Can't get a job. Will CCENT/CCNA help land my first IT job? (Resume attached)

Hey everybody,

I'm currently enrolled at WGU in their Network Admin program. I already have a BS from a local University in Biology, and some work experience as a police officer/park ranger. But, I left that all behind and decided to get into IT instead (much more interesting to me and a much brighter future than the Park Ranger/law enforcement crap). I have my A+, as well as the stupid CIW Web Foundations cert and the MTA: Network Fundamentals from WGU (sidenote: The CIW class was incredibly stupid.). Right now I'm a good way through studying for my CCENT and really enjoying it. I took a CCNA prep course about 10 years ago and narrowly failed the CCNA, so it feels really good to be back into it. Always bugged me I never saw that through to the end.

Anyway, I'm unemployed and trying to get my first IT job. I'm well aware that Helpdesk is about as good as I'm gonna get without any prior IT experience, although I'm pretty comfortable troubleshooting any common Windows XP/7 issues or PC hardware issues (self taught as a hobbyist for the last 15 years). But... I can't even seem to land a crappy $15/hr Helpdesk job. I've applied to probably 20, and I got callbacks for 3 of them. 2 of them were for jobs that ended up not being actual IT tech support (one was more about crawling under buildings laying cable for about 15 hours a week, and the other was providing phone support to some company's proprietary software product I'd never heard of). The other one I got as far as an in-person interview, and it went really well, but then the dude told me he was waiting for a new client to sign on before he hired me. Last I heard he was fully expecting the new client to sign "soon," and after that he'd make me an offer. Unfortunately, that was about 3 weeks ago and I've pretty much given up hope and feel that the ball is firmly in his court at this point (I've called and emailed plenty to express my interest... I don't want to be irritating.) He said during the interview that I'd be a bit of a "project" for him because I'd need about 6 months of training to be brought up to speed, but that he liked my self-taught nature and my persistence. Guess he didn't like it that much, though

So... question is this. This Cisco stuff is considerably harder than the A+, and I feel that it requires actual job skills to pass these tests (whereas A+ was just memorizing a bunch of basic crap). I am by no means expecting a $60k job straight out the gate, but what are the real-world implications of earning my CCNA for somebody w/ no work experience in IT? Will it *really* help me get that entry-level job, or am I gonna need more to rise out of the slush pile that my resume is very clearly ending up in? Next up after the CCNA will be MCSA Server 2008, which I'm looking forward to. After that, not sure. Maybe Security+. But I'd REALLY like to start getting a paycheck again well before that, even just $14-15/hr. I have a girlfriend who is literally sitting on the couch browsing engagement rings while I type this.... just sayin. So what would you guys suggest to make that entry level job a reality?

Just FYI I've attached a copy of my resume for anybody curious.

EditedITResumeNov2013.pdf

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Comments

stryder144

Good morning, Bacon_00. I am, by no means, an expert in landing a job in IT. I would, though, like to pass on some resume tips, if you don't mind. My experience with resumes comes from sitting down with several HR folks in the IT industry, as well as quite a number of IT recruiters. Here are a few things:

1. The Cisco Networking Academy entry could cause a prospective employer to question why you went to it in 2004 but never received a CCENT/CCNA. Be prepared to answer the question.

2. Under Computer Skills:
a. First line: "many others" is too ambiguous. Suggest revising it.
b. Sixth line: Spell out which virtualization technologies you are familiar with. Hyper-V, Oracle VM VirtualBox, VMware Player, etc.
c. Seventh line: We know what iOS stands for, but, the HR folks won't necessarily. So it might be advisable to use "Apple iOS devices" or "iPhones/iPads".

3. Very few HR departments want to see Interests in a resume. If they want to see what your interests are, and I have seen some postings that ask for them, they are usually included in the cover letter.

4. Everything I've read recently on resumes says to avoid putting the references line in. If HR wants references, they will ask for them in the job posting or ask for them when they contact you.

