IT Resume Thread

Just landed an awesome IT admin position at a PR firm in Toronto!!
Thank you to everyone for your input and suggestions.
 
I think it's time to move on from my current position and I'm looking to improve my odds as much as I can. My goal is System Admin (maybe even a junior administrator to get more substantial experience). I am also currently getting my Masters of Information Systems Management with a concentration in Information Security (graduating end of 2013).

Any feedback is appreciated.

See below.
 
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I would first suggest that you take some time and read through as much of this thread as you can possibly bear. If your tight on time, maybe just the last few pages at least. What you have posted here isn't as much a resume as a "detailed work history / description". A resume is more like a "sales brochure" of you. This means you have the liberty to present yourself in the most effective and positive light. With this in mind, bullet lists of job duties and skill names may not be the best way to pull that off... See what some of the samples previous to yours may inspire for you and let us know what you can come up with!
 
Job Opening where I work:

Location: North Charleston, SC
Pay: If I had to guess...55-65k? Relocation pay I was told is available.
For those who are not in SC. With that pay, you can live like a king down here. Cost of living is low, 130k gets you a very nice house. 200k gets you baller houses. And above that gets you amazing houses.....


Description
The Network Engineer III’s role is to design, install, administer, and optimize company servers and related network components to achieve high performance of the various business applications supported by tuning the servers as necessary. This includes ensuring the availability of client/server applications, configuring all new implementations, and developing processes and procedures for ongoing management of the server environment. Where applicable, the Network Engineer III will assist in overseeing the physical security, integrity, and safety of the data center/server farm. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and other operating procedures.

Education:
College diploma or university degree in the field of computer science/engineering or information systems or equivalent experience. MCSE(preferred)

Work Experience:
At least seven years’ equivalent work experience in a technical analytical position responsible for managing server environments.
In-depth technical knowledge of network, PC, and platform operating systems, including Microsoft Server 2000+, VM, Citrix, Terminal Services, SAN/Equallogic, Active Directory and MS Exchange.
Exceptional abilities at load balancing, clustering, and caching procedures and processes.
Specific knowledge of Microsoft platform(s) required, as well as strong working knowledge of SQL relational database(s).
Experience installing, configuring, and maintaining all manners of server hardware and associated network equipment, including SCSI, RAID, and I/O topology.
Experience with server performance tuning and monitoring tools.
Familiarity with TCP/IP and network protocols, firewall management, and operating system configuration.
General knowledge of storage technologies such as SAN or NAS, as well as Active Directory/Global Catalogue.
Business process and reengineering experience, as well as an understanding of the relationship between processes and policies.
Good knowledge of applicable data privacy practices and laws.

Personal Qualifications:
Exceptional analytical, conceptual, and problem-solving abilities.
Exceptional understanding of the organization’s goals and objectives.
Superior written and oral communication skills.
Excellent architecture and technical support documentation skills.
Strong interpersonal and consultative skills.
Ability to conduct research into emerging technologies and trends, standards, and products as required.
Ability to present ideas in user-friendly language.
Able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment
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mikeblas said:
What is it that you liked about that advice?
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The timing of an interview can work for or against you. Skip end of day/week interviews, and don't schedule one just before or just after lunch. Basically Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 9am or 2pm is the sweet spot. From my own experience, the earlier in the week you have the interview, the more time you have for them to act on it before forgetting about you over the weekend. Also, use language that's inclusive so it plants a seed of camaraderie so they're more likely to pick you. An example is usingthe word "we", such as "how often do we get paid" or "when do we have group functions?"
 
This is the same crap that I have been reading for years coming from people that just feel they have to provide advice even if it is worthless. These are the same people that advise against wearing perfume or cologne to an interview. Why? Because of the possibility that the interviewer's spouse wears the same fragrance and they may have just had a fight so your scent will remind them of the bad experience and somehow influence their decision. Really?! Hell, if the stars are that crossed against you for the job, you never had a chance in the first place. Seriously, some of the so-called "advice" columns I see out there are truly nothing more than professional writers pulling crap out of the air. I swear, if someone were to read all these articles out there, they'd be afraid to do just about ANYTHING in the job-hunting process.

I still remember a phone interview I had with a prospective employer that actually knew that I was working for their competitor at the time. But I am always open to new opportunities and I was under no contractual obligation to stay where I was.

They opened with the question, "So how loyal are you to the company you're working for right now?"

