Destroy My Resume.

darkerz

Alright, so after taking a hard look at my previous 3 page, then 2 page, now 1 page (Clean cut, right to the point and very sexy looking, IMO) resume, I have the result. I would appreciate gut reactions from the perspective of a HR guy for a Tier 1/ Entry level position, then from fellow technicians.

If it helps; Everything in the A+, Network+, CCENT and 680-685-686 exams is knowledge that's been drilled into my head for 2 years of college so far + self studying, I have only begun to go into certifying because I am no longer freelancing 20-40 hours a week.

Attached is the resume I almost sent out, but I hesitated. Again, any input or absolute ridicule (or praise, but I doubt that) would be nice. I want to keep everything in 1 page; Nice, crisp and specific.

Thanks guys!

mikedisd2

Doesn't look too bad at all. Ideas are:

Remove the summary; this info ought to be in a cover letter.

Put your education in reverse order so that your assoc degree is first (obviously takes precedence over your high school cert).

I would format it like this:
Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ September 2009 to Current
Associates Degree in Networking and Computing Systems

Not sure mentioning your physical strength will get you anywhere. Maybe leave that out. Word speed is good for typists, not IT support.

Use the extra space created from the above points to add your to your work experience. After 4+ years there must be a few more things to add. Stick in a few more product names and buzz words.

darkerz

mikedisd2 wrote: »

Doesn't look too bad at all. Ideas are:

Remove the summary; this info ought to be in a cover letter.
Put your education in reverse order so that your assoc degree is first (obviously takes precedence over your high school cert).

I would format it like this:
Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA September 2009 to Current
Associates Degree in Networking and Computing Systems

Not sure mentioning your physical strength will get you anywhere. Maybe leave that out. Word speed is good for typists, not IT support.

Use the extra space created from the above points to add your to your work experience. After 4+ years there must be a few more things to add. Stick in a few more product names and buzz words.

Indeed, I mentioned WPM and lift. because every post for Helpdesk Support, Analyst, etc. all specified this information. I could expand much more on specifics tho; especially with deployment services and third party troubleshooting tools, benching experience, the works.

And ah! Education, I can't believe I didn't see that. I'll flip it immediately. Close call there!

Thanks for the input. I'll post a revised second copy after a few more beatings. They shall continue until moral improves!

networker050184

I like the summary in the resume, but I think it should highlight your skills a bit rather than just stating you want a job.

ltgenspecific

Quick couple of things:

1. Your summary is actually ok for someone who is seeking experience. I would sell yourself more than state what you are doing. ("...seeking to contribute to the continued growth of Organization X while simultaneously developing a highly-refined skillset through on-going training and workplace contributions.")

2. You've only been out of High School for 1.5 years right? You're right on the cusp of leaving this on or off the resume then. I would leave it on for now (if you had a GREAT GPA, list it... if not, don't). Keep in mind, as soon as you graduate college and get work experience the HS-info should be deleted. You're good on that for now though.

3. WPM and lifting... TAKE THIS OUT. I understand it's listed on job reqs but you'll get asked about it in the interview. It's not something that fills a check-box in HR.

4. As you have some certs, do this: "Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) - Desktop Support Blah Blah Blah" Sometimes while M$ and Certification will generate hits on HR searches, MCTS can generate a hit also (and will more likely fill a check box too, don't BOLD it, just have it there).

Other than that, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COVER LETTER PREPARED for every application you send out. You'll want it to be tailored to the specific job at hand as well.

Good work so far, short and to the point is always better. As you gain more experience, you'll find it flashes itself up almost automatically (Whether you're in sales, IT, or otherwise). Remember to keep a "working resume" once you start in a position, that you update as you gain more experience. You never know when your boss might want to promote you.

Happy hunting

millworx

Alright a few things.

First off your summary reads more like an objective. "Give me a job." If you want a true summary which I would recommend, list in a couple sentences what you do and why your a strong candidate. Sell them on yourself in two lines! What makes yourself so great. You don't need to put that your looking for a job, they already know that, that's why they have your resume.

Under your work experience, you didnt list the dates you've done this work, like Mar 2006 - Present.

Under [FONT=&quot]'Independent PC Consulting and Repair, Support Technician' you have a grammatical error "[/FONT][FONT=&quot]4+ years performing following tasks;" [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Should be read "4+ years performing the following tasks:" In fact I would actually get rid of that line and put a basic description of what you do. I'de also be inclined to remove the bullet by your work title and bold that line.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Underneath that you list what you have done. That is great and all, but it doesn't show really any accomplishments. Like for instance you say extensive exposure to front line client issues and resolving needs professionally. Explain a little bit more HOW you resolved issue's and what benefit it had to the organization. Get it? That way they can see WHAT you did, and the positive effect it had. I.E - I did xyz and it increased overall performance on the LAN by 25%.

