Resume guide · Job Zone 3

Network and Computer Systems Administratorsresume guide.

Install, configure, and maintain an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), data communications network, operating systems, and A strong Network and Computer Systems Administrators resume shows active listening, judgment and decision making and systems analysis, and names the tools you have worked with, such as JavaScript, Hypertext markup language HTML and PHP.

See a sample Network and Computer Systems Administrators resumeAnnotated against this guide · 3 templates↓
Sample resume

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A Network and Computer Systems Administrators resume built in ResumeXRays, annotated against the data below. Flip the pages, try a template, then make it yours.

  1. 1Show the uptime, not just the network size.Maintaining and administering networks is a core task in this guide. Uptime over two years proves you keep things running, which says more than a list of what you manage.
  2. 2Prove your security work with a before and after.Planning network security is the top task in this guide, and employers now want admins who know zero trust basics like multi-factor sign-in and segmentation. A clean penetration test is the result they care about.
  3. 3Say what your scripts saved.Hiring is moving away from admins who only configure by hand. Naming Ansible software and Microsoft PowerShell, both in demand in this guide, and the hours saved shows you automate the routine work.
  4. 4Back up your backups with a tested restore.Data backups and disaster recovery are a core task in this guide. A timed restore against a target shows you have actually tested recovery.
  5. 5Group your tools so they are easy to scan.This guide lists dozens of in-demand tools. Sorting the ones you use into networking, systems and automation, spelled as postings spell them, helps both people and resume filters find Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Azure software and the rest.
  6. 6Keep education to one line.People in this job come from many paths, and a two-year degree is the most common. The degree, school and year are enough.

Sample resume. The candidate is fictional; the layout and templates are real.

Thurston Okwuosa

Network Administrator, CCNA, Security+

[email protected] / (757) 555-0159 / Virginia Beach, VA

Summary

Network administrator with seven years running Windows and Linux environments for multi-site businesses, the last three as the lead admin for a 9-site, 600-user network. Moves repeat work into PowerShell and Ansible scripts, tightens access with multi-factor sign-in and segmentation, and keeps backups tested so recovery is a plan, not a hope.

Experience

Network Administrator
Pewterbay Marine Systems / Virginia Beach, VA
Apr 2022 - Present
Administer the LAN, WAN and Wi-Fi for 9 sites and 600 users on Microsoft Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, holding 99.95% core network uptime over the last two years.
Rolled out multi-factor sign-in for all remote access and split the flat network into 14 VLANs with firewall rules between them; the yearly penetration test went from 6 high findings to none.
Wrote Ansible software playbooks and Microsoft PowerShell scripts for switch configs, patching and new-user setup, cutting a new site's switch build from two days to three hours.
Moved 40 on-premises servers to a hybrid setup with Microsoft Azure software, retiring two aging server rooms and trimming hosting costs by 18% a year.
Run quarterly restore drills from Veritas NetBackup; the last full test brought the ERP system back in 2 hours 10 minutes against a 4-hour target.
Built Splunk Enterprise dashboards and alerts for link use and failed logins, catching a failing branch circuit 3 days before it went down.
Systems Administrator
Scuppernong Title Company / Norfolk, VA
Jun 2019 - Apr 2022
Managed Microsoft Active Directory, group policy and email for 180 users across 4 offices, closing 92% of ServiceNow tickets within the same business day.
Replaced end-of-life firewalls and VPN at all offices over one weekend per site with no lost business days.
Kept network maps in Microsoft Visio and change logs in Git, so outside auditors signed off on the 2021 review with no IT findings.
IT Support Technician
Gildersleeve Auto Group / Chesapeake, VA
Aug 2017 - Jun 2019
Supported 120 users across 3 dealerships, replacing failed hardware and resolving about 25 desk and phone tickets a week.

