How do I make my come back into IT?

Hey Guys,

Long story short i lost my job 2 weeks ago and I have being job hunting and all I get are interviews but it does not turn into a offer and does not go anywhere from that.

I have lost all of the jobs I interviewed for and I have to wait for 1 more company to get back to me but I doubt they will hire me.

I want to make my come back but I am feeling a bit hopeless and the reason for this is I have being looking for a job for a little over a year while I was employed and I tried to get a better role (senior admin/engineer one)
but could not do so but I have come close etc.

I have being working in I.T for 5 years now and I am a bit worried that I might not be able to make my come back and I might be unemployed for months and months or worest forever.

I had real hardships earlier on when I tried to get into I.T but I overcame them and made it through fine and hard. I guess this is just a bump on the road but how do I recover and come out as a champion?

To some up my career so far I have being doing Design,Implementation and support of Windows infrastructures and have done alot of large projects at large volumes and large scales and worked on large infrastructures where I made a positive change as a Infrastructure consultant
I know I have good experience and good skills and people say don't worry you will get hired but it is not going anywhere and I am feeling so hopeless and depressed.

I also have MS Certs.

Any advice guys? I am actually going after jobs like I am emailing IT service providers in my area and asking if they want anyone of my skills so I am not just applying online I am going after the kill.

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Comments

cyberguypr

If you are getting interviews they it is safe to assume your resume works. The only possibility left is that you are not selling yourself adequately. For those who turned you down, what reason did they give you for chosing another candidate over you?

Also, why are you so sure this other company won't hire you?

hustlerb01

They mostly do not give a reason why,

they say oh other candidates had closer experience, or I had no passion in a certain area or yeah, no real reasons,

I used to be damn good at interviews but I guess i lost a bit of confidence and this is something more that I have to improve but I am aiming to get a better role than what I was doing before so ofcourse its going to be a challenge.

I also screwed up some interviews which I could have being hired, i said i cannot make it and rescheduled ( with good reasons) and they said they went with other candidate and these were the final stages.

Guys I just need to make my come back i being unemployed for 2 weeks i do not want 2 weeks to turn into a month and a month to a 3 months then 6 months and a year and forever

TomkoTech

Your "come back"? lol It isn't like you have been in a different field for 5 years. If it really has only been 2 weeks then relax. Unemployment Insurance exists for a reason. You should be able to pay your bills with it while living a little less than you were. Take some time and practice interviewing. Take some questions the recent interviewers have asked you and make sure you can comfortably answer those. Proper preparation is key to a successful interview. If it's been 3-4 months of failing interviews then yeah I'd say you need to seek out some professional help. Just take a breath and focus on preparing.

pinkydapimp

LOL. you just need to focus on your interviewing skills. Google some videos on how to handle interviews. Go to toastmasters and improve your soft skills. Once you sharpen up those interview skills you will get that job.

MeanDrunkR2D2

I think that you really need to focus on your confidence.. If you go into an interview feeling deflated and beaten, it will show up as a lack of passion. I'd take the lessons you have learned in your most recent interviews and see how you can improve them. If you have a friend/spouse/etc that you can practice interview with that can help out. Since you are getting interviews, it's clear that your resume is working and you are looking hard and going outside of your box and trying hard. Are you in any linkedin groups? Maybe there is a local IT group on there that you can meet up with folks and network your skills so that they get to know you and hopefully give you a recommendation to someone that they know to help give you a leg up.

Nersesian

- candidates had closer experience, or I had no passion in a certain area or yeah, no real reasons

I gotta say, if I came out of an interview and a prospective employer told me they thought I had no passion, I would start to rethink my interview strategy and then promptly start to question my whole presentation. I would then weep.

I'm not trying to pile on, but I'll agree with the other posters here. Its you. Your resume pulls them in but they meet you and say no thanks. Here's what you're going to do. Find a friend (you have friends right?) and give them a printed list of interview questions. Practice your interviewing skills and request feedback from your friend (I should add, make sure you don't pick one of your more daft friends) and adjust your approach based on what they tell you. Before your interview, make sure you're awake, alert and motivated. Have a cup of joe, go for a run...whatever it is to jack you up and then go in there and kill it.

TomkoTech

What was the reason for you losing your job 2 weeks ago? If you got terminated for cause that could be playing a huge part in all this.

Danielm7

hustlerb01 wrote: »

they say oh other candidates had closer experience, or I had no passion in a certain area or yeah, no real reasons,

Both of those are actually very real reasons that you should look into. If you're applying for roles that your resume says you can do but you aren't backing it up, or even conveying it well during the interview, then you usually aren't going to get picked. "No passion in a certain area" means look at the way you interview, coming in tired, uncomfortable, awkward, nervous, not confident, etc, all play a huge part in how people perceive you.

