Why is it so hard to get a job?

pearljam

Why is it so hard to get a job? I have a college degree, am studying for certifications. I get phone interviews with companies and they tell me a couple days later that I didn't get it. I live in Seattle obviously a huge tech market. I don't know if it's my approach or if they are simply just choosing other candidates, but in my opinion it shouldn't be so hard to get a job? Can anyone offer some advice?

Thanks

scaredoftests

How do you do on the phone interviews? Do you ask questions to the interviewer? Do you have experience?

pearljam

I have six months experience. I'll ask questions that pertain to the job such as maybe more detail of what I'll be doing or the benefits that go along with the position.

thomas_

I've always heard hou shouldn't talk about benefits until they offer you the job.

markulous

What type of job experience do you have? I'd try to get some volunteer experience if possible. That with a degree will help a lot especially once you get a cert too.

pearljam

Call center experience. Where should I look to volunteer? There is a homeless shelter where I could go and teach math, grammar, and computer skills? But that doesn't really get me experience.

markulous

I mean volunteer for IT experience. Try something like protonic.com or volunteer at a church and see if they need help. Anything you can put on your resume helps a lot.

danny069

I must ask, what is your favorite Pearl Jam song? And would you be willing to post your resume (excluding personal info) so we can take a look? and what certifications are you currently studying for?

pearljam

Too many great songs to have a favorite. Sorry, I'm not going to post my resume. Studying for ICND1 then onto ICND2.

jeremywatts2005

PearlJam I would advise you to post a resume so some of the folks on here who have years of experience can provide some advice and guidance on getting a job in IT. Heck some may even live close to you and know a company or two that is hiring. This is called networking and until you start doing that you will not find work. Immerse yourself in the community that is technology.

pearljam

k, let me edit out my personal info

danny069

When I asked that question, I was partially curious, partially wanted to see how you would answer that question...and then you did not want to post your resume...people like to see how your personable you are in an interview, how willing you are, etc. If they like you, they will hire you, you can have zero experience or ten certs it doesn't matter. What gets the job is you as a person

pearljam

If you were standing right in front of me I would of said yes in a second, it's different when I have people I don't know reading it.

audio

Without any personally identifiable information it shouldnt matter. Resumes are tough and I'd be willing to take as much help as I could get.

dhay13

when i first started out i bet i applied for well over 500 jobs before an offer was made. very hard to get hired in this field with little to no experience. just keep plugging away. set up a home lab and install anything you can that may be relevant to your career. talk about that at interviews if you lack the 'real world' experience.

UncleB

I think Danny has covered the most important points - try to get creative to find somewhere you can get some experience, even if it is free. Look up local charities or even local businesses and volunteer your services.

The bit about asking what the benefits are in the interview - not a good thing to do other than to make sure you know the headline package details before the interview. The agency you are going through should give these to you once you have the interview slot otherwise if it is direct then ask them at the end of the interview if they can give you the headlines of the package (ie salary, hours, shift patterns, holidays and perks) and make sure you have something to write these on (I would suggest writing the fields down beforehand and just add the numbers to save time).

The reason for this is that the employer is looking for someone who wants to work there and is enthusiastic about the tech and the company, not a bean counter who wants to know how much they can squeeze out the the employer. I know it isn't intended this way, but it can be a perception if you are up against similar candidates who it seems aren't just looking for what they can get out of the company.

It can take a very long time and a lot of applications - I have 27 years experience in IT support at all levels, tech and management and it still takes between 200 and 500 applications most of the time to get a new job. There are just so many people out there in the market that it takes a good CV, an engaging personality, a spoonful of luck and bucketful of persistence to get a good role.

If you accept this and don't let it get you down then you'll be fine. Plan and prepare and you won't go far wrong.

Good luck
Iain

scaredoftests

Take out the personal stuff out of your resume. Post it here. We have helped alot of people with resume issues on this board. Also, what I mean in questions regarding the DETAILS of the job:Who do I support? How many? What operating system is run? How many computers? etc. NOT benefits. That is a big turn off especially during a phone interview....

BerkshireHerd

pearljam wrote: »

If you were standing right in front of me I would of said yes in a second, it's different when I have people I don't know reading it.

What do you think happens when you apply to a job and attach a resume?

pinkydapimp

Are you only getting phone interviews and not getting past that? This would tell me your resume is decent but maybe you arent able to pass the basic phone screen. Interviewing skills are as important as computer skills and they take practice. So maybe you need to work on those and also ensure you have the technical knowledge to backup whats on your resume.

OctalDump

thomas_ wrote: »

I've always heard hou shouldn't talk about benefits until they offer you the job.

It depends how desperate you are for the job. If you really want the job, to the point that the benefits don't matter, then don't ask. If you can afford to be choosey, then definitely ask, since otherwise you could end up wasting time on a job you'd never take. The same goes for salary etc.

