This month I talked with Alka Bhargav. As we sat over lunch and talked, it struck me how she is continually striving for self-improvement.  There is a lesson in that. Here is an elegant, educated woman who still works hard at achieving excellence every day. After the grueling years of working towards obtaining a lowly bachelors degree in physics I think many of us, including me, feel an entitlement towards a really good paying job that fascinates us. I am here to say life usually doesn't work that way, especially now. The bachelor's degree just isn't enough. It is a good first step but hard work, an attitude of striving for excellence, a willingness to do jobs that other people won't touch, and a toughness of spirit are going to be necessary to succeed. As you read over her background think about how many years of work her accomplishments took and how you can use her words of advice to help you achieve your goals.
She has a BS in chemistry and biology, an MBA, with marketing as a major and a MA in interpersonal and organizational communication from Washington State University.  She is a certified vocational rehabilitation counselor in the state of Washington.  She has been in the fields of education, vocational rehabilitation and human resources for the last 25 years. Currently she is a recruiter for Raytheon. She also does special projects involving various outreach programs sponsored by Raytheon. She has many excellent resume writing and interview tips. These tips are important no matter what the hiring environment.
• Keep your GPA good.
• Look early in the year for summer internships.
• Be willing to relocate and travel.
• Actively check company job opportunity websites.
• Make sure your resume has no spelling or grammatical mistakes.
• Spell out the acronyms if applying outside of your normal scope of experience.
• Choose a professional email address or use your school one.
• Check your email often.
• Have a professional phone message.
• Use bulleted lists instead of paragraphs in your resume.
• Entry-level resumes should be kept to a page in length.
• Tell the truth about your skills and be prepared to support them during the interview.
• Look at the required and desired skills section of the job requisition and highlight those in your resume.
• Be unique. Show what Unique value you bring to the employer.
• Redo your resume for every job so that you can clearly show that you have the skills the employer is looking for.
• At the end of your interview, ask your interviewers what concerns they have about your ability to do the job. This gives you a chance to address them in person.

Here is this month's featured websites:

1) The 2011 DIA Undergraduate Training
Vacancy announcement number Y10-028933-01-RFF closes OCT 21, 2010
https://diajobs.dia.mil/psp/recnprod/APPLICANT/HRMS/c/DI_HOME.DI_SIGNIN.USF

2) The DIA 2011 Summer Intern Program
Vacancy announcement number Y10- 028892-04-RFF  closes OCT 21, 2010
https://diajobs.dia.mil/psp/recnprod/APPLICANT/HRMS/c/DI_HOME.DI_SIGNIN.USF

3) Northrup Grumman College Intern: Technical   Intern
Requisition ID : 101902344
https://ngc.taleo.net/careersection/ngc_coll/jobdetail.ftl

4) Proctor & Gamble Researcher / Intern
http://www.internships.com/posting/RD,-Research--Development,-Researcher-Intern

5) U.S. Department of State Intern
http://www.internships.com/posting/Student-Internships-I568

Post edited September 28, 2010 at 3:34 PM EST.

Post edited September 28, 2010 at 3:35 PM EST.

