my Resume any good?

matt333

I'm not graduating till August but my classmate are already applying, rather then wait I figured I'd put my resume up and see what you guys think. Add/Change advise would be great
Thanks Guys

DigitalZeroOne

Before anything else, the two things that really stick out for me is the way you section off your Education, Professional Certification, Technical Skills, and Work History. They run into each other, so you see education with break lines, you list your education, but in those same lines you go into Professional Certification.

Section off those areas

---

Education
info
info

---

Professional Certification
info
info
info

---

Also, you are not using the correct tense for past jobs. You write past jobs as if you are currently at those companies. Instead of Maintained, upgraded, installed for past jobs, you are writing Maintain, upgrade, install. There are other areas, but those stood out for me first.

matt333

DigitalZeroOne wrote: »

Before anything else, the two things that really stick out for me is the way you section off your Education, Professional Certification, Technical Skills, and Work History. They run into each other, so you see education with break lines, you list your education, but in those same lines you go into Professional Certification.

Section off those areas

---

Education
info
info

---

Professional Certification
info
info
info

---

Also, you are not using the correct tense for past jobs. You write past jobs as if you are currently at those companies. Instead of Maintained, upgraded, installed for past jobs, you are writing Maintain, upgrade, install. There are other areas, but those stood out for me first.

thanks, maybe its the formatting of your MS Word if i understand your first comment. I'm using MS 2010 and it seems fine to me it is a little smushed because I want to keep it to one page. thanks for the past tense comment. I never realized it till you pointed it out

matt333

after looking at it.. i think i will keep it the way it is, it doesnt seem to make sense if i changed it to

▪ Maintained, upgraded, installed and troubleshoot networks, networking hardware devices and software.

i could be wrong but i think present sounds better...

Novalith478

matt333 wrote: »

after looking at it.. i think i will keep it the way it is, it doesnt seem to make sense if i changed it to

▪ Maintained, upgraded, installed and troubleshoot networks, networking hardware devices and software.

i could be wrong but i think present sounds better...

Why would you write in the wrong tense? Then the person reading your resume will either 1) be confused 2) think you are incapable of speaking/writing English properly 3) both of the aforementioned.

Qord

First thing I notice is listing CCENT and CCNA. I'd drop the CCENT, kinda redundant.

I think it would also be nice if you could condense things in your work history, maybe do away with 1-2 lines of text per position. This would give you a little more white space, and would make it more aesthetically pleasing. Just my opinion. As it is now, you could add a few hits of the ENTER key to separate things a little better without spilling onto a 2nd page.

ptilsen

matt333 wrote: »

after looking at it.. i think i will keep it the way it is, it doesnt seem to make sense if i changed it to

▪ Maintained, upgraded, installed and troubleshoot networks, networking hardware devices and software.

i could be wrong but i think present sounds better...

You are wrong. It does not sound better. Present tense should only be used on your current job, and even on your current job past tense makes sense. Present tense used to describe past experiences sounds horrible, and it's very painful for the types of people to who read resumes regularly to see. Even your present tense isn't consistent; you have the present participle ("troubleshooting WAN...") along side normal present tense ("Plan", "Provide", etc.).

The formatting seems fine in Word 2007. It's a bit too much content for one page, though. Some formatting improvements and content adjustments could make it fill the space better. There's too much space at the bottom, yet not enough space in between sections and companies. You will need to reduce content, though. You need to cut Work History by 4-7 lines, and possibly cut Technical Skills one line. Education goes at bottom. The only time that sentence is not true is if A. You work in education or B. Have no relevant work experience. Since neither is the case, Put Education at the bottom.

Drop expiration dates from certifications. They are either active or not active. You would only specify in the case of the latter. It does not benefit you at all to have the dates listed. It is beneficial to obscure them, if anything.

