Rough time finding a job in NY!

Hey guys,

I've been applying to quite a few jobs I'm finding on job sites (CL, monster, careerbuilder, etc) and am not getting any bites back. The only one I did, was offering too low of a salary for me. It was actually a pay cut of what I make now. I've come to the conclusion that maybe it's not so much my lack of experience as much as it may be my poor resume/cl. If you guys have any comments/suggestions on it, I would greatly appreciate it.

PS - The whole "Degree pending", I planned on going back to school (not sure if it would be DeVry, I know how people feel about that place) but had to drop out due to my financial situation.

[FONT=&quot]Education/Certifications[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]* 2005 – 2006 // [/FONT][FONT=&quot]DeVry Institute, Long Island City, NY[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Networking/Communications Management - Degree pending[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]* 2000 – 2004 // [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Robert F Kennedy HS, Fresh Meadows, NY[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] H.S. Diploma[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]* A+ Certified Technician[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Employment History[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Best Buy, Valley Stream, NY[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]* Deputy of Counter Intelligence – Geek Squad Supervisor - February 2007 – Present[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Responsible for 13 in-store technicians and support staff, along with 9 sales associates, and 2 on-site repair technicians.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Responsible for training of all employees on PC hardware/software support and troubleshooting, Mac hardware/software support and troubleshooting, Networking, etc.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Oversee and assist in repairs done in the store and on site.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Report to General Manager and District staff on net operating profit performance and store revenue.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Promote the Geek Squad brand and culture throughout the store.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Assist in the recruiting and hiring process of the stores talent bench.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Responsible for creating and ensuring proper execution of weekly ad strategies to ensure customer satisfaction and offering of complete solutions.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Responsible for creating and maintaining weekly time schedules and managing labor budgets according to productivity and labor adjustments. Also create optimal routes for on-site technicians.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Designed and implemented customized self coaching tools to help the growth and knowledge of employees.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Effectively designed, completed and executed business plans for my department with the utilization of customer and employee insight. (Updated quarterly.)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CompUSA, Garden City, NY[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]* Business Sales Professional - February 2006 - February 2007[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]In charge of maintaining all accounts (Net 30, Terms, etc.) within CompUSA’s Garden City Branch.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Provided IT Solutions to many major companies/enterprises throughout New York State.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Provided end-to-end assistance to customers and offered solutions based off lifestyle questions.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Assisted in merchandising and setting of planograms.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Ensured that employees remained productive and completed all tasks efficiently and in a timely manor.[/FONT]
v [FONT=&quot]Built team morale through recognition, while holding those who did not perform up to standards accountable.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Professional Strengths[/FONT]
Ø [FONT=&quot]7 years of experience computer repair/troubleshooting and network setup/troubleshooting[/FONT]
Ø [FONT=&quot]Working technical knowledge of Windows 9x, 2k/ME, XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook).[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
Ø [FONT=&quot]Experience with setting up and maintaining virtual systems (i.e: VMware, Parallels, etc.)[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
Ø [FONT=&quot]Strong ability to build and maintain professional relationships.[/FONT]
Ø [FONT=&quot]Strong vocabulary and writing skills.[/FONT]
Ø [FONT=&quot]65+ typed Words per minute.[/FONT]

______________________

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing in response to the position of Help Desk Support Technician, advertised as being open at this time with your company.

Over the past 3 years, I have been a Geek Squad Supervisor for a Best Buy branch in __________, NY. During my time here, I have developed a strong background in computer hardware and software troubleshooting and repair, networking setup and support, mobile phone support (Iphones, Blackberries, etc.), and Operating Systems support (Mac OS X and Windows 9x/XP/Vista/7). Part of my supervisory duties also involved me handling and resolving customer issues, coaching and training my employees, and making sure that my team delivered an excellent customer experience and customer satisfaction rating. I am currently a CompTIA A+ Certified technician. As far as my current studies, I am enrolled in a CCNA program with _____ College in my pursuit to expand my certification and knowledge base.

While I am enjoying my current position, I am looking to divulge myself more into the IT field. I'm interested in obtaining a position with an established company that offers growth to individuals like me, who are strong performers, and looking to move up as fast as possible.

I think that between my work experience, strong work ethic, and my desire to learn and move up quickly, these qualities make me a great candidate for your company. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reviewing my application. If interested, please feel free to reach me at my cell phone number listed above. Again, thank you.

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Comments

pinkydapimp

Sometimes you have to take a step back, to take 2 steps forward. Its ok to take a paycut to get an in into an the right organization.

Regarding your resume, i would put your swap your skills section and your education section.

