Is my MCP worth anything?

[nshank]

Hi all.
I've been job searching, and all I wana know, is my MCP worth anything? I also have my A+, revelant professional experience (5+ years) and formal education. But it seems to me that everytime a prospective employer looks at my resume and see's that I recieved both my MCP (76-210 and 76-215) as well as my A+ w/ in 3 months of each other, I get classified as a book worm, and my resume gets shreded.
/rant
Nick

P.S. If I'm in the wrong forum, I appologize.

Nick Shank
Quorum Systems.

S.M.P. Its not just an architecture, its a way of life.

 

[GlenJohnson]

How did you get them so fast? I've spent quite some time passing 70-210 and 70-215, and I'm working on 70-216 which is a real bear. The first two were much easier, but there is no whay I could have done them in 3 months. (Right forum.) Just curious.

Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin check out Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.

TTinChicago

http://www.johnsoncomputers.us

 

[AndyMCT]

Of course your MCP is worth something. Remember how good it felt to pass and that it was worth the hard work. If it helps you do your job better then it's worth it.

All the best

Andy

Andy Malone MCSE, MCT, CITT

http://www.quality-training.co.uk

 

[jtb]

Actually, it's only worth something to Nick if someone pays him for it...

But!!

You can use it to get attention. Some people don't like you got three certs in 3 months (or was it 6 months?); so tell them how your experience and training enabled you to do that...

Refocus on your value to potential employers... "Dollarization"... "ROI"... stuff CEOs like to hear about...

I keep pumping the book "Don't Send A Resume"... I'll do it again here... you should be able to get it a lot cheaper than the $16.95 I paid at the airport in Denver (right after getting a Wilson Puck pizza... mmmmmmm...)

Read the book and pick where you work. If you can pass three tests so quickly without braindumps, you can be successful...

JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."

 

[nishi57]

Wow, thats pretty good. Finishing three exams in 3 months. I am preparing for my first exam which is 70-210. Lets see how that goes, I heard that 70-216 is a killer. Let me get done with this, I will go over from there.

Best of Luck.

Nishi

 

[nshank]

??? The MCP exams were easy. ITT was offering them, and I took them. It was all stuff that I had previously done. I almost wonder if its the A+ thats holding me back... it seems to be, in my experience, a worthless cert...
Nick


Nick Shank
Quorum Systems.

S.M.P. Its not just an architecture, its a way of life.

 

[jrbarnett]

Nick

You could always try not quoting the A+ on a CV/job application and see what happens.

John

 

[jtb]

Nick,

John Barnett's advice is golden... build a resume based on the job you're trying to get, highlighting those skills of yours that most apply...

And if you did your research and found out anything about the interviewers and what they're looking for, make sure you have that covered, too...

I had two hiring interviews for the job I have now. In the first one, I had "the perfect resume", sample code I'd written, piles of documentation, letters of recommendation from my previous employers, senior professors, even a university Dean... I failed because the interviewer was looking for something else... my ability to "think on my feet"...

In the second one, I passed. I didn't bring a resume. I brought a notepad and a pen. I had questions already written to ask the interviewer. I had built a "script" for myself. I took notes and (this time) did not let my "nerves" show--even though I *really* wanted the job.

YMMV, as they say. But there are a myriad of technical folks out there who want "your" job. And your "soft skills" will allow you to sit there and sell your "real skills"...

Good hunting!!

JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."

 

[Terpsfan]

I cannot fathom how a certification of any sort would be useless or would preclude you from getting hired. Even if one never got paid as a result of gaining the certification, I think it shows that you had the ambition to further your knowledge and your career. When it comes to interviews, despite what people may say publicly, I think it still comes down to one main thing...do they like you or not?

 

[CharlieJax]

Take the dates of your certs off of your resume and if you put them on an application do them by the quater of the year you recived them (Q1: 2002 for example).

Provide the relivent experience to the position you are looking for.

Prepare for the interview, and keep the interviewer entertained. If you are personable, can answer their questions, and seem to generaly know something about their company, present your self as having an intrest in the company or have a history of working in an orginization like the theirs you will have a better chance of getting in.

No one wants to hire someone who doesn't look like a good fit for the company and they really don't want to hire someone who's personaly turns them off.

The MCP will only help you to get noticed (and it looks spiffy on the wall)...

3 certs in 3 months is good, I usualy aim for about a month of study between my certs (although I took off about 8 months between getting my I-Net+ and my Cisco cert because I was burned out on hitting the books.

Now I have security+ in a week and the book puts me to sleep!!!

Oh well..

On another note, the MCP can actualy demonstrate your knowledge beyond the A+ test, but I wouldn't remove that cert from your resume until you get an MCSE or MCSA, expecally when the job listing includes A+ in it.


CJ

Don't drink and post, save that for driving home!