Languages and scripting seem redundant and misleading. You have a mixture of interpreted, compiled, and markup languages in "Languages", but then more interpreted languages in scripting. But more importantly, I don't believe that you're actually fluent or even proficient in those languages. I can differentiate between all of those languages and could figure out a section of code if I had to -- every one of them -- but I wouldn't list the majority of them on my resume because I'm not a programmer, a web developer, and I'm not deeply proficient in them. I like to highlight my experience with Windows command-line, VBscript, PowerShell, and BASH. But I don't write programs regularly and am not competent in C++. I don't make web pages and I'm not proficient in PHP, Java (of any form) or HTML. As such, I don't list them. If I start throwing SharePoint questions at you in an interview, are you ready? What about Linux? AD?

Unless you're truly a systems engineer, network engineer, and programmer rolled into one deeply skilled IT ninja, you're going to want to clean up your skills to highlight your real strengths and knowledge. Anything you list in there has to be something you know well. On that note, I take from your certifications and your signature you are interested in moving deeper into the networking world. Yet, I don't see any significant networking skills listed. If you just got CCNA you should be able to list some significant switching and routing skills.

Your actual experience content is not bad, outside of the tense issue. However, it is focused too much on job responsibilities and not enough on making you stand out as an employee. Show how you brought value to the employer through the application of your skills. Show ways in which you improved the efficiency, reduced cost, successfully met goals, and ultimately impacted the bottom line. You should still list some responsibilities, but not absolutely everything you've done.

matt333

sweet thanks for the advise I'm going to update it. apparently I have my work cut out for me. i did update the past tense problem, im going to fix it some more tomorrow. THANKS GUYS

SteveLord

Agree with most here. You should be listing what you did, not what sounds like a job description.

matt333

i changed it up and made it a pdf.. maybe that will fix the formatting issue
i have a few questions... I have the CCNA and network +.. but I dont really know how to talk about it.. should i say i know these routing protocols (RIP, OSPF etc), vlans.. etc or just keep it general like i have it.
What do you think of the way i put in the technical skills?

ADDED projects i did when i worked on there.. i have a few more that i did that i didnt list.
I tried to put both responsibilities with projects so that they can understand my role better... this that a no-no on a resume??

***
On a sidenote i got a call for a position today after applying yesterday but it was kinda low salary and i have some time before i have to just take any job.. good sign at the very least

Asif Dasl

1 - Way way way too scrunched up - put it on to 2 pages, I can hardly read it, increase the font size a bit & increase the line spacing to 1.5 or 2.0 & increase the border to an inch.

2 - Put Certifications first, then Education.

3 - Remove "Active" after the certifications, if you listed it then it's active to them unless it's expired like with a CCNA maybe. Even listing that may not be a good idea.

4 - Technical skills - put them in to an order of competency & job importantance.

5 - Put full stops in.

6 - No idea what "Setup new Workstation/Laptop to predefined standard" means - for cloning? or "Tracked and routed problems and requests and documented resolutions" - helpdesk & escalated issues?

7 - You put admining BES servers at the bottom? Put that near the top after Exchange - in order of difficulty.

8 - I would leave out "Researched questions using available information resources", you could put it in the Company 3 job description but not Company 2, but like I say I would leave it out or put it another way (Google is not the first thing I want to say to myself - this guy wants credit for Googling?).

NetworkVeteran

matt333 wrote: »

I have the CCNA and network +.. but I dont really know how to talk about it.. should i say i know these routing protocols (RIP, OSPF etc), vlans.. etc or just keep it general like i have it.

+ For cerifications, listing it is enough. Anyone who values a certification will know roughly what is is. What you have, "CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate - Active" is fine. So would be, "CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate - <year>"

+ You should only say you know OSPF if you indeed know OSPF. Passing the CCNA certainly doesn't mean you know OSPF. The CCNA only covers single-area OSPF, a very limited subset. If you want to put something, that would be a good way to describe it. I do list OSPF as one of my technical skills and successfully defended that at several interviews this week. The sorts of questions I got: "Explain type-1 vs type-2 metrics and which is preferred?", "Which LSAs are accepted in an NSSA?", "What causes neighbors to become stuck in EXTSTART/EXCHANGE?", "Which LSAs are rejected by a stub area?", "How would you make an area reject type 3 summaries?", "Why might area 0 be distcontiguous, why is that a problem, and how would you solve it?".