Also, at geek squad, did you start off as the manager or were you promoted to that position? If promoted, list them as two separate job entries.

BradleyHU

yeah, you definitely might have to take a paycut to get ahead. um, i always tell pplz to look @ indeed.com, they have a lot of postings on there that you wont see on job sites since they pull in direct company postings. Thats how i got my last 2 jobs. also part of the issue could be ur coverletter. I basically do alot of bs'in in it.

Here's how i do mine:

Company Name
Address
New York, NY zip

To Whom It May Concern:

I am applying for the Support Specialist position. I am a May 2004 graduate of Hampton University, where I obtained a Bachelor's of Science degree in Computer Information Systems. Currently I am in the process of obtaining my Master’s of Science degree in Information, Network & Computer Security from NYIT. I am a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician. I was formerly employed at Escada USA, where I was a Technical Engineer. My duties included supporting users PCs & laptops, and POS systems in the NY office, as well as in the US & Canada Escada retail stores and outlets. I setup user accounts and groups in Active Directory, administrated the various servers, and handled the backups of the servers. I was also in charge of supporting the VoIP phones, and the various mobile devices employees had. I implemented, configured, and administrated the BES Server at Escada. I have plenty of experience with Windows XP/Vista/7 operating systems as well as Mac OS 9/X and Linux operating systems. I also have knowledge of networks, printers & print servers and TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, and computer hardware. I have plenty of experience with and supporting MS Office applications, remote desktop applications such as Remote Desktop Connection, LogMeIn, DameWare and other 3rd party applications. Any other information that I needed to know for the job, I learned very quickly. I am very adaptive to technology, anything new that comes out, I can learn how to use it very quickly. I feel that I am qualified for this position. I am a team player, and I can function independently as well. I do know if given this opportunity, I will definitely excel in all tasks necessary, as well as become a valuable asset to the company.

I have attached my resume. If there are any concerns or questions, I can be reached at xxx-xxx-xxxx, or at me@mail.com I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank You,

Bradley H

You'd be surprised how many calls i've gotten using that coverletter especially with a lil experience under the belt. When i go in for interviews, i've been told that most pplz dont put cover letters, and they've liked mine.

and my sincerest condolences to you, cuz you work @ Best Buy...thats the worst place i've ever worked at. douchebag managers & policies....i signed my seperation letter after 6 months of being in that hell hole.

NightShade03

How long have you been looking? Recently there seems to have been an upswing in the amount of people hiring in NY. I'm on the island too and I spend about 5 months looking for a job before I got a single call back....but once I had one call I got about 5-6 to follow. Landed a nice job in NYC. Don't worry...the hits will come.

nx1no

pinkydapimp wrote: »

Sometimes you have to take a step back, to take 2 steps forward. Its ok to take a paycut to get an in into an the right organization.

I just stepped down recently from that position to a normal tech position, and I am still making more than what they offered. They were only willing to pay $35000 as an onsite tech for a school district $:\$

NightShade03 wrote: »

How long have you been looking? Recently there seems to have been an upswing in the amount of people hiring in NY. I'm on the island too and I spend about 5 months looking for a job before I got a single call back....but once I had one call I got about 5-6 to follow. Landed a nice job in NYC. Don't worry...the hits will come.

Ahh man, yeah, I see a lot of postings for the city. The only thing is, I don't have Active Directory experience, and my networking is kind of lacking. I'm going to start studying for Network+ starting tomorrow, and as far as Active Directory...not sure there $:\$

sundaysuit

Microsoft has something called VirtualPC. If you have a copy of Server '03 (not sure if it works with '0

, you can install it as a virtual machine, and you can experiment with Active Directory. If you want guidance, see if you can take a class at the local community college; that's what I did.

NightShade03

nx1no wrote: »

I just stepped down recently from that position to a normal tech position, and I am still making more than what they offered. They were only willing to pay $35000 as an onsite tech for a school district $:\$

What company was that if you don't mind my asking? (You can PM me if you don't want to post here)

BradleyHU

nx1no wrote: »

I just stepped down recently from that position to a normal tech position, and I am still making more than what they offered. They were only willing to pay $35000 as an onsite tech for a school district $:\$

Ahh man, yeah, I see a lot of postings for the city. The only thing is, I don't have Active Directory experience, and my networking is kind of lacking. I'm going to start studying for Network+ starting tomorrow, and as far as Active Directory...not sure there $:\$

i didnt have experience with AD b4 my last job, and definitely didnt know networking that well, but that didnt stop me from applying and gettin hired. alot of these jobs, you learn on the job. nobody expects you to coming into a position knowing everything unless your going out for senior level-team lead positions....