email advice

readtm88

I recently had an HR interview regarding a position on a company’s eMail team. The company is managed hosting of multi-platforms email (exchange, pop, imap, etc). Now being in an only exchange environment for the last few years I know how to troubleshoot outlook/exchange issues effectively. My concern is that I need to brush up on some of these other protocols and how to trouble shoot them for the next interview. Does any one have any good resources (besides how stuff works) that could provide some insight?

Thanks all

dynamik

http://www.wikipedia.org

It's a great resource, and I'm surprised more people don't take advantage of it. It has a lot of really detailed, technical information. It's not the end-all, be-all, but it's a great starting point.

JDMurray

Wikipedia is good for learning about the services that are associated with specific port numbers. But if you need diagnostic and troubleshooting information, I'd recommend looking at the study materials for the penetration testing ("hacking") certifications, like the CEH.

readtm88

Thanks for the info. After spending a weekend down and dirty with SMTP, POP and IMAP, i got the basics down.

I also must have done pretty well with the 2, 45 min phone interviews they are flying me down (1000 miles) for a 2 hour face to face interview, in a little over a week.

famosbrown

Congrats!! You will be fine! Just do your best, and you will learn quickly. I've never been to two organizations where the messaging infrastructure was the same...some clustered, some FE/BE, some IMAP just for IPHONES, etc...I'm sure you will be fine. Good luck on the face to face .

Kasor

The old way to study is to look up all the definition and understand the whole process how do each protocol communicate from one end to another end.

Also, target their multiple platform, different version and type of access.

Have fun reading them.

mistervince

JDMurray wrote:

Wikipedia is good for learning about the services that are associated with specific port numbers. But if you need diagnostic and troubleshooting information, I'd recommend looking at the study materials for the penetration testing ("hacking") certifications, like the CEH.

i got my CEH a couple months ago and i can say that it IS a great cert and teaches you a bunch about diagnostics.

HOWEVER, be prepared for a very difficult exam that focuses a lot on difficult information that has no technical basis. ie: lots of questions to do with legal issues.

readtm88

I got the job!!!

I flew out there last week. Had a 2 hour interview and it went really well? It did not seem to take nearly that long. They 2 managers who I interviewed with were real down to earth people so we got along good. I think it will be a good fit for me. Money wise, I’ll be getting a 25% raise and the living expenses are about the same as I’m living in now.

cisco_trooper

congrats!

snadam

wow, youre moving almost halfway across the country ! Thats a fantastic opportunity! congrats and hope all goes well?

May I inquire the moving 'to' and 'from' locations?

ajs1976

congrats

readtm88

From Des Moines, Iowa to San Antonio Texas

I'm be heading out there next week and the family will follow after schools out. So I’ll be living as a Bachelor for a while. Figured it's a good time to hit the books for new Certs.....

HeroPsycho

They ARE paying for moving expenses, right?

leefdaddy

congrats!

cgrimaldo

readtm88 wrote:

From Des Moines, Iowa to San Antonio Texas

I'm be heading out there next week and the family will follow after schools out. So I’ll be living as a Bachelor for a while. Figured it's a good time to hit the books for new Certs.....

Hey shoot me a pm sometime. I'm out here in San Antonio!

famosbrown

Congratulations!! I knew you didn't have anything to worry about. Enjoy!!

readtm88

HeroPsycho wrote:

They ARE paying for moving expenses, right?

They will not be paying moving expenses, I tried.

I did not think it would be worth moving if I did not make 15%-20% over what I made now. I figured 15% if they paid moving expenses and 20% if they didn’t. this is about a 25% bump in pay so I’m ok with it.

After this last winter and the business environment in the banking industries (I work in tech for a large finance company) just give me a reason to leave Iowa and I’m gone.

The family and I were planning the move to Texas this summer anyway. I figured I would work for a contract company for a while. But I think this is even better.

HeroPsycho

DRATS!

dynamik

Just out of curiosity, how did you come across this opportunity?

I don't mean any disrespect by this, but it looks like you have a pretty modest certification list. It seems like they could have easily found someone with a comparable skill set locally.

I only ask because I would like to make a move in the next year or two, but I'm not really sure how to get hooked up with someone a few states away.

Regardless, you have my congratulations. That seems like a sweet deal.

readtm88

I honestly don’t know. Your right, my certification lists it really not very impressive. It’s something I plan on working on.

I came across the job out of the blue. It was a blizzard day here in Iowa, and I took the day off because of the weather. I decided just to look for jobs in Texas and sent my resume to several places, really never expected to get a call back. Sure enough I did.

I kept asking myself if they are that desperate for workers down there that they hire me. I’m not dumb and I work hard at what ever I’m doing. So I have to think that I showed enough potential to them that they thought it was a good fit. The company is also not some little dead end job it’s one of fortunes top 50 places to work.

This position is a low level admin I’ll still have to deal with some user phone calls and such. But also the opportunity to grow is huge.

How did I land this job? Dumb luck, fate, a little skill.

famosbrown

dynamik wrote:

Just out of curiosity, how did you come across this opportunity?

I don't mean any disrespect by this, but it looks like you have a pretty modest certification list. It seems like they could have easily found someone with a comparable skill set locally.

I only ask because I would like to make a move in the next year or two, but I'm not really sure how to get hooked up with someone a few states away.

Regardless, you have my congratulations. That seems like a sweet deal.

When I was searching for that first Systems Admin position, I was looking anywhere in the country. I had my resume on careerbuilder, Monster, Dice, etc. There were also options for where you would work...I usually chose certain states that I wouldn't mind working in. I received phone calls and emails from companies all over the country for opportunities. Only a few were actually the companies themselves, but most were headhunters. Companies hire them to find talent, be the liason, make the hookup, you get hired, the Headhunter gets paid, and then it's done. It isn't like a contractor relationship where you are a contractor working for Company X. If the company says that they want talent from anywhere not limited to local, you will definitely get contacted if your resume has those keywords they scan for. They will fly you in, rent you a car, put you in hotels and all of that. The good thing about it is that if they are willing to bring you in for an in-face, they are pretty interested in you and aren't wasting money...unless they have money to waste. My roadblock has been salary negotiating because they all wanted to take where I lived and compared the Cost of Living and make a justification on why they are paying me what they are paying instead of giving me what I was asking from the first converstaion .