Created by CakeIn this article, you will learn about:Which is the best system administrator
resume formatWhat to include in a system administrator
resume: 8 key sections5 tips on how to write a good system administrator
resumeThe most successful system administrator
resume templateSystem Administrator
Resume SampleThe demand for system administrator talents has been growing recently as the digital era keeps on rising. At first glance, the jobs branching out from the IT department, like system administrator, net
work administrator, and database administrator, might seem confusing at first.Briefly said, a net
work administrator basically deals
with computer net
works and internet systems while a database administrator
works by utilizing certain applications to retrieve and store data and information.
System administrators, on the other hand, have the duty to maintain both computer hardware and software.
📝 System administrator roles and responsibilities:Install software, including updates and upkeepManage passwords and practicing SSO policiesResponsible for user permissions and administrationIn charge of file organization and managementCome out
with the best procedure and policy for the company system
To land a perfect job in the competitive market, the applicant needs to have a well-crafted system administrator
resume and stand out among all applicants. Since most recruiters make up their minds
within 30 seconds of looking at the
resume, it is very important to design an out-of-the-world
resume to grab their attention.Which is the best system administrator
resume format?🖋 3system administrator
resume formats
1. The chro
nological
resume format
This format allows the hirer to scan through the applicants’
work experience from the latest to the oldest. It emphasizes the constant development of the applicant’s career path and allows them to showcase whether they have what it takes to handle the job.✅ Pros:It is an ATS-Compliant
resume format and will increase the likelihood of the
resume passing the applicant tracking system and gaining HR’s attention.Most recruiters also are used to the chro
nological
resume format.It features previous
working
experience and shows steady career development.
❌ Cons: It is more likely to be called into attention if the applicants have gaps in their career path.
2. The functional
resume format
Also k
nown as skill-based
resume format, this format scrambles all different job roles and
work experience into different skills categories.
✅ Pros:
It is suitable for those who have gaps in their careers.It is excellent for those who are going for a career change and allows them to emphasize different skill sets.
❌ Cons:
It is only appropriate if you have certain skill sets that match the job opening.It is
not an ATS-friendly format.
3. The combinational
resume format
The combination between chro
nological and functional formats. This format consists of “professional profile” and “qualifications summary”, which respectively elaborate skills summary and
work experience in a reverse-chro
nological format.
✅ Pros:
It brings out extensive
working
experience, skills, and achievements.It is perfect for those
with abundant
work experience and for those who are looking for a career change.
❌ Cons:
It is hard to pass the ATS system.It tends to be longer and
not to the point.It is easily subject to repeated content.
🖋 In which format should a system administrator
resume be sent?
It is recommended to convert your system administrator
resume into a PDF file so that it will maintain its original layout and format. However, the downside of using a PDF file is that it might have difficulty passing some older versions of ATS screening.
On the other hand, sending out your
resume in word format is a little bit risky since the content might get distorted during the process.
Therefore, only use word format if they are using an ATS system and is a requirement from the company.
🖋 How to prepare a
resume format for system administrator freshers?
1. Adopt a skill-based
resume format.
The Skill-based
resume format, also k
nown as a functional
resume format, is a go-for system administrator
resume format for freshers.
This
resume allows fresh graduates
with little to
no experience to present their qualifications based on their skill sets acquired from previous
work experience, school projects, clubs, or volunteer activities. This way, the focus will be set on skills rather than previous career paths.
2. Use a career objective for a system administrator.
For an entry-level system administrator
resume, a well-written system administrator
resume objective is a plus since it allows the recruiter to have a brief overview of the applicant’s strengths at first glance.
A career objective for system administrator freshers usually consists of the applicant’s objective and qualifications that could be beneficial to the company. Therefore, an objective for a system administrator
resume could slightly increase the applicant’s chance among freshers.
3. Highlight your educational qualifications.
Education qualifications play a significant role when the applicants have less
working
experience to highlight in their system admin
resume.
Emphasizing your educational background, such as the name of the school, the department, the major, GPA, courses, and achievements could be pretty rewarding especially if the qualifications match the job description.
