Resume/Cover Letter Critique? Entry-level IT.

N7Valiant

So I've been applying for entry-level IT jobs since I got my Security+ certification a little over 3 weeks ago. I've had 3 interviews, 2 of them with staffing agencies and 1 as a result of one of those staffing agencies, and I have 1 interview scheduled next week.

Even if there was a long holiday for 2 of those weeks, I feel like I need to overhaul a couple of things. The first is my resume and I've attached a slightly cleaned out sample of it. I've removed the objective statement since it's been pointed out that it should be obvious that I'm applying for the position and that I don't need to restate that there, as well as the fact that I don't have much IT experience so a summary statement wouldn't really mean much.

Herman Resume 8.0 Resume Sample.pdf

I also feel my biggest problem thus far is that I've never really included a cover letter since I wasn't sure what to put in it, having little experience and all.This was my first shot at it:

To whom it may concern (specific names are rarely given to refer to),

I am writing to apply for the IT Support Technician position advertised on Glassdoor. I am enclosing my resume and can provide references and copies of certifications if requested.I believe my extensive background in customer service as well as a logical approach to problem solving and troubleshooting computer and peripheral issues make me an ideal candidate for this position.

My recent internship experience at my local community college has demonstrated that I have an aptitude towards resolving particularly complex issues such as Windows Update hanging which cannot be resolved by simply deleting the SystemsDistribution folder. It has also provided me with a broad range of experience from installing cables to the installation of computers and peripheral devices such as printers and scanners.

I have also saved many man hours by isolating and identifying a broken gear in an industrial paper shredder rather than take the direct approach of attempting to manually clear the considerable paper jam. I believe this demonstrates a consistent drive towards seeking ever more efficient methods to perform my work.Thank you for your time and consideration.

I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity.

Sincerely,
Herman

I feel that my internship is my strongest asset given that it was the most skillful and relevant work I've done yet. There are very few quantifiable "achievements" in my previous work, as I'm not sure being the one guy who constantly cleans rotting tomatoes off the tables amounts to much of an achievement.Hence why the skills section and cover letter are my attempts to go into that internship as much as possible.

I feel like my time in retail really caused me to degrade since applying for such jobs doesn't require an impeccably polished resume, cover letter, and ability to sell myself. Thus why I fell short in these areas.

Also people locally don't seem to want to give me a harsh criticism of my resume, or even in mock interviews nobody pointed out to me that I shouldn't have spent so much of it talking about me and my goals rather than what I could offer the employer.

TechnicalJay

I would move your skills to the bottom and certs under education. If you have a specific position you are looking for I would also include a summary at the top above education.

yoba222

The skills section feels really fluffy, but the the Development part is kind of okay.

For example, the Research and Data Analysis part reads, "Complex issues are researched on the Internet. Repetitive or irrelevant results are discarded . . ." This seems like fluff-speak for "When I get stuck I Google on Stack Overflow." Perhaps I'm interpreting it wrong and perhaps so will the hiring person.

I like a one sentence summary at the top too. Yeah it's redundant, but then so is a cover letter, and omitting that might cause your resume to be rejected by a resume-n.a.z.i HR person.

I remember being in this same situation, fresh out of college and very limited work experience. The challenge is finding a bit of padding to add to an overly empty resume without writing a bunch of fluffy BS.

If I were you I'd cater the skills section uniquely for each particular job applied for, e.g. a software job describe some C# or webapps you've done or a tech support job describe the technologies you've touched.

N7Valiant

yoba222 wrote: »

The skills section feels really fluffy, but the the Development part is kind of okay.

In truth, I'd probably like to nix the Development section since my sum experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript amounts to a single class in Web Development over a year ago, and while I've had 3 classes using C#, I'm not particularly certain I can use it on a professional level due to not having work experience in using it and the fact that most of the positions I'm applying for don't require an understanding of programming.

For example, the Research and Data Analysis part reads, "Complex issues are researched on the Internet. Repetitive or irrelevant results are discarded . . ." This seems like fluff-speak for "When I get stuck I Google on Stack Overflow." Perhaps I'm interpreting it wrong and perhaps so will the hiring person.

That was precisely what I'm trying to say, albeit in an attempt to phrase it more appealingly. Everyone can, of course, Google something. What everyone can't seem to do is to narrow down and specify results to something difficult or unique about your situation, and filter out redundant or irrelevant information. For example, Windows 8.1 is stuck on updates. Your coworker Googles "Windows Update stuck" and gets the generic solution of deleting the SystemsDistribution folder, which does not fix the problem and is something of a standard go-to solution we already knew about. I however specify the results to point to "Windows 8.1 update stuck" to see if it's a problem specific to that version of the Windows OS and sift through a couple pages of irrelevant or similar suggested results ranging from deleting the SystemsDistribution folder to the utterly irrelevant reference to Windows Server(which I'm not using) to find that this is an obscure but previously encountered problem that can be resolved by manually downloading and installing a patch from last year, but you have to download and install a few other patches before you can apply the one that you want.

