Denied from Entry level help desk job!

Johnta20

Had a job interview Wednesday For an Entry level help desk position the job description was as followed It is approximately a 1 year contract that could go perm. It is 100% phone support for level 1 - they have Windows XP, Office and MS-Outlook there. The schedule will most likely be 4 -10 hour days to include one weekend day. You first go thru 4 weeks of training which is M-F 6am-3pm or 7 am -4pm or 8 -5pm. They need this person to be somewhat flexible with the schedule. The pay is $12/hr to you on a w-2 without benefits - you are paid for your hours you work, but are responsible for your own health benefits, (you may buy health insurance thru our company, and you would have access to our 401k after 90 days.)
I went to the Interview And I thought it went exceptionally well, they told me I would hear something by the end of the week. Well today I got an email saying they weren't offering the position and that they needed more help desk phone support experience than I had even though they had reviewed my resume before hand, and already knew that if I landed this position it would be my first experience with help desk phone support. I meet all the initial requirements.

I'm beginning to wonder if my BS was worth the $20,000 dollars I paid for it. Ive only been able to net a couple interviews over the last three months out of the hundreds of Resume and Cover letters Ive sent in. And pretty soon I'm going to have to take on a full time job as well as a part time to pay for it all. My location may have something to do with it since the majority of the jobs Ive applied for have been over an hour away, it's just hard to move anywhere if you don't have job prospects that are ready lined up in the city you want to go to. But this is just me ranting.

ipconfig.all

what eXperience and quals do you have. also how long have yoy being look??

Michael.J.Palmer

See about snagging up maybe the A+ if you don't have it. That'll prove not just technical knowledge but also basic customer support knowledge if you don't have a strong customer support background.

I think what they were getting at by saying you didn't have enough call center experience is that you didn't have adequate customer service experience. The BS isn't a waste of 20K though, it should help you get interviews for those jobs that are looking for someone with either four year experience or a Batchelor's degree (so for example you'd have a better shot for those jobs than myself since I have zero practical IT work experience).

Just keep working at it and eventually you'll fall into something, the trend I see with folks like you and myself entering the field is that no matter what your educational background is, it always takes a bit of time before you land that first IT gig.

ipconfig.all

i have being looking for a job in and out since last year of june. I have managed to find somme volunteer i.t gigs to get some experience i still do volunteer. I get a lot of iintterviews and i come really close but i cant seem to seal da deal. I have several ms certifications no degree though.

N2IT

Not to be to nosey but whats your BS in?

Certs?

Strengths?
Weaknesses?

Appearance?

We are a very materialistic society. Dress well even beyond your means. I mean really nice. Suit tie everything. Another thing is realize business processes drive IT service and infrastructure. Let them know that. IT is becoming more streamed line, IT is not like years a few years ago. Let them know the business is important to you. That customers are important and that you exist to support business processes. Its really what management wants to hear and rightfully so.

A full windsor tie will take you farther in an interview than a MCDST.

Just my opinion

N2IT

One other thought comes to mind. Find a mentor. Seriously befriend someone on this board and pick there brains.

I owe eMeS a lot of thanks. The guy has been nothin but a gentleman and has really given me a lot of guidance. Find someone who is where you want to be and pick his brain. Obviously being tactful but do it nonetheless.

NetworkingStudent

Johnta20 wrote: »

Had a job interview Wednesday For an Entry level help desk position the job description was as followed It is approximately a 1 year contract that could go perm. It is 100% phone support for level 1 - they have Windows XP, Office and MS-Outlook there. The schedule will most likely be 4 -10 hour days to include one weekend day. You first go thru 4 weeks of training which is M-F 6am-3pm or 7 am -4pm or 8 -5pm. They need this person to be somewhat flexible with the schedule. The pay is $12/hr to you on a w-2 without benefits - you are paid for your hours you work, but are responsible for your own health benefits, (you may buy health insurance thru our company, and you would have access to our 401k after 90 days.)
I went to the Interview And I thought it went exceptionally well, they told me I would hear something by the end of the week. Well today I got an email saying they weren't offering the position and that they needed more help desk phone support experience than I had even though they had reviewed my resume before hand, and already knew that if I landed this position it would be my first experience with help desk phone support. I meet all the initial requirements.

I'm beginning to wonder if my BS was worth the $20,000 dollars I paid for it. Ive only been able to net a couple interviews over the last three months out of the hundreds of Resume and Cover letters Ive sent in. And pretty soon I'm going to have to take on a full time job as well as a part time to pay for it all. My location may have something to do with it since the majority of the jobs Ive applied for have been over an hour away, it's just hard to move anywhere if you don't have job prospects that are ready lined up in the city you want to go to. But this is just me ranting.

