Certification - October 2008 - (Page 9)

Career Development Over in the Career Development forums, junior member nezmin2 was unsatisfied with his career path in the IT industry and wanted recommendations on certifications that could catapult him into an executive position. Nezmin2 has worked in the IT field for approximately 14 years, has a bachelor’s in information systems from the University of Phoenix and recently began a master’s in information systems at the University of Phoenix. “I have no certifications and have not really specialized in anything my entire career,” nezmin2 said. “I have worked with just about everything yet never really saw my niche or passion in any specific area. Now, I am in my early forties and feel like I should be much further in my career than I am.” The junior member is seeking advice on which certifications to pursue to advance his career. “I envision myself as a CIO someday as management has been the majority of my career,” nezmin2 said. “But I also have had project management experience. I use MS at work but Linux at home, and so I have thought about working on the Red Hat certifications but I do not want to waste my money on certifications that will not set me on the right path to a future executive position.” Fellow member Barshalom advised nezmin2 to stick with what he was familiar with. “Stay on the management track since you have experience in that area,” Barshalom said. “Perhaps project management would be something to pursue.” If anyone can provide further insights to nezmin2, please head to the CertMag forums and post a response. After working as a software developer in the IT industry for the past two years, junior member sophia is looking for a better job and wishes to revise her resume. “Does anyone know any good resume-writing services [that] can help me out for cheaper cost?” Senior member Wayne Anderson was emphatic about the importance of investing time and money in a good resume-writing service: “Frankly, the stuff that gets you a job is the one place where you really don’t want to skimp,” he said. “You can skimp on the training [or] review for a certification and go with a book and a computer. When it comes to getting help with some of the soft skills that will land you a job — whether it’s interview coaching, resume review/ writing or a full placement service — it’s worthwhile to invest the money in a firm that is going to get you the results that will allow you to recoup that investment many times over.” Wayne Anderson added that many of his colleagues use specialty Web sites such as TheLadders.com to narrow down the job search to those in the $100,000 pay range. Premium-level memberships at this type of site grant users access to a resume-writing service as part of the package. For those who aren’t targeting such an ambitious salary, Wayne Anderson suggests any resume-writing service affiliated with a major online job site. Some examples include: • Monster.com, which uses a provider called Careerperfect.com to offer a professionally written resume for $189. • CareerBuilder.com, which offers a service called cbResume that gives a free initial review and then provides more information about pricing. • Resume Pro Writers, which offers a basic package for $125 per resume. Upgraded packages are available and include items such as custom-written cover letters and thank-you letters. “I know that it seems somewhat expensive,” Wayne Anderson said, “but remember that if a very good resume — professionally written — assists you in securing a position just one week earlier than you would have otherwise, that resume service fee will have more than repaid itself several times over.” Dickcheney said that even though he has never used a paid resume-writing service, he has found various books to be useful. “A book of example resumes may be a good place to start, as you can find a resume in your field or similar to your work experience and education and can craft your resume from there,” dickcheney said. “Hopefully, you know someone who has been successfully employed [such as a former boss or mentor], and you can ask them to review your resume for you and provide you some insight.” Want to share your thoughts or experiences? Here’s your chance. Your comments and feedback are always welcome on the CertMag forums. Please visit them at network.certmag.com/forum. 8 – Deanna Hartley, dhartley@certmag.com October 2008 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE 9 http://www.theladders.com/ http://www.theladders.com/ http://www.Monster.com http://www.careerperfect.com/ http://www.careerperfect.com/ http://www.CareerBuilder.com http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Resumes/SR_Start.aspx http://www.resumeprowriters.com/ http://network.certmag.com/forum

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification - October 2008

Certification - October 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data Stream Virtual Village Tech Careers Dear Techie Troubleshooting Academic Connection What We Like Look Ahead Elect IT: Technology and the Democratic Process Managing Relationships in the Nonprofit Realm Interface VoIP Technician: Answering the Call of the Network Inside Certification Ad Index Endtag

Certification - October 2008

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