Thanks for the advice. My resume is will do the job. San Antonio still has that high wall / low wall mentality. They are also big on buzz words.
I really need to get my PMP certification. That’s on this weeks schedule. Get the work done so I can submit my application. Then get studying.
Good thing is my attitude is still good. Just have to watch the cash flow.
Back in 2003 I lost my job. Prior to losing it, I had major back surgery which took 6 months to recover from. During that, I had to learn to walk again. It was downright painful.
The company, a large Advertising Agency in Chicago had been taken over by a foreign interest, and I was laid off the very day I returned to work. I never even got to sit in my office before being shown the door.
It took me 4 months to find a new job, which at that time wasn't very long. During my search I literally sent out hundreds of resume's, 90% or more of which never received so much as an acknowledgment. I was fortunate enough to have several head-hunters as friends, all of which gave me good advice from tailoring my resume to "raising the bar" on the type of job I was looking for, based on my experience. Several suggested that with the experience I had, I would likely 'intimidate' many hiring managers who would look at me as someone capable of taking their (Senior Management) jobs.
Once I raised the bar on the type of job I was looking for, I started receiving calls back. Many of them noted that I looked like a very good candidate, HOWEVER I had not completed my college degree. In tough economic times, companies tend to filter the people they look for, and having a college degree or certification in my area of expertise was one of the filters being applied at that time.
After about 4 months, I managed to land a position better than the one I had been let go from. The salary was better, title was better, responsibilities were less, staff given to me was larger as was the budget I managed. Overall, it was a good move for me.
But I did learn a valuable lesson in all of it: that the economy was cyclical, and having a College degree in my field was going to be very important moving forward should the economy hit another recession. Good, smart people (with College degrees) will always find work easier than those without the degree.
So as I started my new job, I formed a simple plan. I'd take a year to settle into the new job, then go back to school and finish my degree.
And so I did. Once I hit the year mark, I worked with my boss, the CTO of the organization to work out a schedule that would permit me to return to school and finish my degree while meeting my commitments to the organization. I would describe my CTO as being highly supportive of me doing so, and my time required to be away from work amounted to leaving 90 minutes 'early' twice a week.
So in late 2004, I returned to school and completed my un-finished degree (from 1985...) in Computer Science. I completed that in June, 2005. I took 2 classes a week for 10 months to complete it. What a joy it was for me to have my two sons (8 and 10 at the time) as well as my wife and family with me when I finally graduated College - at the age of 42.
In late 2005 after completing that degree, my CTO approached me and asked if I would be seeking to complete my Masters, as the organization paid 100% for it should I decide to pursue it. In early 2006 I began my Masters Degree, and completed it in mid 2007.
Now here it's important to say that the organization I worked for was a large Bank in Chicago, which was sold to Bank of America in March of 2007. I left the organization with several months to go to complete my Masters as the bank was in process of being sold. I was fortunate enough that the Bank I worked for didn't enforce the "payback" policy for obtaining my Masters Degree. It was the CTO's option to enforce/not enforce it. As we both knew the bank was for sale (and he himself was also leaving) he informed me he would not be enforcing the payback rule.
I finished my Masters degree a few months after starting a position with another employer in the Summer of 2007, who knew I was in process of completing it.
So the lessons I learned, which I hope you will take away and learn from are that not only is tailoring your resume important, and possibly 'raising the bar' on your own search likely to land you a position, you should also seriously consider how you will be better positioned during the next economic cycle downturn by completing your PMP certification or a college degree (if it's unfinished.)
The economic reality is simply that those with college degrees or higher will always be in more economic demand than those without. Good, bright smart people with good educations will seldom be without work for very long.
My best wishes for you to have a successful search. But remember: it's all about having a plan to protect your best interests, and doing so may mean making some short term sacrifices for long term gain.
Hi there EQAndyBuzz,
I just passed the PMP exam on Nov. 19th. My recommendation is to get the following study guide, and go thru it 2 or 3 times. The first time, breeze past anything that you get bogged down on (easy to do, since it’s pretty dry material... LOL) This is the book that I used. I also borrowed the same author’s “Hot Topics” flash cards, and they were helpful. It’s the same info as in the book, but much handier for quizzing yourself.
Don’t forget that you’ll have to do 35 hours of mandatory training prior to the exam. There are some online training courses you can take to meet the requirements. I haven’t used any of them, since I did mine at a local community college. Also, you’ll need a copy of the PMBOK if you don’t already have one. Read thru it also. I’d read the sections in the PMBOK as you review them in the study guide.
One other warning - the PMI is moving to the 4th edition of the PMBOK in a few months. You need to do some checking asap to see if you want to study the 3rd edition and test on that, or wait for the 4th edition to come out. The exam will change.
I feel your pain, by the way. I was laid off from my job 2 weeks ago and I’m looking for IT Project Management work in the Knoxville, TN area. I have a BS in Business (Finance), an MBA and now my PMP. So, if any Freepers out there would like to hire me, feel free to ping me... hehe
Good luck! Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.
Fletcher J