Sams Teach Yourself MCSE Windows NT Server 4 in 14 Days
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): David Schaer, et al
ISBN: 0672311283
Publication Date: 12/15/97

Appendix C

The Employable MCSE

Having an MCSE is not quite the same as having a Harvard MBA, but it certainly will open some doors. The trick is to know which doors to go through and which to shut. Applying the principles laid out in this guide will help you identify prospective employment opportunities and prepare yourself for overcoming the technical interview.

There are countless opportunities open to MCSEs worldwide. Only you can determine in the end which to pursue in order to attain your personal goals.

C.1. Valuing Your Certification

No doubt, achieving your MCSE certification was or will be a significant milestone in your life. Only a small fraction of those who claim to be IS professionals are certified. This alone sets you and your certification apart. In the jungle of employability, having an MCSE certification puts you a little “higher on the food chain.” Remember that your certification belongs to you.

If you want a more quantitative valuation of your certification, look at MCP Magazine’s Annual Salary Survey. You can find the survey at http://www.mcpmag.com.

C.1.1. Giving the Most, Getting the Most

The greater your degree of flexibility, the more valuable you can make yourself to your current or future employer. Your MCSE certification confirms to others that you have a set of quality skills. However, those skills themselves won’t do the work for you. The more willing you are to travel, work as part of a team, and go the extra mile, the more opportunities you will have.

C.2. Specializing in Your Field

Not many years ago it would have been possible to be skilled in most, if not all, of the items in the Microsoft product line. Today, however, there are over 10 electives to choose from in the MCSE program alone.

No one is expecting you to be an expert in every aspect of every application. To be truly employable you must have not only a breadth of understanding on a wide range of topics but also a depth of knowledge in a specific field.

C.2.1. Focusing Your Skills

By specializing in a specific field you can set yourself apart not only from the uncertified, but also from the certified individuals who don’t know how to focus their skills. Focusing your skills does not mean resting on your laurels. If, for example, you decide to focus on Internet solutions, this easily could require detailed knowledge of Microsoft Proxy Server, IIS, Index Server, SQL Server, VBScript, and Visual J++. Regardless of the area of expertise you pursue, achieving and maintaining your knowledge base will require continued perseverance.

The employable MCSE won’t even stop there. Microsoft might be your bread and butter, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore other industry solutions, complementary products, and certifications.

C.2.2. Maintaining Your Certifications

You must maintain your certifications. As Microsoft updates its products, there is always a chance that a test you have used to achieve your certification will be retired. Although Microsoft will inform you if you must take a specific exam to maintain your certification, it is better to be proactive, which means monitoring the MCSE forum for details regarding certification revisions. You can find the latest requirements at www.microsoft.com/mcse.

When a test is being retired a beta exam is often offered in advance of the final replacement. Beta exams are a great way to maintain or increase your certifications, often at a reduced cost.

C.2.3. Increasing Your Certifications

Saying that you have too many certifications is like saying you have too many trump cards. Multiple certifications let you stack the playing field in your favor.

I currently maintain certifications as a Microsoft MCSE and MCT, and Novell MCNE and CNI. Currently, I am pursuing my Microsoft MCSD status and Cisco CCIE certification.

Keep in mind that the certifications you pursue should not be merely for the sake of quantity, but focused on your area of specialty. Choosing which certifications to pursue is largely a matter of the direction that you choose to take in the industry. A programmer might find that simply an MCSD certification is all that is required to gain and maintain employment. Network engineers often benefit from showing that they are cross-trained in other industry-standard network operating systems such as Novell NetWare and SCO UNIX.

An obvious cost factor is associated with pursuing and maintaining any of these certifications. You should analyze your marketplace to determine whether the certifications on which you plan to focus will give you a sufficient return on investment (ROI). The ROI might not always be so much a direct monetary increase but often helps you establish a firmer foothold on your existing employment.

Many companies are required to maintain a certain number of staff employees with certain certifications. For example, Microsoft Certified Solution Providers must maintain a minimum of two Microsoft Certified Product Specialists.

C.2.4. Corporate Views on Certification

Companies realize that the certifications belong to the individual, not the company. Because of this, many organizations, both public and private, are often hesitant to invest too much in a single individual. Some management too often feels it is spreading the risk of key individuals leaving by employing more minimally certified individuals than a select few highly qualified persons.

This attitude can often be overcome by committing a minimum number of months to a company following the company’s investment in your certifications. It is not uncommon to see people even sign a promissory note for the cost of any training they receive. The balance due on the note is reduced automatically for each subsequent month of employment. If the employee leaves before the agreed-upon term, he or she would be responsible for the balance of the note.