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]So it would go something more like:

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Independent PC Consulting and Repair (Mar 2008 - Present)
Support Technician[/FONT]
Worked as an independent contractor providing project support for small to medium sized businesses. Acted as the first line of support providing fast resolutions for clients experiencing issues with their systems and networks.

• Diagnosed problems with client desktops running Windows XP, Vista and Win 7, leading to minimal client downtime.
• Created backups of client desktop operating systems, via windows backup, and creating system images, that ensured loss of client data was minimal in the even of a disaster scenario.
• Installed Windows operating system on new PCs, and migrated users from slower machines to newer machines which helped overall employee productivity.

Etc Etc..
^^^^^
Something like that would be a great opener!

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

ltgenspecific

@millworx Precisely.

darkerz

What a morning to wake up to! And considering some of the guys who have been advising' me in multiple things so far are people from my area who actually hire, I'm definitely going to listen and refine really close.

I have a checklist of what to do after breakfast; (Yes, I woke up late, I was up all night labbing like mad for my 686 exam)

~Refine work experience module
~Make my summary an actual summary
~MCTS/MCITP title additions in ()
~Always use a cover letter sticky note by my desk
~Replace WPM/Lifting with something relevant
~Leave HS on until I am finished with Associates

One question. Once I am done my AS in spring I will be attending the next 2 years for a 4 year degree. Should I list that as a work in progress or leave it out when the time comes? Then again; It's a part time work load and don't want the 'student' stigma to haunt me forever.

ltgenspecific

darkerz wrote: »

One question. Once I am done my AS in spring I will be attending the next 2 years for a 4 year degree. Should I list that as a work in progress or leave it out when the time comes? Then again; It's a part time work load and don't want the 'student' stigma to haunt me forever.

Is the 4 year degree relevant? As in Bachelors in Information Systems? Then YES, when the time comes. You'd replace the High School info with that to keep the resume the same length.

Here's the thing. Education is important. Continuing education is important. As you're young, you'll want to show that you want to get a job but also have the drive to promote and endure increasing levels of responsibility.

So, list the Bachelors when the time comes. Just make sure you show it's a WIP as most companies will do degree audits to ensure you have earned what you say you have earned.

**Keep in mind, this is all IMHO. I'm looking at getting into the IT field myself so some of the Vets here might be of a different mind. I just happen to have a formal education in HRM and a good bit of D2D exp. as well.

Keep up the good work. (Bellevue College is a nice school from what I hear, how'd you like the M$-sponsored IT building there? I hear it's slick.)

EDIT: Some folks posted about grammar and format. This stuff is REALLY important. Ask an English teacher at BC or their Career Services dept. for help on proof-reading.

jmreicha

millworx wrote: »

Alright a few things.

First off your summary reads more like an objective. "Give me a job." If you want a true summary which I would recommend, list in a couple sentences what you do and why your a strong candidate. Sell them on yourself in two lines! What makes yourself so great. You don't need to put that your looking for a job, they already know that, that's why they have your resume.

Is there a rule of thumb for how much space to take up with a Summary instead of an objective? You say a couple sentences, would you equate that to 4-5 lines or would you say going higher than that is too much?

millworx

jmreicha wrote: »

Is there a rule of thumb for how much space to take up with a Summary instead of an objective? You say a couple sentences, would you equate that to 4-5 lines or would you say going higher than that is too much?

There is no difference really, I would say 4-5 lines at most yes. You dont want HR to read a novel. As long as it is clear and concise, that is the best.

darkerz

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for re-shaping my resume, I got 2 calls in 1 day from 2 Tier1 positions in the Bellevue, WA area and they both sound promising. 28-36k/ year range between the two, but at this point anything above minimum wage for me... Is golden! Aaaah! Once I go in for the interviews and see what the techs and HR have to actually say about my CVL, Resume and skillsets, I'll post up updates for other aspiring techs.

I'M SO EXCITED! AAH!

jmreicha

darkerz wrote: »

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for re-shaping my resume, I got 2 calls in 1 day from 2 Tier1 positions in the Bellevue, WA area and they both sound promising. 28-36k/ year range between the two, but at this point anything above minimum wage for me... Is golden! Aaaah! Once I go in for the interviews and see what the techs and HR have to actually say about my CVL, Resume and skillsets, I'll post up updates for other aspiring techs.

I'M SO EXCITED! AAH!

Congrats on the callbacks.

ltgenspecific

Good work man. Let us know how it goes.

coolstorybro

Nice. Is this part time or full time?

edit: I'm curious as to if you went with recruiters or directly with the companies?