How do I get my first job in IT?

[somedude81]

My guess is that the interview is where I'm screwing up. I simply don't know how to present myself as confident and sure of my skills. Odds are I'm nervous on the interview as well.

 

I know that there is much I don't know about the IT industry. I also haven't worked in a few years as I was struggling to get out of college. Stupid math

 

How would I fake things for my interview on Friday?

[GemmaUK]

I would get reading up and learning about body language.

 

 

I'm guessing you already have a great set of interview suits as you haven't mentioned that.

Clothes maketh the man or woman as they say - and it's absolutely true.

 

 

Body language and knowing how to present yourself in a way that is happy, confident and professional is also important.

 

 

Something like 80% of communication is non-verbal. Non-verbal communication can also be picked up just in a phone call. This is why most of the phone call interviews are done by HR because they know their stuff, it's part of their job.

[Got it]

I graduated with my Management Information Systems degree in December and I'm still looking for work. I've been on about five interviews since then, but I'm always told that a candidate with more relevant experience has been chosen over me. These were all entry level positions that didn't require experience.

 

Basically it's the good 'ole catch 22, you can't get a job without experience and can't get experience without a job.

 

Yes I know I should have had an IT job while in college or an internship, but for reasons I don't want to get into, I didn't and I regret that.

 

I'm applying for jobs that have titles like Junior Network Admin, PC Tech and Helpdesk as they are what I feel I am qualified for now.

 

Moving forward what can I do now?

 

Recruiting agencies are useless as I have never actually received an email reply from any one that I contacted.

 

I've been told that I should look into volunteering, but I don't know where to look to find anywhere I can volunteer and do something that is actually related to the work I want to do. All I'm finding are things like "Teach seniors basic computer use."

 

Right now all I'm doing is looking for jobs and studying for my A+ certification.

 

In the meantime I need to have a job just to pay bills but I honestly don't know how to look for a basic job or what I should even be looking for.

 

Call the recruiting agencies.

[loveweary11]

My guess is that the interview is where I'm screwing up. I simply don't know how to present myself as confident and sure of my skills. Odds are I'm nervous on the interview as well.

 

I know that there is much I don't know about the IT industry. I also haven't worked in a few years as I was struggling to get out of college. Stupid math

 

How would I fake things for my interview on Friday?

 

 

It's exactly the same as landing girls.

 

The secret is not to give a F$K.

 

Seriously. Do all you can to prepare. Know everything. About you, about your industry and about the company. Ask intelligent questions about their business. Answer every question with a positive spin. Be friendly, smile. Joke a tiny bit.

 

BUT.... give zero f_$%s!!

 

They need you. You don't need them. Do your best in there, but also have no fears or worries if it doesn't work out, since there are tons more where that came from.

 

That's the secret to job interviews, selling, negotiations and getting the girl of your dreams to go out with you. It's all the same thing.

[Craft81]

I was in the same boat as you, OP.

 

I graduated in 2007 with my 2nd degree, which was IT.

 

It wasn't until Jan 2015 that I landed my first IT job.. yeah.. 8 years later...

 

I applied for hundreds and hundreds of IT positions in my area and around the country -- was always turned down because I didn't have professional work experience, even though I was more than qualified and certified to do what they required.

 

You know the saying, "It's not what you know, it's WHO you know."

 

That ended up paying off -- an old co-worker from 10 years ago, gave my name to a recruiter for a large IT staffing company called TEKsystems. And through them, I was able to finally land a job that pays pretty well to start out.

 

Perhaps try checking into TEKsystems or some other IT staffing agency to get your foot in the door.

[somedude81]

Interesting day.

 

I had a job interview for a PC repair tech position which pretty much was two guys quizzing on what I know. Unfortunately I didn't know there was going to be a test so I got a few answers wrong. Odds are I'm not going to get this job. Not much of a bother since the commute looks like it would be really bad.

 

About an hour later I had meeting with somebody my old boss from several years ago connected me with. The meeting was supposed to be about me volunteering for this new guy, the Network Administrator of a high school as a way to get IT experience. Somehow he started talking about how he would like to hire me, saying that if I was doing work for him I should be getting paid for it. Of course there is a but. He said that the budget for the IT department is very small and that he will have to talk to his managers about me and see if he can bring me on as a part-time role.

