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UNIX Hints & Hacks |
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Chapter 10: System Administration: The Occupation |
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If you have determined it is time to start looking for a new job as a UNIX system administrator or you are right out school, there are many resources available to you. If you have experience, there is probably a job out there with your name on it.
If you are just out of school you are stuck in a Catch-22. You can't get experience without a job, and you can't get a job without experience. If you didn't get an internship somewhere, it is even harder. You will find that 90% of what you learned in the classroom, you will never use again in the computer industry, unless you took a specific UNIX administration course (and there aren't that many universities teaching such courses). Nothing beats real-world experience. The best thing you have going for you is that your diploma equals money. You will always get more money than the guy without one.
Don't expect to find a job you'll love or even like. The first three years is all about experience, being used and abused, being a grunt, and getting taken advantage of by your employer. There are few instances where people have been lucky and scored big on their first time out and fell in love with their new job. It does happen--just not that much. If you know all this now and are ready for it, you won't have to feel sorry for yourself later. Be positive, always positive.
After you get that experience depending where it is from, you may be able to write your own ticket. Your best shot, from what I've seen, is to be extremely proactive in your search. Use every available resource to the fullest extent and good luck!
Some resources are better than others. You will have to find the resource that works best for you. Here is a list of resources and some hints that may help you:
Internet Web sites: You can check three types of Web sites that list potential UNIX administrative positions: specific companies you are interested in working at, recruiters, and job banks. You can go to nearly any company that is listed on the Internet any find an Open Positions section on its Web site. Many recruiters post open positions on the Internet for potential candidates to view. Job banks contain positions that are listed all over the world. A listing with links to the specific UNIX administration sections of all these three types of positions can be found at the UGU Career Page: http://www.ugu.com/sui/ugu/show?jobs
Email: If you are strongly interested in specific companies and don't have a contact name, you can try sending your résumé to root@company.com or postmaster@company.com. These addresses usually point to a UNIX mail server, which will get delivered to the UNIX administrator or someone in the information services department within the company. If you can, call the company and ask for the name of the lead UNIX administrator or the person who heads the UNIX environment. From this name, many companies have adapted the firstnamelastname@company.com or firstname.lastname@company.com rule in their global email addressing scheme. You just might get lucky!
Email and Usenet newsgroups: This borders on spam and I don't really condone this method, but it is a method. Keep your eyes on the comp.sys Usenet newsgroups. If someone posts from a company you are interested in, send an email to the poster to get a contact. I would write a letter to the person, apologizing but stating that you are in need of a job.
Usenet newsgroup résumé and job postings: Thousands of jobs and résumés are posted to Usenet on a daily basis. The chances are slim, but it's possible for you to find a job or for someone to see your résumé on a newsgroup. Usenet used to be a great resource for dropping off your résumé or searching for a job, but these areas and topics of Usenet have blown out of control in recent years and are difficult to utilize without useful searching tools.
Newspaper: Check every newspaper. Jobs posted in the paper are often jobs that have been open for a while, or jobs that need filling fast. It costs a lot of money for companies to post an ad in newspapers with a large circulation base. They are typically charged well over $1,000 for small ad in a premium spot on the page.
Recruiters: Contractors tend to like recruiters more than those looking for permanent positions because the recruiter does all the work and sets up the interview. You just have to show up. Unless the recruiter specializes in UNIX administration, I have found that general technical recruiters don't understand or know what UNIX administration entails. They care only about making their commission. They will send you to interviews for jobs that you are not qualified for or that don't have anything to do with where you want to go in your career. If you want the interviewing practice and not the job, go to a recruiter. You can get a feel for what employers are looking for and study up on it. They all ask the same general questions.
Job fairs: Many companies attend job fairs to fill their résumé databases. You have one shot in a 1,000 chance at a job. Half the time, they are not even looking to fill specific positions. Some job seekers think that printing their résumés on colored paper will make their résumé stand out. The reality is that in the large corporations résumés are scanned into a résumé database. If the résumé doesn't scan because of the color, the may ask for a new one or just throw it away.
Specific companies: You may want to visit all the major corporations and companies that interest you. Every corporation has a mega-list of jobs. You just have to go to the human resources department and ask to see the list. If human resources is behind a secure area, ask if you can speak to someone in the department and explain that you would like to see the list of open positions. It doesn't hurt to tell them how much you want to work for the company. If they say no, remember you are there unannounced. Ask if you can schedule an appointment to see the list. If you know employees at the company or corporation, they can usually get a copy of the list for you.
Conferences: Computer conferences can be on the expensive side. In almost all conferences the people attending the conferences will post open positions on a bulletin board. You don't have to sign up to view the bulletin board. If you live near one of the conferences, go and see what is available. If you see something, let the employer know where you found out about the opening position. They will like to hear that you went to the conference.
Ex-co-workers/users: If you have the email addresses of old co-workers or know where they are working now, contact them. They may be able to help you get a job at the company they are at. If you keep in contact with previous users that you befriended, they may know if there is an open position. If they liked your support when you worked with them last, they will give a great recommendation to help get you an interview.
Vendors and support engineers: If you have a good professional relationship with local support engineers who believe you are a worthy UNIX administrator, they can ask their other customers and throw your name out to them. They may be able to help.
Persistence: If you have not heard the famous line, "Don't call us. we'll call you," or something similar, be persistent. Let them know you are interested and why.
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UNIX Hints & Hacks |
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Chapter 10: System Administration: The Occupation |
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