Writing the Killer CV

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

OMG!!! its still a little bit skew wiff but i need to put all my details on before i send it out anyway, so you can jus get the jist

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Heh, well I work with him, but nobody has ever mistaken me for him before.

 

Is that good or bad?

 

hey you guuyyys!!,

i stumbled on cf last week and was pleasantly surprised that a site like this actually exists, as ive never managed to find one before. all you guys have been very helpful and i appreciate all the help and advice youve all offered. unfortunately, ive become addicted to this bloody sit and cant stop searching all the excellant threads and even though its much more productive than watching the tv (that ive cut the plug off), its not helping me knuckle down to revising for my A+, so im going to have to make this my final post until i do. before i go though im going to have to get all the questions off my mind that i havnt asked yet or that i still dont understand. here goes.

1/ my mentor at @dvent told me to get rid of my cover note, for the cv i sent her because it usually gets ignored, so i incorperated my cover note into my cv. id appreciate it if anybody would take the time to skim over my re- jigged cv ( i hope Pete01 and Baron210 dont mind that ive borrowed a few lines of thiers, ill take them out if they do but, i thought that since im a million years behind them in experience and dont live near, so were not in competition). would it be in idea to do re-do a cover note and send that out with the c v i use when i apply for jobs myself.

Personal Profile
A versatile and adaptable individual with a breadth of experience in the private/public sector, and excellent customer focused skills and the ability to work well either individually or as part of a team. After three years of training and seven years in the customer services industry, I have decided on a new challenge, to bring my extensive expertise to the IT world. I have recently started training for an MCSE and I’m currently studying for the A+ Essentials.


Training

2006 - Present Advent distant learning (Currently training towards MCSE qualification)

1997-2000 Oldham College (Carpentry & Joinery N.V.Q levels 1, 2 & 3)


Key skills, Relevant Experience
 Ability to hit the ground running, developed by years of not knowing which city I’d be working in from day to the next or whether I’d be performing tasks that id performed many times before or something that I’d have to “learn by doing”
 Sourcing/keeping contracts through a proven ability to build an excellent rapport with the customer and assuring them of my ability to produce exactly what is expected of me and to a very high standard
 A very keen eye for detail
 A general “can do” attitude and an eagerness to know all there is to know about a given task
 The desire to work, to/give myself tight deadlines and keep them
 Good book keeping skills, developed through keeping my own books whilst being self employed
 Acute business awareness and decision making in crisis situations
 Creative troubleshooting and versatile resourcefulness
 Home/small office networking experience
 General maintenance and good upkeep of pc’s
 Good data input and retrieval skills
 Excellent file and data maintenance
 Excellent ESD handling awareness
 Excellent internet skills
 A great eagerness to learn all there is to know about computers and hopefully let Bill Gates borrow my boat one day.








Career history


A number of roles in the building industry, starting after three years of college training, and then starting as a general labourer, gradually working my way up the ladder until I achieved my goal of being self employed. My general roles and duties through my career have been:

 General up keep of worksite of up to 25 builders, making sure they had exactly what they needed to do their job and having it ready for them before they even ask for it
 Booking, receiving, checking in and storage of materials
 Overall supervision of the sites cleanliness and safety
 Taking orders from management and following up on them orders to my own exacting standards
 Working on jobs of varying levels of difficulty/ expertise, either on my own or as a team
 Have the responsibility of being the first man on the job and the last to leave, and all the
responsibilities that comes with that: being the first point of contact with the customer and
making sure that the job is left as we/I found it
 Staying away from home for up to two weeks, whilst working away
 Working “out of hours” to get the job done, either very early mornings or through the night
 Driving to and from jobs, up to 350 miles away at times, and making and picking up deliveries
 Contacting my own clients and acquiring my own jobs, either through advertising, but mostly from
word of mouth.


Interests
I enjoy a wide variety of interests including reading, cooking, socialising and exercising. I also enjoy meeting new people and trying new things but mostly I just have a huge curiosity of how and why computers work and a determination to find out.


References Available Upon Request.