 

I would really like to work at the school as it seems like a great way for me to get more experience on the admin side of IT. Though I know much better than to get excited about anything. He told me to contact him in the middle of next week if I don't hear from him. I sent him a thank you email a few hours after out meeting and I'll contact him next week if I don't hear from him.

 

If things actually do manage to go right for me, then I can work at the school part-time getting the IT experience I desperately need, and I'll get another part-time job, anything to pay rent.

[Eternal Sunshine]

Interesting day.

 

I had a job interview for a PC repair tech position which pretty much was two guys quizzing on what I know. Unfortunately I didn't know there was going to be a test so I got a few answers wrong. Odds are I'm not going to get this job. Not much of a bother since the commute looks like it would be really bad.

 

About an hour later I had meeting with somebody my old boss from several years ago connected me with. The meeting was supposed to be about me volunteering for this new guy, the Network Administrator of a high school as a way to get IT experience. Somehow he started talking about how he would like to hire me, saying that if I was doing work for him I should be getting paid for it. Of course there is a but. He said that the budget for the IT department is very small and that he will have to talk to his managers about me and see if he can bring me on as a part-time role.

 

I would really like to work at the school as it seems like a great way for me to get more experience on the admin side of IT. Though I know much better than to get excited about anything. He told me to contact him in the middle of next week if I don't hear from him. I sent him a thank you email a few hours after out meeting and I'll contact him next week if I don't hear from him.

 

If things actually do manage to go right for me, then I can work at the school part-time getting the IT experience I desperately need, and I'll get another part-time job, anything to pay rent.

 

He is actually a good person. Many would take advantage of your situation and work you like a horse for free.

[Arabella]

Interesting day.

 

I had a job interview for a PC repair tech position which pretty much was two guys quizzing on what I know. Unfortunately I didn't know there was going to be a test so I got a few answers wrong. Odds are I'm not going to get this job. Not much of a bother since the commute looks like it would be really bad.

 

About an hour later I had meeting with somebody my old boss from several years ago connected me with. The meeting was supposed to be about me volunteering for this new guy, the Network Administrator of a high school as a way to get IT experience. Somehow he started talking about how he would like to hire me, saying that if I was doing work for him I should be getting paid for it. Of course there is a but. He said that the budget for the IT department is very small and that he will have to talk to his managers about me and see if he can bring me on as a part-time role.

 

I would really like to work at the school as it seems like a great way for me to get more experience on the admin side of IT. Though I know much better than to get excited about anything. He told me to contact him in the middle of next week if I don't hear from him. I sent him a thank you email a few hours after out meeting and I'll contact him next week if I don't hear from him.

 

If things actually do manage to go right for me, then I can work at the school part-time getting the IT experience I desperately need, and I'll get another part-time job, anything to pay rent.

 

Expect that ANY in-person interview is going to have technical questions. This may not be the case, but most of the time, it will be. Unless they just don't care about your technical skills because they expect to have to train you. In any event, getting a few wrong isn't a big deal, at least not to me. I'm more interested in seeing the candidate's overall level of technical ability, and you can easily tell this by having a conversation with them and seeing how they react when you bring up certain topics.

 

That said... titles in IT often don't mean much. My husband is the Network Administrator -and- IT Support Manager of a non-profit organization. His team is comprised of 4 people. The smaller the team, the less the title means because with so few people you can't afford to segregate duties as much... you just need to make sure stuff gets done. That means everyone is responsible for many different things.

 

I bring this up because you say you want to get experience in the "admin" side, when you really may find that this Network Admin is much more than that. Chances are, you will be doing his grunt work, and that's okay. It's a good place to start, if nothing else.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't stop looking for jobs, though. If he hires you, keep looking. At this point you will be employed and that makes you automatically more marketable. You can also afford to be a little more picky and only interview for the better jobs (full time, benefits, etc). In time, something better may come along. Or you may get hired full-time at that school. Either way, it's win-win.

 

Keep us posted

[somedude81]

Little update.

 

Unsurprisingly I did not hear back from the place that had the PC Tech position. It's really annoying when I communicate on email with the HR person and then meet with the IT guy and interview with them. After the interview I have no way to communicate with the person I interviewed with. It's all very impersonal.

