Employed while throwing your resume out there and when is it the right time to move?

I just landed my CCNA this past August. I love networking and can't get enough of Cisco gear, concepts, and reading the material. Fortunately, I'm 6 weeks into a NOC job here in town that I can honestly say I love. I do basic troubleshooting, escalating tickets as needed, and working with service providers. From what I read around here, the standard for NOC jobs. When I got this job though, I had my CCENT, and not my CCNA. I can't help but see and hear people say that once you get your CCNA you should be posting it for a well paying job.

First off, my concern is positing my resume. Has anyone done this and had their employer find out or ask about it? Reason I ask is because I recently setup a LinkedIn page. Less than a day later, the manager of HR requested that I make contact with her. This makes me leery of posting my updated resume out there for all to see. I like my job and don't want to jeopardize it.

At the same time, I really want to work with networking and get more hands on. Is this just a situation of putting your time in, or should I put my resume out there on the usual job sites and see what happens?

One more thing is that I look at larger cities around me, and they seem to have a lot of opportunities for CCNAs. Job searches for me locally, do not yield much. Am I in a situation where if I want the type of networking job I want, I need to consider moving?

What do you guys think?

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Comments

SteveFT

I cannot offer you much in the way of IT specific advice because I'm trying to break into this field myself. As far as general employment advice, I would stick around for a little while unless the pay is not enough to support you. Do you have more knowledgeable coworkers? Pick their brains constantly. Ask for additional responsibilities, ask to shadow to learn about things you don't know about, and just try to learn as much as you can. Assuming this is your first networking job (sounds like it), it may be best to stay around for a year and gain some experience.

I would only jump ship if you don't see any opportunities to learn. In my opinion, it is probably not a great idea to post your resume openly as someone actively looking for a position (if you like your job). If you decide to stick out a year, then wait until a few months before your target date to leave and start sending out targeted job applications. The chances of your current company finding out are much less if you are only sending it out to a few people.

You will almost certainly have better opportunities in a bigger city. However, you need to consider whether you are ready to move or make a long commute. Don't underestimate how bad a > 45 minute commute can be. Don't forget to consider the cost of maintenance of your vehicle, fuel, and the additional stress associated with sitting in traffic.

Hope some of this helps, but as I said, you will get better IT-specific answers from others.

Danielm7

About the manager of HR finding your Linkedin page, did you specifically say you were looking for jobs there? If not it's kind of odd that they'd even point it out.

Hypntick

The HR person requesting a contact about you posting a linkedin page, could be a company policy. I know some places will not allow you to list that you work for them for security purposes. Could be nothing more than that.

kohr-ah

I had one of my company's recruiters call me thinking I was looking for work.

I just played it off saying oh I didn't realize I still had it up and they never brought it up again.

Ismaeljrp

If you are only 6 weeks into the job, stay there for now. Don't you have a review on your performance at the 90 day mark or something, a lot of places do that. Let it be known you've gotten your CCNA to your supervisor in a conversational way if you can, and try to gain a bit more trust with your peers. That can possibly lead to a more involved role, or troubleshooting tickets that are more advanced. 6 weeks of experience in a NOC won't help your resume very much. You may be trying to rush things a bit. Be patient, if your job is easy, ask if there is any more challenging projects or roles that you maybe can be a part of , plead your case.

W Stewart

Does your current job use cisco equipment and is there a possibility for you to get some experience there? A NOC job is usually where one would start off with a CCNA when they were looking to get that kind of experience. If there's not real advancement opportunities then look elsewhere, otherwise check with your manager first to see if you can get new responsibilities. They probably also hired you with a CCENT because they were hoping you'd get your CCNA so I would definitely speak with your manager first.

jvrlopez

Don't make it known on your LinkedIn that you'd be interested in seeking new opportunities. That or express that directly on the page. Of course, that is assuming what it is that they are asking you to contact them about.

You should be okay to look around on your own accord, unless a perspective employer contacts your current employer and asks them something without your current employer being aware before hand.

I had that happen with my most recent job move and I got a lot of lip. The pay was over double, though, so I didn't mind.

Nemowolf

From personal experience, i had previously added my boss to my linkedin account and thought nothing of it. About a year later, I started to get that itch for a new position. After several months of adding recruiters they pulled me to the side and addressed it with me. They asked point blank if i was looking for other work, I responded that no i wasn't but as i keep my LinkedIn page updated with current projects, certifications, and membership to groups that recruiters were finding me and i was obliging by adding them to my network. He shrugged it off and I shortly removed them from my LinkedIn to prevent them from asking any questions as I continue to look for a new opportunity.

I am fairly certain that it was ruled that your employer or prospective employer can not dig into your personal profile on any social networking site. If you make it public then its fair game. Just keep circumspect about things and deflect with your current employer if hassled.

tescosamoa

As someone with 16 years experience in the IT field. You should have your resume out there and you should be looking. You should be looking at this as a parellel path. Work hard and succeed in your current position, striving to improve and advance to where you want to go and building a network of people who you will have as referenes and peers down the road. At the same time building a network outside of your work and looking for new opportunities. There is nothing wrong with this at all, nor should you feel bad about this.

LarryDaMan

tescosamoa wrote: »

As someone with 16 years experience in the IT field. You should have your resume out there and you should be looking. You should be looking at this as a parallel path. Work hard and succeed in your current position, striving to improve and advance to where you want to go and building a network of people who you will have as references and peers down the road. At the same time building a network outside of your work and looking for new opportunities. There is nothing wrong with this at all, nor should you feel bad about this.

+1 Great advice. My resume is always "out there".

olaHalo

Nemowolf wrote: »

From personal experience, i had previously added my boss to my linkedin account and thought nothing of it. About a year later, I started to get that itch for a new position. After several months of adding recruiters they pulled me to the side and addressed it with me. They asked point blank if i was looking for other work, I responded that no i wasn't but as i keep my LinkedIn page updated with current projects, certifications, and membership to groups that recruiters were finding me and i was obliging by adding them to my network. He shrugged it off and I shortly removed them from my LinkedIn to prevent them from asking any questions as I continue to look for a new opportunity.

I am fairly certain that it was ruled that your employer or prospective employer can not dig into your personal profile on any social networking site. If you make it public then its fair game. Just keep circumspect about things and deflect with your current employer if hassled.

This is upsetting to me.
I always send my resume out. Even when I'm not really looking for anything. I even goto interviews knowing I wont accept the position if it was offered. Its great practice and you get to meet a lot of people.
Employers should assume that their employees will seek better opportunities.

pamccabe

Thanks everyone for their input. This has been a big help. I think that during my 90 day review I'll bring up how I got my CCNA and am looking to get some hands on experience. This doesn't mean I won't be looking at opportunities that are out there.