Need some Resume Critque

DeeSeven

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking long enough so I decided today is the day I'll get an account and contribute . I'm in the operations field and looking to get out and onto really anything IT/PC related. My big "problem" is I was self taught all my pc/mac knowledge, I never went to schooling for it nor took any exam. And my experience lacks of what I can truly do. My resume is below any help would be awesome

Career Overview

Motivated and customer-oriented Graphic Designer with strong conceptual and design skills.

Qualifications

Excellent problem solving skills
Knowledge of streaming video platforms
Technical help desk experience
Programming and design skills
Strong analytical skills
Strong collaborative skills
Optimizing and performance tuning
Testing

Technical Skills

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustator
Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Frontpage, Word)
Adobe Dreamweaver

Work Experience

IBM - Chicago, IL
December 2007 - Current
2nd Shift Operations

• Assisted in the monitoring and reporting on website traffic and performance.
• Created HTML email templates and newsletters for e-mail marketing campaigns.
• Served as operating system expert, providing technical support for entire organization.
• Designed, documented and executed maintenance procedures, including system upgrades, patch management and system backups.

Link Link Printing - Columbus, OH
May 2007 to November 2007
Printer

• Circulated creative folders and obtained sign-offs to maintain efficient production flow.
• Jogged and stacked paper by delivering blank or partially printed stock to equipment.
• Met all production schedules and throughput yield targets.
• Examined printed copy for correct ink density, position on paper and registration.
• Collaborated with technicians to diagnose equipment breakdowns and address quality issues.Managed paper, ink and printing supply inventories.Monitored time and performance standards and reduced waste and spoilage during run mode.

Education and Training

2003 Gibbs College Chicago, IL
Associate of Science Computer Science

DeeSeven

bump bump

Essendon

I'll provide a critique, have some time on my hands this morning.

1. Drop the Motivated and customer-oriented Graphic Designer bit . Do you wish to continue in Graphics Design? If you dont, change the opening liner to something on the lines of Motivate and customer-oriented technician/support/engineer...

Why: When some HR douche reads your opening line, they'll be like - What the hell's this resume doing in my pile. Once this thought comes into their mind, they'll pass you over. Rarely, if ever, they'll then read the entire resume. Your opening was weak and there lies the resume in the trash pile.

2. Tailor your resume for the position you are after. If you are after a helpdesk role, say more stuff about helpdesk support/end-user support/service center.

3. Your second section reads Qualifications. None of what you listed in that section is a qualification. I like flying in planes, does that make me qualified to fly an inter-continental airliner? No, right?

4. Skills section - Most helpdesk centers will be working on basic sys administration work - resetting password/fixiing printers/logging tickets with vendors/chasing up third parties/keeping people updated/troubleshoot MS Office issues, you get the idea. Try to incorporate such things into you resume. I realize graphics design is what you've been doing but that isnt what you want to be doing in a few months. So like I said before, put more relevant bits in there.

5. You've bee in your current role for 5 years and surely you could write more than 4 lines about it? Surely you've worked on some projects, something substantial, something that'll catch the hiring manager's eye. PUT THAT IN!

6. Work on a cert or two, list that in the Qualifications section along with your education, this'll put some meat on the bones.

Weak resume overall, one that'll easily go into trash. Please dont take any of what I said personally, this is just honest criticism. I expect you to put up a second much improved iteration for us to look at

DeeSeven

thanks for the reply back, I understand it needs some work. I just wasn't sure where to go and everyone has a "different idea of what should be on a resume" so it is nice to hear something that makes sense Thanks again I'll work on it this week and repost when its done

cyberguypr

Good advice from Essendon. My biggest issue right now is regarding point 5 above. You have the typical "install, configure, maintain" stuff. Literally anyone who can read a deployment guide guide can do this. What you wan to do here is highlight those specific things that you worked on that brought value to the company, usually in the form of time or money savings. This is how you will distinguish yourself from the zillion other techs out there. That is what hiring managers are looking for.

Best advice right now is to look at previous posts here so we you see what works and what doesn't. Then, come back with questions.

ltj8765

Esseendon gave you an excellent critique above so I do not really have too much to add what he said. Instead, I just want to give pointers on the idea behind a resume.

Your resume is a brief that you put together to sell yourself. When someone reads that resume, you want them to think, "wow! This guy is great!!." I know this is getting more into the ideas and philosophy behind a resume and not really into specific steps one can take to improve a resume. The point I am trying to make here is approach your resume as a blank slate. Think how you want to sell yourself to this person. I can say honestly from past experiences, it was not always my qualifications that got me a position, but my attitude that I expressed in my resume and later in the interview. Later, as I look at resumes from a hiring point, I try to look at something that stands out. Not so much super great education and qualifications as much as something that makes that person different.

Needless to say, there is no such thing as being over confident in what you write into resume and it is acceptable and I think critical to almost "brag" on your accomplishments. Remember, this is you selling yourself and if you cannot make a good sales pitch, then you missed an opportunity.

Again, like Esseendon says above, you should craft your resume to each job specifically. Research the company and find out where they are going. Read the job description closely and try to create a cover letter explaining how your skills can match their needs and why as well as write your resume to those requirements. It may take a few days to get everything right, but it will be well worth it. Here is an example of what I say about myself for my linkedin account and I slightly reword things in my resume for a specific position:

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NAME is a Telecommunications Engineer & Manager with 21+ years of experience and is recognized as a knowledgeable and professional leader in the Telecommunications industry. NAME brings direct expertise in the areas of Telecommunications network engineering, network implementation, and network operations, providing an in depth and strategic insight to overall Telecommunications network planning and management.

Insightful and forward thinking NAME states: "Network Engineering and Planning is not just about building a network, It is about building a network system, and a network system must be "Dependable," easily "Maintainable," and easily "Expandable." Success in these three areas, or "DME," leads to increased operational efficiency which in turn leads to sustained revenue and growth for any Telecommunications system."

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Hope this helps and good luck!!