 

Somewhat surprising but not completely unexpected, I never heard back from the guy who works at the high school. I knew that actually working and getting paid for doing IT stuff was too good to be true which was I wasn't going to get excited or let any of my friends/family get excited either. So I expected to at least be able to volunteer and start getting experience that way. But nope; he didn't even the decency to talk to me at all afterwards. I sent him an email thanking him for meeting me the day we met. Then another one next week asking for an update, and finally a last one earlier today. Absolutely no contact back.

 

Now I'm back to square zero again.

 

What do I have to do to start getting IT experience? I'm really bummed out that I wasn't even able to do work for free. Is volunteering still an option or should I become a truck driver?

Edited March 27, 2015 by somedude81

[Lixi]

 

Unsurprisingly I did not hear back from the place that had the PC Tech position. It's really annoying when I communicate on email with the HR person and then meet with the IT guy and interview with them. After the interview I have no way to communicate with the person I interviewed with. It's all very impersonal.

 

I've always asked for the interviewer's business card at the end of an interview. That way I have contact information and an address to send a thank you note.

[clia]

What do I have to do to start getting IT experience? I'm really bummed out that I wasn't even able to do work for free. Is volunteering still an option or should I become a truck driver?

 

You just keep looking -- for jobs and volunteer experience. It can be a slow process.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would be sending out minimum 10 resumes and cover letters per day to every company and school within a 60 mile radius. In addition to job aggregator sites like Indeed, I would make a list of every company and school within a 60 mile radius and look at the job listings posted on their web site to see if anything fit. (Many times jobs aren't listed on the aggregator sites.) Don't forget about places like law firms and accounting firms; they need IT also. I would also look for part time opportunities in IT.

 

Honestly, I would also actually branch my search out nationally at this point and do all of the above. It's been three months; you are in no position to be choosy. Relocating might be your best option.

 

Have you done any of the other suggestions that were offered in this thread? Have you reached out to the recruiters or temp agencies again? IMO, the more time that goes by, the worse off you are with not having any kind of job. You are at a point where you need something to fill up the blank space on your resume.

 

For volunteer experience, you might reach out to nonprofit organizations, who usually don't have big budgets. Explain your situation and ask if they need any IT assistance.

[rester]

Little update.

 

Unsurprisingly I did not hear back from the place that had the PC Tech position. It's really annoying when I communicate on email with the HR person and then meet with the IT guy and interview with them. After the interview I have no way to communicate with the person I interviewed with. It's all very impersonal.

 

Somewhat surprising but not completely unexpected, I never heard back from the guy who works at the high school. I knew that actually working and getting paid for doing IT stuff was too good to be true which was I wasn't going to get excited or let any of my friends/family get excited either. So I expected to at least be able to volunteer and start getting experience that way. But nope; he didn't even the decency to talk to me at all afterwards. I sent him an email thanking him for meeting me the day we met. Then another one next week asking for an update, and finally a last one earlier today. Absolutely no contact back.

 

Now I'm back to square zero again.

 

What do I have to do to start getting IT experience? I'm really bummed out that I wasn't even able to do work for free. Is volunteering still an option or should I become a truck driver?

 

Emails get buried so quickly, somedude. Did you ever follow up with a phone call?

 

I'm not in IT, but we weed people out that don't know how to pick up the phone or people that follow up with email only. When it's part of the job to coordinate regularly with other team members, we want to make sure people have the skills it takes to have real-life discussions. Back and forth emails are great for documentation, but sometimes things need to get done efficiently and emails waste a lot of time. Phone and people skills are important.

 

Here's a technique I use all the time for all sorts of work-related coordination: write an email, and in your email state that you will follow up with a phone call the following morning, and then actually follow up your email with a phone call the following morning. This helps the person expect and prepare for your call or make other arrangements. If you have to leave a voicemail, leave one. You want to be persistent but not pushy.

