AD and MS Exchange

[clark33]

Need a bit advice re an upcoming iview. The job spec reads Support of AD and MS Exchange as skillsets. Trouble is - my experience of these is very thin if at all anything. Im sure i could pick up the skills but feel the company will be wanting me to have been exposed to both through previous work. Can anyone advise me as the best approach to take? Feel my chances are limited by AD and MS Exchange knowledge which i dont have.

thanks.
worried.

 

[Lexluethar]

I think your problem here is AD and Exchange can be some of the more difficult areas to configure. I don't have any experience in exchange but i do in Active Directory. Not trying to burst your bubble but without having any hands on experience or time studying the topic it's hard. Just to give you an example i have a 700 page book sitting on top of my desk on ADDS (Active Directory Domain Services), i have another 3 books related to the topic, each 500 or so pages. To expect someone to give you a crash course in that is asking a bit much.

AD is created in a domain environment. ADDS are installed on what is called a Domain Controller. That domain controller can have any number of services running from ADDS, file sharing, print services, RADIUS, Ipsec and a host of other features that you would see in a large corporate environment. The general idea behind AD is controlling security and resources for the masses. You can do everything from setting up VPN connections for remote clients to making it where people can't change their background picture (again very broad range of things here, far too many to go through).

With ADDS the core idea is you create Group Policy Objects, these objects lay the foundation for what i stated above. Each policy can have any number of policies set in it.

 

[clark33]

Thanks for the info. Will go into the interview to sell myself - but will just have to say Ive not got the experience for AD and MS Exchange, probably the best approach id say??

 

[Peter.Cort]

I wouldn't try and go a round about way and try to cover up the fact that you don't have experience, that's definitely a quick way to make a bad impression when they straight up ask you, or if you get the job and then have all these expectations surrounding it. I would say that you have limited knowledge of it, but that you're willing to learn it, and if you're a fast learner throw that in. It's not the hardest thing to do in a limited scope, applying group policies, and other little stuff like that isn't that hard, it just takes a bit of time to know where everything is, but once you get the basics it's not that bad. But there's a lot of in depth stuff, otherwise there wouldn't be like 700 page books, so I wouldn't try and sugar coat your limited experience.

 

[clark33]

Ok, thanks for the input - that makes sense with what you say so will bear that in mind for the interview.

 

[Lexluethar]

Be honest, if you BS your way through it and actually get the job you'll be way under qualified for the job and will likely lose it within a month. During that month your life would be hell because you would be entirely over your head.

I agree with pete, be honest.

 

[clark33]

I've got Comptia A plus and a MCDST, so shouldnt be a problem settling into the job. Interviews are my main worry, once I get over that hurdle i normally settle into and pick up the job quite quickly.