This is the classic "no-win" question so many jerks feel the need to ask like, "What are some of your weaknesses?" I truly hate hearing them because they don't really reveal anything useful to the employer about you as an asset to the company other than that you can be witty. The fact is that there is no good answer if you're preparing any of the politically-correct responses. Either you're loyal to the company you're working for and not truly available for the job, or you're NOT loyal and you're not worthy of the job.

So I answered, "Sir, I am loyal to my family and my wallet."
To which they replied, "Oh... We were looking for someone loyal to the company."
I said, "Then pay me a lot of money. I'll be VERY loyal."

That pretty much ended the interview. We all went on with our lives a lot sooner. Trust me guys, stop reading these articles. They are mostly rubbish. When is the best time for an interview? As soon as possible. Get your tail in the door before someone else does that has no problem with going in at 7am on a Monday...
 
I can't imagine time of day (or day of week) influencing a hiring decision. If it did, I'm sure it would be a place that I didn't want to work. In the tech industry -- at least for software developers -- interviews are an all day affair. Start at 9am, one hour or 90 minute sessions again and again until 4pm or so. Then a wrap-up meeting, and you're on your way.

The absolute times given in the interview probably assume an 8-to-4 work day. That's also something that's pretty foreign to the tech industry.

I wouldn't want to re-schedule my interview. Monday at 9? Too early! I want Tuesday at 2pm! If they tell me to show up, I'm there 10 minutes early ready to go.

Maybe there's some place where that advice applies, but it's not for software companies.
 
mikeblas said:
I can't imagine time of day (or day of week) influencing a hiring decision. If it did, I'm sure it would be a place that I didn't want to work. In the tech industry -- at least for software developers -- interviews are an all day affair. Start at 9am, one hour or 90 minute sessions again and again until 4pm or so. Then a wrap-up meeting, and you're on your way.

The absolute times given in the interview probably assume an 8-to-4 work day. That's also something that's pretty foreign to the tech industry.

I wouldn't want to re-schedule my interview. Monday at 9? Too early! I want Tuesday at 2pm! If they tell me to show up, I'm there 10 minutes early ready to go.

Maybe there's some place where that advice applies, but it's not for software companies.
Click to expand...

The part about not taking interviews right after lunch is the truth. Every single one I've had scheduled, the person I was supposed to meet with was always late. HR was there, but the techincal people I was supposed to meet with that they had to bring in from wherever was teh one who was late.
 
BobSutan said:
The part about not taking interviews right after lunch is the truth. Every single one I've had scheduled, the person I was supposed to meet with was always late. HR was there, but the techincal people I was supposed to meet with that they had to bring in from wherever was teh one who was late.
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Sorry that you had bad luck. How many is "every single one"? How did HR representatives explain the company's lack of grace to you?

Why do you believe that situation worked against you? I'd say it worked for you: you learned a lot about the company and the way it operates.
 
Hi all,

I have always watched this thread with a great interest and I think I'm finally ready to throw my CV to the lions!

Would you experts mind taking a look at my resume and let me know what you think? Design/formatting is covered but I want to ensure the content is the best it can be! I'm not sure if it's too wordy or sells myself enough?

I know one point that I will be changing is to somehow quantify the skills I list below?

My contract is coming to and end shortly and would like to try to ensure I get a good number of calls.

Any feedback/tips/hints would be greatly appreciated!

Solid Cactus

Contact Information

Phone:
Email:
Linkedin:

Summary

A self motivated, energetic, personable and highly capable IT professional. SharePoint consultant
with 6 years proven extensive experience of SharePoint design, administration, troubleshooting and
support of installations and customisations both in the public and private sectors. Having excellent
planning and organisational skills. Ability to work under pressure to competently deliver solutions
within a tight timescale. Equally capable of working on own initiative or as part of a team. An
effective communicator at all levels.

Profile

Currently working as a SharePoint Consultant at xxxxx helping upgrade to SharePoint 2010.

Since arriving highlights include; virtualised entire SharePoint infrastructure, created matching development and pre-production environments, liaised with end users to help design solutions that meet
business requirements, and created design documentation for the upcoming upgrade.

Extensive hands-on experience of reviewing, designing and implementing large enterprise installations
of SharePoint from pilot through UAT and to production. Took on highly political customer escalations and help drive them to successful resolution of mission critical customer situations with the
minimum amount of downtime. Achieved by developing in-depth knowledge of customer's infrastructure and project plans by visiting clients and being able to enable to rapidly reproduce a SharePoint
customer environment without intervention via unattended installs.

