Resume Review

adam220891

Hello everyone.

I am currently nearing my 1 year anniversary at my current (and first) IT position, which I started just a few days after graduating school. I see myself leaving this company in the next year, and was not planning on applying anywhere at the moment but am seeing a ton of job postings right now, and might consider doing so if the position and compensation were 'right.'

Little background information. I am a 'network technician' but basically I work in an environment with 400 users and only 3 real IT support people/admins (including the manager, not including the CIO, developer, or ERP software support person). What this means is, I'm the first in line for any sort of issues. I am a desktop support person 75% of the time. I'm fixing printers, PCs, resetting a password, etc. The rest of the time, I've got a cool project/task. I rolled out a few scripts to send emails/alerts to the department (like a weekly review of members of certain security groups, etc.). I've also rolled out a couple GPOs, created network diagrams for all 3 facilities, occasionally troubleshoot errors with backup software, etc. I do not consider myself an expert in any of these areas, because I just don't get to work on them consistently enough. We have workshops to show me things with the Dell SAN HQ, VMware, etc. but lately, there's just less and less time to do these things because our company is growing and the IT department is not growing with it.

I am looking for a position were I can work with Windows Server, VMware, or things of similar nature on a more frequent basis. I don't mind continuing to provide tier 1/2 support...after all, I have almost just 1 year of experience, but I think you can see where I'd like to take my career.

I currently have the A+, Net+, Sec+, CCENT, and MTA (Networking Fundamentals). I've just begun studying for the MCSA in Server 2012R2 Infrastructure, as I definitely envision myself getting into a 'Jr. Systems Administrator' role within the next year or so.

So, my request would be two-fold.
A. Am I rushing things too much? Based on my experience and certifications, am I even qualified for more of a sysAdmin type of role? I'm nervous because I don't consider myself an expert. Some of the stuff I have done might sound 'impressive' but by no means were the few scripts or GPOs anything beyond basic in nature.
B. Can you help me with my resume? I used a very similar format to get this role, but I'm sure there is room for improvement.

I just find myself not satisfied when my day consists of doing a maintenance kit on a printer and moving two PCs into a new office. I do think server administration would be more enjoyable for me. I'm also financially motivated. 32k salary in NJ is very difficult to live off of.

Thank you in advance for any help.

ResumeReview(1).pdf

cyberguypr

Didn't read the whole thing (will do it later) but at first glance:
- logos have to go
- high school has to go
- this should be a one page resume
- work experience needs work
- not a fan of GPA and random classes that are not even TI related.

networker050184

Agree with cyberguypr on all of that.

I'd remove the course work completely. Time to turn this into a professional resume instead of a student resume. Fill out the bullets in the experience section with any achievements, especially anything you can quantify with numbers. Things like how did those power shell scripts help? Did they lower response time by 25% by having emails to team members for early notification? Something along those lines rather than having your bullets read like an HR list of duties. What I do is a short paragraph to describe the basic duties then use a few bullets to highlight accomplishments or things that would stand out for the specific position I'm applying for. You are going for a sys admin position right? Use those bullets to highlight some sys admin stuff you've accomplished not a super generic line about providing desktop support for x amount of users. Every Joe Schmo resume out there has that line.

ajs1976

change the CCENT line to "CCENT - Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician". "MCP - Microsoft Certified Professional". Might want to consider leaving out the (MTA: Networking) part.

Summary
Skills (or Experience)
Experience (or Skills)
Certs (or Education)
Education (or Certs)

adam220891

Thank you everyone for replying. -I did a lot of research on including logos and would guess there's about a 50/50 split on whether or not to use them. I've left them in there for the latest revision but am not at all against removing them at the advisement of additional TE'rs -I have greatly modified my educational experience -I have adjusted the work experience section - This one is tough because I feel like I haven't been involved enough in the server game lately. I've messed with file services role/quota management, DHCP (we added new scopes and minor things since I've been on board), I've done about half a dozen scripts. Mostly they inform of Administrator memberships (Target's big issue was they didn't know a new account joined the domain admins group, so I have an email sent to everyone in the department on Friday for review....would like to get it to where the email is sent whenever a new account is added, but no time right now)..I had one sent for users who's password did not expire (helped us clean that up and lets us know if someone was created with the box mistakenly checked), etc. My GPOs were for security auditing and to send an email if the server went down (task scheduler deprecated the email feature and our MSP's software has had issues with false positives and false negatives). Not kidding when I say I only do about 25% server/network stuff. I'm learning a lot studying for MCSA and am pushing to learn more on the job. Hopefully that's enough to get me to the next level because my role is unlikely to drastically change unless we hire another full-time person. Kind of embarrassing to see I had just a bad rez, but sure do appreciate the help.