C.2.5. Low-Cost Certification Preparation

If your company is unwilling or unable to pay for instructor-led classroom training, it would be wise to consider alternative methods of certification preparation. One of the foremost ways to prepare for examinations is by using certification prep guides.

Somewhere in between instructor-led classroom training and self-study comes online training. The Internet is becoming an excellent tool for providing quality low-cost training from numerous suppliers. Search for MCSE using your favorite search engine and check out the various options. Before enrolling in one, get details of the type of training. Also, ask for student comments. Not all offerings are of equal quality.

C.3. Maintaining Your Technical Edge

Keeping up with the ever advancing technological changes is a nearly impossible task. The employable MCSE must be able to absorb, comprehend, and retain information on a wide variety of topics. Fortunately, several excellent resources are available, such as newsfeeds, forums, conferences, user groups, online magazines, and newsletters to help you keep abreast of new developments and maintain your technical edge.

C.3.1. Newsfeeds

Newsfeeds are one o f your best resources for keeping up to date with current industry developments. Newsfeeds are excellent sources of summarized information on all of the major technology companies.

I start each day by launching PointCast and reading every summarized article on what I consider to be the 10 most influential computer-related companies. Although I might not own stock in each of the companies, I still watch for fluctuations in the stock value. Whenever I note a major variation in the stock price, I review all the referenced articles watching for mergers, licensing agreements, new releases, and anything else that could directly or indirectly affect the direction I will need to head in the upcoming months.

Your MCSE certification also will open the door to several private news servers. Focus only on the newsfeeds that give specific, factual information. Hearing other peoples’ personal predictions might be interesting, but if they are not based on fact they can prove destructive to your knowledge base.

C.3.2. Forums

A forum is different than a newsfeed in that you can take on an active role. Make sure that the forum in which you participate is made up of people with similar qualifications and certifications; avoid becoming the big fish in the small pond. Several newsgroups also exist as an excellent tool for soliciting and providing information.

Both questions and answers on forums and newsgroups should be concise. Post only questions that are within the realm of the forum’s purpose. Although your goal is to maintain and increase your employability, you will do yourself a disservice by soliciting work on support forums or in inappropriate newsgroups.

One additional resource is a mailing list. There are mailing lists aimed at just about any product and any subject with new ones being added daily. By selecting the right mailing lists you can find excellent resources for technical information or career advancement.

It is a bad, albeit common, practice to solicit work on support forums. Several employment forums and newsgroups exist specifically for posting job opportunities and resumes.

C.3.3. Networking with Your Peers

Many Microsoft Authorized Technical Education Centers (ATEC) worldwide host technical user groups. As with forums and newsfeeds, the content of user group meetings can vary greatly. User groups offer an excellent platform for increasing your technical abilities. Presentations and demonstrations are normally geared toward the implementation of networking products from Microsoft and other vendors. User groups often can bring you the opportunity to get hands-on exposure to beta software and the latest developments in networking hardware.

You can find the latest Microsoft events near you at http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/events/default.asp and information on user groups at http://www.bhs.com.

As you meet new people in the industry, be sure to get their business cards. These same people might be capable of getting you the real-world experience you’ll need later when you are preparing for your technical interviews.

C.3.4. Technical Conferences

Nothing keeps your technical edge honed like a conference. Conferences can range from a single-day event to a week-long series. Conferences are an excellent occasion to associate yourself with other MCSEs.

For an MCSE there is no doubt that Microsoft’s annual TechEd conference is the single most important technical event. TechEd provides an opportunity to meet and speak with many of Microsoft’s premier developers, along with MCSEs from around the world. To ensure that you get the most from the conference, review the conference details well in advance. You can find information on TechEd and other Microsoft events at http://www.microsoft.com/events/.

If you have increased your certifications to include being a Novell CNE, you also might consider attending BrainShare. BrainShare is the Novell equivalent of Microsoft’s TechEd. You can find details on BrainShare and other Novell events at http://www.novell.com/events/.

C.4. Increasing Your Opportunities

Whether your goal is to gain employment as an MCSE or simply to keep abreast of new opportunities, there are several avenues to pursue. You can find employment for MCSEs online, through a recruiter, or even create it by yourself. No single path is better than another for an MCSE to take, as we each are pursuing our own goals.

C.4.1. Finding a Job Online

You can find some of the best opportunities for employment online. If you know which employer you want to pursue, you can probably find a listing of potential jobs by visiting that employer’s Web site.

As search engines become more sophisticated, performing simple searches with excellent results becomes possible. A simple query of the World Wide Web using any of the major search engines can result in screen after screen of opportunities.

