Staying ahead of the curve

If you're not ahead of the curve then you are behind the curve

How to keep up with training with little or no cost?

Technology moves faster every day and many businesses have reduced or eliminated their training budgets yet as IT professionals, if we dont stay ahead we begin to loose our value.

Another way to look at it:
     If you stay ahead, you increase your value.

It's difficult reading technical books even for the most geeknerds (yes, I am one) but there are other options out there even if your employer wont flip the bill to send you for training. The effort you invest in your skills and knowledge will continue to pay dividends. You're value is in what you know and in how much the business can rely upon you.

So what can you with little or no cost?

• (Free) Attend User group meetings in your area.
• User groups are great ways to learn from peers in trends, what are some things that have worked out well or not so well.
• Meetings usually have sponsors that give away some pretty cool stuff as door prizes.

• (low cost) Purchase a Microsoft Technet subscription ($149 for standard)
• Eval and beta versions of MS software for 12 months (use, play, learn)
• Around 20 hours of e-learning
• 24/7 online chat assistance
• Refer to the full details on Microsoft's site

• (low cost) Industry publications
• Magazines (online or print) can help keep you in the loop of upcoming trends or solutions that can help the business units you support.
• Example: I love WindowIT Pro Magazine each month I find at least something useful

• (Free) Quick video training
•  Streaming videos help engineers get a quick start on new topics
• Some examples are included below

Microsoft System Center 2012



 

Installing VMware vCenter Server

 

 

Upgrading to Active Directory 2012

 

• Finally, sorry to say it but we wont get away from reading. The last item is purchasing a detailed book. Pick these when it becomes apparent that you will need to become the resident expert on a software package or technology. Install the software in a home lab using your technet subscription.

Once again, please never stop learning. At times it's a struggle but it is an investment into your own career. If you fall behind don't be surprised when you are left behind.


Good luck and God bless

No Experience?

How does anyone get that first job in IT when everyone wants someone with experience?

The first corporate IT job is the hardest to attain. Without any experience, there are limited number of employers looking to get someone broken in (trained). The positions that are available each person needs to judge for themselves on what they are capable of living on. In my situation, I had already been out of school for a decade before deciding to change careers and going back to zero experience. Zero experience on a career change results in a pay cut for most folks.

 

Here is a list of suggestions for getting started: 

1. Electronic stores -
   • My first break was a hardware technician or 'bench tech'. Big electronic stores usually have a staff of hardware technicians who repair PCs and laptops, perform upgrades, install software and remove viruses.
   • Dont under rate the experience you will gain here. To this day I attribute my diagnostic skills back to the time I spent as a bench tech. It is a foundation for all other skills that you will develop over your career.
   
   
2. Desktop/Laptop Vendors
   • Dell, IBM, and other vendors have technical folks who perform hardware replacements for systems under warranty. Similar to electronic stores in replacing hard drives, laptop screens, and motherboards although it does require travel to customer sites. This is good experience as it places you into a corporate setting and demonstrates flexibility. 
   
   
3. Start your own LLC and take small assignments from Craigslist or even new services like TaskRabbit.com
   • There are many opportunities to provide PC support for small businesses such as doctor or legal offices, automotive shops or onsite home support.
   • An LLC can be created in about 30 minutes and offers you some benefits. It also puts a line on your resume with experience so be sure to name the LLC with a professional name (IE Not "Tim's PC Fixit")
    
4. Short term contracts or 'Temps'
•  There are many consulting companies that need to fill positions very quickly. Sometimes these positions need to have someone onsite the next day to help with a project that may take a few days, weeks or months. In cases like these, the consulting firms may loosen their restrictions on experience in order to get the contract.
• After working a few temp positions, you will have gained a fair amount of experience in seeing multiple environments.
• Sometimes companies elect to hire the contractors that have proven themselves resulting in a permenant position for you.
• Note: there normally are restrictions in companies hiring the temporay agents from the consulting firm. The contract typically includes verbiage to cover how the company can make an offer which usually includes compensation to the consulting firm. Do not risk putting yourself in a position that violates the terms of the contract. When signing any contract, be sure to note what restrictions are in place    
5. Internship
• If you are in school, many colleges have internship arrangements with several area companies. This is a great way to gain experience as well as contacts to your personal network. Treat the internship seriously, not as a summer job in the mall.

For software developers:

1. Build up your portfolio with writing your own mobile apps. These can easiliy demonstrate your versatility as well as earn you some extra cash.
2. Create websites for folks who post on Criagslist and add the best samples to your portfolio.

