8 System Administrator Resume Examples & Guide for 2023

“Can you check my system administrator resume?”

We get this asked at least once every day. So, we finally decided to write a guide that everyone can use whether you’re entry level or experienced, whether you’re a Windows or Linux system administrator.

Most of the advice you found here has been extensively tested and verified by hiring managers from organizations of various shapes and sizes. What you will learn here:

• You’ll walk through some real system admin resumes that scored big;
• You’ll learn what’s the most important thing for a hiring manager in your resume;
• Walk through of what makes the resume sections good and bad (with examples);
• At the end, you’ll walk away with a perfect resume for your job application.

How to write a system administrator resume?

A hiring manager would look more for network engineering experience. More specifically, the hiring manager would try to evaluate your experience of setting up and hardening enterprise firewalls, whether you can set up cloud environments, etc.

Most system administrators resume are filled with a lot of help desk credentials rather than actual technical skills.

You’d be surprised to hear how many recruiters only try to look for CCNA, AWS practitioner certifications, Net+ certification, etc. when applicants are giving them everything else.

Here’s what a recruiter will look for in your resume:

• What business units have you supported?
• What technologies and tools are you familiar with?
• What certifications do you have?
• On what capacity have you worked with?

When you craft a resume considering these, you write a resume that recruiters want, with the perfect balance without information overload.

Examples of good and bad resume headers for a system administrator

Let’s say that you are a Linux System administrator, and imagine your resume header looks something like this:

While this seems all good, the devil is in the details.

If you look closely, you could’ve used this real estate to make an impact. See the example below to notice how small tweaks can make a huge impact right from the start.

When someone reads your resume header now, they are going to see that you are certified, and high relevant applicant.

First impression matters a lot. And, as we move towards writing the resume experience section, we will show you can reinforce the impression you made here and actually land an interview call.

Write a system administrator resume summary or objective?

The golden rule here is that - you write a summary if you are just looking for another system administrator role. But if you’re an entry level candidate or writing your resume for career transition, go for a resume object.

Let’s start by looking at the most rejectable system administrator resume summary (add this and your resume is invisible)

Now that we’ve established what you shouldn’t really do, let’s move towards another example that could lead you to rejection.

If you ask a hiring manager on what’s wrong with this sys admin resume summary - you’ll find:

• First of all, it’s too long for a summary
• Secondly, too vague and not pointing to the impact you made
• Lastly, no focus on your skills, the value you bring to an organization and no passion

The biggest problem is that sometimes we write for ourselves, not for the reader. Let’s try to write in a way that provides high relevance and impact to a recruiting manager.

Breaking the summary listed above, you can see a couple of things here. Certifications help recruiters know that you are relevant, they are then able to see what you actually did as a windows system admin, and lastly they see that you are passionate about security.

Let’s go through one more resume summary to see this advice in action

How to write system administrator resume experience

Your resume experience should be included considering the following:

• Skills, tools, and certifications that the job you’re applying to demands
• Relevance with the industry e.g. if you worked for healthcare and the job demands someone from it
• Pickup elements of networking, deployment, maintenance, management, etc. from the job description and make sure to display these competencies via your resume experience

Let’s see how to do that with your resume experience. Below, you’ll find two examples, and we will try to show you the difference between a good and a bad sys admin resume experience.

If someone was reading this resume experience, they would have a hard time figuring out what software you work on, what business unit you support and what does your day to day activities are like.

Notice how the resume experience tells an entire story about work scale, technologies and skills of this System administrator. This combination is almost near perfect for hiring.

If you’re writing a junior system administrator resume on the other hand, you can be more creative (cautiously) on how to present your limited working experience. You have a huge empty space that you can either:

• Fill with fluff and make a recruiter regret that they opened your resume and had their time wasted
• Or, you can effectively use the white space and break down your resume experience to three categories: Technology experience, project management, and interpersonal management

Here’s one more Sys Admin resume sample for you to see our advice in action.

A few tips for entry level system administrator resume experience

As much as you would love to add your job experience at the grocery store - don’t do it. Make sure that your resume experience reflects the following:

• Relevant internships as a system administrator, network engineer or a support engineer
• Your experience of handling technologies like cloud, 2FA, SD-WAN, etc.

Once you write a resume experience section considering the above points, let your resume skills section, summary, certifications do the rest of the talking - that’s an incredibly powerful and sharp resume right there!

“All system administrators should have a functional + chronological resume layout”

That’s the best advice we’ve ever heard for an entry level sysadmin. As you don’t have a ton of experience to show, but you for sure have the skills, certifications, etc and placing them meaningfully on resume gets you the job for sure!

Listing certifications on your system administrator resume?

Certifications often say what a 100 words can’t. They display your focus and reflect the scale of your work as well.

E.g. Small scale system administrators (working in non enterprise setup and less than 50 sized organization) don’t usually have CCNA certifications.