+ The line, "Solid understanding of Cisco IOS Routers, Switches, and routing protocols.", this may be a good place to expand on your exposure to various protocols:

"Experienced operating Cisco gear and configuring/troubleshooting single-area OSPF, RIPv1/v2, VLANs etc."

=> The key point -- say what you know, but don't oversell or exaggerate.

mattlee09

"Improve batch management by designing and implementing a WSUS server"

+1 to what everyone else said as well. I know how difficult it is, but the work revising and editing is well worth it.

matt333

Thanks Guy A LOT of good suggestions i will keep revising...
I like this..
"Solid understanding of Cisco IOS routers and switches, including single-area OSPF, RIPv1/v2, etc."

soo much i haven't learned.. I definitively dont want to make myself sound like I know more then I do. thanks for the wording.. pretty hard to pick the right words

NetworkVeteran

It gets easier! Effective resume #1 becomes a good template for resume #2.

matt333

i made the font size 12.. its official 2 pages ... trying to fight back (college adviser words) "the need for it to be 1 page"

listed my technical skills by competencies
Working knowledge with Active Directory, pfSence 2.0/1.2.3 ▪ Windows Deployment Services, WSUS, Microsoft Office Suite 03/07/10 Windows Exchange 07/10
I have worked with these ^^ some more then others

Exposure to VMware ESX/i vSphere 4/5, Symantec Backup Exec, Symantec Antivirus
^^i built out a lab environment for myself on VMware.. 2 dc, exchange, WSUS server just to see how to get them set up. aside from creating, adding and moving(for fun) the VMs that all i did.. exposure seems like a good word to use Symantec Backup Exec, Symantec Antivirus mostly just saw the new packages being deployed.. very little hands-on

Basic knowledge of Unix/Linux specifically Ubuntu and Fedora
i have VMs for both OS.. i no some the commands to get around open files (cd, ls, vi etc) i also took a unix admin class.. adding users, setting permission..

Scripting: Basic knowledge of Perl and Bash
^^took a class on it learned a little, plan on reading more about it

Networking: Solid understanding of Cisco IOS routers and switches, including single-area OSPF, RIPv1/v2, EIGRP, Vlan and subnetting.
^^what i learned from my CCNA
Attachment not found.

ptilsen

Either go back to one page or fill it out. There's no sense in having just a tiny bit on the second page.

A two-pager is not the end of the world, and relatively few employers will disregard two-page resumes these days. However, in my opinion you do not have enough experience to justify two pages. You still have way too much content in your Work History and Technical Skills sections. Education still needs to get moved to the bottom.

You spelled pfSense wrong, but I'm not sure I'd list it myself. Unless you are applying to a job that asks for pfSense specifically, it has relatively standalone value. Listing "firewall configuration" might be wise, especially if you have experience with multiple products.

I'm not sure what Windows Exchange is, but it's not a product I'm familiar with.

"Symantec Backup Exec, Symantec antivirus" can become "Symantec BackupExec & Antivirus".

I would list Windows Deployment Services as WDS. As with WSUS, anyone who knows it will know the acronym; anyone who doesn't know the acronym doesn't know it at all.

I think it's unnecessary to separate "notable projects" from the rest. That tells me I don't need to read the rest. If I don't need to read the rest, it shouldn't be on your resume at all. With that in mind you might prefer a slight format change. Rather than 5-10 bullet points for each job, start each job description with a 1-3 sentence paragraph that concisely describes the responsibilities. Then, list 3-6 bullets of major accomplishments and notable projects. This will save space, more effectively illustrate your value, and I think it's a better way to approach what you're trying to do right now.

