[clue] linux-job hunting advice (talk)

[Jon "maddog" Hall]

I would say the first thing to do is get your resume in shape with what
you have been doing these last 10 years.

What operating systems have you administered, what the environment was
like, what hardware you worked with, the numbers of users and types of
users you supported. Which versions of Linux/BSD/Windows/Unix did you
work on?

Do you know any scripting languages?  Can you write a bash shell,
Python?

What mechanisms are you familiar with?  In the case of Linux, SAMBA,
LTSP, LDAP, etc.

Did you do planning, or implement some other person's plan?  Did you
work without supervision?  A self-starter?

Write any articles, give any talks at conferences?

Finally, be ready to go back to some of your previous employers/users
and ask if they would be willing to give you a good recommendation.

Understand that if you decide to go for a job that is far beyond what
you did for them, their answer may be hesitant, but if you are going for
a reasonable job or reasonable advancement, they might say "go for it".

Certifications are nice, but experience is also valuable, particularly
in Sys Admin work.

My two cents.

md

On Tue, 2011-10-04 at 13:11 -0600, Mike Bean wrote:
> So, some things are happening in my life that are forcing me to accelerate
> my personal timetable.  Long story short, I'm going to start looking for a
> job in linux system administration.  Right now, the only certs I have are:
> lpic1, VCP3, and VCP4, and my degree is unrelated (liberal arts).  Good news
> is I have plenty of experience.  (10 some odd years in various levels of
> sysadmin)  I just thought I'd ask cluebies for any advice they're willing to
> offer, in terms of job search tactics, things I need to do, certs I need to
> get...etc...etc..
> 
> thanks
> 
> Mike Bean
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-- 
Jon "maddog" Hall
Executive Director           Linux International(R)
email: maddog at li.org         80 Amherst St. 
Voice: +1.603.673.7875       Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
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Board Member: Uniforum Association
Board Member Emeritus: USENIX Association (2000-2006)

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