Put yourself in the interviewer's shoes, if someone walked in and seemed depressed and/or not confident, then the next one comes in and is beaming, happy and very positive which one would you want on your team?

moe12

What was the cause of you loosing your job 2 weeks ago? You keep saying "comeback" where did you go? Everything I read makes me think your resume is doing its job, you just are not selling yourself. Work on your interview skills.

Wish you the best.

BradleyHU

yeah, being out of work for 2 weeks, thats not a comeback. If you've been out for a year or more, or went to a completely different field, then yeah thats a comeback/return to IT.

My last stint of being umemployed, I was out for 3 months. It gets frustrating quick, especially since I was getting a ton of interviews, but no offers. But sometimes, it might be something insignificant that you said, or a particular skill you dont have that employers are looking for, and aren't trying to train you on from scratch. Or, it could be that you're not selling yourself right, and come off as too laid back, and unambitious. You got to play the interview game. You have to have them think you're super excited, and gung-ho, even if thats not your personality.

hustlerb01

thanks for the feedback guys,

the reason why i lost my job was it was a horrible place to work (most people survive there for 6 months i survived 3 years)

i resigned.

Yeah, i used to be the man at interviews because i learned but it was along time ago, i need to get back into the old me when I used to kill it!
'
Also the kind of level interview I go for do not give me technical questions like "what port is this service using" or how do you add a reservation in DHCP these are more senior so it is the thought process and the design stuff.

I will work on my interview skills and I will get jacked up and show motivation but the question that I have is some interviews were ones that I shouldn't have being asked to come into I hate those!!!

One interview was like 80 percent linux and I am a Windows guy, other one was team lead and they said since you do not have management experience we cannot pick you, they should have found out that in the cv as I clearly stated
and some places are suchh asses and they interview candidates as a process thing when they clearly know they already picked an internal candidate.

pinkydapimp

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

Not sure i follow. But if you are sitting in interviews for roles that dont suit you, maybe you need to start asking more questions during the phone screen. In some situations you will get asked questions from left field. But if you learn at the interview that the role is 80% linux and you did not know that prior then that sounds like alot of miscommunication.

Dont sweat what they are going to ask you. just get better so that you can answer whatever is asked you. you will never be able to answer every question. But as long as you can convey you can do the job and be valuable to the organization, then you should be able to get the job.

TomkoTech

Well I don't know the situation you were in, however I would never resign from a position for other than ethical/legal reasons unless I already had another job lined up.

With that said, if you are looking for positions that are senior level process/design then you need to prepare for those types of questions. Have examples of things you did that are relevant. How you used those experiences in future projects.

As for linux vs windows..... I would find it hard to believe a job posting doesn't mention the linux requirements. And if it was a matter of you submitting your resume anyhow then they probably assumed you had linux experience as well otherwise why would you apply?

Yes many places interview candidates when they already have a candidate in mind. That doesn't make them asses. It's the law. While it usually doesn't happen often in cases like that, there is the possibility that they find someone they can't pass up and hire that person instead.

hustlerb01

pinkydapimp
Yeah the issue is with internal non technical recruiters they do not know anything technical, I did tell these people I am pure windows and no linux but because of my consulting and project experience they wanted me to come. Yes, I always try to find out what the role is before hand in the phone interview stage that is why I say NO to 90 percent of the people that tell me to come to a face to face interview.

TomkoTech

Like I stated before the company I worked for was horrible and I was job hunting for a year but couldn't find a better role that is why I stayed but in the end the situation was getting worst so I had to leave.

Plus most people surivive there for 6 months and I was there 3 years so yeah it was not easy, and I did somethings that most people couldn't but in the end I resigned for nothing which is also stupid.

I also want to show some people in here my resume but I cannot put it out in the public due to privacy, can someone please PM me or how can I PM them? The PM function is disabled.

TomkoTech

Just redact the identifiable things from your resume. For example remove any personal information, any company names, and locations.

BradleyHU

hustlerb01 wrote: »

the reason why i lost my job was it was a horrible place to work (most people survive there for 6 months i survived 3 years)

i resigned.

ehhhhh...not to nitpick, but that's not losing your job...that's you leaving/quitting your job. and there's nothing wrong with that, especially if its not the right place for you, or a toxic environment...

hustlerb01

I can personaly PM a link to my cv but not here even if i edit it, when people critique it, it could come up in google, I just don't have the function to PM people i am affraid.

techfiend

Do you get excited when you discuss the position?

If not it's probably not a good fit. If you do, it should come across in your interview.

hustlerb01

i feel alot down especially the amount of hard work I put into my career and staying at home with no certainty sucks.

I worked extra hard in the last two years by working over 40 hours without pay and really believeing and giving it all because i wanted to become a senior IT technical person. It is hard seeing alot of people i knew that are getting good new roles and i am not doing well, gosh i need to get back.