In my quest to find opportunities for people graduating with Physics degrees to get hired, I am introducing you to things that have helped me. If you don't currently have a job, the best thing you can do besides look for one is to go back to school. The University of Alabama in Huntsville offers a Masters Degree in Operations Research for people who have graduated with Physics degrees. It is the only technical Masters Degree available  there that is completely online. One of the minors available in that degree is Reliability Engineering. With the slowdown in the economy and the budget cuts to defense spending, there is a major focus on sustaining the machines that run our world. The field of Reliability engineering addresses this very real need.
Therefore, this month's interview is with Dr. Bill Wessels. Dr. Wessels currently teaches Reliability Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, AL . He graduated with BS MechE USMA, West Point '70 and went on to get PhD Reliability Systems Engineering in '96 among other degrees. He wrote,  "Practical Reliability Engineering and Analysis for System Design and Life-Cycle Sustainment."
I met Dr. Wessels while taking his class this summer in graduate Reliability Engineering. All semester long he brought up the multiple opportunities for furthering the science of Reliability Engineering. His philosophy is all engineering is applied physics. Reliability Engineering is a very young science and physics graduates are perfectly suited to pursuing it and growing the science by developing new math models and algorithms through research. There are still great needs in the fundamental research side of this science. There is a great shortage of Reliability Engineers in industry. They are needed in the Biomedical field and in Department of Defense projects. There are only 3 universities in the US that offer a Reliability Engineering degree, the University of Maryland, the University of Tucson, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
If you are looking for something that will mean you have a job, this is a good place to look.
Here is a list of websites that have some internships available:
1) Go to The Army Civilian Resume Builder  and Answer  and create your resume https://cpolst.belvoir.army.mil/public/resumebuilder/builder/index.jsp
2)Then go here and apply  Army Vacancy Announcement board
https://cpolwapp.belvoir.army.mil/public/vabSelfNom/
Vacancy Announcement Number: NEAG10160351D ends today
3) Raytheon has 25 college job openings. Go to www.rayjobs.com
4) Go to USAJOBS.gov and put intern into the keyword field. It pops up with 398 job reqs. Granted not all of them are in the physics related arena.
I have figured out through trial and error that you don't apply for the ones that say Engineer. Go for analyst, safety, Operations Research, computer Scientist, the Volunteer Student Intern program, Physical Sciences (Research). Those job titles usually get you through to a hiring official and keep applying. It takes a very long time though.

Hi all,

There is a career fair in Huntsville at the Von Braun South Hall August 23,2010. I can never get the page to load but if you google Alabama Mega Job Fair the link will come up.

Post edited September 3, 2010 at 1:13 PM EST.

This month I talked to Tara Jaynes. She graduated from the University of North Alabama in the summer of 2009 with a major in Physics and a double minor in Earth Science and Math. She's a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, won an award for academic excellence while at UNA and did it with 3 small children at home.
She doesn't have plans right now to go to graduate school. She had a long job search and like me is still trying to find her way to a career she will enjoy and can live on. She took a novel approach due to the fact that applying online and tailoring her resume wasn't working and is extremely time consuming.  She decided to drive around to companies, knock on doors and ask to speak to HR or someone in hiring. She found that calling people and actually going to places worked better. For her, talking to them in person worked to improve her people skills and ultimately got her the position.
The thing I found interesting is that she took a secretarial position with low pay because training was part of the perks. They told her it could possibly grow into an engineering position. It is a job with a very large opportunity for growth if she's willing to do the dirty work and prove she's there to learn and grow. She is with a very small company of engineers, Engineered Solutions Inc., who provide opportunities for her to go out and train in all areas of the company. She says it is a very well rounded group of people who know mechanical engineering, software engineering, and electrical engineering. She feels like the benefit of having well rounded trainers will help her grow into a good employee.
Another thing I found interesting and that I have heard before from other companies is that this company puts out postings but uses them for pooling tool. The online job opening led her to visit them twice. Her boss said the reason they hired her was her attitude that she wanted the job and wasn't leaving until she got it.
Her experience has led to her to the following recommendations for others looking for a job:
• Managers look at people's hobbies.
• Recommends going out and talking to people. It will help you with your interview skills if nothing else.
• Tell them what you want, and what you can do.
• Internships are a big deal. Do an internship in your sophomore year. Find one.
• Once you graduate companies tend to forget about you. Enroll in classes until you get an internship or a job.   Your senior spring semester is too late  to look for an internship. Start at least a year out. Better to start when you start college and do both hand in hand if possible.
Here is a list of websites that have some internships available:
http://www.campuscareercenter.com/    (Place for several internships but I didn't see many.)
CIA Internships
http://www.campuscareercenter.com/full_jobs/6027187/CIA/Undergraduate_Student_Trainee_Program_Co_Op_.html
Internships with the EPA
http://www.epa.gov/ohr/student/
Bettis Atomic Power Lab Internships
http://www.bettislab.com/internprogram.html
Argonne National Laboratory Internships
http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_undergrad/fall.htm
Missile Defense Agency's Target College program held in Huntsville to help college students learn how to get internships.
http://www.mda.mil/news/outreach_college.html

Post edited July 24, 2010 at 1:27 PM EST.