2/ i keep reding about mobo manuals and how important they are....... i have a laptop and a desktop, but havnt got a manuall for either. got them both brand new so should if got one , right?.
if i contact the suppliers, they should send me them, right?. if not, will the manufacturers website have them.
3/ im thinking of going to a computer fair tomorrow (manchester-bowlers exhibition centre), i dont want waste my time if its crap though, because i went to one last month and it was like a crap car boot sale. has anyone been to this particular one (northern computer markets). i really need to buy a old unit to tinker with and poss hand my cv out.
4/ is it poss to get hold of os manuals for all the relevant os's for the A+ essentials.
5/ has anybody been unfortunate enough to fail any exams with @dvent, do they add on any 'hidden charges for re-taking.
why have i spent the last 15 years secretly thinking of becoming a tech, but STUPIDLY thinking it was too geeky. ive been a fool, pc's are the NUTS i feel like 'jonny 5'... i 'neeed more input'.
6/ what exactly should i expect from the A+ exam, where should i concentrate my studies.

 

1) IMO, your mentor is severely misinformed. I prefer cover letters, and if a potential employee can't be bothered to take the time to write one specifically with our position in mind, then my estimation of him/her goes down a couple of notches. However, if someone DOES take the extra effort to craft a cover letter, I know that they'll likely take the time to do things right in their job if they're hired. Just throwing a resume my way isn't the right way to gain my respect, that's for sure.

2) Most manufacturers Web sites should have them. If you got a name-brand PC, you won't specifically get a mobo manual... but it will have a manual related to the inner workings and specifications of your PC.

3) No idea. What do you have to lose but a little time?

4) OS Manuals? Windows OSes don't really come with "manuals"...

5) No idea - I got all my certifications through self-study.

6) You should concentrate your studies on the A+ objectives found on CompTIA's Web site - simple as that. I recommend Mike Meyers A+ All-in-One Study Guide and PC Technician Street Smarts - they will cover most (if not all) of what you need to know.

 

thought you would say that about the cover note, i will do one and tell her to use it. is the street smart book by James Pyles?

 

I'd recommend creating a cover note that is specialized for the company to which you are applying... not a generic one. Putting a generic cover note isn't any better than just throwing a generic resume at a company.

For the record, I also recommend tailoring your resume to the position, though you probably won't need to modify your resume as much at the beginning of your IT career - it'll help you more as you build experience. For example, when I apply for a technical writing job, I highlight my writing experience; when I apply for a network admin job, I highlight my administration experience; when I apply for a security admin job, I highlight my security experience.

Yes, the PC Technician Street Smarts is indeed written by James Pyles, our very own Tripwire45.

 

good job because ive ordered it! aswel as; A+ Exam Cram 2: Core Hardware Service Technician and Comptia A+ 2006 Q&A [Paperback] by Chimborazo LLC. thats what i will do for the jobs that i apply for personally, but i cant really do that with advent because, well basically thier lazy gits and i know theyll jus get thier little brains in a tiz if i keep sending different ones in. dont worry about me updating my cv as and when i get more quals...... i dream about getting my A+ and cant wait to be able to put it on

 

That Exam Cram book doesn't cover the latest edition of the A+ exam, and that Chimborazo book doesn't rate very highly on Amazon. Most of us here recommend the Mike Meyers A+ All-in-One Exam Guide.

 

Thanks everyone
Threads helping me alot
I need to rebuild me CV and try make my few qualifcations and limited experince look like there worth something

 

Just thought I'd make an addition to this. I Wouldn't advise you pepper your CV with formatting/borders/etc. Especially if you are submitting to Agencies.

All Agencies re-format your CV's before submission, to put it into a standardised format for them, and to remove any personal references (but we knew that already). So you can save yourself a bunch of time by just not bothering with pink text (my other half had one of these recently), frilly borders (oo-er!), and the like. Concentrate more on the data.

 

Resolio - Great Online Resume Designer

Tweak Tech Resume

18 things job seekers must know about headhunters/recruiters

Some free PDFs on Job Interview/Search/Resume/Networking

 

Oh my word.. after reading only first 5 post on this topic I know why I dont get any offers...

My CV is completely, I mean absolutely oposite of what you are wrote here... first personal data, then work description, last part is knowledge....

Tommorow will be a busy day rewrittin it again...

