How Becoming Cisco Certified Can Boost Your Career

How Becoming Cisco Certified Can Boost Your Career In June 2008, a company named Forrester Consulting conducted a commissioned study on behalf of Cisco named “Closing the IT Network Skills”. The study highlighted that managers looking to hire employees should take a three phase approach. Firstly, they should focus on roles, rather than titles. Job titles can be varied between organisations, such as Analyst, Administrator, Technician and so on. Roles are generally universal and don’t tend to vary as much despite the size, location or industry that the company belongs to. Secondly, assess the skills gap. By taking a good look at what is required within the business and how these roles have/are changing, a more specific, targeted approach can be taken to close the skills gap between roles in the ever-changing network environment. Lastly, to ensure that the relevant and required skills are maintained, organizations should provide training and certification. Having a Cisco certification sometimes highlights on paper that you have passed an examination in the skills being sought after. Cisco examinations are constantly changing and pose real-world scenario troubleshooting tasks that prove a candidates hands-on focused skills in addition to their theoretical knowledge. You have probably heard the phrase about paper certification proves little but with Cisco requiring a number of practical hands-on exercises as opposed to multiple-choice questions, candidates really must know what they are doing which in turn provides the employer with the reassurance that those skills are valid. Add to this that the certification also expires at regular intervals, recertification validates a candidates skills for existing and emerging technologies. The survey showed: A dedicated Wireless networking role has been implemented by 36% of the global companies surveyed. This figure was expected to increase to 66% over the following 5 year period. At the time of the survey, only 46% of those companies had a dedicated Security role within their business. That number was expected to increase to 80% within the following 5 years. In addition, only 40% of those companies had a dedicated Voice specialist, whereas 69% of those IT managers expected to see this number over the same period. Cisco introduced the certification programs Cisco CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, and CCNA Wireless that will meet these challenges. These are role-based, technology specific certifications that provide current and future networking professionals with a learning path for career advancement. CCNA Wireless The CCNA Wireless certification validates the candidates skills in the configuration, implementation, and support of wireless LANs, specifically those networks using Cisco equipment. Students are prepared for them to configure, monitor and troubleshoot basic tasks of a Cisco WLAN in small to medium-sized business (SMB) and enterprise networks. Once candidates complete the certification, employers will be able to validate that their staff have the skills needed for basic wireless networking on a Cisco WLAN in SMB and enterprise networks. CCNA Security The CCNA Security certification meets the needs of IT professionals who are responsible for network security. It confirms an individuals skills for job roles such as network security specialists, security administrators, and network security support engineers. This certification validates skills including installation, troubleshooting, and monitoring of network devices to maintain integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data and devices, and develops competency in the technologies that Cisco uses in its security structure. CCNA Voice The CCNA Voice certification validates skills in VoIP technologies such as IP PBX, IP telephony, handset, call control, and voicemail solutions. Candidates also get exposure to the Cisco Unified Communications architecture and design covering mobility, presence, and TelePresence applications. Cisco ran a contest on LinkedIn between 9-14 May 2011 for contestants to provide feedback on “How Cisco Certifications Help My Career”. The results were posted on the Cisco website at the Cisco Learning Network. Head over to here and see the results for yourself. Scott Stephenson is a Principal  Technologist at QA- leading providers of Cisco Certification and training courses, where he is responsible for authoring courses and instructing on the Windows OS, Networking Infrastructure, Active Directory, Exchange, Security, Virtualization and Cisco technologies.

