Need some advice on my resume

jahaziel

Hey guys,I'm about to start looking for jobs most likely and would like the communities help to find out if there's room for improvement. I'm still thinking about how to word everything from my current job but i'll keep going at it.Thanks ahead of time.


Added updated resume 4/3 at 9:44 EST

cyberguypr

A resume needs to be perfect. Period. Right now I would pass on this resume based on the following:

- Too much fluff. This should not be a 3 page resume
- You claim to be a Senior System Engineer. I do not see this. I'm not saying you have/don't have the experience, just that you did not communicate it well enough. Writing down "Raised Forest and Domain functional level..." screams amateur to me. Same with "Upgrade Quickbooks to latest version."
- As a hiring manager I like to see tangible, measurable stuff instead of simple tasks. Example: "Implemented X new process resulting in XYZ savings in man hours..."
- Wrong capitalization: Vcenter, snmp, nat, Labtech (you later on capitalize it properly), Hyper V, ghost.

So overall the main fault is the lack of attention to detail. It reads like you sat down and dumped everything you do on a page without any culling or optimization process. Finally, don't forget to tailor each resume to the specific job posting you are applying for.

jahaziel

Awesome advice. Honestly, you're right. I did **** everything and didn't think much about it. I'll review this and post an updated resume. I'm just feeling low right now at my current job.

636-555-3226

Let me know what job you're sending this resume in for. Resume should always be tailored for the position. When I get a generic resume that doesn't directly address the points in my postings and introduces concepts that don't really matter i instantly devalue it. Sorry, just the honest truth on how i at least look at them

jahaziel

Agreed. I believe I have modified the resume now to better support where I want to go. I changed my title to System Administrator. I agree my tasks don't seem to be Senior but that is my title at my job.

Updated Resume on my initial post.

jahaziel

Any help would be appreciated.

jahaziel

Anyone?

Dojiscalper

Sounds like you have a bit of systems experience as well as a lot of sales support engineer stuff going on with company A. Not a bad thing.

Maybe I'm just tired but I'm seeing several grammar errors or odd choice of words that make it hard to read. Also I'm not sure the word "troubleshot"
is even an accepted word for a resume though "troubleshooted" wouldn't be a better choice either.

OctalDump

I'm guessing that your current role is with an MSP. I'd make that a little clearer, maybe outline broadly what you do. I like the lifecycle model: design, implement, maintain, migrate, custom IT infrastructures for 20+ SMBs in diverse industries or something similar. If you have client meetings, face to face, include that "Liaise with multiple client stakeholders including C level and end users". If you are managing projects, and/or have used any formal project management methodologies, include that.
Also mention the size of the networks/clients you work with eg "up to 150 seats", this can be more or less relevant depending on the job.

I think it can be challenging to adequately summarise the breadth of skills/experience/knowledge that you develop as working for an MSP. One approach is to develop a 'master resume' that has everything in it, but then customise it for each particular job by removing less relevant bits, and rewriting other bits.

Also, word choices like "oversaw, managed, implemented" can be swapped around as needed. If it's a hands on role you are going for, you put the emphasis on active skills like migrated, upgraded, designed, implemented. If it has more management or project management focus, then you can say things like "managed the successful transition" or "oversaw the project to..". It can be same thing, but just from a different perspective. And obviously if a role asks for specific skills, mention them in context, or for specific technologies, mention those.

There's still a few spelling/grammar issues. Norton Ghost, migrate (maybe you meant mitigate?), maybe some of the apostrophes are misplaced.

jahaziel

Dojiscalper, ouch that hurt a bit. Well, I actually do all the system administration of all the servers here since it's a "two man" shop and i'm the system administrator. I have implemented bitlocker, resolved ad replication issues, decommissioned servers, moved FSMO roles. Anything that comes up I take care of. I guess it's hard for me to put it in paper and keep it short.

Either way thank you for your advice. I will be reviewing my resume this weekend once more.


@OctalDump Thank you for your advice. It's a lot to take in and will digest it this weekend and make changes.

Dojiscalper

I meant no disrespect. As you know the resume is what gets you the interview so it must be excellent.

I've worked my career mostly with MSPs so I know first hand it's very hard to translate it into system admin work. I'm going through the same situation right as well.

thomas_

I've started keeping a log of my day to day activities in Google Docs. Every few months or so I try to go in and consolidate and summarize what is there. I find that keeping this logs helps out a lot with generating bullet points on a resume because I am able to quantify my jobs.

Just a few examples that come to mind when reading your resume, I would try to find kut how many prospective clients I speak to and what percentage of those clients actually end up purchasing my company's services. I might also find out of all the clients that purchased my company's services what percentage of them are still clients? If the numbers are good I would include them, if they are bad I wouldn't include them.

For the outlook 365 migrations I would list how many clients I performed it for. For the "troubleshot" bullet I would probably list between 5 - 10 items I troubleshot. You can also potentially replace "troubleshot" with "performed troubleshooting...", I think I've used the word "troubleshot" before though.