Congratulations, you did it! You passed the Cisco certification exam.
Now what do you do?
Engineers that have completed their Cisco certification successfully often consider looking for a new job. These types people usually fall into three different categories. There are newbies who are entering IT for the first time, engineers who want a change or to work on a different technology, and finally professionals who want to move up in their career. All of these changes will most likely also come with the consideration of more money.
No matter where you are in your career, if you want to make a change, it will no doubt mean your going to have to face the dreaded job interview. Some network engineers do really well on interviews, and some don't. Here are have a few pointers for those of you who have some trouble with interviews. Hopefully these will help you be one of those who do well and get that job.
Be confident, but not cocky. The CCNA is a great certification to have, it's where you start as a network engineer. But don't walk into the interview thinking you know everything because you have a CCNA. There most certainly will be other CCNA's, CCNP's and possibly a CCIE or two at your interview - and they will be able to tell if you know your stuff or if you have an ego problem.
Answer questions accurately. Speak intelligently about the subject, but don't make up an answer if you don't know it. There is no penalty for not knowing something. If you did your preparation right -- by reading up on things you haven't used in a while -- you'll do just fine.
Always continue to keep yourself current with recent technologies. Things you learn quickly fade away if you don't use it. Keep reviewing your CCNA topics, and get started on your first CCNP exam. I've seen too many newly-minted CCNAs who quickly forgot everything they learned for the exam because they stopped studying right after they passed.
Prepare for the interview. You would not believe how many engineers just go to an interview and don't re-familiar themselves with technologies they don't use often. This kind of preparation is very similar to preparing for a Cisco CCNA or CCNP exam. Study the books, take some practice questions, and get your hands back into configuring something you havent' configured in a while. An interview is very similar to taking an exam, except there won't be any multiple choice question at the interview.
If you do these simple things, your interview will be a breeze and they will surely hire you. - 31896
Now what do you do?
Engineers that have completed their Cisco certification successfully often consider looking for a new job. These types people usually fall into three different categories. There are newbies who are entering IT for the first time, engineers who want a change or to work on a different technology, and finally professionals who want to move up in their career. All of these changes will most likely also come with the consideration of more money.
No matter where you are in your career, if you want to make a change, it will no doubt mean your going to have to face the dreaded job interview. Some network engineers do really well on interviews, and some don't. Here are have a few pointers for those of you who have some trouble with interviews. Hopefully these will help you be one of those who do well and get that job.
Be confident, but not cocky. The CCNA is a great certification to have, it's where you start as a network engineer. But don't walk into the interview thinking you know everything because you have a CCNA. There most certainly will be other CCNA's, CCNP's and possibly a CCIE or two at your interview - and they will be able to tell if you know your stuff or if you have an ego problem.
Answer questions accurately. Speak intelligently about the subject, but don't make up an answer if you don't know it. There is no penalty for not knowing something. If you did your preparation right -- by reading up on things you haven't used in a while -- you'll do just fine.
Always continue to keep yourself current with recent technologies. Things you learn quickly fade away if you don't use it. Keep reviewing your CCNA topics, and get started on your first CCNP exam. I've seen too many newly-minted CCNAs who quickly forgot everything they learned for the exam because they stopped studying right after they passed.
Prepare for the interview. You would not believe how many engineers just go to an interview and don't re-familiar themselves with technologies they don't use often. This kind of preparation is very similar to preparing for a Cisco CCNA or CCNP exam. Study the books, take some practice questions, and get your hands back into configuring something you havent' configured in a while. An interview is very similar to taking an exam, except there won't be any multiple choice question at the interview.
If you do these simple things, your interview will be a breeze and they will surely hire you. - 31896
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