Skills

Systems:Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Active Directory, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Microsoft Azure software, Docker, Veritas NetBackup
Networking:LAN and WAN, VLANs and segmentation, Firewall software, VPN, Border Gateway Protocol BGP, Dynamic host configuration protocol DHCP
Automation and monitoring:Microsoft PowerShell, Ansible software, Python, Git, Splunk Enterprise, ServiceNow

Certifications

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Cisco, active
CompTIA Security+, CompTIA, active
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft

Education

Associate of Applied Science in Information Systems Technology
Marlowe Neck Community College
2017

01Also called

O*NET
LAN Administrator (Local Area Network Administrator)LAN Specialist (Local Area Network Specialist)Network Administrator (Network Admin)Network AnalystNetwork CoordinatorNetwork EngineerNetwork ManagerNetwork SpecialistSystems EngineerApplication Security Administrator

02Skills employers expect

O*NET

Importance is how much the skill matters to the job; level is how much of it the job demands. Both are worth naming on the resume, in this order.

SkillImportanceLevel
Active ListeningVery highAdvanced
Judgment and Decision MakingVery highAdvanced
Systems AnalysisVery highAdvanced
Systems EvaluationVery highAdvanced
TroubleshootingVery highAdvanced
Complex Problem SolvingHighAdvanced
Critical ThinkingHighAdvanced
MonitoringHighAdvanced
Reading ComprehensionHighAdvanced
Operations MonitoringHighIntermediate

03Knowledge areas

O*NET
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Telecommunications
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Administration and Management
  • Administrative
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Design
  • Mathematics
  • Public Safety and Security

04Common responsibilities

O*NET

Ordered by importance. Each one is a bullet waiting for a result and a number.

  1. Plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures to protect data, software, and hardware.
  2. Perform data backups and disaster recovery operations.
  3. Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware, software, or other network and system problems, and replace defective components when necessary.
  4. Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
  5. Configure, monitor, and maintain email applications or virus protection software.
  6. Confer with network users about solutions to existing system problems.
  7. Operate master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks and to coordinate computer network access and use.
  8. Maintain logs related to network functions, as well as maintenance and repair records.
  9. Monitor network performance to determine whether adjustments are needed and where changes will be needed in the future.
  10. Design, configure, and test computer hardware, networking software and operating system software.

05Software and tools

O*NET

261 tools across 67 categories. The six largest categories are below; Hot marks a hot technology, In demand a tool employers ask for most often.

