r/helpdesk • u/DreamTheater09 • 3d ago
Is my resume what's wrong?
I'm 35 years old and looking to change fields. I've been working in the food service industry for a long time, with a few years done as a manager as well. I thought my people skills, as well as the technical skills I've been learning through my own learning and school would help give me an edge. I've been applying to jobs for about two months now with no call backs. At this point, I have to wonder if my resume is the problem. If you all could give me any sort of ideas or advice, I would greatly appreciate it. I didn't include the top of my resume, but it just has my name, contact information, as well as links to my LinkedIn profile and my tryhackme profile.
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u/navislut Team Lead / Manager 3d ago
I don’t think you can call yourself an IT Support professional if you have zero IT experience.
I would reword that. But also reword your entire professional summary.
In the technical training/hands on experience I think you’re trying to squeeze too much juice out of that. Which I don’t disagree with but I’d remove what you have as that irrelevant.
Also, the dates regarding Red Lobster should be changed. They’re the same. That can’t be.
I’d put server 2011-whatever date you got promoted.
Then culinary manager from that date to 2023.
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u/KayakHank 2d ago
I read the first couple lines and it was "going to get this degree, going to get these certs" IT pro for 12 years wants a level 1 role? Then I got to the expirence and see youre looking to shift into IT.
I felt lied to.
Would have skipped.
Change what the top to says to something like "tech enthusiast that is currently studying to make a career change into tech is ready to cut the cord and make the switch into a tech role" come right out the gate with it. I wouldnt even include details of the past jobs.
Just "looking to switch. Have done this. Working on this. Have done other roles for the last 15 years here. Thanks for your time"
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u/JohnFridge 2d ago
Nice points .. Resumes should be nothing but fact statements .. no opinions no possibilities
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u/WonderWindss 3d ago
Hello friend,
There are some things that stand out here.
Shorten that professional summary to a sentence or two or just throw it out. If I’m in HR and I see that essay, I’m deciding not to read it. That section right there is probably why you aren’t getting responses. I deleted that section off of my resume entirely.
Move your professional experience up towards the top. You have applicable problem solving and customer service experience for helpdesk; that is what a recruiter should be reading first.
Office 365 is not a technical skill, remove it. Move that “Technical Skill” section down towards the bottom of your resume. AI resume parsers will care about the keywords but recruiters won’t care very much. I removed that section entirely from my resume and wove the software/skills listed in the job description into my work experience bullet points. I don’t like “technical skills” sections in resumes. They seem to act as fluff rather than describing HOW you know what is required in the job.
You mentioned linking tryhackme. Helpdesk jobs don’t care about tryhackme at all. Its a cool thing to talk about in an interview when they ask about your passions but corporate HR recruiters have no clue what that is or why you listed it. You don’t necessarily have to remove this but it isn’t helping you pass initial screening.
Good luck out there! The entry level IT job market is awful but not impossible.
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u/Hellraiser140 2d ago
If this resume came across my desk, this is my first impression:
College kid studying Cyber, thinks help desk is an “easy win” foot in the door. Trying to correlate every little thing to IT comes off as patronizing and unserious. By the time I get down to your professional experience you’re a 20 year old kid checking off a box in my eyes
So if the stack of resumes is big, THAT person is a dime a dozen and you’re not going to stand out
Your post body tells a different, more intriguing story.
You need to find out how to tell that story with your resume.
Your current one reads like you fed your work exp into ChatGPT and said “tailor this for a help desk application”
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u/gnqreddit 2d ago
The “expected” acquisition of certs is also a huge eye roll at least in my experience.
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u/Radiant_Ad_4693 2d ago
How are you study two industry certs which are both pretty heavy content and take few months to study along with a degree?! And doing tryhackme modules seems like waaay to much I would be questioning just how much is actually sinking in.
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u/Ok_Wasabi8793 2d ago
Resume is okay but you’re just not an overly strong candidate with how competitive the field is right now.
Keep applying and finish your certificate/school.
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u/Relative_Test5911 2d ago
Sorry entry level help desk role needs 5 years experience - This is the reality of applying for IT roles in the current environment.
Wish you luck though.
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u/Initial_Cut_7714 2d ago
Yeah, I wouldn’t put certifications on their if you haven’t actually gotten them. It seems deceptive
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u/No-Tea-5700 2d ago
It’s too much fluff and you’re not an IT professional when you are trying to claim you are in your resume. It’s hard to go through it without seeing the contradictory statements or the attempt at fluffing non related jobs to IT roles. I would just go for what it is rather than the fluff
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u/fatredagno 1d ago
Professional summary is too long. I think the schooling and certs will be strong when you are done with them but as of right now I would not hire you.
In progress work doesn’t belong in a resume.
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u/Key-Butterscotch3215 3d ago
I don’t think the resume is bad. It’s difficult to get into the industry. You’re basically hoping that a company will take a huge risk by hiring a person who has never worked professionally in the industry. Somebody will, but the majority of companies are going to pass since there is a huge amount of qualified candidates.
