I have tried so hard but feel like i am failing

MrXpert

Hi,

I've been out of work for a little over a year now but as I've said before my main job history has been in sales and customer service with the odd job in IT and a few months in first line support.Bulk has been as an account manager for sales (not IT related). I've always loved IT but haven't had any good breaks in it so while out of work I put a lot of effort into studying and getting some certs.Hoping it will open up a new door for into 1st Line IT support. It hasn't. I don't know what i'm doing wrong. I have revised my CV and have had the Job Centre's Resources Plus organisation help me alter my CV. I applied for 8 jobs last week and sent a few prospective letters out but nothing. I've been doing this for over a year now with little luck.
Most of the time the jobs I apply for are via agencies as over here in the UK (i dont know how it is in other parts of the world), most companies pay job agencies to look at the CVs,speak to the candidates and then put them forward to them. Very very few companies will advertise direct on their websites and the ones that do are usually the NHS or the councils and theses IT jobs are few and far between and usually many many miles away.
When I apply for an IT role, i get an email back from the job agency telling me I was unsuccessful. I have tried phoning these agencies to discuss it and find out why I was unsuccessful but usually when I phone, it either goes to voicemail, the person who is dealing with it is out of the office or I end up leaving a message. I never hear back from them. Its like they dont want to speak to me.

I applied for one today which called for someone who has a knowledge of networking including LANs (the fundamentals), customer service skills. I have these as I spent a few years in managing my own sales accounts and have about 6 years customer services experience dealing with people face to face and on the phone. I am also Cisco certified. Yet they dont want to know.

I have had several conversations where some agencies will find my CV online then phone me and tell me they have an IT job that I might be interested in. They don't tell me too much about the role but their questions are like this:
where did you work before?
have you had any recent interviews? if so, with who and what was the person's name
Do you have basic networking knowledge?

Now it does confuse me as to why they ask me if i have networking knowledge because it does state on my CV what certs I have and what my IT skills/knowledge are. One lady I spoke to at a particular agency didn't even know what Cisco was and how it was related to networking. When they start asking me if i'd been interviewed anywhere else in the past year I know they are probably trying to ensure I haven't already been seen by their client but I get the feeling they are trying the old sales tactic of getting contact info so that they can then approach a potential new client.

They then tell me they'll review things and get back to me but they never do.
The prime agency culprits are Office Angels(Maidstone), New Appointments Group, Huntress. These agencies are not specialist IT recruitment ones but they deal with a wide variety of industries including admin and sales.

It is devastating to think I have spent the last year studying everyday with little money and resources, giving it 100% and achieve something I never thought was possible(IT certs such as Cisco) and then at the end of the day all i have to show for it job wise, is some woman at the other end of the phone from an agency asking me if I have first line IT support experience and/or basic networking knowledge.They have my CV in front of me they claim when they speak to me.
I know you need experience to get into some places but its a 1st Line/entry level positions I always apply for and if they dont give me a chance how can I get more experience?

Another thing that irritates me is that the likes of Office Angels keep posting the same jobs over and over again. Now company can grow that quickly. On some occasions when I phone them to find out more they tell me that the job is currently on hold or the person who is looking after that client's account is currently out of the office.
I don't know what it is like for the rest of you or even what American agencies are like but this seems to be the problems I seem to be having.

All the hard work,money spent. What do I have to show for it. I'm Cisco and comptia certified. That's great but no IT job. I dont want to get back into sales or admin. If I do that it will just set me back and I will forget all the stuff i have learnt.I need an IT job.lol

Any suggestions?

nava87

I was in the same boat. Actually I dont have any certifications except a DoD cert. I have been getting interviews lately and no luck. Last friday I just got hired as a PC Technician (without a major certification from Cisco or Comptia). I am thankful for this opportunity as I have been trying to get a job in IT and get the certifications to get my foot in the door (dont have money for them but I have studied for them). Granted its a contract position it will help. But I know its frustrating but keep your head up and keep moving. I'm sure you are more qualified than me and I luckily landed a job. I'm sure your success will come here soon. One think I have been doing is brushing up on my TCP/IP knowlege and troubleshooting skills. That way if they were to grill me with questions in an interview, I can put myself in a better position to know how to answer them since I have no certification and minimal job experience in IT.

I'm just thinking, what if you called a few human resource personnel from a small company and say "Hello, my name is (you name) and I am currently trying to get into the IT business. I have my Cisco and Comptia certifications and I would like to know what I could to do better market myself to get into the field". That way it makes you seem like you are not trying to hound them but are legitimately wanting to know information. Also you express you are qualified (you might interest them)and you get information on what hiring managers look for when they look at resumes and you can attack them accordingly. Just a thought but I know one thing that you will be where you want to soon.

I hate not having a job and the feeling of frustration from constantly looking but I can promise you that there is a company out there that will give you the opportunity you are looking for. Good luck to you.

pinkydapimp

there are alot of pre and post sales engineering positions out there which call for sales experience as well as technical. You should look into something like that as you might be a good fit. they usually pay pretty well too. Also, you should post your resume here and get some feedback. the folks on this site are pretty good and getting your resume up to speed.