What to include in a system administrator
resume: 8 key sections1.
Resume Header
Normally, a
resume header is a section where the personal details of the applicant are located. The personal details should include full name, professional title, email address, contact number, address. The LinkedIn account and personal websites are optional.
Some personal information such as race, gender, sexual orientation, photograph, age, religion, and marital status are
not required for the
resume.
Example of a system administrator
resume header:
LOLA SMITHSystem Administrator
[email protected]San Francisco, CA+333 1225544linkedin.com/in/lola-smith
2.
Resume TitleThe
resume headline for system administrators is a general description that highlights your worth as a candidate to the recruiter. It is often located right below the
resume header.
The
resume headline is the first place most recruiters will set their eyes on; therefore, it is of utmost importance to make this section well-crafted and eye-catching.
Example of a system administrator
resume title:
Skillful System Administrator Certified in Automation and Scripting
👍 Tip:Use creative and captivating phrases and include your biggest achievements and qualifications.
3.
Resume Summary
A system administrator
resume summary is the best place to catch the attention of the recruiter, where you explain the skills that are related to the job descriptions. The essential points to keep in mind while writing a system administrator profile summary are:
Keep it straightforward.Point out your most reputable achievements in previous roles.Use great adjectives to describe yourself.
Example of a system administrator
resume summary:
Detail-oriented system administrator
with 3+ years of
experience in IoT and mobile device management.
4.
Resume ObjectiveThe
resume objective for a system administrator is
no other than a short paragraph, consisting of 2-3 lines describing the goal and purpose of the applicant’s career.
A well-written
resume objective should:
Include positive characteristics and traits.Mention previous
experience that is related to the job.Point out your career goals.Incorporate the company’s name you are applying for.
Example of a system administrator
resume objective:
Looking for an IT system administrator position at BNB company where abundant technical skills can be applied.
5. Skills
The skill section is believed to be one of the most important parts of a
resume since it plays an essential role in deciding whether you have the ability to take on the job.
There are several ways to craft a killer skill section for a system administrator
resume:
Pay attention to the job description and what kind of skills they are specifically looking for.List down all your skills and select only the relevant ones.Include both hard and soft skills.Hard skills for a system administrator
resume:
LinuxNet
workingAccount access managementScripting languagesMobile Device management
Soft skills for a system administrator
resume:
EnthusiasticAttention to detailAbility to describe complicated subjectsProblem-solvingOrganized
6.
Work Experience
The
Work experience on a system administrator
resume is the best where the hiring manager looks at to decide whether you are suitable for the position and role. System administrator job description
resume should list down related previous roles to increase your chance of getting the position.When writing the
work experience section, you have to include:
Company’s nameCompany’s locationYour title and position in that companyEmployment dates (month and year)Elaboration of your roles, responsibilities, and achievements
Example of
work experience for a system administrator
resume:
Linux System AdministratorCNC Company | Denver, COJanuary 2015 - PresentExecuted more than 10 troubleshooting of hardware issuesResponsible for systems in different lab environments
7. Education
The education section has a great value for fresh graduates since they could highlight their educational background and achievements at university.
In a different scenario, the education section in a professional system administrator
resume will be less emphasized and positioned after the
work experience section.Education in a system administrator
resume should have several details, such as degree, the department and major, the year of graduation, the name of the school, and ho
nors or awards if there are any.Example of education for a system administrator
resume:
Harvard UniversityBachelor in Computer Science (2012 - 2016)
8. Additional Information
For a system administrator, previously achieved certification in different skills might be a plus to put in your
resume.
In addition, if you still have free space in your
resume, you could also decide to include sections such as projects, awards, hobbies, references, and achievements if they are helpful and could benefit your overall performance.Example of additional information for a system administrator
resume:
Red Hat Certified System Administrator (2019)
5 tips on how to write a good system administrator
resume✅ Tip 1: Tailor the
resume to the job description.Always adjust your system administrator
resume depending on each job description. Some companies and recruiters might have different requirements and expectations.
Therefore, you have to do research beforehand on the roles and responsibilities of the system administrator job and match your
resume content
with them.