Also, the location of the company in the middle does not flow well and is not really typical. After you've reduced some of the content (my suggestions above will cut out 4-8 lines), you'll have room to list location below company name. This is the preferred method. List dates to the right is still a great way to do it.

NetworkVeteran

ptilsen wrote: »

However, in my opinion you do not have enough experience to justify two pages.

Rather than 5-10 bullet points for each job, start each job description with a 1-3 sentence paragraph that concisely describes the responsibilities. Then, list 3-6 bullets of major accomplishments and notable projects.

+1. You list less than two years of experience. One page is optimal.

Asif Dasl

I still prefer a 2 page, I think it shows you have the experience to fill 2 pages even if you don't. You need to put spaces between the different sections it still looks incredibly cramped, change the page border and change the line spacing - that will fill it out to at least 1.5 pages. Bold the start of sections so they stand out more. Put plenty of space between sections and each job, it will actually make it very easy to read - which is a good thing. If you did that and you get to 1.5 to 2 pages then it won't look as lightweight as a 1 page resume.

But that's just my opinion.

matt333

i looked online and changed it up a lot.. im probably going to change the summaries a little.. any advise on what to put in there? maybe some key words or something..
company 1 is a community center/ housing org
company 2 larger IT consulting
Company 3 small IT consulting
Attachment not found.

TheCudder

Asif Dasl wrote: »

I still prefer a 2 page, I think it shows you have the experience to fill 2 pages even if you don't. You need to put spaces between the different sections it still looks incredibly cramped, change the page border and change the line spacing - that will fill it out to at least 1.5 pages. Bold the start of sections so they stand out more. Put plenty of space between sections and each job, it will actually make it very easy to read - which is a good thing. If you did that and you get to 1.5 to 2 pages then it won't look as lightweight as a 1 page resume.

But that's just my opinion.

I personally disagree about filling 2 pages just to make it seem like you've done more than you have.

Looking at your most recent revision, I feel that the formatting along with the underlines, font choice and size is a bit messy & disorganized. Additionally, your work history isn't uniform. The locations and work dates should line up vertically --- tables tables tables. I think once you get the formatting down, it's easier to figure out what should stay and what should go as far as content goes.

Asif Dasl

It looks much better than it was...

After Blackberry Enterprise Server just add BES for the keyword filtering.

For someone who has a CCNA I would expect to see Networking Skills near the top of Technical Skills.

In company 1 - 500+ tenants? should be users no?

In company 1 - Project bases? should be basis no?

Full stops.

I would put Education second. It just looks wrong down there.


TheCudder - Oh I may have looked at it on 2 pages and thought it doesn't look too good and then changed it back to 1 page... it was just a suggestion... it didn't look too good as it was, it is much better now - that's why you should be doing a resume over a few weeks to perfect it and not until the last minute when you need it.

matt333

i wouldnt say "users" because not all of them active use our service (PC repair)
Thanks for the grammer check
yeah i agree that education looks weird down there.. but the more resumes i looked at.. there all down there
ill change it up if theres no abjection..

NetworkVeteran

matt333 wrote: »

yeah i agree that education looks weird down there.. but the more resumes i looked at.. there all down there ill change it up if theres no abjection..

Your resume is a quick overview of why someone should hire you. Less is more. Whether education belongs at the top or bottom depends on how much of a bragging point it is. A master's in CS from MIT from a new graduate belongs at the top. An AA from someone with a CCIE and ten years experience belongs at the bottom if anywhere.

If your degree has any salt, name the actual degree you obtained and the university, and move it to the top. As it is, you don't name either. That implies they're both low-quality, and perhaps placement at the bottom makes sense.

matt333

thanks for everyone's help
i think my resume is definitively got better. yeah i go to a pretty decent engineering school in boston. the top-ish makes more sense to me for education. im going to look at the summaries for each job ive had and see if i can word it better.. other then that im happy with the technical skills area and format

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING SO GLAD I PUT MY RESUME UP