What is wrong with my resume? no calls

Hey everyone! Hope everyone day has been going well. I have been applying to multiple jobs for the past 2 months (about 60 applications) and only received 1 call. Usually this is as a result of your resume. So I am posting my cover letter and resume here for you guys to check out. Maybe you can spot something I am doing wrong. The positions I am applying for are all entry level (help desk, desktop support, even general customer service rep). Thanks for your advice in advance!

Note: I don't seem to have the option to upload a Doc here.

Cover Letter:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uvqyniy7qsfnm7e/Tom%20Jones%20Cover%20Letter.docx?dl=0

Resume:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4qtu07hwzoeuni7/Tom%20Jones%20Resume.docx?dl=0

Edit: I have profiles on career builder, monster, dice, indeed, linkedin, glassdoor, starwire. I have also tried contacting recruiters on linkedin with messages such as "Hey Mr. X, My name is Tom Jones and I am hoping we can possibly discuss about some positions doing Desktop Support / Help Desk. Thank you."

UPDATE: Received 2 job offers! Details can be found in post #23.

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Comments

PCTechLinc

It's hard to evaluate your resume, as you normally need to tailor the resume for the job you're applying. When you read a job posting with the "Qualifications required, qualifications that are nice to have" then you have more direction on how to design your resume. I have a basic resume outline, but I customize it each time I need to send it to a prospective employer. For example, for the two jobs I have right now, I created a "Systems Administrator" resume, and an "Information Technology Instructor" resume, that have the same content, but in different places. I hope that makes sense. It's the steps I'm taking to help the college students that are in my class right now.

Blaze4GG

This definitely does make sense. The resume I posted is geared towards help desk, desktop support positions (atleast I think it is). Whenever I see job postings ask for something in particular I add it to my resume in "skills" if I do have that particular skill. If you have any recommendation on how to make my resume geared more towards a help desk position, it will be greatly appreciated.

Russ5813

Just pay attention to the job description's prerequisites, KSA's, etc...Then tailor your resume to that particular job. Do a little research on the company you're applying with and get an idea of what sort of things they value. Simple example: if you see the words "team" and "teamwork" pop up frequently, change your cover letter and resume to reflect your willingness/experience working on a team. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing an effective resume.

koz24

Woah, those are some scary stats. 1.6% chance to get a call, and even less to get an interview and even less to get an offer. Looks like you've come to the right place though, and hopefully someone here can help you. I had a friend help me with mine.

Blaze4GG

Russ5813 wrote: »

Just pay attention to the job description's prerequisites, KSA's, etc...Then tailor your resume to that particular job. Do a little research on the company you're applying with and get an idea of what sort of things they value. Simple example: if you see the words "team" and "teamwork" pop up frequently, change your cover letter and resume to reflect your willingness/experience working on a team. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing an effective resume.

Thanks, I will be sure to do this when applying from here on out. I mean, I have been doing it to an extent but probably not as in depth as I should. Quality over quantity.

koz24 wrote: »

Woah, those are some scary stats. 1.6% chance to get a call, and even less to get an interview and even less to get an offer. Looks like you've come to the right place though, and hopefully someone here can help you. I had a friend help me with mine.

Yeah, it is kind of demotivating. I am not the one to get depressed (usually positive and upbeat) but it does make me wonder what is going on.

GSXR750K2

You're not alone, a few years back I had submitted several (30-40) through different outlets and didn't get a thing back from anyone. Like Russ said, some keywords are looked for, other keywords may get it thrown out. Some use an automated filtering system to weed out resumes unless they contain certain words or acronyms.

It's a coin toss most of the time.

networker050184

I don't have a problem with the resume overall. A couple suggestions:

I'd be trying to highlight any kind of technical aspects of your jobs that you can.

Add in any kind of quantifiable stuff you can. Raised production by 25% blah blah blah.

I would think your lack of experience is holding you back more than your resume though.

NetworkNewb

I'm guessing you found my resume or something on here, cause damn that looks exactly like it! (font, layout, styling...) I could've stole it from someone else though, don't remember. I think I changed those check marks to dots in my most recent version. At least in the experience section.

Anyways, I think it looks good.

Do most people send out Cover Letters still? I never have and got a pretty good call back ratio in my experience

scaredoftests

Yes, cover letters are still required for some positions.

networker050184

I've never used a cover letter in my entire career. Maybe a little in the email body if I'm submitting via email.

kohr-ah

I usually make my email to the company the cover letter.
Otherwise the site never has a place for me to put on.

