Advice: Resume, Job, & Worth

Doyen

A little quick background:

I am scheduled to graduate in November or December of this year. I only have 4 courses left to take and 1 of the mandatory courses I have complete is an externship (a paid internship that counts as college credit). I can waive the externship if I already work in the field or get employment in the field before I graduate. I’ve worked in retail for at least 16 years, and just last week, I was “alleviated of my duties and wished well on my future endeavors”. I have the option to return after 30 days, but my time there would be reset back to day 1 (as would my pay) instead of the 9 years & 7 months that I invested with them, so no point in returning.

I’ve been told by my instructors & the career counselors that is should be viewed as a great opportunity since I have been using my previous employer as a “crutch”. This was mainly because I have been delaying on working on my resume (15+ weeks) or applying for positions (I worked full time 40 hours & school full time) because of it. Ironically, my employment agreement was “dissolved” a few days after I finished resume. Now that I had free time, I have been applying for entry level & internship positions through various job sites like indeed & monster as well as directly with company websites (EMC, Cisco, banks, & hospitals).

I’m probably just impatient since I do not like to be unemployed & didn’t want to wait for the weeks for an externship to be setup (bills to pay). Instead of just any job, which I could most likely find, I would rather just work in my field that I am studying for. Besides internships, I’ve applied for networking positions & some help desk positions. Research Triangle Park (NC) has a lot of IT companies, so it should not be difficult to find employment. I am basically right out of college without any experience besides just certifications & I honestly do not know what I’m worth. After setting up a call with a technical recruiter, she said that she could try to get me into Cisco at $18 an hour. Is this fair & typical?

Now to get to the point:

I would like to have this community’s professional criticism on my resume & what you think I am worth. Keep in mind that I only have labbing experience, not real world experience. I also only have CCNA foundational knowledge of STP, OSPF, EIGRP, VLANs, & FHRPs, so I didn’t list them on my resume since most networking positions around my area seem to be requesting for CCNP level knowledge of OSPFv3, MPLS, BGP, GRE, & STP or VoIP certification. I appreciate any assistance or advice the community can offer me & thanks for your time.

Doyens Resume.pdf

(Though I blocked out my info, you can still view my LinkedIn )

EDIT:
300th post?!

Deathmage

your worth way more than $18 an hour. I'd ask for $24 to $26 an hour. Most job experience these day it learned in a few months; my advise is find a MSP that know you are a beginner but only with job experience however not with knowledge which has a huge plus in MSP's.

Once you get on a few customer sites you will pick up on things quickly. Me I lacked expereince becasue I was in one location; in 9 days I've gone to 22 locations and learned/fixed numerous issues and the knowledge I've gained is huge, like HUGE! ... what I could learn by day-to-day stuff is mind boggling....

bear in mind your skill-sets from A/N/S+ are great foundation skills and those alone will be very helpful just starting out. I too sold myself short not long ago with my job hunt but after 12 interviews I realized my worth and I don't even have the CCNA/VCP like you do just 4 years of experience with the Comp TIA Trio.

Surprisingly enough I brought a flowchart of my home-lab to the interviews and explained to them every part of my home network on each interview and they all were impressed; the fact I could explain the network with such detail is why my current (new employer) told me recently it was a determining factor in why they hired me.

Hope this helps!!!!!

Vask3n

Hey Doyen,

I think you will be able to quickly find a position that you like, based on the fact that you have a really good idea of your goals, abilities, and communication skills. You would be surprised at how many people just slap certifications on their resume and expect a job from only that- In my experience, employers are looking for someone that they can work effectively with and communicate with, not the person with every certificate under the sun but 0 ability to handle conversations and interviews.

Your resume looks concise and to the point. I would be on the lookout for an internship or entry level job in your area, my advice is to capitalize on Linkedin (we're already connected on there). Scope out their jobs section which is surprisingly effective, and communicate directly with recruiters if you have to. Let me know if I can help you in any other way, good luck man!

Doyen

Wow, that is really good advice! I did not factor in using LinkedIn as a job finder or using pictures of my lab to an interview. So you think I should ask for more than $18? That resume was revision 7 and my eyes are blinded now from seeing anything wrong with it anymore.

Deathmage

Doyen wrote: »

Wow, that is really good advice! I did not factor in using LinkedIn as a job finder or using pictures of my lab to an interview. So you think I should ask for more than $18? That resume was revision 7 and my eyes are blinded now from seeing anything wrong with it anymore.

Without reservation.

Doyen

You think $22 or $24 maybe pushing it. Keep mind that I don't have any real world experience, but college and labbing. I wouldn't want to lose an opportunity because I ask more than what they are offering.

pevangel

$18 is typical for entry-level positions. It's actually on the high-end from the listings I've seen. I had about the same credentials as you when I first started and I got a little less than $18/hour.

I would remove the logos from the resume. Most people probably won't mind but some people might find it tacky.

Good luck with the job search.

Doyen

I was viewing my resume as an advertisement flyer to get in the door for an interview. I just wanted to make it a tad different than the other black & white wordy documents. I added the logos 2 revisions ago & it seemed quite receptive at my last ISSA meeting. Yet, I can see how it could look tacky.

iBrokeIT

I'm going to second dropping the logos, it's tacky, otherwise I the format and content of your resume. I would also recommend posting your resume on Dice.com.

Deathmage

Doyen wrote: »

You think $22 or $24 maybe pushing it. Keep mind that I don't have any real world experience, but college and labbing. I wouldn't want to lose an opportunity because I ask more than what they are offering.

it's better to aim higher and get lower than shoot lower and get even lower....

AverageJoe

I think your resume looks good. I usually do not like logos, but you've positioned them well so that they're not overbearing or distracting so I don't think it's a given that you should remove them. Recognize that it's a subjective call and use your own judgment.

For initial pay, keep in mind that pay varies based on a lot of things, especially locality, so consider the area you're in (and the locality of those who provide advice). In my opinion, getting real-world work experience is more important right now than how much you make. Once you're employed you can continue to pursue higher paying jobs, but the best way to get a job is to have a job.

Just my 2 cents.

Doyen

Thank you everyone on your opinions

Priston

Apply here

United States IT jobs - MTU Tech Associate Infrastructure \ Network Engineer at MetLife

Then get me a job

Doyen

Priston wrote: »

Apply here

United States IT jobs - MTU Tech Associate Infrastructure \ Network Engineer at MetLife

Then get me a job

Wow, thank you for sharing the link That looks like a fantastic opportunity I cannot pass on! +rep

Priston

Highwoods reveals plans for MetLife's $110 million campus in Cary - Triangle Business Journal

MetLife to bring 2,600 jobs to Cary, Charlotte :: WRAL.com

Doyen

Thank for making me aware of MetLife's presence in my area. It seems like a great learning, training, and experience opportunity.