Lost my job, now what?

I recently was pulled into the IT manager's office and asked to resign within a months time. She explained that I was not a good fit and wasn't working quickly enough(I was the cabling guy that ran cable at offices and installed AP's etc. I looked for jobs and had a couple interviews but nothing solid and no offer. I ended up resigning to avoid being fired, and an currently working at Lowe's to pay bills.

I've worked in IT since 2007 and enjoy the field but am unsure of where to go now. I'm not even sure how to explain this in an interview.

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Deathmage

what skillset and/or certifications do you have in IT? - Like what do you want to do...

JamesRF

I've found so far in my career that I enjoy working with PC maintenance/Imaging/Repair although being a pc tech/network tech is pretty enjoyable to me. I'd like to be a Network Tech or Network Administrator. I do not have certs but currently studying for Network+.

Deathmage

JamesRF wrote: »

I've found so far in my career that I enjoy working with PC maintenance/Imaging/Repair although being a pc tech/network tech is pretty enjoyable to me. I'd like to be a Network Tech or Network Administrator. I do not have certs but currently studying for Network+.

stick with lowes and press forward with your N+, and get your S+, then work on your CCNA. However, proactively look for a help desk job.

When asked about past history, merely say you moved on since you weren't learning anything new and you took a gamble with retail and it didn't work out.... that's all.... don't get yourself down, excel from it and make them regret it. Never look on the past, look towards the future, it's always brighter. It's one of many things that have lead me toward success time and time again. A positive mentality does wonders....

MTciscoguy

I would make sure and get A+ as soon as you can, then move on, if you like maintenance, having A+ under your belt is going to reinforce that when you interview. Talk to the manager at the Lowes store you are working at, you would be amazed at the amount of work those networks need, I just finished a job at Home Depot the other day, what a mess! I had to re-cable about a third of the store and we also added wireless access points in the store and reconfigured some of their servers. Those big warehouse stores need IT work!

They asked you to resign, so they would not have to pay the unemployment benefit, typical in today's business environment.

JamesRF

I've worked in IT since 2007 so I'm not sure A+ would do much at this point in my career so I figure Network + would be more helpful.

Deathmage wrote: »

stick with lowes and press forward with your N+, and get your S+, then work on your CCNA. However, proactively look for a help desk job.

When asked about past history, merely say you moved on since you weren't learning anything new and you took a gamble with retail and it didn't work out.... that's all.... don't get yourself down, excel from it and make them regret it. Never look on the past, look towards the future, it's always brighter. It's one of many things that have lead me toward success time and time again. A positive mentality does wonders....

I'll try to say I took a gamble with retail but miss IT but some people say I should be truthful about my last job. I'm trying my best to stay positive as I could switch careers but I know my passion is IT.

bloodshotbetty

I recently lost my job due to "not being a good fit". I have been honest about it with recruiters that I have been talking to. I said, "It was a mutual decision that I was not a good fit." And then I bring up what I learned from it and how I am moving forward.

I am pretty new to the field, so I don't have much in the way of advice. But if you truly love what you do, then stick with it. I didn't love social work, so I made the transition to IT. Sometimes these things can be a blessing in disguise. As cliche as that is. It forced me to reevaluate my skill set and gave me the courage to pursue new things.

Good luck to you- keep working hard and things will work out.

MTciscoguy

JamesRF wrote: »

I've worked in IT since 2007 so I'm not sure A+ would do much at this point in my career so I figure Network + would be more helpful.

I'll try to say I took a gamble with retail but miss IT but some people say I should be truthful about my last job. I'm trying my best to stay positive as I could switch careers but I know my passion is IT.

I thought you said, you like maintenance? A+ is a quick, easy give me certification, that will never hurt you, I am not saying, don't get your N+ or S+, but anybody that has been working with computers for any time at all, should be able to knock an A+ out with no problem, it will give you a quick, down and dirty cert to put on your resume. Believe it or not, it does help with those interviewing you, that don't know what they are looking for. Right now, you have experience, but you don't have much to put on the resume for the person interviewing you. There is no reason not to pursue your passion, but remember while pursuing it, you still have to eat, so there is nothing wrong with retail, take your skills and see how you can apply them to retail and you might be very surprise....