How to Break Free From Being Trapped in Your Career

How to Break Free From Being Trapped in Your Career Recently I had the amazing opportunity to interview Marney Reid,  a Marketing Program Manager for a Global industry leader in medical devices.  She is also the Founder of Stilettos on the Glass Ceiling,  an online community created to empower, support, and promote women. What does “trapped by golden handcuffs” mean? It is the place where youre not willing to give up everything youve worked so hard to get but arent thriving where youre at. You are trapped, unhappy and wanting more. What we don’t want to admit is that we’ve usually trapped ourselves. Youre sabotaging your own chances to move ahead and its time you stopped. It takes facing some hard truths about yourself and some major changes to finally take your career to the next level. Today, Marney is going to teach you how to break free from our golden handcuffs and build the lifestyle you desire. What is your key to success? How did you achieve your success as a woman in a male-dominated work environment? You don’t have to be more intelligent than most of the people around you. You don’t have to be better than most people around you. You just have to have more drive. When your goals and your ambition are aligned and you’re not going to give up on them, it is possible for any women, of any type of personality, in any male-dominated industry, to succeed. Above of all, find out what your unique value proposition is. How can we determine our unique value proposition? Ask your friends. When you’re trying to find out what your niche is or where you stand out. Take a group of about 5 or 6 of your closest friends, both male and female, and ask them, If you could describe me in three words, what would those three words be? Create a poll and collect some data. You will start to see recurring words pop up which will tell you what your value proposition is and what you uniquely bring to your company. What are golden handcuffs and how do we break free?  Why do we trap and sabotage ourselves? The golden handcuffs moment is when you realize that the only person that can move you forward is yourself. When you take on the role of a leader, you give up a lot of freedom. You have to watch everything you say, every email correspondence and every way you react to an initiative because you have already created a leadership role for yourself. For me, I trapped myself by refusing to deal with something that would make me a better leader with a title of executive. I felt like I didn’t need to conform to be successful. I was able to get myself free from my golden handcuffs by saying “OK, there is something I really want” and “I am ready to have those really hard conversations with my mentor where my mentor will tell me where I need to improve.” They tell you very candidly…you go home and you go, Wow, that hurt! But, you have to dig deep for the better. Know the overall picture of what you want and are you willing to go through the tough part to improve? If the answer is yes, you move forward. That is exactly how you can break free from your golden handcuffs. What are the steps to build that career and lifestyle that we want? Sit down and write out your goals and place them where you can look at your goals on a regular basis. You have to be able to articulate what your goal is in 5, 10, or 15 years as it applies to the organization you’re at. Then, you have to able to pick jobs and opportunities that come up that will help you reach your long term goals. You need to have constant interaction with your mentor and dont take anything personally. Don’t apologize for the past. Don’t consistently berate yourself. Don’t feel embarrassed that you need to grow. Consciously ask for more. Once a month or every three months, check to see if you and your mentor are seeing improvement. Why is it so important for women to help other women? What are some practical ways that women can help other women in the business world? You can create a book club. Get together with the women you constantly see around the office. A mixture of people from intern level to executive leadership. Create an outside of work book club where you read and help each other. You have to look at it like every woman in your office is part of your team. You support them because you never know when it’s going to be your turn to need support. What do you wish you would have known as a professional woman early in her career? I’m very passionate. When I get excited about something, I’m super, super excited. When I get upset by something, I’m super upset. If I could have understood and implemented emotional intelligence at a much earlier state of my career, I would probably be much farther along than I am right now. I wish I could have harnessed my emotional intelligence a lot earlier. Classy Career Girl readers, what do you think? Are you trapped?  Do you need to follow these steps to break free and build the career and lifestyle you want?

Why Its OK To Hate Your Internship

Why Its OK To Hate Your Internship Some internships seem better than they actually are. And thats OK.   In 2009 I shipped off to London for the trip of a lifetime. I spent six months living in a flat with ten of the chicest French exchange students I had ever laid eyes on. I backpacked through Europe, smoked my first cigarette, saw about 100 castles, and ate my body weight in fish and chips. I was 19, and I was on top of the world. Sure I was young and studying abroad, but I knew I couldnt spend my entire time overseas partying through Europe. So to make right by my responsible-college-student-self, I made the conscious decision to study in London because the program offered an internship placement. I was enamored with the idea of working in a foreign country. Then when I saw CBS News London as one of the internship placements I nearly passed out. I HAD to get this job. You see at the time Katie Couric was my idol, and broadcast news was my destiny. Long story short, I got the job. The internship coordinator at my host university said I was very lucky because CBS was the cream of the crop internship. I knew I had hit the jackpot and for the first time ever I was excited to be an intern and get to work. Fast forward three months, and Im sitting in the CBS Newsroom holding back tears. Looking back, they honestly could have been tears of boredom. To this day I had never been so underwhelmed with a place. It wasnt miserable, it just wasnt the dream workplace I had built up in my head. I had expected the hustle and bustle of a live newsroom and being pulled in all directions to help with this shoot or that story. Instead, I spent the majority of my days at a computer transcribing interviews and watching raw Reuters footage come through. Occasionally I would be pulled out on a field shoot, but there were so few of them it was hardly something I grew used to. The office was actually quiet. It was a hub for all the European correspondents, but we almost never shot anything live. The people were friendly but aloof, and would go days without really interacting with the interns. Like I said, not exactly the internship I had dreamed about. And what actually made it worse was the constant praise and admiration I received for nailing such a coveted internship. I was embarrassed to say that my time at CBS was actually not so fabulous. It felt wrong to dislike what seemed like a such a great opportunity. Even when I got back to the U.S. I spoke of the internship the way I thought I was supposed to. I focused on all the good parts, embellished on the not-so-good parts, and just repeated how lucky I was for such a cool opportunity. After about the tenth time, I had my story down. Everyone bought it. I could tell that my brief stint at CBS impressed people, and I knew if I played my cards right, it would probably get me my next internship. And while all that is true, I couldnt help but feel a little disturbed that I was capitalizing on this experience that really wasnt much of an experience. But thats where I had it wrong. Up until now I never openly admitted that I hated my CBS internship, but Ive known for a while that my biggest takeaway from that experience wasnt about figuring out what I liked. It was about figuring out what I DIDNT like. My CBS internship did exactly what it was supposed to. It gave me leverage. From then on when I looked at other internship or job opportunities, I had a real experience to compare them to. Not only did it prove that broadcast news wasnt the right path for me, but it gave me some red flags to look out for. For example, never again would I accept an internship where I sensed a disconnect between managers and interns. I knew I should look for a fast-paced workplace that gave me a lot of responsibility, and a team that made me feel valued. And even though I didnt get that experience at CBS, I wasnt going to make the same mistake again. Hopefully you will have a lot of internships at the start of your career. Some youll like and some you wont. And guess what, THATS OK. Allow yourself to take the experience for what it is, and when its over, move on. Whether it was a good or bad internship there is always something to learn and take with you.