Or say in my very first programming course we were given a free project that you put together an application that fulfills a few choice criteria like input validation, and I chose to make a sudoku generator. There are plenty of examples on the internet, most of them are written in other languages like Java, Visual Basic, or C++ and aren't applicable to C#. The very few C# examples out there use advanced functionality like LINQ to make it work, and I wasn't confident I could learn about and explain it in the 2 weeks before the project was due. But then I found one example in another language that explains the concept of backtracking, whereby you randomly generate a number, see if it breaks any of the rules, then try a different number. If all 9 numbers violate the rules, you keep track of what number you tried, then go back one space and try another. Essentially brute forcing the possibilities to create a valid number grid.

I feel like while it's a common trait to say you can Google, I have an exceptional knack for sorting through a knowledge base, eliminating useless possibilities, and finding the solution.

I like a one sentence summary at the top too. Yeah it's redundant, but then so is a cover letter, and omitting that might cause your resume to be rejected by a resume-n.a.z.i HR person.

Perhaps, but the summary approach hasn't gotten me a lot of response, so I was going to try to cut the crap out and go with a different approach for now.

I remember being in this same situation, fresh out of college and very limited work experience. The challenge is finding a bit of padding to add to an overly empty resume without writing a bunch of fluffy BS.

Again, I don't feel like what I'm describing is fluffy BS. If there are 5 of us sitting around an industrial paper shredder trying to physically clear a jam and I'm the only one to think of using the reverse function built into it, note that only one of the partially visible gears are turning without the distinct clicking or straining sound you typically associate with a jammed printer, and then discover that one of the gears inside was broken in half, saving everyone several hours of doing it the hard way, then i really do feel like I have a tendency to "think outside the box" as cliched as it sounds.

If I were you I'd cater the skills section uniquely for each particular job applied for, e.g. a software job describe some C# or webapps you've done or a tech support job describe the technologies you've touched.

Hence my desire to cut out the development skills and focus on the technical and analysis ones. I'm not applying for web developer or application developer.

Again, I feel like the other skills I've pointed out are genuine ones and my strongest assets. I'm just not sure how to really push the sell for them. I get the feeling that it's too long to describe the above situations in my resume, but I should bring them up in such a way that it gets brought up during the interview and I can elaborate. I've been told by an IT hiring manager in another online community that the paper shredder situation would have put a smile on his face if I had been sitting across from him in an interview.

Cisco Inferno

get rid of the welding AS and get rid of the non IT jobs. Make it 1 page by doing that.

Make your Certs bigger or a line each for them. that'll use up some space.

N7Valiant

Is that wise? I only ask because that's a several year gap in my work history. I've been told it's better to wait until I have something to fill my resume with before I axe them.

Cisco Inferno

they are college jobs/intern with 3 month gap over the summer. nothing to worry about.

N7Valiant

Not sure what you're referring to, I have 7 years spent as a Produce Clerk. Kind of a big gap to leave out.

Cisco Inferno

get rid of home depot and safeway. now theres no gap

What I mean to say is that your certs speak much louder than you arranging lettuce for 7 years.

And 7 years kind of gives away age. Ageism still exists and its better to leave that out.

N7Valiant

I'll ask around, but I'm not sure 30 is quite where ageism will hit me.

EANx

I've hired for all three tiers. While I can only speak for myself, I feel that 30-35 is a sweet-spot where you can be entry-level or super-SME.

Skills: I like to see someone say they are a creative problem-solver and I *LOVE* someone that says they will research things on the internet. I don't like the "repetitive or irrelevant results are discarded" piece though. You had a good flow that was stopped like nails on a chalkboard. Change the entire thing to: Research and Data Analysis – Complex issues are researched on the internet and new or useful information is used for troubleshooting.

That tells me that as an entry-level tech, you understand that you have to research problems and that you'll try hard. Lord help you if you get lazy but I'll give you a shot because you're hitting the stuff I like.

Where's your expertise with the operating systems I use? Throw in references to Windows 7/10 if appropriate.

Why use a dollar word when you can use a nickle word? Replace "utilized" with "used", etc.

volfkhat

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

And 7 years kind of gives away age. Ageism still exists and its better to leave that out.

100% agreed.
Ageism definitely exists. You dont want to disqualify yourself by reading like someone who's over-the-hill; especially when looking for entry-level work.




Also...
Herman.

Herman??
WHat kind of name is that!? There might be your problem.
lol

When i think of Herman, i think of Herman Munster!
(WHOOPS... sounds like i just dated myself


Maybe change your Resume name to Hermano..... i bet the jobs will just starts flooding in :P
(and the senoritas too)