Passing ITIL Intermediate Exams..Revealed!

 

Recently I took and passed an ITIL Intermediate level exam (CSI), let me say that this was not an easy task as I invested at least 1 month of going over the subject matter to have full knowledge of it.

I learned a very important lesson when preparing for this exam and the rest of the upcoming exams as I reach for my MALC next year that I would like to share.

What you must remember above all is that these exams are not about knowledge and comprehension, they are about analysis and application (Bloom's Taxonomy).

There are 4 keys aspects to keep in mind during the exam preparation and when sitting for an Intermediate level exam.

 

1. - Read the question, then read it again!When looking at your sample scenarios (provided for you when you are taking your intermediate level courses), you will need to read the questions first! and then read the question again. I repeat the question, not the scenario associated with the question. What this does is it takes your newly acquired knowledge and giving it a bit of reference as to what your mind should be looking for.  For example, "which of the following approaches BEST assists in resolving the issues in the scenario". You now have in your mind what you should be looking for to "resolve" the issue within the scenario, once you have that, then you can go look at the scenario and you have context.

2. - Look for factual ITIL information about the question, All the answers have relevant factual data about ITIL, but all that data may not be relevant to the particular scenario, for example, if the question is related to service desk KPI's, don't get drawn into a factually correct statement about Problem Management.

3. - Have a technique to approaching the exam. I used a technique which takes into account each statement within each answer and then I assign a numeric value to it. Let's say that we have a statement that contributes to the "resolution" of the "issue" within the scenario, if this is the case, I assign a 1, if it does not, I assign a -1, if I am not sure about it, I assign it a 0. At the end of the this exercise I would add (or subtract) and the greatest value would be my answer.

4. - Reach out to the ITIL mentoring community as I did, you will be pleasantly surprised the amount of knowledge you can gain with feedback from subject matter experts.

Good luck:) 

 

8 Tips for Job Hunting While You're Still Employed

Job hunting while you're still working in your current position can be a double-edged sword. Candidates who are employed are typically more attractive to employers. However, it can be dangerous. Learn what it takes to balance your current job and your career search--without getting cut.

This article has some good insight

Resume for the Informaction Age & how to get the job you WANT!

In the era we currently live in, where we travel, shop, dine, learn, communicate and even connect romantically, our online alter-ego is just as important as your physical presence, professional appearance and manner of speaking, searching in the newspaper or “cold calling” (dropping of a C.V. at the reception of where you want to work) or job fairs etc, is the way of the past.


 Mind you that the traditional or “old” methods are still necessary from time to time, but there is a new way and I have the answer!

 There is a new kind of mentality which is out to take advantage of this era and all the readily available technology at our disposal and I will show you how in 5 simple steps.

 First - Check your online influence, start by Googling or Binging yourself to see what others (including employers/recruiters) around the world can see or discover about you, this activity will provide immediate feedback on your digital influence.

 Why should I do step 1? – Employers and recruiters use the web to their advantage and know the web is the place to search for talent and perform background searches; trending analysis show that this will increase in the coming years.


 Second- Build your online presence so you begin accumulating online influence.

 Why should I do step 2? – Having an online influence makes it easy to find you in search engines and thus creates more exposure which leads to more job opportunities. Without an online presence, you will not appear as relevant as other job seekers who have their online presence established and you will be the applicant which will be skipped over for more savvy job seekers that have online visibility.


 Third- Create or update your LinkedIn, Twitter and Blog.

 Why should I do step 3? – If you want to increase your online visibility and influence you must do it in 3 places.

•  LinkedIn- LinkedIn is a professional networking tool; I like to call it “Adult Facebook”. Employers use LinkedIn as a search tool to find their next candidates and job seekers use it to leverage their network in support of their search. Make sure you include a professional photo on your profile (this isn´t Facebook).

•  Twitter – Is the social networking king, however make sure you post or follow in accordance to your profile (meaning if you are looking for IT work, follow and tweet about IT industry related content) 

• Blog - Create a blog, again this blog show be about your job seeking profile, it should have content relevant to your desired industry and update it with relevant content to demonstrate your expertise. 

Fourth- Create your C.V. Your C.V.´s should look like this:

 Name: 

 City, State or Country: 

 Linkedin Id:

 Twitter:

 Blog:

 Email:

 Experience: including month and year for each job, the company name, your title and a brief description of your role and any accomplishments.

 Education Level: 

 Certifications: 

 Skills & Expertise: 

 Languages if any: 

 Additional information: such as membership of a group, foundation, charity and interests are also ok. 

 Make sure your C.V is “keyword” rich. A resume is still the way to getting that job, however including “Keywords” which are those words that define skills, certifications and knowledge for your industry. Your resume doesn’t need to be complicated. The best C.V.´s are the ones which are keyword rich, easy to read, and listed chronologically.

 Step 5- BE PATIENT; if I can find out how long an account has been open for, so can Employers/recruiters. Build your presence, participate in groups, tweet and update your blog regularly. Once you have been building your presence for about a month, now its time to post & search for your dream job! 

Don't wait your dream job awaits!

@itil_guru #theitilguru

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ITIL Lifecycle Continual Service Improvement sample scenarios

Here are some sample CSI exam scenarios I found which were very helpful for me,enjoy!

ITIL CSI Sample Paper 2 v6.1.pdf

ITIL CSI Sample Paper 1 v6 2.pdf

@itil_guru #theitilguru

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Beginning the Journey

When I recently decided to make a career change, I experienced a bit of deja-vu, was reminded of the days when we were all younger and your school/institution asked: " you there, what do you want to be?, that answer is always the most difficult since you really have no idea what you want and what the future will bring.

After 8 years of working in IT filling various technical roles, I was approached by upper management.  They advised that I should take advantage of my analytical, creative, leadership and communications skills and that I should have a look at the ITIL, ITIL I replied, what is that?

After doing a bit of research, I discovered what the ITIL was and that everything relating to IT service management falls within it´s domain.

Since I was younger, I have always had a high aptitude for learning, I have obtained the ITIL V3 Foundation as well as the Intermediate Continual Service Improvement Lifecycle certification, I have set my goal to become an ITIL guru and attain the ITIL Master Level certification within the next 10-15 years while developing my career and gaining experience.

Currently I am working as an Analyst and Continual Service Improvement Coordinator for a service desk for a large Telecom company in Spain.

My desired career path includes becoming a Continual Service Improvement Manager in the near future and will relocate to make that a reality, my desired re-location destination would be Asia.

Welcome to my journey, enjoy

@itil_guru #theitilguru