I still send thank yous though if I can.

scaredoftests

networker050184 wrote: »

I've never used a cover letter in my entire career. Maybe a little in the email body if I'm submitting via email.

I would consider that a cover letter in a way..

Blaze4GG

GSXR750K2 wrote: »

You're not alone, a few years back I had submitted several (30-40) through different outlets and didn't get a thing back from anyone. Like Russ said, some keywords are looked for, other keywords may get it thrown out. Some use an automated filtering system to weed out resumes unless they contain certain words or acronyms.

It's a coin toss most of the time.

Thanks for the support. I will just have to remain persistent. I know about the automated system you speak of, going to try put in more keywords in my resume.

networker050184 wrote: »

I don't have a problem with the resume overall. A couple suggestions:

I'd be trying to highlight any kind of technical aspects of your jobs that you can.

Add in any kind of quantifiable stuff you can. Raised production by 25% blah blah blah.

I would think your lack of experience is holding you back more than your resume though.

Thanks for the advice. I was assuming it is because of lack of experience too. I am planning to run Active Directory on a virtual machine and get some sort of experience with that so I can place it on my resume. I will also see what kind of quantifiable numbers I can come up with.

NetworkNewb wrote: »

I'm guessing you found my resume or something on here, cause damn that looks exactly like it! (font, layout, styling...) I could've stole it from someone else though, don't remember. I think I changed those check marks to dots in my most recent version. At least in the experience section.

Anyways, I think it looks good.

Do most people send out Cover Letters still? I never have and got a pretty good call back ratio in my experience

Haha. I did find the resume format on here. I "stole" it from Ptilsen, not sure if he got it from you. I send out cover letters to some applications and some without. Been trying both to see which one gets me more calls. Unfortunately cover letter or not hasn't been helping haha.

iBrokeIT

Personally, I am not a fan of the Skills section on a resume. I cringe every time I see one. Anyone can baselessly claim to have those skills and they don't convey your depth of experience in those areas.

I'd rather hear about your relevant Computer Science classes and projects than see the claim that you know Windows 7/8. Try to work those skills in your previous work experience or projects.

NetworkNewb

iBrokeIT wrote: »

Personally, I am not a fan of the Skills section on a resume. I cringe every time I see one. Anyone can baselessly claim to have those skills and they don't convey your depth of experience in those areas.

I definitely agree with this, but I still add it on there for HR so I can get past them easier.

koz24

Blaze4GG wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I was assuming it is because of lack of experience too. I am planning to run Active Directory on a virtual machine and get some sort of experience with that so I can place it on my resume. I will also see what kind of quantifiable numbers I can come up with.

Be very careful when doing this since if you put it on your resume it is fair game for the interview and you don't want to be the deer-in-headlights guy after every question. I would try my best not to mislead them--if you know only a little bit find a way to get that on there. I guess kind of like how you did with WAN and VOIP. "Familiar"

goatama

Agreed with the lack of experience holding you back. Maybe list other skills you've developed as they relate to the positions you're pursuing, do you do consulting? Maybe make some stuff up about doing consulting as a side job and list that for a job. Unless you're applying somewhere you need clearance for, they're not going to look it up.

Also, your cover letter is all about you. If you want to get the callbacks tell them what you will offer them. I like to open similar to yours, but then tell them what it is about their business that made you want to seek work with them. A little puffery, if you will, that will make them think *you* chose *them* first. It boosts egos.

Oh, and changing your info to Tom Jones is cool and all, but anyone clicking on your dropbox links that's paying attention will see your real name. Not sure if that's a concern for you, but if it is, you may want to find another way to host the files.

networker050184

iBrokeIT wrote: »

Personally, I am not a fan of the Skills section on a resume. I cringe every time I see one. Anyone can baselessly claim to have those skills and they don't convey your depth of experience in those areas.

Agreed, but when someone has no experience I make an exception. If you have more than one job to put on your resume ditch the skills section.

$bvb379

koz24 wrote: »

Be very careful when doing this since if you put it on your resume it is fair game for the interview and you don't want to be the deer-in-headlights guy after every question. I would try my best not to mislead them--if you know only a little bit find a way to get that on there. I guess kind of like how you did with WAN and VOIP. "Familiar"

"Familiar" is the best way to go about this. I am also self-taught both with my certifications and most skills listed on my resume. Just tell them you are self-taught. I am able to answer ~80% on tech screens and am usually able to get a face-to-face, like I said, I let them know I am self-taught. If the interviewer doesn't appreciate that you are putting in your own time to improve yourself and being honest about it then that is just the luck of the draw.

genedogg

Here is an example of one of mine - it's by no means perfect but feel free to use some of it if you want. I like to start by listing all my skills since some recruiters only look at the first few lines if they have hundreds to sort through.

