Systems Administrator Resume Example & Writing Guide
View a professional systems administrator resume example with proven bullet points, key skills, and expert tips. Copy what works and customize with your own experience.
Professional Summary Examples
Start your resume with a compelling summary. Here are proven examples you can adapt:
Systems administrator with 6+ years of experience managing Windows and Linux server infrastructure for 2,000+ users. Maintained 99.95% uptime across 100+ servers while reducing operational overhead by 40% through automation. Expert in VMware, Active Directory, and cloud infrastructure.
Proactive systems administrator specializing in virtualization and hybrid cloud environments. Migrated 60+ physical servers to VMware, reducing hardware costs by 50%. Strong background in security hardening, patch management, and compliance.
Linux systems administrator with expertise in automation and infrastructure as code. Managed 200+ servers using Ansible and Puppet with zero unplanned downtime. Passionate about reliability engineering, monitoring, and capacity planning.
Work Experience Bullet Points
Use these achievement-focused bullet points as inspiration. Replace the numbers with your own metrics.
- Managed infrastructure of 100+ Windows and Linux servers supporting 2,000+ users with 99.95% uptime
- Migrated 60+ physical servers to VMware vSphere environment, reducing hardware costs by 50% and improving resource utilization
- Automated routine administration tasks using PowerShell and Bash scripts, saving 20+ hours per week
- Administered Active Directory environment with 2,000+ user accounts, 500+ group policies, and 10+ domain controllers
- Implemented centralized patch management using WSUS and Ansible, achieving 98% compliance within 72 hours of release
- Designed and tested disaster recovery plan with RPO of 1 hour and RTO of 4 hours, conducting quarterly DR drills
- Deployed and managed monitoring system using Nagios and Grafana, providing visibility into 500+ infrastructure metrics
- Led cloud migration of 20+ workloads to AWS, reducing monthly infrastructure costs by $15K while improving reliability
- Implemented server hardening standards based on CIS benchmarks, reducing vulnerability scan findings by 75%
- Managed enterprise backup solution protecting 50TB+ of data with 100% successful restore rate in recovery tests
Key Skills for Systems Administrator Resume
Include these skills on your resume to pass ATS screening and impress recruiters:
Recommended Certifications
These certifications can strengthen your systems administrator resume:
Tips for Your Systems Administrator Resume
- Quantify your achievements: Use specific numbers, percentages, and dollar amounts to demonstrate impact.
- Use industry keywords: Include terms from the job description to pass ATS screening.
- Lead with action verbs: Start bullet points with strong verbs like developed, implemented, increased, reduced.
- Keep it concise: Aim for one page unless you have 10+ years of relevant experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What certifications are most valuable for a systems administrator resume?
RHCSA for Linux-focused roles, Microsoft certifications for Windows environments, and VMware VCP for virtualization. AWS SysOps or Azure Administrator for cloud roles. CompTIA Server+ is good for entry-level. Choose certifications that match your target environment.
How is a systems administrator different from a DevOps engineer on a resume?
Sysadmin resumes focus on maintaining infrastructure, user management, and operational reliability. DevOps resumes emphasize CI/CD, containerization, and developer tooling. If transitioning to DevOps, highlight your automation experience, scripting skills, and any container/orchestration work.
What metrics should a systems administrator include?
Include server uptime percentages, number of servers/users managed, automation time savings, patch compliance rates, backup success rates, and cost reductions from virtualization or cloud migration. Incident response times and DR test results also demonstrate operational excellence.
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