Real World experience vs Home Lab experience

How do you guys handle the issue when asked if you have experience in an area (say exchange 2003), to which you only have home lab experience but no real world experience? I ask this because I had a phone interview today. A lot of the area's they were asking if I had experience in were only in my home lab. They seemed to be put a little bit put off by that. I tried to recover from by going on how I am fast learner blah blah bla. Alas to no avail. Sadly enough with my current job I will not get any hands on exp to move on/up in my career. So how do I handle this next time I'm asked for example if I have experience with "Exchange 2003"

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rsutton

I've seen some really bad stuff happen with people who have lied during an interview, usually they have been fired. This is worst way to burn a bridge, and it's even worst if you used a placement agency as they might blacklist you from future jobs.

Be determined to tell the truth and as others say this doesn't mean you have to admit all your weaknesses, you do not have to elaborate if it will make you look bad, but you should also paint a clear picture of the type of work you are able to do.

Someone earlier in this thread also made a point about the people who are very knowledgable and when interviewing come off as arrogant. I think this is one of the most important and underlooked things to consider when interviewing. Your attitude and personality carry more weight than people realize.

I've worked at companies (and probably so have you) where people were promoted simply because someone higher up likes them, even though there may have been people who were more technicaly competant. This is a fundamental issue, if people don't like you they will not want to spend 40 hours a week with you even if you can run circles around their best technicians.

WillTech105

rsutton wrote: »

I've worked at companies (and probably so have you) where people were promoted simply because someone higher up likes them, even though there may have been people who were more technicaly competant. This is a fundamental issue, if people don't like you they will not want to spend 40 hours a week with you even if you can run circles around their best technicians.

Ahh...don't get me started. My last position was exactly this. The man wasnt technincal he could just talk and SOUND like he knew what he was doing and use other people to do his job. He went on disability for a surgurey and while he was out he got promoted. To say the least -- the entire department was very disapointed in management for this decision and ruined morale.

bsddaemon0

Tin_Man wrote: »

How do you guys handle the issue when asked if you have experience in an area (say exchange 2003), to which you only have home lab experience but no real world experience? I ask this because I had a phone interview today. A lot of the area's they were asking if I had experience in were only in my home lab. They seemed to be put a little bit put off by that. I tried to recover from by going on how I am fast learner blah blah bla. Alas to no avail. Sadly enough with my current job I will not get any hands on exp to move on/up in my career. So how do I handle this next time I'm asked for example if I have experience with "Exchange 2003"

Job hunting sucks...

I've had similar problems. I've managed various application servers, but not DNS or Exchange. That seems to put some people off, despite the fact that these app servers were used by hundreds of people and were worth more to the company than either DNS or mail.

apd123

bsddaemon0 wrote: »

I've had similar problems. I've managed various application servers, but not DNS or Exchange. That seems to put some people off, despite the fact that these app servers were used by hundreds of people and were worth more to the company than either DNS or mail.

This would bother me as well you don't experience the real problems until you implement a technology. A person experienced in a task could do in minutes what a first timer would take days to do. Many of the headaches we run into are extremely simple to troubleshoot if you have seen them before and almost impossible to find if you have not.

eansdad

I'd agree with Paul Boz.....If you have experience, whether in a lab or in the work place it is still experience. If they ask "Do you have experience with what ever?" and you've only worked with it in your lab but are confident with it then answer yes. If they ask "Have you worked with what ever in a work environment?" or something similar then you can answer "No, but I have a lab at home and have been working on whatever for such and such time and this is what I have set up.".

Never lie but keep the answer to what the question was.

qp81

Respectfully, I disagree. No amount of labbing is going to be a sufficient substitute for a experience dealing with a real production crisis, needing to restore from tape, troubleshooting real-time mail flow problems, or users or managers breathing down your neck. You can't simulate 1000s to 1000000s of messages per day. Unless you're taking a job where all you do is setup exchange, the lab is a small percentage of what experience you'll need to be hired as an exchange admin.

