In an ideal world, you finish your certification and then find a job (or change jobs) in order to advance your career. But since a “major” certification requiring 5+ exams (like an MCSE or MCSD) might take over a year to complete, sometimes you find yourself looking for a job with an unfinished certification. Today I want to share some tips to help you if you find yourself in this situation.
1. Continue to work on your cert
Regardless of your job hunting activities, make sure you continue to work towards finishing your certification. If you can just commit to spending an hour or two per day studying and reviewing the material, then you can make progress very quickly.
The mentality you need to have is, “I am either going to get certified, or I am going to fail this test every month for the rest of my life.” If you have that attitude and commitment, then you’ll be certified in no time.
Don’t be discouraged or ashamed by failing an exam. It happens to everyone and it’s expected. Fortunately, Microsoft doesn’t even record your failures on your official transcript, so don’t worry about it. Also, be aware that Microsoft currently has a special offer going, which includes free exam retakes on most exams.
2. Be proud of whatever progress you have made
Even if you haven’t finished your cert yet, just to be halfway done towards an advanced cert is a significant accomplishment which sets you apart from the uncertified masses. I recommend that you proudly list on your resume your accomplishments to date. Your resume might say something like, “Successfully completed all coursework for MCSA exams,” or “Completed 3 of 5 exams required for MCSD certification (target February 2009)” And with Microsoft’s revamped certification program, it only takes one exam to achieve a basic certification such as MCTS. You definitely should list all certs on your resume, even basic ones, because some recruiters don’t know the difference.
3. Bring evidence of your progress to the interview
When you have an interview, bring your course completion certificates, copies of your passed exams, and certificates for any basic certifications you achieved along the way, such as MCTS. If you have a web site for your job search (which is highly recommended), then scan the above documents and put them on your web site available for viewing or download.
4. Get hands on experience
Even if you don’t have the cert yet, make sure you have plenty of hands-on experience. The easiest way to do this is to set up a lab in your home. Most home computers are capable of running server software such as Windows 2008 server. You can download 120 day trial software from Microsoft, or you get the DVD’s automatically if you subscribe to Technet Plus. 120 day trial software is great for hands on experience, because you’ll get to re-install it every 120 days, which will give you plenty of hands on experience. You can buy an 8 port switch for $15 or less, then run some computer cable or set up a Wireless Access Point, and bingo you have a home lab you can practice on. Another good way to get hands-on experience is to volunteer to help with the computer support or computer programming at a non-profit organization such as a church or your favorite charity.