At company progressed role to enable a more proactive focus by reviewing customers SharePoint
proposals and making full supportability reviews of existing customer in accordance with Microsoft's
best practices; These customer supportability reviews included design documentation, creation of
product documentation, and taking on an advisor role for customers. Became the preferred SharePoint technical contact for clients such as; customer, customer, customer and customer

Technically trained and mentored other peers from no SharePoint experience to help them overcome
technical obstacles and drive issues to resolution faster.

Knowledge

SharePoint Specific
Design Deployment Supportability
Performance Automation Upgrades/Updates
Workflows User Profile Synchronisation Remote Blob Storage
Offce Web Applications Branding Permissions
Kerberos InfoPath Forms Services K2 BlackPearl/BlackPoint InfoPath

Depth
SharePoint 2007/2010 SharePoint Foundation WSS 3
SharePoint Designer 2007/2010 SQL Server 2005/2008/2008 R2 Windows XP/Vista/7
Windows Server 2003/2008/2008 R2 Microsoft Office 2003/2007/2010 Hyper-V
Windows PowerShell InfoPath 2007/2010

Broad
IIS 6/7 Microsoft Exchange 2007/2010 Microsoft TMG/ISA
Microsoft DPM 2007/2010 Microsoft Search Server ForeFront for SharePoint
Microsoft Project Server 2007/2010 Microsoft Lync Active Directory
ForeFront Identity Manager Virtual Server 2005 R2 VMWare ESX
OpenVPN TCP/IP DHCP
Network Load Balancing DNS Solaris
Linux HTTP

Experience

Company, Town, Area June 2011 - present
SharePoint Consultant

Company, Town, Area June 2008 - June 2011
SharePoint Support Engineer

Company, Town, Area September 2008 - January 2009
ResNet Advisor

Company, Town, Area July 2007
Partner Program Advisor

Company, Town, Area July 2006 - July 2007
Technical Solutions Professional

More experience history is available if required

Education

University, Town, Area
Course September 2004 - May 2008

School, Town, Area
3 A2 Levels, Physics, Biology and IT. 4 AS Levels, 10 GCSE's September 1997 - June 2004

Certifications
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer MCSE
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator MCSA
Microsoft Certified IT Professional MCITP
Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician MCDST
Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist MCTS
Microsoft Certified Application Specialist MCAS

For full list of certifications please use:
Microsoft Certified Professional Transcript ID XXXX
Access Code XXXXX

Professional Development and Training

Completion of over twenty MCPs (Microsoft Professional Certification)
Office 365 SharePoint Online For SharePoint Support Engineers (2011)
SQL Server 2008 Fundamentals and Troubleshooting Basics for Non-SQL Support Engineers (2011)
TechReady 12 (2011)
SharePoint Technical Focus Groups (2009-2011)

Additional Information

Full clean driving License

Hobbies and Interests

In my spare time I enjoy the exploration of areas of unfamiliar technology and discovering how it
works. I also enjoy watching and playing football and spending time with my friends, family and pets.
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After reviewing this thread, gere is my edited resume. Any feedback is appreciated.

Summary
A versatile computer professional with over 9½ years of experience with a wide range of technical, analytical, and administrative knowledge pertaining to Information Technology. I am also fluent in both English and Spanish.

Qualifications
SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION: Extensive and hands-on live experience with Windows Server 2003/2008/R2, Active Directory/GPO administration, Windows deployment services, System Center Configuration Manager, SAN and NAS asset provisioning and management. Additionally, live knowledge with Exchange 2007 management and administration, DNS, DHCP, and Connected Backup. Multiple years of experience managing 50 computers within Small Business Server 2008. Manage Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), responsible for daily operation and successfully delivery of updates. Fully configured small business with a stable wireless networks for over 100 concurrent devices.

DESKTOP PC SUPPORT: Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, Mac OSX 10.5/10.6/10.7/10.8, remote and on-site consultant for a number of small businesses in which day-to-day issues were fixed. Perform a full range of diagnosis, installations, and repairs. Reimaging of new assets using PXE. Manage printers, copiers, or any hardware that may need to be reconfigured, repaired, or replaced.

TECH DOCUMENTATION: Use technical and analytical skills to update procedures and also implement new ones.