You're wrong about simulating 1000s to 1000000s of messages, maybe not per day, that would be over kill but doable. There are "tools", avalanche for one comes into mind, that you can run against your exchange lab to simulate those messages. I have personally used such tools to simulate those x amount of messages.

just need to be a little creative...I've used that in an interview b4

dynamik

Real Woman vs. Blow-Up Doll

Just sayin'...

blargoe

^ You have to start somewhere

blargoe

qp81 wrote: »

You're wrong about simulating 1000s to 1000000s of messages, maybe not per day, that would be over kill but doable. There are "tools", avalanche for one comes into mind, that you can run against your exchange lab to simulate those messages. I have personally used such tools to simulate those x amount of messages. just need to be a little creative...I've used that in an interview b4

Technicality. I think you understand my point though.

Crunchyhippo

dynamik wrote: »

Try volunteering. See if you can find churches, non-profits, etc. that need work done. Then you won't have to lie or fudge the truth, and you will actually have real-world experience.

Volunteer???

First of all, with all the security clearance I had to get for my present IT job, who is going to bring in someone who isn't even on the payroll and be a huge liability risk? Without some kind of scrutiny (which is expensive, btw), you may be a convicted felon for industrial espionage for all they know.

Second, no one is going to invest time and energy into someone who doesn't even work for the company, when they're trying to train their own employees. And a company isn't going to let some Joe off the street tinker with their network, using their programs, when they could potentially screw things up by doing so.

Yes, sure, IF you could volunteer it would be great. But don't hold your breath while you're looking.

Sett

I am more of a networking guy, and when they ask me on some interview if I have experience with something and I reply "Yes, but only in a lab environment" usually their reaction is as if I have told "No, not at all, what the hell is this?". And it is understandable.

Plantwiz

It is good to see the large number of members on the side of Integrity!

Lying, fibbing, omitting the truth is never a good way to get a job. If you are short on the qualifications, there is no reason to hid this, merely work at improving this for yourself.

Volunteer as mentioned. Or go out on your own and being some consulting work, small-mid sized companies can help spread the word about your skills very quickly. I know several people who have grown their businesses this way.

Once Integrity is lost, your creditability will be gone in the business. Word-of-mouth advertising works great for getting you additional business and repeat business. While poor reviews will keep you from getting repeat calls and no additional business referrals.

It is up to you. Honesty and Integrity cannot be quickly salvaged.

jmanrta

Crunchyhippo wrote: »

Volunteer???

First of all, with all the security clearance I had to get for my present IT job, who is going to bring in someone who isn't even on the payroll and be a huge liability risk? Without some kind of scrutiny (which is expensive, btw), you may be a convicted felon for industrial espionage for all they know.

Second, no one is going to invest time and energy into someone who doesn't even work for the company, when they're trying to train their own employees. And a company isn't going to let some Joe off the street tinker with their network, using their programs, when they could potentially screw things up by doing so.

Yes, sure, IF you could volunteer it would be great. But don't hold your breath while you're looking.

I got my first gig through volunteering, so what you're saying is not entirely true.

Also how do you expect someone to gain experience if they can't volunteer?

itdaddy

Try volunteering. See if you can find churches, non-profits, etc. that need work done. Then you won't have to lie or fudge the truth, and you will actually have real-world experience

1+

this you can do, everyone loves free

Ashenwelt

blargoe wrote: »

I'll agree with that, of course if you find someone Respectfully, I disagree. No amount of labbing is going to be a sufficient substitute for a experience dealing with a real production crisis, needing to restore from tape, troubleshooting real-time mail flow problems, or users or managers breathing down your neck. You can't simulate 1000s to 1000000s of messages per day. Unless you're taking a job where all you do is setup exchange, the lab is a small percentage of what experience you'll need to be hired as an exchange admin.

You know, my first thought was completly agreeing with this. Then I realized, in labs I have done testing in, I have done things that are so extreme, that I would (should) never run into them in real life. Granted a company should have a lab for extreme testing, but most dont.

Now, on the other side of this. You will never gain exp. on the stress levels doing this. So, you are also not going to handle the critical as well without real world.

Now, how do you gain real world exp. in something like exchange? How about using it for your email and your families email doing some testing. Technet should support that, just keep it under 10 users and you should be able to do some serious testing of the system, while it is being used on a small scale... in the real world.

Then on your resume just list under your exp. that you have exchange exp. Then if asked, say yes you have exp. And yes, you have used it in a small scale production however you have studdied and labed large scale productions (if you have).

My thughts, YMMV.

itdaddy

Granted a company should have a lab for extreme testing, but most dont.

+1 I totally agree with you..