For this article I decided to go to someone that works in a scientific field who has experience in looking at resumes and hiring people of all levels of experience.  My first interview in this series is with Dr. Armand Boudreau, a lead information assurance engineer with Mitre Corporation. He has 0ver 40 years experience in the Department of Defense, both as a military officer and as a contractor. He has a proven ability to build effective IT teams, to design and engineer innovative enterprise-wide solutions, to manage mission-critical projects, and to deliver cost-savings and greater efficiency. He holds both a Doctorate and Master's degrees in computer science plus Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Business.
Here are some excellent gems of wisdom from Dr. Boudreau
Internships tips :
• They are great for exposure.
• Their mechanisms are bureaucratic.
• They increase your experience.
• Your hiring manager doesn't want to babysit or spoon feed you, when you run out of things to do ask others in the office if they need help.
• Read everything, ask for the rules, regulations, and technical manuals.
• Show an eagerness to learn.
• Always look for problems to solve.
• Do not bring problems to supervisors, bring solutions.
• Become the expert.
• Be positive and pro-active.
• Simple things like bringing in donuts or pastries to the office help make yourself known.

Resume tips:
• Key words are a must and they come from the job posting itself or others like it.
• Tailor your resume for the job posting.
• Target specific jobs.
• Ways to get your resume noticed:
o Know someone in the company and have them hand your resume to the hiring manager.
o Contact the Company and see what kind of resume they want.
• Put your resume out there, monster.com, job fairs, etc.
• It is critical to get noticed.

Things your resume should contain:

• Have a short personal profile a paragraph or two in length that highlights your people skills, relationship skills, and management skills.
• Use specific things you have done that demonstrate those skills.
• Were you in charge of any projects, or have any awards?
• List your experience, your skill set, and your accomplishments.

One last bit of wisdom from Dr. Boudreau:  headhunters are a waste of time.

Monthly Job Boards:
• This site has nationwide schedule and go anyway even if you don't have a clearance.

http://www.targetedjobfairs.com/tjf/search/upcoming.jsp



? For this site candidates must have US citizenship and at least 2 years of Engineering, Technology or Defense industry experience on top of related degree (or prior military background). No Exceptions. Some employers may require an active security clearance. Note: working in the lab doing research at a university qualifies as technology experience.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wl/jobs/Content?Content=/Career_Fairs/index.html
? Several internships listed in the US on www.dice.com

? This site has internships but it requires a security clearance.

http://www.techexpousa.com/all_shows.cfm

? The email address at www.mda.mil  students@mda.mil for the following programs doesn't work.

o Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)
o Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)

I am trying to get in touch with them to get a good email address for students to send their resumes.

Study Dr. Boudreau's resume and see how he words things. For me it was a different style than I had seen before.

DR. ARMAND D. BOUDREAU, JR.

Address
(HOME Phone)  ~  (MOBILE Phone)  ~  (WORK Phone)  ~ email
PROFILE

~  Technology Leadership with an Excellent Mix of Technical & Management Expertise  ~

Innovative, strategic, and results-driven IT leader with over 38 years of proven experience including more than 13 years in CIO/CTO roles with the United States Air Force. Proven ability to build effective IT teams, to design and engineer innovative enterprise-wide solutions, to manage mission-critical projects, and to deliver cost-savings and greater efficiency. Adaptable and proactive with excellent planning, decision-making, problem-solving, relationship-building, and negotiating skills. Both Doctorate and Master's degrees in computer science plus Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Business. Expertise includes:

• IT Strategic Planning • Software Development • Systems Integration • Upgrades
• Infrastructure Design • Telecommunications • Budget/Vendor Oversight • IT Security
• Network Administration • 24x7 System Support • Disaster Recovery Planning • TCO Analysis