In this thread, Isudood mentions this website for a resume tip. Here is another one. A recent article on About.com. Lastly, and one that is probably the best for selecting the overall format, another About.com article.

Do you have a Linkedin account? If you do, I strongly suggest putting that on your resume. Hiring managers have told me that they will open the interviewee's profile while conducting a phone interview. Not to mention, it can go into much greater depth than a typical resume can, since you have no size constraints on Linkedin but you want to keep your resume short.

Also, one bit of advice that I received before I landed my first IT job was to read the book, Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0. Some of the advice is, well, odd or questionable, depending on your job market. Overall, though, it will provide quite a few interesting tips that might be just what you need.

I hope what I have provided is useful. I know that several others on this forum are going to give some very valuable assistance. Just be open to what they have to say and I am certain that you will quickly produce the kind of resume that grabs the HR specialist's attention.

Cheers

SteveFT

Stryder has some good suggestions. Look to your friends and acquaintances for help. You might be surprised by who could help you out. Someone that I knew from high school helped me find my first job. Consider contract work as well. This is how I'm starting off. I was fortunate enough to find a job that is paying roughly ~$35,000/year for 24 hours per week. From my understanding, this is considerably higher than the average pay for a first IT job. However, you do have to make an assessment of your current situation. I can afford not to have benefits for another 6 months because I'm still on my parents insurance.

All the best!

Bacon_00

Hey thanks for the resume tips! I'll incorporate all of those ASAP. Thanks a ton.

NotHackingYou

In many areas, $15/hr to starting helpdesk would be pretty good pay. Where are you located? Lots of jobs are providing phone support for proprietary software noone has heard of before - and often that troubleshooting requires IT skills. I would not pass up a job only because it is supporting software that you are not familiar with.

Bacon_00

CarlSaiyed wrote: »

In many areas, $15/hr to starting helpdesk would be pretty good pay. Where are you located? Lots of jobs are providing phone support for proprietary software noone has heard of before - and often that troubleshooting requires IT skills. I would not pass up a job only because it is supporting software that you are not familiar with.

Yeah I definitely considered that, but since I'm in school I figured I'd just keep doing school until I got an entry level job that would be more in-line with the type of IT work I'm interested in. But, maybe that mindset will have to be re-evaluated just to get my foot in the door

I'm not too keen about a job that's 100% phone support, either. Yeah, need to pay my dues, but there seem to be a lot of hands-on entry-level jobs out there that aren't 100% phone support.

I'm also in Seattle, which as far as I know is one of the better places to be for IT. $14/hr is about the lowest I see for any entry-level jobs. But like I said, I can't even seem to get those, so... IDK. Just curious if the Cisco certs will open more doors and more interviews, or if I should push out my "get a job" timeline a little...

--chris--

I know you have been patient but honestly keep looking. It took me about 4 months and several interviews just to get a part time gig. This is arguably the toughest spot in your it career to find employment. You only have to go through this once if your worth a damn.

As for certs I would look into the Mcts 70-680 instead of ccna if your looking at help desk work. Then CCENT and possibly ccna if you like networking.

Bacon_00

I'm already well into my CCENT so I'm just gonna see it through to the end. I really enjoy it and would love to get a job in Networking, but I also wouldn't mind a Helpdesk job just to get "IT" on my resume. IDK. I'll look for entry level Networking jobs, too, but those seem to be few and far between compared to Helpdesk.

NotHackingYou

Yes, the CCNA is likely to get you more hits on your resume. It is still a well respected credential.

DCD

Stryder144 does have some good suggestions. Also add these changes "relevant education" to Education drop the 2004 Cisco Network Academy it almost 10 years old and at least 2 revisions behind the times it would be different if you had the CCNET or CCNA. Write a summary for the technology you have used and how you used them. The length of your summary should be 2 or 3 sentences.
Try and get it on one page since it not IT focused. I know some people don't like it but add the CompTIA and Microsoft logo to your resume you need it to stand out somehow. And no more then two Logos.