[oclug]Need some advice from senior IT people.

[Charly Baker]

First of all, skills aren't the big thing.  Yes, you have to have some of the
skills that a particular job requires, but who knows what they may be?  Care
to learn VB?  Get the skills that match a job you want to have, which simply
means learning anything that you like, so long as you choose from that set
those that have some market value.  Look at job ads, mailing lists etc. to
determine what the market is looking for, and from that set, learn, fake, or
emphasize the skills that seem to be in demand.

Second, remember the dilemma faced by the person seeking to hire.  Hundreds of
resumes, most of them useless, and even if they are all good, there is only
time to interview a small percentage, and no good way of knowing just from the
paper which applicants are the good ones.  So arbitrary criteria are used to
eliminate 99% or more of the applicants, just to make the next phase
possible.  I always started with thickness:  less than two pages or more than
four and into the trash they go.  I threw out applications bound in little
folders and any with covers.  I required a covering letter written in
grammatically correct competent english.  Other potential employers may have
other criteria, but the point is that all that resume BS is necessary to get
past the first phase.

Third, if you get an interview, ask questions.  In addition to all of the
usual interview BS, this one really works with me.  It gives you some time to
wonder how the interview is going, and it gives the impression that you
confidently expect to get the job.  It also gives you some information that
can be useful in guiding your conduct in the interview.  Act as if you want
the job.  Research the company and demonstrate your knowledge of it in the
interview.

Fourth, have good references.  Always inform your references that you are
using them as a reference before you use them, and try to find out if they
will in fact give a good report.  You will find that most people appreciate
the courtesy call before being used as a reference and that this might get
them on your team.

I know that none of this is specific to IT, but that's because there are no IT
secrets to getting a job.  It is not about skills, it's about character and
personality.

Charly Baker

Dana Webber wrote:

> I am not the only one in this position
>
> I am sick of all the general career advice. What is
> required is specific to IT. I really need to find an IT
> manager and ask him/her exactly what skills and what
> proficiency is required to get hired.
>
> I have a CS degree + 4 years IT support in several R&D labs.
> Lab support is not in demand now. So I have to retrain.
> But for what and how?
>
> I did a demo at OSW on Windows/Linux and met some
> interesting people. ( note. the demo should go much
> better next time )
>
> Since then I have had seven hits on my web site
> but no feedback.
>
> Lots of companies are introducing Linux but there
> are very few job postings that mention Linux.
>
> It would be GREAT if several people  "in the know "
> did an OCLUG session on this.
>
> --
> Dana Webber
> dana at dunrobin.dyn.dhs.org
> http://www.dunrobin.dyn.dhs.org
>
> Linux / Windows integration
> It's like banging your head against a brick wall until the wall falls down.
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