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Strategic Planning / Project Management / Innovation
? Led and completed three years ahead of schedule a major $5.5 million initiative to upgrade the entire IT infrastructure at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, the largest upgrade the base had ever seen. Dramatically improved network connection rates from 56Kb to 100BaseT Fast Ethernet, with an ATM backbone, replaced copper with fiber optic cable, consolidated 98 servers into five clustered, fully redundant "super servers," and cut trouble tickets from 120 a day to zero. Won Maintenance Effectiveness Award for creating model base infrastructure.
? Led the entire analysis effort for the largest Ballistic Missile Defense System distributed ground test ever completed.  As the Joint Analysis Team Lead completed the analysis effort despite 32 schedule, briefed senior leadership on the results and warfighter procedures were enhanced based on his analysis.  
? Pioneered use of a parallel processing database for a new command and control monitoring system for US Strategic Command, which was the second system in DoD to achieve Capability Maturity Model Level 2.
? Developed the base network control center concept and model for the entire Air Force.
Cost-Savings
? Saved over 1,500 man-hours and $.5 million at Peterson Air Force Base by lowering the total cost of ownership via moving some users from Sun boxes to NT workstations, streamlining network procedures, and delivering innovative customer solutions such as a network for enhanced document delivery.
? Delivered more than $20 million in annual cost-savings by developing "smart multiplex" consolidated systems for the Air Force while Project Manager at HQ Strategic Air Command.
? Cut annual telecom costs by over $.5 million at UK base by purchasing cables instead of leasing from BT.
? Achieved $5.5 million in savings for US Strategic Command by developing and implementing a bandwidth-on-demand strategy to replace dedicated leased circuits.
Customer Satisfaction
? Received the President's Coin award at Teledyne Brown CollaborX, one of only three presented to our division, for receiving many letters of appreciation from customers at all levels.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MITRE Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado                                                                                       2007 – Present
Lead System Engineer and Lead Information Assurance Engineer, AC-4   
? Designed and developed an Information Assurance (IA) Enterprise database base for certification, accreditation and risk assessment for the entire Missile Defense Agency.  His plan included a dynamic implementation strategy that resolves numerous shortfalls and duplication of efforts with the entire IA processes and procedures supporting the Ballistic Missile Defense System.
DR. ARMAND D. BOUDREAU JR.

Page 2

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
(CONTINUED)

? Absolutely excelled as a leader in the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) analysis efforts.  Led the Joint Analysis Team in 3 distributed ground test to include the largest BMDS distributed ground test every completed. He was personally responsible for the entire analysis effort and briefed the results of an end-to-end test from sensor to shooter to intercept, including collecting and analyzing data from all over the world.  He identified significant shortfalls and vulnerabilities and his results were presented to senior leadership to include the White House.  Warfighter tactics and procedures were modified to increase the effectiveness of the nation's premier weapon system based on his analysis.

TELEDYNE BROWN COLLABORX, INC., Colorado Springs, Colorado 2003 – 2007
Systems System Engineer, Level 5
? Analyze, troubleshoot, and develop innovative solutions for problems and issues with the Command and Control Ballistic Missile Communication Project (C2BMC) supporting the Ballistic Missile Defense system.
? Participated in the initial R&D effort to develop a joint global weather system for the United States Air Force and Army. Developed detailed infrastructure proposal for the command and control design and integration.
? Designed an enhanced enterprise architecture for USNORTHCOM to enable collaboration among numerous domestic government agencies and branches during an emergency.  This included encompassing LAN/WAN Technology, security systems and nodal analysis.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
(CONTINUED)
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE 1972 – 2002
(Retired in December 2002 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel)
Chief of Information Technology Operations, HQ NORTHCMD/USSPACE CMD/NORAD (1999-2002), Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
? Managed and directed the engineering, implementation, maintenance, and support of a Metropolitan Area Network serving over 500 users in the intelligence community and spanning 14 geographically dispersed locations. Highly secure, top-secret infrastructure encompassed UNIX and Windows environments, multiple databases, and ATM connectivity to the desktop.
? Supervised, trained, and motivated a total technical team of 64.
? Planned and managed an annual budget exceeding $2 million.
? Designed and implemented back-up, data recovery, and network/information security strategies and consistently maintained 99.99% network uptime.
? Spearheaded major initiatives to streamline enhance and secure network operations.
? Defined and implemented IT standards, policies, and best practices.

Information Technology Director, (Commander) 49th Fighter Wing (1996-98), Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
? Directed and planned all computer and communications system support for a 6,000-member community at Holloman Air Force Base.
? Oversaw a total team of 170 IT professionals; delegated work assignments, managed staff hiring and training, and implemented training and performance review programs.
? Planned and led the deployment of major projects including upgrades and migrations.
? Managed an annual budget of $1 million plus $5.5 million for major base infrastructure upgrade.
? Procured necessary hardware and software, contracting with external suppliers.
? Researched and selected vendors and consulting partners, then managed all such third-party relationships.

Chief of Information Technology Operations, HQ USSTRATCOM (1994-95), Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
? Directed the design, development, configuration, implementation, and maintenance of software systems for the Command Center of US Strategic Command, ensuring worldwide connectivity of strategic forces.



