You’ve done it! After months of courses at DDLS, weeks of study, days of practice tests and hours sitting in front of test centre computer screens … that final green bar has popped up on your screen. Passed. 700? 800? 1000! Doesn’t matter, that magical word “pass” means you are now a freshly minted, new and shiny MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert).
Phew! Seriously, the sense of relief flooding through you feels like you’re on top of the world. What next? Tell everybody, starting with the Exam Centre Proctor, then ring everyone important to pass on the big news. Then onto Social Media; Twitter, Facebook, anywhere to spread the news.
Facebook … great for keeping up with friends and relatives, but it’s not really a “professional” network. News of your MCSE status shares space with friends dancing in grass skirts, your Mum’s complaint about snails on her lettuces and Grumpy Cat scowling at the world.
How do you update your CV, tell others in the industry of your latest achievments? LinkedIn.
If you’re not already on it, go to http://www.linkedin.com, create your account and start filling in the details. Companies (DDLS), individuals (Wayne McGlinn), Special Interest Groups (Hamster Rescue), all have a professional presence on LinkedIn. That’s the key word here: professional. You have spent significant time and effort on your MCSE and you want that effort to be viewed and acknowledged by your peers. That MCSE helps open doors, connects you to your peers, even attracts new and better job offers.
A good friend of mine, Donald Hester, presented a great YouTube webcast on this very subject recently. Spend 30 minutes watching, then go share your Microsoft Certifications with the IT world, you’ve earned it!
Wayne McGlinn
CCSE+, MSCE, MCT, MVP
Brisbane
BNE MCT 