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Help with my resume?
astrogeek
Member Posts: 251 ■■■□□□□□□□
I need some advice on my resume. I don't have a lot of experience but I'm sure I could do better. There are already some things that I don't like about it, but I'm just going to post it the way it is now and see what advice I get.
A little about me...
I've been working in a NOC environment for about 2 years. This company is contracted to manage the network of our customer, so we basically just make sure everything is up and running to keep the customer happy. Before this job I was a truck driver right up until the economy went bad and was laid off in 2008. Though I was a truck driver, I've always been a geek at heart and used this unemployment as an opportunity to make the career change I had put off for too long.
During my time off I enrolled in a Networking+ course and signed up for a CCNA Academy at a local community college. During the CCNA academy I also did a short internship which ultimately turned into a full time job. Since being hired I've also enrolled in a CCNA Security and CCNP networking academy. I currently hold CCNA and CCNA Security certifications, but not CCNP. I'm still working on passing the CCNP Switch exam, which I hope to do soon. I haven't taken the CCNP Route exam yet, but I'm not even ready for that exam anyway.
The only IT experience I have is with my current company, and as I mentioned in another thread I don't get a lot of experience where I'm at. We mostly just make sure nothing is broken, and we rarely need to make any major configuration changes. I'm having a tough time playing up my strengths and I feel the resume I have just looks very weak with no real "meat" in the center. I also don't really know how to play up any strengths from my previous job, I hate even mentioning that I'm a former truck driver because it adds the stigma that I'm probably not into technology, even though it's the exact opposite.
A little about me...
I've been working in a NOC environment for about 2 years. This company is contracted to manage the network of our customer, so we basically just make sure everything is up and running to keep the customer happy. Before this job I was a truck driver right up until the economy went bad and was laid off in 2008. Though I was a truck driver, I've always been a geek at heart and used this unemployment as an opportunity to make the career change I had put off for too long.
During my time off I enrolled in a Networking+ course and signed up for a CCNA Academy at a local community college. During the CCNA academy I also did a short internship which ultimately turned into a full time job. Since being hired I've also enrolled in a CCNA Security and CCNP networking academy. I currently hold CCNA and CCNA Security certifications, but not CCNP. I'm still working on passing the CCNP Switch exam, which I hope to do soon. I haven't taken the CCNP Route exam yet, but I'm not even ready for that exam anyway.
The only IT experience I have is with my current company, and as I mentioned in another thread I don't get a lot of experience where I'm at. We mostly just make sure nothing is broken, and we rarely need to make any major configuration changes. I'm having a tough time playing up my strengths and I feel the resume I have just looks very weak with no real "meat" in the center. I also don't really know how to play up any strengths from my previous job, I hate even mentioning that I'm a former truck driver because it adds the stigma that I'm probably not into technology, even though it's the exact opposite.
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Essendon
Member Posts: 4,546 ■■■■■■■■■■
Not directed at you, but I hate that format. See how the "professional profile" sits separate from the work history. Doesnt tell me what you did at each job. The stuff you have hashed out in the profile area - you could have worked with that years ago, doesnt tell me what you've been doing at your current job or your previous jobs. Here's what I'd fix:
1. Separate your responsibilities per job. When you do this, put some meat on the bones. Have two sentences per bullet point. You want some substance to the resume and your responsibilities.
2. Remove the logos and the expiration date. The logos are kinda tacky and you dont need to mention the dates, tell them if brought up at the interview.
3. Club certs and education into the one section. Label it Certifications/Education and bullet point the items under.
4. Personally, I'd list only one (the most recent) of your non-IT jobs. Some recruiter may think - O this guy's been a truckie for half the decade, is he any good at IT. Dont mean to offend at all, just a thought. I was a courier driver myself for a while before I got into IT.
5. Condense your resume into one page. You can easily fit it all in and the end result will be much cleaner. Only go over into a second page if you've got enough experience under your belt.
A resume is all about selling oneself, so when you design your resume think what the other person wants to see. Dont fluff it up, you got to be able to back it up - but put in words the interviewer wants to see. A resume should be a fluid piece of work, keep refining and adding to it.
Hope this helps! -
Optionsastrogeek
Member Posts: 251 ■■■□□□□□□□
Should I completely **** the template I used? A lot of the templates I was looking at seemed to only look good for someone who has a lot of experience to list. I could keep the header, but I'm not sure if this one really looks professional.
I think I need to at least use different formatting for the work history section, I really don't like the way it looks and can't add the bullet points like you mentioned. I'm going to spend some time working on this tomorrow so feel free to add anything else in the meantime. All good advice, thanks!