At the time of writing the search +MCSE +Jobs returned over 500 hits. Of course, not all the hits are necessarily offers for employment, and not all employment opportunities are listed on the Web.

Several Web sites are dedicated to nothing but the advertisement of technical jobs and the posting of related resumes.

The following are some sites with job listings to check out on the Web: www.kalliance.com, www.computerjobs.com, www.certifiedprofessional.com, www.bhs.com, and www.mcpmag.com.

C.4.2. High-Tech Recruiters

Many companies employ the services of professional recruiters to assist them in hiring MCSEs. Make it easy for them to find you by posting your resume online.

C.4.3. Self-Employed MCSEs

You might decide that the best company to work for is one you own. Many MCSEs are self-employed. In order to be successful as a self-employed MCSE it is very important to form a close relationship with Microsoft. Microsoft has several programs geared specifically toward the small business and independent consultant.

I normally recommend gaining experience as a member of an organization before you attempt self-employment.

Remember that your MCSE certification is not like the proverbial dentist’s shingle. Hanging an MCSE logo on your business card does not in itself guarantee employment.

C.5. Overcoming the Technical Interview

The last step in becoming an employed MCSE is to receive and pass the technical interview process. Before the technical interview you must ensure that you have fully researched your prospective employer and developed both the conceptual and real-world knowledge to be successful. Don’t rush into an interview unprepared. People often will say you can try again, but in reality you usually have only one chance in a technical interview.

C.5.1. Researching Potential Employers

Many people tend to take a shotgun approach to employment. They simply generate a decent resume listing their skills, education, and accomplishments, and then send it off to as many companies as they can. This is the approach of minimal effort and usually meets with minimal response.

A better approach is to identify and focus on the companies with which you want to be employed, and then pursue them. Remember that many of the best positions are not even advertised; they might not even exist until you create them. You might even be able to take this same approach within your existing company and find new avenues to pursue. After you have identified the companies you want to work with, the next step is to help them understand the benefit of working with you.

Finding the right position begins with identifying the companies with which you want to work. Remember that as an MCSE you possess a valuable set of skills. Locate the organization that will enable you to exercise your capabilities to the fullest.

It is your responsibility to show that you meet the needs of the organization, not vice-versa. Although you might have the best skills for a position, no one is going to work with you if you come across like a prima donna.

The more information that you research on your potential employer the more prepared you will be for the technical interview. The best place to start is at the employer’s Web site. By examining its Web site you can easily learn in what areas the company is involved. Make a list of the general areas, such as network installation, training, programming, and Web site development. Although you might be pursuing a position in a specific vertical area, you will want to identify as many of your complementary skills as possible.

After you have created a general list of areas in which the company is involved, it is time to explore the details of the areas that you are most qualified for. For example, if you are pursuing a position as a network engineer you will want to list all the network operating systems that the company implements. The list that you create will comprise the areas that you will pursue for both breadth and depth.

C.5.2. Breadth and Depth

A good technical interview will ask questions on a wide range of topics, often well beyond the scope of the job requirements. The breadth of questioning is used to establish your range of knowledge. After the range of knowledge is established the subjects will become more focused on the areas that directly relate to the job function. You must demonstrate a depth of knowledge in the focused questions.

Think of breadth and depth like language fluency. If you were to move to France you would want to be fluent in French; this would represent a depth of knowledge. Because France borders on other countries, it also would be reasonable that you would want to develop basic skills, such as how to ask directions or order food in perhaps German or Italian; this would represent a breadth of knowledge.

Use the list of areas that you compiled while researching the companies as a guideline in researching topics of breadth and depth.

C.5.3. Developing a Breadth of Knowledge

A breadth of knowledge must go beyond simply understanding that a certain technology exists. You must know enough about various technologies to understand how they interrelate. For example, a position might state that a person with Microsoft Exchange Server experience is required; this should tell you that you should have a depth of knowledge in Microsoft Exchange Server and, at a minimum, fundamental knowledge of Novell GroupWise and IBM/Lotus Notes. The information you gather on GroupWise and Notes will add to your breadth of knowledge.

Because a breadth of knowledge often is little more than basic awareness, the best sources are the white papers developed by the manufacturers. This is true whether you are developing a breadth of knowledge on software or on hardware.

If you have properly researched the position, you will be able to identify the areas in which only a breadth of knowledge is required for a given position. By showing a breadth of knowledge, you differentiate yourself from other candidates who might appear to have tunnel vision on the industry.

Of course, you will be required to have a depth of knowledge in certain key areas. The following section will help you develop your depth.