How to Choose Between Two Outstanding Candidates - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Choose Between Two Outstanding Candidates - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The need to choose between two outstanding candidates is an interesting and a desirable dilemma for employers. However, as an employer, you need to act fast and decide which one to hire. If you don’t know how to decide between the two, below you can find some ideas. Try to Find Out Who is More Eager to Work  for You: Try to determine how badly they want to work for you. They can both seem eager but one might be already employed and looking to make a move just to get out of the status quo or be able to negotiate a higher salary and the other one might be unemployed for months and is eager to start a new job. If you can hire the more eager candidate, chances are s/he will work harder and stay longer in your company. Look at Their Past Experiences Carefully: Examine their resumes carefully and see how often they stay in one job. If they hop jobs frequently, then, it means that they can also quit working for you easily. Try to think long term. Look also for their skills and see whose skills match more with your future plans. Try to determine whether they are open to learn new skills and develop themselves. Moreover, businesses are changing rapidly and therefore, try to assess whether they are open to change. See Who Fits the Culture: Invite each candidate to lunch or coffee. In this way, you can talk with them in a more relaxed setting and outside of the formal office environment. You don’t need to be alone; you can also take a few team members with you so you have a chance to see which candidate will get along better with your team. During this informal meeting, you can also see more of the personality of the candidates and decide easier which one will be a better fit for your company. If you still cannot decide who to hire, then hire both of them. Think this way, good candidates are hard to find and you have already found two so why not push the limits to work with both of them. There may be budgeting issues or organizational problems to hire two candidates but do your best to convince your higher-ups. If you can hire both of them, make sure you differentiate their roles or at least make them work on different projects. In this way, you can get an advantage of their skills in the best possible manner.

3 Most Rewarding Media and Events Management Careers in Dubai Right Now

3 Most Rewarding Media and Events Management Careers in Dubai Right Now Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comIf you want a career that tests both your logical reasoning and creativity, then consider looking into the media and events management industry.Jobs in this field demand a high level of passion, commitment and hard work.In order to succeed in this industry, applicants must be able to brainstorm ideas and have an understanding of different marketing techniques and event operations.evalPeople who choose to work in this industry must also have sound knowledge of the technical aspects of production such as sounds, lights, audio visuals and special effects.Here are some careers you might want to look into with a list of skills you need to land event jobs in Dubai.Careers in the Events Management Industry1. Event Manager / Director of EventsevalThe Director of Events or Events Manager is directly responsible for organizing events for a client or business. They are the go-to people between the client, other staff, suppliers, sponsors, the media and more.Event mana gers are involved in each step of the process, from planning to running the event to producing evaluations. These professionals have contacts in different industries and may work as part of a team.2. Banquet ManagerAn events and banquet manager’s job is to oversee the daily activities in the hotel and give briefings to staff.In larger establishments, events and banqueting managers may only be responsible for a specific set of tasks like providing guest services, marketing or accounting.In general, these professionals have a whole range of responsibilities including the following:Oversee the hotel’s reception, reservations and concierge areaDirect the housekeeping departmentSupervise operations in the food and beverage sectorPlanning and supervising hotel eventsManage the hotel’s finances and budgetevalAlthough events and banquet managers have to oversee much of the hotel’s operations, they must also be detail-oriented. They need to set the right example for staff to follow b y being consistently presentable and providing quality services to the hotel’s guests.3. Public Relations OfficerIndividuals who relish working under pressure should consider working as a public relations officer. A PR officer’s main responsibility is to manage the client’s reputation.Here is a rundown of some of their responsibilities:Establish and maintain relationships with different client or business groupsProduce press releasesDevelop and maintain the company’s brand and imageOrganize events for the companyPR officers with years of experience in the field can apply to become a Public Relations Director. It is considered as one of the highest paying jobs in Dubai.Useful Skills to Haveeval1. Being a fluent communicatorMost individuals have an ability to communicate. If you plan to work as an events manager, hotel manager or PR officer, you have to be able to do more than speak fluently.You need to be confident and skilled when it comes to communicating ideas to different types of people including clients, your staff, suppliers, the media and other groups.2. Works well under pressureevalNo two events are completely alike. Regardless of how much preparation was put into organizing the event, problems will still arise. Because of this, having the ability to think on your feet is a handy skill in this industry.Event coordinators and hotel managers must be able to work under pressure and find solutions for any given problem.3. Organization skillsThere are many aspects involved when it comes to organizing and running an event. Besides the client or your employer, you need to talk to different groups of people and businesses.With so many details to look into and handle, you need to stay organized and have a system for documenting your interactions and transactions with each group.These are only a few examples of careers you can consider within the field of events management.Some professionals work for companies while there are also event experts who work as freelancers. With a growing number of companies promoting their business using events, there are plenty of opportunities available for those who want to work in the field.