One of the key CV challenges you might encounter as a system administrator is effectively showcasing your technical skills and experience in a concise manner without oversimplifying complex projects. Our guide provides detailed tips on articulating your achievements and tailoring your technical expertise to the job description, ensuring your CV stands out to potential employers.
- Applying the simplest CV design, so that recruiters can easily understand your expertise, skills, and professional background;
- Ensuring you stand out with your header, summary or objective statement, and a designated skills section;
- Creating your CV experience section - no matter how much expertise you have;
- Using real life professional CV examples to enhance the structure and outline of your profile.
If you still have no muse to write your professional CV, find some more industry-leading examples.
Formatting your system administrator CV to meet the role expectations
Staring at the blank page for hours on end, you still have no idea how you should start your professional system administrator CV. Should you include more colours, two columns, and which sections? What you should remember about your CV format is this - ensure it's minimalistic and doesn't go over the top with fancy fonts and many colours. Instead, focus on writing consistent content that actually answers the job requirements. But, how about the design itself :- Use the reverse chronological order to showcase your experience, starting with your most recent role;
- Include your contact details (email address, phone number, and location) - and potentially your professional photo - in the header;
- Must-have CV sections include summary or objective, experience, education, and skills: curate the ones that fit your profile;
- Your professional system administrator CV should be between one-to-two pages long: select the longer format if you have more experience.
A little bit more about your actual CV design, ensure you're using:
- plenty of serif or sans serif font (e.g. Montserrat, Exo 2, Volkhov) as they are Applicant Tracker System (ATS) compliant. Avoid the likes of Arial and Times New Roman because most candidates' CVs are in this typography.
When submitting your CV, are you still not sure what format it should be? Despite the myth that has been circling around, most modern ATS systems are perfectly capable of reading PDFs. This format is an excellent choice as it keeps all of your information intact.
PRO TIP
Use font size and style strategically to create a visual hierarchy, drawing the reader's eye to the most important information first (like your name and most recent job title).
The top sections on a system administrator CV
- Professional Summary explains your expertise and value.
- Technical Skills showcase relevant technologies you master.
- Work Experience demonstrates your past roles and achievements.
- Certifications highlight your commitment to ongoing learning.
- Systems Projects detail your experience with specific systems.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your technical proficiency by listing key systems and platforms you're experienced with, such as Windows Server, Linux, VMware, or AWS, ensuring you align these with the job requirements.
- Emphasise your troubleshooting and problem-solving skills by providing examples of complex issues you've resolved, the impact they had, and the methodologies you employed.
- Demonstrate your experience in system security by mentioning any specific security protocols you've implemented or managed, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, or security audits.
- Showcase your ability to automate tasks and improve efficiency by documenting any experience with scripting or automation tools like PowerShell, Bash, Python, or Ansible.
- Detail your experience with system backups, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning, as these are critical responsibilities for a system administrator in maintaining organisational resilience.
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Our checklist for the must-have information in your system administrator CV header
Right at the very top of your system administrator CV is where you'd find the header section or the space for your contact details, headline, and professional photo. Wondering how to present your the name of the city you live in and the country abbreviation as your address;
- are tailored to the role you're applying for by integrating key job skills and requirements;
- showcase what your unique value is, most often in the form of your most noteworthy accomplishment;
- select your relevant qualifications, skills, or current role to pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. Still not sure how to write your CV headline? Our examples below showcase best practices on creating effective headlines:
Examples of good CV headlines for system administrator:
- Senior Systems Administrator | Linux Expert | Cloud Infrastructure | ITIL Certified | 10+ Years' Experience
- Systems Engineer | Virtualisation Specialist | Network Security | CCNA | Committed to Continuous Improvement
- Junior System Administrator | Microsoft Environments | Hardware Troubleshooting | Eager to Upskill | A+ Certified
- IT Systems Manager | Strategic Planning | Server Management | DevOps Practices | 15 Years in IT
- Lead Systems Administrator | Cybersecurity Focused | Disaster Recovery Expert | CISSP | 12 Years' Tenure
- Infrastructure Analyst | Data Centre Operations | VMware Certified Professional | 8 Years Dedicated Service
Choosing your opening statement: a system administrator CV summary or objective
At the top one third of your CV, you have the chance to make a more personable impression on recruiters by selecting between:
- Summary - or those three to five sentences that you use to show your greatest achievements. Use the CV summary if you happen to have plenty of relevant experience and wish to highlight your greatest successes;
- Objective - provides you with up to five sentences to state your professional aims and mission in the company you're applying for
CV summaries for a system administrator job:
- With over 7 years of dedicated experience in systems administration, adept at managing server infrastructures and data-centre operations across Unix, Linux, and Windows platforms. Effectively plan, install, configure, and optimise IT infrastructures to achieve high availability and performance. Proven ability to create and deliver solutions that meet business objectives tied to reliability and high system availability benchmarks.