C.5.4. Developing a Depth of Knowledge

You must develop a full depth of knowledge systematically. Although hands-on experience is definitely the best way to get hands-on knowledge, it is not the only means. In fact, people who rely simply on their personal use with a product as the sole means of generating depth are often brought to the harsh realization that their product knowledge is too focused.

Reading definitely is the doorway to knowledge. Regardless of whether you prefer to read online documents or printed technical guides, being a voracious reader is imperative. Focus your reading on specific areas of study. If you over-generalize in your selection of topics you will build your breadth but will not quickly develop a depth of knowledge.

Choose a single area of study at a time, and then dedicate enough time to fully comprehend the topic. A good place to start is with the topics that Microsoft lists for each of the MCSE exams. The fact that you have already passed the exam on the topic has no bearing here. To be an employable MCSE you want to go further in depth than is typical.

For example, assume that one of the companies you are targeting has included the requirement for a strong knowledge of TCP/IP. You might have already passed the Microsoft TCP/IP exam, but don’t stop there. Research topics referenced in the exam topics to a greater depth and using a viewpoint that is not Microsoft-centric. You might start by downloading RFCs on common topics from the InterNIC. Next, gather information on related topics from manufacturers. It’s almost inevitable that you will be asked opinions on various routers, so be prepared by having read up on Cisco, Bay Networks, and others. As you identify topics of importance, it often is good to see what technical guides are available for subjects in which your knowledge is limited.

By this point, you will have developed both strong breadth and depth of knowledge, but there is one more step to ensuring your employability. You must gain real-world experience.

C.5.5. Developing Real-World Experience

Stating that you need real-world experience to become an employable MCSE might seem like the chicken and the egg. On one hand you need real-world knowledge to gain employment, and on the other you can’t seem to get it without being employed.

This is where you will benefit most from the effort you’ve made to network with your peers. You might not personally have access to routers, mainframes, multiprocessor systems, FDDI-based networks and the like, but from among your peers you can certainly find someone who does.

You will find that many of your associates will be glad to mentor you on a product that they have mastered. Don’t feel at all like you are imposing by asking to be shown how something works. Most of the time people are flattered that you view them as an expert in a particular subject. Remember, though, that this works both ways.

If possible, spend a full day as an apprentice to someone who has a position similar to the one you wish to pursue.

C.5.6. Anticipating Interview Questions

Anticipating interview questions serves two purposes. The first is to ensure that when asked a question you have an intelligent and well-thought-out response. Second, in the event that the interviewer is prepared with only cursory questions, it will be your responsibility to raise the level of the interview to differentiate your abilities from those of others pursuing the same position.

Write out 10 questions that you would ask if you were the one holding the interview. As you come up with answers to the questions, make sure to base your responses on what you have learned about the company’s infrastructure.

C.5.7. Sample Questions

Below are some examples of the kind of questions you should be prepared to answer during an interview.

A Question of Breadth

Which do you think is easier to manage, a Microsoft NT Server-based or Novell NetWare-based network?

Response Advice

Opinion questions are the most common of the questions that I categorize as questions of breadth.

Before the interview you already should have determined the mix between Microsoft and Novell products installed at the potential employer. This is a good opportunity to demonstrate to the interviewer that at a minimum you have a solid conceptual understanding of how each of the systems functions.

Additionally, the question was left intentionally vague. The ease of management may vary greatly given differing network topologies, applications in use, and versions of the software being used. This brings an additional opportunity to show the breadth of your knowledge.

Because the question is one of breadth the response should not be overly detailed.

Sample Response

Each of the products has its advantages. In an environment like this where both products are coexisting, I feel that a systems administrator would need to be comfortable with both. The actual ease of management would vary depending on the task and, of course, the version of NT or NetWare being used.

A Question of Depth

When would it be advantageous to set the method of NetBIOS name resolution on a client to MIXED?

Response Advice

Make sure that your response to questions of depth includes the basis for your response.

The question implies that your potential employer has a WINS server in place on a routed network. Choosing MIXED will cause the client to attempt resolution using a broadcast before contacting the WINS server. Broadcast traffic normally is acceptable with few clients.

The degree of depth is high and deserves a response at the same level or greater.

Sample Response

Because this would generate broadcast traffic, this would be the best method to choose when you have a small group of clients that are located remotely from a WINS server, perhaps across a slow link, but are local to the resources they most commonly require.

By choosing MIXED, name resolution traffic to the WINS server only would be generated across the router when the clients attempt to access a remote server.

C.6. Summary

When you have your certification, what do you want to do with it? The opportunities that lie before you are limited only by your imagination. This Appendix has given you some pointers; however, do not consider yourself limited by the suggestions here. By becoming an MCSE you have set yourself above the crowd. Take advantage of it.