My resume blows! Please help? :(

Shecky

Hi TechExam friends!

I haven't touched my resume in about hmmm... 5 years? Could anyone please shine a little light on it and chime in with some help?

Appreciated!

docrice

I wish I could work at LOLcats (heh). I quickly skimmed through the resume, and the first thing I could see improvement in is the bullet list for your current position. Instead of listing things you do, re-angle it so it shows a list of things you have accomplished which has improved the business (reduced costs, increased efficiency, etc.). Those are the things employers really look for.

For example, anyone can create / update / disable user accounts. But what if you made automation scripts for it to save time and reduce the probability of errors? Etc..

mikedisd2

Remove the redundancies in your Certs/Summary section, ie,. MCSA, MCP. This looks like and is, just filler. Also, don't bother listing all your MCTS certs. Again, it's just filler and the reader won't appreciate having to plow through all the gratutitious material. Make every word worth reading.

Although you haven't completed your BS yet, on first glance it reads that you have. May want to make it obviously clear as to where you're at with it. Something like 'Currently completing..., expected...'

Remove your address from your resume. No one needs to know this, protect your privacy.

Maybe more buzz words, technologies and vendors could be list in your work history. Although there is plenty in your Skills section, none of it states that you have real world experience with it. Nothing tells me that you have actually worked with AD, DNS, DHCP, etc. Also rearrange the points to bring the biggest, coolest duties to the top. Managing user accounts should be at the bottom.

And what is MCP 2.0 suppose to be? Remove it.

Essendon

In addition to what the others have said, beef up the bullet points. The Skills section is just padding in my eyes, you have Group Policy Management written very proudly there but there isnt anything in the experience section about it. Elaborate, but dont go overboard. Get rid of the Skills section, move the Certs up man, what are you doing?? You have the MCSE and the MCITP dude, they should be shining up there man. List higher level certs first, followed by the minnows. A resume is all about telling a prospective customer what you can bring to a company, so what they want to see is - Valuable experience backed up by those certs.

earweed

I like the other suggestions already given. Something else I don't care for is a summary. This belongs more in the cover letter and is more or less filler.
As others have said if you've been a system admin for 3+ years you should have some better entries for the experience section.
Something nobody else mentionned is that you only list the one job. If you made it to sys admin you must have done some good things on the way at your other jobs. Maybe you could list them. If it causes more than 1 page then make sure it's 2 full pages though,

Dave88LX

Nix the non-contributing summary and use the valuable real estate on the paper for something worthwhile that you've done.

"Everyone" is highly motivated and creative. Tell them HOW you are motivated/creative. "Seeking new opportunity"? Blah. Very blah. Get rid of it all.

Seems like the way those certs are listed is a bit of wasted space too. Fix that, use the space for more accomplishments/responsibilities.

I don't like the "Expected 2010" bit. Perhaps put "Pursuing degree in", with how many credit hours you've completed, or, have left.

With what you have listed, no way I would run that onto a 2nd page. I had 10 years IT when I put my first resume out there and I squeezed it (neatly) onto one page. I would keep it on one, based on what you have listed.

Are you really a SysAdmin at LOLCats?