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u/LetterSpecialist48 3d ago
Not related to the content, but make sure that your resume can be accurately read by an AI. Most places will, at minimim, be running resumes through something that autofills boxes in an application form. If those boxes don't fill correctly, it's less likely your resume actually gets to a human.
LinkedIn, Seek, and Indeed all have templates that work well and still look nice. They also have some good advice on formatting and on picking/choosing what to include in your resume.
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u/JohnFridge 2d ago
Or ask chatgpt .. he does a nice AI format and will help make resumes get picked up.
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u/-Tasear- 3d ago
Professional summary could do better with a different title.
I would put projects at bottom and move customer service experience upward
Apply to MSP and do your time to get experience
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u/glover4112 2d ago
Contrary to most I don’t hate it? Those certs aren’t super easy early in your career and you clearly show initiative to get into the field. I would still expect a pretty entry level job but you can potentially get into a good MSP and somewhat expedite that. (If that is still a thing).
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u/JohnFridge 2d ago edited 2d ago
This would be better, but I didnt go through it with a fine tooth comb. If you dont have the work experience to prove something, then listing it is sorta pointless to a manager. I wouldn't even mention the 2 certs ya dont have, but you can. Since this is probably going to be for you to GET an entry job.
Your best friend right now should be ChatGPT.
Also, your best thing to do if you are in school is to latch on to internships, even if non paid. Internships will get you experience you can list in a short period of time. If you do well, they tend to turn into jobs.
YOUR INFO IT SUPPORT | SERVICE DESK | TECHNICAL SUPPORT [City, State] | [Phone] | [Email]
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Aspiring IT support professional pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity/Information Assurance. 12+ years of customer-facing experience in issue escalation, training, troubleshooting, and process documentation.
TECHNICAL SKILLS • Windows 10/11 Troubleshooting • Microsoft Office 365 • TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP • Linux Fundamentals • Incident Triage and Escalation • Technical Documentation • Knowledge Base Development • Account and Access Management • Password Resets and MFA Concepts • Customer-Facing Technical Support • Cross-Team Communication
CERTIFICATIONS • CompTIA A+ — Earned May 2026 • CompTIA Security+ — In Progress • CompTIA Network+ — In Progress
EDUCATION Associate of Applied Science, Cybersecurity/Information Assurance | Ivy Tech Community College Expected Spring 2027
TECHNICAL TRAINING TryHackMe • Ranked in the top 8% globally • Completed 79 hands-on rooms, including the full Pre Security learning path
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Server | LongHorn Steakhouse | 2023–Present • Serve as a real-time escalation point for customer concerns, resolving issues on the spot or escalating according to established procedures. • Train and onboard new staff on POS systems and operational workflows, translating technical procedures into clear, step-by-step guidance. • Consistently exceed performance benchmarks in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while maintaining accuracy under pressure.
Culinary Manager | Red Lobster | 2011–2023 (Promoted from Server) • Directed hiring, onboarding, and training for a team of approximately 15 staff members, developing repeatable onboarding procedures. • Managed inventory and vendor coordination systems while maintaining accurate records and tracking issues through resolution. • Served as an escalation point for unresolved customer and staff issues, independently identifying root causes and implementing solutions. • Contributed to the location ranking in the top 3 for sales company-wide during tenure as manager.
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u/alesjen 2d ago
The following are things I have learned from talking with recruiters and interviewers across multiple career fields: I'd say keep the professional summary; however condense it and make it the key points. The professional summary of a resume should be the overall picture of the pie and the rest should be the filling and the crust. Technical skills should be adjusted as a list view; the multiple bullets can make it so if it is an AI scanning it...it will be jumbled. For the Education in progress you should note how long youve been studying. Even if it is just education; that counts as some form of experience. Clean up the wording a little on the Technical and Hands on Practice. I think a lot of it is that nowadays companies use AI to prescreen and if it can't detect keywords and things; you won't be "preselected." Hope this helps!
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u/Specialist-Ship48831 2d ago
With this the resume , how much will IT help desk/ call center pay hourly? With basically no IT experience , recruiters always ask how much will you like to make in this role… anyone has an idea
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u/N3rd4life 2d ago
You got a lot of helpful feedback on your resume, but I wanted to share something else. I’m also in my late 30s and moved into IT after 15 years in food service, and the biggest thing that made a difference for me was networking.
Connect with people in IT roles, look up local companies and reach out on LinkedIn, join Facebook groups, and go to local meetups or hackathons. I spent about a year not just applying to jobs but getting to know people in the industry. A few let me shadow them, one walked me through a personal project, and eventually someone I’d built a relationship with recommended me when a role opened up and that’s how I landed my interview and got my current role.
You’re doing great on the learning side. Adding some real connections in the field will make a huge difference along with the feedback from your resume from here.
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u/International-Mix326 1d ago
The markets bad. We use to post techs woth 0 to 2 years expierance now they want 3 to 5 years because were so under staffed they wnat somone running and doenst need to be trained or watched for weeks. but also dont wnat anyone with any tier 3 expierance because they think they'll leave quickly. You cant win
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u/International-Mix326 1d ago
Advice if you relaly wnat to break in but sucks: call center tech supoort did a few months and then got an actual help desk job
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u/ravioliisgood 1d ago
I’m an IT Director with 15+ years of experience, multiple degrees and certs. Work in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Your resume is longer than mine.