 

I found a couple of articles via Yahoo that I thought should be added here:

The Biggest CV Mistake You Can Make.

How to Address being Fired on your CV.

 

Good articles there trip thanks

 

Hi everyone

Yes, you MUST always tailor your CV to the employer. NEVER ever send 1 general CV to everyone you are applying to - recruiters will spot it a mile off and they will not be impressed!!!!

Check out these articles online - they are really helpful when writing a CV, cover letter and going for interviews as well as some other job related things....

http://www.tiptopjob.com/displaycon...Centre_Get_Help_Applying_to_and_Changing_Jobs

 

Hi

Sorry because this forum is about writing a CV - here is the exact link to the writing a CV article with some advice and guidance: http://www.tiptopjob.com/tiptop/user/displaycontent/contentid/56/sectionid/15

Bye

 

I'm attempting to rewrite my CV today and thought I'd share some links I've stumbled across.

ManagerTools.com Podcast: Your Resume Stinks!
ManagerTools.com Podcast: Resume Update 2008

 

Ok so i'm about to re-do my CV!

I am in my first job from uni, therefore my only previous experience was a 7 month placement during uni, so my current CV included jobs i did through school/university. Now i have around a year and 7 months experience in this job, i'm wondering how much of that, and school qualifications, i should really keep in? Gonna spend some time researching the links through this post but just thought i'd see if anyone had some direct thoughts. I can post my CV as it is as the minute but i think it will be needing totally reworked.

Thanks

 

I work as a recruitment consutant for the Precision Engineering (Manufacturing) sector but only for 2 years mind you

I see perhaps 100 CV's a day so I get a good feel for a Bad CV to a good one regardless of the Industry (Precision Engineering is still quite technical anyway) so here is my advice anyway on writing CV's

Here is a Good CV (The margains are of course a bit muddled up but you get the general Idea)

*********
Tel: (Home) ****** (view contact details) (Mobile) ***** (view contact details)
Email: (view contact details)

PERSONAL PROFILE:

An experienced technical engineer for the infrastructure support team with excellent customer service/support skills. I am confident, focused and reliable in achieving my goals and any new challenges I’m faced with to the best of my ability.

CAREER HISTORY:

Dec 2008 to Present (Part Time)

Assisting with family retail business
In charge of purchasing, pricing, stock rotation, liaising with sales reps.
Assist with quarterly accounts

Oct 2005 to Nov 2008 (Permanent)
SUPPORT ENGINEER: Combined International Services Ltd, (Insurance Company, Kingston)
1st/2nd line support for UK and European Offices - 700 users
Support Intel (2000, XP, Server 2003 Standard and Enterprise) and Citrix (XP & PS4.5) Environment
Operate an Incident Management and escalation procedure to agreed severity levels
Break/Fix for Networked and Standalone PC’s/Laptops and Peripherals
Assist Project team with projects such as Roll-outs, Office Moves, Relocation
Responsible for Backup Management for UK and European Sites. Ensure backups are complete and troubleshoot any issues (Symantec Backup Exec v11d)
Responsible for Anti-Virus Server ensuring all Networked/Standalone Clients/Servers are installed with the latest AV client and protected with up-to-date definitions
Installation and Support of 3rd Party Applications on application server as well as onto Citrix Servers
Publish new applications across Citrix Farm and ensure these are visible to specified users
Configure Neoware Terminals (Dumb Terminals), Desktops, Laptops to allow access to Citrix Sessions for all Citrix User Base
Knowledge of Lotus Notes v7.0.2, Microsoft Active Directory, Group Policy Editor, DHCP, KIX log-in script, VMWare and 3rd Party VMWare Backup Tool – Vranger Pro
Basic administration of Websense inc Blocking and Unblocking websites
Troubleshoot network issues before escalating to Network Support Team
Support remote VPN access to remote users with AD Integration using Cisco VPN
Problem diagnosis and resolution of software faults for desktops, laptops and servers
Identify faulty hardware and install replacement parts for desktops, laptops, servers and peripherals
Enforcing the company policy governing the use of authorised software on users PCs and laptops
Furnish spares provision and ‘hot swap’ capabilities to agreed locations and maintain an appropriate level of spare stock to ensure the fix time SLA’s are met
Informal desk side training and familiarisation with standard applications
Hardware installation and moves for Telephone Handsets, PCs and Peripherals
Provide input into SoX and general Audit as required
Produce and disseminate Internet Usage reports upon request
Mentoring and coaching of 1st and 2nd line support staff
Basic Level Telephony System Administration



