Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Props for Nikolai Volkoff I came across this article to remind me of the my younger days of watching the WWF on Channel 45 in Baltimore.  Apparently, former wrestler Nikolai Volkoff has lived in Maryland for years, and he is being honored by Baltimore County.  On Saturday, he gets inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  He is currently employed as a county code enforcement officer.  I'm not breaking any code in Baltimore County with the threat of Nikolai Volkoff body-slamming me.  I haven't watched wrestling in years, but I must admit that it is fun to see some of the old wrestlers come back and get honored.  Makes me feel old, but it is fun to see the Nikolai Volkoffs, Iron Sheikhs, and Hulk Hogans get honored.  10:24:53 AM    comment []  trackback []

Hunting for Jobs Since last Fall, I began a job hunt.  My hope was to find a job closer to Baltimore that paid me a little more than I earn now.  I was also hoping to get a job that was a bit more toward the consulting realm, with an emphasis on security.  Finally, I have reached a point where it is time for me to move on to a different employer.  Of course, if a systems administrator job were to become available, I would not argue with that.  I have found my job search to be somewhat annoying.  One of the problems I have is with the follow-up by people who contact me.  I am contacted by some recruiter, and they run a position or two by me.  They sound interesting, and after some discussion we agree that I should take a look at the job description.  I am promised an email, but one never arrives.  Now, I am using the same Gmail account I use for this blog, so I rarely miss email.  Nonetheless, if the message bounced I would expect a phone call reporting the problem.  I don't get one because they don't send me the job description.  Another job search annoyance was my friend's attempt to connect me with a head hunter he used.  Well, the folks at Robert Half are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.  My friend is an accountant, and he contacted the gentleman he used when he was searching for a job.  Well, he referred me to a gentleman in the IT side of the house.  The first time this occurred was in early December.  I emailed the IT guy, carboning my friend and his contact at Robert Half.  I did this from my work email address.  I received nothing; no reply via email, no follow-up phonecall.  My friend tried this again after the New Year.  His contact at Robert Half apologized, saying there was turnover on the IT side of the house.  He suggested I try it again, and he provided me with contact information for the IT side of the house.  He asked that I carbon him on any correspondence.  I did so, but I noticed that the gentleman he wanted me to contact was the same guy as before.  Again, the second effort was about as successful as the first.  One of the greater problems, though, comes from the types of jobs I am coming across.  There are a lot of jobs opening up as a result of the influx of Homeland Security expenditures in Maryland, but many of these jobs require a security clearance.  They do not want to even see a resume if there is no security clearance.  Of course, the problem is that the number of folks with clearances cannot meet the demand.  It's really frustrating, though, as I am qualified for most of these jobs.  The other frustration is the location of the jobs I tend to come across.  Some of the ones I have been asked about are around the DC suburbs--Montgomery County, Adelphi, and some other locations in Prince George's County.  I received an email the other day about a job I could take easily with Montgomery County Community College in Rockville.  I declined it because I am trying to get away from the commute I have now to College Park.  I have been making this commute for about six years, and I have had enough of it in the last two years.  I do not want another job that has a commute like this, unless I am handsomely paid for the time I sit in traffic and I get to telecommute frequently.  What is it that is making this job search so difficult?  It's not like I am some poor sap with no skills.  I have a Master's degree, and that is something that not a lot of people have (granted it is not in my field of employment).  I have over five years experience, and my experience is with a lot of different systems and technology.  At this point, I might actually pay some money to some firm to examine and edit my resume.  10:14:11 AM    comment []  trackback []