I would hit up the recruiting firms :
Robert Half Technology - Home
TEKsystems - the Leading Technology Staffing and Services Company
Online Job Search, Professional Staffing - Kforce - Apply Online Today!
These recruiting firms are always looking for college grads that they can place into entry level jobs. Sometimes they have jobs that aren’t even posted on their web site. I would give them a call and send them your resume. I agree with what others have said, you should at least get try to obtain the A+ certification. Good luck, and never give up you will get a Job it will just take a little longer because of the bad economy.

Devilsbane

I had my A+, Network+, MOS 2007, and was 2 months from having my AAS. I also had held a workstudy position through college for a year.

Here is the feedback I received from an interview. "You were trumped by someone with more helpdesk experience." And remember, this was for an entrylevel helpdesk role.

They never had any interest in hiring me. The whole interview was a joke. They likely already had someone picked for the job, but they are required to interview x amount of people before hiring someone.

Just hang in there. It can take time for the chemistry between the right employer and the right employee to match up. I know it can be stressful, but eventually it will just click and you will have yourself a job.

Good luck.

EDIT: Just think of this as an interview learning opportunity. Having good interviewing skills is something that can pretty much only be learned through actually doing it. Reflect upon what you did that was good, and what wasn't so good so that next time it is flawless.

phantasm

N2IT wrote: »

A full windsor tie will take you farther in an interview than a MCDST.

Minor correction if I may. A windsor is a knot, not a type of tie. Conversely, a half windsor will suffice for all applications except the very formal such as a wedding.

As for the OP, like many others have said, seek out some entry level certifications. They'll show that you have some IT potential and entry level skill set. Trust me, a lot of us have been in your shoes. It took me the better part of 7 yrs to get my first IT job. It's frustrating but worth it in the end.

billscott92787

Bachelors degree isn't a waste. It will pay off. But to be honest, if you don't have any experience, all that is is a piece of paper. A degree isn't going to "guarantee" you a job. It is going to probably get you a few interviews and get your foot in the door, but you are going to have to have some other knowledge/certifications to back that up. The economy now a days is making employers be a lot more choosy of who they pick. Even with entry level positions, they are pretty much looking for someone that at least has some basic certifications: A+, Network+, Security+, these are a few you should try to pickup before the cutoff of having to retest every 3 years with compTIA. This will probably help you with your bachelors land an entry job to get some hands on experience or some basic call center experience.


I was lucky to get into my current job before the economy took a huge ****. It took me about three and a half years to get my first IT job after graduating high school. At the time I didn't have any certifications, and was only about half way done my bachelors. But, in addition to being lucky, I haven't been lucky up until getting my CCNP of being able to find anything other than what pays low pay and that is basic call troubleshooting experience. Find out where you feel you want to go with IT and start hammering down some certifications. They will help you get the job your looking for.

Daniel333

I've been reading a lot lately about the value an education bring dropping lately. Interesting stuff.

In either event, just remember that an interviewer cannot be honest with you. If they give you a reason it was probably a politcally correct cop out. I am not sure about your location but there are 6 people looking for every 1 opening in the US, and many areas are worse than that. So statistically there there is always someone more qualified than you. Someone more charasmatic. Someone who heck, smells better than you.

Personally, I started selling computers for Sears, then took a part time job for Best Buy's Geek Squad. I had to most of the time work two jobs, but maybe that route will work for you?

Maybe you can list a few things for us...
What certs do you have?
Can you list your volunteer work?
Where did you intern in school?
Have you talked to your other IT friends, why is it they cannot help you?

If you feel comfortable with it, go ahead am PM me your resume and Linkd in.

eten

In this recession, there will always be someone with more experience or a better education background than you. That doesn't mean you won't get the job, but you have to show you're willing to learn.

I myself have recently landed a help desk position and is currently undergo training (scheduled for 2 months of full time training). Help desk positions in most fortune 500 company actually represent or create the image as a whole for your organization. In most cases, training technical aspects is a lot easier than training phone or soft skills. For my job, there were a few positions available, but all of those who landed the job had previous phone experience. They rather train someone who had the soft skills, but no technical experience than vice versa. Sure, you can teach them what to say with a script, but in most cases, customers call for all kinds of problems that its not feasible to cover every possible solution.

Talic

The unemployment is still making it harder to compete with more experienced people settling for a lower level job. In some places people are getting what they can get.