Apr 2005 to Oct 2005 (Contract)
DESKTOP SUPPORT: Xbridge Ltd (leading UK on-line Intermediary, Moorgate)
Responsible for the provision of Desktop and Helpdesk support to internal users
Setting-up desktop PC’s and Laptops for new users and connecting to network
PC configuration and installation including hard drives, memory cards, video cards
Provision of installation and technical support on applications
Resolving problems and troubleshooting activities for network & PC based systems
Ensuring all computers have Anti-Virus software installed and firewalls are enabled
Administration such as adding users, database updates and software installations

June 2005 to Jul 2005 (Contract)
IT ENGINEER: Abbey Legal Group (Legal Insurance Company, Croydon)
Responsible for setting up voice recording system for home users all over England
Carried out PC configuration and installation at the office and at home users homes
Carried out XP rollouts in the office
Resolved network connection issues from home users PC to the office

Apr 2004 Oct 2005
MCSE STUDENT: Britannia IT Training Academy
Gaining extensive hands-on experience of all Microsoft products through studies
Course - CompTIA A+ Hardware & Software (Passed)
Course - CompTIA Network+ (Passed)
MCSE 2003 (5 MCP’s) XP, Windows Server2003, Implementing Network Infrastructure, Planning Network Infrastructure, Planning Implementing and Maintaining Windows server2003 Active Directory
CCNA (Exam yet to be taken)

KEY ACHEIVEMENTS:

Quick progression within the company reflects my ability and reliability
Roll out of Citrix across company for easier monitoring and fault resolution
Gaining substantial knowledge of various technologies inc: Citrix, Symantec Backup Exec v11, VMware, Websense
Obtaining MCP’s and ITIL Certification

SKILLS SUMMARY:

Operating Systems: MS Windows 95, NT, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003, Unix
Networking Concepts: TCP/IP, WINS, DNS, DHCP
Applications: Microsoft Management Console (MMC) inc: Active Directory, MS Office XP, 2003, Lotus Notes, Outlook, McAfee, Symantec Anti-Virus, Symantec Backup-Exec v11d, Citrix XP & PS4.5, VMware, Websense, SQL Enterprise, WSUS, DameWare, Cisco VPN, Blackberry
IT Call Login Application: Peregrine Service Centre, Incident Monitor
Financial Applications: Peoplesoft, Bloomberg
Telephony Applications: CMS Supervisor, Definity
Programming Languages: Visual C++ both on Windows and Unix, Visual Basic 6, HTML, Oracle Developer 7, Java2 (J2EE), SQL, MySql, ODBC/JDBC, JavaScript, Select SSADM, UML (Rational Rose), Dbase 4,
Languages: Fluent in Gujrati, basic in Hindi and French

QUALIFICATIONS:

ITIL Certified Foundation Level v3 (Nov 2007)
A+, Network+, 5MCP’s (2004-2005)
MSc in Software Engineering (University of ********) 2002-2003
BSc (Hons) Degree 2:2 in Business Computing (University of *******) 1999-2002

REFERENCES:

Available on request

This is a bad CV (if this is a CV of anyone on here this is JUST MY OPINION and Im sorry If this happens to be yours! I have taken absolutlely everything out of the CV that would be used to Identify you and most information of the locations.

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


OVERVIEW

I am confident, self-motivated and dedicated to hard work and high standards. I am flexible and reliable and I have just under 20yrs of experience working in various IT departments.

EXPERIENCE
2006-Present ********
IT Manager ********
Responsible for all IT infrastructure requirements.
Responsible for the 1st line technical support of all main servers and user pc's.
Maintenance / Renewal of all hardware and software requirements.
Responsible for all Index phone system requirements.
Daily checks / backups and restores.
Responsible for all internet traffic requirements.
All office network requirements, Cabling, Hubs, Switches, VPN sessions etc.
Responsible for all documentation production and updates.
Submitting timely and accurate documentation and reports.
Annual license renewals.
Overseas communications with international customers.
Communications with telecoms suppliers.
Installing joint venture companies with new phone systems and network cabeling.
Reporting to CEO.

