Resume Critique

I fixed a few issues while scrubbing my data, but I was wondering if any of you folks would mind taking a look at this and letting me know what you think? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

ScrubbedResume.doc

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Shoe Box

For each individual job, when you list all the bullet points for each, I like to start with the shortest line of text on top and the longest line at the bottom, I think it's easier to read that way.

If you only had a few certifications, I would put them above your professional experience. And either way, I'd go into more detail on each certification, to include the test number and date of the test, I think it'd give a better representation. Use that entire line on the resume for each one, the average non-technical HR idiot won't be able to appreciate what CCNP means all by itself.

networker050184

Not a big fan of your bullet points. They are just a job description. You should be selling yourself there with big projects, numbers you can stand behind, accomplishment's etc. I just use a couple sentences under the job for the descriptions then make the bullets really pop and catch someone's eye.

I'd also throw in a professional summary highlighting some of your areas of expertise. Since you don't have a whole lot of relevant experience (assuming you're looking at more network engineer type roles) I'd probably highlight the certs higher up as well.

cyberguypr

^ what they said. In my eyes this is not a resume but a bulleted list of duties. Needs lots of work. I'll leave srabbie's input here.

srabiee wrote: »

This is an excellent resume guide with example resumes, a huge list of action verbs, sample summaries, etc:

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This thread contains a fantastic example of a properly formatted and written resume (ptilsen's resume):

Resume time

Someone recently uploaded this document regarding the "STAR Method" of writing resume content. You may want to take a look at it and see if it helps you.

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I would also spend some time enhancing your LinkedIn profile as it seems to be the same list you posted here. This is one of the first places where your potential new employer will look you up.

Mow

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will attempt to rework this today and post what I come up with. I had a few questions, though:

networker050184 wrote: »

Not a big fan of your bullet points. They are just a job description. You should be selling yourself there with big projects, numbers you can stand behind, accomplishment's etc. I just use a couple sentences under the job for the descriptions then make the bullets really pop and catch someone's eye.

I'd also throw in a professional summary highlighting some of your areas of expertise. Since you don't have a whole lot of relevant experience (assuming you're looking at more network engineer type roles) I'd probably highlight the certs higher up as well.

I agree with this. I hate writing summaries and in depth projects with budgets, etc, haha, but I see the value in it so I'll take the time to do it. However, I have 9 years in my current employer, is that considered not a lot of relevant experience? I did start at the Help Desk here and moved to a field tech doing Microsoft server and workstation support, but I have been on the network team for over 5 years now. Am I still considered new? Not trying to be combative, FYI, and I hope I don't sound unappreciative that you took the time to give me your opinions, I was just kind of slightly surprised and now I'm questioning myself, haha.

cyberguypr,
your links are not working. I remember seeing this info in here in the past, I will delve through the archives to find it.

Thanks again, folks!

networker050184

Nine years is certainly a lot, I meant more from a number of positions stand point.

Mow

Ah ok, I understand. Unfortunately, being here this long my job hunting skills have gotten really soft, so I thought I might have been out of the loop... I see a ton of different tech and get my hands on almost all of it, but I haven't had to look for a job or interview or anything in a while. I feel like a stray dog who was taken in, and now my hunting senses are getting dull. This forum is a great place to freshen up, though, that's for sure. I recommend it to all of my friends who are unhappy with their current situation.

636-555-3226

I'd compress the top some (your info) to give some more room where you can flesh out some actual hands-on things you've done. Either highlights in the resume or some specific tasks you excelled at (and why) in a cover letter

srabiee

Mow wrote: »

your links are not working. I remember seeing this info in here in the past, I will delve through the archives to find it.

Sorry, I've been away from the forums for awhile and didn't notice that the links expired. I will try and fix them now.

Mow

Got the resume guide, thanks. I am going to really put some concerted effort into this before I repost.

Mow

Also got the STAR Method thing. I will look into both of these guides. Thanks, gang!

Mow

Made some changes tonight, as I have some interest from a Cisco Gold partner. I sent this resume, unscrubbed. I hope it looks ok, because I could really use the increased pay and some semblance of a training budget!

Attachment not found.

ScrubbedResume.doc

Mow

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Mow

I'll just assume that my resume is now so awesome that everyone is in stunned silence!

srabiee

Sorry for the late reply, been swamped lately. This is just personal preference and subjective criticism, but I'm not a fan of the typewriter-like font. Try something cleaner and more modern like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Actually, a Google search will yield many great articles regarding recommended font types for resumes, including serif and sans-serif suggestions.

I highly recommend that you begin your resume with a competent professional summary. 3 ~ 5 sentences, doesn't have to be anything too elaborate.

There's a lot of wasted white space at the top of your first page due to the way that you have your heading formatted. You may want to rework that so that the page looks more even from top to bottom. Consider using ptilsen's resume as a template or reference.

Regarding your certs, try not relying solely on acronyms to display these. An IT manager would know what they are based on the acronyms alone, but a regular HR manager might not. Consider listing them like this:
Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP): Voice
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA): Routing and Switching
etc etc....

Also, consider listing your certs in order from most prestigious to least prestigious, in some form. For example, the MCITP should be listed above the A+.

One of your MCITP certs is misspelled.

This is also personal preference, but I like to write my entire resume in the past tense for consistency (even for the present job position). I find that the resume flows better and reads easier this way.