Platform Experience
• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 2003 (actively studying for MCSE 2012)
• Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician
• CompTIA A+
• CompTIA Network+
• Apple Certified Support Professional 10.6
• Apple Certified Associate – Mac Integration Basics (10.6 and 10.7)

Work Experience
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX April 2010 – Present
Level 2 Senior Remote Technical Analyst

• Support over 60,000 end users on Windows XP and Windows 7.
• Resolve incidents using Service Manager within Service Level Agreements and organizational metrics.
• Analyze and troubleshoot issues with the entire Office 2003/2007/2010 and 2011 (OSX) suite, SAPGUI, Citrix/Remote Apps, Sharepoint 2007/2010, and over 1,000 other applications.
• Use SCCM, RDP, Dameware, VNC, and Apple Remote Desktop as remote control tools.
• Support local IT assets (erase, backup, confirm, and imaging).
• Support iPads, iPhones, and Blackberrys (mail, contacts, and calendars).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX January 2003 – Present
Sole Proprietorship

• Built and deployed custom sysprep install images on Windows machines.
• Completely set up and replaced wired and wireless infrastructure with Enterprise level hardware.
• Provided complete training to clients.
• Shaped over 75 computers to standard images, set up a file server and back up infrastructure for several business clients.

Education
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Class of XXXX
Bachelors Degree in Political Science with a Minor in Psychology

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Class of XXXX
Microsoft Server Administrator – MCSA Associate Certificate

References Available Upon Request
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Solid Cactus said:
Hi all,

I have always watched this thread with a great interest and I think I'm finally ready to throw my CV to the lions!

Would you experts mind taking a look at my resume and let me know what you think? Design/formatting is covered but I want to ensure the content is the best it can be! I'm not sure if it's too wordy or sells myself enough?

I know one point that I will be changing is to somehow quantify the skills I list below?

My contract is coming to and end shortly and would like to try to ensure I get a good number of calls.

Any feedback/tips/hints would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

Are you only interested in SharePoint opportunities or do you want to bridge out? If you virtualized your current client's SP install, what platform was used? If you have networking expertise or other areas, put that in as well. You want to maximize the number of keywords your CV will hit in recruiter and HR searches. I personally don't like the "Depth" and "Broad" classifications. I would like to see a single block of skills with expert-level items on top but that's just me.

I also suggest putting in some general numbers. Instead of "large enterprise installations," I'd like to see something like "large enterprise installations of X users/endpoints distributed over EU, EMEA, and APAC." Some detail here again will mean more keyword hits.

Just my .02. Good luck!
 
Terry Olaes said:
Are you only interested in SharePoint opportunities or do you want to bridge out? If you virtualized your current client's SP install, what platform was used? If you have networking expertise or other areas, put that in as well. You want to maximize the number of keywords your CV will hit in recruiter and HR searches. I personally don't like the "Depth" and "Broad" classifications. I would like to see a single block of skills with expert-level items on top but that's just me.

I also suggest putting in some general numbers. Instead of "large enterprise installations," I'd like to see something like "large enterprise installations of X users/endpoints distributed over EU, EMEA, and APAC." Some detail here again will mean more keyword hits.

Just my .02. Good luck!
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Thanks for the input Terry.

At the moment I'm solely focused on SharePoint roles so not really looking to bridge out. Looking to add more of an architect or developer feel to it.

It was VMware so will add that in as well.

I was looking to do something with the skills section and will probably rework it with more focused skills section. Any examples I should look to?

I will also help quantify the number of installs.

Any other ideas all?

Thanks all!
 
Any feedback is appreciated. :)

John Doe
66 John St., Apt#4
Example Land
(555) 444-5555
[email protected]

Summary
A versatile, hardworking IT professional with nearly 3 years of system administration and technical support experience, drawing upon a wide range of strong problem solving and administrative skills.

Qualifications

Desktop Support: 2 years help desk experience supporting hundreds of users operating Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7, with Microsoft Office 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2010. Respond daily to client issues via telephone and email maintaining a personal queue of ongoing customer issues until resolution. Create knowledge base articles for clients and other support agents. Actively take place in virus removal supporting multiple desktop and server anti-virus products including AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials, McAfee SAAS and Symantec Corporate Endpoint. Manage operating system and application updates, patches and hot fixes providing optimal desktop performance and security. Provide support for legacy applications using Microsoft Virtual PC lowering upgrade costs. Configure printer and digital copier functions such as print tracks, driver settings, advanced tray settings, network settings, device reporting, scan to email and FTP.

