Entering the Workforce Can Be Scary

Graduation for college students can be an exciting time, yet scary because it is full of unknowns.

It is a good idea as a new college graduate to seek the advice of alumni on what they did to land their first professional job. In some cases the student already has experience in their chosen field, but needs that little extra advice about how to get to the next step in their career.

One such alumni from the school I work at who is willing to help other graduates understand the ladder they need to climb is Mike Faruta. Mike has an IT degree in Information Systems Security.

He recently got a very nice position at a company in the area as a Senior Network Analyst.

Mike already had experience in his field when he graduated and I asked him for his advice on what I should tell other upcoming graduates from the ISS program.

"Wear a nice, conservative, dark colored suit to your interviews," was one piece o advice Mike imparted. "I had a dozen interviews with good companies. I received no offers. I figured I needed to try something a little different.

I bought myself a better suit than the one I had been wearing. I wore the new suit to my next two interviews and received two offers. I know my field inside and out and I was confident that I was projecting that in my interviews, however I was able to see that my competition for the last two interviews weren't dressed as appropriate as I was and I'm sure that made a positive impression on the employers and reinforced me as the right candidate in their minds."
Mike also talked about the importance of soft skills.

"You need to know how to communicate clearly and effectively. Smile. Shake hands. Be personable. Employers are looking for soft skills in their new hires. They are important and the employer will be looking for those skills both in phone and in-person interviews."
When it comes to the interview, Mike also stressed the importance of bringing a portfolio with polished, detailed, network diagrams of the work done.

"You want a minimum of at least three, but more is better. You want to make sure that you can explain everything in the diagrams and they contain a lot of detail.
In the interview be honest if you don't know something. If you try and fake it an employer will know it by the questions they ask you."
When I asked what certifications a recent grad should have, Mike stressed that the more certifications the better.

"Try to have more than Network+, Security+, and A+. Right now employers look for Cisco Certified Network Administrators. Never stop learning. Take advantage of any opportunity to earn another certification."
I also asked what is a typical entry career for an ISS graduate, because realistically no company is going to hand over their system security to a recent grad and pay them $80,000.

"Junior Network Admin, Assistant Network Admin, or even Help Desk positions are good places to start. You should be able to make $30-$40K to start."
All good advice from a graduate who faced the same challenges as those upcoming grads.

Thanks Mike!