Network monitoring software27
  • Wireshark
  • Nagios
  • Snort
  • Network intrusion prevention systems NIPS
  • Tcpdump
  • Dartware InterMapper
  • Ethereal
  • Zabbix
  • LogMatrix NerveCenter
  • Multi-router traffic grapher MRTG software
  • Network and application load and performance testing software
  • Network and component performance analysis software
  • Network availability monitoring software
  • Network modeling, mapping, and analysis software
  • Network traffic flow monitoring and analysis software
  • Network traffic probe software
  • Online traffic calculator software
  • Oracle Net Manager
  • Packet tracing software
  • Quest BigBrother
  • IBM Director
  • IBM NetView
  • Lavalys Everest
  • Micromuse NetCool
  • Novell NetWare Management Station
  • Quest Foglight
  • Remote monitoring software
+ 22 more
Web platform development software19
  • JavaScriptHotIn demand
  • Hypertext markup language HTMLHotIn demand
  • PHPHotIn demand
  • JavaScript Object Notation JSONHotIn demand
  • Node.jsHotIn demand
  • Microsoft Active Server Pages ASPHot
  • AJAXHot
  • Apache TomcatHot
  • DjangoHot
  • Microsoft ASP.NETHot
  • DrupalIn demand
  • Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML
  • Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML
  • Oracle JavaServer Pages JSP
  • Apache Struts
  • Ruby on Rails
  • Enterprise JavaBeans
  • LAMP Stack
  • Microsoft ASP.NET Core MVC
+ 14 more
Development environment software18
  • CHotIn demand
  • Microsoft Azure softwareHotIn demand
  • Microsoft Visual StudioHotIn demand
  • Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBAHotIn demand
  • Eclipse IDEHotIn demand
  • Microsoft .NET FrameworkHotIn demand
  • Microsoft PowerShellHotIn demand
  • GoHotIn demand
  • Apache KafkaHotIn demand
  • Microsoft Visual BasicHot
  • RubyHot
  • Apache MavenHot
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript
  • Adobe ActionScript
  • Integrated development environment IDE software
  • Apache Ant
  • Common business oriented language COBOL
  • Systems and applications migration software
+ 13 more
Data base user interface and query software14
+ 9 more
Operating system software13
  • Microsoft WindowsHotIn demand
  • LinuxHotIn demand
  • UNIXHotIn demand
  • Apple macOSHotIn demand
  • Shell scriptHotIn demand
  • BashHotIn demand
  • Red Hat Enterprise LinuxHotIn demand
  • UNIX ShellHot
  • Oracle Solaris
  • Hewlett Packard HP-UX
  • Job control language JCL
  • Ubuntu
  • KornShell
+ 8 more
Data base management system software12
  • Apache HadoopHotIn demand
  • NoSQLHotIn demand
  • MongoDBHotIn demand
  • Oracle PL/SQLHotIn demand
  • Teradata DatabaseHot
  • Apache HiveHot
  • Apache CassandraHot
  • ElasticsearchHot
  • Amazon DynamoDBHot
  • Apache Pig
  • Relational database management software
  • Apache Solr
+ 7 more
Object or component oriented development software12
  • PythonHotIn demand
  • C++HotIn demand
  • Oracle JavaHotIn demand
  • PerlHotIn demand
  • C#HotIn demand
  • jQueryHotIn demand
  • Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRSHot
  • SwiftHot
  • Apache Groovy
  • Advanced business application programming ABAP
  • Microsoft ActiveX
  • Jupyter Notebook
+ 7 more
Enterprise resource planning ERP software11
+ 6 more
Administration software9
  • Cisco Systems CiscoWorks
  • Element management software
  • Simple network management protocol SNMP software
  • Dynamic host configuration protocol DHCP
  • Hewlett-Packard HP Network Node Manager
  • Network documentation software
  • Network management software
  • Network address management software
  • Network shutdown software
+ 4 more
Application server software7
  • GitHubHotIn demand
  • DockerHotIn demand
  • Microsoft Windows ServerHotIn demand
  • Red Hat OpenShiftHot
  • Oracle WebLogic Server
  • Red Hat WildFly
  • Citrix XenApp
+ 2 more
Configuration management software7
  • PuppetHot
  • ChefHot
  • Perforce Helix software
  • Automated installation software
  • Patch and update management software
  • Application management software
  • Microsoft Windows Sysprep
+ 2 more
Enterprise application integration software7
  • Extensible markup language XMLHotIn demand
  • Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSISHotIn demand
  • Enterprise application integration EAI softwareIn demand
  • IBM InfoSphere DataStage
  • Atlassian Bamboo
  • Oracle Fusion Middleware
  • Systems integration software
+ 2 more
Transaction security and virus protection software7
  • NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
  • McAfee
  • Encryption software
  • Ping Identity
  • Packet filter software
  • Root kit detection software
  • Honeypot
+ 2 more
Business intelligence and data analysis software6
  • TableauHotIn demand
  • Apache SparkHotIn demand
  • IBM Cognos Impromptu
  • Qlik Tech QlikView
  • MicroStrategy
  • Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
+ 1 more
Access software5
  • Citrix cloud computing software
  • Access management software
  • IBM Tivoli software
  • Mac HelpMate
  • Remote desktop control software
Internet directory services software5
  • Microsoft Active DirectoryHotIn demand
  • Active directory software
  • Domain name system DNS
  • Berkeley Internet Domain Name BIND
  • Network addressable storage NAS software