- Seasoned IT professional with 9 years' expertise in systems and network administration, specialising in implementing, maintaining, and troubleshooting complex multi-platform environments. Possesses a strong command of cloud technologies, scripting languages, and automation frameworks, coupled with a record of reducing downtime and enhancing system integrity.
- A dynamic finance manager keen to transfer 8-year expertise into system administration, with a profound ability to assimilate technical knowledge, manage financial data on servers, and safeguard sensitive information. Eager to leverage strong analytical and organizational skills to contribute to the technological efficiency of a dynamic IT team.
- Former healthcare project coordinator with 5 years of experience aiming to pivot into system administration. Brings a unique perspective with a rich background in managing patient data systems, overseeing compliance with health regulations, and ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive healthcare information within digital environments.
- Eager to embark on a career in system administration, bringing forth a strong foundation in computer science principles from recent academic training. Objective: To leverage recently acquired certifications in network security and cloud services to support the development and maintenance of robust IT systems, while cultivating hands-on experience in a challenging technical environment.
- As a recent graduate with significant theoretical knowledge and foundational skills in networking and system management, determined to apply fresh insights and new technologies to improve operational efficiency. Objective: To immerse in the world of system administration, aspiring to contribute innovative problem-solving techniques and enthusiasm for technology advancements.
How to meet job requirements with your system administrator CV experience
We've now reached the essence of your actual CV - your experience section. This is the space where you can list your career roles and on-the-job successes. Many candidates tend to underestimate just how much time and effort they should put into writing this CV section. Your experience shouldn't be a random list of your responsibilities, but instead:
- Match the job description with your skills, values, and accomplishments;
- Start each bullet with a strong action verb, followed up with one key skill and your outcome of applying this skill;
- Spotlight parts of your career history that are relevant to the job you're applying for.
Before we move on, make sure to check out some professional CV experience sections.
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Managed and maintained a network of over 200 workstations and 15 servers, ensuring 99.9% uptime and rapid issue resolution.
- Implemented a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, tailored to company needs, reducing potential downtime by 75%.
- Streamlined system deployment by creating automated scripts, cutting deployment time by 50% and increasing consistency.
- Conducted regular system audits to ensure compliance with industry standards and company policies, resulting in zero compliance infractions over a two-year period.
- Led a successful migration of company email servers to a cloud-based solution, enhancing accessibility and collaboration for 300+ users.
- Optimised network security measures, implementing a next-generation firewall and advanced threat protection, which reduced security incidents by 90%.
- Trained a team of junior system administrators in best practices, elevating team capability and ensuring redundancy for critical skills.
- Devised and maintained comprehensive network documentation, greatly improving knowledge transfer and efficiency in troubleshooting issues.
- Evaluated and integrated new technologies into the existing IT infrastructure, consistently staying under budget while meeting strategic goals.
- Designed and implemented a complete revamp of the company’s backup strategy, increasing data recovery speed by 40%.
- Managed a team of 4 junior system administrators, providing mentorship and technical guidance that elevated team performance.
- Spearheaded the migration to a hybrid cloud environment, enabling a 25% cost saving on infrastructure expenses annually.
- Optimized network operations for a complex LAN/WAN environment, resulting in a 15% improvement in system reliability.
- Automated routine maintenance tasks using PowerShell, reducing time spent on these tasks by 30% and allowing the team to focus on critical issues.
- Led the deployment of a multi-factor authentication system across the company, enhancing security measures and reducing unauthorized access incidents by 90%.
- Initiated and executed the upgrade of server infrastructure to Windows Server 2016, which cut down on-premise server costs by 20%.
- Developed a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that successfully protected critical data during two unforeseen outages.
- Coordinated with cross-functional departments to streamline IT support, resulting in a 35% increase in end-user satisfaction.
- Orchestrated the deployment of a centralized management system for patching and software distribution which improved compliance to 95%.
- Reduced datacenter cooling costs by 10% through server virtualization and consolidation efforts.
- Instituted robust monitoring tools that decreased downtime incidents by 50%.
- Supported a network infrastructure serving over 500 users, ensuring consistent uptime and quick resolution of connectivity issues.
- Administered the roll-out of new software updates to workstations company-wide with a 98% success rate in first-pass deployment.
- Contributed to the reduction of IT support ticket backlog by 40% through effective troubleshooting and proactive system maintenance.
- Managed active directory services for over 1000 employee accounts, maintaining secure access and efficient account provisioning.
- Played a key role in the rollout of a new email system to all staff, which resulted in a 30% improvement in email deliverability.
- Delivered comprehensive training programs on IT security awareness, reducing the incidence of security breaches by employees by 75%.
- Conducted a company-wide IT systems audit that identified and remedied over 150 security vulnerabilities.
- Implemented a sophisticated ticketing system that tracked and prioritized IT issues, improving resolution times by 25%.
