resume critique please (not getting enough calls)

Skynet9

Hello guys: I am applying for new job and i don't seem to be getting many calls. can you please go through my resume and check what could be the reason. thank you.

pirlo21

English is my second language but isn't it SummAry and not summery ?

LonerVamp

First of all, if you're not getting bites, maybe you're not applying to the correct positions? Hard to tell. Just from my quick glance at this from an analytical viewpoint, you have some background in desktop support and trying to make it more relevant to the server side of it. Which is fine, but might be what others are seeing. Increasing responsibility is good, though!

I dig the list of certs, honestly. It shows me where you want to go. For the CCNA, CCNA what? R&S? I wouldn't mind a year you attained things as well. And to emphasize what you're looking for, I'd include what you want to do in your summary. It does a good job summarizing what you've done, but doesn't let me know you want a position I have open.

You do have gaps in employment. Was this due to school or some other reason? No need to answer that here, but you'll get asked about it. Any answer is pretty much ok, as long as it's not like jail time or something.

From a design or functional level, I'd look at moving into 2 pages. It feels a bit squished at the moment, and I like all the information you have here. If you need a bit more to fill in, a "technologies/tools known/used" is always useful. Between that and the summary you can tailor it to the position description you're going after. But don't be afraid of 2 pages!

Your experience section pretty much matches what I have. I use bullets instead of checkmarks, and I emphasize the job titles in bold and above the date, with where I worked off on the right side. But this all still works just fine! I do like your list of duties. It's very detailed and gives me a great chance to see what you've done and what I can ask questions about.

Honestly, it otherwise reads pretty well. I don't know that I'd say it's your resume that is a problem at all. Could be just bad timing.

scaredoftests

Do a spell check before you send out your resume! Get rid of the checkmarks (if you must do that, put that in a cover letter, highlighting your achievements or in a summary document). Move the certifications to the end of your resume (same with your clearance).

yoba222

pirlo21 wrote: »

English is my second language but isn't it SummAry and not summery ?

Such a wintery response!

Seriously though, it's not bad overall. For style points I'd prefer that the job title pops out at me for your previous work experience. The way it is now, the company and location pop out at me instead. I'd consider maybe swapping the bold and the italic and moving the job title above the company and location.

That employment gap -- not too easy to fix. I don't know a good way to fix that. I see you graduated in June 2016, perhaps you can manipulate your timeline in a way that gracefully places college and graduation into that time gap.

Skynet9

pirlo21 wrote: »

English is my second language but isn't it SummAry and not summery ?

thank you for noticing.

Skynet9

LonerVamp wrote: »

First of all, if you're not getting bites, maybe you're not applying to the correct positions? Hard to tell. Just from my quick glance at this from an analytical viewpoint, you have some background in desktop support and trying to make it more relevant to the server side of it. Which is fine, but might be what others are seeing. Increasing responsibility is good, though!

I dig the list of certs, honestly. It shows me where you want to go. For the CCNA, CCNA what? R&S? I wouldn't mind a year you attained things as well. And to emphasize what you're looking for, I'd include what you want to do in your summary. It does a good job summarizing what you've done, but doesn't let me know you want a position I have open.

You do have gaps in employment. Was this due to school or some other reason? No need to answer that here, but you'll get asked about it. Any answer is pretty much ok, as long as it's not like jail time or something.

From a design or functional level, I'd look at moving into 2 pages. It feels a bit squished at the moment, and I like all the information you have here. If you need a bit more to fill in, a "technologies/tools known/used" is always useful. Between that and the summary you can tailor it to the position description you're going after. But don't be afraid of 2 pages!

Your experience section pretty much matches what I have. I use bullets instead of checkmarks, and I emphasize the job titles in bold and above the date, with where I worked off on the right side. But this all still works just fine! I do like your list of duties. It's very detailed and gives me a great chance to see what you've done and what I can ask questions about.

Honestly, it otherwise reads pretty well. I don't know that I'd say it's your resume that is a problem at all. Could be just bad timing.

thank you...yes i do have employment gap...about 6 months...i was out of country...got married...and few other things happened. Thanks all of you. i will keep applying and hopefully get on the track.

EANx

The major thing for me are the employment gaps. You don't have one of six months, you have one of a year, one of a year-and-a-half and one of six months. I'll give people a pass for three months or so but each of these need to be explained in some way. I would also wonder where you got your DoD clearance from since you reference DEA but not Defense.

lacagrl17

definitely spell check

Phalanx

Perhaps it's the UK in me, but that comes across to me as a wall of text. Everything seems so bunched up, I can barely focus on a paragraph. Spreading it over 2 pages isn't a bad thing. Or some clever use of columns perhaps.

Again, could just be that I'm used to seeing different things over the pond. My own CV for example has a splash of colour to break up the black/white. Easier to pick out of a pile too if they need to refer back.

scaredoftests

A splash of color is useless when going through many HR filters.....

N7Valiant

Do you include a good cover letter? I had almost zero responses until I put one in, then I was able to get in about 2 interviews a week.

anhtran35

You would get a ton of calls in NOVA/DC.

Feel like moving?

