IT Help Desk Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

IT Help Desk Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

Do you really need 2 years of experience to get a help desk job? Not at the right companies. Show your tech savvy and IT skills with this professional help desk resume sample.

Tom Gerencer
Tom Gerencer
Career Expert

From calming frantic users to diagnosing system glitches, the help desk is where IT careers are forged. But to earn your spot, you need more than just tech know-how—you need a resume that stands out in the crowd.

Think of your help desk resume as your first ticket to the IT arena. We’ll show you how to highlight your skills and experiences to catch the hiring manager’s eye.

In this guide:

  • An IT help desk resume sample better than most.
  • How to write a winning help desk resume.
  • How to make a help desk job description for resumes that gets phone calls.
  • Why you can’t just list help desk skills (and what to do instead).

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Do you really need a help desk support resume? Could you get a job as an IT project manager assistant? See our guides:

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples for Over 200 Jobs.

Help Desk Resume Sample You Can Copy and Use

Cody Hoshiko

Help Desk

Personal Info

Phone: 801-616-3219

E-mail: codyhoshiko@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/codyhoshiko

twitter.com/codyhoshiko

Summary

Friendly help desk specialist with 2 years of experience solving tech problems in fast-paced offices. Seeking to deliver IT solutions at Tremmens-Bart Systems. At Silicon Bytes, promoted to top-tier specialist in 6 months for extensive Zendesk knowledge.

Experience

Help Desk Associate

Silicon Bites Inc., Salt Lake City, UT

2017–2019

  • Promoted to top-tier help desk support specialist thanks to extensive knowledge of Zendesk and IT ticketing system.
  • Received help desk employee of the month award 2x for expertise in troubleshooting software and hardware issues.
  • Maintained 99% positive customer scores in post-ticket exit surveys for excellent listening skills and high levels of customer service.
  • Selected by management to train and onboard 3 new help desk employees thanks to deep knowledge of operating systems.

Key Achievement: 

Suggested key changes to IT help desk ticketing system use that resulted in a 10% time savings across all departments.

Office Assistant

Kirk-Reiter Global, Salt Lake City, UT

2015–2017

  • Served as unofficial IT Help Desk tech for 15 office employees.
  • Resolved 10+ software and hardware issues per week, including issues with workstations, printers, and projector equipment.
  • Escalated challenging issues to IT contractors.

Key Achievement:

Assisted with upgrade of 10 office workstations to Windows 10. Achieved zero downtime for employees and 95% performance satisfaction.

Education

AA Business Administration

Utah State University

2012–2014

  • President, Small Business Leaders student group.
  • Recognized by professors for technical expertise.

Certifications

2019 — CompTIA A+ Certification

2019 — Microsoft IT Support

Additional Activities 

  • Completed Dale Carnegie customer service training.
  • Walk dogs 3x per month at West Jordan Animal Shelter.

Hard Skills: Zendesk, Salesforce, phone system support, troubleshooting, desktop support

Soft Skills: interpersonal skills, communication, friendliness

Here’s how to write an IT help desk resume that clicks:

1. Use the Best IT Help Desk Resume Format

Did you know that most help desk job openings get 100+ applications. Then they hire only one.

You have to be like Luke Skywalker flying down the Death Star trench. It starts with the right resume format. Most hiring managers like the reverse-chronological layout. Use these tips to set it up:

Help Desk Resume Format

  • Use 1-inch margins and don’t skimp on the white space.
  • Choose a good resume font like 11–14pt Noto or Trebuchet.
  • Write resume sections for Heading, Summary, History, Education, and Skills.
  • Set a 1-page resume length and stick to it.
  • Save the resume in PDF form. Those fit every screen there is.

Expert Hint: Don’t give up! Deloitte only hires 3.5% of applicants. Google hires one in 200. You may need to apply to 150 jobs before you land a good one. Apply to 3 a day so you’ll have time to tailor your resume—to raise your chance of getting hired.

2. Make a Help Desk Resume Objective or Summary

You send 30 IT help desk resumes. You hear nothing. No calls. No emails. Just a lot of recruiter spam. The problem?

Your resume for help desk jobs must pull them in. Do it with a great resume profile (in the form of a resume summary, summary of qualifications, or resume objective.

Include:

  1. An adjective (efficient, friendly)
  2. “help desk” (or the title from the job ad)
  3. Years of experience (2+, 3+)
  4. How & who you’ll help (deliver IT solutions at Tremmens-Bart)
  5. Best help desk moments (promoted to top-tier specialist in 6 months...)

Want it to go fast? Then write it last. See these IT help desk resume examples:

IT Help Desk Resume Summary—Example

Good Example
Friendly help desk specialist with 2 years of experience solving tech problems in fast-paced offices. Seeking to deliver IT solutions at Tremmens-Bart Systems. At Silicon Bytes, promoted to top-tier specialist in 6 months for extensive Zendesk knowledge.
Bad Example
Experienced help desk employee, skilled in Zendesk, IT help desk ticketing, and Windows 10. Can start next week. Strong communicator and easily solves complex technical problems.

The second of those help desk resume samples says you can use Zendesk. The first shows you were promoted for doing it well. Do that with your resume, and you’ll be the first ticket on their list.

But what if your help desk experience is thinner than an Acer Swift 7? See this entry-level resume for help desk jobs:

Entry-Level Help Desk Resume Objective

Good Example
Efficient help desk associate with CompTIA A+ certification. Seeking to raise IT efficiency at Silicon Bites, Inc. As office assistant at Kirk-Reiter, solved 10+ hardware and software issues per week for 15+ employees.
Bad Example
Entry-level help desk, skilled in Zendesk, Freshdesk, Salesforce Essentials, and Zoho Desk. Very good at solving technical problems and explaining software and hardware to end users. Have worked as office assistant in busy office.