[somedude81]

You just keep looking -- for jobs and volunteer experience. It can be a slow process.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would be sending out minimum 10 resumes and cover letters per day to every company and school within a 60 mile radius. In addition to job aggregator sites like Indeed, I would make a list of every company and school within a 60 mile radius and look at the job listings posted on their web site to see if anything fit. (Many times jobs aren't listed on the aggregator sites.) Don't forget about places like law firms and accounting firms; they need IT also. I would also look for part time opportunities in IT.

 

Honestly, I would also actually branch my search out nationally at this point and do all of the above. It's been three months; you are in no position to be choosy. Relocating might be your best option.

 

Have you done any of the other suggestions that were offered in this thread? Have you reached out to the recruiters or temp agencies again? IMO, the more time that goes by, the worse off you are with not having any kind of job. You are at a point where you need something to fill up the blank space on your resume.

 

For volunteer experience, you might reach out to nonprofit organizations, who usually don't have big budgets. Explain your situation and ask if they need any IT assistance.

 

Based on my job search results so far, I feel that I'm just not qualified right now for an entry level job. I'm tired of applying to countless jobs and going on fruitless interviews. I need to do something different if there is anything different I can do.

 

I'm pretty sure that volunteering is the best option but it has to be at a place that has an actual network and I could be doing things that are similar to what I would be doing if I was working for a business. The question is how do I find out which places have the network infrastructure I'm looking for and how to find out about volunteer opportunities. High school and colleges are one example because they have a lot of computers and they have a campus network. I think a courthouse would be another option. But then who do I even talk to?

 

I have thought about relocating and I am open to do so. The only issue is that I have no money whatsoever. My grandmother suggested Texas and I don't even know how to make something happen. I certainly can't afford to fly there for an interview.

 

Right now I'd really like to get a job of doing IT on a cruise ship, that way I wouldn't have to pay rent and just save money. But even then the process of trying to get a job on a ship is overly complicated.

 

Everything is just draining.

[alphamale]

hang in there sd81. everyone has trouble getting the first job but you'll get it eventually.

[somedude81]

Emails get buried so quickly, somedude. Did you ever follow up with a phone call?

 

I'm not in IT, but we weed people out that don't know how to pick up the phone or people that follow up with email only. When it's part of the job to coordinate regularly with other team members, we want to make sure people have the skills it takes to have real-life discussions. Back and forth emails are great for documentation, but sometimes things need to get done efficiently and emails waste a lot of time. Phone and people skills are important.

 

Here's a technique I use all the time for all sorts of work-related coordination: write an email, and in your email state that you will follow up with a phone call the following morning, and then actually follow up your email with a phone call the following morning. This helps the person expect and prepare for your call or make other arrangements. If you have to leave a voicemail, leave one. You want to be persistent but not pushy.

 

We were communicating over email just fine before the informal interview. He also told me to email him after we met. Though I understand what you mean.

 

It's too late now but calling him would have forced him to interact with me and tell me "no" directly.

[somedude81]

I never thought I'd ever make an update in this thread.

 

After continuing to apply to jobs that never went anywhere I finally got a bite.

 

Today I had a very informal interview, pretty much a skill assessment at a PC repair shop. They want to have me work there for a few days to see if I'm cut out for the job or something. There hasn't been any sort of paperwork. They say they would pay me for coming in but I don't know how much or even how. I wasn't sure if that was something I should have talked about first. At this point I really don't care about how much I make simply because I'd be happy to have a job that's related to my field. Should I try to talk to them about money?

 

To make things even more complicated I finally heard back from the guy at the school. He actually called me when I was at the other place. What the hell happened in the universe to make these two things converge? I called him back but unfortunately he was out of the office by the time I returned his call. On his message he asked if I was still interested and asked something about even part-time. I'm assuming that he is talking about actually paying me and not volunteering.

 

This is where things get difficult.

 

From what I understand the PC tech job is going to be full-time 30 to 40 hours, and the owner kept trying to talk to me about my availability and make sure that it wouldn't be a problem. And it wouldn't have been, until I finally heard back from the other guy. To make things even odder, the guy I had been in contact with left and put me under an employee who wanted to test me. From that point on I didn't talk to the real boss. So I don't know for sure if this position is full-time and for how much.

