First Resume Critique
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I like that your resume was concise but mainly told me it was you are a Microsoft System Administrator. I assume that is it correct?
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@thwr said in First Resume Critique:
Just from a quick look:
- I did not know where to look first. To many boxes and hard breaks in your design (worked for a media / design agency years ago)
- Skip versions maybe
- Skip basics
Design.. well. You got some major things you should take care of in your document, IMHO.
- Good spacing and line height, easy read.
- Font is a little light, but that's still ok. Just keep in mind: HR guys get tons of resumes and they need to - literally - scan them in a very short amount of time. The font can either make your resume look awesome or a "won't read".
- I would avoid that 2x2 grid you are using. The eye can't follow, it's to "chaotic".
- Nice to know your name, but you're wasting a lot of space for it
- The main content block looks a bit... disrupted. Check your alignment. I would change the captions to align to the left
- There's the first centered block labeled "Skills". Below that you got a left aligned list. Any reader would have a hard time reading this. Either make it align to the left (see above) or maybe try some centered or justified formatting, can make a huge difference:
(Glued that together in a sec. Isn't supposed to look awesome, just meant to give you an idea about formatting effects)Keep in mind that our resumes are very different, so I won't comment much on the technical side.
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Thanks everyone for the help.
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@dbeato said in First Resume Critique:
I like that your resume was concise but mainly told me it was you are a Microsoft System Administrator. I assume that is it correct?
Yeah, that's basically correct for the time being.
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The theme is a little interesting. I don't dislike it, it's just different. The gripe I do have with it is the lines not joining precisely at the bottom. I'm sure that was the point, but I could hardly concentrate on anything else once I saw it.
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Overall... what happened between when you got your Bachelor's and today? What drove you to obtain your Master's? Was it to get into management, personal reasons, or something else?
I'm not so much critiquing your resume, as you asked, but rather very curious about your situation in the last 6 years and how you got where you are today.
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@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
The theme is a little interesting. I don't dislike it, it's just different. The gripe I do have with it is the lines not joining precisely at the bottom. I'm sure that was the point, but I could hardly concentrate on anything else once I saw it.
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Overall... what happened between when you got your Bachelor's and today? What drove you to obtain your Master's? Was it to get into management, personal reasons, or something else?
I'm not so much critiquing your resume, as you asked, but rather very curious about your situation in the last 6 years and how you got where you are today.
Went from the BS to the MS degree. No time gap there.
I got my degree just before I was introduced to SW, which lead to ML.
I tried to find jobs in IT, but the problem was everybody wanted experience but nobody was willing to give experience. Somebody took a chance and gave me some experience in Tech support for a cable company.
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@nerdydad said in First Resume Critique:
@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
The theme is a little interesting. I don't dislike it, it's just different. The gripe I do have with it is the lines not joining precisely at the bottom. I'm sure that was the point, but I could hardly concentrate on anything else once I saw it.
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Overall... what happened between when you got your Bachelor's and today? What drove you to obtain your Master's? Was it to get into management, personal reasons, or something else?
I'm not so much critiquing your resume, as you asked, but rather very curious about your situation in the last 6 years and how you got where you are today.
Went from the BS to the MS degree. No time gap there.
I got my degree just before I was introduced to SW, which lead to ML.
I tried to find jobs in IT, but the problem was everybody wanted experience but nobody was willing to give experience. Somebody took a chance and gave me some experience in Tech support for a cable company.
Makes sense. I would continue to maintain a strong rule of 18-24 months per job. Get what you can and then move on. When you move on, do not move on without moving up. Take a look at this rough sketch... sometimes you make a direct lateral movement, other times it might feel like you're taking a slight step back but with a much higher ceiling.
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@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
@nerdydad said in First Resume Critique:
@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
The theme is a little interesting. I don't dislike it, it's just different. The gripe I do have with it is the lines not joining precisely at the bottom. I'm sure that was the point, but I could hardly concentrate on anything else once I saw it.
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Overall... what happened between when you got your Bachelor's and today? What drove you to obtain your Master's? Was it to get into management, personal reasons, or something else?
I'm not so much critiquing your resume, as you asked, but rather very curious about your situation in the last 6 years and how you got where you are today.
Went from the BS to the MS degree. No time gap there.
I got my degree just before I was introduced to SW, which lead to ML.
I tried to find jobs in IT, but the problem was everybody wanted experience but nobody was willing to give experience. Somebody took a chance and gave me some experience in Tech support for a cable company.
Makes sense. I would continue to maintain a strong rule of 18-24 months per job. Get what you can and then move on. When you move on, do not move on without moving up. Take a look at this rough sketch... sometimes you make a direct lateral movement, other times it might feel like you're taking a slight step back but with a much higher ceiling.
Sometimes people get stuck and discontinue growth. You should always be moving into a position you might even be slightly unqualified for. The reason being is if you leave a help desk for another help desk position, you aren't advancing your career. You've already learned all there is in a help desk position and hit your ceiling in 2 years. But you might leave a help desk position for a junior sysadmin position, move up in the company to a senior sysadmin position, then hit your ceiling and leave to become a business infrastructure engineer at another company. Rinse and repeat.
Just because you haven't mastered something, doesn't mean you shouldn't apply for it. You might understand concepts and have done certain things in a lab (valid hands on experience).
Bottom line, if you're not moving up then you should be moving on.
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Version #2
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@nerdydad said in First Resume Critique:
Version #2
Try a simple template that adds just enough color to give it a little contrast. Redactions for personal privacy.
