am i not qualified??

I have been looking for a different job for a long time and I apply to every job I come across in my area that I may be a fit for. I am wanting a desktop support position, but I have also applied to helpdesk I and II positions. The only calls Ive been getting have been from a recruiting agency. I am beginning to wonder if im not even qualified for a helpdesk I job. I had a phone interview 2 days ago with a helpdesk manager and the recruiter called me back and said that feedback from the guy was that I was "not right for high volume call job with high quotas". I told him that was fine because I was not looking for a straight "call center" only job. I have a BS degree in MIS, a year experience in PC repair and troubleshooting where I am now, A+, Network+, MCP, and one exam away from having MCSA. Is that not qualified for an entry level helpdesk position???

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Comments

dynamik

Sounds like you're borderline over-qualified

undomiel

I'd say get on the phone and start calling these places and see if you can get the hiring manager on the line. If you can talk good and even get yourself a face-to-face then you should be able to show you can do the job.

bhs00

Am I overqualified for a desktop support position as well?

Daniel333

Help desk work? Needs at least a PHD.

Seriously, focus on what you can change, not what you can't. And don't be afraid to read a few books and get out and practice your softskills.

bhs00

I wonder what could enhance my chances or employment? Finish the MCSA and maybe get certified in Security+ or CCNA? I was planning on holding off on MCSA until I get a little work experience with it so I can grasp ideas on 70-291 exam a little better.

networker050184

I don't think more certifications are what you need. If I were you I'd work on my resume and interviewing skills. You have enough certifications for helpdesk type work so now its time to focus on building your experience and soft skills.

Good luck!

BradleyHU

maybe its the area you're in...might not be a whole lot of Desktop Support/IT jobs around. might need to think of looking in other locations...

undomiel

Don't forget that there is a lot of competition out there currently what with everyone getting laid off. People I've interviewed with have mentioned getting 150-200+ resumes for each position they post.

Turgon

networker050184 wrote: »

I don't think more certifications are what you need. If I were you I'd work on my resume and interviewing skills. You have enough certifications for helpdesk type work so now its time to focus on building your experience and soft skills.

Good luck!

There's a lot in that at any level. Im my latest contract one of the hiring managers is a CCIE from back in 2000. He doesn't put a lot of merit on the Professional level certs and hires depending on the 'person'. If the person isn't *right* you don't get the gig, even if you have a CCIE never mind NP certs.

The 'other' stuff is clearly important! I hope you get a break. Keep plugging away!

skrpune

undomiel wrote: »

Don't forget that there is a lot of competition out there currently what with everyone getting laid off. People I've interviewed with have mentioned getting 150-200+ resumes for each position they post.

This probably has a lot to do with it. There's LOTS of competition out there right now, and I wouldn't be shocked if folks are getting lost in the shuffle or in the sheer volume of resumes that are being received.

amart83

I wonder if I am also under-qualified for I want to do: A+, Network+, MCSA2K: Security, but struggle to find a job that fits my skills.

I'm almost done with MCSA 2003. I want to get MCSE 2003 then CCENT then CCNA.

I'm applying for Help Desk jobs, a job that I am over-qualified for, just so I can get my foot in the door. No such luck though.

Even though I believe I can learn the same things in a lab environment with proper material that I could in College, I'm seriously considering going to College just to meet people that can help me get my foot in the door.

I'm 25yrs old still living at home and depend on others for a ride. Which also means that I have no financial support to help me re-locate to an area where there are more tech jobs.

Anybody been in my position that has found success? Any advice you can offer? I've put so much into Computers and Networking that, to me, a career change would be a waste of the past 7 years of my life.

genXrcist

Some points I'd like to add.

1) 85% of people who get a job do so through some sort of networking. 10% of jobs come from recruiters and 5% come from job post sites. A DBM consultant gave me these figures. So, get out there and get to know people in technology. Volunteer IT work at your local church, school or whatever. Use Linkedin.com and build a profile. When you apply somewhere, do a search in LinkedIn under that company in your area to see if you can find some people. Then trace back to see if there's anyway you one of your contacts knows someone who knows someone etc...

2) Only put the certifications on your resume that matter to the position applying for. I didn't do this when I was looking for a job but found out later that at a business I applied at, an HR employee actually thought I was overqualified cuz I had more cert's than the manager, thus he thought the manager would feel threatened. You can't control this sort of nonsense of course but I thought I would pass on the advice as it was passed onto me.

3) It's ALL about the interview. If you're fortunate enough to get called, you MUST interview well. There are too many smooth talkers out there that may or may not know what they're doing and you are competing with them. Once past the phone interview, nail the in-person interview. If you can get down to the last 2-3 for a couple of positions, you should be able to land something. Yes yes, I know, easier said than done but that's just it, it must be done. Learn the catch phrases like "My job is to ensure the user's are up and running as close to 100% as possible because when my users are working, your company is making money." I've always received good feedback on that line of BS.

Good luck bro and keep studying!

msteinhilber

genXrcist wrote: »

1) 85% of people who get a job do so through some sort of networking. 10% of jobs come from recruiters and 5% come from job post sites. A DBM consultant gave me these figures. So, get out there and get to know people in technology. Volunteer IT work at your local church, school or whatever. Use Linkedin.com and build a profile. When you apply somewhere, do a search in LinkedIn under that company in your area to see if you can find some people. Then trace back to see if there's anyway you one of your contacts knows someone who knows someone etc...

