CV Concerns

banderas1978

Hello,
I know there are many people here I could learn from and that's why I spend a lot of my time on this forum and, must say, I am extremely happy about being a part of this forum community. I am about to apply for my first IT job and I would like to ask you, experts, what you think of my CV and if you could point out any mistakes you see in it, please?
When I moved it to this post a topic section, it changed its format a bit.
What concerns me is that I am also unsure about my CV. That'd be just great if you, guys, could have a quick look and comment on it, please. Anyway, here it goes:

_______________________________________
First and Last Name
Address: ………………………………………
Mobile: ....................................
E-mail: ........................@...........
D.O.B: …………
Nationality: ………
________________________________________

Personal Profile
I used to work as an English and German teacher back in (….). I have also experienced work in the hospitality industry in the UK. However, ever since I can remember, I have been passionate about computers. Having joined………, an IT training provider in London, I became a Microsoft Certified Professional and then a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator, which helped me to develop my passion and start my career in IT. I am a likeable and, at the same time, very reliable person, which makes me suited to any business and customer service environment. After having worked as a receptionist and a concierge in five star hotels in London, I know how to talk with people and how to solve their problems. I love to work hard and have a lot of energy. My constant will to learn and my personality allow me to adapt easily and thrive in any work setting.

Academic Achievements

In progress MCSE Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

Sep 2008 MCSA Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator

Jun 2008 MCP Microsoft Certified Professional

Microsoft qualifications obtained through …… IT Training, London

2001-2005 Master European Integration/ European University …………

1998-2001 Bachelor International Relationships/ University…………

Work Experience

Oct 2007– Jan 2008 …………….. Hotel **** (86 Bedrooms)
Position held: Receptionist
Duties:
• Ensuring that all guests receive warm and courteous service upon arrival and departure
• Co-ordinating guest requests with other departments in a timely manner
• Making, amending and cancelling reservations at times when in-house reservations are not available
• Handling complaints promptly and professionally
• Answering all telephones in compliance with the established protocol and give accurate and clear information to guest enquires

Feb 2007 – Oct 2007 ………………Hotel ***** (200 Bedrooms)
Position held: Concierge (Front Office Department)
Duties:
• Offering information and assistance to visitor and hotel guest in regard to hotel facilities, local attractions, restaurant, entertainment venues, transportation links, car hire, airport pick up services and others that may be of interest to hotel guest
• Keeping accurate records of all booking made for guests
• Liaising with and assisting other departments as necessary

Achievements and Skills
• German: fluent
• Polish: a native speaker
• Excellent organisational and communication skills
• Full UK Driving Licence

Personal interests
I have a keen interest in Computer Technology. I enjoy playing chess and try to keep fit by taking part in various physical activities such as swimming and jogging.

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Comments

oo_snoopy

Well to be honest I don't know how differently things are done in the UK, but in the US you should take out the personal interest part, and definitely take out your DOB.

There are a few things you can change to prop up your lack of experience but I'm not exactly an expert on that so I'll leave that to the more tenured resume experts.

banderas1978

oo_snoopy wrote:

Well to be honest I don't know how differently things are done in the UK, but in the US you should take out the personal interest part, and definitely take out your DOB.

There are a few things you can change to prop up your lack of experience but I'm not exactly an expert on that so I'll leave that to the more tenured resume experts.

Thank you for your opinion. I also wonder how could I prop up my lack of experience.

laidbackfreak

here in the uk..... id leave on the personal interests unless going for the contract market....
it gives emploers a chance to see the individual as a whole.... dob i again if you dont leave it on, it will be asked for pretty sharpish.... (rightly or wrongly...) i never see the harm unless im applying for roles outside my scope....

id re-write your professional profile and put it in more of a third party context..... the contents ok other wise....

as for your work experience..... you could maybe stretch them a little n maybe hint at liasons with the IT dept... first point of contact for customers etc.... that not to say blatently lie........ dunno tough one really...

what kind of roles are you hoping to go for ?

banderas1978

laidbackfreak wrote:

id re-write your professional profile and put it in more of a third party context..... the contents ok other wise....
Do you mean like:
"He used to work as....He has also experienced work, etc...???"
Could you clarify this, please?

as for your work experience..... you could maybe stretch them a little n maybe hint at liasons with the IT dept... first point of contact for customers etc.... that not to say blatently lie........ dunno tough one really...
Do I have no chance of finding an IT job without any IT experience. I mean, everybody had to start somewhere, people are not born with experience. So how to stretch and not tell lies? (the question is asked anybody, not necessarily you, laidbackfreak).

what kind of roles are you hoping to go for ?

Well, I know that I have to start as a Help Desk Support, even though I will be an MSCE very shortly. Or am I wrong?

loxleynew

I would take out the DOB and nationality at the top. Getting your foot in the door is the first step, and they could use that to pre-screen you out.

Maybe change the personal profile section to an objective section, and shorten it a little. Instead of talking about your interests and such, explain how you would fit into their company and what you want to expect to learn from that specific job. The personal profile part would be better suited for a cover letter.

As for the experience, you might be able to jump to a desk support spec but with no prev IT work might be hard. Your certs should be enough to get your foot in the door, so that section looks fine to me.

banderas1978

loxleynew wrote:

Maybe change the personal profile section to an objective section, and shorten it a little. Instead of talking about your interests and such, explain how you would fit into their company and what you want to expect to learn from that specific job. The personal profile part would be better suited for a cover letter.

