Too Little, Too Late

This will be my epitaph; it's typically how I operate.

A post for postings sake?

I haven't posted in a week or so, so I feel like I should include some type of update, but I just really don't feel much like posting.


I had a phone interview yesterday with a company in Burlington, VT. It went ok I guess. It's hard to say. If I make it to the next round, I'll hear from them by EOD Tuesday. Round two will be a face to face interview in VT. If I make it, I hope they're willing to pay for my flight and stay up there; otherwise I'll have to pass. I simply can't afford fly up there myself. I figure if they're not willing to spring for the cost, the chances of me getting the position are slim.


I got a call earlier in the week from another recruiting firm asking if I'd be interested in a position with the VA. I told them I was and now I'm just hoping to hear from them. Going to a job fair on Monday. Hope something comes out of that too. Also have to take the postal service test on monday as well. Carriers make pretty good money to start and the benefits are pretty good too. 


Did a little but of work on the bathroom today as well. I've been an absolute asshole about getting that done and I need to knock it out. Beth is off all weekend so, she'll be able to keep an eye on Jack and I can get some more done on it. I'd love to be able to complete this very soon and get that particular monkey off my back. Lord knows I've got enough other ones back there. It's my own doing, of course. Lack of confidence in my skills, laziness, what have you. In short, I suck. A lot. I'm trying to suck less, but since I suck, I'm doing a pretty shitty job of it. Just ask Beth. 


I don't know where I'm going with this. I'm probably just throwing myself a pity party, but it doesn't change how crappy I feel. Pretty much all the time. But on the upside, I'm dropping some pounds because I don't have much of an appetite anymore, so I got that going for me. 


Meh, enough self loathing for tonight. Sorry if this post bummed you out. The one person that's actually reading this, that is.

My Resume

What the hell, I might as well post my resume here too. I know there are at least a couple of people other than my wife reading this, so what could it hurt?

If you know of an IT/Tech Support position or you're hiring for one in the Tampa Bay area of FL, the Northeast, or Colorado, take a look at my resume and shoot me an email. We're definitely willing to relocate out of the Tampa Bay area.

OBJECTIVE

Dependable IT Technical Support Analyst seeking an opportunity to provide excellent end-user support and service, entry level systems administration or technical writing/documentation for a company that recognizes the value of teamwork and loyalty.

 

SUMMARY 

• Provide remote technical and functional application support to end users for a variety of applications, including Microsoft Office, versions 2003 and 2007 as well as Lotus Notes.
• Proficient in developing and validating knowledge base content and documentation.
• Possess a good grasp of PC networking; currently support broadband Internet connections as well as secure VPN and extranet connections.
• Well versed in providing technical support to users with limited PC knowledge or experience.
• Responsible for replicating and troubleshooting both hardware and software problems and determining proper solution or escalation.
• Recognized in performance evaluations for providing consistently high First Call Resolution.
• Provide backup assistance and problem resolution for four other support teams.
• Maintained a Top Secret/SCI security clearance.

OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCE

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tampa, FL. Call Support Specialist, May 2004 - Dec 2009. Primary duties included providing remote technical and functional support to internal staff for various, proprietary, financial applications, explaining time & expense as well as finance polices and processes to end users, SAP account administration and providing first-level support to external vendors and internal staff for accounts payable and accounts receivable inquiries. Additional duties included creating and updating content for an internal knowledge base available to support staff as well as end users and providing technical support to end users for Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007, Lotus Notes and network and VPN connectivity issues in back-up support to other teams when call volume warranted.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tampa, FL. Call Support Coordinator, Sep 2006 - Jun 2008. Primary duties included providing remote technical and functional support to internal staff for proprietary financial applications, explaining time & expense as well as finance polices and processes to end users and SAP account administration. Additional responsibilities included validating and publishing content for an internal knowledge base available to support staff as well as end users, discerning and reporting call trends to manager, running and compiling call driver reports, training new hires, cross-training support staff from other teams and developing training/study materials. Secondary duties included providing technical support to end users for Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007, Lotus Notes and network and VPN connectivity issues in back-up support to other teams when call volume warranted.

Computer Generated Solutions Inc., Tampa, FL. Senior Help Desk Technician, April 2000 – May 2004. Duties included providing remote technical support to end-users from a variety of accounts for account-specific software as well as Microsoft Windows 2000, the Microsoft Office suite, Virtual Private Network connections, laptops and printers. Additional responsibilities entailed troubleshooting and proper escalation of network and hardware failures, providing assistance to other technicians and acting as the subject matter expert for two accounts.