Remember Target and Home Depot sure would of loved to have someone in their companies the knew what they were doing, there is always an opening for the right person, it is up to you, to make you, the right person.

techfiend

Do you have any on the job experience configuring managed switches? If so. I'd go for ccent or jncia-junos. If not, I second the overpriced a+ because it's so in demand and probably your best bet to quickly get back in the field.

GForce75

Do you have enough IT jobs in the area? I have a few friends who moved to TX working for Dell, Paypal and several other large companies. Depending on your age, military reserves could also help with IT training. It really just depends how far you wanna go, but I know it's harder if you have fixed bills or a family.

ratbuddy

JamesRF wrote: »

I ended up resigning to avoid being fired

Why?? That just screws you out of your unemployment benefits and saves the company money.

JoJoCal19

Hopefully this bump in the road provides a valuable learning lesson to you and others in your situation. You've been working in IT for 8 years and a member of these forums for 5 years, so you know in IT you need to be very proactive in keeping your skills sharp, learning new and current technology, and yes, adding certs to your resume. It may be very tough as I'm sure you're going to be competing against others in your situation but that probably have degrees and/or certs to go with their experience. You're going to have to have a tack sharp resume and really wow the interviewer to give you an edge against others. I have friends in a similar situation that get complacent sitting in one job and not advancing their skills and knowledge, and I keep trying to tell them they need to be more proactive with their career to avoid any hardships should they no longer have that job.

anhtran35

Wait. Why did you re-sign? If they lay you off or let you go you can collect unemployment.

binarysoul

Have confidence, just because some manager told you you're not a fit doesn't mean you're not good fort IT. Go all the way and prove those who doubt you wrong. Best of luck.

binarysoul

bloodshotbetty wrote: »

I recently lost my job due to "not being a good fit". I have been honest about it with recruiters that I have been talking to. I said, "It was a mutual decision that I was not a good fit." And then I bring up what I learned from it and how I am moving forward.

I am pretty new to the field, so I don't have much in the way of advice. But if you truly love what you do, then stick with it. I didn't love social work, so I made the transition to IT. Sometimes these things can be a blessing in disguise. As cliche as that is. It forced me to reevaluate my skill set and gave me the courage to pursue new things.

Good luck to you- keep working hard and things will work out.

Your social work degree is valuable to IT. I say this because I have a couple of degrees, one being in Social Development. Without being over-confident, I do well in interviews arguing social aspect of technology is becoming critical and arguing that my social degree is a plus for an employer.

Mr. Meeseeks

ratbuddy wrote: »

Why?? That just screws you out of your unemployment benefits and saves the company money.

I've always wondered this myself. Why make yourself ineligible for unemployment benefits when you don't have to? In most states, they have to prove cause in order for you to be ineligible.

I can understand resigning, in certain circumstances, but this doesn't appear to be one of those with the limited information...

kiki162

James - I think a lot of us here have been where you are at in your career. But my advice to you would be this....if you don't take a risk to advance your career (certs, IT bootcamp, college, etc.) then you aren't gonna go far. Draw a plan out for where you want to be in a year, or two's time. I think Net+ is a good start for you, then maybe get into CCNA, or MCSE even. You should always be learning and doing something to progress your career, so once you get one cert out of the way, start working on the next cert, or project. You'll find that if you keep going with that, in a few years time, you'll be that network admin!

bloodshotbetty

binarysoul wrote: »

Your social work degree is valuable to IT. I say this because I have a couple of degrees, one being in Social Development. Without being over-confident, I do well in interviews arguing social aspect of technology is becoming critical and arguing that my social degree is a plus for an employer.

I have been REALLY selling this in my cover letter and my conversations with recruiters. I bring up how technology can be really intimidating for end-users and my social work experience gives me the skills to put people at ease, talk to them, etc. Also with data collection, information gathering, etc. People have been really receptive to that.

shodown

ratbuddy wrote: »

Why?? That just screws you out of your unemployment benefits and saves the company money.

This right here. Stick around and get fired. Its not like you can use them as a reference anyway.

IIIMaster

I agreee, then they will listen to guys who said they made it fine without degrees and certs. I been through that road and took some people advise to make sure my big 3 stay strong.

Big 3
1. Education
2. Certification
3. Experience

Nemowolf

JamesRF wrote: »

I've worked in IT since 2007 so I'm not sure A+ would do much at this point in my career so I figure Network + would be more helpful.

