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Hmmm... Here's is my take, I'm an IT Infrastructure manager...

I've interviewed and hired for positions from T1 to T4. Employers look at each position differently, and interview accordingly. In your situation, your best best is to go for something really entry level. Managers that interview for this position concentrate more on your people skills, and resourcefulness, more than any technical skill. Core technologies are the same, but business applications vary from business business. A good solid foundation in networking and Operating Systems (take your pick) is essential building blocks for T1. As a T1, you would be basically a orde taker. Someone who has an issue will call on the phone, and if it's something simple (password reset), you should be able to handle it, and if more, be prepared to escalate. Your job performance is based on your ability to determine exactly what the problem is, and escalate accordingly if needed.

This world wide economy is not the greatest for any job seeker, much less one in IT. Many are correct in that many jobs are sent overseas, but not as many as you think. Most companies still find value in having in house staff from T1-T4. The unfortunate part is that as you are competing for entry level jobs in T1, you'll also find that there are t2-t4 willing to take that extreme pay cut, because let's face it, we all need to eat.

One of the best places to start is temp agencies. If you know of a couple that deals with government contracts, those are usually the best places to start in my experience.

Remember, gone are they days when having a cert is a way to get a job. Having a cert should be compliment to your qualifications, not a qualification itself.