This is excellent advice, networking is HUGE. All of my jobs I've worked and all of the interviews I've had for other jobs I've not received offers on were all available because of who I knew. I recently started using LinkedIn as well and have been going through adding those I have worked with as well as customers I served in prior jobs and I have many resources now for other opportunities and as mentioned you can see if a contact you have is a contact with somebody you are interviewing for as well - perhaps you can get a good word put in or use that person as a reference which may hold more weight if they know an interviewer.

jryantech

Is that not qualified for an entry level helpdesk position???

You were qualified for a helpdesk position the second you got your A+

ChronusMaximus

genXrcist wrote: »

Some points I'd like to add.

1) 85% of people who get a job do so through some sort of networking. 10% of jobs come from recruiters and 5% come from job post sites. A DBM consultant gave me these figures. So, get out there and get to know people in technology. Volunteer IT work at your local church, school or whatever. Use Linkedin.com and build a profile. When you apply somewhere, do a search in LinkedIn under that company in your area to see if you can find some people. Then trace back to see if there's anyway you one of your contacts knows someone who knows someone etc...

I agree! Excellent advice! I just recently joined a local chapter of AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals) for the purpose of networking and meeting people experienced in the field. The local chapter normally has meetings once a month and even invites guest speakers that often give interesting lectures.

The one thing that kept coming up in the first meeting I went to was that everyone had joined years ago for networking, they felt confident if they lost their job tomorrow that their next job would most likely come from a friend in the group.

I think they have all been posted on here before but I will redo it anyways:

AITP : Association of Information Technology Professionals
Association of Information Technology Professionals -- AITP
IEEE
IEEE - the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology
ACM: Association of Computing Machinery
Welcome — Association for Computing Machinery

As pointed out by other people on the forum, IEEE and ACM (student memberships I know for sure) both give you access to Microsoft MSDN AA which gives you access to full versions of Microsoft products such as XP, Server, Exchange, etc. which comes in handy when studying!

vsmith3rd

Daniel333 wrote: »

Help desk work? Needs at least a PHD.

Seriously, focus on what you can change, not what you can't. And don't be afraid to read a few books and get out and practice your softskills.

Awww, softskills. The must underrated/underdeveloped skill for an IT professional. It can mean the difference between getting the job or not. Getting the promotion, or not. Your tech skills, according to the certs and experience, are covered. I'd look to further develop communication skills, which include soft skills and sales skills. One has to be in a position to sell themselves.

As for networking, I've spoken to people in government jobs that say by the time a job is posted on usajobs.com, in most cases, the job is already filled, because someone close to the folks involved with hiring passed someone else's resume along before the job even opened. It has to be posted for legal and "fairness" reasons. Networking is HUGELY important, maybe more so in the private sector.

zen master

Don't forget that these are very tough economic times. You may see lots of jobs being advertised, but don't forget how many people have lost their jobs recently and are also trying to land those same jobs. Exactly how long have you been looking, and how many applications have you sent out. What you think is a lot, really may not be that many. Finding a job is a job in itself, don't forget that. Dress smart, do some research about the companies before the interview, and make sure your CV is up to scratch.

bhs00

Ive never been good at taking hints, so I would like some input into this. The job I interviewed for earlier in this post was through a recruiting agency. He connected the helpdesk manager and myself by phone. We talked and the guy gave me his name and phone number. We talked for a good 45 minutes and he seemed impressed and I fully expected to land the job. But later that same day the recruiter called and I didnt get the job or even a second interview. Do you think the interviewer wanted me to call him about some other job in a roundabout way?

undomiel

There's really no way to know about that. My guess would be that there is just a huge number of qualified candidates out there. I've had interviews before that I was sure I would get a call back on and never heard a thing. Don't take it personally and move on to the next prospect.

arwes

Well the guy must have given you his name & number for a reason. Maybe you should call and thank him for the interview? This is from the Resumes Do's and Don'ts thread:

if calling follow the same rule, if their busy keep it short
" i wanted to thank you for your time speaking to me on ??? and i hope to hear from you again" to that effect and get off the phone don't ask for a call back and don't call back- unless they ask you to get the time and keep it.. when calling back remind them of it " i was giving you a call back in reference to ....."
if they're not busy keep it short as well but if they want to discuss it further do so.. ask any questions that you have left over

Personally I'd ignore what the recruiter said at this point, unless they're actively trying to find you another position elsewhere. Certainly wouldn't hurt to give the guy a call to say thanks, and who knows? Maybe he has something else in mind for you.

markk2008

I would just keep on trying and not get too disheartened about it all. Something will turn up in the end.

BigTex71

The position I am at now was through a great recruiter. I know many people have had bad experiences with tech recruiters, but it would be idiotic to not follow up with one. You should be exhausting every avenue to find your next job- recruiters being one of them.
And you also have to realize that many companies are hiring all new IT employees through a recruiting firm first on contract-to-hire. That way, if you aren't cutting it, they can cancel the contract with no legal recourse on your end. If it does work out, you get a permanent position with the company and you have a little leverage when negotiating the salary- because they have the time invested in getting you up to speed with their operation and you know they like you.

So don't discount all recruiters.