"Customer focused Network Engineer with nine years of experience supporting customers in various industries and verticals." You used the word "customer" twice in a single sentence. Try varying your language and write as academically as possible. The thesaurus can be a great tool to help you with this.

There are other sentences that can be reworked as well, for example: "Started in Help Desk department. Grew Help Desk into the most profitable business unit as a MSP." This could be combined into a single sentence and perhaps reworked. "Promoted from Help Desk Technician to Network Engineer due to superlative performance and work ethic."

I think you're almost there, but I think the writing could use a little proofing. And again, try to write as academically as possible and expand upon some of this information. I highly recommend that you list some specific technologies, software, hardware, etc that you worked with. For example, Server 2012 R2, SCCM, Hyper-V, VMware Horizon View, Dell PowerEdge servers, NetApp StoreVault.... (just throwing out some random examples off the top of my head from sysadmin side of things).

Consider listing the certification section immediately after the education section. You could move the education section to the first page, or the certifications section to the bottom of the 2nd page.

I have some additional documentation that WGU provided to me regarding resume writing and formatting. Let me know if you're interested and I will upload it.

Mow

Ok, I would like to know if I'm hitting the formatting. I am getting very happy with this document. I will change some of the wording in a bit, just curious if I have the look down...

ScrubbedResume.doc

Mow

By the way, I know some of it is plagiarized, I will be making edits, I just want to see what the gang thinks about the look. Thanks!

linuxabuser

Second edit is much improved.

srabiee

I'm not a fan of the term "results-oriented." I reads like fluff, IMO. I recommend referring to my resume resources thread and see if you can find a more effective descriptor. I used the word "Accomplished" on mine.

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/113891-resume-writing-resources.html

Because "fourteen" is a large number (double digits), you might want to use "14" instead. May draw more attention that way.

In your first sentence, you place emphasis on your "customer service" skills rather than technical skills. "Customer service" could be anything from a cashier to a bank teller. I would reassess this approach within the professional summary, and maybe focus a bit more on your technical accomplishments and/or what you will bring to the table as a Network Engineer.

Try to find a way to adjust your resume so that the last bullet point of your most recent job position doesn't get pushed down into the second page.

Since you have committed to a two-page resume, try expanding upon your experience if at all possible. As it stands, there's a lot of unused space on the 2nd page.

I'm a little confused regarding your education. Do you have a degree, or are these trade-school certificates? You should definitely clarify this on your resume. Also, list the most recent education first (unless the older program/degree is of a higher level).

I believe "customer-focused" should be hyphenated.

If using present tense, it should read "Implements, maintains, and troubleshoots single and multi-site..."

"Performs consultation for..."

I mentioned it before, but I still think it would be easier and would read better if you wrote the entire experience section in the past tense. Give it a try and see what you think.

"Achieved multiple Cisco and Microsoft certifications while maintaining targeted billable utilization percentages, in order to preserve vendor partnerships." These concepts don't seem to be related.

I believe "Canon-trained copier field technician" should be hyphenated like this.

"...by carrying my personal laptop" Try to avoid writing in the first person.

"Junior-level tech" I believe this should be hyphenated as well. You may want to Google it just to be sure.

Again, try to elaborate on your experience and be as detailed as possible. For example, you mention antivirus software several times, but you don't list what software you administered. Symantec? Trend Micro? List the vendor and products, maybe even the version numbers. What backup systems did you administer? What Cisco hardware and models did you install/configure/administer? You give a decent high-level overview, but the specifics are very important as well.

Also, refer to the STAR method for writing your experience (Situation, Task, Action, Result), I think that your resume would greatly benefit from that approach.

Looking forward to seeing your next revision.

bpenn

Srabiee, I would just like to point out that your assistance in this thread as helped me IMMENSELY to polish my resume and I appreciate all this great information you have provided.

Mow

Ok, guys, I am liking this latest draft.
Thanks for being so patient with me, this is my least favorite part of careering. You have all been extremely helpful.

ScrubbedResume2.doc

Mow

Added an 'Environment' area at the advice of an HR professional. He thinks it looks good, but I would like the opinions of you folks. Thanks!

Scrubbed3.doc

srabiee

Your name needs to be larger at the top of the resume to draw more attention.

I think there's too much white space within the top 20% of the page. Looks like there's a bit of wasted space there. You may want to reformat somehow to make better use of this space.

Try to avoid writing in the first person. Refrain from using "I," "me," "my," etc. You want to write as academically as possible.

There should be a space between 2008 and R2.

"MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator on Windows 7" is the correct certification title. Alternatively, "MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator" would suffice.

I think the education section needs to be reworked a bit. List the assocates degree like this:

Associate of Applied Science (AAS): Network Systems Administrator | Dates
School Name | Location

Drop the other info listed under this (like Windows Scripting). It doesn't really serve a purpose because you already have years of experience under your belt.

Regarding the second degree listed, what is the title of the diploma or certificate that you obtained? How is it listed on the actual diploma that the institution issued to you?

You don't have to list the full title and white space on the second resume page. If you want, a single line header or footer would suffice. This is way too much wasted white space.

Right-align your dates and locations with the right-hand margin.

The high level overview of each job position should should not have the same level of indentation as the bullet points. The bullets should be indented more.

I'm pressed for time right now, but I'll look at the actual content again after your next revision.