December 21, 2010 at 7:06 am
I am a recent graduate and my goal is to be a DBA admin, but i am finding how amazing hard it is to get a junior or entry level DBA job, even my own company that i have worked for 10 years don't want to offer me a chance. I am very good at SSRS/sharepoint, remote sql server on Hyper-V server. I do own my own online bookstore developed with asp.net/linq/sqlr2, because that is what I do at work. But any interview I go to they tells me they need an experience DBA. Ok you saw my resume before inviting me for the interview and is on my resume I am a recent grad and looking for entry level. Are they being picky because there are few job for more people.
December 21, 2010 at 7:09 am
You need to shine in your interview...
Maybe you can offer a free day or 2 to work with your direct future supervisor and give HIM a chance to see you in action, how you think.
I think you're partially getting blocked by grocery list interviews.
If that's not the case, then maybe you need to shoot for junior jobs where you'll be surrounded by a group. It's much less scary than hiring a lone DBA without supervision for a critial job in the cie.
December 21, 2010 at 7:43 am
My advice is to keep looking.
It is short-sighted of your company to not want to take advantage of your skills, so keep shopping. There will be an organization very interested in snapping up someone not jaded, someone they can shape in their own ways.
A new DBA is significantly cheaper than, well, AN OLD ONE! I think your chances are excellent, you just need to cast a wider net.
Good luck!!
December 21, 2010 at 8:06 am
Thanks all for your cordial advice i will be even willing to work 2 weeks for free
December 21, 2010 at 8:19 am
gissah (12/21/2010)
Thanks all for your cordial advice i will be even willing to work 2 weeks for free
That looks desperate.
I would go with let me work with you for free NOW for the rest of the day (or week if it's thursday). That way you don't invest too much for something that doesn't have any chance of working out. Also you can do that for 3-4 interviews in the same 2 weeks that you would lose in a single try... which nicely fits in a planned vacation.
Moreover you get a chance to meet your future team and see if you like them and if they like you. That can go a long way in getting you the job.
December 21, 2010 at 8:33 am
Ok thanks a lot for your advice you are my hero
December 21, 2010 at 8:34 am
Happy hunting ;-).
December 21, 2010 at 11:42 am
I would advise a couple of things.
1. Keep looking; the job hunt for a good position can take months or even years. Keep up the hope, if your landing interviews your doing something right.
2. Talk to a head hunter. Even if you don't get a job thru the recruiter, they can be very helpful when looking over a resume and generally critiquing your presentation. They pay attention to the market every day and will have a much better idea on how to land that first job.
3. Talk to your contacts and work your network. Talk to old friends and colleges in the business. See if you can arrange a conversation with current DBA's. Most jobs are found thru inside sources. There is a lot more to finding a position than shooting out resumes on Dice.
A job search is a lot of work and you will get out what you put in. This is a short list of some of the thing that I work on.
- One minute Elevator pitch, basically if you had one minute in an elevator with the IT director, what would you say?
- Soft Interview questions. “What is your strength?”
- Technical interview questions “How may clustered indexes can you have?”
- Practice interviewing in front of the mirror asking yourself questions.
- Practice interviewing with a friend acting as the interviewer.
- etc,
A nod is as good as a wink to a blind bat.
December 22, 2010 at 6:50 am
* Local SQL user group, if you have one - make a point of meeting people, let it be known that you need a job. Don't force the point, just let it be known that you're currently available for hire. If it comes to an interview, knowing someone on the inside helps a lot.
* I don't see that anyone's mentioned non-profit volunteering, this gives you proven results to talk about in an interview, and makes contacts. Doesn't pay any bills, though.
* Talk to one of the big national consulting firms. They often prefer to hire new graduates (interpreted as: working long hours for cheap in exchange for experience), and one thing they do well is groom your professional skills (not just tech). These jobs do frequently require travel to wherever the contract is, so you're away from home.
December 22, 2010 at 2:07 pm
All of the advice so far given is excellent. I would like to expand, however, on a point made earlier.
It is VERY shortsighted of your company to not give you a chance. In some businesses it takes as long to learn the business as it does to learn the SQL skills and you already know the business.
If your company won't give you a shot at demonstrating your skills, then you really should be looking for a different company.
Todd Fifield
December 22, 2010 at 2:20 pm
tfifield (12/22/2010)
All of the advice so far given is excellent. I would like to expand, however, on a point made earlier.It is VERY shortsighted of your company to not give you a chance. In some businesses it takes as long to learn the business as it does to learn the SQL skills and you already know the business.
If your company won't give you a shot at demonstrating your skills, then you really should be looking for a different company.
Todd Fifield
+1 on this point.
I know SQL very well, yet even after 24 months in the same company / ERP, I'm still far behind on the business rules and operations (300+ employees in the management group to run the business).
That's definitly where I "waste" most of my efforts. I don't need to google how to join, filter or changes colors dynamically, I need to understand the business and the users needs tog give 'em the best tools possible for the job.
December 23, 2010 at 11:25 am
Thank you all for your help
April 7, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Ninja's_RGR'us (12/21/2010)
You need to shine in your interview...Maybe you can offer a free day or 2 to work with your direct future supervisor and give HIM a chance to see you in action, how you think.
I think you're partially getting blocked by grocery list interviews.
If that's not the case, then maybe you need to shoot for junior jobs where you'll be surrounded by a group. It's much less scary than hiring a lone DBA without supervision for a critial job in the cie.
When exactly do you offer to work a day or two? During the interview or after you find out you didn't make the cut? Hhmmn
April 7, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Free is free. The interview is free too BTW.
It's also a good way to actually meet people and see what it's like to work there. If they like you you're miles ahead of everybody else.
Also I think it's better to invest those 2 days like that than watch south park 24/7 during that time.
April 7, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Good deal. I'm starting from ground zero basically - only have dba experience with MS Access and SQL Server as a back-end. I've been studying (hands-on) with SQL Server 2005 & 2008 for about a year and will be taking my SQL 2008 MCTS Cert exam this summer. Any advice is greatly appreciated!! 😀
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