Really need career advice

Johnjones

So I'm currently at the lowest level of IT - Help Desk. I have a couple of decent certifications (CCNA, VCP, Sec+, etc). I want to do something better or more important. I have experience doing Sys Admin work...six years. However, I can't seem to get phone calls for those positions...I always hear back if I apply to a help desk role. Sometimes I don't hear back from Desktop Support?

I used to be more interested in learning and studying, but since working tier 1, I've lost all motivation and find myself not caring anymore. I don't have any connections or ends. I get tired of people telling me I should be a Network this or that, but every time I try I get no where. Where I work now a bunch of old guys are in charge and actually look to hold you back...maybe it's jealously or something. I don't mind working my way up...I just need a chance.

Essendon

What you need to do is work on your resume. Is your resume worded the right way, is it geared towards your desired position, does it highlight your sys admin duties? With those certifications and 6 years sys admin experience and you not getting a call back points to resume deficiencies and/or location issues. Are you based in an area where there arent too many mid-senior jobs? Perhaps, look at the millions of threads here on TE on resume critiques, implement those changes in your resume and then post it up here for further critique. Good luck mate and I hope you get outa helpdesk soon. I barely survived 3 months of it, you've gone through 6 years, time to get out to bigger and badder things!

ande0255

You sound exactly like me about 6 months ago, I had been on help desks with an expiring CCNA and aging network experience, and I could get to the final phases of selection processes for positions, but never actually landed it until this previous job.

The absolutely best thing you can do for yourself as a job candidate is make an extremely professional LinkedIn, and connect with everyone IT you can think of, especially recruiters. My LinkedIn feed looks almost like a flowing job board of positions posted by recruiters, and they are actively looking at their connections profiles to fill those positions, as that is their bread and butter.

Even if you don't know recruiters now, go interview at every local IT staffing agency, and ask for a business card. Once you connect with them, connect with their connections, and their connections connections. Eventually you'll get so many messages for jobs at the level you project yourself at, that you will be interviewing as much or little as you want, and that's how you hone your skills for that one interview that you want to knock out of the damn atmosphere