I'll try to say I took a gamble with retail but miss IT but some people say I should be truthful about my last job. I'm trying my best to stay positive as I could switch careers but I know my passion is IT.

Two quick points James:

1) Your at the bottom of the mountain and its tall. Getting your A+ is a quick signal to any recruiter or hiring manager that you have established the ground work for most any other certification by passing the fundamentals of computers. I have had MANY recruiters contact me because their clients put down *Must have A+* on their list of reqs. This can help you get your foot in the door as you will have a certification backing up your experience.

Studying the N+ is good, but i think your a bit misguided in thinking it would be more helpful. What exactly is it more hopeful of/for/towards? I think you need to get back into the entry level help desk and desktop support type roles so you can figure out what you want to do exactly. For instance, AP/Network cabling didn't pan out for that one job and perhaps your not up to snuff for the next job but you would be great at something else. Until you have your background, experience, and job history pointing you towards a specialty, don't discount any options.

2) Just because your passionate about something doesn't mean its the right fit for you. Tons of people join this board asking for help on how to transition into IT but they get caught up in the glamour and forget the hard work. No six figure job is awaiting you just because you want to be in IT. Take to heart some of the hardship stories you can read on here and understand that passion alone isn't going to solve things for you. Consider going back to school and take classes, get more certifications and most of all be a smart job searcher. Do NOT just randomly apply for jobs as thats never going to get you further you currently are at. Figure out what you want out of the jobs your applying for and make sure you do your due diligence when applying anywhere, small or big.

philz1982

JamesRF wrote: »

I recently was pulled into the IT manager's office and asked to resign within a months time. She explained that I was not a good fit and wasn't working quickly enough(I was the cabling guy that ran cable at offices and installed AP's etc. I looked for jobs and had a couple interviews but nothing solid and no offer. I ended up resigning to avoid being fired, and an currently working at Lowe's to pay bills.

I've worked in IT since 2007 and enjoy the field but am unsure of where to go now. I'm not even sure how to explain this in an interview.

Ok,

So I got let go from my first job out of the military after 6 months due to the 2007-2008 economy fun-fest. At this point in my career I don't even include that job on my resume anymore.

I had a wife and a one year old and was scared sh$tless. Here is what I did to help get a job within 2 weeks.

I had three things under my control: I could control the look and feel of my resume, I could control how I spoke to people, and I could control who I contacted. This was before the days of LinkedIn.
First, I trued up my resume, I had 5 years of military experience and 6 months of work experience. I had some basic certs. I knew I needed to continue making around 55k to maintain my lifestyle. I Googled every company within the US that had positions for the Certs I had. I made sure my resume, highlighted my military experience and that it read good. Then I didn't send a single resume out....
I picked up the phone and I called every company on my list. Sometimes I asked for the hiring manager, if the direct route didn't work I asked for someone in that department, if that didn't work I would inquire on the job. I did not have time to waste with a 2-4 week HR screen.
Once I got to the hiring manager or someone in the department I then became their friend. I talked about what they needed and at the end of the call I was often asked what they could do for me. I would say something like " Well, I'm a recent veteran, and I need a job." I told them how I went about my job search and that I would work as hard for them as I did on the search. I showed my hunger. Some bit, others referred me to other companies (Warm intro's rock!), others said no thanks.
By the end of week 1 I had 15 interviews scheduled. I worked out a COLA index, growth plan, and company health index and ranked my interviews. I cleaned up an old suit flew out to Chicago for my first interview. I showed, not told, them how I would make them money. They hired me that day and the rest is history.

Here are some resources for truing up the resume:

Ideal Resume For Mid-Level Employee - Business Insider
Why This Is An Excellent Resume - Business Insider
How To Master The Art Of Cold Calling: Tips From The Real-Life 'Boiler Room' - Business Insider
How to answer 31 tough interview questions - Business Insider

Hope this helps!

pevangel

Did you get feedback from your manager why she thought you weren't a good fit? Have you figured out what others were doing that made them a better fit? Have you taken an honest look back at your performance and think about the things that you could improve on?

