Eman (Emmanuel Conde) is a global CCIE headhunter. He connects with CCIEs
in over a dozen countries and uses innovative techniques to find great new minds.
Today, he shares his thoughts on recruiting smart IT professionals, things you need to do now to prepare for 2008 and his exciting email mentor efforts.
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| Up close and personal with Eman (Emmanuel Conde) |
| Ask Eman to do anything but ... "Be a passenger in a car on a long trip, I love to drive and hate to ride!!" |
| Favorite (non-work) pastimes: "Herb gardening. I have a nice garden with a variety of cooking spices and herbs I grow near my backdoor. I also like to play guitar and sing folks music and blues." |
| Something most people don't know about him: "That I write poetry." |
| Philosophy: "Have fun and make lots of friends and your life will be more complete." |
| Favorite technology: Virtual social networking. |
| Favorite vices: Visiting live music venues in Second Life is a favorite right now, and indulging my kids in their musical pursuits. |
| What he's reading now: I am reading two books now. Clive Cussler is one of my favorite authors, and I just started reading The Chase and I am almost finished with Phil Lesh's book Searching for the Sound (he was the base player for the Grateful Dead)
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Tell us a little about your mentoring network and the CCIEs you work with across the world?
The idea came to me after speaking at a Cisco Academy event about mentoring. Since I was already interviewing
CCIEs in my recruiting efforts I began asking them if they were mentors. The typical responses were yes at work or no. When I asked if they would like to take the time to correspond with a kid embarking on their network career I always received a positive response. My idea is for beginners, youth in the high school and junior college ranks to engage a CCIE as an email mentor. Someone they could ask questions to about their career goals and decisions. The added dimension of learning about a Network professional in another country and culture will hold each of their interests.
Mentors are needed in a different capacity though, after achieving some of the earlier certifications from Cisco like CCNA, CCNP, or CCIP. Then it becomes more comprehensive and needs to be at least in the same time zone.
As for the CCIEs I interact with, I find them to be interesting and diverse people. CCIEs are geeks that are well paid, for the most part. I know some who have used their new-found fortunes to launch businesses, engage in hobbies more deeply, or invest in homes and family in ways we all wish we could. There is a Network professional in my network that has even been displaced by the war in Iraq. He lives in a refugee camp and is looking for work. I am starting a series of articles on CCIEs on my blog. I ask them all the same series of questions and two of the questions require a photo facing out of their front door at work and at home. The photos are great and tell quite a story.
What advantages can CCIEs expect to have belonging to a mentoring network?
Mentoring is a good way to keep the grey matter keen and the skills sharp.
Remember, CCIEs have to recertify every two years. Keeping the fundamentals
and emerging technology knowledge fresh is key to the recertification process.
So, mentoring is a good tool for staying sharp and ensuring we have an ample
supply of CCIEs in the future.
Do you have a special story about any of them that you want to share?
I have a friend who emigrated from Russia. In his past job he was responsible
for translating Cisco technical manuals for a division of the Russian government.
He was learning a lot of great stuff so he decided to take his CCNA which he
passed, so he took his CCNP and passed that as well. This led him to a new career
in Cisco network engineering and support. When I hired him into my team, he
was taking his CCIE written, which he passed. I sent him to take the CCIE lab
in San Jose, CA after he used our company lab to prepare. I received a call
from him after the first day and he had washed out. He was distraught and I
calmed him down and promised to send him again as soon as we could. When he
went the second time, I sent him a pager message saying GOOD LUCK at the beginning
of his day. He passed and to this day eight years later he still tells me it
was that message that caused him to pass. He actually kept that pager with that
message saved for a few years until the pager died.
What innovative approaches are recruiters using these days, and how can IT
pros take advantage of them?
The days are gone for recruiters, when waiting on a fax kept us in business.
In fact, resumes can be found many places. Job boards are a big source for candidates
and social networks are now coming of age. I have found when competing with
the larger recruiting and staffing firms, that using the strength of my network
to advertise my searches is a big advantage. Resumes can now be longer, giving
an IT pro the chance to include career details. We are not reading them from
front to back any more. Instead we are doing keyword searches in a document
and then reading the context of the skill queried allowing us to spend less
time qualifying a candidate.
How are you using virtual social networks as a recruiting tool?
I am a fan of online social networks such as
Second Life and
LinkedIn. I have
a network of Cisco professionals and other IT contacts I have built through
these, but nothing beats face-to-face interactions. I am a member of a number
of on-line groups that are populated by CCIEs and this helps me with locating
these candidates. I am also working with Cisco now to begin a series of monthly
career clinics in Second Life. Cisco has an Island in Second Life that was used
for a job fair I attended in Europe a few weeks ago. Since the island is equipped
with training facilities, I asked if I could use the space for seminars on resume
writing, career planning, interviewing and how to select an employer. I have
also asked for permission to use the Cisco stage for live music acts. In Second
Life, there is a booming live music phenomenon, attracting some really great-sounding
musicians. I hope to pull something together with my guitar and my robot band
as well.
How can IT pros take advantage of the whole social network phenomena and leverage
it for their job search?
An IT professional should take advantage of the opportunities to network with
recruiters and companies that are hiring at online events. If you are a CCIE
you are probably always being contacted by recruiters though. However, take
advantage of the chance to go many places in your search for a new employer.
Query individuals online who are affiliated with a company you are interested
in. Ask questions about the things important to you in your next employer. Try
to do your homework when you are considering using contacts you have made online.
Google them and check the website of their companies. And never give your resume
to any recruiter who will not tell you to whom, where and when they are sending
it.
What does 2008 hold for IT pros in terms of jobs, challenges, new skills?
For CCIEs the future remains bright. Any IT professional looking for an area
of strong and continued growth should look into Cisco Network certifications.
What things should IT pros focus on to prepare for those challenges?
Focus on those areas of IT that will put groceries on the table! Look at the
return on your time in terms of dollars and sustainability. We have seen some
technologies come and go, but the Internet and WAN technologies are only growing.
Learn the technologies that interest you and use these for a foundation to build
your career.
To read more about Eman and his work, visit his
blog.
Related reading:
How to be a good CCIE mentor
