Looking for that first job

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Hey all,
I posted on the introduction forum, but I wanted to post here because my biggest challenge right now is getting all my ducks in a row so I could impress those recruiters and get an interview. Here's a rundown of my background.

- Graduated high school in 2004 and joined the Marine Corps.
- Went to the Marine Corps Communications and Electronics school and attended the Network Admin course where I learned basic network administration (Server/Desktop OS's, Network Fundamentals, Routing/Switching basics, etc.)
- After graduating that course, I have been to three duty stations and am currently deployed in Iraq where I have performed both help desk (account lockout/creation, application troubleshooting, printers, desktop maintenance, etc.) and network administrator (exchange, routers/switches, active directory, lan/wan, etc.) roles along with other duties such as virtual machine manager and webmaster.
- I have been attending school online whenever time permitted and am five classes shy of having my associates degree in general studies. I am contemplating forgoing the actual associates and just going straight for my bachelors of I.T. Management. I figure on paper it might look good just to say that I achieved my associates, but don't know. Any advice?

That's my history up to now. Right now I am working toward getting my network+ cert as soon as I get back to the states. Obviously that is kinda far away (May/June timeframe) so I will focus on getting my resume ready and getting my name out there. The only question I have is I have heard that using the "shotgun" approach and applying for tons of jobs at once is a bad idea since you over saturate the market with your info. Is this true? If so, what is the best method to apply to the jobs that interest you AND not just go crazy sending resumes everywhere?

That's all I have for now... I'll post as things progress for me, but I appreciate any help I can get right now. Thanks in advance guys.

Cesar

 

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Hi and welcome to CF, well I'd say you have started the with the right certs N+ and considering you are also getting hands on experience is a big plus.

I think the best thing to do in terms of job hunting would be to send your CV to a few recruitment agencies as well as speak to them over the phone. Best wishes and keep plugging away.

 

Would recruitment agencies count as websites like monster.com and dice.com?

 

Hi Cesar and welcome. Although recruitment agencies use Dice and Monster to seek likely candidates, they aren't staffing agencies per se. I have a long history of working as a contractor and whenever I'm seeking work, I usually post my resume' (in the UK, it's more common to say "CV") online at places like those mentioned. Whenever there's a "hot" contract available in my area, I get recruiters from all over the US calling me and emailing me, each dying to make the placement (I sometimes feel like a piece of meat).

I'd have to say that the combination of your real world experience, education and pursuing your education makes you a good candidate for IT work when you leave the Marines. Of course, in the current economy, things might not move as quickly as in the past, but it only takes one job to get your foot in the door. I'd say that your current plan is a winner.

On a personal note, my son is also a Marine, so you might say I've got a "soft spot" for "jugheads". Semper Fi.

-Trip