DBA Career Planning and Job Search

Stephen Wynkoop blogged about social networking as a part of the hiring process.  I'll sum it up in a line: like it or not, you are being Googled when you submit your resume.  Get over it.

Would you buy a car without searching for an online review?  Sure, some people do - otherwise the dismal Chrysler Sebring would never sell a copy.  If you haven't read Jeremy Clarkson's review of the Chrysler Sebring, go do it, because it'll brighten your day with gems like this:

I got a question from Ron G asking how to go about changing positions from help desk to DBA.  Here's my thoughts: Build on what you already know. If you're used to working on IBM AIX systems, for example, you'll want to utilize some of that skillset by working with databases that run on AIX. …

When interviewing for a database administrator position, ask the manager for a list of database servers, the applications that rely on them, and who to contact when the server goes down.

(The manager may express concern about the secure nature of the list, and that's fair - I would say the same thing.  If they don't want to hand over the list, then just ask them to put their hands on it and answer the rest of the questions for you.)

Last week I wrote a series of postings for employers, and this week I'll touch base on things candidates should know. Candidates: you are a product, and your web site is your brochure. Managers: read the brochure just as you would a new product. These days, we buy everything online.  We read the product's web…