Keep trying and work on the certs

N2IT

phantasm wrote: »

Minor correction if I may. A windsor is a knot, not a type of tie. Conversely, a half windsor will suffice for all applications except the very formal such as a wedding.

As for the OP, like many others have said, seek out some entry level certifications. They'll show that you have some IT potential and entry level skill set. Trust me, a lot of us have been in your shoes. It took me the better part of 7 yrs to get my first IT job. It's frustrating but worth it in the end.

My apologizes I was sauced, but the important part is to dress the part. Sketchers and white socks are not going to cut it. I've sat 20+ interviews and believe me, when the hiring manager ask my input that's a no go.
Infact it usually brings up a laugh.

I've seen business majors with 0 certs and with very little experience get a the job over a A+ MSCDT whatever. The number one thing is how you look and wether they like you or not. Are you going to fit the team dynamics? Do they like you?

Obviously getting into the door is heavily due to the resume, availability, an experience, but once it's go time with the interviewer they better be impressed with how you look and carry yourself and you better fit their team dynamics.

Look at me. I am a hospitality major. I beat out several heavily certified techs. Why because they liked me and I dressed well. I remember watching a guy leave while I was walking in and he looked like a cheap vacuum sales man.

Just my opinion

Johnta20

Thanks for all the info currently I don't hold any Certs, but I'm sure it wouldn't take too much time for me to obtain the A+, Net+. I was dressed in tie, button-up, and khakis, nice uncomfortable dress shoes to the interview.It also helped that most of the questions I studied for and thought out answers too were the ones they asked. I actually had an Internship but that had more to do with programming than actual Helpdesk. I have a few contacts in SC, I talked to Friday and I'm hoping they may be able to help me get my foot in the door. Most of the IT people I know that live near me are struggling to hold on to there jobs. As far as recruiter's ive talked to most of those mentioned Teksystems, Sapphire, Cybercoders and they mentioned most of the Positions they had are Mid level on up or really far away. My location may have something to do with it I'm over an hour away from Charlotte which is the closest major city to me. And Ive been looking since about May, when I graduated. I know it's not a long time but I figured I'd have gotten at least a few more calls back.

eten

Johnta20 wrote: »

Thanks for all the info currently I don't hold any Certs, but I'm sure it wouldn't take too much time for me to obtain the A+, Net+. I was dressed in tie, button-up, and khakis, nice uncomfortable dress shoes to the interview.It also helped that most of the questions I studied for and thought out answers too were the ones they asked. I actually had an Internship but that had more to do with programming than actual Helpdesk. I have a few contacts in SC, I talked to Friday and I'm hoping they may be able to help me get my foot in the door. Most of the IT people I know that live near me are struggling to hold on to there jobs. As far as recruiter's ive talked to most of those mentioned Teksystems, Sapphire, Cybercoders and they mentioned most of the Positions they had are Mid level on up or really far away. My location may have something to do with it I'm over an hour away from Charlotte which is the closest major city to me. And Ive been looking since about May, when I graduated. I know it's not a long time but I figured I'd have gotten at least a few more calls back.

If something doesn't work, try other alternatives. Have you tried finding programming jobs? To be honest, at least where I live, programming jobs are harder to get into than help desk. Not to mention they pay a lot better with years of experience in comparison to strictly help desk.

N2IT

Johnta20 wrote: »

Thanks for all the info currently I don't hold any Certs, but I'm sure it wouldn't take too much time for me to obtain the A+, Net+. I was dressed in tie, button-up, and khakis, nice uncomfortable dress shoes to the interview.It also helped that most of the questions I studied for and thought out answers too were the ones they asked. I actually had an Internship but that had more to do with programming than actual Helpdesk. I have a few contacts in SC, I talked to Friday and I'm hoping they may be able to help me get my foot in the door. Most of the IT people I know that live near me are struggling to hold on to there jobs. As far as recruiter's ive talked to most of those mentioned Teksystems, Sapphire, Cybercoders and they mentioned most of the Positions they had are Mid level on up or really far away. My location may have something to do with it I'm over an hour away from Charlotte which is the closest major city to me. And Ive been looking since about May, when I graduated. I know it's not a long time but I figured I'd have gotten at least a few more calls back.

You told me all you need to.

If you truly want a job you need to be mobile.

Johnta20

N2IT wrote: »

You told me all you need to.

If you truly want a job you need to be mobile.

