Active Directory CV Examples
Updated 22 June 2026
An Active Directory CV must prove you can run the tier-0 infrastructure that underpins authentication, authorisation and identity across an organisation. Recruiters scan for environment scale (user counts, domain controllers, sites), hybrid identity experience (Entra ID, SSO, MFA) and Microsoft certifications. This guide shows you how to write an Active Directory CV that passes ATS filters and wins interviews in 2026.
Active Directory CV examples
Junior Active Directory Administrator
entryLeads with current tech (Server 2019, Entra ID, PowerShell) and quantifies the environment scale, avoiding legacy skills that date the CV.
Active Directory Engineer
midQuantifies hybrid identity work and migration scale, names protocols (Kerberos, LDAP, SAML) and shows PowerShell automation outcomes.
Senior Active Directory Architect
seniorDemonstrates architecture and design work (forest trusts, Sites & Services, FSMO, PKI), quantifies multi-forest migration scale and shows identity security leadership.
How to write an active directory CV
Format and length
UK Active Directory CVs run two pages for mid-level roles, stretching to three for senior architects with multi-forest migration portfolios. Use reverse-chronological order. Open with a personal statement (2-3 sentences), then contact details, skills, experience, education, certifications and any relevant additional information. No photo, no date of birth.
Personal statement
Lead with your AD specialism, environment scale and certifications. Name current technologies (Server 2019/2022, Entra ID, PowerShell) and quantify the user base or domain count you manage. Avoid generic IT phrases.
Experience section
This is where you prove capability. Every bullet needs a metric: user counts, machine counts, domain controllers, sites, GPO counts, migration object counts or percentage improvements. Show hybrid identity work (Entra ID sync, ADFS, SSO) and name the protocols (Kerberos, LDAP, SAML). Separate administration (creating accounts, resetting passwords) from engineering and architecture (designing OU structure, replication topology, domain trusts). Senior roles must evidence design work.
Skills
List 10-12 hard skills: AD DS, Entra ID, Azure AD Connect, Group Policy, PowerShell, DNS, DHCP, authentication protocols, Windows Server versions. Include certifications as a separate Achievements section. Front-load current tech; relegate legacy versions (Server 2008, VBScript) to migration context only.
Education and certifications
List degrees in reverse-chronological order. Certifications carry more weight than degrees for AD roles: place them in a dedicated Achievements section and name the current Microsoft credentials (AZ-800/801, AZ-104, SC-300). Legacy MCSA/MCSE still signal experience if you hold them.
What to include per section
| Section | Junior | Mid | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Certification + user count | Hybrid identity + scale | Architecture + multi-forest |
| Experience bullets | Administer accounts, GPOs | Migrations, automation | Design, trusts, replication |
| Skills | AD DS, PowerShell, DNS | Entra ID, ADFS, ADMT | Sites & Services, FSMO, PKI |
| Certifications | AZ-800/801 or in progress | AZ-104, SC-300 | Multiple Microsoft certs |
Personal statement examples
Senior Active Directory architect with nine years designing and migrating enterprise directory services for 25,000+ users across multi-forest environments. Expert in hybrid identity (Entra ID, ADFS, Conditional Access), replication topology, domain trusts and Zero Trust security. Holds Identity and Access Administrator Associate and legacy MCSE: Core Infrastructure certifications, with a proven record of delivering complex migrations and reducing authentication incidents by 70%.
Experienced IT professional with strong Active Directory skills and a passion for technology. Hard-working team player looking for a new challenge in a dynamic organisation. Familiar with Windows Server and Azure, with excellent communication skills and a commitment to delivering results.
Writing your experience
The result-plus-metric pattern
Active Directory bullets must quantify the environment and the outcome. Recruiters want to see scale (user counts, DC counts, site counts) and impact (uptime, incident reduction, time saved). The formula: action verb + AD task + scale + outcome.
Weak: Managed Active Directory and Group Policy for the organisation.
Strong: Managed Active Directory for 10,500 user accounts, 2,200 machines and 12 UK offices, maintaining 99.9% directory uptime.
Weak: Migrated users to new domain.
Strong: Migrated 4,800 user accounts from legacy forest to Windows Server 2022 domain using ADMT 3.2, preserving SID history and completing cutover with zero authentication downtime.
Weak: Created PowerShell scripts to automate tasks.
Strong: Automated user provisioning and de-provisioning with PowerShell and Microsoft Graph API, reducing manual effort by 35% and cutting new-joiner setup time from 2 hours to 20 minutes.
Show hybrid identity, not just on-prem AD
Most employers now run hybrid environments. A CV with only on-prem AD DS reads as incomplete in 2026. Every mid-level and senior CV should show Entra ID (Azure AD), Azure AD Connect or Cloud Sync, SSO, MFA and Conditional Access. Concrete details matter: resolving sync errors (immutableID mismatches, GUID conflicts, SMTP duplicates) is more credible than "configured Azure AD".
Separate admin from architecture
Junior roles focus on administration: creating accounts, resetting passwords, managing group memberships, applying GPOs. Senior and engineer roles must evidence design and architecture work: OU structure, Sites & Services replication topology, domain trusts (one-way and two-way), FSMO role placement, schema changes, PKI. If your bullets are all "created accounts" and "reset passwords", you will be read as junior regardless of job title.
