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Danieltheman

Hey guys,

I have been searching for work for a very long time now, i have no real work experience except little things i do for friends when they need help with their pcs so i guess that's why im having a hard time finding a job. I applied at numerous jobs online and no good luck and im beginning to worry if any one will give me a chance and hire me without any work experience. I have called some recruiters and told them if they can find me an entry level position and up to this date nothing has come up...im really having some bad luck finding a job in IT, should i be discouraged? im starting school next month and hope to finish my Sec+ by then and hopefully that will help me land a job..thanks for your thoughts.

Tato500

I'm in your same boat, just keep looking and try Linked In. how you hear from someone soon.
Good luck for both of us.

mikej412

Danieltheman wrote: »

I applied at numerous jobs online

And so has everyone else who's unemployed and all the new graduates from schools entering the work force.

There's a big difference between "looking for a job" and "job hunting"
http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/55435-depth-vs-width.html#post423619

mikej412

Here's one of my old posts I was looking for -- but the entire thread is proably a "good read."
http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/54077-how-get-related-job-without-experience.html#post409103

ipconfig.all

When I was trying to start out back in last year 2009 June I had no experience but I had I.T certifications. None gave a care and only got 2 phone interviews in 5 months which sucked. I volunteered and I am still working on a volunteer basis and thanks to my experience I am getting about 2 face to face interviews a month but I cannot seem to seal the deal. We all got to start somewhere so try and get an internship or volunteer or something and if you are missing real world experience then getting more certifications will not help because certifications do not equal real world experience. Also try and network and find some hook ups also it would be worth getting your resume done professionally.

I still haven't gotten a gig that pays a real ongoing salery I am still looking hard but I do not have luck for some reason, it is really depression and sad.

Michael.J.Palmer

Determination is key to the job hunt with no experience. Personally I've been unemployed since April and actively job searching for an IT job for about a month before that. I've gotten a few interviews here and there but I always seem to just miss out on the job to someone with more experience. I've recently over the past two days gotten a couple of calls that show some promise (one is just for a single days worth of work breaking down a network of computers, the others are for two 6-month contract positions) and I'm more than positive now that I'll have something before the end of the month.

Having your A+ helps you btw, I don't have it and there are a lot of positions that I was overlooked for just because I didn't have it yet. I'll have it next week but that's beside the point now, just keep in mind that you're in a slightly better boat in that regard. Keep your mind open to just about any position and don't put yourself below volunteering for experience, at worst case scenario you can list those contacts as references if/when you do get a possible job offer.

Don't turn down any contract offers, sure, you want a steady income but you gotta start somewhere. If you haven't already, find a couple IT staffing companies and submit your resume to them and see what kind of hits you can get. If they can find something for you then you'll be as good as gold in starting your experience.

Lastly, make sure your resume is fine tuned to showcase your talents. What I mean by that is you can make up for lack of work experience by having a skill summary section that shows what you can do for a company/client. I'm sure that most of the call backs I've gotten have just been based on my skill summary section alone. It's a good way to let a potential employer know what you're capable of and where you're headed with your IT career. Also, make sure you are sending cover letters with every resume, that's an important step you can do to set yourself apart from the masses.

None of this may get you a job per se (as it hasn't done it for me in three+ months yet) but it will at the very least get you in the door for an interview and maybe you'll get lucky from that point.

Good luck on your job hunt, I know it's a grueling journey but like all long roads it eventually has an end.