Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Information Technology System Administrator job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
Go through the Information Technology System Administrator posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like VMware, Windows and System Administration are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Information Technology System Administrator job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
A CIO — sometimes referred to interchangeably as a Chief Technology Officer — is the executive in charge of a company’s technology and research and development departments. As a CIO, you’ll be charged with leading your company’s technology strategy, keeping up to date with new trends, making sure systems are running smoothly, and liaising with executives from other departments to ensure the technological needs of the entire company are being met.
CIOs need technological know-how, but as you progress along the corporate ladder, the importance of specific technical skills becomes balanced by the need for soft skills like leadership. Instead of listing these as you would normal hard skills, use your bullet points to illustrate how you’ve put these skills to use in a corporate environment.
When writing your bullet points, take a moment to consider whether adding a little more information would help them sound even more impressive. Managing a $200,000 annual budget for a small business is a very different accomplishment than managing a $15 million annual budget for a multinational corporation, so be specific about the context of your achievements.
As the most senior technology executive, a CIO needs to demonstrate skills in project management, finance, and strategy, as well as technical skills like coding, programming, and mapping. Your resume should balance showcasing executive-level leadership, communication, and management skills with hard skills in SQL, operating systems, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and software management.
When it comes to C-level positions, potential employers don’t just want to know what you’ve accomplished, they want to know the impact your actions had on the company’s bottom line. Including hard metrics — whether that’s 55% improved efficiency in a system you designed or a 300% increase in net profit — will explicitly highlight that.
If you’ve worked your way up to a C-level position, chances are you have a fairly extensive work history. You don’t need to include your entire background on your resume — focus on the most recent and most relevant positions (usually the past 10-15 years) and omit the rest.
An IT System Administrator is a specialized System Administrator that is in charge of designing, organizing, changing, and supporting the computer systems, as well as solving problems related to LAN, Wide Area Networks, and other networking areas. Using strong action verbs to convey your leadership will help you to continually advance from junior to senior positions. Also, including the most important IT skills will help your resume to stand out.
Starting your bullet points with verbs such as, “Collaborated,” “Trained,” and “Supported” will show employers that you have solid experience training and managing other teams or employees. By taking on responsibilities like this, you are also showing that you’re capable of advancing and managing at a higher level.
IT System Administrators are more focused on administrative tasks within the IT department so focus on your skills on those. Look at the job description for required skills that you should include in your skills sections and the rest of your resume. For example, in IT, “Linux,” “Networking,” and “SharePoint” are common.
A Junior System Administrator needs to assist other administrators with setting up, maintaining the computer databases and making sure that everything is operating well. In your resume you can use the keyword of the job title you are applying for and add any relevant certifications after the skills section of your resume. Remember you don’t need to include everything, just the jobs, skills, and certifications relevant to the position.
Especially if you don’t have much system administration experience, it might be worth including the specific job role of “Junior System Administrator” at the top of the resume, ensuring that you will pass the automated screeners. In this case, the resume is targeted to this particular role, and focuses on past experience in the exact same position.
If you have a specific certification that is relevant to the position, include it in your resume. This could be an online course or a bootcamp you completed — including an online course is an opportunity to add in relevant sysadmin or networking skills to your resume that you otherwise might not have in your work experience.
Unlike generalist System Administrator roles, a Linux System Administrator is focused specifically on skills involving the Linux operating system — for example, installing and setting up Linux servers and systems. A resume like this can emphasize your advanced education in Computer Science and also references your vast experience working with Linux systems. Your bullet points can draw attention to common industry jargon.
If you have a specific degree that employers are looking for or have an advanced degree make sure that this is emphasized in your education section of your resume. For example, this resume shows both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Computer Science which will certainly impress companies. Remember your degree might be a keyword that the screeners want.
As you can see in this resume, any direct experience should be prominently displayed. For a specialized role like this, use language that is specific to the role or field with metrics and clear examples.
A Senior System Administrator is part technical expert and part manager. In this role you’ll be configuring new systems, monitoring progress and overseeing other employees and teams. Because this is a senior level role, you’ll want to draw attention to your career progression, emphasizing promotions and leadership experience. You should also focus on specific project experience that the job will require or that are transferable skills or areas.
When applying for senior and higher level positions, it’s important to use past promotions and growth to show your progression in the field. This will also show employers that you are serious about advancing in your career and will demonstrate your ability to take on additional responsibilities and continue to develop.
Sometimes, it’s useful to call out your most relevant or most high-profile experiences to the job you’re applying to. The “Selected Project Experience” highlights experience with specific systems and projects, like SuSE, RedHat, and Solaris.”
The most common skills and keywords we found on Information Technology System Administrator resumes and job postings were Windows Server, Active Directory, System Administration, Microsoft Exchange, Network Administration, VMware, VMware vSphere and Windows.
Skills like Group Policy, Server Administration, Virtualization, Hyper-V and Technical Support also appeared on related job postings.
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