- Overhauled the legacy VoIP system with a modern unified communications platform that saved the company an average of $10k per month on telecommunication costs.
- Led the development and deployment of a centralized asset management system that streamlined the tracking of IT assets, resulting in a decrease in loss/theft of devices by 70%.
- Coordinated with software development teams to deploy critical updates to production environments with zero downtime during business hours.
- Reduced overall IT operating expenses by 15% through strategic vendor negotiations and the adoption of cost-efficient technologies.
- Developed a system automation framework that reduced manual workloads by 50% and helped to speed up deployment processes.
- Championed the successful migration of 200 virtual machines to a new data center without service interruption.
- Introduced rigorous IT performance metrics which directly correlated with a 20% increase in overall system stability and user productivity.
- Led a high-stakes data center relocation project that improved operational efficiency by 30% and enhanced disaster recovery capabilities.
- Managed critical security updates and patches across 500+ servers, reducing the potential risk of data breaches.
- Drove an initiative to refresh end-of-life hardware, which optimized performance and extended the usable life of IT assets by an average of two years.
Swapping your professional experience (when you have none) with skills and more
Never underestimate the importance of relevancе when it comes to your system administrator CV. Even if you don't happen to have much or any standard (full-time contract) professional experience, this doesn't mean you shouldn't apply for the role. Instead of a bespoke CV experience section:
- Showcase more prominently any internships, part-time roles, and volunteer experience that are applicable to the role and have taught you job-crucial skills;
- Feature a strengths or achievements section with your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your work or life experience;
- Write an objective statement that clearly outlines your values as a candidate and defines your career ambitions;
- List your education or certificates that match the job profile closer to the top of your CV.
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If you have experience in diverse fields, highlight how this has broadened your perspective and skill set, making you a more versatile candidate.
Hard skills and soft skills to showcase your unique skill set on your system administrator CV
Did you know that your CV will mostly likely be assessed by recruiters based on skill alignment? And that means that the way you feature your key skills across different CV sections will play a crucial role in landing you that first interview. We recommend you add your:
- technical capabilities or hard skills in your CV experience, certificates, projects, etc. Use your past accomplishments to prove your technical capabilities. List up to a dozen different software or hardware in your dedicated skills section to match the job keywords;
- personal and communication skills or soft skills in your CV strengths, achievements, summary/ objective, etc. Soft skills are a bit more difficult to prove. How do you define your aptitude in active listening? So, instead of just listing the skill name, include a tangible metric to show your success.
On a final note, when you're in a hurry to create your profile, you may misspell a particular technology or soft skill. That's why we suggest you copy and paste the particular skill name (or keyword), directly from the job advert. This would also help you to pass any initial Applicant Tracker System (ATS) tests.
Top skills for your system administrator CV:
Operating systems (Windows Server, Linux, UNIX)
Networking (TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, VLANs)
Virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper-V)
Cloud services (AWS, Azure)
Scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python)
Database management (SQL, MySQL)
Storage solutions (SAN, NAS)
Security measures and protocols
Server hardware configuration and maintenance
Backup and disaster recovery solutions
Problem-solving
Communication
Time management
Analytical thinking
Teamwork
Customer service orientation
Attention to detail
Proactivity
Adaptability
Continuous learning
PRO TIP
Use mini case studies or success stories in your CV to demonstrate how your skills have positively impacted previous roles or projects.
Education and more professional qualifications to include in your system administrator CV
If you want to showcase to recruiters that you're further qualified for the role, ensure you've included your relevant university diplomas. Within your education section:
- Describe your degree with your university name(-s) and start-graduation dates;
- List any awards you've received, if you deem they would be impressive or are relevant to the industry;
- Include your projects and publications, if you need to further showcase how you've used your technical know-how;
- Avoid listing your A-level marks, as your potential employers care to learn more about your university background.
Apart from your higher education, ensure that you've curated your relevant certificates or courses by listing the:
- name of the certificate or course;
- name of the institution within which you received your training;
- the date(-s) when you obtained your accreditation.
In the next section, discover some of the most relevant certificates for your system administrator CV:
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Focus on describing skills in the context of the outcomes they’ve helped you achieve, linking them directly to tangible results or successes in your career.
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Key takeaways
Here are five things you need to remember about writing your system administrator CV for success:
- Sort your experience based on the reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent career items, to showcase how you've grown your career;
- Include within your CV header your relevant contact details, a headline that could spotlight your unique value, and a photo - if you're applying for roles outside the UK or US;
- Decide to use the CV summary, if you happen to have more professional experience, and an objective, if you want to showcase your career goals;
- Within the experience section, write your bullets using action verbs, skills, and success, instead of just merely listing your on-the-job responsibilities;
- Prove your technical skills, using your education and certificates, and your soft skills, with your achievements and strengths sections.
