Could anyone rate/critique my resume?

Here's page 1:

And page 2:

I'm looking for an entry-level IT position anywhere in my area (chicago and suburbs) if possible. I know that looking at my past job history there isn't anything relevant to IT, but I have to start somewhere. I've also heard that ITT students are held in disregard, but I'm almost finished and I can't really do anything about that now.

I'm studying really hard so I can get my A+ certification soon (hopefully by July) and my Net+ soon afterwards. Can anyone give me any pointers from an IT prospective to how it looks in general as resumes go.

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Comments

gabrielbtoledo

Hey, I can talk much about. I'm not even employed (looking for job). However, I'm done with school (just graduate this semester), have A+, Net+ and MCP Certs. I will take CCNA in a few weeks, but after all of this... I have no experience besides the labs at school and home.
The only IT job I had was a Network Administrator's Assistant and only for few months. I was actually helping my friend to deply new OS to 500 boxes. Also helping with tech support for internals.
That might be the main reason I can't get a job, which I believe will afect you in the same way. So if you can take some experience while you are in school, do it. Even if it's to work at the school comp lab or such. It wil increase your chances to find a job quicker.

Well, I have 2 interviews thursday... lets pray I can get something.

Good luck to you.

Go Bucks

The biggest problem you have with your resume is that it needs to be only one page long. You need to move some of the stuff on your resume into a cover letter if you insist on keeping it.

Other than that I liked the overall layout. Welcome to the job hunt club

I've found out that IT is just like any other field in the world, It's not what you know but who you know that gets you in the door. Once you have the initial experience, there are more doors to walk through. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

12thlevelwarrior

your resume looks like an entry level resume which it is, but you could tighten it up a lot to give you an advantage.

you have a title of objective but start off by describing your work ethic, if the title says objective just list an objective, that was confusing from the get go for me.

get some better terms to describe things, just don't list memory or motherboards, list pc hardware assembly or something more fancy.

i think i have an ok resume, but i need to tighten it up a lot as well, to atleast get my foot in the door.

not trying to sell anything, but i am ordering this book on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0072194030/102-2548981-9028164?v=glance&n=283155

i'll report back on how good it is. it is only $8 with shipping, and it is specifically for IT people so they most likely will have an entry level resume example. i'll let you know if it's good, but i would go to barnes and nobles, and find a good IT resume book and spend a good two weeks on getting a strong, well thought out resume... we need all the edge we can get, because it is competitive out there.

a word of advice on breaking in, try to get a temp job via an agency and just work your but off.

good luck man.

just looked at second page, on the last sentence, say you terminated with RJ45 connectors instead, sounds more professional.

gregee

i would move your education at the top
make a skilled catgeory and then break that up like networking equipment, operating systems etc.

kalebksp

Don't use "I" in a resume. As others have said your resume should be only one page long, unless you have significant experience you need to detail, which you don't. I would cut out most of the job duties that don't directly relate to computers, customer service, etc. Order the catogories from your strongest to weakest. An employer should be able to scan your resume and see the main points immediately, which is probably what any HR person is going to do. Everything shoud be laid out neatly and concise as possible.

Hope this helps.

garv221

Alot of people argue between a one page resume and a two page resume. I would say with your experience you should go with a one page. If you must go with a two page, at least fill the second page up. Alot of the technical terms on the top of the resume can be sumed up by saying "A+ work". Good luck.

sprkymrk

On the first page change your bullet points under technical experience by substituting "Computer Hardware" for all the bullet points in the right hand column and the "mother boards" in the left (in other words consolidate all the hardware into a single bullet point). Then, take the items from the second page under "Hands On" and put them in the right hand column of technical experience as follows:

Basic Cisco Router Basic VB 6.0 Network Cabling Since your work experience is non-IT, remove the descriptions of what you did. Just list the Place, dates employed, manager name/phone#, and title/position. Emphasize customer service skills if you have them (dealing with the public in a professional manner is a skill in itself). This should alow you to get everything on one page. Possibly arrange it so your education is listed first, since that is the main thing you have for getting an IT job. I liked your Objective wording and would not change it dsespite some other folks saying you should. You emphasize hard-working and willing to start entry level - I liked it.
Finish with a line at the bottom stating that references are available upon request, and have a page (with 3-4 non-relatives willing to vouch for you) ready should they request it.
Best of luck to you!

PS - Leave out the monitor spyware/AV stuff. It looks like you're fishing for things to list.

Zoomer

Hey, thanks for the replies everyone. You've all given me some helpful pointers. I'll go ahead and make some changes and start working on a cover letter.

I do have some other questions though. Is a cover letter more personalized? What should I discuss on it; like what kind of person I am and my past experience with computers? Also, how long should it be?

Thanks again for the help.

ajs1976

Remove the information about highschool from the education section.

Go Bucks

You've got the right idea for the cover letter. Try to keep it to 3 or 4 small paragraphs, usually with the last one including a thanks for your time you can contact me at so and so and then end it with a Sincerely (your name) and sign it if it's a hard copy.

woodworm

I believe the cover letter should always be personalised in that it's written regarding a specific job (rather than a generic cover all type letter). I have even tweaked my CV towards particular jobs to highlight the areas they are asking for in the advert.

Do people have a preference for hand written or typed cover letters?

Zoomer

Well I tweaked it a little. Please feel free to let me know what you think.

Cover Letter:

Resume:

I kept some of the job descriptions in my past work history, without them it seemed to leave a little too much space for comfort. I moved education towards the top to help focus more on my IT field. Also, I added some experience bullets under my education. I don't know if this is really necessary, but it seemed to help show what skills in IT I implimented instead of leaving that solely to the technical skills category.

The cover letter I used "Your Company" and the name Mr. John T. Jones is fake as well as the address of the company. Also, whenever I am about to contact someone online about a job should I include a resume in the email as an attachment, or should I say I am interested in the job and request confirmation from them if it is ok to send it?

One last thing; when I do send it should I just send the resume or should I send both in a zip file or seperate? I'm a little "iffy" on some parts, but if no one spots them, I'll leave them in.

Sorry about all the questions, I'm just trying to be as prepared as possible.

Thanks for the help!

sprkymrk

It looks real good zoomer. I wish you the best.

BTW, I lived in Hinsdale for a couple of years as a youngster (7-9 years old). Lived on what used to be a dirt road called Jackson St., it had a big prairie between the road and Route 83. I could see the highway from my bedroom window away across the prairie. I've heard that a lot has changed in 30 years....

12thlevelwarrior

looks much better, i always like to convert to pdf if they will accept it. i put the cover letter and resume together to form one file. i think pdf files look cleaner.