Home Systems Administrator Resume template
Systems Administrator resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what systems administrators actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most systems administrators should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Systems Administrator with hands-on experience keeping servers, networks and cloud environments secure and available. Comfortable managing user access, applying patches and running disaster recovery processes under pressure. Works well with both the technical detail of infrastructure and the compliance requirements around it.
Key skills
- Networks and systems administration
- Cloud infrastructure (Azure/AWS)
- Cyber security
- Regulatory compliance
- Active Directory administration
- VMware vSphere
- Linux and Windows Server
- System monitoring with Nagios or Zabbix
- Risk and internal controls
- Problem solving under time pressure
Experience: example bullet points
- Configured and maintained Windows Server and Linux environments across multiple sites, reducing unplanned downtime through proactive patch management
- Managed Active Directory accounts, group policies and access permissions for the organisation's workforce, tightening controls after an internal audit flagged excess admin rights
- Monitored server and network performance using Zabbix, identifying and resolving capacity issues before they affected end users
- Migrated on-premises workloads to Azure, cutting hardware maintenance overhead and improving disaster recovery response times
- Ran quarterly backup and disaster recovery tests, documenting results against the organisation's recovery time objectives
- Applied security patches and updates across the server fleet in line with the organisation's vulnerability management policy
Education
Bachelor degree in information technology, computer science or a related field is the most common pathway, though diplomas, Certificate IV in IT and vendor certifications (Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator, CompTIA Server+, Red Hat Certified System Administrator) are all widely recognised routes into the role.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Active Directory
- VMware vSphere
- Azure
- AWS
- Linux
- Windows Server
- Nagios
- Zabbix
- ITIL
- disaster recovery
- patch management
- network administration
- cyber security
- ISO 27001
- ACSC Essential Eight
- access control
- system monitoring
- incident response
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.