IT resume
An IT resume is read by someone who will test you on it.
The person reading an IT resume is usually a technical lead or a systems administrator, and the interview that follows is a test of what the page claims. That changes the writing. Vague claims are not just weak, they are a liability, because "experienced with networking" invites a question about subnetting that you might not want.
So this guide is organized around what is checkable: the tier of support you worked at, the tickets you closed and how fast, the systems you administered, the certifications you hold, and the lab you can talk through. Everything on the page should survive a follow-up question.
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Name your tier and let the bullets prove it
IT support is tiered, and hiring managers place you on that ladder within the first few lines. Say where you are.
Tier 1 takes the first call or ticket: password resets, account lockouts, printer and peripheral issues, basic software installs, hardware swaps. The evidence is volume and first-contact resolution. Tier 2 handles what tier 1 escalates: OS and application troubleshooting, Active Directory and Office 365 administration, imaging, network connectivity at the desk. The evidence is the systems you administer and the escalation rate you reduced. Tier 3 and systems administration owns servers, networks, cloud tenants and automation. The evidence is uptime, projects and the size of the environment.
Write the summary line at the tier you are applying for, not the one you hold, if your bullets can back it: "Tier 2 support technician, 3 years, Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 administration for a 400-user environment, CompTIA A+ and Network+." Then let the bullets show the tier 2 work you already do.
Certifications, in the order they pay off
IT is one of the few fields where a certification changes the screen outcome directly, because postings name them. Costs are 2026 list prices for the exam only and vary by region.
| Certification | What it proves | Get it when | Exam cost and effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| CompTIA A+ | Hardware, operating systems, basic networking and security, troubleshooting method | Before or during your first help desk job; many tier 1 postings name it | Two exams, about $260 each, 6 to 10 weeks of study |
| CompTIA Network+ | TCP/IP, switching and routing basics, wireless, troubleshooting | When moving toward tier 2 or any role with network duties | One exam, about $370, 6 to 8 weeks |
| CompTIA Security+ | Security concepts, threats, identity, incident response basics | Required for many government and contractor roles under DoD 8140; useful anywhere | One exam, about $400, 8 weeks |
| Microsoft AZ-900 or MS-900 | Azure or Microsoft 365 fundamentals | When the environment you support runs on Microsoft cloud, which most do | One exam, $99, 2 to 3 weeks |
| Microsoft MD-102 | Endpoint administration: Intune, Autopilot, Windows management | Tier 2 desktop roles in Microsoft shops | One exam, $165, 6 weeks |
| ITIL 4 Foundation | Service management vocabulary: incidents, problems, changes, SLAs | When the posting names ITIL or the employer is a large enterprise or MSP | One exam, roughly $400 with training, 2 weeks |
| Cisco CCNA | Enterprise networking in depth | Only when the target role is network-focused | One exam, $300, 3 to 6 months |
List certifications with the year earned and, if the posting names one you are studying for, add "in progress, exam scheduled [month]". Do not list expired certifications without the expiry date.
What IT support postings name
Counted from live postings. We read 23 current postings for "it support specialist" on the SmoothApply job search on 2026-09-13, out of 24,459 matching listings, and counted how many mention each requirement.
| Mentioned in postings | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware troubleshooting | 14 of 23 | 61% | |
| Windows | 8 of 23 | 35% | |
| Remote support tools | 6 of 23 | 26% | |
| Networking | 5 of 23 | 22% | |
| macOS | 5 of 23 | 22% | |
| Printers and peripherals | 4 of 23 | 17% | |
| Ticketing system | 3 of 23 | 13% | |
| Linux | 3 of 23 | 13% | |
| Azure or AWS | 1 of 23 | 4% | |
| ITIL | 1 of 23 | 4% |
General requirements in the same postings:
- Remote or hybrid: 15 of 23 postings
- Weekend or shift work: 3 of 23 postings
- Microsoft Office or Excel: 2 of 23 postings
- Communication skills: 1 of 23 postings
- Problem solving: 1 of 23 postings
Hardware troubleshooting and Windows lead most samples, followed by ticketing systems and remote support tools. Your skills section should name the specific ticketing platform and remote tools you used, since postings do.