Only the first of those entry-level help desk resume examples shows real experience. But here’s the kicker—It’s the same person in both cases.

Expert Hint: According to a study by the Service Desk Institute, 36% of help desks are hiring new employees. But to get in with a good one, your help desk support resume will need to prove communication skills.

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3. Target Your Help Desk Job Description and Skills Section

What IT help desk skills go on your resume? See this list:

Help Desk Skills for Resumes

Hard Skills

Soft Skills

Zendesk, Salesforce

Interpersonal Skills

Customer Service

Communication

CompTIA A+ Certification

Collaboration

Ticketing Systems

Time Management

Phone System Support

Efficiency

Desktop Support

Problem Solving

Troubleshooting

Stress Management

Hardware & Software

Critical Thinking

Printer Support

Research

HubSpot, Jira Service Desk

Active Learning

But wait! A help desk job is like a trouble ticket. No two are the same. You can’t just make one resume and machine-gun it to 50 jobs. You need to customize your resume by finding the skills to put on a resume in the posting online.

Without those skills, you won’t know which resume keywords to use. See these help desk resume samples to nail it:

They’re for a job that needs Zendesk, troubleshooting, customer service, and training.

IT Help Desk Job Description for a Resume [Sample]

Good Example

Experience

Help Desk Associate

Silicon Bites Inc., Salt Lake City, UT

2017–2019

  • Promoted to top-tier help desk support specialist thanks to extensive knowledge of Zendesk and IT ticketing system.
  • Received help desk employee of the month award 2x for expertise in troubleshooting software and hardware issues.
  • Maintained 99% positive customer scores in post-ticket exit surveys for excellent listening skills and high levels of customer service.
  • Selected by management to train and onboard 3 new help desk employees thanks to deep knowledge of operating systems.
Bad Example
  • Researched tech issues and resolved them.
  • Communicated with customer and client representatives, ensuring smooth information exchange and process management.
  • Created proper documentation of all customer-focused activities.

The second of those help desk resume examples isn’t bad. But does it fit the job? Nope.

If you’re just winding up your help desk career, do a quick skills assessment. Do you have experience with customer service? Have you worked with computers in non-help-desk jobs? An entry-level resume can still shine!

See these IT help desk resume examples with no experience:

The job wants customer service, communication, and software and hardware skills.

Entry-Level Help Desk Resume Job Description [Sample]

Good Example

Office Assistant

Kirk-Reiter Global, Salt Lake City, UT

2015–2017

  • Commended by management for excellent customer service skills.
  • Resolved 10+ software and hardware issues per week, including issues with workstations, printers, and projector equipment.
  • Communicated challenging issues to IT contractors.
Bad Example

Office Assistant

Kirk-Reiter Global, Salt Lake City, UT

2015–2017

  • Handled filing and document storage.
  • Answered calls from customers.
  • Assisted with proofreading of company documents.

The first of those help desk resume samples will get oohs and ahhs. That “10+” is magic. Numbers add punch!

Expert Hint: A Zendesk study shows the average customer satisfaction score for help desk employees is 95%. If your personal best is below that, consider leaving it off your help desk support resume.

4. Target Your Education Section

You don’t need a ton of schooling on a resume for help desk jobs. But you need a solid education section.

Include your school name and degree.

But add a couple skills the IT department wants. This IT help desk resume sample shows how:

Help Desk Resume Example—Education

Good Example

Education

AA Business Administration

Utah State University

2012–2014

  • President, Small Business Leaders student group.
  • Recognized by professors for teamwork.

5. Add Special Sections to Your Help Desk Resume

You’re halfway to hired. Let’s make your resume for help desk jobs sing.

Got a Net+ certification? Have you done volunteer work? Those can help a resume for help desk jobs. Try adding:

See these help desk resume examples:

IT Help Desk Resume—Other Sections

Good Example

Certifications

2019 — CompTIA A+ Certification

2019 — Microsoft IT Support

Additional Activities 

  • Completed Dale Carnegie customer service training.
  • Walk dogs 3x per month at West Jordan Animal Shelter.
Bad Example

Additional Activities

  • Gaming
  • Trail riding

That first IT help desk resume sample sells it. Who wouldn’t hire someone with all those skills and passion?

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter for your resume for help desk jobs. If it’s hard to talk about yourself, just focus on the job and why it’s perfect for you. If it’s not, move on.

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Key Points

Here’s how to write a help desk resume:

  • Start with our IT help desk resume template. Add IT accomplishments from past jobs or from your life.
  • List help desk skills like Zendesk or customer service. Show you rocked them in your bullet points.
  • Write a help desk support resume objective. Put your best IT features in it.
  • Add “special” resume sections for CompTIA or other certifications or volunteer work.
  • Write an IT help desk cover letter. If you need to showcase your excellent customer service skills check out also our customer service representative cover letter example.

Need more career advice? Check out these resources:

Got questions on how to write good resumes for help desk jobs? Not sure how to put help desk on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Tom Gerencer

Having published over 200 career-advice articles, Tom Gerencer is a career expert who covers the whole array of job-seeking topics for people at all career stages, from interns to C-suite members. His insights, commentary, and articles reach over a million readers every month. With inside knowledge of key industry players and in-depth research, Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages.

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