Skynet9

EANx wrote: »

The major thing for me are the employment gaps. You don't have one of six months, you have one of a year, one of a year-and-a-half and one of six months. I'll give people a pass for three months or so but each of these need to be explained in some way. I would also wonder where you got your DoD clearance from since you reference DEA but not Defense.

My first position was contract while i was in High school...yes high school and after that i did an internship for about 2 years while i was gettign my 4 years degree. My last recent job was with DEA and i ad admit there is 6 months gap from than to now.
Also i got clearance from DoD....when i got job at DEA, they required both DoD and DEA security clearance.

Skynet9

lacagrl17 wrote: »

definitely spell check

I did...can you tell me some of spellings mistakes i may have made in there?
thank you.

Skynet9

yoba222 wrote: »

Such a wintery response!

Seriously though, it's not bad overall. For style points I'd prefer that the job title pops out at me for your previous work experience. The way it is now, the company and location pop out at me instead. I'd consider maybe swapping the bold and the italic and moving the job title above the company and location.

That employment gap -- not too easy to fix. I don't know a good way to fix that. I see you graduated in June 2016, perhaps you can manipulate your timeline in a way that gracefully places college and graduation into that time gap.

thanks...i think i should point out boldly that my first position was real job while i was in my high school and second position was NOT a job...it was an internship while i was pursuing my 4 years of degree in college. most recent was REAL job and i do admit there is about 6 months gap between than and now...but i do have valid reasons for that.

cyberguypr

Some mistakes that caught my eye:
- "SUMMERY"
- "PowerVault" has no spaces
- "Airwatch" needs capital W
- "Software, Security, Storage and Switches" - why do you capitalize this?
- "Configures new outlook accounts" - do you mean MS Outlook or the dictionary definition of "a person's point of view or general attitude to life"?
- "Prepared requisitions for spare parts; maintains inventory" - verb tense mismatch. Also rpesent in "Installed and provide administrative support..."
- "Blackberry" - needs a capital second B
- "provided exchange 2010 support" - needs capital E
- "measures that include Malwares" - S needs to go
- "Configured, and installed all hardware..." - that comma doesnt go there
- "including Desktop PC’s, Laptops, Printers, SmartBoards, Peripherals Monitors and Port Replications" - no capitalization for common names after comma. And I'm sure you mean port replicators.
- "data from XP/Vista to Window 7" - should be Windows 7

I'll give you a pass on the Oxford comma becuase this is not APA.

EANx

Skynet9 wrote: »

My first position was contract while i was in High school...yes high school and after that i did an internship for about 2 years while i was gettign my 4 years degree. My last recent job was with DEA and i ad admit there is 6 months gap from than to now.
Also i got clearance from DoD....when i got job at DEA, they required both DoD and DEA security clearance.

Going to school is a good reason for a gap but unless you indicate that, you can't expect a hiring manager to read your mind. From your resume, I have no way to know how old you are, you could be 22 or 52. Your degree has an end-date, suggest adding a start-date as well.

Likewise with the clearance, if it seems odd, companies will often go with what doesn't seem odd so you might want a line showing how you got it. Something that may or may not impact your search is that you don't have an active clearance, you have a "current" or "inactive" clearance. An active clearance is one where you currently have a job that requires access to classified. The other two show that you have had one and that it's not expired but you don't have an employer that requires you to have access to classified. I prefer "current" to "inactive" but "active" is incorrect in this context.

Skynet9

EANx wrote: »

Going to school is a good reason for a gap but unless you indicate that, you can't expect a hiring manager to read your mind. From your resume, I have no way to know how old you are, you could be 22 or 52. Your degree has an end-date, suggest adding a start-date as well.

Likewise with the clearance, if it seems odd, companies will often go with what doesn't seem odd so you might want a line showing how you got it. Something that may or may not impact your search is that you don't have an active clearance, you have a "current" or "inactive" clearance. An active clearance is one where you currently have a job that requires access to classified. The other two show that you have had one and that it's not expired but you don't have an employer that requires you to have access to classified. I prefer "current" to "inactive" but "active" is incorrect in this context.

thank you...got 3 interviews next week...followed by 4th phone interview.

Skynet9

cyberguypr wrote: »

Some mistakes that caught my eye:
- "SUMMERY"
- "PowerVault" has no spaces
- "Airwatch" needs capital W
- "Software, Security, Storage and Switches" - why do you capitalize this?
- "Configures new outlook accounts" - do you mean MS Outlook or the dictionary definition of "a person's point of view or general attitude to life"?
- "Prepared requisitions for spare parts; maintains inventory" - verb tense mismatch. Also rpesent in "Installed and provide administrative support..."
- "Blackberry" - needs a capital second B
- "provided exchange 2010 support" - needs capital E
- "measures that include Malwares" - S needs to go
- "Configured, and installed all hardware..." - that comma doesnt go there
- "including Desktop PC’s, Laptops, Printers, SmartBoards, Peripherals Monitors and Port Replications" - no capitalization for common names after comma. And I'm sure you mean port replicators.
- "data from XP/Vista to Window 7" - should be Windows 7

I'll give you a pass on the Oxford comma becuase this is not APA.

thank you...got 3 interviews next week.

cyberguypr

Best of luck!

scaredoftests

Good luck..bring a notebook, write things down and ASK ALOT of questions.