System Administrator Resume: Examples and Tips

The 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, network administrator, and database administrator, might seem confusing at first.

Briefly said, a network administrator basically deals with computer networks 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. 

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.

🖋 3 system administrator resume formats

1. The chronological 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 chronological 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 known 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 chronological and functional formats. This format consists of “professional profile” and “qualifications summary”, which respectively elaborate skills summary and work experience in a reverse-chronological 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 known 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.

1. 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. 

2. Resume Title

The 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. 

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.

4. Resume Objective

The 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.
  

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.

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 name
• Company’s location
• Your title and position in that company
• Employment dates (month and year)
• Elaboration of your roles, responsibilities, and achievements

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 honors or awards if there are any. 

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. 

✅ 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 knowledge 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.

🖋 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 chronological 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.