Systems Administrator Resume Example

As technology continues to advance and more and more companies and businesses use it on a daily basis, employment opportunities for systems administrators grow.

Systems administrators are individuals responsible for the day-to-day operation of computer networks. They work with physical computers and the systems they operate on for a variety of organizations and are employed in a variety of industries.

As of 2019, systems and computer administrator positions have been on a steady 4% growth rate, and currently, in the United States, there are over 373,900 jobs available for individuals in this career.

Now, to become a systems administrator, the following is required:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in a field related to computer or information science
• For more experienced, higher positions, a minimum of 5 years experience in the field

If you're a systems administrator looking to work with a new company or just trying to update your resume, then you've come to the right place.

In just 7 steps, we are going to help optimize your resume through the following:

1. Formatting your resume
2. Writing an impressive resume summary
3. Describing your work experience
4. Listing your key skills
5. Including your certifications
6. Adding your education
7. Describing conferences, if applicable

1. Format your resume like a professional

There's quite a bit of competition in the ever-growing technological world, and when it comes to applying to jobs and actually getting hired, there's just as much.

To truly impress hiring managers, it is crucial to correctly format your resume.

Be sure to include the following sections in your resume:

• Resume summary
• Contact information
• Skills
• Work experience
• Education
• Certifications

Tip: If you're part of an organization relevant to the field or have spoken in any relevant conferences, if you've got the space, feel free to create sections for them in your resume.

There are three ways to choose from to correctly format your resume:

1. Reverse-chronological, which emphasizes your previous work experience
2. Functional, which highlights your key skills
3. Hybrid, which combines the previous formats

As a systems administrator, choosing the reverse-chronological format will really help to showcase your experience, which may help you land the job.

If you're a new systems administrator and have more skills to offer than actual experience, considering selecting the functional format.

If you've got both the skills and the experience and really want to impress hiring executives, then go with the hybrid format.

Tip: Since the field is growing, hiring managers may be receiving tons of resumes and applications for the job. Look over the job listing and implement some details and keywords listed on your resume to ensure it is seen.

Take a look at our guide on how to format your resume if you want to learn more.

2. Write an impressive and professional resume summary

We live in a busy world, and techs are busy, too. Oftentimes, resumes are only looked at for only 6-7 seconds. Therefore, providing hiring managers a resume summary shows them you appreciate their time.

A resume summary is a 1-2 sentence blurb that summarizes the important stuff on your resume. It also makes your resume look more professional, which can help you land the job.

Tip: Sometimes, it's easier to write your resume summary after you have already written your resume. That way, you can pick and choose what you want to include.

Here's an example of what your resume summary can look like as a systems administrator:

Enthusiastic, results-driven systems administrator with 5+ years experience scripting and problem solving to improve company costs and performance as well as developing user training sites meant to cut employee trouble by 15%.

See? There are elements you should always incorporate into a resume summary, including:

• Years of experience
• Type of experience
• Achievements, if applicable
• Personal characteristics

Need more help writing a professional resume summary? Our guide on writing resume summaries has tons of examples.

3. Describe your work experience efficiently

You don't need a dozen bullet points detailing everything you've done on a job.

3-5 bullet points describing what you've done will suffice.

Now, to become a systems administrator, it is preferred you have at least 5 years of experience working in the field.

With that said, it's finally time to go over what you should be putting in the work experience section of your resume.

Tip: When listing your work experience, it is important to go in reverse-chronological order. This shows hiring managers your most recent job experience and what you learned or mastered in that job. It's also important to highlight the specifics you did on the job and use good verbs.

Here are some job descriptions you can include in your resume under work experience:

• Analyzed, designed, developed, implemented, supported, and documented functions for hardware and applications utilized within the Microsoft environment.
• Monitored and administrated systems.
• Performed tuning, documentation, installation, and troubleshooting on any issues related to technology.
• Supported storage technologies and provided training and direction to other technical staff.
• Maintained smooth operation of multi-user computer systems, including coordination with network administrators.
• Set up administrator and service accounts, maintained system documentation, tuned system performance, installed system-wide software, and allocated mass storage space.
• Made recommendations to purchase hardware and software, coordinated installation, and provided backup recovery.
• Developed and monitored policies and standards for allocation related to the use of computing resources.
• Supported automated tools to perform maintenance tasks to install, configure, test, patch, and upgrade MS Server 2012, 2016, and MS Windows 10.
• Worked with development and engineering teams to test POS software releases for deployment.
• Configured, implemented, monitored, and maintained QA and production environments.
• Troubleshot system malfunctions and/or other unsatisfactory occurrences to provide analysis and recommendations for resolution and prevention.

Want more tips and tricks on how to write your work experience description? Check out our guide on describing your work experience.

4. Include your key skills

Key skills just may be what makes you a more suitable candidate for the position, and listing them on your resume shows hiring managers what you are capable of.

Tip: Listing impressive and relevant skills gives hiring managers more reasons to hire you because, based on your resume, they know you have the qualities they may be looking for.

Here are some examples of key skills you can include in your systems administrator resume:

• Scripting
• Decision Making
• Problem Solving
• Cloud Management
• Monitoring
• Automation
• Productivity Management
• Security
• Troubleshooting
• Communication

Tip: If you've got additional space, be sure to include the languages you speak as key skills in your resume. This may help you get the job in places where the local language may be different.

Having trouble identifying your skills? We have a guide with 100+ key skills you can include in your resume.

5. Include your certifications

You don't necessarily need to be certified to be a systems administrator, but having certifications may help you succeed, and adding them to your resume definitely helps you showcase your expertise and land you the job.

Tip: You can include certifications in your resume summary, too.

Here are some certifications you can get and include in your resume as a systems administrator:

• MCSE: Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert
• Oracle: Oracle Linux System Administrator
• RHCE (Red Hat): Red Hat Certified Engineer
• CompTIA Server+

If you're looking for more information on how to include certifications to include in your resume or want to know how to correctly list them, check out our guide.

6. Include your education on your resume

To become a systems administrator, you do need to have a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in a field related to computer or information science. Let hiring managers know your education by including it in your resume.

With that said, here is how you should be listing your education in your resume:

Texas A&M University

College Station, TX

2010 — 2014

Bachelor of Science in Technology Management

GPA: 3.69/4.0

Tip: Some companies may want to see your grade point average (GPA). So, be sure to include that as well, especially if it is above average.

Need more helping listing your education? We have a guide that will help you list your education in 2021 with examples and tips.

7. Describe your conferences, if applicable

While not entirely necessary to include on your resume, if you have attended and spoken at relevant conferences, it is a nice touch to your resume. This shows hiring managers that you are passionate about your career and the field of technology.

Here are some examples of conferences that are relevant to the career of a systems administrator you can include in your resume or plan to attend:

• SpiceWorld IT Conference
• Interop ITX
• DevOpsCon
• FutureTech
• Microsoft Ignite

Tip: Be sure to include a short description and what year you attended the conference.

Need more help writing the perfect resume? We have a guide that can help you do just that.

Key Takeaways

Following our guide, you're sure to optimize your resume for any systems administrator position.

Here's a recap of everything we've covered:

1. Format your resume like a professional
2. Write an impressive resume summary
3. Describe your work experience
4. List your key skills
5. Include your certifications
6. Add your education
7. Describe conferences, if applicable

Now, you'll be helping organizations and companies operate in no time with a professional resume in the bag. Good luck!