Resume Writing Tips

[Flint]

I started where I am approx. 5-6 years ago in the fileroom, and managed to carve a niche out for myself where I'm a system administrator now; the kind of guy that they panic if I take a few days off, because nobody else knows all my tricks, and they keep calling me for help.

But they don't pay me. Not enough to support a wife and two kids decently. And the specific job I'm doing can pay six figures easily. If (?) I really know what I'm doing. But I don't have a degree, nor have I been to any vendor training on this system. I've just figured it out along the way. Yes, there is tech support for my system, but I hardly ever use them (anymore), because I’ve learned and remembered everything I ever had to have them do for me.

So, my qualification is that I’ve been sys admin for 3 years, and that I taught myself how to do it (does that count for anything?) I’m in school now, working on a degree, but I don’t have it yet. But...I need more money. But...I’m slightly nervous that I don’t actually know what I might need to know.

Anyway, does anyone have some resume writing tips for me? I need to start putting myself out there, but I've never had to do a serious resume before. If I get an offer for twice what I’m making now (entirely plausible) at least I could say to mgmt “What are you going to do to keep me here?”

Oh, the other thing is, before the last 5-6 years my job history gets pretty unconventional. Independent contracting in construction industry, and various drumming gigs. I plan to do a chronological resume starting with present employer, fileroom, through one transitional position, and up to system administrator. That covers 5-6 years and 3 positions, but only one employer. It’s the only experience I have relevant to this industry. Can I just leave it at that?

[Shawnee123]

I'm not sure about a strict chronological resume. I see what you're saying; I've been doing this for almost 7 years (and have also been promoted twice)...but before that I was in another world entirely.

Maybe consider a non-traditional resume which first highlights your accomplishments at what you are doing currently, then doing a subject type resume for the rest. After all, every experience is valuable and some employers look for the fact that the person has varied interests and can lend something "different." On more than one occasion, a reference to something I've done that is unrelated to the job I am going for has started a dialogue with an interviewer who found it interesting...and it showcased who I am.

Best of luck!

[glatt]

Well, don't put a funny name at the top of the resume if you want Radar to hire you.

If I was hiring someone who had done stuff in a previous career, I'd like to see a brief mention of that other stuff, just to account for that time. I'd want to know you weren't just living in your mom's basement playing video games. Not a lot of detail, just a line for the job title, employer and dates, and a second line for a very short description.

Can't help you with the other stuff, since I'm not in that industry.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by glatt

Well, don't put a funny name at the top of the resume...

Is Flint a funny name?

[HungLikeJesus]

Originally Posted by Flint

Is Flint a funny name?

That depends: is your last name Stone?

[BigV]

Oh Flint, my friend. I would love to contribute to this thread. I intend to answer you more fully, later, when I can devote proper time and attention to it. For the time being, I will say that getting a job is a job. A different one from your current gig. That may seem obvious to you, but it wasn't to me and I benefited greatly from that knowledge, once I had it.

Also, specifically with respect to the resume "format". I like a functional resume for the scenario you've laid out.

Wow, I have a lot more; this is one of my favorite topics. But I have to jet now. More later.

And GOOD LUCK!

[dar512]

I do mine like this:

************

Name, address etc.

Overview - A dedicated blah blah blah. Gently but truthfully sell yourself here

Experience
----Company - Date
--------Project - Project Description - Skills Used

Education
----Don't forget to put in the courses you have completed.

Honors
----Could be employee of the month, recognition for work well done etc.

**************

I had to use the dashes to show indentation.

The main thing for technical positions is to show that you can handle the stuff they have for you to do and learn the stuff that you don't already know.

If you are discreet about looking around, then there is no reason you should worry about this. If you don't get picked up, you still have your current position.

[BigV]

Some quick hits from my record on the issue:

My own Quest.

job seeking free association by me....

a good example of how not to do it...

[Cloud]

--Put a summary of your qualifications and experience at the top, and leave off the stupid phrase about "looking for a job which fits my experience and allows me to express myself" whatever. (I'm drawing a little blank on what you usually call that)

--Have someone else proof it.

[Flint]

A functional resume probably makes the most sense for this position, as it is a specific skill set.

But my thinking on going chronological was that it tells the story of how I got myself where I am.

The main thing for technical positions is to show that you can handle the stuff they have for you to do and learn the stuff that you don't already know.

My story is that I learned all of it from scratch, in just a few years. To be perfectly honest, I'm hoping to be hired on the basis of my ability to adapt and learn new things easily. For having the mental facility to be a problem-solver who welcomes new challenges. I may not have Experience, Education, and Honors, but I have proven that I am quick-witted and resourceful.

In a chronological resume, my job history becomes the main section; and my experience in each position tells a story of career growth, of how I got where I am. The few positions I've had become large sections, full of accomplishment. If I had to list my job history in a separate section, it doesn't look like much, and it doesn't go back very far.

I thought I might do a functional-type resume in three chronological sections. More of a narrative resume.

Is this a feasible idea?

[Shawnee123]

That's sort of what I had in mind. I was thinking of a first section which chronologizes (is that a word?) your current experience...then functionize (is that a word?) the rest of it.

I would refrain from using the phrase "(is that a word?)" on your resume. lol

[SteveDallas]

If I had taken every resume I sent out in the last two years and shredded them and flushed them down the toilet, and then bombed the local sewage treatment plant to make sure nobody would find the shredded bits, dry them out, and paste them together, I would have gotten no less of a response than I actually did.

So you may wish to take my advice with a grain of salt.

I would rather hire somebody who is self-taught than somebody who has a vendor certification for every orifice but has no experience. All to many of these people picked up the certs by sitting in a class, cramming for a test, and not knowing which end of an ethernet cable goes in the computer.

The problem is you may not have your resume read by somebody like me. If it's read by somebody with a checklist of qualifications, they will compare your resume to the list and then file it. (And I don't mean in a filing cabinet.)

For my money, this guy gives excellent advice on how to navigate this process.

[Clodfobble]

I don't know if this is a "functional" resume, but Mr. Clod is a sysadmin and his resume looks roughly like this:

Skillset (e.g., Linux administration)
--specific example of skill in use, with or without specific company name, e.g. "Maintained 20 Redhat servers with a terabyte of memory..." (I'm making shit up here, I am not a sysadmin)
--specific example #2
--specific example #3

Skillset (e.g., Network Maintenance)
--etc...


This has the advantage of name-dropping former employers without having to get too specific about the chronology of the job history. Plus, if you do a million different things in your job, it really makes more sense to organize it by skill. You can always save the "story" of your career for the interview.


Also, when it's ready, PM your resume to me if you're at all interested in moving to Austin. Mr. Clod's company is hiring sysadmins--has been for months, actually, because they're very very picky about who they get. It's all about the intelligence and the skills and the interview; they couldn't care less about certs or specific job history.

[Pie]

Flint -- I don't have a whole lot to add here to what everyone else has said, but the one question I have is how old are you? If you're "relatively" young, say 20-30, it's not too questionable to have periods of non-traditional employment in your chronology. If you're 50+ and have decades without a steady job, well, that's different.

I do like the idea of a functional resume for your situation.

[Perry Winkle]

Keep it short, exclude anything not directly relevant to the position you're applying for and write clear, simple English.