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@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
@nerdydad said in First Resume Critique:
Version #2
Try a simple template that adds just enough color to give it a little contrast. Redactions for personal privacy.
What does the better side of 10 years mean? That introductory paragraph seems weak at best. Also you seem to have barely anything about your skills on your first page of your resume.
Also it seems like there is so much wasted space...
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@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Why would he have left IT to go into management? If he wanted to do that, he'd presumably have started in management, not IT, and his degree would be an MBA. Management is a different field than IT, you don't naturally move from one to the other without intentionally switching career paths.
Why does the amount of education not fit the title? Education does not promote you up the chain. Someone with a PhD still needs time and experience in junior roles before moving up. It's not like the university process provides experience or training that will move you up in the field.
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@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
I'm the opposite. My titles don't fit my experience and make me seem more qualified than I am. Titles in general aren't accurate because the people hiring you in your previous jobs didn't understand them and people in the future still don't. I work for an MSP and my title is Network Technician. In no way is that accurate.
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@scottalanmiller said in First Resume Critique:
@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Why would he have left IT to go into management? If he wanted to do that, he'd presumably have started in management, not IT, and his degree would be an MBA. Management is a different field than IT, you don't naturally move from one to the other without intentionally switching career paths.
Why does the amount of education not fit the title? Education does not promote you up the chain. Someone with a PhD still needs time and experience in junior roles before moving up. It's not like the university process provides experience or training that will move you up in the field.
And this post is a huge reason for so much trouble. So many companies see advancement only into management as a truly upward position. Of course Scott's right, that ridiculous. I know many people who should never be management, but highly paid technical people is where they belong. generally this means finding another company (of the few) that actually believe and understand this.
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@wirestyle22 said in First Resume Critique:
@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
I'm the opposite. My titles don't fit my experience and make me seem more qualified than I am. Titles in general aren't accurate because the people hiring you in your previous jobs didn't understand them and people in the future still don't. I work for an MSP and my title is Network Technician. In no way is that accurate.
How is that not correct? Not saying you're wrong, just asking.
Though, I'm guessing some would likely say, being at an MSP, and a general IT support person, you should be titled IT Generalist - though I'm guessing that NJ doesn't recognize that as a title, and someone would likely feel like it was a shit title, so they would try to suppress it, so you can't have it
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I feel like the role description covers all of this. Basically this is all mentioned three times. The words "network administrator" already tell us everything that is then listed out in the bullets.
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@scottalanmiller said in First Resume Critique:
I feel like the role description covers all of this. Basically this is all mentioned three times. The words "network administrator" already tell us everything that is then listed out in the bullets.
What would youput there instead?
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@dashrender said in First Resume Critique:
@scottalanmiller said in First Resume Critique:
@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Why would he have left IT to go into management? If he wanted to do that, he'd presumably have started in management, not IT, and his degree would be an MBA. Management is a different field than IT, you don't naturally move from one to the other without intentionally switching career paths.
Why does the amount of education not fit the title? Education does not promote you up the chain. Someone with a PhD still needs time and experience in junior roles before moving up. It's not like the university process provides experience or training that will move you up in the field.
And this post is a huge reason for so much trouble. So many companies see advancement only into management as a truly upward position. Of course Scott's right, that ridiculous. I know many people who should never be management, but highly paid technical people is where they belong. generally this means finding another company (of the few) that actually believe and understand this.
What Dash is describing is literally the Peter Principle.
https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Principle-Things-Always-Wrong/dp/0062092065
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@dashrender said in First Resume Critique:
@scottalanmiller said in First Resume Critique:
I feel like the role description covers all of this. Basically this is all mentioned three times. The words "network administrator" already tell us everything that is then listed out in the bullets.
What would youput there instead?
Either nothing, if there is nothing to say, or things we don't know about that were important to mention. Right now, it is just filler. Why have bullets at all? Just a short description and move on.
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@scottalanmiller said in First Resume Critique:
@bbigford said in First Resume Critique:
You have your Master's, but are currently only a junior sysadmin. Did you go straight into your Bachelor's and right onto your Master's? Did you not work in the field for a couple years with your Bachelor's first? I'm asking because the amount of education doesn't really fit your current title, as in you should be much further along and into some kind of management role having been out of school for around 5 years.
Why would he have left IT to go into management? If he wanted to do that, he'd presumably have started in management, not IT, and his degree would be an MBA. Management is a different field than IT, you don't naturally move from one to the other without intentionally switching career paths.
Why does the amount of education not fit the title? Education does not promote you up the chain. Someone with a PhD still needs time and experience in junior roles before moving up. It's not like the university process provides experience or training that will move you up in the field.
Not to say that a degree will shoot someone up the latter. I was just curious why he didn't get his Bachelor's, work the field for a little while, get an employer to help finance a Master's, obtain that degree, then leverage it to get into a higher role that helps steer the company, rather than work directly with tech. But, some generals like being in the trenches turning wrenches; helps keep them grounded.
More of a question of what he wanted to do, and if he had just zoomed straight through school or worked much through the process. My question might imply he should be at a certain level, but it was just curiosity based on what I have saw others do successfully.
I've known a lot of engineers that moved up into an engineering management position. It's not incredibly common from what I've saw, as you pointed out it is a different route. Some intentionally decline offers because it is the wrong path for them.
In the end, the degree doesn't fit the title, but the experience does.