I hope you found this helpful. Good luck

Getting an interview

Standing out to a recruiter who reviews hundreds of résumés a day is difficult. For applicants who are recent graduates or still in school and have little or no experience, such a task may seem insurmountable when you consider experienced IT engineers have similar challenges.


Résumé tips are widely available from people whose business is getting candidates hired. These are a few good starting points you should review:

• Monster.com 'Six Tips to Get the Interview'
• CareerBuilder.com '10 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Interviews'
• Lifehacker.com 'Why You Didn't Get the Interview'

Now for my tips:

'It's who you know'
This is a very true statement. IT positions come with a lot of privileged access. Hiring managers need to place a lot of trust in the people they hire and having someone they know recommend you is a very good chance your résumé is reviewed.

If you are called for an interview, do not expect the recommendation as a guarantee for being hired. You will still need to fight for your position. I remember my first corporate interview where a relative had recommended me. The recommendation got me in front of the Director of IT whose first words to me were, "I don't care who you know. I've told VPs I'm not interested in their recommendation. So that being said, why should I hire you?". This is the point where you become the salesman. Be prepared for this type of question by knowing how your skills fit into what the hiring manager is looking for.

Build up your network. IT is a small world and you will find that nearly all your job interviews and offers will be the result of from someones recommendation. A candidate search triggers managers to ask people they trust 'do you know anyone good?'

The résumé:
In most environments, HR does the initial screening of résumés looking for key terms the hiring manager provided as essential skills. HR will also screen for experience level to match the position as well as the common red flags [gaps in work history, too much job hopping, minimum education level, etc]. Many IT résumés include a big list of every buzz word under categories like 'software', 'hardware', 'protocols'.

• Be careful not to overdo the buzz list
•  If you have a lot of experience, do not list the buzz words first. Let your experience do the talking. 
• Do not list something you don't know. A quick way to remove yourself from the candidate list is to misrepresent yourself and not be able to answer a question in the interview.
• Format
• MS Office has a lot of templates available. Pick one that stands out, is easy to read but isn't too 'loud'
• Don't trust spell check. Be sure to read your résumé aloud to find all the grammar mistakes.
• If you have certifications, you can include the logos for some pop. Be careful not to violate any logo restrictions or have them overpower the other content.
• Customization
• Investigate what the company is looking for and tailor your résumé to emphasize those skills you have that match the position.
• Look online for other positions open at the company to learn more about what solutions they use.
• For example: if you are applying for a desktop support position and you see the company is also looking for an Exchange Administrator; you can bet they will be interested in someone who can install Windows on a laptop but also setup an Outlook profile to connect to Exchange.
• Certifications
• If the job posting mentions a certification you have is required or preferred, be sure your résumé gives the same importance.
• Certifications will be covered in more detail in another post as they are very important within the IT field.

Persistence:
Don't give up. Fight tooth & nail. Hiring managers appreciate someone who is genuinely interested and committed without crossing the line of annoyance. Your first job will be the hardest to get but as you prove yourself and build up your accomplishments it becomes much easier provided you never burn your bridges.

Introductions...

Welcome all,

This blog is intended to help provide guidance and tips for those looking to start a career in IT or feel their career has stalled.

Starting an IT career can be very difficult and in the present economy, a little guidance may be beneficial in attaining success. Once you have landed your first position, the next steps you take may determine if you get stuck in the same position or put you in line for advancing.

So.... why take advice from my blog?
          Let me tell you a little about myself.

I am currently the Sr Manager of IT Infrastructure reporting directly to the CIO for a Fortune 500 company and have earned certification such as CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), Six Sigma - Black Belt and if you go back far enough, CNA (Certified Novell Administrator).

During my near 15 years in IT the roles I have held in numerous global corporations include: Helpdesk support, Sr Systems Engineer, Enterprise Architect, Exchange Administrator, Project Manager, Helpdesk Manager, Wintel Manager, Virtualization Engineer and Cloud Services Manager.

It has been my absolute pleasure to work with many different people through my career, each with their own skills, talents and methods to making our IT groups a sound team the business units were able to depend on. In future posts, it is my intention to share what I have learned so that others may also experience success in IT.


Thanks and God Bless!

Additional resources:

• About CISSP
• About Six Sigma
• Microsoft Certifications Overview
• Dice.com - Job search for technical positions