System Administration: 2 years experience administering Windows Server 2003, 2008 and Windows SBS 2003, 2008 and 2011. Manage multiple Active Directory forests primarily creating and managing users, OUs, computers, groups and any group policies applied. Create and manage Exchange mail boxes, send connectors, ActiveSync and client access settings such as IMAP, POP and MAPI. Create and manage DHCP address pools, reservations and scope settings. Basic administration of small DNS zones and hosted DNS services such as DynDNS host services. Manage and configure terminal servers and their applications. Provide encrypted secure RDP over HTTPS using RD and TS Gateway services. Create, manage and troubleshoot backups configured with NT and Windows Server Backup. Test and monitor those backups using SBS Reporting services and third party services such as GoToManage. Provide secure VPN services to corporate environments using Routing and Remote Access features. Using Hyper-V, install, configure and manage multiple VMs and manage all virtual hardware settings. Setup virtual testing environments using Hyper-V and assist in deploying those applications in live environments.

Networking: 2 years experience installing, configuring and managing consumer grade routers, switches and access points, SMB grade Cisco VPN/Firewall routers, and switches. Configure firewalls for services such as RDP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and VPN. Configure RADIUS settings on wireless access points increasing the security of the wireless infrastructure. Run CAT5e/6 cable, create patch cables of various lengths and specifications.

Hardware: 3 years experience consulting, assembling and troubleshooting desktops, servers, printers, laptops, UPSs, and other computer related accessories. During this time I have built and maintained hundreds of desktops and servers for both business and home users meeting their specific needs. Respond to emergency calls when servers or key workstation require immediate onsite attention replacing and troubleshooting failing hardware such as RAID arrays. Install maintenance kits in a variety of printers, as well as cleaned printers using built-in cleaning functions and compressed air. Install and manage APC UPSs using PowerChute UPS management software and replaced dying batteries.

Telecommunications: 2 years experience installing, configuring and managing Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES). Maintained multiple mobile platforms including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Palm and Windows phone. Duties included troubleshooting hardware and software issues, setting up email, signatures, and voicemail while meeting mobile security requirements. 1 year experience supporting a small 3CX VoIP system. Assisted in configuring extensions, voice mail settings, SIP lines, music on hold, and performed software upgrades.


Professional Experience

Network and Computer Support Technician (August 2010 - Present)
Example Company

IT Help Desk Intern (March 2010 - May 2010)
Example Company

Education and Credentials

Example College
Information System Specialist - September 2008 – August 2010

CompTIA A+ Certification
CompTIA Network + Certification
MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) Certification
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I didn't know whether to post this in the webmastering and programming thread or this but anyway, I am separating from the military and going back to school for Business Major with a focus in Management Information Systems. Currently, I am choosing between Sacramento State and CSU San Marcos. Do anyone know much about these programs? I heard Sac State has a great reputation for Business & Technology. Anyway, I was wondering as a MIS major, what type of careers should I be looking down the road at doing? Currently, I award and administer defense contracts which has nothing to do with MIS but I want to transition over but am not really sure what I am getting myself into.

I have a lot of computer experience from messing around with computers but far from any guru. I don't have any professional training or experience (thus the schooling). I have seen what the schools advertise as career routes but I would like some real world feedback.

Thanks
-Alex
 
Dajinn said:
Can you guys please critique mine?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5m9g7n2au88jq70/2013resumeCBruce.pdf

Much appreciated.
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I'd strongly suggest reading through the last few pages of this thread at the least. There's a lot of items in your resume we've already discussed several times but I'd say some of the biggest things that stand out to me are as follows:

1. Your opening statement is too long and it doesn't really answer the questions that most readers have: a) what kind of experience do you have? b) how much of that experience do you have? I would trim down that opening statement to 2 sentences or less --something like, "3 years IT support specializing in SQL database development."

2. Your use of what I like to call "kickers" are not recommended. For instance, your opening line: "Motivated IT professional with the ability to quickly and efficiently adapt to any situation." You mention terms like Motivated, quickly, efficiently, etc. These are completely subjective terms that really don't mean much to the reader other than making them think your skills on their own don't say enough so you need to kick them higher with these phrases. Besides, YOU may think your working quickly and efficiently but what is that based on? If you can't qualify the term, you can't use it. Several ways to qualify your experience is either with years of experience, accomplishments achieved, awards received, etc. My particularly favorite one is "fast learner"...

Good luck and please share your progress here so others can benefit as well. Also, you may want to just copy and paste the text of the resume here on the forum as DropBox files may not always be readable to everyone. The formatting, font use, layout, etc aren't really that important anyways.
 
Would you say then that the rest of my resume is probably accepatable as far as how I describe responsibilities at past jobs and my skill sets?

edit: How is this for my header describing my experience briefly? I find it a little difficult sometimes to really word my experience, because over the past 2 years working most of my job experience has really been seriously Tier 1 stuff, nothing too exceptional because my job doesn't really allow me to branch out. I have my BAS but a lot of the courses were in programming which doesn't interest me.

