Why am I stuck?

Johnjones

It seems as though I cannot land a position other than help desk. I have CISSP, CCNA Sec, VCP, A+, Net+, Sec+ and Win7. Experience from military to back it up. I do well in the few interviews I get, dress the part, and everything else.

Am I bound to help desk? I'm starting to give up because I'm working harder than most folks I know and getting less.

Zomboidicus

What kind of positions are you trying to get, and how much are you asking for?

zxbane

Give us some more information. You have a solid list of certifications, what does your experience background consist of? I would recommend posting your resume on here to be reviewed by others. Also share what sites etc you have been using to apply for jobs, if you have a clearance, and those certifications along with solid experience you should definitely be able to land something higher than help desk.

da_vato

Are you a good personality fit in these jobs you've applied for? Soft skills are often over looked.... Looking good on paper is one thing but being able to fit in with the company culture is a whole other.

networker050184

Maybe you should think about how well you are doing in those interviews. If you are getting interviews but not offers then I'd think you might be doing something wrong in those interviews. If you get calls, then your resume is good. If you get an in person interview after that call you sold yourself well on the phone and have what they are looking for. If you aren't closing the deal with the face to face interview then something must be off. They wouldn't waste time bringing you in if they didn't consider your experience and qualifications sufficient for the position.

shodown

I think everyone hit it on the head. I see a lot of people come in for interviews and you can tell they are fake or staged or have been rehearsed. That tells us that you are not who you say you are. For us that a huge red flag as we don't know if you fit into our culture. The best advice I can give for job interviews is not to take yourself seriously, but take your work seriously and have fun.

TomkoTech

How is it you have a CISSP with only doing helpdesk? Isn't a requirement to have 5 years experience working in at least 2 of the 10 domains? Not many helpdesks I know can claim that. At least entry level ones.

Johnjones

Thanks everyone. Also, i have a background in the military doing system admin among other things. I have a high level clearance as well.

omi2123

i have the same question....something doesn't add up right...

MSSoftie

I agree with Networker and the others. There is a general rule of thumb: if you get no interviews - work your resume. If you get interviews but no offers - work your interview skills. I see your certs. Can you speak to experience that backs them up? You may come off as a "paper tiger". That is basically someone with certs but no actual experience. It was always something I was concerned about when I interviewed someone. Certification is great but if you can't do the actual work, they don't help me a bit.

I am not questioning your experience but you may need to work on presenting it well. Can you cite examples of situations where you used those skills? If you can't then perhaps you should leave it off your resume. It may seem like odd advice but an interviewer may be disappointed to bring you in for a job based on a skill (for instance CISSP) to find you haven't actually used that skill in a real world environment. Better to surprise them with good news than to disappoint them.

What types of jobs are you looking for? If I see CISSP, I am thinking serious security professional. Is that you? Maybe it is what you aspire to be but are you ready for that job title yet? If you are looking to get into a security job, you might think about CEH or the like. It is still a serious cert but it shows a much more practical aspect with working with the tools in my opinion. If you are looking at Sys Admin, get some Microsoft or *nix server certs. Don't go all the way up to MCSE I would say just one or two in that direction would do you good.

Right now your certs are unbalanced. You have a number of entry level certs and then a professional level cert in Security. You have a middle level CCNA Security and VMware cert which are close to middle level but are very specific and networking based.

Lastly, if you don't have the specific experience you want, ask for it. See if there is any way for you to do a slightly different kind of work even if it is on your own time or with a different team. You should be able to say, at my current position I have taken the initiative to work with the (fill in the blank team related to the applied for position) and I have learned (fill in this blank too).

This is just my long winded opinion but there are always options to get where you need to go. They are not always quick or easy but they are often there if you look.