Last month, I described what a computer network is and explained how one can make a career of computer network engineering, without going to college, by obtaining Cisco certifications. The next step is getting a job.
Let’s say you have studied hard, taken the requisite tests, and obtained your CCNA. Now, how are you going to get yourself employed? Surely you have heard that you need experience to get hired, but need to get hired to get experience. That is true, but if you go about it properly, you can break in.
Your Resumé
The first step is to open an account at both Monster.com and Dice.com. These are web services that put employers in touch with employees. You then need to write a resumé, which you upload to their websites. Both Dice and Monster have templates that will help you write the resumé in the right form.
I will not go into the nuances of resumé writing, which has become a “science” in itself; many books have been written about the subject. The main thing to remember is that, especially in technical fields, a human being will not read your resumé, at least not at first. Rather, it will be electronically scanned for keywords by a “bot.” The most important part of your resumé is thus the section where you list as many keywords as you can: that is, all the technologies with which you are familiar. I call this section, “Experienced with the Following Technologies.” Or you could call it “Familiar With” or some similar heading. Within this section, I have three headings: Protocols, Hardware, and Operating Systems. You can break it down any way you wish. But you should include every protocol, product, piece of hardware, or technology you have ever studied, used, practiced on, or read about.
How familiar do you have to be with a technology in order to include it on your resumé? You do not want to lie, of course, but how do you phrase things if you know you “could” learn something fairly rapidly but just haven’t worked with it yet? Or you’ve read about something and understand it but have not actually configured it yourself?
I’ll tell you what I do: If I have proven skills in an area – meaning that I have done similar work before – I say I can do it and honestly describe my level. If I am advanced in a skill, I say I am. If I am confident I can do something because it is related to something else I have done, I say that it is just like this other thing I have done and I believe I can do it. If I don’t know the technology, I say it is not my expertise.
Even if you have only just read about something, you can put it down. If asked, you will say, “I have read about it but not deployed it.” So, for example, if I am familiar with the 7000 series Nexus switches, I put “Nexus 7000.” If I have seen or read about the 3560 switch, I write “Catalyst 3560.” If asked about it at the interview, I can say I am familiar with it but have not configured one live, only in simulations. And if someone asked me what my skills are with Juniper routers, I would say I don’t know how to configure them, and I would not put it down on my resumé , because Juniper routers are not a skill set I have.
It is fine and perfectly acceptable to express yourself in this way. The key is accuracy. In other words, be as accurate as possible in describing what you know. Do not shortsell your skills, and do not overestimate them. That way, once you start working, and it becomes clear you can do what you said you could do, you gain credibility, which is crucial.
The sections in my resumé are: 1) name, address, phone, and email at the top; 2) career objective; 3) education; 4) security clearance status; 5) summary; 6) experienced/familiar with the following technologies; and 7) professional experience. Make sure that the grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct; there is no forgiveness for these kind of mistakes.
A brief review of the resumé sections is as follows: 1) Name, address, phone should be centered at the top, with your name in a larger font. You should include your email address here. You must have an email address. 2) Career objective is “Seeking full-time employment working with computer networks.” 3) Education: List your certifications, followed by your college degrees. Only one certification? That is fine. No degree? Then state you are a high school graduate. Not a high school graduate or don’t have a GED? Then you need to obtain the GED. No one will hire you otherwise. 4) Security clearance status: If you have a clearance, put it here. Otherwise, don’t worry about it. You do not need a clearance to work in the field of computer networks. 5) Summary: Summarize what you have done. If you are starting out, you can say “obtained CCNA through self study and home lab,” for example, and that you are looking to break into the field. If you have other skills, such as you know Unix or Perl, you can say that here. Basically, give a brief summary of what you are capable of, and state how long you have been at it. Six months or a year is okay. 6) Familiar with the following technologies: As discussed above, every single keyword you can wrack your brain to think of, that you have ever worked on or even seen it in text, put it down, especially acronyms. The main thing is that you know what it is and can talk about it somewhat intelligently, if asked. 7) Professional experience: Leave off if this is your first job.
There are other formats for resumé s which will work. For example, #4 and #5 above are really optional. Just remember to have a section where you can list all the possible keywords that you can come up with, as in # 6 above. A program will be scanning the text for keywords, and therefore you mainly need to get those keywords on there.
Once you are satisfied with your resumé, upload it to both Dice and Monster. I would be careful about using any other job service, unless you have read reviews of it and know it is good. You have to make your resumé “searchable.” This means that you allow employers to find it on Monster or Dice when they do a search to look for employees. Then specify the geographic area in which you are willing to accept a job. I suggest that, to start, you work anywhere within a two-hour driving radius, which includes Northern Virginia. Why? Because the first six months are critical. After six months of work experience, you are basically “in.” It is worth commuting for two hours each way just to get that six months. Once you complete that, you can find work closer to home.
You may get emails and phone calls. If you have a CCNA, you should hear from at least a few employers the first month. In our area, it is likely that you will hear from employers in Northern Virginia. If you have a CCNP as well, you will hear from a lot more people. I cannot guarantee what will happen with any particular person. And of course the number of jobs available does depend on economic conditions. It could take three to four months or more before you are offered a job. But the jobs are out there. Once you get called, you set up interviews.