SKILL SUMMARY
· Operating Systems: Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8
· Software & System Tools: Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010, Active Directory, VNC, Google Apps, Kaseya, First Class Email Client, Symantec Ghost, Symantec ServiceDesk,
· Hardware: Dell-Desktop/Laptop/Server, HP-Desktop/Laptop/Printer, Android, Blackberry
· Network: Routers, Switches, TCP/IP, Wireless, Servers

WORK EXPERIENCE
Cool Company, Cool City, State
Technology Specialist, 01/11 – Current
· Assist and troubleshoot over 100 computers and employees across 4 states
· Utilize Help Desk ticketing system to coordinate and prioritize all technical services
· Provide VNC Remote Access for Desktops to remotely repair company computers as well as provide hands-on desktop support
· Manage Users and Computers via Active Directory Management tool.
· Upgraded company technology system-wide from Linux and Windows XP to Windows 7
· Configured DHCP on Linux computers and servers
· Support and maintain Microsoft Outlook accounts

Cool School System, Cool City, State
Computer Technician, 05/05 – 1/11
· Troubleshot and repaired over 300 computers and supported over 300 end users
· Utilized Kaseya ticketing system to coordinate and prioritize technical service calls
· Provided VNC Remote Access for Desktops and Kaseya to remotely repair computers and servers
· Repaired hardware and software, removed viruses, and provided direct customer service
· Maintained Network and managed users via Active Directory
· Supported PCs, Macs, Smart Boards, Projectors, and Printers
· Upgraded the entire school system from Windows XP to Windows 7 operating system
· Provided all support services for First Class Client Email and Google Apps for Education

Blaze4GG

iBrokeIT wrote: »

Personally, I am not a fan of the Skills section on a resume. I cringe every time I see one. Anyone can baselessly claim to have those skills and they don't convey your depth of experience in those areas.

I'd rather hear about your relevant Computer Science classes and projects than see the claim that you know Windows 7/8. Try to work those skills in your previous work experience or projects.

Thanks! As someone pointed out the lack of experience makes it hard to say I know to do xyz. Regarding Computer Science classes, most of it was geared towards programming (C, Java, Python, Sql). You might be wondering why those are not on my resume, but honestly after doing my degree I realize I don't like programming. I much prefer the hands on part to IT. Also since I have not practised in a while, I don't want to place it on my resume and be the "deer in the headlights" person.

koz24 wrote: »

Be very careful when doing this since if you put it on your resume it is fair game for the interview and you don't want to be the deer-in-headlights guy after every question. I would try my best not to mislead them--if you know only a little bit find a way to get that on there. I guess kind of like how you did with WAN and VOIP. "Familiar"

Haha yeah. That is exactly why I said familiar

and not something like "in-depth knowledge".

goatama wrote: »

Agreed with the lack of experience holding you back. Maybe list other skills you've developed as they relate to the positions you're pursuing, do you do consulting? Maybe make some stuff up about doing consulting as a side job and list that for a job. Unless you're applying somewhere you need clearance for, they're not going to look it up.

Also, your cover letter is all about you. If you want to get the callbacks tell them what you will offer them. I like to open similar to yours, but then tell them what it is about their business that made you want to seek work with them. A little puffery, if you will, that will make them think *you* chose *them* first. It boosts egos.

Oh, and changing your info to Tom Jones is cool and all, but anyone clicking on your dropbox links that's paying attention will see your real name. Not sure if that's a concern for you, but if it is, you may want to find another way to host the files.

Point taken. Well I did a bit of consulting, but it was mainly for capturing video (lighting, camera, formats, audio, etc). I like your idea for the cover letter, making it more personal to each firm.

Thanks for the tip about the dropbox link. I didn't know that. Doesn't really matter to me but thanks for the heads up!

$bvb379 wrote: »

"Familiar" is the best way to go about this. I am also self-taught both with my certifications and most skills listed on my resume. Just tell them you are self-taught. I am able to answer ~80% on tech screens and am usually able to get a face-to-face, like I said, I let them know I am self-taught. If the interviewer doesn't appreciate that you are putting in your own time to improve yourself and being honest about it then that is just the luck of the draw.

I agree. I will also let them know I am self-taught...if I get the opportunity that is lol.

genedogg wrote: »

Here is an example of one of mine - it's by no means perfect but feel free to use some of it if you want. I like to start by listing all my skills since some recruiters only look at the first few lines if they have hundreds to sort through.