DR. ARMAND BOUDREAU JR.

Page 3

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
(CONTINUED)

? Specifically led the engineering, design, and deployment of a new command and control system that monitors worldwide command and control, computers, communications and intelligence systems. System achieved Capability Maturity Model Level 2 rating and was delivered two years ahead of schedule.
? Hired and supervised internal and contract resources for programming, development, and testing.

Strategic Global Communications Planner & Project Manager, HQ USSTRATCOM (1992-94), Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
? Directed and managed strategic communications support for nuclear war planning and nuclear operations.
? Led Quality Process Action Team that identified the requirements and specifications for a new, integrated command and control, communications, computer, and intelligence system providing real-time status and trend analysis for over 60 systems.
Command & Control Systems Manager, HQ USSTRATCOM (1992-93), Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
? Evaluated, planned, and implemented procedures for multiple computer and communication systems.
? Designed and developed an automated system to enable connectivity for worldwide strategic nuclear forces.
Project Manager, HQ Strategic Air Command (1991-92), Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
? Managed special projects to design and implement innovative command and control, communications, computer, and intelligence systems for various purposes including monitoring intelligence and war planning. This included deployment of "smart multiplex" systems.
? Planned project budgets, timelines, and resource allocation.
Information Technology Director, 501st Tactical Missile Wing (1988-91), RAF Greenham Common, UK
? Managed all computer, communications, and air traffic control systems for Air Force presence in the UK.
? Oversaw a total workforce of 180 military, civilian, and contract employees.
? Led various initiatives to achieve greater efficiency, information security, robustness, and cost-savings.

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE (continued) 1972 – 2002  
Chief of Information Technology Maintenance,(Commander)  2161 Communications Squadron (1985-88), Wueschheim Air Station, Germany
? Built a base from the ground up. Directed and oversaw the configuration, implementation, support, and maintenance for Air Force command and control computer systems including telecommunications infrastructure, satellite communications, high-frequency radio system, and a cable plant.
? Supervised, trained, and motivated a team of 59 IT/communications personnel.
? Led numerous innovations including installation of one of the first fiber optic ring systems in Europe.
Program Manager, HQ Air Force Communications Command (1983-85), Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
? Planned and managed programs to develop and enhance sophisticated command and control systems including satellite systems supporting the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system.
? Performed all the planning, programming, resource allocation, and justification for a $510 million budget encompassing an 80,000-member workforce.
Computer Technician, 509th Bomber Wing, Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire & 380th Bomber Wing, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York (1977-82)
? Diagnosed and repaired digital flight simulators down to the component level. Systems consisted of seven computers, a radar land mass system, a radar homing and warning system, and a full digital visual and hydraulic system.
Title II Launch Crew Member, 38th Strategic Missile Wing (1973-77), Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
? Inspected, monitored, operated, maintained, and repaired missile system support facilities and equipment at a Title II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch facility.
? Executed an emergency action war order to launch a Title II missile.

EDUCATION

COLORADO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Doctorate., Computer Science, 2006

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY, Omaha, Nebraska
Master of Arts, Computer Science Management, 1999

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY, St. Louis, Missouri
Master of Arts, Business Management, 1988

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, Durham, New Hampshire
Bachelor of Arts, Business Management, 1981

Additional Air Force training courses included Basic and Advanced Communications Computer Officer Training Course, Chief of Maintenance School, Air and Command Staff College, Joint Command and Control Communications Course, Joint Space and Intelligence Operations Course, NCO Leadership School, Squadron Officer School.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Hardware: IBM Mainframes / IBM & IBM-Compatible PCs / IBM RISC Boxes / IBM Super Servers / Sun Enterprise Servers

Networking: ATM/Ethernet Switches / Cisco Hubs and Routers / LAN / MAN /WAN

Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, XP / UNIX (Sun Solaris)

ARMAND BOUDREAU, DR.

Address
(HOME Phone)  ~  (MOBILE phone)  ~  (WORK phone )  ~  email

October 1, 2007

The MITRE Corporation
Address

Dear MITRE:

With my extensive Global Command and Control, Enterprise Architecture, IT leadership, visionary experience and proven ability managing major integration and consolidation initiatives, I believe I am an excellent candidate for employment within the MITRE Corporation. Please find my resume enclosed for your consideration.