ResumeReview(2).pdf

ajs1976

"Primary responsibilities . . ." I get that L I/II desktop is your primary responsibility but don't emphasize it. You are trying to move up. Highlight the skills and experiences that prove you can move up.

I would move you certs below your experience.

For education, I would remove "received in" and move the date received to the other margin. Makes it easier to find.

srabiee

I also agree that you should lose the cert logos.

I would move the education section up, right above the certifications section.

Your summary reads like an objective. I think that section could use a little work. This article should help:
Resume Tips: Headings - Professional Summary | Pongo

In your work experience, you use the phrase "...and much more." That sounds like an infomercial and doesn't serve any purpose. I would get rid of that.

"Miscellaneous projects..." this sentence needs to begin with an action verb.

I agree that you should probably lose the GPA's for your associates degrees. But I do think it's a good idea that if someone graduated Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude, etc, that they do include that phrase on their resume.

adam220891

Thanks for the help everyone.

I'll work on it some more and get back with a revision.

adam220891

I'm back, after battling a sinus/double ear infection and feeling fairly miserable.

Added a new version. I switched from objective to summary, so it's possible my summary is awful. I also feel the whole thing looks wordy/crowded, and would like some feedback if I'm on the right track or regressing.

Thanks for your help guys

ResumeReview(3).pdf

srabiee

I will try to provide you some additional feedback this evening when I have some free time. In the meantime, I recommend that you print out this resume guide and review it thoroughly. There's a wealth of information on there, including sample resumes, sample summaries, a huge list of action verbs, etc.

http://www.filedropper.com/resumeguide

Disgruntled3lf

I'd reword this sentence:
" reviewing various alerts/logs and responding in appropriate fashion,"
To something like:
"respond to alerts in order of severity and resolve or escalate as required"

And in your experience bullet points I'd make everything present tense since it's a current job. But you should use the same tense regardless.

imarriedacow

Since you had a good GPA, I would leave it in there, at least for the AAS in Computer Systems Technology. I believe it's worth noting when one graduated with a high GPA. Or include what srabiee suggested, the different honors and distinctions like Cum Laude, etc.

pinkydapimp

your resume is getting there. Here is a resume that was in an article recently. One of the better ones i have seen. Obviously your not a CIO but the format and layout of this resume are what you should strive for.

tate-cameron---cio-resume-new.pdf

srabiee

Regarding your professional summary, focus on your accomplishments rather than your future objectives and desires. This still reads like an "Objective" section in some ways. That PDF document I linked you to has a lot of good info and examples on how to word this section.

In your summary, you mention the the MCSA: Server 2012 cert but call it "Server Infrastructure." SI is an MCSE cert. Also, I wouldn't mention that you are studying for a cert in your professional summary. IMO you either have the cert or you don't. You could list it under the certifications section as "In Progress," but again I wouldn't personally do it. I would only personally use the "in progress" status for a college degree.

As far as your skills section, I would rather you incorporate these skills and technologies into your work experience and show me HOW you are proficient in these technologies, particularly in a business/enterprise environment. Then you could delete this section altogether.

In your work experience, make sure you use the same word tense and keep it consistent. You use "troubleshooting" (present tense) on one line, then "introduced" (past tense) in another line. I recommend writing everything in past tense to make it simple. Even if it's your current position, past tense is common and acceptable.

"Working as a network technician at Some Company has allowed me to experience many different technologies first-hand..." I would recommend rewriting this sentence or omitting this part. The reader already knows that you work for this company and worked with technologies. This sounds like a bit of fluff.

Keep working on it, it's getting there.