I'm a CCNA, so now what...? Need some resume help

Ok guys, I obtained my CCNA last week, and have found it difficult to even secure a call from an agent with regards to any suitable roles. I would say that I've been sending at least 20 applications a day since I passed.

The roles that I have been applying for are mostly junior network/network engineer roles. Heck I even inquired from the IT institute where I studied if I could work voluntarily to gain some work experience but no reply from them either!

Now dont get me wrong, I wasnt expecting to walk into a Networking role straight after passing, but I did atleast expect some calls from agencies/employers. Got me thinking, maybe my resume needs some work. So I made some tweaks and set up 2 main resumes i would use to apply.

If any guys that have trodden my path can shed any light in terms of how they got their breakthrough networking role and how they worded their CV I'd really appreciate it!

PS:I'm from the UK. name and personal info omitted

Thanks!

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Comments

Socom

Looks horrible, it's a giant wall of text. Or a giant list. Take a look at my resume thread and organize it a bit better. Also I'm guessing alot of those positions arn't exactly related to your current role, also I havn't read the entire thing but it seems like you are a job hopper. Might want to present that a bit differently.

I'm going to build a master review resume thread that will hopefully get sticked later today. Seems like there are alot of these threads and consolidating them should make everyone happier.

Death Dream

Resumes should be at the most, 2 pages. It needs a lot more structure as well. No one wants to read a book. I sure didn't give your resume the time of day and no one else will that way.

Read this thread: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/13582-resumes-dos-donts-guide-line-getting-contacted.html

kohr-ah

Socom wrote: »

Looks horrible, it's a giant wall of text. Or a giant list. Take a look at my resume thread and organize it a bit better. Also I'm guessing alot of those positions arn't exactly related to your current role, also I havn't read the entire thing but it seems like you are a job hopper. Might want to present that a bit differently.

I'm going to build a master review resume thread that will hopefully get sticked later today. Seems like there are alot of these threads and consolidating them should make everyone happier.

That would be nice, I am glad to help any way I can but be easier if we had one place to review over and over

Socom

Yeah, it gives me a headache to look at it lol. It says Exchange 2003 and 2007. What about it? Did you piss on it? Did you train employee's on it ? Did you just create accounts? Are you experienced with migrating exchange 2003 to 2007 ? What exactly did you do. That applies for pretty much everything on your resume. It looks horrible.

DCD

You’re from England so I don’t know the normal stuff they like for there resumes. I would first have a professional redo your resumesince it so bad or at least look at some of the other resume on this board andredo your resume. Move the education and training above key skills redo the bullet points into a paragraph, put your cert number with CCNA information, change Active Directory and Exchange servers into two separate lines and takeoff references upon request.

emerald_octane

horrible! what's up with those margins?

DoubleNNs

I agree that you need a lot of work on the format.

However, I didn't read it. I don't know how CVs are in the UK - I've heard they're pretty diff from US resumes. Try to work on your current copy and do a google search for sample UK CVs.

WonTonDon

Sheesh guys, try not to hold back!

Thanks for all the positive feedback, I've taken what you've all said on board and am now in the process of making the necessary adjustments.

Thanks once again!

codedwar

That is pretty rough. Try to lookup examples of network tech and engineer resumes for good formatting options. I recently wrote my resume in preparation for separating from the military and it was a process. I would think it was good, then realize something could be written in a better way and that went on for like two months. I have had really good results with my current resume. If you send me an email I will send it to you as an example. Another thing I learned is you need to be careful how you word skills you have but are weaker in. I have some VoIP experience but am by no means an expert. I had that skill and a related project on my resume in a prominent section and was getting hit up for VoIP positions well beyond my current skills/ability so I decided to take that project out and just list VoIP in my list of networking skills.

dpsmooth15

You could not get a job picking up poo at the city park with this resume.

yazmnh87

I actually paid to have my resume written. It's worth looking into. usually you can pay 150-200$ and get a super professional resume written by someone who has experience in the field, hiring IT people and what employers look for. Cover letters help alot, they speak to your career outlook and your personality. I would really consider looking into this.

White Wizard

You seem to have jumped around quite a bit from job to job.

- remove references
- margins are horrible
- imo, work summaries are far too long, give a brief summary, not a book
- under employment you list ccna studies, were you employed to study for the ccna?
- everything looks to be bold, only bold items such as name and date of employment
- make a certifications section
- your summary is too generic as many have said using words such as motivated, enthusiastic, etc are overused, instead give a brief summary of your experience as an introduction rather then listing bullets.
- font is too large imo
- FAR TOO MANY BULLETS

I would not expect a certification to open doors, continue working on your certs and bettering yourself.

olaHalo

When I read the thread title I was worried. Why wouldnt a CCNA get calls?
Then I looked at your resume and it made sense.
Its like a giant summary. Ive yet to see a worse resume than that. At first I was thought you were just posting experience for us to read.

Redo the entire thing based off a template and you'll get calls.

Polynomial

My first thought was why do you have so many different jobs with no change in responsibilities?

ITforyears

I am a Yankee lol and worked for British companies such as Barings Securities and Virgin Atlantic in the 90s. I have to agree with the other responses that your resume is very unattractive to a head-hunter.

Here is a link that provides an example of a proper, bullet format resume.

http://www.my-easy-resume.com/image-files/chronological-resume-example.gif

Also, my suggestion is to tailor your previous work experience on the position you are seeking. For example, when I was seeking a networking position, I focused on my tasks and responsibilities on actual network (e.g. ran cable, configured switches and routers). Sometimes, just having the cert will not get you in the door but some actual hands-on experience.

Good luck mate.

DeezyFF

1 page is always best in my experience. You also have to many jobs on there for me. Only use 2 or 3 of your most current job positions.