 

In terms of my career goals, working for the Network Administrator of the school is exactly the kind of experience that I need. Frankly I'd want to do exactly what he's doing 10 years down the line or so. Ideally I'd like to work both jobs part-time, but if that's not possible then I think I should turn down the tech shop job. I just feel bad for misleading them even though I didn't do it intentionally. They want me to come from 12-4 on Monday so I need to call the other guy before them and work something out.

 

I still can't get over the fact that I've been looking for work for so long and finally something came up, and not one real job possibly but two and there is a chance that they will contradict. Ugh.

[GemmaUK]

This is just how it happens - plus it's still in the early part of the year and that is a time when people seek change in their lives so will start looking for something new.

 

 

We've had several folk decide to leave over the last few months - funnily enough though they are all from the same team at work and report to the same manager.

She has a headcount of 8 staff and has lost and had to replace 6 of them just within the past 3 months. Only 1 of the 6 left after just a very short period of time working with us, the rest had worked for us between 2 and 8 years.

 

 

For the PC Repair shop you need to get in writing what the deal is with the try out.

I would not work even as a try out if I was getting paid for it without something in writing. Maybe though it's different where you live and try outs without agreements are a standard thing? Idk.

 

 

I would also be feeling a 'little' bit wary of the guy saying that he wanted to ensure hours are OK. Do they pile shifts on to staff and not have enough staff for setting a reasonable shift rota? Or it could be that they have just experienced unreliable staff who turn up late and don't focus on the work they are being paid to do.

 

 

You need to find out what they other guy might be offering in terms of part time - it could be evenings or something in which case you could possibly do it if the try out works out and you get reasonable shifts.

[turnera]

What do I have to do to start getting IT experience? I'm really bummed out that I wasn't even able to do work for free. Is volunteering still an option or should I become a truck driver?

IIWY, I would contact charitable organizations and offer to do work for them for free. They always have very low budgets, so they should welcome it. Plus it shows you doing charity work.

[123321]

Send me your resume.

[Arabella]

In terms of my career goals, working for the Network Administrator of the school is exactly the kind of experience that I need. Frankly I'd want to do exactly what he's doing 10 years down the line or so. Ideally I'd like to work both jobs part-time, but if that's not possible then I think I should turn down the tech shop job. I just feel bad for misleading them even though I didn't do it intentionally. They want me to come from 12-4 on Monday so I need to call the other guy before them and work something out.

 

I still can't get over the fact that I've been looking for work for so long and finally something came up, and not one real job possibly but two and there is a chance that they will contradict. Ugh.

 

In case you were questioning it... DEFINITELY go with the school position. Being a sys admin's assistant is a better choice than being a PC repair tech anyday. In that position you will learn tons of skills that will allow you to move up in IT, while the pc repair tech is a bit of a dead end. Sure, you can get better at repairing stuff, but you won't be learning network-related skills.

[Els]

In terms of my career goals, working for the Network Administrator of the school is exactly the kind of experience that I need. Frankly I'd want to do exactly what he's doing 10 years down the line or so. Ideally I'd like to work both jobs part-time, but if that's not possible then I think I should turn down the tech shop job. I just feel bad for misleading them even though I didn't do it intentionally. They want me to come from 12-4 on Monday so I need to call the other guy before them and work something out.

 

So PC repair shop wants you to come in and work on Monday... but pay hasn't even been negotiated and no paperwork signed? Sounds rather dodgy.

 

I'd call Network Admin boss first thing in the morning on Monday and see how that works out, then if you get an offer from them, turn down PC repair shop. I don't think it's a big deal to turn down PC repair shop if you haven't signed anything or even talked about pay.

[somedude81]

Thank you guys, that was exactly what I was thinking.

 

The PC shop job is pretty much a dead end career wise. While being a sys admin's assistant can help me to get started on my career. There is so much I need to learn in IT and this job sounds like a great way to do it, even if it's only part-time.

 

I'm going to call him in a half hour or so since it's still really early.

 

Edit:

 

Called the school at 9:30. He told me that he was busy and he would call me back.

 

It's now 11 and he still hasn't. Sigh.

 

Not knowing if the jobs would conflict I called the PC shop and told them that I got a different job offer.

 

So I just turned down a sure thing when I need a job. I really hope the Network Admin comes through.

Edited April 13, 2015 by somedude81

[Arabella]

hey somedude... update?