Anyway:

IT Professional with 2 years+ of experience in providing Tier I technical support across a vast expanse of software and hardware, business grade desktops, laptops and servers, networking equipment including PoE switches and VOiP equipment, multimedia equipment, and business grade printers for end users.

Additional experience includes preparing and supporting large multimedia events for faculty and staff meetings across campuses, district community Bond meetings, state AP testing, mass deployments of both hardware and software across campuses, installation and maintenance of VOiP telephony systems, command line scripting, and maintaining SFTP and IIS functionality.
 
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For you folks that do consulting work on a regular basis... Are you listing the client company as your employer or references on your resume? And if you work on w2 are you listing the company on your paycheck as your employer or the bigger fish that is your client project?
 
I've done it both ways. However, in most of my freelance work, I've usually created a DBA (or even just registered a domain name) and put it all under that company name on my resume. There have been instances where I listed the company names I consulted with but it was usually when it was for longer than 6 months.
 
Maybe it's personal style, but I can't stand "+". I'd rewrite "2 years+ of experience" with "more than two years of experience". I hold the same opinion of slashes and ampersands; "Public & Private Networking / Routing / Maintenance" should become "Public and Private Networking, Routing, and Maintenance".

"Business grade" should be "business-grade"; same for "business-class" and "district-approved". Any good grammar guide can help you with compound adjectives.

What is "MSDOS CLI"? MS-DOS ended about 15 years ago. Is there any difference between "CLI Scripting" and "UNIX Shell Scripting"?

I can't figure out why "Bond" is capitalized in "community Bond meetings".

Your "networking" block lists only "local" configuration, but you earlier claimed public-side experience as well, and with more specialties. You claim knowledge of some tools, like SQL Servre and Visual Studio, that don't appear in any of your detailed activities. That's a bit confusing. This problem seems to occur throughout your resume. You claim experience in projects in the header, but none of the bullet items substantiate that experience. The incongruity between these sections is not appealing.

"desktops & laptop" should be "desktops and laptops", unless you supported only one laptop.

"Xeroxes" should be "copiers" unless you mean Xerox-brand copiers specifically. If that's true, that's what you should write.
 
Thanks. Yes I do mean Xerox brand copiers. The district has contracts /w xerox all over the campuses and what not. If it isn't a xerox copier it's an hp laserjet

by MSDOS I couldn't really think of the specific word that defines command line scripting. I googled it real quick and saw batch programming/scripting. unix shell scripting is implying linux distro scripting. I will just put shell scripting.

also how don't my skills substantiate that experience? basically everything I do is tier 1 stuff. I think what you meant was that my listed experienced doesn't substantiate things regarding networking. that's because i don't really do projects like that it's mostly just small tasks and stuff that i do from time to time because it's asked of me, not because it's a huge part of my duties. Also, I was educated in SQL Server and syntax/practice and used Visual Studio in every class at the university I attended for the programming and DB classes. i also know how to subnet and briefly configure cisco routers with features like VLAN and what not, but really only basic stuff. i maintain a server 2008 rig at home that runs IIS and SSH along with wordpress and a small mysql database. I list them because I'm not totally unfamiliar with them and could pick things up easily so I want people to think i'm capable of branching out and that i'm more than just an overly glorified geek squad tech.
 
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I noticed that you didn't mention many manufacturers in your resume. Do you have experience with equipment from Cisco, HP, Juniper, or Dell? At some point your resume is going to be in a database and when someone is looking for a resume they'll search by keyword which is likely the manufacturer of the gear they use. So I would try to make sure the major manufacturers are mentioned, i.e. HP printers, HP servers, Cisco switches

This might be a matter of style and personality but you may want to consider focusing the Initial introduction on your roles in the projects or highlighting your specific responsibility. Were you ever in the position of managing someone else or overseeing a critical component? If you reach the point where someone is actually looking at your resume, do you have examples that demonstrate your abilities or provide interesting reading? Do you have any clever "hacks" (by which I mean creative use of technology, not breaching network security)? In your case I would try to emphasize anything of a larger scope or requiring greater responsibilities.

Example:
Projects include large multimedia event setup (over 1000 attendees) within 4 hours and support for demonstration equipment used on stage. Prepared and supported images and scripts used in mass OS/application deployment across 3000 nodes.

Then in your professional experience section you can include your creative use of technology.
  • Created an imaging process that uses a custom boot disk and script to deploy OS image onto end user node.