The Interview
When you go in for an interview, make sure to be on time. Do not bring anything but copies of your resumé and a notepad in a small briefcase. The interviewer will offer his or her hand, so think ahead how you will handle this challenge. Handshaking is an issue you should discuss with your rabbi, as what you should do may depend on your circumstances.
During the interview, you will be asked to answer technical questions, so review your study materials before you go. Honestly answer questions about your background. Saying you just obtained your CCNA because you want to get started in the networking field is perfectly fine. Even at the CCNA skill level, not everyone has a CCNA certification. A CCNA certification shows that you know how to learn and are motivated.
Other tips for the interview: You need to speak clearly and look people in the eye. When shaking hands, make sure to use a firm (but not crushing) grip, especially men. Men should dress in a business suit and tie. They should not wear a hat. Women should wear a conservative business suit and white blouse without frills, and understated jewelry and makeup. Shoes for women should be low heeled. Current “dress for success” standards give charcoal, gray, or navy as the preferred suit colors. (In my opinion, both men and women should avoid wearing all-black attire to the interview.) Clothes should fit well, look neat, and be clean and pressed.
You should be up front about Shabbat and Yom Tov, but only if asked. Most jobs do not require Saturday work. Even when weekend work is required, it can usually be done on Saturday night. However, if the interviewer makes it clear that you will have to work Friday night/Saturday, you will have to decline the job. This is very rare.
Once on the job, you will be confronted with other situations: For instance, your fellow employees will sometimes conduct business meetings over lunch. This is another issue you should discuss with your rabbi, as various factors may influence his answer: for example, whether the lunch is at work or at a restaurant.
If you offered an entry level job, do not under any circumstances accept less than $15 an hour. (IT jobs are usually expressed as an hourly wage. Multiply the hourly wage by 2,000 to get the annual salary. For example, $15/hour is $30,000/year.) The salary range for entry level CCNA positions should be $15 to $25 per hour. Jobs should include benefits like health care and vacation time. Don’t fall for jobs where you will get “commissions” or “bonuses.” That is not for professionals.
More Useful Skills
Up to this point, I have written about the need to have knowledge of computer networks. This is critical, of course. But there are other skills that will help you quite a bit as well:
Linux/Unix: It is very useful for you to know something about how to navigate the “bash” or “C shells,” how to use “man pages,” how to use basic programs such as “vi” and “grep,” how to “pipe outputs,” etc. Many network appliances are Linux based and require you to navigate a command line.
Windows/Mac: The majority of network endpoints are one of these two. Knowing basic commands on Windows, such as “ip config,” “netstat,” “ping,” and “tracert” are important. Knowing the same on Mac machines will become as important over time.
Microsoft Office: The use of Excel and Word to write reports is critical, and in the IT world, sometimes IT consultants extensively use all sorts of advanced features for revision control, formatting, formulas, tables, calculations, project management, etc.
English: Spelling, grammar, and punctuation have to be perfect when writing reports. If your English skills are deficient, and you are not very advanced in your knowledge and skill sets you will be found out very quickly, and forgiveness will not be forthcoming. Not only that: If you do not speak English well – and clearly – you will not be able to interact with clients. (Try, for example, try to eliminate such “Yiddishisms” as “I was ‘by’ the other lab.”)
Project management: The ability to manage projects according to accepted principles, such as can be found at www.pmi.org, is very useful.
Social skills: Beyond the technology, knowing how to conduct yourself at work is crucial to getting and keeping a job. This is something that everyone has to work out for him or her self. For those who are new to working in the non-Jewish environment, however, my general advice is that you need to interact with people at work and you need to come across as “normal” as possible. While you don’t have to hide your Judaism, don’t flaunt it, either.
Staying Competitive
Now for a most essential aspect of the computer networking field: The technological landscape of computer networks changes rapidly. People who work in the field must constantly study to stay current with the latest networking standards. This is not a profession where you can learn the material once and then use it for the rest of your life. You have to certify on the new technologies as they come out, and recertify your existing certifications. It never stops. Think of it as running in front of a train. If you keep up, you’re fine. If you slow down or stop, you are out. As I wrote in part one of this article, yeshiva and seminary students are at an advantage in this aspect, because they are used to studying and see the pursuit of knowledge as a constant throughout life.
The different Cisco certifications have different recertification policies. Some are good for three years and some for two. You don’t have to retake all the tests for a certification to recertify it. So, let’s say you have both a CCNP and CCNP Voice. Between the two of them, a total of eight tests are required. If you recertify any test out of the eight, the clock restarts on both your certifications. Passing any CCNA test resets the clock on all your CCNA certifications. Passing any CCNP level test resets the clock on all CCNP level certifications.
The bottom line is that computer networking is for people who can learn on their own, keep up with new ideas, and stand ready to learn new concepts every day. That is what people in this field are really paid for. It is hard to keep up, and the compensation is therefore commensurate with the difficulty. If you enjoy technology and are interested in computer networks, or just like computer science in general, and you can learn independently, this could be the field for you.
