Networker

[Networker] Job Site Recommendations

2007-01-29 09:15:53
Subject: [Networker] Job Site Recommendations
From: Albert Eddie Contractor AFRPA CIO/IT <Eddie.Albert AT AFRPA.PENTAGON.AF DOT MIL>
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:09:18 -0500
Please if you have a reply to this message condemning my post, send it
to me directly. If you want to praise me, send it to me directly. It is
NOT my intention to soil this technical list with a bunch of personal
message traffic. Further, I think it would be unethical of me to recruit
on a technical list. The fact is my bon voyage message has prompted some
10+ requests from various personnel for leads or thoughts on Job
Opportunities. This is my single post reply to them and I hope I do not
rock the boat to much doing this. My intention is to help Friends and
Veterans with no expectation of reimbursement and without purposely
mentioning any company in particular.

Small ME story: I started out my life in the Marines as a Truck Driver
(Motor-T) after a military recall one day in 1982 where my Commodore-64
answered the phone. I received a visit from NIS (Naval Investigative
Service) they wanted to know how the lowly E-3 could afford an extremely
expensive (then) digital answering machine. Yes Virginia, they did
investigate people who were living too high on the hog back in those
days. When I explained to them that I had earned the computer working
(painting) on my GySgt's (E7) Truck, they checked him out too.

Long story short, I was ousted from Motor-T and thrust into Computers,
first inside the Motor pool using software to manage over 500 vehicles
of all sizes and shapes. There I saved my beloved Corps almost $2M in
parts inventory waste, etc. with a database I created. Then helping them
with their first ever LAN @ Cherry Point, NC. (Remember this was in the
day of the 8086, 8087 and C-64)... Yeah ok, anyone who thought I was a
smart kid, knows (how old) better now! <Grin> 

My neutral guidance for seeking a job or preparing to go into the IT
field is this: First and foremost; if I.T. is your chosen field be
passionate about your work. If on your free time you are not looking at
computer rags and lusting over the latest and greatest IT hardware and
software, or learning about how to help the people you are working for
by investigating various software/hardware packages...go towards
something else that you truly enjoy doing.

Now on to looking for a job!

Websites: 

#1 local job website - www.Craigslist.org <file://www.Craigslist.org/>
first time you go there it takes you to San Francisco Bay, change the
location to your state then your metro area. You will NOT believe how
many jobs are listed, more importantly is how dynamic the listings on
Craigslist are. I have been looking at the website hit CTRL-F5 to
refresh and had as many as 5 more jobs (posted that minute) show up.
When the job seekers post to Craigslist it does not go to a copy editor
or some bit-bucket, it gets posted that second. So like I said this is a
HOT site to watch. Also a great site for rental homes and automobiles.
No I am not associated with them, the only real income they make is from
job ads.

www.AvueCentral.com <file://www.AvueCentral.com/>  this is all Gov't
Jobs. Choose WHERE you want to look and what series (I.T. Series is
2210) 
www.InDeed.com <file://www.InDeed.com/>  truly the largest Job database
I have found, works well locally or nationally in US. Keyword= NETWORK 
www.USAjobs.com <file://www.USAjobs.com/>  this is in my TOP 3 job
sites, although there are jobs on Avue that are NOT on USAJOBS.

Monster.com Some love it, some hate it... I receive more JUNK mail from
Monster than I do real job ops. If you are excited to work for the USAF
or USArmy or Marines, go to THEIR homepage click on careers, get past
the military recruiters and look there. Same thing if you want to be a
forest ranger and help Yogi & Booboo with their picnic baskets, go to
the forestry agency website.

Specializations & Certs:

Do you have any? If not, why not? Do NOT wait for your boss to pay for
the certs. The certs will unlock keys to higher paying jobs. I do not
care how old you are or how many years you have in the field grab the
low hanging fruit. A+ rating is critically important for a NEW IT guy.
If you have more seasoning or should I say if you want more money, get
additional (read more seasoned) ratings. Certs do not automatically = a
great job btw, nor do they mean you are qualified to do the job. The
ONLY purpose I see them filling is as the KEY to getting the door open
for an interview and to get you past the ignorant (I mean that in the
best possible way) gate keepers who filter resumes for interviews.

SALARY NEGOTIATION: 
I hate this part of the questioning with a passion. What are your salary
requirements? What is your pay history? This does not mean a thing to
the person hiring me. What they really want to know is how little will
you take to do the job they want you to do? I have made as much as $280k
in one year acting as a hybrid Pre/Post Sales Engineer (+recruiting
bonuses of $1500-$3500 per person) and I recruited almost 40 people that
year and then there was my first job out of the Marine Corps for $35k
(for 60 days until I wised up!).

Look at their ad, if they say the job is $40k-$60k and you are fresh out
of the military or college making $25k, then maybe $40k is ok, so you
say to the hiring manager: "$40k minimum to start, expect to make
promotions and raises as the job/contract warrants making as much as the
contract will bear without causing a burden to corporate".

This has worked for me a couple of times and one time the guy
interviewing me actually gave me $5k more than I was asking just for
saying it that way. /shrug your mileage may vary.
Anyway that is the best advice I can give without getting in trouble.
Hoping my boss doesn't fire me Monday for posting this before my last
day on Wednesday.

Best of luck to all you Military Folks if you still need or want
unqualified ideas or guidance feel free to contact me! There are others
on this list that can confirm, I am full of it! <Grin>

Semper Fidelis et Paratus! /ALE 

Eddie Albert, Enterprise Network Engineer 
Air Force Real Property Agency 
Cell: (703) 298-7737

To sign off this list, send email to listserv AT listserv.temple DOT edu and 
type "signoff networker" in the body of the email. Please write to 
networker-request AT listserv.temple DOT edu if you have any problems with this 
list. You can access the archives at 
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/networker.html or
via RSS at http://listserv.temple.edu/cgi-bin/wa?RSS&L=NETWORKER

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • [Networker] Job Site Recommendations, Albert Eddie Contractor AFRPA CIO/IT <=