View Single Post
  #3   (View Single Post)  
Old 2nd November 2008
mdh's Avatar
mdh mdh is offline
Real Name: Matt D. Harris
FreeBSD 2.2.6 User
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 139
Default

Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been responsible for hiring IT employees, contractors, and consultants in the past...

I don't pay much attention to education, unless I see a PhD. I usually tend to assume people who have PhD's are either brilliant researchers who live on academic grant money to do research on obscure crap that only two people in the whole world care about (the grantor and the PhD holder), or someone who wants people to think they're a know-it-all without knowing much of anything besides what was required to get a PhD. None of which, by the way, is ever applicable in the real world. As to the former, why would someone like that be looking for a job from me?

There are professions with a bachelors of masters degree means a lot. An MBA is pretty much a pre-requisite for a lot of director+ positions. There are other examples, but in my opinion unless you want to work for a university, IT just isn't one of them, with the only possible exception being certain types of programming environments. Those are the ones you wouldn't want to work in anyways, though.

In general, I'd always hire someone who came across as intelligent, well-spoken, and clueful in the necessary areas to do the job I'm hiring for first. The only time I'd ever consider taking someone on the basis of credentials alone is if every single applicant seemed like a total buffoon and I wanted to take the safe route. That's never happened, though.

What is worth doing, then? Get a well-recognized certification. CISSP and SSCP certs always impress me. Cisco's and Sun's certification programs are worthwhile, as well. I believe someone reputable is doing BSD certifications nowadays, too. High school diploma or GED is kind of a must nowadays, but so much so that if you never mention it on your resume most people won't either. It's assumed that you've got it. I've never asked when I didn't see it on a resume. Generally speaking, though, just get yourself an interview and then go do a good job. Speak well, be likeable, etc. A good personality + technical skills interview is worth a million times more than a resume, a degree, or whatever else, save possibly references from prior employers. I'm gathering you probably don't have too much of the latter in a related industry?
Reply With Quote