2005-2006 SERCO
2006 Backend Server Support London Bridge
Responsible for backup and restore procedures over various platforms
Responsible for the production of monthly statistic reports.


1996-2005 ITNET
2002-2005 UNIX and MICROSOFT Technical Support London Bridge
Responsible for 1st line technical support for UNIX, NT and 2000 platforms.
Responsible for updates / patches server upgrades.
Daily checks / backups and restores.
Monthly statistic reports.
Disaster Recovery.






2000-2002 ITNET
ICL Computer Analyst London Bridge
Responsible for all first line technical support.
Responsible for all upgrade and patching requirements.
Responsible for all documentation production and updates.
Responsible for implementing all users technical requirements.

1999-2000 ITNET
Print Services Manager Croydon
Responsible for all aspects of printing for the LBC contract.
Submitting timely and accurate documentation and reports.
Writing progress reports.
Responsible for all administration and stock requirements.
Responsible for the high level of customer service and safety standards.
Maintaining a good working relationship with officials and all end users.
Rapport building and client focused working.

1997-1999 ITNET
Job Scheduler Croydon
Use of Jobwatch and Helmsman job- scheduling tools on ICL mainframe.
Responsible for setting up of all batch and development jobs for Colchester and Croydon Borough Council.
Responsible for two successful financial year ends.

1996-1997 ITNET
Senior Computer Operator Croydon
Responsible for all BAA related operational tasks.
Responsible for smooth hand over of all BAA related work to Itnet.
Responsible for 1st line support for all technical related problems.

1989-1996 BAA
1993-1996 Senior Computer Operator Gatwick
Responsible for overseeing all operator tasks.
Responsible for basic fix on fail of adhoc and production jobs.
Responsible for call out of technical support for job failures.
Responsible for all shift leader tasks when shift leader absent.

1990-1993 BAA
Computer Operator Gatwick
Responsible for running 3 mainframe computer systems.
Responsible for all financial printing including monthly pay runs.
Responsible for the successful completion of all month / year end financial work.



1989-1990
Trainee Computer Operator BAA
Gatwick
Basic introduction to hardware / software used.
Introduction to user requirements.
Getting up to speed on all basic aspects of the operations environment.
Basic shift tasks.


EDUCATION

1984-1988 ****** Comprehensive School ******

GCSE Mathematics, English Literature, English language, Human Biology, Economics, French, Chemistry, Craft Design and Technology.

1988-1989 ITEC Computer College *******
· City & Guilds in computer programming

In house courses attended
An introduction to UNIX
ITIL - IT Infrastructure Library
First Aid Competency


Technical Skills
Unix
Solaris
VME
Dec Vax
Honeywell Bull
Jobwatch
Helmsman
NT / XP / Windows 2000/2003 Server
Lotus Notes - User\Administrator.
Veritas
Legato
Arcserve
Citrix
Basic Networking
Index Phone Systems
Airline Booking Systems Including Amadeus and Air Kiosk
Hitchhiker


INTERESTS

Running, Cycling, Swimming, Squash, Reading.

Personal Information

Date of Birth ******
Nationality British

NI Number N (view contact details)A

The Good CV has an excellent description on each of his job roles, there described in detail in terms of his day to day duties and responsibilities, i would go on but I am work at the moment

As for the Bad CV it is bad because the Job decriptions look awfully generic comparing them to each other and has the word "responsibilities" included about 5 times in each job description, some people think this makes a CV look tidy but no! it doesn't not in the slightest! it just makes a CV look like youve rushed through it and not taken your time to produce it.

His Overview/Personal Statement/Key Skills is awfully short and isn't presenting his skills as well as it could, a personal statement area on a CV is extremley important this is what you can use best to tailor your CV for that specific job your after and lean it towards key points mentioned in the Job description perhaps.
I could go on for ever but I'm at Work!

Hope thats enlightened you on creating a "good" CV for your IT Job your aiming for.

Wish you luck with your job Hunting