Is I.T some type of Secret society or something? why is it so hard to break into it?

It seems more difficult than any other fields, I have a A+ and a 2 year and I don't expect much but it seems like pulling teeth to get a full time job in it. What's the deal with this field and the constant headaches associated with breaking into it? It doesn't seem normal at all.

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KMYost

If the only certs you have is an A+, people are going to think that you aren't serious. Plus, South Florida is one of the worst places to be for IT jobs. There are way too many IT experts out there. (supply and demand, remember)

WiseWun

Network with others, do you have a LinkedIn account? Try obtaining your CCNA or Microsoft certifications. High school students nowadays have A+ certifications after 2-3 month of studying. IT is very competitive, continue to push yourself and don't give up.

Concerned Water

There are technology high schools that have Cisco Network Academy. Their getting out of school with a CCNA.

WafflesAndRootbeer

Concerned Water wrote: »

There are technology high schools that have Cisco Network Academy. Their getting out of school with a CCNA.

The one I went to back in the day was one of (if not) the first of those. They also have the same classes available to the community members there so it's not just for HS students.

Concerned Water

I wish I were in one of those schools back then, I'll probably have CCNP by now.

Main Event

KMYost wrote: »

If the only certs you have is an A+, people are going to think that you aren't serious. Plus, South Florida is one of the worst places to be for IT jobs. There are way too many IT experts out there. (supply and demand, remember)

Relocation is out of the equation right now so I'll have to find something down here. I've been applying to helpdesk jobs, pc repair jobs like Geek Squad and computer operator jobs (even though those are not advertised that often).

I've even thinking about getting a bachelors from WGU in Health Informatics or just leaving I.T and considering it a loss and going back for something that has jobs in my area and South Florida seems to be Medical/ Real Estate dominated....

Concerned Water

It's probably your resume, post it. Many people on here will be more than willing to help.

Main Event

Concerned Water wrote: »

It's probably your resume, post it. Many people on here will be more than willing to help.

 Energetic, self motivated, certified professional skilled in configuration and troubleshooting PC hardware, operating systems and software applications.
 Consistently recognized for technical troubleshooting skills used to rapidly and cost-effectively resolve challenging technical issues.
 Quickly learn and master new technology; equally successful in both team and self-directed settings; and proficient in a range of computer systems, languages, tools and testing methodologies.
Education
Keiser University – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
A.S. in Computer Network Administration program
Technology Summary
Certifications: CompTIA A+, Comptia N+
Systems: UNIX, Windows XP, Windows 7
Databases: Oracle, ADB2 and Relational Databases
Languages: Visual Basic, HTML
Software: MS Office, Symantec Antivirus/ Ghost
IT Related Experience
Supervisor of Elections – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
 Helpdesk Technician, (03/10 – 04/10; 07/2008 – 11/200

 A+
 Programmed, updated hardware and software and also ran the EViD’s (Electronic Voter Identification)
 Maintained Runbeck Ballot on demand printers by replacing consumables and changing belt drives and so forth.
 Took part in audits and recounts of the elections.

Proactive Business Solutions – Oakland, California
• Conference Support Technician, (11/07 – 01/0

• A temporary contract assisting in the set-up and break down of computer equipment in the Miami Beach area for conferences held by Bank of America.
• Added hardware to computer systems such as: hard drives, video cards, sound cards, SCSI devices, printers and scanners.
• Set up Windows XP based network using Cat5 Ethernet topology, spliced cables, laid cables and installed computers.
• Maintained and setup new user security accounts for Windows 2003 Server.

Non-Related I.T experience
Document Scanner University of Miami 12/2010 to present
Front Desk Security Officer Citrix 01/2007 to 07/2008
Carpet Care Technician Stanley Steemer 03/2006 to 11/2006
Billing Clerk ANC Rental Care Corp 07/2004 to 02/2006

RouteThisWay

Okay, post your resume as an attachment. We cant see the formatting.
You have A+ listed under certifications. And under a job? Ok.

Please post the attachment. Will make this easier to read.

RouteThisWay

RouteMyPacket wrote: »

Like so many today, the problem is most likely attitude and complete distorted view of reality.

There are two types of people looking at making IT their career, which one are you?