I always mention relocation in my cover letter's and on my Resume. I had a tough time landing an Interview at coporate lowes because they thought it would be too far of a commute, and I had to reassure the recruiter that it wouldn't be a problem before she got me an interview. So Ive been thinking of using a local Address for the job location from now on when applying.

shaqazoolu

After I graduated, I had been with my company about 6 years in a retail position working my way through school. I offered to move myself from Louisiana to corporate HQ in Ohio at my own expense if they would give me ANY entry level IT position. They didn't even think about giving me a shot because I didn't have any IT experience, even though I probably knew our software and how the company functioned on the front lines better than 98% of the people already there. That was pretty disappointing.

dynamik

shaqazoolu wrote: »

After I graduated, I had been with my company about 6 years in a retail position working my way through school. I offered to move myself from Louisiana to corporate HQ in Ohio at my own expense if they would give me ANY entry level IT position. They didn't even think about giving me a shot because I didn't have any IT experience, even though I probably knew our software and how the company functioned on the front lines better than 98% of the people already there. That was pretty disappointing.

And now you rob banks. Persistence paid off

hustlin_moe20

Johnta20 wrote: »

Thanks for all the info currently I don't hold any Certs, but I'm sure it wouldn't take too much time for me to obtain the A+, Net+. I was dressed in tie, button-up, and khakis, nice uncomfortable dress shoes to the interview.It also helped that most of the questions I studied for and thought out answers too were the ones they asked. I actually had an Internship but that had more to do with programming than actual Helpdesk. I have a few contacts in SC, I talked to Friday and I'm hoping they may be able to help me get my foot in the door. Most of the IT people I know that live near me are struggling to hold on to there jobs. As far as recruiter's ive talked to most of those mentioned Teksystems, Sapphire, Cybercoders and they mentioned most of the Positions they had are Mid level on up or really far away. My location may have something to do with it I'm over an hour away from Charlotte which is the closest major city to me. And Ive been looking since about May, when I graduated. I know it's not a long time but I figured I'd have gotten at least a few more calls back.

I would say your major issue is certs. I've blown college graduates out of the water day in and day out in the workplace. We used to hire guys straight out of college and watch them ask more questions than actually doing any work. My new hiring manager is a firm believer of hiring Co-ops(paid apprenticeships) for students. We let them work 20-30 hours a week while in high school or college in order to gain experience and they still get paid. They graduate with not only education, but experience which trumps education for entry level positions. You may want to get the certs to prove your technical abilities. A+, Net+, Sec+, MCITP, they will all do the trick.

TheDailyMel

I would agree that you should definitely look into getting some certs. The job market is really tight right now due to the economic situation, so it's all the better to give your any advantage possible.

I supervise a help desk and we recently interviewed for a replacement tier 1 analyst. I was amazed how many applicants we had who were definitely over-qualified for a tier 1 position. Some of these folks had quite a bit of experience as network admins, server admins, etc., but had been out of work long enough that they were willing to take an entry-level help desk position just to get back to work.

As for your degree, just remember that an education is never a waste. While certs are generally better for getting your foot in the door for a help desk position, your degree will help you move up the career ladder so you don't stay in the help desk. After all, you don't want to end up in your 40's going back to school to try and finish your education like some of us.

za3bour

They must have said something about certifications in the job announcement ? yes getting a cert will certainly do it.IMO the first job is a luck, I remember my first job i was still at college at 3rd year and it was summer and got it by absolute luck it was an entry level help disk position and the paid was 120$/mo which is quite good in Syria at 1998 (wow it's been 12 years already).I didn't know a lot about the job but i gradually learned my way in IT world.

Since you've graduated this mean you do have a lot of free time so use it in getting certifications and in learning that will give you a push in the interviews.

N2IT

TheDailyMel wrote: »

I would agree that you should definitely look into getting some certs. The job market is really tight right now due to the economic situation, so it's all the better to give your any advantage possible.

I supervise a help desk and we recently interviewed for a replacement tier 1 analyst. I was amazed how many applicants we had who were definitely over-qualified for a tier 1 position. Some of these folks had quite a bit of experience as network admins, server admins, etc., but had been out of work long enough that they were willing to take an entry-level help desk position just to get back to work.

As for your degree, just remember that an education is never a waste. While certs are generally better for getting your foot in the door for a help desk position, your degree will help you move up the career ladder so you don't stay in the help desk. After all, you don't want to end up in your 40's going back to school to try and finish your education like some of us.

Disgard. Thank you

it_consultant

I prefer a half windsor knot, the full one is fat and looks silly on me.

You are entering a field that is deeply distrustful of college degrees; HR departments have been snapping up computer science degrees and IT departments are saddled with guys that can't map a network drive for their four years of intense education.

To put it simply, you must get a certification, preferably a MS one but the extra rigor and challenge of the CCNA will launch you ahead of your peers.