2009 has begun her descent upon us like a celestial being surrounded by a golden haze and a heavenly chorus. If anything can save us from 2008 it must be the coming of 2009, the New Year.
No matter what religion, race, gender (or gender you wish you were or weren’t)or nationality you are, I am willing to bet even money that like me, you are ready for a new year. Many CCIEs in the private sector (don’t work for channels or Cisco, for those of you who don’t understand the parlance) have weathered the storm of bad economic times. Heads down holding your breath as the ranks of your friends have been made redundant, down sized, right sized, laid off or simply let go. Racks of routers, switches, firewalls, and telecom equipment have replaced the trenches of old as hiding places for the CCIEs in some enterprises. Even some NOCs and TACs have become a bizarre game of bop the ground hog on the head. Gazing over their cubicle walls to get a glimpse of the Grim Reaper lest he sneak up unannounced. They can be found bouncing up and down in the hopes that they are not spotted by the HR harvester of souls as they peak over the top of their cubicles.
Be brave because it is not over yet!
I have often written about the things I hear from CCIEs. What I have been happiest to hear this year is that most that are with Cisco Channel Partners are doing OK. I, was never really worried, but with the constant media attention being paid to all things miserable, it is nice to know I am recruiting in the right space at the right time. I have had some good offers made to several CCIEs and Network Engineers from Southern California and the Midwestern US while I was away in Europe just this past week. My trip to Zurich and London that week confirmed the trend there as well, when I met with several Channel Partners who shared their continued recruitment efforts with me. As for the major telecoms I am hearing some movement going on but mostly from the ranks of contractors they often use. The permanent staffs seem to be secure except where you have continued shifts of personnel because of a merger or two. In this case data centers are consolidating and some CCIEs are not selecting to move to other cities to keep their jobs. (Hell who wants to move to Richardson, Texas, isn’t Waco near there where they keep finding gun toting religious zealots who want to kill you for Jesus?) This is not a bad thing, since Channel Partners do pay a competitive wage going head to head with these big organizations. If this kind of scenario is touching you give me and my team a shout. (No not to defend you from the gun toting Texans call 911 for that or Mexico, remember the Alamo?)
Yes I reflect back on 2008 and wonder what lucky star I am under or what shadow of good fortune I slumber beneath as I live this dream. The Cisco Partner Talent Portal, the SRS Program and the launches of these in Europe and North America have kept me busy and fueled the growth of my team at Bridge Resourcing Solutions. I am blessed and I know it, but as always I take this success with a grain of salt and a prayer of thanks! 2009. The arrival of our celestial salvation saving us from the past sins which lead us to a global financial meltdown of biblical proportions is upon us. What do you need to do as a network engineer or CCIE to weather this storm until you reach the light at the end of the tunnel? Start out slow and take stock of what you have gathered in the way of skills and certifications. Look at your resume and set it right so it reads well and contains every nugget and nuance of information that an employer might be looking for.
“But Eman, how many pages should my resume or CV be?” AS MANY PAGES AS IT TAKES!
If you need help call a professional and get a second opinion on the resume, just don’t go it alone. (I am always available to add you to my schedule) Often you get one chance to make an impression with your resume, make it count. Save the CCIE ‘tude for the professionals, because mere mortals don’t understand all that confidence and certainty, treat the HR representative with kindness and don’t forget to be polite to the receptionist as well. They do talk and boy can they talk!!!
Everybody talks. So listen be a good listener when you are interviewing because often the best interviews are more of an audition for the manager who is looking you over and trying to get you to like her or him and their company. So don’t interrupt when they are trying to impress you and if they do impress you, nod your head and make sounds like ooh and aah. If they don’t impress you try not to yawn or snore (remember everybody talks). Smile and ask questions while they are taking a breath. Make sure you have a list of questions that you ask every prospective employer. If they are the same questions you can compare apples to apples and avoid the lemons. When you get to meet your peers as part of the interview, let you hair down and enjoy it.
Some organizations bring in their BIG GUN. That technical gorilla who hangs from the pinnacles of technology like a modern day King Kong was sent to vet you. There’s no need to fear but be aware that often times this brute will reduce your worth by fencing with you technically. Make friends with the 800 pound primate and remember he may have been devoid of human contact for a while because of over use. Most good channel partners are expanding and you may actually be seen as a life saver instead of a snack to this behemoth.
You can tell when the interview is over when they ask you if you have any questions.
Questions! (Damn were you sleeping? I was!)
Start out slow don’t hyperventilate or step on your own tongue. What is important to you? If you are in the USA don’t ask for a company car, if you are in England don’t ask for an American car, if you are in Fiji don’t ask for too little money, if you are in China don’t ask for an American car, if you are in Russia don’t ask for Chinese food, if you are in India don’t ask for more than a 14% increase, if you are a CCIE in prison for killing your wife don’t ask for Eman!
Salary negotiations are tough and this is where it is always good to make sure you have a solid understanding of your worth. Just because that last company you worked for was paying you a certain wage does not mean you are worth more than that now. Honest, why would I lie? I published the CCIE Salary Survey. If you are in Georgia (USA not Russia) and you were getting paid $150k by an employer who moved you from New York City to the new spiffy corporate offices in Atlanta, but now you are faced with downsizing, the local economy might not support that level of salary. If you have been that corporate King Kong flinging interviews around the room like gnats you could be in a world of hurt! A good example for you is a recent migration I was a part of from Alabama to the Midwest. A certain appliance company (not Maytag) popular in the small backup modem market recently raised their wages to retain talent they were losing because I move several of their staff to Channel Partners back near their birth places and family. Since these were CCIEs it was my duty to see them rescued from the ravages of BBQ, country music and Rodeos. Salary negotiations are the essence of a good agent’s world. The CCIE Agent™ will help ensure that the top dollar is offered. (No, no need for a shout out here)
Day one on the new job is too often a day to make up for. Arlo Guthrie once celebrated the night before a trip to the armed forces induction office with libation and numerous inebriants to avoid the draft. He did this to avoid going to Viet Nam. Make sure you don’t start off by making a bad impression and the night before is important. GO TO BED! DON’T GO TO THE BAR!!! Be fit that first day, show up early and over dress for success. Really! A tie caught in a tangle of connectors is a good impression. A tatoo’d hung over jean clad zombie is a bad impression. Get it? Let me try again, just in case. Show up dressed better than the last person who interviewed you. OK?>)