Type 1 (and all too common)

1. I have a fancy degree in Computer Science, Networking etc.
2. I deserve to be a Network Engineer straight out of school making $60,000+
3. No experience whatsoever
4. Resume looks like a 3rd grader constructed it (most likely comes from #3)
5. Help Desk is beneath me, I have a degree from "bla bla bla school"

Type 2

1. Has a fancy degree in Computer Science, Networking etc.
2. Looking to get foot in the door and will accept a Help Desk or Desktop position
3. Will gain valuable experience in doing so and will be able to show potential value and technical skills once in the door
4. Starts building practical IT experience that will be reflected on their resume
5. Immediately begins moving up, certifications along the way (not always a big deal), salary goes up over time
6. And he lives happy ever after in the wonderful world of 1's and 0's

Those are extremely broad generalizations. Nice name btw.

Iristheangel

I second RouteThisWay. Post it as a file so we can evaluate the whole thing including format

RouteMyPacket

RouteThisWay wrote: »

Those are extremely broad generalizations. Nice name btw.

Very broad but accurate and yes, I do have a cool name eh?

Also to OP, even though it's tough to read your pasted resume I can tell it needs a massive overhaul. We can easily fix that

RouteThisWay

I wouldn't say it is accurate.

What about the people out there without degrees? What about the people out there who change careers midlife? What about people who get experience first then earn degrees later in life? What about people who get tons of certifications first and then try to get experience? What about people who are #1,2, and 3 on Type 2- but can't show technical skills? There are a lot of "ifs" there. I like what you tries to show there- but I think it really just boils down to: Nothing is beneath you, show up, work hard, push yourself to progress, don't get complacent.

People don't fit in nice little stereotypes for the most part. We are complicated beings.

antielvis

Iristheangel wrote: »

IT is one of the fields that is fairly easy to break into and has one of the lowest unemployment rates out there. If you're having difficulty finding a job, it could one or several of the following:
1) Location
2) Education level
3) Spelling and grammar - Never underestimate the power of a well-written resume/cover letter... or the power a poorly written one has to ruin you.
4) Certification level
5) Technical competency - Yes, this is different than certification
6) Presentation - What are you wearing to the job interviews or job fairs? Is it REALLY the best thing you could be wearing?
7) Soft skills
Hygiene - Not only are you showering, are you putting too much aftershave on? Are you smothering the interviewer with your reeking deodorant? Does your hair look combed? Seems superficial but it's important
9) Resume - Does it make sense? Does it look sharp? Are you keeping it to one page? Are you exaggerating your abilities?
10) Cover letter - Is it clear, concise and convey your desire for the job or does it sound like a robot wrote it?
11) Interview skills - Do you sell yourself well? Are you a nervous mess? Are you saying "ummm" a lot?

I would recommend evaluating all of the above and have your peers evaluate you as well.

Iris makes some great points especially about communication skills & NOT exaggerating your abilities. I cannot emphasize the importance of good communication skills (proper spelling, sentence structure, etc). If you have not, get a book on how to create a resume & a good cover letter (this is a MUST MUST MUST).

It's also best to NOT exaggerate your skill set. This is far too common with both rookies and, strangely, with professionals. I see guys exaggerate their skills all the time & that's a BAD thing. Nothing will undermine your credibility than stating you understand a technology only for the recruiter to discover your skill set is very rudimentary. I can't tell you how many junior guys I've worked with who exaggerate their skills. Trust me when I say any seasoned IT worker can see right through you. You are FAR better to be honest with your skill set but to focus on your solid work ethic & impeccable people skills. And have some real life scenario's to back up your claims.

My own experience has been that when hiring entry level guys many firms focus on soft skills as much (or more) than technical skills. Help Desk jobs don't require a great deal of technical capability. What they do require is the employee to have a great deal of patience, empathy & a positive attitude. Help Desk is a maddening gig that requires a great deal of patience & good voice control (if you work the phone).

As for education, I disagree with the statement of "go get your MCSE or CCNA". Did you consider that many employers might be hesitant to hire someone for a help desk job who has an MCSE. They recruiter might ask "how long will they hang around" or "will they get bored quickly". For an entry level gig, I'd recommend the following certifications

A+
Network+
Win 7 70-685 exam
&
ITIL. Don't underestimate the importance of having this certification either. Understanding process & procedure is VITAL, especially in larger firms. Understand change management or RFC's and why they are important. Learn to understand the importance of standardization. Learn the importance of how to properly escalate an issue. AND THEN TELL the recruiter you understand all if it and tell him WHY. If you really want to piss off your IT manager, go ahead and make the decision to change something on the network without telling your boss.

Finally, set realistic sites for your first job. Don't apply to gigs beyond your technical expertise. Apply at consumer computer stores, at a local internet provider and at the corporate level. Accept the salary they give you (likely a low salary) and then adapt your life to LIVE on that salary.

