Would anybody mind casting an eye over my CV?

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Hi Guys,

I'm new to these forums, I've posted an introduction in the new members board here and thought I'd post (an edited copy of) my CV here for critique

I've spent quite some time working on it, trying to get it "fit for purpose", but am still not quite satisfied. I would greatly appreciate any thoughts on how to improve it, in fact I would be grateful for any feedback at all! I have taken on board comments given in response to other CVs posted here on the forums, and hope to have formatted the document correctly to highlight IT relevant skills and experience.

My apologies if you're bored of yet another "please look at my CV" thread

Cheers,

I.

 

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A couple of things that I would change;

Reduce or remove your profile.

Over 1 year technical experience in hardware.......... is not an 'expertise'. Put it in your Experiences section.

In fact put all of the Technical Expertise section in to the Skills and Experiences section.

Actually specify which server platforms you have used, 200x doesn't mean much. Have you used Windows Server 2008?

I would list together the operating systems I have used on one bullet point, and then the server platforms I have used on another (Exchange, SQL server, etc)

You appear to have changed job every year for the last 5 years. If I was an employer I would want to know why? I'm not suggesting you write the reasons on your CV but employers will want to know your reasons and whether you are likely to do one in a year if they take you on.

You start off your CV writing in the 3rd person and later you change to writing in the 1st person. Pick one and stay consistent (usually 3rd person).

Those are just my opinions, do with them as you will!

HTH

 

Hi Stoney

Thank you for taking the time to proof-read my CV - you raise some interesting points!

I hadn't realised that I switched from writing in the third to first person, it seems really obvious now that you've picked up on it. I will be sure to correct that glaring mistake at once!

Do you recommend I remove the personal references from the body of text under each job description entirely:

"I put a process in place..." becoming "Put a process...." / "I was responsible for..." becoming "Responsible for..."

or insert my name in the style of the opening statement:

"Ian put a process in place..." / "Ian was responsible for..." ?

Regarding the separate Technical Expertise and Skills And Experiences sections, I was trying to differentiate between the core "IT" skills I possess, and the non role-specific skills I have developed over my short career. I guess I'm trying to show the recruiter/HR person reading that I am not just a techie, but have other relevant business experience and "Soft-Skills". I agree that the section needs some work, and have taken on board your suggestions to re-arrange bullet points (I have played with early beta releases of Server 2008 in a sandbox environment, but have little practical experience of it, so will replace "Server 200x" with "2000/3")

Finally (and thanks for not nodding off!), I am not sure whether to even include the first 3 (chronologically) job entries, as they are not really relevant to the industry, being catering jobs held whilst in my teens. Perhaps I should replace them with a statement along the lines of:

"Between 1998 and 2004 I was employed within the catering industry. Further details available upon request."

Can I put that on my CV? What do you guys think?

Thanks again for your help.

I.