Network and nail that interview

October 22, 11:09 PMMiami Technology Careers ExaminerFrancine Adams

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Rene Medina and Illya Singh

Have you spent hours online submitting resumes and joining job boards? Are you frustrated with the lack of response after marveling over the perfection of your resume?

Get out there and join local user groups that specialize in your area of expertise or go just for the experience. You will be amazed at the networking opportunities.

Often these user group meetings are coordinated or attended by key people who have inside information on corporate needs and jobs not yet listed. Sit down and have a cup of coffee with some of these individuals and start a conversation. For example, tell someone how you were proactive in recognizing a specific issue and solving it before it became a problem. You may be surprised at how often an individual may be asked if they are available.

I enjoyed a business lunch with Rene Medina, Data Warehouse Engineer and president of the South Florida Chapter of The Data Warehouse Institute. SFTDWI is the leading Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse professionals’ organization.

Illya Singh, president of Omniana Consulting, serves also as vice president of SFTDWI. Both have enjoyed long-term successful IT careers in and around South Florida. Each had some enlightening remarks to share so I took a seat and listened intently to be re-educated on creative networking.

"Many of the people who attend our meetings are recruiters who are there for the opportunity to find candidates for their clients. The range of IT skills they are seeking may fall well outside of the BI/DW spectrum” says Rene. On the flip side are those business users, managers, developers, VPs and executives who attend; a hearty selection of elbows to rub.

According to Illya, the SFTDWI has representation from 150 different companies. The South Florida chapter is sponsored by giants such as IBM, Microstrategy and Microsoft, who all attend these meetings. On a good day you may receive surprises such as free books on Microsoft tools. Free food is a given, and there are prizes and raffles. I liked the sound of that. 

"Free" is a good incentive, especially when followed by "fill in the blanks."

"Those companies who attend," says Rene, "range from Fortune 100s to Mom and Pops.  Professionals come from as far away as Orlando for a chance to learn the latest and greatest technology.” 

Rene and Illya’s chapter has been so well received they have been encouraged to one day expand into Central Florida, North Florida and as far away as Atlanta, to be accessible to remote users who wish to attend.

Rene adds, "Our feedback has shown that 40 percent of attendees are there for the networking, 60 percent for the education and a classroom experience that promotes tips and tricks."

There is an annual membership fee on the national level; however, local attendees get a discount on that fee and enjoy member benefits which are listed at TDWI’s website. The good news - it’s free to attend SFTDWI meetings even if you are not a member. Most local meetings are held at Devry University in Miramar, where Rene and Illya serve on the advisory board.  Location can vary, as the last meeting was held at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. University locale presents a dual advantage if you want to speak with college recruiters or professors after a meeting. 

I chose SFTDWI for this first article because as Rene put it, they are agnostic and not a proponent of any specific vendor or tool.  Networking is the first best way to benefit from inside information.  Even if you are not currently gainfully employed the user groups are almost always free to attend, or there may be a nominal annual membership fee.  Don’t let opportunities coast by in a sea of frustrated job searching.  While we may no longer be beating the pavement endlessly from corp to corp, there is a better way than spending isolated hours on the PC.  Networking is good for your social life and the free food is fantastic!!