Once you get the job, show up on time and stay in a positive mood. Follow process & procedures & follow orders. And think about the clients needs and THEIR perspective. Don't assume they are stupid because they don't have computer skills. Their job is in Finance or Marketing, not IT. Would you like if an Accounting accused you of being an "idiot" because you can't explain what due diligence is? And if you're working on something and 5 PM comes, stay late and finish the job. Don't rush to get the user off the phone so you can go home to game.

PS Iris: I had to laugh at the mention of the "be well dressed" thing. Yes, it IS important, but it made me laugh. Most IT dudes I know FAIL at anything to do with fashion. So to this I add "When you go shopping for your job interview clothes, take along a female friend".

Iristheangel

Sadly, it's not an exaggeration. At least half the people I have seen show up for IT interviews were inappropriately under-dressed for the occasion. Showing up for a formal interview wearing a polo shirt, mismatched clothing or sweating profusely with a backpack thrown over your shoulder is NOT putting your best foot forward. While it might be appropriate attire for everyday wear, it's not for an interview. I'm very traditional in that sense: Suits for men and either suits or a blouse and pencil skirt for women.

cyberguypr

antielvis wrote: »

Most IT dudes I know FAIL at anything to do with fashion. So to this I add "When you go shopping for your job interview clothes, take along a female friend".

A little less www.whatevertechsiteyouspendtoomuchtimeon.com and more GQ, Esquire or Askmen.com won't hurt either.

RouteThisWay

I'm with Iris. And I used to be of the camp to wear just a polo/nice shirt and khakis.

But I started noticing once I reached a certain level- suit all the way. In fact, at my current position, everyone joked about how I interviewed on Casual Friday in my suit. But everyone here I work with also interviewed in a suit. We had a long discussion about the power of a suit here ha. Granted, day to day it IS khaki/polo/button up... but, most businesses look at a suit as a formal attire.

And worst case scenerio, you are the best dressed. Better than being the worst dressed.

antielvis

RouteThisWay wrote: »

I'm with Iris. And I used to be of the camp to wear just a polo/nice shirt and khakis.

But I started noticing once I reached a certain level- suit all the way. In fact, at my current position, everyone joked about how I interviewed on Casual Friday in my suit. But everyone here I work with also interviewed in a suit. We had a long discussion about the power of a suit here ha. Granted, day to day it IS khaki/polo/button up... but, most businesses look at a suit as a formal attire.

And worst case scenerio, you are the best dressed. Better than being the worst dressed.

Well it's not just about being well dressed but it's about being "smartly dressed". I've seen guys in suits that have wrinkles or cheap quality ties. Or people with very nice clothes but they are wrinkled. The other day coming to work I saw a smartly dressed women who was covered in cat hair. In the case you don't have a suit for an interview & maybe can't afford one at least dress smartly. Make sure you iron that polo shirt & your pants, shave your facial hair & wear a nice pair of shoes (polished). Most importantly, get a good nights sleep so you look rested & awake. People notice those things even if you don't. Another recommendation: Stay fit. Fair or not, a fit body is a plus.

Here's a funny story on being well dressed: I had to go to a 2nd interview for a position, and as luck would have it, the night before I had a AC unit blow up in a server room. I had just gone to bed and I was paged because of the AC failure. I was there all night and, because my interview was at 8 AM I didn't want to call and cancel, so I said "eff it" and went anyway. I show up wearing running shoes, pajama pants & a t-shirt. I'd worked all night in a extremely hot server room without any sleep. I was flushed and looked like death warmed over. The interview was with HR, the IT director & a senior VP.

I walked into the room and the first thing I did was apologize for how I was dressed & for how tired I looked. I explained that I was paged at midnight because my server room had overheated and I'd spent the entire night working to get it things going & ensuring the network was working. I explained that I would have cancelled the interview, but given it was at 8 AM I couldn't have given notice. I explained I made the decision also knowing that all 3 of those people had set aside valuable time to accommodate my request for an 8 AM meeting

I got the job. Much later the IT Director told me he'd recommended I be hired because it was clear I was dedicated to my job & that even though I was mired in a IT disaster I still respected other people's schedules/time. True story.

jay twizzle

Main Event wrote: »

