you can rightfully use the word "professional" yet. The reality is that you are a recent graduate that hasn't had an IT job that I can see as of yet. Remember that your summary should convey as closely as possible exactly what you are if someone asked the question, "So, tell me about yourself". I would imagine something like "recent graduate" could be more appropriate.

2. I would like to see more detailing out in your Qualifications section --actually change the heading to Skills. You list many things but I don't know your level of experience. I don't know if you just took the class or if you could TEACH the class!! Some sort of qualifier to your skills would be helpful here. Considering the fact that your employment history shows no IT background, you'll really want to nail your skills section so that your lack of experience at the bottom of the page isn't as important to the reader. Indicate how many years of experience you have for these skills. That's where not being actually paid for the work doesn't matter!

3. I see that you worked until 2009 and graduated in 2010. What were you doing in 2011 and 2012? Were you simply out of a job? If so, that's fine as times are tough but if there was additional activity, it could be a good idea to include that (such as volunteer work, helping out a friend with their network, etc). Just know that it is a glaring issue with your resume and people will ask...

Great work and please share your progress and if you get hired!!
 
I actually posted an old resume at first and edited my post to change the link it should be headed "new resume". I actually graduated in 2010 and have been working as a network associate for a local health system since. Here's what it should look like (without any of the formatting). I really appreciate your help!


SUMMARY
A versatile networking professional with a year of experience in the information technology field.

JOB HISTORY
Network Associate, Grace Health System (April 2011 - Current):
Helpdesk Dispatch, After-Hours Support, Application Support, Infrastructure Development

WORK-RELATED EXPERIENCE
Desktop Support:
-Helpdesk ticket parsing for over 250 users
-Maintained user hardware
-Created VB Scripts for logon functions
Server Support:
-Upgraded hardware and replace malfunctioning components
-Maintained backup tape schedule
-Deployed quarterly application updates
-Monitored RAID on corporate SAN and NAS
Enterprise Technologies:
-Active Directory management
-Managing Group Policy Objects
-Sharepoint administration of corporate intranet
-WYSE Thin Client management
-Setup and maintained Untangle web filter
-Implemented software based fax utility Captaris RightFax
Telephony
-Supported Asterisk server and managed clients with FreePBX
-Managed Shortel server and client setups
Networking
-DNS, Subnet, DHCP,RDP, SSH, FTP, Telnet, Port forwarding, Firewall, QoS, VLANs, ARP
Operating Environments
-Windows XP/7, Windows Server 2003/2008 R2, VMWare ESX, AS/400, CentOS, Ubuntu

EDUCATION
Texas Tech University: Graduated December 2010
Major: Management and Information Systems
Presidents List: Fall 2010 Dean’s List: Fall 2009, Spring 2009 Major GPA: 3.66
Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout June 25, 2003
 
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My issues with my resume is I can go much more in depth about each point I brought up but I feel like a lot of that is best left for the interview.
 
Annihilator_4 said:
My issues with my resume is I can go much more in depth about each point I brought up but I feel like a lot of that is best left for the interview.
Click to expand...

You should be editing it for each position then, so they see what they are asking for. I have the same challenge with my resume because I have a lot of Web and social media experience.
 
adam30k said:
You should be editing it for each position then, so they see what they are asking for.
Click to expand...

This can't be overstated. You should prep your resume specifically for any job that you are really serious about, especially if you have a wealth of information from which to draw upon. Show your potential employer exactly what they want to see on the resume you give them, and expand on it in the interview.
 
This is all VERY true. Your resume gets re-written for each job your applying for. I used to keep about 4-6 different versions of my resume depending on the job I was applying for and this allowed me to quickly prepare a new one based on a similar position...

Understand that the skills section is an exhaustive detail of everything you're capable of, it is an overview. But you still need to convey some sort of qualifier for each skill. Saying you know Active Directory could mean that you can setup and manage an enterprise domain by yourself or that you read about it in a magazine. The reader needs to understand your level of experience. When trying to decide just how much information to put down, try and read your resume from their perspective. They are simply trying to see if your skills are a good match to what they're looking for...
 
Hey guys, I used some of the tips in this thread when I graduated college and I'm starting to look again.
The position I'm in (~2 years) is my first post-college job and its starting to become apparent I don't have vertical growth. Its a small company and I'm a one man show and have been for my full employment. Please critique my resume and try to throw some questions that you would ask me.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KtYDpkRupd0SpewIq0Y5SWhhb8XqKiAlvHhpGplWdYg/edit
 
Personally, I would abandon the traditional resume format you're showing and shoot for the more hybrid format we've talked about here quite often. You need a summary statement, sorted list of skills, and then an abbreviated work history list.
 
I actually have read through this whole thread over a couple of days, and I have even read the main chapters of the book Resumes that Knock 'em Dead which jmroberts70 recommended numerous times near the first half of this thread, years ago.

I know my post is long but I would rather ask specifics than say "here it is" and expect everyone else to come up with larger amounts of content.

A little background about me is that I have finally graduated and now have a Bachelor of Science degree for I.T. I have posted in this thread before about my feelings on my education and how I feel like I am somewhat under-prepared because I can't say that I am skilled in any specific category. I feel like my college work has made me sort of a jack of all trades, and master of none. To be honest, I am not sure what it is I would like to even master if I had the opportunity.

I am fortunate to currently hold a job that loosely relates to the skills of I.T., however in my overall real world experience, I am still a newcomer with little to show so far.