And your hiring manager knows that pretty well, it’s a trend that they’ve observed over the last few years of hiring. So, miss out on them, and they’ll toss your resume.

Some system administrator resume skills that you might consider adding to your resume

Let’s make your hiring manager’s job a little easier. We’ve already taken care of the rest of the sections, but let’s add this little skills section to help them scan through things and possibly add a few more contextual skills that you can’t display in a limited “resume skills” and “resume experience” sections.

Feeling more confident than ever? You should be, now you have a resume that you should really be proud of. And after spending 5 minutes reading with this guide, you just saved yourself from sending 100 more job applications.

Before we end this guide, let’s summarize what we have learned so far.

Key Takeaways

• Striking a perfect balance between information overload and relevant job skills
• Using the white space to your advantage and highlight sections that recruiters want to see
• A precise resume summary and resume header
• A resume experience section that is built precisely for the job application
• Sections on resume skills and certifications

By Experience

Start With This Resume

Entry Level System Administrator

As an Entry Level System Administrator, it's crucial to make your application stand out. Experience in both hardware and software installation and troubleshooting can add value. You should mention any relevant certification, such as CompTIA A+ or Network+, briefly, but in detail. Noteworthy is any background in managing user accounts, doing system checks, or solving minor IT problems through internships or temporary roles. Remember to demonstrate your enthusiasm for learning and adaptability to new tech, either in your cover letter or resume objective.

Start With This Resume

Junior System Administrator

The Junior System Administrator role plays a critical part in IT operations. If you are applying for this job, it's important to mention your experience in working with various scripting and programming languages like Python, Shell, or Bash, and illustrate how you've used these to automate tasks or resolve issues. Highlight any familiarity you have with cloud and virtual environments such as AWS, Azure, or VMWare. Don't forget to underline your involvement in system and network security, even as a junior administrator, because maintaining security protocols is a key part of the job. Lastly, outline how your problem-solving abilities have enhanced system performance or the experience of end users.

Start With This Resume

Senior System Administrator

As a Senior System Administrator, illustrate your comprehensive IT experience by considering a few specific examples. Discuss major projects you've led or contributed to significantly, describing the project's scope, challenges you overcame, and resulting benefits. Highlight your experience in planning, designing, and implementing networks and systems. Talk about your role in disaster recovery and business continuity planning. Mention instances where your strategic decisions added value to the company.

By Role

Start With This Resume

Linux System Administrator

System Administration has its roots in supporting organizational IT infrastructure, with Linux being one of the most widely used platforms. That's why understanding the most important Linux system trends can increase your chances of landing a job as a Linux System Administrator.

Skills like task automation, user and security management, server installation and configuration are crucial. Make certain to illustrate significant Linux familiarity and skills, or you will be overlooked early in the process.

Highlight the specific Linux skills that directly affect the system's efficiency. For instance, demonstrate how you’ve used automation to reduce system downtime, or successfully configured a server for optimal performance. Don't merely list these skills; provide concrete examples of how they've positively influenced system performance. Follow a 'Skill-Action-Results' approach.

View Linux System Administrator Resume

Start With This Resume

Windows System Administrator

The role of a Windows System Administrator is rooted in managing and maintaining IT infrastructure built on the Windows platform. Here's how you can enhance your resume for greater results:

Important skills include AD management, policy and user rights configuration, backup and recovery methods. Remember to highlight relevant Windows system administrative experience and skills to avoid being overlooked.

Focus on your technical skills that directly affect the system's effectiveness. Did your backup method once prevent a major issue? Have you optimized user rights configuration for improved security? Don't simply list your skills but put them in context by explaining how these actions improved the system's performance or prevented possible disasters. Remember to follow the 'Skill-Action-Results' method to demonstrate your impact fully.

View Windows System Administrator Resume

Start With This Resume

IT System Administrator

System administration in the IT sector constantly evolves, so shaping your application for an IT System Administrator job to reflect current trends can improve its success. Having experience in diverse operating systems like Windows, Linux, and Unix is crucial. It's also beneficial to know about networking, specifically with LAN, WAN, MAN systems, plus internet and intranet. Rather than just listing the systems you've handled, give examples of how you made them run better or more efficiently, like reducing downtime or preventing data loss during migration. Your ability to troubleshoot unforeseen issues and maintain organization productivity is highly valued, so make sure your resume reflects these skills.

Start With This Resume

AIX System Administrator

As an AIX System Administrator, you should be highly skilled in managing IBM's AIX infrastructure, including installing, maintaining, updating the system, and improving performance. Instead of just listing your skills, show how they've enhanced the system's performance, such as optimizing resources to reduce system crashes. Underline your role in making the system reliable, available, and serviceable, also known as RAS. If you've worked with PowerHA for AIX, that's a big plus, as High Availability solutions expertise can give your resume a boost.