What should I put on an entry-level IT resume?

Certifications such as CompTIA A+, a home lab described as a project, any IT or tech-adjacent work, and customer-service jobs framed around solving problems.

What skills should a help desk resume list?

Windows and macOS support, Active Directory and Microsoft 365, a ticketing system, device management, basic networking, scripting, and communication skills shown through results like satisfaction scores.

How do I quantify IT support work?

Tickets resolved per week, first-contact resolution rate, response or resolution time, satisfaction score, users and devices supported, and time saved by automation.

How to write an IT support or help desk resume

By Mubeen Jawed, founder of ResumeForDev · Updated November 7, 2026

Short answer

An IT support or help desk resume should show how many people and devices you supported and how well: tickets resolved, first-contact resolution, response time, satisfaction scores. Name the systems you administered (Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Intune, Jamf, ServiceNow) and list certifications like CompTIA A+ with the year. For entry-level roles, home labs, customer-service experience and certifications carry the resume.

Key points

Volume and quality: tickets per week, first-contact resolution, CSAT.
Name the systems you administered, not just “troubleshooting”.
CompTIA A+, Network+ and Microsoft certs are common filters.
Customer-service jobs count. Frame them around problem-solving.

What IT support hiring managers look for

Help desk and IT support roles are judged on two things: technical breadth across the tools a company runs, and how well you deal with frustrated people. A strong resume shows both with numbers. It also shows where you're heading (systems administration, networking, security), because most managers hire with growth in mind.

Before and after

Before:Provided technical support to employees.

After:Resolved ~45 tickets a week for 600 employees across Windows, macOS and Microsoft 365, with 78% first-contact resolution and a 4.8/5 satisfaction score.

Example IT support bullets

Automated new-hire account setup in Active Directory and Microsoft 365 with PowerShell, cutting onboarding from 2 hours to 15 minutes per person.
Enrolled 350 laptops in Intune and Autopilot, so new devices ship straight to employees ready to use.
Wrote 40 knowledge-base articles in ServiceNow for the most common issues, reducing repeat password and VPN tickets by about 25%.
Coordinated a 3-office hardware refresh of 220 machines over 4 weekends with no lost data.
Supported a Microsoft Teams Rooms rollout in 12 meeting rooms, training staff and writing the troubleshooting guide.

IT support skills and certifications

Systems: Windows 10/11, macOS, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Entra ID (Azure AD), Google Workspace
Device management: Intune, Jamf, SCCM
Ticketing: ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Zendesk
Networking basics: DNS, DHCP, VPN, Wi-Fi troubleshooting
Scripting: PowerShell, Bash
Certifications: CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator

Entry-level IT resume

With no IT job yet, lead with certifications and a home lab: a Windows Server domain you built, a small network, or scripts you wrote. Then list customer-facing jobs with bullets about solving problems under pressure. Retail and call-center experience translate well. The career change resume guide shows how to frame earlier work.

On ResumeForDev, set your target role to “IT Support Specialist”. Without a job post, the keyword check falls back to a general software vocabulary, so for this role it's worth pasting the job description. Paste a job description and the keyword check uses that post's terms instead; on Pro, the writer also tailors the bullets to it. Before writing, it asks follow-up questions about the numbers above, and it removes any number or skill you never gave it. Your first resume is free.

Frequently asked questions

What should I put on an entry-level IT resume?: Certifications such as CompTIA A+, a home lab described as a project, any IT or tech-adjacent work, and customer-service jobs framed around solving problems.
What skills should a help desk resume list?: Windows and macOS support, Active Directory and Microsoft 365, a ticketing system, device management, basic networking, scripting, and communication skills shown through results like satisfaction scores.
How do I quantify IT support work?: Tickets resolved per week, first-contact resolution rate, response or resolution time, satisfaction score, users and devices supported, and time saved by automation.