Do not be alarmed by having a large resume in the tech space. Mine is over 5 pages and had a great front page to suck in the reader with lists of tools and equipment I’m well versed in. Keep in mind I’m covering 25 years worth of work history but a large resume, at least in the tech field is not a necessarily bad thing. I’d be willing to post my resume to the list or send it to you off list if you’d like to look at the formatting etc. My present resume is what I used to get my lead routing and switching job now so there’s a history of success there. On Nov 1, 2013, at 4:51 PM, Katherine Moss <Katherine.Moss@gordon.edu> wrote:
The only problem with including detailed descriptions of everything I've ever done technologically, is that my resume would span more than two pages, and two pages is all that an employer these days will bother to read. And aside from that, how do I know, that just because I can do something, does that mean that I can also do it in a job environment where I have people breathing down my neck? For instance, do I know how to set up an active Directory Environment? Sure I do. Do I know how to set one up in a 1000+ employee corporation? I'm not sure. I've never gotten the chance to try since no one will hire me. Could I set up a sharepoint site, sure, with a little looking things up and maybe fooling around with the SP PowerShell modules. My point is that I can't seem to get folks to look past the fact that most of my knowledge is self-taught and self-obtained, instead of being tauht to me in a college environment. In fact, I didn't know that my passion for administration and technology in general, at least in terms of wanting to work in IT as well, was so strong until 2011, when I met my mentor and friend, who is also the information security officer at Gordon College. He put me on a project during an internship, and from that point onward, I realized that tech was my life, my dream job, and everything else to me, pretty much. But by that time, it was too late to change my major to computer science since I was already a junior.
-----Original Message----- From: Blind-sysadmins [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of John G. Heim Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 4:12 PM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] FW: How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist
My totally unsubstantiated opinion is that you want to hit them hard with all the stuff you do in your personal life. It would be kind of corny for someone to attach stuff to a resume about their hobbies but, IMO, it's different if you are blind. Last time I was looking for a job, I attached pictures of the stone terraced garden I had built and pictures of my woodworking projects. I included links to an article that was written about me when I ran a marathon. I included anything like that I could think of. Quite honestly, I wanted to play into the myth of the super blind guy.
Some people think it's better to not mention that you are blind until you get an interview and let them find out when you show up. But I think that results in you going to a lot of interviews for jobs you have no chance at. I came to this conclusion after I showed up for an interview and a the person who was going to interview me said, "But you're blind. Blind people can't use computers." I talked them into going ahead with the interview but it was clear I had absolutely no chance at the job.
That was a big waste of time. Who knows how many other times the person thought it but was smart enough to say nothing. So I started attaching all the stuff about my personal life and hobbies. I even wrote a few lines in the cover letter to the effect of saying that I wouldn't normally add all this stuff about my hobbies on a resume but I feel it's important for you, the employer, to know that I can do stuff.
Hard to say if it worked. I got a job soon after but it could have been a coincidence.
On 11/01/13 13:48, Katherine Moss wrote:
-----Original Message----- From: Katherine Moss Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 2:47 PM Subject: How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist
Hello all, My name is Katherine Moss, and let me tell you. Boy do I wish I had discovered this list years ago. I have been a technologist/administrator for the past ten years dabbling in everything from Windows to most recently Linux. I'm wondering what you guys have done to sell yourself to employers during interviews to get hired at your fulfilling jobs. I desire greatly to become a paid systems administrator and not just have technology as a hobby. I have a degree in English, though I'm planning on getting a certificate in network technologies and administration at Bunker Hill Community College (I am from Massachusetts). As of right now, regardless of the fact that I do have experience, employers are getting tripped up by my lack of official vender certifications, as well as my blindness. I will admit that I'm very open about my blindness, using it as a jumping off point to launch accessibility awareness campaigns rather than brooding over it. I'm wondering if my openness
du
ring the first interview at a job could be hurting me? I ask this because qualifications can't be the problem since I'm a member of a couple of user groups here in New England, and not many of us have computer science degrees at all. What has been your take on this? Thanks.
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-- --- John G. Heim, 608-263-4189, jheim@math.wisc.edu
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