For example, the contents of a salesforce administrator
resume might be different from those of a Linux system administrator
resume, a windows system administrator
resume, a server administrator
resume, or an oracle database administrator
resume.
✅ Tip 2: Make it concise and relevant to the job.Learn and understand the job opening. You could insert specific keywords that the company uses into your
resume for a system administrator job.
Not only are they more ATS-friendly, but also show how closely related and suitable you are to the job. Be specific and stick to what the company requires.
✅ Tip 3: Refer to online
resume examples.Browsing and looking for various system administrator
resume examples would do you more good than harm. You could refer to what specifics others put into their
resume particularly if you are aiming for the same position.
In addition, you could as well evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of other
resumes and use this k
nowledge to improve your system admin
resume.
✅ Tip 4: Keep the formatting consistent.
No matter how great the content of your system administrator
resume is, it will be ineffective if it is hard to read and follow. Remember to keep your
resume organized and allow some room for each line. There are some simple tips to keep your
resume formatting consistent.
Decide the style of your
resume (e.g. standard
resume format, formal
resume format, professional
resume format, attractive
resume format, etc.).To be safe, do
not use more than two different colors. However, you can do some experiments by starting
with several matching colors before settling down on two.Try
not to use several font types in one
resume. Keep them consistent and comfortable to the eyes. The most common font types are Calibri, Helvetica, Roboto, etc.
✅ Tip 5: Quantify results and start your sentences
with action verbs.
System administrators tend to solve a lot of complicated problems and achieve exceptional results throughout their career paths; therefore, it is so significant to use numbers to describe your previous achievements.
The numbers will markedly show your qualifications and abilities and differentiate you from other applicants.
Powerful action words could also provide positivity and great energy to your overall impression.
The most successful system administrator
resume template
🖋 Should I use a
resume template?Since there are
no right or wrong answers to this question, system administrators could decide on whether or
not to use a
resume template after weighing both the pros and cons.
✅ Pros:Templates come
with already-made designs and layouts.You only have to make adjustments according to the available templates.Using templates saves you a considerable amount of time.
❌ Cons:
There is a possibility of using the same template as other applicants.You enjoy less flexibility as you have to fill each section available on the template.It is
not suitable for those applying for a position where creativity and designing skills are required.
🖋 What is the best
resume template for a system administrator?
Depending on the amount of
experience the applicant has, suggestions for designing a system administrator
resume vary.
For freshers writing an entry-level system administrator
resume with no work experience and looking for the first job, it is recommended to use a functional (skill-based)
resume format since it emphasizes the skills rather than
work experience.
For the case of a junior system administrator
resume or a senior system administrator
resume with abundant
work experience, applicants can choose to use a chro
nological or combinational (hybrid)
resume format.
🖋 Where can I get a free
resume template?Cake provides professional and most up-to-date free
resume templates designed exclusively for different professions.
Aside from the
resume builders like Cake, MS Word and Google Docs. also provide free
resume templates.
Ready to build your system administrator
resume? Use our
resume builder to quickly and easily build a stunning system administrator
resume Now for free!Create
ResumeSystem administrator
resume sampleSanta Smith
Linux System Administrator
[email protected]Dallas, TX+469 1111222Professional SummaryEnthusiastic certified oracle linux system administrator
with 5+
experience in IoT enterprises. Supervised nationwide hardware troubleshooting and technical errors.
Hard Skills
LinuxOracleScripting languagesMobile device managementNet
working
Soft Skills
Excellent communication skillsEnthusiasticProblem-solvingAbility to
work under pressureFlexible
Work Experience
Senior Linux System AdministratorQinn Company | Dallas, TXApril 2016 - present
Supervised 100 junior Linux system administrators.Designed new security protocols for the City of Dallas Government.
Junior Linux System AdministratorKK Company | Seattle, WAJanuary 2015 - January 2016
Responsible for Tier 1 problem identification.Developed programs to ensure data security.
Education
California Institute of Tech
nologyB.S in Information Science2010 - 2014
--- Originally written by Fedrick Hansen ---