This is one point, though, that it can help to be going through a recruiter. It's a bit easier to ask these questions from a third party.

thomas_

@OctalDump: Totally agree with what you posted above.

HailHogwash

Here is Srabiee exellent write-up of how-to resume if you need it:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/113891-resume-writing-resources.html

Mide

People suggested that you post your resume so we could see what it looked like (content, format). There are many things that you may think are good but others may not; it could be a reason you are not getting called back. Just remove PII and any identifiable info.

For entry-level, employers are looking for interest, potential, and if you seem like an OK person to work with.

OctalDump

The resume might not be that much problem since pearljam is getting call backs. It might be that work is needed on how to phone interview. Another possibility is that the resume is missing some information, or does not match what the phone interview is. For example, resume might make it seem that there is some amount of experience, or does not reveal experience, and then when the phone interviewer finds out how much experience (too much or too little) they drop.

Dojiscalper

Anyone have any links to "phone interview tips" I believe this is my weak point. My resume seems to get me phone interviews "at least once per day" but I don't get much farther.

NOC-Ninja

different categories of people:
The people that are over qualified but got laid off. Those guys were your competition.
The guys that have so much experience, suppose to retire but went back to work.
The guys that have a job but always looks for a higher paying job.

thewiz8807

Keep plugging away OP, that's all you can really do.

Before landing my first job, I must've been studying for certs for about 9 months. I applied to hundreds of jobs w/ a new and improved resume (thanks to people here) and only 2 contacted me. I nailed both interviews and both jobs wanted to hire me.

TechGuru80

Early on it can be quite challenging to land a job. Keep this fact in mind when you do end up getting an offer...you want the first job to be as good as you can possibly get but in the end getting into the workforce will get you on your way.

Have you reviewed your resume? Think about the type of jobs that are interviewing you and see if they match up with your experience. Obviously if the jobs don't match your background, you probably have over emphasized areas of your resume and would result in the interview not being successful.

In the end, applying is a game of numbers.

scaredoftests

Dojiscalper wrote: »

Anyone have any links to "phone interview tips" I believe this is my weak point. My resume seems to get me phone interviews "at least once per day" but I don't get much farther.

Just like a regular interview, but you need to project your enthusiasm...

kohr-ah

Dojiscalper wrote: »

Anyone have any links to "phone interview tips" I believe this is my weak point. My resume seems to get me phone interviews "at least once per day" but I don't get much farther.

As above said it is all just the same as an in person interview but all about showing how much you love doing what you are trying to do.

BUT the tip I have that helps me is I dont sit somewhere when doing a phone interview. I walk around the room because it makes me speak better. I am more animated, use my hands, and get into the call much more it seems.

renacido

Some questions and related advice:

- Are you applying for entry-level positions?

Understand that in IT a college degree doesn't help you bypass the entry-level jobs. Almost everyone has to prove themselves in the trenches. The degree helps you get that first job, and once you have 5+ years of experience it may help you get into management roles (vs equally experienced candidates without a degree). So first thing is, make sure you aren't fighting in a higher weight class so to speak.

- Are the phone interviews tech interview screenings? Are you able to answer their questions? Do you understand the context of how a technical problem may be presented and solved in a real-world situation or are you only able to rattle off factoids with jargon?

Many of these phone screens are done by HR with a script and I myself find I have to "de-jargonize" my responses into plain English so they understand the gist of my response. Also, when interviewing with senior technicians and managers, I find that using lots of jargon and buzzwords with them elicits the response of, "that's the book answer, now tell me what that really means". So know your stuff, and know how to communicate it in English that they'll understand and that shows you didn't just memorize things verbatim our of books. Be able to put it in context and know why it matters in a real IT environment.

- Are you too relaxed or too formal? Do you feel like you're being cross-examined by a prosecutor in a trial or like you're talking to someone who is wasting your time because you think they aren't really interested in hiring you?

The best attitude to have in interviews, whether phone or in person, is that you're a capable, worthy candidate who would be a great asset, who will show up on time, produce results, go the extra mile when needed, be a good team player, etc. A BIGpart of an interview is to determine how well you'll fit into the team.

- Don't ever, ever bullsh** an interviewer. If you don't have an answer for a question, ask them to put it into context of a real-world situation. This may clue you in on what they're looking for. If you don't know the answer, just say that you honestly don't know, and tell them what you would do to obtain the right information if needed on the job ("I'd Google it" is a VERY COMMON METHOD that IT pros pull up tech data and solve problems in the real world, so it may work fine as a last resort). If they ask if you've experienced something that you haven't say no. If they ask if you know blah blah blah and you don't know squat about it, say no, you don't have experience with that yet. Be sincere. A hiring manager will train an honest person rather than manage a dishonest BS-artist 7 days a week and twice on Sunday. Treat your integrity as a valuable asset, because it is.


Hope this helps. Good luck and keep at it.