SKILL SUMMARY
· Operating Systems: Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8
· Software & System Tools: Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010, Active Directory, VNC, Google Apps, Kaseya, First Class Email Client, Symantec Ghost, Symantec ServiceDesk,
· Hardware: Dell-Desktop/Laptop/Server, HP-Desktop/Laptop/Printer, Android, Blackberry
· Network: Routers, Switches, TCP/IP, Wireless, Servers

WORK EXPERIENCE
Cool Company, Cool City, State
Technology Specialist, 01/11 – Current
· Assist and troubleshoot over 100 computers and employees across 4 states
· Utilize Help Desk ticketing system to coordinate and prioritize all technical services
· Provide VNC Remote Access for Desktops to remotely repair company computers as well as provide hands-on desktop support
· Manage Users and Computers via Active Directory Management tool.
· Upgraded company technology system-wide from Linux and Windows XP to Windows 7
· Configured DHCP on Linux computers and servers
· Support and maintain Microsoft Outlook accounts

Cool School System, Cool City, State
Computer Technician, 05/05 – 1/11
· Troubleshot and repaired over 300 computers and supported over 300 end users
· Utilized Kaseya ticketing system to coordinate and prioritize technical service calls
· Provided VNC Remote Access for Desktops and Kaseya to remotely repair computers and servers
· Repaired hardware and software, removed viruses, and provided direct customer service
· Maintained Network and managed users via Active Directory
· Supported PCs, Macs, Smart Boards, Projectors, and Printers
· Upgraded the entire school system from Windows XP to Windows 7 operating system
· Provided all support services for First Class Client Email and Google Apps for Education

Wow! Thanks! I will definitely implement some of these in my resume or use them as ideas to better sell myself. Really appreciate this.

I have been sticking out to not apply to jobs paying less than $12 per hour since when I was doing video editing I was receiving $20 an hour from most of my clients. However I think I am at the point to just take a job even at $10 per hour for the experience.

Thanks everyone for the advice, replies, tips, etc. I didn't not expect so many responses. Appreciate it!

Blaze4GG

So I thought I should update this thread on my progress. I made this thread on February 2nd (tuesday). Now I know not everyone on here is religious, honestly I am a bit on the fence when it comes to religion since I believe the science aspect too. Anyhow, on Wednesday night I prayed to receive some interviews / calls. On thursday I received 3 calls, Friday I received 1 call. This is before I made any changes to my resume or sent out any new resumes.

Interview 1 a contract work to set up ballot machines, $17 dollar per hour, $25.50 for overtime (they said to expect lots of overtime).
Interview 2 - a full time job doing help desk with really great benefits, $16 per hour
Interview 3 - a computer technician job for schools around my county, $15 dollar an hour with mileage reimbursement and little benefits
Interview 4 - was bestbuy geek squad (not sure of pay)

I got the job for interview 1 and interview 3. For interview 1 the contract would be 2 months then a month break and a next contract for 2 months, break again and so on. The pay is better than job 3 however it is not stable and seems like it won't give me the experience I am looking for to progress my career.
Job 3 is an option for me. I like what I would be doing but the lack of benefits kind of sucks. I am going to ask this tomorrow but should I receive mileage reimbursement + hourly pay while driving to sites?

Job 2 is the one I really wanted. I don't think I would enjoy it as much as Job 3, but the work environment, pay, stability, benefits all seem better. I was wondering, do a Help Desk position offer better experience vs fixing mainly laptops at schools? (My goal is at two different spectrums, either a network engineer or sys admin). I haven't had much experience to know which I would prefer.

The amount I am being paid is not high up on my priority. My priorities are stability, benefits, experience to make further advancements in my career.

I am going to call Job 2 / interviewer 2 tomorrow and let them know I am really interested in the position however I got a job offer and would like to know the status. This is fine to ask right?

One week ago I was a bit down since I wasn't receiving any calls. Fast forward one week and I have 2 job offers. Life is funny huh?

$bvb379

TBH companies are usually given the green light around Feb because they have reviewed their previous year numbers. I started applying and sending out resumes on Dec 15 and didn't hear anything from anyone up until Feb 1st and have been getting calls, tech screens, and interviews ever since. Then another process starts for the face-to-face and then a decision by the company. Just do well on the interviews and understand it is not 100% in your hands. Just a waiting game after a certain point in the most case. I am pretty much in the same situation as you as far as being a recent graduate (kind of).