Yet another resume criticism request...

If you were me, would you include the certifications (MCSE) and degree (Bach.) that I'm currently pursuing?

Criticize away!

Google messed up the formatting a little bit. I don't actually have bullet points in front of the job titles or colleges:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc7t6nzc_34f7qjsgvp

Edit: And if it makes any difference, this is for a Systems Administrator position that I'm debating on whether or not I should apply for.

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Comments

dynamik

Just at first glance:
Come up with a better summary. All that information is available by glancing at your resume. I'd spend a little more time talking about your personality and capabilities.

Try and keep it to one page. Do the two oldest employers really matter any more? I'd consider dropping those.

I'd put all three accolades from your first college under the same heading. Listing it three times seems out of place.

I'd leave the in-progress degree, but take off the cert. I think it's more appropriate for long-term endeavors.

meadIT

dynamik wrote:

Just at first glance:
Try and keep it to one page. Do the two oldest employers really matter any more? I'd consider dropping those.

I'd put all three accolades from your first college under the same heading. Listing it three times seems out of place.

I'd leave the in-progress degree, but take off the cert. I think it's more appropriate for long-term endeavors.

The oldest two employers do not really matter as far as job duties go, but I left it on there for a couple of reasons:

1) Shows that I have business and people skills, not just IT.
2) The oldest employer on my resume is actually the same as my current employer. This shows that I've been loyal to the same company and have worked my way up and not just stayed in the same position.

Are these valid reasons to leave them on there or would you still remove them?

Good point on the three listings from the same college. This resume has been a work in progress since I received my first AAS degree, so I just added on. It makes sense to consolidate them.

paintb4707

I have to disagree with dynamik on the summary. The summary does need to change but I feel that a summary should highlight roughly how long you've been in the field and what position and industries you worked for.

If I were an HR personnel working in a manufacturing industry and I read in the first line of your resume that you have experience working for a manufacturer I'd be intrigued to keep reading because I'd be more confident that you would be a better solution provider than the rest of the applicants. Better yet, if I read in the first line that you were a System Admin for a manufacturer and that was the position I was trying to fill, I'd be even more intrigued. You practically seal the deal with the first paragraph. Sometimes you have to spell things out for people and they may not realize the significance of this if it wasn't highlighted in the summary.

dynamik

Oh, well now it's on, Paintb4707!

Here's a good guide I found: http://www.solveyourproblem.com/resume-writing/writing_your_resume_summary.shtml

The reason I feel that way is that it gives you an opportunity to talk about yourself. I'm not saying he can't include any of that information, but it just seems to be a bit silly to throw the certifications around when they're in a list right below that.

What you do with the older companies is ultimately your call. Keep in mind that most people will only glance at the first page and move on. If you want to keep them, (and you might want to do this anyway) move your education above them. You do not want that to get overlooked.

meadIT

dynamik wrote:

but it just seems to be a bit silly to throw the certifications around when they're in a list right below that.
...
(and you might want to do this anyway) move your education above them. You do not want that to get overlooked.

More good points. I used to have the certifications at the bottom after education, and used the summary to make sure they weren't overlooked. It would be smart to move the things you don't want overlooked to the first page. That would move the less important stuff (two old jobs) to the end. Thanks!