Some help for an Industry newbie. Advice appreciated.

BIOS.Error.Code

Hi,

I'm just after abit of advice if possible, as to what to do with my resume, and what sort of job i could 'realistically' aim for.

Basically, i'm 35, from London, and left my last job at the end of 2010 (not in the I.T industry), with a fair bit of savings behind me, to primarily focus on getting my Microsoft Certifications that i had been wanting to do for a number of years but never had the chance. I've since been studying my absolute socks off, having passed 4 Windows 7 exams (70-680/681/685/686) aswell as Active Directory 70-640. I'm taking the Network+ exam next week, but feel that time is of the essence, and i now really want to start looking at getting into work.

I expect to take a job at the bottom of the ladder, that doesn't bother me in the slightest, i just want to get my foot in the door of somewhere. Is Helpdesk the way forward, or are there any other job titles i could go for?

Also, regarding my resume, i've been deliberating over it for a few weeks now, and i'm still unsure how i should lay it out with regards to my certifications, work experience (lack of), and covering letter. For someone coming from a completely different field of work, i want to get my covering letter as good possible so that it gets noticed and doesn't end up being filed in the bin.

Any help on this matter would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

BIOS.E.C

the_Grinch

Aiming for a Help Desk position or perhaps Tier 1 NOC would be the way to go. Ultimately you may start as only a ticket taker, with about 15 minutes of quick troubleshooting before passing it up the line. From there you can move up the levels and then see about System Administration (as this is where I am guessing you are leaning at the moment). Resume wise, really depends on what you were doing before IT. Was it customer facing? People forget that customer service skills are just as important (I'd say slightly more important) then just straight tech skills. It's nice to know you could troubleshoot and bring back an entire network within an hour, but if lack people skills you won't last too long. I think you'll find most entry level position will ask you "how would you handle a customer who is x (angry, sad, etc)?" Good luck!