Turgon

MrXpert wrote: »

Hi,

I've been out of work for a little over a year now but as I've said before my main job history has been in sales and customer service with the odd job in IT and a few months in first line support.Bulk has been as an account manager for sales (not IT related). I've always loved IT but haven't had any good breaks in it so while out of work I put a lot of effort into studying and getting some certs.Hoping it will open up a new door for into 1st Line IT support. It hasn't. I don't know what i'm doing wrong. I have revised my CV and have had the Job Centre's Resources Plus organisation help me alter my CV. I applied for 8 jobs last week and sent a few prospective letters out but nothing. I've been doing this for over a year now with little luck.
Most of the time the jobs I apply for are via agencies as over here in the UK (i dont know how it is in other parts of the world), most companies pay job agencies to look at the CVs,speak to the candidates and then put them forward to them. Very very few companies will advertise direct on their websites and the ones that do are usually the NHS or the councils and theses IT jobs are few and far between and usually many many miles away.
When I apply for an IT role, i get an email back from the job agency telling me I was unsuccessful. I have tried phoning these agencies to discuss it and find out why I was unsuccessful but usually when I phone, it either goes to voicemail, the person who is dealing with it is out of the office or I end up leaving a message. I never hear back from them. Its like they dont want to speak to me.

I applied for one today which called for someone who has a knowledge of networking including LANs (the fundamentals), customer service skills. I have these as I spent a few years in managing my own sales accounts and have about 6 years customer services experience dealing with people face to face and on the phone. I am also Cisco certified. Yet they dont want to know.

I have had several conversations where some agencies will find my CV online then phone me and tell me they have an IT job that I might be interested in. They don't tell me too much about the role but their questions are like this:
where did you work before?
have you had any recent interviews? if so, with who and what was the person's name
Do you have basic networking knowledge?

Now it does confuse me as to why they ask me if i have networking knowledge because it does state on my CV what certs I have and what my IT skills/knowledge are. One lady I spoke to at a particular agency didn't even know what Cisco was and how it was related to networking. When they start asking me if i'd been interviewed anywhere else in the past year I know they are probably trying to ensure I haven't already been seen by their client but I get the feeling they are trying the old sales tactic of getting contact info so that they can then approach a potential new client.

They then tell me they'll review things and get back to me but they never do.
The prime agency culprits are Office Angels(Maidstone), New Appointments Group, Huntress. These agencies are not specialist IT recruitment ones but they deal with a wide variety of industries including admin and sales.

It is devastating to think I have spent the last year studying everyday with little money and resources, giving it 100% and achieve something I never thought was possible(IT certs such as Cisco) and then at the end of the day all i have to show for it job wise, is some woman at the other end of the phone from an agency asking me if I have first line IT support experience and/or basic networking knowledge.They have my CV in front of me they claim when they speak to me.
I know you need experience to get into some places but its a 1st Line/entry level positions I always apply for and if they dont give me a chance how can I get more experience?

Another thing that irritates me is that the likes of Office Angels keep posting the same jobs over and over again. Now company can grow that quickly. On some occasions when I phone them to find out more they tell me that the job is currently on hold or the person who is looking after that client's account is currently out of the office.
I don't know what it is like for the rest of you or even what American agencies are like but this seems to be the problems I seem to be having.

All the hard work,money spent. What do I have to show for it. I'm Cisco and comptia certified. That's great but no IT job. I dont want to get back into sales or admin. If I do that it will just set me back and I will forget all the stuff i have learnt.I need an IT job.lol

Any suggestions?

The UK is a tough market and even very experienced folk can find the running hard. I had a lean spell for three months inbetween contracts in 2009 because it seemed while companies wanted to have a look at what was out there by way of interview, the budget to hire hadn't been signed off internally. The important thing as a trainee is to get skin in the game. This isn't easy but your objective is to get to Christmas this year with some bonefide experience under you belt. It could come from many different places. Keep hitting the agents but do cold call nicely all the local IT firms in your area. Offer part time work first and be flexible. You will need to spend a lot of time finding these companies and contacting them positively and not letting it affect you when you get no response or just a negative response.

By way of an example, when the contract market slowed I promoted myself as an independent network specialist. I located all the companies in the region, found the websites, send emails, cover letters the works. I admit I did not cold call on the phone or do any walk in stuff to reception. I did get a one day gig out of it to install a router someplace. You wouldn't be doing that but a lot of firms need flexible workers to help with benchwork and rollouts.

This year will be tough for you. It is for anyone needing that experience. Many people give up during this period never to return to the industry. Others survive it, get something and build from there.

Good luck.

Valsacar

Networking (as in with people) is how I've gotten my jobs... except my first (internship) where I literally walked into the office and ended up talking with the president (small company) and was offered an internship on the spot.

Depending on your financial situation, you might want to also look into some volunteer work or internships in the field you want, so you can add some more experience (the IT kind) to your resume.

As others have said, send out CVs to companies directly, bypass the agencies if you can. I'd also say to research some specific companies you might want to work for and try to get to know people at the company. People tend to be more open when someone they work with vouches for the perspective new employee.

MrXpert

Thanks for your helpful words. Its making me look at other possibilities. The comment about pre or post sales tech support is a good one and certainly I'll look at it. I've just started doing the CWTS course. I figure its a nice break from Cisco but as soon as i have finished it and passed hopefully i'll begin my CCNP studies. Looking/finding a job is of course my primary goal.
I've got to try to relax though as have been probably overdoing things abit. Its not just the studies its more to do with never being satisfied with what I have done in the past or feeling like i'm always 2 steps behind everyone else and i create pressure on myself to try harder. My other half says i'm too humble and always downplay my achievements. Anyway as a nice break me and the Mrs are going on hol for a week.Only down to South of Cornwall. Hope it doesn't snow.