 Energetic, self motivated, certified professional skilled in configuration and troubleshooting PC hardware, operating systems and software applications.
 Consistently recognized for technical troubleshooting skills used to rapidly and cost-effectively resolve challenging technical issues.
 Quickly learn and master new technology; equally successful in both team and self-directed settings; and proficient in a range of computer systems, languages, tools and testing methodologies.
Education
Keiser University – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
A.S. in Computer Network Administration program
Technology Summary
Certifications: CompTIA A+, Comptia N+
Systems: UNIX, Windows XP, Windows 7
Databases: Oracle, ADB2 and Relational Databases
Languages: Visual Basic, HTML
Software: MS Office, Symantec Antivirus/ Ghost
IT Related Experience
Supervisor of Elections – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
 Helpdesk Technician, (03/10 – 04/10; 07/2008 – 11/200
 A+
 Programmed, updated hardware and software and also ran the EViD’s (Electronic Voter Identification)
 Maintained Runbeck Ballot on demand printers by replacing consumables and changing belt drives and so forth.
 Took part in audits and recounts of the elections.

Proactive Business Solutions – Oakland, California
• Conference Support Technician, (11/07 – 01/0
• A temporary contract assisting in the set-up and break down of computer equipment in the Miami Beach area for conferences held by Bank of America.
• Added hardware to computer systems such as: hard drives, video cards, sound cards, SCSI devices, printers and scanners.
• Set up Windows XP based network using Cat5 Ethernet topology, spliced cables, laid cables and installed computers.
• Maintained and setup new user security accounts for Windows 2003 Server.

Non-Related I.T experience
Document Scanner University of Miami 12/2010 to present
Front Desk Security Officer Citrix 01/2007 to 07/2008
Carpet Care Technician Stanley Steemer 03/2006 to 11/2006
Billing Clerk ANC Rental Care Corp 07/2004 to 02/2006

So far from what I see and me being in the South Florida area as well, besides work experience you will need more than entry level certs unfortunately from my experience.

NetworkingStudent

Main Event wrote: »

It seems more difficult than any other fields, I have a A+ and a 2 year and I don't expect much but it seems like pulling teeth to get a full time job in it. What's the deal with this field and the constant headaches associated with breaking into it? It doesn't seem normal at all.

You sound a lot like me, except I have A+, Net+, and Sec+

Here are my suggestions…

• Volunteer using IT skills and put this on your resume. Something is better than nothing.

• Be willing to take a leap of faith. I’m getting to this point, where I need to take a few contractor jobs to get experience and prove my worth.

• Do something..anything with computers… people are going to ask.. so what have you been up to while you have been out of school? You could watch you tube videos on server 2008 or server 2008R2, studying programming..something. Getting a degree is important, but what you do after that is even more important.

• Study the company cultural, and try to find out how, or if you fit into their cultural. I have found that most of the IT jobs I have applied to are more about fit and cultural, than anything else.

• Why do you want to work in IT? Be prepared to answer this question. Yes, it sounds easy, but most employers will ask this.

• Certs are great, but take some jobs on Work Market, or onforce. These jobs will show you are trying to get experience. I started taking jobs on Work Market and I have started getting more interviews. Also, had recruiter say this shows your are trying to get experience.

• Post your resume on career builder, most recruiters search career builder and monster for candidates.

• Like IRIS said check with your school and TE..make sure your resume and cover letter are 100% error free. This is your first assignment for the employer, and employers don’t want to hire someone that hands in errors for their first assignment.

• Tell me about yourself? You should prepare a 30-60 elevator pitch for this question. I graduated from blank blank school, with 4.0 GPA and I’m A+ certified.

• How to Develop Your Personal Elevator Pitch: 5 steps - wikiHow

Main Event

I'll post it as a file on lunch break.... give me a couple hours.

Main Event

here it is

PC Technican or Desktop Support Technician.doc

lantech

There are some formatting issues.

There is to much space in between systems and languages under the technology heading. Is that heading a table? It would probably better better just to remove the table and type it out.

Under help desk technician what is the line for A+ mean? If it's the Comptia cert is should be taken out.

Remove the bullet points next to the job titles. Makes it look like they are part of the job description

Have all the dates lined up in the same column.

Check the dates, they're not all formatted the same way and remove the parenthesis from around the ones that have them.

You should have a job description for all jobs listed. I'll leave it up to others as to whether they think the other jobs should be listed or not.

Might be preference but I prefer lines under the headings and not over them. But that's just me and might not make a difference.

Main Event

that's it?

EV42TMAN

yeah i just got my CCNA and i have recruiters calling me daily offering me $15 an hour help desk jobs. I just laugh because they look at my resume and think I'd leave my current job for the help desk position. I've been doing Server Support and Server design for the last 3 years and have about 8 years in the IT industry. I don't want tier 1 help desk in a call center. lol