Learn and grow from what happened. If you don't, then you risk the same thing happening at your next job.

kurosaki00

I also think you should SKIP A+. You already have basic IT knowledge (and more probably). For the full IT technician cert you can do a couple of MS certs, go with that better if you wanna go the admin route.

pramin

philz1982 wrote: »

Ok,

So I got let go from my first job out of the military after 6 months due to the 2007-2008 economy fun-fest. At this point in my career I don't even include that job on my resume anymore.

I had a wife and a one year old and was scared sh$tless. Here is what I did to help get a job within 2 weeks.
I had three things under my control: I could control the look and feel of my resume, I could control how I spoke to people, and I could control who I contacted. This was before the days of LinkedIn.

First, I trued up my resume, I had 5 years of military experience and 6 months of work experience. I had some basic certs. I knew I needed to continue making around 55k to maintain my lifestyle. I Googled every company within the US that had positions for the Certs I had. I made sure my resume, highlighted my military experience and that it read good. Then I didn't send a single resume out....

I picked up the phone and I called every company on my list. Sometimes I asked for the hiring manager, if the direct route didn't work I asked for someone in that department, if that didn't work I would inquire on the job. I did not have time to waste with a 2-4 week HR screen.

Once I got to the hiring manager or someone in the department I then became their friend. I talked about what they needed and at the end of the call I was often asked what they could do for me. I would say something like " Well, I'm a recent veteran, and I need a job." I told them how I went about my job search and that I would work as hard for them as I did on the search. I showed my hunger. Some bit, others referred me to other companies (Warm intro's rock!), others said no thanks.

By the end of week 1 I had 15 interviews scheduled. I worked out a COLA index, growth plan, and company health index and ranked my interviews. I cleaned up an old suit flew out to Chicago for my first interview. I showed, not told, them how I would make them money. They hired me that day and the rest is history.

Here are some resources for truing up the resume:

Ideal Resume For Mid-Level Employee - Business Insider
Why This Is An Excellent Resume - Business Insider
How To Master The Art Of Cold Calling: Tips From The Real-Life 'Boiler Room' - Business Insider
How to answer 31 tough interview questions - Business Insider

Hope this helps!

Great write up. Inspiring, motivating, and direct/to the point.

N2IT

shodown wrote: »

This right here. Stick around and get fired. Its not like you can use them as a reference anyway.

+1 Good advice here.

tescosamoa

Another good thing about getting the N+ or A+ or both is that it gets you into the frame of thinking again and helps get past some of the online filtering. I would apply to all the recruiters in the area to practice interviews and then I would systematically start to apply for positions. Pick companies , geographical areas and positions. Then draw up a plan on when you will work on that area. IE. Mondays check all the companies I would like to work at, Tuesdays look at the geographical region, Wednesday look at positions. Track it and follow up on every opportunity. Make sure everyone knows that your looking for work. Get it out there with friends, peers and old associates. Update the job sites with your resume with each change.

Tie that in with working and studying for your certs will go a very long way to rebuilding your self-esteem and knowing that you can overcome a crisis. The added bonus is that you are showing on your resume that you are looking after your career and keeping up with education.

Lots of good advice above, enjoy your new future in IT.

JamesRF

Thanks to all of you for the advice I was emailed that I was 1 of the top 2 candidates for a job at a local msp. I wasn't offered the job but the person they offered didn't take it so I was then offered the job. I took it and I'm in my first week. I bought a network + book today and plan to take the test very soon.

Now to make it past the 90 day period...

pramin

JamesRF wrote: »

I wasn't offered the job but the person they offered didn't take it so I was then offered the job. I took it and I'm in my first week. I bought a network + book today and plan to take the test very soon.

Now to make it past the 90 day period...

Congrats on the msp job. Do your best to make sure they feel they made a good choice in selecting you for the job. Go above and beyond when ever possible.

GForce75

JamesRF wrote: »

Thanks to all of you for the advice I was emailed that I was 1 of the top 2 candidates for a job at a local msp. I wasn't offered the job but the person they offered didn't take it so I was then offered the job. I took it and I'm in my first week. I bought a network + book today and plan to take the test very soon.

Now to make it past the 90 day period...

Outstanding. Keep learning because technology keeps changing. Can't wait for CompTIA to come out with AI+, Cyber+, & Drone+

MTciscoguy

Good for you, keep at it and you will be amazed at how far you can go, positive attitude will keep you going through the rough spots and just remember, everything happens for a reason.