Name the protocols and tools
ATS filters and technical interviewers look for specific keywords. Name the authentication protocols (Kerberos, LDAP, NTLM) and federation standards (SAML, OAuth2, OpenID Connect). Name the migration tools (ADMT, Quest Migration Manager, Azure AD Connect). Name the admin tools (RSAT, ADUC, GPMC, AD Sites & Services, Repadmin). These signal you understand how AD actually works, not just the GUI.
Action verbs for AD roles
Administered, architected, automated, configured, designed, deployed, engineered, implemented, managed, migrated, monitored, optimised, provisioned, remediated, resolved, scripted, troubleshot, upgraded.
Do/don't table
| Don't | Do |
|---|---|
| Managed Active Directory | Managed Active Directory for 10,500 users, 2,200 machines and 12 offices |
| Migrated to new domain | Migrated 4,800 accounts using ADMT 3.2, preserving SID history with zero downtime |
| Configured Azure AD | Resolved Entra ID sync errors (immutableID mismatches) for 50+ hybrid accounts |
| Responsible for Group Policy | Deployed 80+ GPOs to enforce MFA and BitLocker, passing PCI DSS audit |
| Automated tasks with PowerShell | Automated provisioning with PowerShell, reducing manual effort by 35% |
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
Education
List degrees in reverse-chronological order: institution name, degree title, field of study, start and end years. A computer science, IT or networks degree is common but not essential; many AD professionals enter via apprenticeships or vendor certifications. If your degree is unrelated or you have no degree, lead with certifications and experience instead.
Certifications
For Active Directory roles, Microsoft certifications matter more than degrees. Recruiters scan for these first. List them in a dedicated Achievements section, with the full credential name and issuing body.
Current Microsoft certifications for AD roles (2026):
- Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (AZ-800 and AZ-801), the core AD credential, covering on-prem and hybrid identity.
- Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104), essential for hybrid environments and Entra ID.
- Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300), specialist credential for Entra ID, Conditional Access, MFA and identity governance.
- Legacy MCSA/MCSE: Core Infrastructure, if you hold these (pre-2021), list them; they still signal experience even though Microsoft retired the programme.
Other relevant certifications:
- CompTIA Server+ or Network+ (entry-level foundation).
- ITIL Foundation (for change and incident management).
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or similar (for senior security-focused roles).
If you are working towards a certification, list it as "in progress" with the expected completion date. If you hold legacy certifications (MCSA, MCSE), keep them on the CV; they prove experience even if the credential is retired.
Training and professional development
Microsoft Learn modules, Pluralsight or Udemy courses, and vendor training (Quest, SolarWinds) can go in an Additional Information section if space allows. Only include these if they are recent (last two years) and directly relevant to the role you are targeting.
Common mistakes to avoid
Leading with legacy technology (Windows Server 2003/2008, VBScript) as primary skills.
Put current tech first: Windows Server 2019/2022, Entra ID, PowerShell. Mention legacy versions only in migration context, e.g. 'Upgraded 150+ servers from Server 2012 to 2019'.
Listing duties instead of outcomes: 'Responsible for Active Directory administration'.
Quantify the environment and the result: 'Managed Active Directory for 10,500 users and 12 offices, maintaining 99.9% uptime'.
Omitting hybrid identity experience (Entra ID, Azure AD Connect, SSO, MFA).
Show the hybrid story. Most employers run hybrid in 2026. Add bullets on Entra ID sync, ADFS, Conditional Access or MFA rollout.
Failing to quantify migration scale: 'Migrated users to new domain'.
Name the tool, the object counts and the outcome: 'Migrated 4,800 accounts using ADMT 3.2, preserving SID history with zero downtime'.
Not naming authentication protocols (Kerberos, LDAP, NTLM, SAML).
ATS filters scan for these keywords. Add them to your skills list and weave them into experience bullets where relevant.
Letting the CV drift into Exchange/Office 365 mailbox migration with no directory work.
For an AD-focused role, foreground directory work: user objects, GPOs, trusts, DCs, DNS/DHCP. Keep mailbox migration as supporting context or you will be read as a messaging admin.
Junior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Certification (AZ-800/801) + user count managed + core skills (GPO, PowerShell). | Years of experience + architecture (multi-forest, trusts, replication) + certifications (SC-300, AZ-104) + measurable impact (incident reduction, migration scale). |
| Environment scale | 3,000-5,000 users, single domain, 6-10 offices. | 15,000-25,000+ users, multi-forest, 20+ sites, 30+ domain controllers, 300+ subnets. |
| Experience bullets | Administer accounts, apply GPOs, troubleshoot sync errors, support DNS/DHCP. | Design OU structure, replication topology, domain trusts, FSMO placement; lead cross-forest migrations; implement Zero Trust and Conditional Access. |
| Hybrid identity | Troubleshoot Entra ID sync errors, configure Azure AD Connect. | Architect hybrid identity strategy, design ADFS federation, implement Conditional Access and MFA at scale, integrate Defender for Identity. |
| Group Policy | Manage 20-40 GPOs, apply security baselines, document changes. | Design and deploy 100+ GPOs across multiple domains, remediate audit findings, automate GPO reporting and compliance. |
| Automation | Write PowerShell scripts for bulk user provisioning and reporting. | Automate provisioning, de-provisioning, compliance and reporting with PowerShell and Microsoft Graph API; reduce manual effort by 30-45%. |