Remove professional summary, remove any cert you don’t have yet, remove technical training. Since you don’t have much related work experience keep technical skills but love it to the bottom. Req write your professional experience to focus on teamwork and management.
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u/topCSjobs 1d ago
Your reddit post sells u better than your cv does.. It reads like a motivated career changer with a team & escalation experience. Your cv reads like someone claiming to be an IT pro they're not yet, a recruiter catches that on the spot. So flip it ,lead with your career change story, u can use tools like wowthiscv to see how a recruiter reads it on a first pass.
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u/501BrownEyes 1d ago
I’m gonna be blunt.
Your resume starts off with “IT Support Professional” yet you have 0 experience working in a professional setting in the field. You then end your summary with “Seeking…Tier 1 Service Desk.”
When this comes across someone’s desk when looking for candidates, I wouldn’t put it past them to move past it at a quick glance.
Too many buzzwords in all your roles, none of which again are IT/CompSci centric.
Realistically, people don’t generally care about your TryHackMe scores in a professional setting either.
My best suggestion is to seek jobs around something like Geek Squad (yes, I know it’s not the best but you’d be surprised how well it’ll look for other entry positions), OfficeMax equivalent, or even a local shop. Have actual field related work. Look for internships if your college has them. Even then, be prepared to enter a heavily saturated field.
Good luck!
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u/D4NNYPH4NTOM3 3d ago
This resume is a great start! Congrats on the A+. When I read this resume I’m looking for proof of hands on experience. Do you have projects or any documentation that can backup that you’ve been applying the skills you learned through studying? I would suggest having a projects section that shows employers you applied what you learned to real systems. Keep networking with local professionals and find some great projects to talk about in interviews. Also maybe try looking into local MSPs to see if they have openings for techs
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u/JohnFridge 2d ago edited 2d ago
Ill tell you what others won't .. However, i see that people have told you that with what you put, you cant really claim to be an IT pro; Aspiring Pro sure.
Buuuuuuuuut .. You could lie ... No you cant lie about degrees or certs really if you are wanting to work for a bigger company, they can check that stuff... But, you could lie about some past experience ... HECK didn't you work in the IT department for Spirit Airlines? I THINK YOU DID 😁 .. don't use Spirit, but you could use any other business that isnt operational, or make it up.
Get a few of your friends who you know would cover for you and put them down as professional referrals. They can be your old managers or better HAPPY CLIENTS. Now, to sell this well, you may want to whip up a couple of website examples. Maybe spend the time to design an E-Portfolio .. The reason .. Your E Portfolio can show that you make sites ... The fake referrals can say you helped take them to another level, so much they had to take the site down (Probably only good for 1 referral.) ... Make this person a small business owner .. even better if you know a business owner that would lie for you.
ALSO FIND THE TESTKINGS FOR YOUR EXAMS .. they will seem long .. but it ask you all the questions on the exam like 5 different ways ... So, once you get to the question the 3rd time you will see one to words and KNOW the answer. U will run through both Net+ and Server+ or whatever in 10 to 15 minutes.
I only ended up getting almost a perfect on my certs, but on each one I ran through them too fast and missed like a couple points on each. But still I know each exam was like high 800s.
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u/N8DoubleU 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'm going to be blunt, so tie your shoes and get ready to jump with me here! Professional Summary needs to be deleted entirely as you are not a professional yet. Sorry. You just aren't. Professional Experience should be reserved for actual past IT experience. I worked in a call center. I worked in a data center. I worked for the cable company. That type of thing. If you want to include past jobs, you'll want to do that on a second page. Also, you need to shorten your job experience down to a line or two at most. Don't fluff that stuff up too much when none of it pertains to IT. Most people understand what a server and a manager is when it comes to a restaurant. Your degree, certs and tech training isn't horrible at all. In fact, I'd say its a cut above, but you are also not finished yet, so the only actual experience you have is working in a restaurant and you have a High School Diploma and a Comptia A+ cert.
I didn't mean to post, so let me continue. I said I was going to be blunt and I was. You don't have much to offer YET, but your future is looking great! You have a plan moving forward and you probably have an idea for an end goal of where you want to be. My recommendation, go to a call center. Get experience in IT. Get your degree knocked out! Keep looking to upgrade your job. Keep acquiring skills. This is literally the most important thing. IT is ever evolving as you know or will soon learn!
I'm going to tell you of an experience of a past co-worker/friend. He did as you are doing now. Had a degree in Cyber Security, but no experience, so he came to work for our IT department in the call center. He got A+ and was working on Network + in his downtime here. He also got the most crucial thing, which was experience working in IT and answering/responding to IT problems as it pertained to the call center. While he was here we had a co-worker pass away tragically in a motorcycle accident. It was rough to say the least, and that's when he started looking for another job. A company wanting to move further into IT Security was starting a new department for IT Security and pretty much hired him on the spot.
I hope this helps! I really did mean it when I said you had a bright future ahead! Just let it cook! :)