Plantwiz

hustlerb01 wrote: »

They mostly do not give a reason why,

they say oh other candidates had closer experience, or I had no passion in a certain area or yeah, no real reasons,

Yes they did, "no passion" - your confidence is bruised. That is why there is a saying that is always easier to land a new job while in a job. You are probably wreaking of desperation and they are fearing you will leave them after you do find your 'passion'.

I used to be damn good at interviews but I guess i lost a bit of confidence and this is something more that I have to improve but I am aiming to get a better role than what I was doing before so ofcourse its going to be a challenge.

You will get there again, get rid of the funk and you will be fine.

I also screwed up some interviews which I could have being hired, i said i cannot make it and rescheduled ( with good reasons) and they said they went with other candidate and these were the final stages.

Yep, that's a problem. Good reason or not, one cannot miss an interview Besides, you have only been out of a job you willing left for two weeks (and that will quickly bloom to six, eight, ten if not careful), however, if you truly want a new job, you will have to make sacrifices to GET that new job. I would use a skipped interview as a reason to bypass an applicant, no offense, but there needs to be ways to eliminate candidates...that is one way.

Guys I just need to make my come back i being unemployed for 2 weeks i do not want 2 weeks to turn into a month and a month to a 3 months then 6 months and a year and forever

Yep, you get it, but I recommend you chill a little. You need to make finding a job an 8 hour a day 'job' until you find one employer who will give you a chance. Why not start your own business? What can you do? It's really the same as working for someone else, and if you can 'partner' with another company and share talents then you get hired to be on staff. Ex. If you sell 'networking' skills, you may run into a business who needs someone on-staff permanently, then you match-up. If not, you may contract work for them. Either way, you have begun to make connections, while getting a chance to see how their work environments are and if you are a match.

Scary times, but hang in there and visualize the success of landing the job. Keep in mind, if you are telling prospective employers you left because the work environment was poor - they will be hesitant to take a chance on you. It is not to say you are inaccurate with your perception, however, a prospective employer does NOT want to hear that they are in the midst of hiring the next squeaky wheel.

hustlerb01

actually i was job hunting while i was employed too they said the no passion for business analysis but i have passion for others it was a hybrid project management, system admin and ba role i applied for. I would love to start my own company but unfortnualty i cannot because my contract says i cannot start a business that offers some of the services they offer or as a competitor, i have to wait a year and i dont want that.

Thanks for the input i will try to grab my self and ill try and pull my self off.

I was actually thinking of emailing my old employer and asking if i could do contract work.

Plantwiz wrote: »

Yes they did, "no passion" - your confidence is bruised. That is why there is a saying that is always easier to land a new job while in a job. You are probably wreaking of desperation and they are fearing you will leave them after you do find your 'passion'.

You will get there again, get rid of the funk and you will be fine.

Yep, that's a problem. Good reason or not, one cannot miss an interview Besides, you have only been out of a job you willing left for two weeks (and that will quickly bloom to six, eight, ten if not careful), however, if you truly want a new job, you will have to make sacrifices to GET that new job. I would use a skipped interview as a reason to bypass an applicant, no offense, but there needs to be ways to eliminate candidates...that is one way.

Yep, you get it, but I recommend you chill a little. You need to make finding a job an 8 hour a day 'job' until you find one employer who will give you a chance. Why not start your own business? What can you do? It's really the same as working for someone else, and if you can 'partner' with another company and share talents then you get hired to be on staff. Ex. If you sell 'networking' skills, you may run into a business who needs someone on-staff permanently, then you match-up. If not, you may contract work for them. Either way, you have begun to make connections, while getting a chance to see how their work environments are and if you are a match.

Scary times, but hang in there and visualize the success of landing the job. Keep in mind, if you are telling prospective employers you left because the work environment was poor - they will be hesitant to take a chance on you. It is not to say you are inaccurate with your perception, however, a prospective employer does NOT want to hear that they are in the midst of hiring the next squeaky wheel.

Armymanis1

Hustler,

I am in the same boat you are. I have been out of work in IT since December 2013. I have 2 years and four months IT experience and the company I worked out most people last 3-6 months but I went from being a contractor to a full time employee. I choose to left because my company was also toxic but I gained really good contacts and skills. Now I am looking for work after being a Technology sales associate for 7 months. It is defiantly frustrating and I know your pain. No one wants to work within my school schedule even though I can take an Monday-Friday 8am-4pm job. I have class at 5pm. Hopefully our skills do not diminish within the next year. I plan on getting back in the field this December if not then i may be out of work until I graduate with my Bachelors in June 2015.

Keep pushing man! I have been pushing and so can you

Have you tried starting up a linkedin?

Theres mine down below so you can look at it. Make contacts and recruiters are more apt to look at it if you have a linkedin in your resume.

www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmcdonald1989/