Help With my Resume Need advice

gregorio323

Hello TE board. I would like to receive some advice and maybe help strengthen my resume. I have work experience but none is relevant to IT so i only have the one that is listed in there. I also do some volunteer work as a Teacher Assistant in my local community college kinda help students with there work for the Cisco Academy. I graduated from college with my A.A. and only need 8 courses for my BA in IT Technology i am looking for a IT position whether a paid intern or a permanent position. I want to stay away from Tech recruiters and Agencies from bad experience.
Overall i just need some help with my resume to make it more stronger and appealing so it wont just get overlooked. Please help it will be greatly appreciated.

gregorio323

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CodeBlox

I probably wont be of much help, but I will say these few things.

In my opinion, it isn't necessary to list certs that are implied by other certs. What I mean is, you list CCENT and then CCNA. No need to list CCENT as that is sort of a pre-req for CCNA.

Another thing is related to another thread I read today. I noticed you mentioned knowledge of BGP. Is that knowledge just things like "router BGP xxx" and "network xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx"? I will come back and post the link to the thread but do you really have working knowledge of BGP at the CCNA level?

Here is the thread related to my BGP comment: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/62164-some-folks-need-reality-check.html

gregorio323

im done with the CCNP route curriculum so i have done hours of bgp scenerios i do have knowledge of the protocol. i read that post id be able to answer basic bgp questions. i feel comfort able manipulating bgp attributes.

mikedisd2

gregorio323 wrote: »

not sure if i should add my CCNP is in progress and is expected by august.

No, don't add your WIP. According to other threads on this topic, doing so will add an unwanted keyword which might irritate some hiring managers who thought they had found an actual CCNP.

mikedisd2

Your format is just a few pages of text. Don't try to spruce this up; look up some Word templates and pick something out of there, or look for resume templates on Google.

As for content, lose the CCENT line; it's filler. Always list the highest cert first.

Change SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS to Skillset.

Your Networking section looks like a bunch of phrases from an exam blueprint. Take out half of the items to make it concise and readable. Listing ACLS, DHCP, NAT, PAT, CHAP, PAP, SSH, etc is pointless and knowledge is to be expected if you have passed your CCNA exam.

There are a few resume threads on this forum. Have a look around 'coz there's a lot you can do here to really highlight your CV.

gregorio323

Okay I took your guys advice I looked from some resume templates ones that I can work with. Took examples so here is the end result is still not perfect I'm sure but look it over and see if it's a better improvement and better off to use.

mikedisd2

Looking a lot better; you now have something to work with.

Time New Roman is dated; change to a more contemporary font like Calibri or Arial sz10.

You can go either way with this: 1x page or 2. So either stretch it out or condense it. To stretch, do things like list out the CompTIA certs and put spacing before each sub-heading (check skillset). You need to ask yourself: is my career to date a 1 or 2 pager?

Experience: List out in bullet form you duties and achievements. Paragraphs are too hard to read.

• Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

Shorten this to Proficient with Microsoft Office 2003/2007/etc.

Thanks for for rewriting the networking section; it looks heaps better. The size of it is out of balance with the other parts though. Try removing the following bits and add to your Experience section if applicable:

Networking:
• 3 years exposure with static routing and routing protocols (RIPv2, EIGRP, and OSPF) and with routed protocols such as TCP/IP. One year of experience working with BGP in a lab environment.
• Over two years of hands on experience configuring routers and switches, and performing troubleshooting tasks for connectivity.
• Cisco Routers 2500, 2600XM, 3600, 3700. Cisco ISR 800, 1800, 2800. Cisco Switches 2900, 3500
• Knowledge with different WAN technologies such as Frame Relay, T1, CSU/DSU, HDLC and PPP.
• Knowledge working with IP subnetting and VLSM network designs.
• Advanced knowledge with routers/switch management such as creating appropriate privilege levels, CLI views, and implementing an AAA environment (RADIUS/TACACS+) to authenticate users.
• Experience creating and configuring VLANS and Access Control List for security purposes.

• Package Sorter, (2006 to 20010) learned all United States zip codes including international to sort 3,500+ packages per day...

Remember to go over everything to remove typos, poor grammar and consistency in spacing and indentation. That's reason enough to have your hard work binned.

Your Education section is a little hard to read:

Education
Cerritos Community College – Norwalk, CA. Degree Awarded 2010
A.A. in Computer Information Systems Network Technician program

Spell this out in full. I say that because I don't actually know what an A.A. is. Rewrite the Degree Awarded 2010 bit, it's cluttered.

Concurrent Volunteer work with College Studies:
 Teacher Assistant (2010 to Present): Assist students with lab assignments and verify completion. Install/configure Cisco routers for lab use. Assure Cisco routers are up and running, back up router configurations, IOS images, and setup lab topologies.
 Professional Training – Cisco Network Academy Program, CompTIA A+, and CompTIA Network+

This needs to go somewhere else. Create another section at the end called Volunteer Experience or something. It looks wrong in the Education area.

I would remove everything between personal details and Education. If you want to keep it, label it as Objective, Summary or something. Vastly shorten it, remove the bullet point and try to state more of what you can offer a potential employer. Can't offer any thoughts as I don't really believe in them. For me, it's something I would put into a cover letter.

Keep at it, you're on the right track. You'll find that you'll be continually tweaking your resume in years to come as you gain more experience and knowledge. It's your life's work so it's worth taking a lot of pride in it.

gregorio323

Okay i went back re-edited it. Took your advice i added some high school volunteer work i did as well. I also moved my education down to the list because i only have a 2 year degree so isn't as respectable as a 4year and bumped up my professional and volunteer because that's where i have all my IT experience at. and i Put my Certifications right below my name to hopefully grab some attention see how it's laid out let me know what you think

mikedisd2

It's definitely taking shape. Just watch the formatting; there's a few full stops missing and inconsistent spacing, as well an unfonted heading.

It's really up to you how you want to work it from here. You can put a page count and a faded "Resume of G-G-C-" in the footer. I'd probably have a horizontal line at the end to finish the doc off.

gregorio323 wrote: »

I also moved my education down to the list because i only have a 2 year degree so isn't as respectable as a 4year

Hey, I only have a 15 year old Diploma but that's still on my first page as Education (and filler). You can of course combine your Certs/Education sections. I'd definitely have it on the first page though.

Oh, and indent your bullets an extra point. Aim for clarity and ease of reading.

gregorio323

thank you for the advice and taking the time to help me i feel much more confident with my resume seems to be way more structured and appealing. I did make it one page figured if I'm looking for IT help desk no reason for it to be more than 1. So, I took out basic stuff that infers my skills from the Cert exams. and Took UPS professional out because it's irrelevant to the position i'm applying for..

Essendon

That's way better than before. I like it.

I might just put a couple more bullet points in the Professional Experience section at your Robert Half role. Put some more meat in there, you want the prospective employer to see first hand what you have done and be immediately interested in bringing you in for an interview. Selling yourself is what a resume is all about.