Did everyone go through this?

muchw0w

Hello everyone!

Just asking for advice on how to solve my problem. I've been trying to get my foot in the door as a Bench Technician. Getting my A+ has landed me a few interviews but no offers. It seems as though everyone is scared off when they see I have no "formal" experience through a employer. Isn't your A+ supposed to be equivalent to six months experience? Aside from that, I have additional experience from side jobs I have come across.

Anyone else have these issues starting out? Any advice to give? What else can I do to make myself more valuable to a potential employer?

beads

muchw0w;

Pretty much everyone starting a career in IT has commonly had this experience from one degree or another. Unless of course you take the nepotism route and have a relation get you hired.

As far as A+ goes I would also try smaller repair shops and Best Buy, if you haven't looked there before.

Sometimes you have to be a bit more creative on the initial career search.

- b/eads

thatguy67

I remember a couple years ago, reading about breaking into IT. I anticipated this, and decided to enroll in a community college. I earned a connection so to speak, because the instructor knew all the local businesses and would refer students out. Both the businesses and the instructor have the understanding that the student has zero experience. Typically they are internships turned full-time positions.

TheFORCE

You need to probably market yourself better on your resume. Elaborate a little bit more on a few points. Don't be shy to rate yourself on things that you already do part time

dustervoice

I had similar experience to you when i was trying to break into IT. I took and passed N+ and A+ without any formal experience and no one wanted to a take a chance and hire me. It was my mother who introduced me to a network manager for a bank who then introduce me to a close friend of his who was a recruiter who called me in for an interview and gave me a equivalent of a "MCSA/Novel" test at the time which i'm sure i failed miserably. To be honest, it was "nepotism route" that beads mentioned that got me in IT. That said, my first job was a bit S*itty I was basically surveying software installed on PC for a popular hospital in NY. From there I had to be creative to move up the ladder. My best advise to you is try to network as much as possible ask everyone in your social circle for help. I'm sure you know someone who knows someone who can introduce you to someone . Good Luck

JoJoCal19

When trying to break into IT, selling yourself (since you have no experience to sell) is paramount. For the first half of my IT career all of the jobs I got, both initially and from there on out, I was pretty well under the experience they were looking for, but was able to sell myself. From there you need to be able to deliver and perform to the level they want, which takes a lot of putting in the work to study and lab, etc.

TechGromit

I remember a time when I worked at a casino in operations we would post a computer operator position and no one would apply. This was back in the mid 1990's. It probably had to do with the type of town it was, people could get a job selling change and make a good living with tips they received. Simply put there are a lot of casino jobs that required a lot less knowledge and experience and paid much better. Those days are long gone and most of the jobs that paid so well have been eliminated or greatly reduced. The selling change jobs have been eliminated, the slot machines take bills now. The slot machines also dispense a bar code ticket, so there are a lot fewer cashiers. Once the people element was eliminated, tips are a lot less common now too.

bpenn

When I finally decided to get my life in gear, I realized that getting formal IT experience and training would be difficult. My (now) father-in-law suggested I join the AF Reserve since it helped him so much. I made the plunge, got the hands-on-training, and networked my way into a job through the contacts I made while on orders.

Best decision I ever made, though not for everyone. If you are young and close to a AF base I would recommend it.

kohr-ah

Yup. Went through that as well and was having the same issues.
The good news is if you are getting interviews your resume is on the right path.

Now it is time to sell yourself. The muchw0w brand.
What you can't make up in experience you need to sell how much you are wanting to learn. Your passion for the field. You may not know the technology that well but you know that you can look here or there to find the answer.

636-555-3226

Hit up LinkedIn and look for local or regional computer groups. Join them, especially the ones that seem to have in-person meetups every once in awhile. Go meet everybody and do some in-person networking. I'm a member of a few around me and always send out my company's IT job postings to our LinkedIn groups. If someone from the group approached me and was interested, I'd at least talk to them over the phone about it.