.

Not the other way around? I mean, should not the part of "why I would fit into a company" be in the cover letter rather than in my personal profile?
And sould I always send my CV with a cover letter or just the CV would do?

loxleynew

banderas1978 wrote:

loxleynew wrote:

Maybe change the personal profile section to an objective section, and shorten it a little. Instead of talking about your interests and such, explain how you would fit into their company and what you want to expect to learn from that specific job. The personal profile part would be better suited for a cover letter.

.

Not the other way around? I mean, should not the part of "why I would fit into a company" be in the cover letter rather than in my personal profile?
And sould I always send my CV with a cover letter or just the CV would do?

No the personal interests part should never be in the actual resume. You can add your objective in the company in the cover letter, just shorten it to 1 or 2 sentences in the resume to highlight your goals. I think there was a study done and people usually only scan resumes for like 15-20 seconds before either keeping it or tossing it. The more relevant information you have the better your chances are for a second look.

I would always send a cover letter with every resume. It shows you actually want the job. If you even make a basic cover letter and just change the company name in it, saves you a lot of time and makes a good impression.

Jamie132st

Hi Banderas,

Thought I would write a quick reply as I was once in your shoes, as many people probably have been.

I first started studying in IT back in Nov 2005. I remember when I first got my A+ I couldn’t wait to get a job in IT. I applied day in and day out, until one day I got a job providing 1st line support for a local company. I worked there for over a year, at first it was great, but then I started to hate it as I wanted to get my hands dirty in interesting things, not oh my computer will not power on, is it plugged in, NO!!!!!. Or I can’t connect to the internet through wifi, who is your internet provider, what do you mean this should have wireless why do I need an internet provider……uuuuurrrhhhhh

I was applying for jobs pretty much right after I got my first job in IT, and to be honest I still am, although I enjoy my position the interview experience is extremely important in IT, while that is depending on where you are interested to sit on the ladder. Any ways I left my support position for a position as an IT Systems Engineer, had the interview, with a practical exam, got the job and have been working here for over a year now; however I am feeling that I have accomplished pretty near everything that I can in this post and will be looking to move on; maybe back home to Canada. That is one good thing about IT the jobs are everywhere, doesn’t matter about what country, as long as you have a work permit.

Anyways my point is more than likely you will need to work a 1st line position for a year or so, and you may sit through a lot of interviews looking for your first position; however just keep applying for jobs and think of the interviews as experience.

I have provided an example of my current CV below, remember a CV has two parts what you KNOW and what you have done

Good luck to you buddy!

Personal Profile

An ambitious and self motivated individual readily adaptable to new technology via education and assignments. Consistently commended for ability to work as a team member or independently while achieving critical deadlines and has excellent verbal and written communication skills, ensuring the highest level of client service and relationship management.

Knowledge includes:

Ability to support a network using Windows XP Professional, Vista and/or Server operating systems.
Knowledge to perform installation, configuration, administration and upgrades to Windows XP Professional, Vista or Server editions.
How to use network protocols in a Windows 2003/2008 network infrastructure.
Management of hardware devices and hardware drivers, hardware upgrades configuration and maintenance.
Knowledge to perform troubleshooting of hardware devices, providing corrective action where required.
Ability to design a general network infrastructure and directory services infrastructure.
Installation, configuring and troubleshooting Microsoft Office 2003/2007 applications

Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista and Windows Server 2003/2008

Professional Accreditations

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer MCSE
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator MCSA Messaging
Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician MCDST
Microsoft Certified Professional MCP
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist MCTS
Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure: Configuration
Windows Server 2008 Active Directory: Configuration
Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure: Configuration
Microsoft Windows Vista: Configuration

Microsoft Certified IT Professional MCITP
Enterprise Support Technician
Server Administrator
Enterprise Administrator
CompTIA A+

Education & Training

Home Study ( Present )
CCENT/CCNA Exam 640-822 Cisco Certified Entry Level Network Technician

GCSE - 1997 English, Mathematics, Music, History, Art, Science, PE, Design Technology
Full clean driving license

Employment Summary

xxxxxx
ICT Support Engineer

*Providing second and third line support for internal systems across 4 sites, supporting 400 users
*Daily tasks consist of general IT administration, cloning workstations, Server builds, server software installations, upgrading or replacing failed hardware components, troubleshooting software related issues, both on the Servers and workstations
*Provide end user support both desk side and remotely
*Excellent knowledge and hands on experience with the following technologies, MS Office, TCP/IP, Active Directory, Group Policy, Terminal Services, DNS, DHCP, RRAS, Exchange Server 2003, WSUS, VPNs, MS Virtual Server, CA, RAID, Backup and disaster recovery procedures, Veritas Netbackup, Symantec Backup Exec System recovery, NAT, Firewalls, routers, switches, HP/Dell servers/Workstations
*Installing, configuring, managing, and troubleshooting printer devices
*Creating strong detailed documentation of procedures of system builds and fault resolution.

xxxxx
IT Support

*Provide a high level of customer service to the end user.
*Diagnosing and troubleshooting all hardware and software issues taking the corrective action laid out in the company policy.
*Create and enter strong and well documented resolutions into the company database.
*Integrated well within a team environment, appropriately organizing the workload effectively to meet daily deadlines.