Not only could this draw someones attention, it can also provide a start for discussion in an interview if you make it that far. Finally on your job with Friendly Computers, I would remove dispatcher because that doesn't seem relevant in the IT world. My personal view is that you can either use your official job title or a brief job description and since you did do support, you could put something like Technical support.

You want to highlight your accomplishments and abilities that are relevant to the position you want, it was mentioned earlier in the thread, this is an advertisement for you. So don't be afraid to mention your best qualities and accomplishments.
 
The formatting is weird, I didn't want to snip and upload to image hosting. Please help with anything, I think I have a great start. This is an amazing thread. Thank you again.

john doe
[email protected]
123 Street Street
Charlotte, North Carolina
555-555-5555

Summary IT Professional with five years of experience in server administration, network implementation and maintenance, and eight years providing outstanding customer satisfaction

Certifications CompTIA Network+ (Completed September 2011)
Cisco - CCNA (Anticipated completion June 2013)

Skills Professional experience in Sonicwall SonicOS, Fortinet FortiOS, Microsoft systems: Windows Server 2003/2008, Windows XP/Vista/7

Experience Company Corporation
Support Engineer III (March 2008 – Present)
• Work with project management team as technical lead to design and implement end-to-end solutions for customers in the field of dentistry.
• Lead development and implementation of a six site IPsec VPN project, valued at approximately $200k, using the Fortinet FortiOS
• Administrator for all deployed FortiGate and Sonicwall routers, serving as Unified Threat Management (UTM) for the end-user
• Administrator for wide range of network devices including: Dell PowerConnect layer 2/3 switches, Allworx VoIP phone systems, Wireless Access Points (WAP) by TrendNET and Linksys
• Configured DNS, DHCP, Active Directory, Group Policy and other typical domain services running on Windows Server 2003/2008 platform
• Provided end users with hosted web server management tool “Cpanel & WHM (Web Host Manager)” for email and website maintenance
• Supported Windows XP and Windows 7 user workstations, including Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, 2010 software, printer and scanner devices, and credit card transaction terminals using RDP and VNC protocols to remotely connect
Best Buy Enterprise
Geek Squad Agent (Desktop Support) (October 2005 – Feb. 2008)
• Nationally chosen for a corporate project aimed at company expansion into new markets
• Upgraded, diagnosed, and serviced home desktop and small business network systems
• Warranty repair requiring concise documentation and adherence to strict quality standards
• Administered remote support of client machines using LogMeIn software
• Provided break-fix solutions to customers for hardware, software, and malware infections

Education High School
Michigan
• Learning Microsoft information systems and intermediate hardware/software
• Introduction to small business networking infrastructure
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"Professional experience in ..." doesn't tell me anything useful. You used these platforms to write software? As a user? Installer? IT support? What ... ?

"Lead development and implementation" should be "Led development and implementation".

Most of the things you enumerate don't explain a scope or a quantity. (Some of them do, tho, that's good.) How many machines were you monitoring, configuring? How big was your network? How many routers were your responsibility? And so on.
 
Interesting...
To Tell The Truth said:
Candidates often write what's known as a "functional" resume to try to cover up such gaps. In a functional resume, company names and job accomplishments are provided without dates.

Don't do it. When looking at a functional resume, hiring professionals can't tell when or where a given accomplishment happened, and it will signal to most hiring managers that a job seeker is trying to hide something.

"I think that’s a big mistake," Van Vreede said. "Right off the bat, you're making people worry about you. And if worried enough, they’ll leave you out of consideration."
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Source: http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/tell-truth-resume-rules

Unfortunately I believe I may have suffered from a bit of this either due to my lack of resume writing skill -OR- conventional prejudice on how a resume must look.

I had my resume laid out like what has been talked about extensively early in this thread and found when recruiters contacted me they consistently asked for a long format resume where each skill was detailed under the work history. Not a single direct hire HR office responded to the resume submissions. When I changed my resume submission back to conventional long format, direct hire employers began responding.
 
When I'm job hunting, I actually write both --and it is because some HR people will ask for one for some reason or another. My problem with the criticism of the functional resume above is that it is based on a poorly-written resume. I include dates for each of my employment periods --and, more importantly, include qualifiers to each skill so that the reader knows just to what extent my level of experience truly is. Also remember that most HR people are idiots (and my apologies to those of you here in the forum from that field). My extensive experience working with them has shown this to be true. Some will simply scan the resume into the computer, start searching for keywords, and never simply read the resume straight through. Some will judge you on the stock of paper you used. Some are expecting a particular format and simply cannot comprehend anything else they receive...