Computer Generated Solutions Inc., Tampa, FL. Supervisor, February 2001 – February 2002. Duties included monitoring department level service statistics, supervising and developing team staff, interviewing for open agent positions, preparing performance appraisals and handling disciplinary issues as needed. Also responsible for identifying problem areas and developing improvement plans to increase performance, reviewing individual team member quality monitoring scores and tracking performance trends, identifying low performers and determining the appropriate course of action for performance improvement. Developed criteria and rewards for and implemented "Representative of the Month" program.

Ground Control Professional Landscaping, Oldsmar, FL. Landscape Maintenance Foreman June 1996 – April 2000

United States Army, 505th Signal Company, 86th Signal Battalion, Fort Huachuca, AZ. Transportable Automated Switching System Operator/Maintainer, 1993 - 1995. Duties included installation and maintenance of central office switches, monitoring the switches and network for failures and outages, performing fault isolation and troubleshooting on hardware and software, providing technical support for technicians and end-users, maintenance of test equipment and vehicles, deployment of the above in numerous field training environments, and participation in real world missions, including "Operation Continue Hope" Mogadishu, Republic of Somalia. Oct 1993 - Feb 1994.

EDUCATION

In pursuit of AS degree in Network Services Technology, Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL (3.5 GPA)
Technical Trainer Certification Course - PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tampa, FL
New Equipment Training Course, AN/TTC-39D/PS - U.S. Army, Fort Huachuca, AZ
AN/TTC-39D Augmentation Course - U.S. Army, Fort Huachuca, AZ
Transportable Automated Switching System Operator/Maintainer Course - U.S. Army, Fort Gordon, GA


Awards

Army Achievement Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster – U.S. Army
United Nations Service Medal – U.S. Army
Representative of the Month, July 2002 – Computer Generated Solutions, Inc

Didn't get the job

Well, I didn't get the job for which I interviewed on Friday. Pretty disappointing, to say the least, but I'll just have to keep on plugging away. Something will turn up soon; it will have to, otherwise I'll be stocking shelves at Publix or out working on a landscaping crew again. I'll do just about anything as long as it's full time, pays better than unemployment and allows us to pay for day care for Jack after pre-k is done for the day.

When it rains, it pours.

During one of the Tampa Bay area's coldest cold snaps in many years, the heat portion of our central heat and air unit crapped out. Temps were predicted to fall to the high 20s last night, but only got to 34°. I was able to pick up a little room heater/fan at Target that seems to be helping a bit this morning. Luckily, it hasn't gotten too cold in the house; it's 62° currently. Warm slippers and sweatshirts are helping to stay comfortable. My cousin runs an AC repair company and is coming out to take a look at our unit. Rick's AWESOME! Hopefully it will be something simple and we'll have the normal heat tonight since it's supposed to be colder overnight tonight. Actually, we probably won't run it until the morning since we usually just pile on the blankets at night anyway. Depending how much the inside of the house cools off today, we may run it a bit this evening just to take the chill out and stay ahead of the cold.


Had a job interview yesterday in response to a resume I submitted earlier this week. It went ok, but it emphasized how much my actual technical skills have stagnated while I was supporting primarily in-house applications for the last 5 years. I acknowledged that with them and explained that with a little bit of refreshing, I should be back in the game. I have 7 more years' experience than they're looking for with some supervisory experience thrown in to boot. All in all, I think it went well and hope they're willing to overlook my rustiness.


I tracked down the email address of the guy in charge of the dept (and who led the interview) and sent him a follow up email on the way home thanking him for the interview. I also answered one of the questions that I couldn't in the interview. I told him that having half the answer in the interview was bugging me on the way home and I researched it to come up with not only that a fix was possible, but a couple of methods to do it. I mentioned in that scenario that while I may not always have every answer, my experience provides me the skills to track it down.

Keeping my fingers crossed. If I land the job, I may get less money than I'm seeking, but it will be better than unemployment and we can get medical insurance again.    

Interview Update

The interview went pretty much as I expected: "expand on your background, what types of jobs are you interested in, what's your salary range, what locations would be acceptable, etc..."


It went fairly well and the recruiter seemed optimistic; she doesn't expect to hear much the remainder of this week since most of her clients are just coming back from the holidays, but she believes she'll start seeing requests next week. She said that in the meantime, I can take advantage of a training site they have in order to familiarize myself with some IT apps/utilities/concepts I haven't worked with before and to refresh myself with some that I haven't worked with in a while. All-in-all, I'm encouraged.


Of course, it also helps that shortly after returning home from one interview, I got a call in response to a resume I submitted a few days ago and now have an interview scheduled for Friday morning at 9. With any luck, this type of response will keep up and lead to something pretty quickly.

I Have an Interview Tomorrow!

It's just an informational interview with a recruiting firm, but it's a start. The recruiter I spoke with on the phone today said that based on my resume, she couldn't see why clients wouldn't be interested. I'm really hoping this leads to something pretty quickly.