GSXR750K2

Yea, it's how it goes. There are three groups of people who want someone to have some experience regarding their equipment...airline passengers, IT management, and girls.

As with all three, you'll find some that will give you chance, and it won't be anything fantastic or exciting, but it will give you some of the experience that more and more people are wanting.

scaredoftests

I was lucky and was in a job as a Data Management Assistant. The opportunity arised where my division needed a network admin and I jumped at the chance. Got training and experience that way.

markulous

Best way to get a job from lack of experience? Get some experience! By that I mean go to something like protonic.com and/or ask the churches around your area (or some other non-profit) and see if you can help out. By just having that employers will give you some credit for experience and also shows you're willing to go the extra mile to further your career.

NPA24

I've also had this experience straight out of college. Minted grad with little or no experience. I started out by getting a job at a help desk doing Dell Technical Support. During my year there, I also obtained my A+ and Net+ to beef up my resume. That landed me an interview with a big bank and I got the job as a Junior Desktop Support Tech. 11 years later, I've risen fairly quickly, but when I look back it's those times when I started just doing Help Desk that got me to where I am now. The troubleshooting experience that I learned prepared me to a variety of skills in tech that I didn't know I would be good at. Start out small but have big ambitions, get yourself in the door with something free or even an intern and you will become a snowball that will grow with years of experience. Good Luck!

ImYourOnlyDJ

I went through a phase just like yours where I thought I would never land a good IT job. I ended up landing a Help Desk position at the same company I was working at through networking and getting to know the manager and other techs. Don't give up! Once you are in and you push yourself to keep improving you can move up very fast. Another recommendation would be to start some side projects and really show your passion for IT. Install Linux on an old computer and make a web server out of it. Start doing side projects as hobbies and you will start to stand out.

danny069

Someone will give you a chance, if they like you in the interview they will hire you. I first got my A+ in 2003, put my resume on monster, a day or two later, a recruiter called me, and I got the job. The rest is history. You gotta start somewhere, even if its a small repair shop, best buy, etc. I would take it for the experience. A+ or any cert for that matter doesn't mean you have x amount of experience. You have to be enthusiastic on your interviews, your resume should make you stand out from the rest. I know it's probably harder to land a job nowadays than back in 2003, but use that as a motivating factor to keep pushing yourself.

IrritablePenguin

I feel for you, had a very similar experience breaking into IT. Little to no previous experience, just a couple certs. Applied to dozens of jobs over several months period of time and never heard back.

What changed for me was I met a couple recruiters who were serious about placing candidates instead of spamming resumes. Met them individually over lunch or at the office and worked hard to sell myself instead of talking about generic stats like certifications. They had good relationships with employers and ensured that I got a face to face interview. Got two offers following those interviews, despite the fact I didn't have a third of what they requested in the job posting.

Mooseboost

I would say that this is normal for IT. The hardest step is getting your foot in the door somewhere. A lot of entry level positions are won in interviews with a good personality and showing a willingness to learn. Everyone has made good points. Volunteer and do anything you can to build experience. Showing you can put theory into practice is a good selling point.

Cyberscum

muchw0w wrote: »

Hello everyone!

Just asking for advice on how to solve my problem. I've been trying to get my foot in the door as a Bench Technician. Getting my A+ has landed me a few interviews but no offers. It seems as though everyone is scared off when they see I have no "formal" experience through a employer. Isn't your A+ supposed to be equivalent to six months experience? Aside from that, I have additional experience from side jobs I have come across.

Anyone else have these issues starting out? Any advice to give? What else can I do to make myself more valuable to a potential employer?

Consider joining the usaf reserves or air guard. Fastest way to get certified/experience and clearances.

IrritablePenguin

Second this, plus its a solid 18 months of paycheck and good experience.

OctalDump

That first job, you take what you can get, keep looking and start applying again at about 6-12 months. The second job will usually be better. As others have said, look at smaller repair shops, look for "authorised repairers", look at larger stores that might have in house techs, look at laptop/phone/tablet repairers as an option.