My actual resume with proper formatting and style can be found here, but I will also post below for quick review.

Code: 
John1701

Summary:
A versatile technology enthusiast with familiarity and experience of working within a business
environment to complete individual task, and team based objectives.

Education and Skills

Bachelor of Science, Information Technology
The University of Toledo College of Engineering, Toledo Ohio. May 2012

Courses Included:
-Website Design
-Business Database Systems
-Web Server Application Development
-Technical Project Management
-Server-Side Scripting
-Client-Side Scripting
-Computer Networking and Security
-Business and Marketing Management

Five years hands on experience related to PC hardware, maintenance, software implementation,
upgrading, troubleshooting, and assembly.

Work History

Product Optimizer
Online Retail Company (May 2011 - )
Areas of responsibility include enhancing the company retail website through implementing various
features to over 35,000 products and categories on the site. Features include product rank, options,
accessories, images, keywords, and titles, which are implemented by working within shopping cart
software and HTML. Optimization tasks are prioritized and completed in conjunction with other web
department teams.

Cashier – Customer Service
Sears Dept. Store (June 2010 - December 2010)
Assisted customers and operated cash register transactions.

Service Representative – Office Worker
American Fire Protection (June 2007 – August 2010)
Evaluated and certified portable fire extinguishers within client businesses in accordance with state
and local fire safety regulations. Prepared office documents including invoices and job bids.

My list of issues and questions:

I'm pretty sure that my summary isn't too great, and was the hardest part of this. Yes, I did end up starting with "A versatile..." which it seemed many following this thread have done. I didn't say I was a "versatile professional" because of the fact of very limited experience and that I hold no certifications doesn't really make me seem like a professional. I know "enthusiast" doesn't carry as much weight as the world "professional", but I couldn't think of a more appropriate word. In this summary sentence I also attempt to explain that I can work well alone, and also in a team. I'm not sure how well that comes across.

For my education and skills I followed the tech resume example from "Knock 'em Dead". Beneath the "courses included" I just listed the basic [H]ard member hobby knowledge since I think it would be redundant to list what I took courses on as skills, and the fact that I am not an expert in these course topics.

For my work history I tried to emphasize how my current job deals somewhat with I.T. concepts like fundamental components of a website. I just noticed that I did not include more basic details that I am somewhat competent with basic stuff like Excel, but would that really be necessary, or would it be somewhat already implied? In the last sentence of my latest job I once again am attempting to say something like "I can work on stuff as it is given to me, and as part of a team".


I guess I will cease my huge post now before it becomes too much for anyone to even bother.
Thanks to everyone for the advice already given in this thread and for helping me try to sort this out to be better.
 
Rather than "Courses Included," try briefly discussing projects you have done, or deliverables that you were exceptionally successful in. Did you have a big app development project that you got an A+ on? Write a line or two about what it taught you. Did you have a great internship? Tell me about how it added value for you and the organization. The actual courses you took don't matter so much as your ability to absorb new skills and successfully deliver what was asked of you. Even if it's not 100% relevant, talk about what you delivered and what you learned in those classes. A course in "server side scripting" tells me nothing about what you learned (Python, PHP, .Net, etc.) or what you built. Your resume uses large fonts and has dead space, so you have plenty of room for more prose.
 
FRAGMAN BOB said:
Hey guys, I used some of the tips in this thread when I graduated college and I'm starting to look again.
The position I'm in (~2 years) is my first post-college job and its starting to become apparent I don't have vertical growth. Its a small company and I'm a one man show and have been for my full employment. Please critique my resume and try to throw some questions that you would ask me.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KtYDpkRupd0SpewIq0Y5SWhhb8XqKiAlvHhpGplWdYg/edit
Click to expand...

Took some advice made some serious modifications:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m_68QcxDmve7szBQbjtBxX3VqtytfbXFmLmPiFrS1E0/edit
thoughts?

PS. I always get a block when writing cover letters. Whats too much, whats too little...
 
FRAGMAN BOB said:
Whats too much, whats too little...
Click to expand...

Three paragraphs is what I shoot for. Tell them who you are, how you found the position, why you're interested and what sparked your attention/what made you think the position was good for you in the first paragraph.

In the second paragraph, pick 2-3 requirements/expectations/qualifications from the posting and talk about how you're 120% rad about all of those things. Make sure you provide concrete examples (that are backed up by your resume) instead of just saying "yo, I'm rad as fuck at AD".

Third paragraph thanks them for their time and consideration, offer a very brief cause -> effect sort of deal about why your experiences make you an awesome choice for their opening as well as lets them know that you're totally interested and will be contacting them by __ method before __ date to discuss the opportunity further.

I understand that more often than not that last part won't be feasible because you don't have any direct contact info. In that case, I generally put something like:

As my experiences and knowledge closely align with the position, I'm very excited to discuss how my qualifications and career goals align with the **position name** role in **company**. I'd be happy to discuss this in more detail at any time that's convenient for you. You can reach me day or night at **phone number** or **email address**. I look forward to hearing from you!
Click to expand...

The last part isn't optimal because you're leaving the ball in their court, but honestly, with any company larger than a hundred people or so, you're going to have a difficult time finding out direct contact information for the HR rep or hiring manager without an inside source. (If you can get an inside source, this is gold. Really, this insider should email your resume & contact info directly to the hiring manager without your involvement. Some people get offended if someone gives out their work contact info to a rando without permission)
 
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