Some of the key strengths and qualifications I have to offer include:
• Broad-Based Technological, Strategic Command and Control, and Management Expertise:  My 35+ years of IT experience includes designing, implementing, and managing networks command and control systems in both Windows and UNIX environments for user communities of up to 6,000 as well as managing desktop support, custom software development, and telecommunications. As many of these networks and systems were for government use, they had to adhere to the utmost standards of security in addition to being highly robust. Additional experience includes developing long-range IT strategy, designing disaster recovery plans, planning and managing budgets, and directing vendor selection and purchasing. Supplementing my technical expertise are my excellent management skills. I hold a Doctorate in Computer Science, a Master of Arts in Computer Management, and both Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Business Management.
• Proven Track Record of Innovation:  I have excelled in driving cost-savings and achieving organizational synergy by leading large-scale, enterprise-wide initiatives. For example, while Information Technology Director at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, I led the most extensive upgrade of infrastructure ever for the base and delivered this three years ahead of schedule. I also have extensive experience consolidating systems and designing and project management for strategic command and control systems; you can read more about these achievements in the resume.
• Excellent Leadership, Communication, and Relationship-Building Skills:  An articulate leader, communicator, and negotiator, I am adept at recruiting, managing, and motivating top-performing teams as well as building strong relationships with peers and customer organizations. While managing strategic and base IT infrastructure, I frequently had to work with individuals throughout the Department of Defense designing, engineering and implementing command and control systems.

I am confident that I can be a valuable asset to the MITRE Corporation, and I would welcome the opportunity to speak or meet with you to discuss my qualifications and the needs of the position in greater depth. Please do not hesitate to contact me either by telephone or e-mail.

Thank you for your time, interest, and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,


Armand Boudreau, Dr.

Post edited June 29, 2010 at 9:16 AM EST.

Below is sample of one Dr. Boudreau's cover letters. He has graciously agreed to let us publish. Study it to see how he did it and pick up ideas for your own.

ARMAND BOUDREAU, DR.

Address
(HOME Phone)  ~  (MOBILE phone)  ~  (WORK phone )  ~  email




April 1, 2007

Mr. Bill Avery

Dear Mr. Avery:

With my extensive IT leadership experience and proven ability managing major integration and consolidation initiatives, I believe I am an excellent candidate for the Chief Information Officer position with the City of Colorado Springs. Please find my resume enclosed for your consideration.

Some of the key strengths and qualifications I have to offer include:
• Broad-Based Technological, Strategic, and Management Expertise:  My 30+ years of IT experience includes designing, implementing, and managing networks and systems in both Windows and UNIX environments for user communities of up to 6,000 as well as managing desktop support, custom software development, and telecommunications. As many of these networks and systems were for government use, they had to adhere to the utmost standards of security in addition to being highly robust. Additional experience includes developing long-range IT strategy, designing disaster recovery plans, planning and managing budgets, and directing vendor selection and purchasing. Supplementing my technical expertise are my excellent management skills. I hold a Docterate in Computer Science, a Master of Arts in Computer Management, and both Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Business Management.
• Proven Track Record of Innovation:  I have excelled in driving cost-savings and achieving organizational synergy by leading large-scale, enterprise-wide initiatives. For example, while Information Technology Director at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, I led the most extensive upgrade of infrastructure ever for the base and delivered this three years ahead of schedule. I also have extensive experience consolidating systems; you can read more about these achievements in the resume.
• Excellent Leadership, Communication, and Relationship-Building Skills:  An articulate leader, communicator, and negotiator, I am adept at recruiting, managing, and motivating top-performing teams as well as building strong relationships with peers and customer organizations. While managing base IT infrastructure, I frequently had to work with unions representing the civilian portion of the workforce as well as with fire, police, transportation, command center, and administrative departments.

Currently, I earn a salary of $k per annum.

I am confident that I can be a valuable asset to the City of Colorado Springs, and I would welcome the opportunity to speak or meet with you to discuss my qualifications and the needs of the position in greater depth. Please do not hesitate to contact me either by telephone or e-mail. I will give you a call to follow up if I have not heard from you in two weeks.

Thank you for your time, interest, and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,


Armand Boudreau, Dr.

Enclosure

Post edited June 29, 2010 at 9:16 AM EST.