Look (I've said this before too but it bears repeating), you must try very hard to avoid getting caught up in job-seeking tips. They can go really too far. I've actually heard of employment classes that were instructing you not to wear cologne because the interviewer may be a woman who just had a fight with her husband and wears the same cologne --which will remind her of those bad feelings and adversely affect the interview. Really, if the stars are that crossed against you, your choice of cologne will be the least of your problems. Also, many different career fields expect to see very different resumes. Hell, the artistic / entertainment field may expect a good quality paper stock or your photo --and rightfully so. Most IT resumes aren't even turned in by hand. Much of the advise give by career counseling people is utterly crap unless you're looking for the exact same career and hiring people that person has had experience with (and it is usually very slim)...

The best you can ever hope for is a resume that conveys your information in the most effective, clear, and concise fashion. Standard format resumes are a poor way to do that and if you start reading a lot of them you'll quickly learn that fact.
 
Well, after looking through a rather large amount of different sources, I have built a resume that I hope is somewhat adequate. I would definitely appreciate any guidance from people who have worked the IT field for a good amount of time though.

I am a recent graduate (yes I know my degree is in the wrong area), and am want to get started in the Information Security field as a Penetration tester. Any guidance here would be helpful as well. I have done quite a bit of looking around, and I think I have a pretty clear picture of the direction I should be headed in. However, I am not entirely clear if there is a specific field of IT/System administration I should be aiming for if I want to eventually get into Information Security.

Basic Roadmap so far:
IT/Sys Admin Position - Approx 5 Years
Security+ Certification (mainly because it looks easy and counts as one year
experience if I understand correctly)
GIAC Certification
CISSP (This may have to wait until I am actually in the field due to the required
experience)
CCNA (Should I get this?)

After that I am a little bit unclear, I imagine I should look for something more specifically in information security. I have started looking at some Pen Testing companies in the area as well.

I feel a little overwhelmed looking at all of the other resumes as I am going in at entry level. Though I spend a significant amount of time just learning, configuring, and messing around I do not have any real professional experience as such to list (even so some of my friends who are majoring/majored in computer science still ask me questions/for help, so I am pretty knowledgeable in my areas for the most part).

Anyway, Here is my resume, and thank you all ahead of time! :)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B18FjmAYuZHiMlEtME9Tb2FvSTg/edit?usp=sharing
 
With no experience and a degree out of your field of interest, you've put yourself at a disadvantage. Your communications skills aren't helping; I'm afraid I wouldn't be interested in your resume at all, even for an entry-level position, because you've made your lack of attention to detail very apparent.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but it's pretty bad; you mispell a word in the first sentence of your resume. You also misspell the name of the store where you worked: UPS is capitalzed and isn't "Ups" as you present it. You've got lots of broken sentences, such as "worked did printing and formatting for copy machine". How do you print a copy machine? How do you format a copy machine? You refer to personal computers as "PC" and "pc" in the same sentence.

I've formatted and proofread your resume and you can read the marked-up document. At this point, I feel like I've done more work on your resume than you have yourself.

When you decide you want to work on your resume in earnest, think of the person that will be reading it. When a hiring manager or a recruiter reads a resume, what do you think they're looking for? What does your resume provide them?
 
thewooster said:
and I made some of the revisions while I was pretty tired, hence some of the mistakes.
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Are these the kind of excuses you provide your employers?

thewooster said:
Then some of the details, such as the spelling of "The Ups store" is actually technically correct; I worked at a third-party retail center, not Ups itself.
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The UPS Store web site capitalizes "UPS" in every instance I can find. In particular, all of the press releases and the media kit do. The sign on the front of the stores capitalize each letter of "UPS". Are you saying this is not the store where you work? Your personal web page has "UPS" once and "Ups" once.
 
mikeblas said:
Are these the kind of excuses you provide your employers?

The UPS Store web site capitalizes "UPS" in every instance I can find. In particular, all of the press releases and the media kit do. The sign on the front of the stores capitalize each letter of "UPS". Are you saying this is not the store where you work? Your personal web page has "UPS" once and "Ups" once.
Click to expand...

Sorry, no I really am appreciative of your input and am redoing my resume right now. And no, I have actually never had occasion to give my employers any "excuses." That being said I should have paid more attention to my revisions.

Yes, you are also correct in regards to the UPS Store. It did have different owners at the time I worked at it though, and our business cards did actually have a different capitalization I believe. I suppose that does not matter now that that is no longer the case.
 
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I'm not sure I understand your question. You're already using that layout on your website. A worthwhile addition to what?
 
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