Network security or virtual private network VPN management software5
  • Intrusion prevention system IPS
  • Network and system vulnerability assessment software
  • Security incident management software
  • Virtual local area network management software
  • OpenService Open NerveCenter
Project management software4
  • Microsoft ProjectHotIn demand
  • Atlassian ConfluenceHotIn demand
  • Microsoft TeamsHotIn demand
  • Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio ManagementHot
Analytical or scientific software3
  • SASHotIn demand
  • StataCorp StataIn demand
  • Root cause analysis software
Cloud-based management software3
  • Splunk EnterpriseHotIn demand
  • Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormationHotIn demand
  • IBM WebSphere
Desktop communications software3
  • Skype
  • ParentSquare
  • Secure shell SSH software
Electronic mail software3
Network operating system enhancement software3
  • Network, server and operating system optimization software
  • Management information base MIB software
  • Operating system process control software
Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software3
  • Firewall softwareIn demand
  • Virtual private networking VPN software
  • Network intrusion detection software
Backup or archival software2
  • Veritas NetBackup
  • System and data disaster recovery software
Computer aided design CAD software2
  • Dassault Systemes CATIAIn demand
  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
Document management software2
File versioning software2
  • GitHotIn demand
  • Apache Subversion SVNHot
Financial analysis software2
  • Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
  • Delphi Technology
Geographic information system2
Human resources software2
  • Human resource management software HRMS
  • Oracle Taleo
Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software2
  • Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
  • Open source routing protocols OSPF
Object oriented data base management software2
  • PostgreSQLHotIn demand
  • Hibernate ORMHot
Program testing software2
  • Hewlett Packard LoadRunner
  • Computer system diagnostics software
Storage networking software2
  • Amazon Simple Storage Service S3
  • Storage area network SAN software
Web page creation and editing software2
  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Google Sites
Authentication server software1
  • Password management software
Cloud-based protection or security software1
  • SolarWinds
Clustering software1
  • VMware
Communications server software1
  • IBM Domino
Compiler and decompiler software1
  • Command interpreters
Computer based training software1
  • Moodle
Computer imaging software1
  • Symantec Ghost Solution Suite
Content workflow software1
  • Atlassian JIRAHotIn demand
Customer relationship management CRM software1
  • Blackbaud The Raiser's EdgeIn demand
Data base reporting software1
  • SAP Crystal Reports
Desktop publishing software1
Enterprise system management software1
  • IBM Power Systems software
Expert system software1
  • Ansible softwareHotIn demand
Gateway software1
  • Microsoft Windows Terminal Services Access Manager
Graphical user interface development software1
  • TKSoftware RCM software
Helpdesk or call center software1
  • Help desk software
Industrial control software1
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
Medical software1
  • Epic SystemsHotIn demand
Metadata management software1
  • Quest Erwin Data Modeler
Office suite software1
Pattern design software1
  • Diagramming software
Platform interconnectivity software1
  • Virtual network computing VNC software
Portal server software1
  • Apache HTTP Server
Presentation software1
Process mapping and design software1
Requirements analysis and system architecture software1
  • Requirements management software
Sales and marketing software1
  • Marketo Marketing AutomationHot
Spreadsheet software1
Switch or router software1
  • Border Gateway Protocol BGPHotIn demand
Transaction server software1
  • Customer information control system CICS
Video conferencing software1
  • Cisco WebexHot

06Education and preparation

O*NET
Typical education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
30% of surveyed workers. Others report Bachelor's Degree (27%) and Post-Secondary Certificate (20%).
Preparation level
Job Zone 3 · Medium preparation
Usually vocational training, an associate degree or a few years of related experience.

07Putting it on your resume

ResumeXRays guidance
BEE · How to show it

Lead with the credential and the record. Job Zone 3 roles usually ask for training, a license or a few years of related experience. Put those on the first screen, then show what you did with them.

Name the tools exactly. This occupation is heavy on named software. A skills section that says "JavaScript, Hypertext markup language HTML, PHP, JavaScript Object Notation JSON" matches more job descriptions than a general phrase. Use the spelling employers use.

Show judgment and decision making and systems analysis, not just active listening. Judgment and decision making and systems analysis rank close to active listening for this occupation. One bullet per role that shows a decision, a tradeoff or a result covers them.

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