Counts are how many of the 23 sampled postings contain the term at least once. Sample titles included ITS Support Associate II, IT Support; IT Support Engineer I, IT Support; IT Support Associate II, Operations, IT, & Support Engineering. A posting mentioning a skill does not mean it is required, only that employers name it. Source: SmoothApply job search, 2026-09-13.
Help desk bullets with the numbers that get asked about
These are the kinds of lines a technical lead can verify in an interview and will respect.
IT Support Technician (Tier 1 to Tier 2), Keller Logistics, Columbus, OH, 2023 to present
- Resolve 25 to 35 tickets a day in ServiceNow for a 420-user, 3-site company; first-contact resolution 78% against a 70% team target.
- Administer user lifecycle in Active Directory and Microsoft 365: onboarding, offboarding, group policy changes and license assignment, about 40 changes a month.
- Rebuilt the laptop imaging process with Windows Autopilot and Intune, cutting a new hire setup from 3 hours of hands-on work to 25 minutes.
- Reduced tier 2 escalations from 31% to 17% of tickets by writing 14 knowledge base articles for the recurring issues (VPN, MFA resets, printer queues).
- On-call one week in five for after-hours incidents; average response under 15 minutes across 9 months.
Home lab and projects
- Proxmox host running Windows Server 2022 (AD DS, DNS, DHCP), an Ubuntu web server, and a pfSense firewall with VLANs for lab, IoT and guest networks.
- Automated user provisioning with a PowerShell script that reads a CSV and creates AD accounts, mailboxes and group membership; on GitHub.
The home lab section is how candidates without tier 2 job experience prove tier 2 skills. Keep it to two or three lines and be ready to draw the network on a whiteboard.
How to write the home lab and projects section
A lab is only evidence if it is described specifically. Follow this pattern.
- 1Name the platform and the services"Proxmox host running Windows Server 2022 with AD DS, DNS and DHCP" is verifiable. "Home lab with various servers" is not.
- 2Say what you did with it that mirrors the jobGroup policy, backups, monitoring, imaging, a firewall with VLANs. Match the posting.
- 3Include one script or automationPowerShell or Bash, with what it does and where it lives. A link to a public repository is worth a paragraph of claims.
- 4Keep it to three linesIt supports the resume; it is not the resume. Details belong in the interview.
- 5Leave out gaming rigs and consumer setupsBuilding a PC is not a lab. Running a domain is.
What technical readers hold against you
What IT support postings advertise
Pay tracks tier and environment. These are listings in our database that state a salary for help desk roles.
A Tier 2 title with Microsoft 365 administration and a Security+ typically advertises well above a Tier 1 title in the same city, which is the argument for the certification order above.
Salary figures are from job listings that state pay, collected in the SmoothApply salary database, and reflect what employers advertise, not what people are paid. Read on 2026-09-13.
Breaking in with no IT job yet
Help desk is the standard entry point to IT and postings for it are among the most explicit about what they want, so the plan is straightforward.
Get A+ first, or at least schedule it. Many tier 1 postings name it and the study material covers exactly what the interview asks.
Build the lab this month. A used mini PC or a free tier of a cloud provider is enough for a domain controller and a couple of clients. Two weekends produces the three-line section above.
Translate customer-facing work. Retail, call center and hospitality jobs prove the half of help desk that is people handling. Volume, patience, ticket-style documentation of issues, and any tech troubleshooting you did for customers all belong on the page.
Do the free vendor training. Microsoft Learn paths for MS-900 and AZ-900, Cisco Networking Academy, Google IT Support certificate. Each is a line under Certifications and a set of interview answers.
Apply to MSPs and internal help desks at large employers. Managed service providers hire tier 1 constantly and promote fast; large internal desks pay better and train formally.
Questions people ask
One page or two?
Where do certifications go?
Should I list a degree that is not in IT?
How do I show soft skills for a help desk role?
Sources
- CompTIA certification pages and exam pricing
- Microsoft Learn certification catalog
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer Support Specialists
- SmoothApply job search and salary database, sampled 2026-09-13
Last reviewed 2026-09-13. Job posting and salary counts are refreshed when this page is rebuilt and are dated in the text.
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