Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent System Engineer 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 System Engineer posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Powershell, Systems Engineering and Active Directory 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 System Engineer 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 UX (user experience) engineer is responsible for building design systems and front-end engineering rather than finalizing the look and design of a product. UX engineers collaborate with designers, researchers, and programmers and need a solid understanding of design principles as well as technical skills including familiarity with creative software, programming languages, and experience testing and debugging.
UX engineers need a lot of technical skills, so make sure you explicitly list skills and keywords. This is just as important for getting past a resume screener as well as showcasing your fit to a hiring manager. You can include hard skills and certifications in your work experience bullet points or in an additional skills section.
Make sure you’re tailoring your resume to each specific job you’re applying to. Listing the job title at the top of your resume in particular is an easy way to get past automated resume screeners and onto the desk of a hiring manager. Keep your work experience and skills section focused on the most relevant information, including recent certifications and proficiency with UX design software.
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.”
A Cisco network engineer is specially trained to use Cisco products in planning, implementing, and managing network systems. Cisco networks are used widely, and the demand for Cisco-certified networking professionals is high. If you want to become a Cisco network engineer, your resume should show recruiters that you have excelled as a network engineer and that you’ve attained the necessary education to work with Cisco products.
To become a Cisco network engineer, you need to get certified as a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and become knowledgeable about these specialized systems. The CCNA is also a respected credential that adds to your professional credibility and marketability -- so make sure to display it in a prominent location, such as the top of your resume.
The job candidate in this example has spent over a decade working as a network engineer, and has worked specifically with Cisco systems. Having the CCNA certification is a great start, but if you can show that you’ve had hands-on experience with Cisco networks and equipment, you’ll be an even better candidate for the job you’re after.
Some popular System Engineer hard skills are Windows Server, Virtualization, Active Directory, VMware, Systems Engineering, Microsoft Exchange, ITIL and Powershell.
Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Cloud Computing, Hyper-V, Storage, IT Service Management and Storage Area Network (SAN) can also be good to include on your resume.
If you are writing a Linux System Engineer resume, try to emphasize skills like Red Hat Linux, Ansible, Linux System Administration, Linux, Bash, CentOS, VMware and Apache.
Similarly, if you are writing a System Engineering Manager resume, emphasize skills like Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, Integration, Requirements Management, System Architecture, Systems Design, Testing and Earned Value Management.
Depending on the specific role you apply to, you may need to emphasize different skill sets. Here are a few examples:
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.
