General Discussion

Author

IT Jobs

wanshu

2001-05-16, 9:22 am

My husband has pass five MCSE NT4.0 tests last year but he never can find a networking job. He posted his resume in dice and monster for applying an entry-level networking job but he never got a single phone call. It seems that most of the employers just want to hire experience employees. Can anyone share their experience with us or give us their advice how to start working in networking field? By the way, my husband just decide to go back to shool for IT Bachelor degree in University of Phoenix. Is it a good school for IT education? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Ando

2001-05-16, 4:06 pm

hi !

I have 2 mcp's and was looking for a job (First IT job) in Networking for around 4/5 weeks. Like your husband, I was giving my CV to sites like Monster.com and recruitment websites. I found that, all of that was a waist of time, all that happens is that your CV goes into a BIG database, and probably never is seen by potential employers.

I was given advice to apply directly to the companies that I wanted to work for, sending my CV to them and a quick phone call to make sure they got the CV. I was also told to carefully "annoy" potential employers for a job so that you would get their attention !!

Real world experiance is VERY important as I found out iswell, almost more important than certs in some cases. Most companies don't want to know you if you have 0 yrs experiance in IT. Last month I was seriously thinking about Volenteering for work so as to gain some valuable experiance. I guess I was lucky that I managed to get a good job eventually !

The best advice I can give your husband is, as I said, apply directly to the companies he is interested in working for. Don't be a number in a database, put a human face behind the CV ! That's how I got my job !
If he still has no luck, have a serious think about volenteering for work. I know it does'nt sound great, but we all have to start somewhere

Shyumu

2001-05-16, 5:03 pm

I was lucky, my analytical chemistry background got me into my first IT job because it was relavent. Analytical Chemists (as with probably any career) have a hard time getting their first job, most start as contract chemists, employed by a temp agency to work for a company. Does the same thing exist within the IT industry? If so pester your nearest temp agency, the job'll be sh!te but at least it'll take you from 0 years experience to 1.

Working for nothing...I considered it when I left University, but it's actually harder to convince a company to give you a chance working for free. A good analogy is buying a tin of beans...unless you're really against the wall you don't buy the cheap tin of baked beans, you buy the mid to top range cost beans because you perceive the quality to be higher. Okay, maybe not a good analogy, but I'm sure you see what I'm getting at.

Good luck.

S.

Firebird81

2001-05-16, 6:17 pm

Well, here's the facts. Certs without experience make for a hard time finding an IT job. Not that it can't be done, if he persists he will find a job, but it probably will pay 8 to 10 bucks to start. He should take it. Tell him to volunteer for some non-profits and churches in your area. He can gain valuable experience and references doing that. He should also join an association in the area--sort of an IT pros club tha tmeets once a month, for contacts. Right now is a hard time for even the experienced. I have 5 years as an admin and my current job is running out. I have tried Monster and DIce and gotten no results. Know why? One single listing by Kaiser Permantente got over 800 resumes submitted. Your husband needs to make that human contact if he wants to get a job. Submitting resumes right now in this market will probably not get him noticed. As far as the University of Phoenix goes--he knows, I assume, that it will cost 52,000 bucks and he will be paying on that loan for most of his life, doesn't he? It is also a BSIT instead of a computer science degree which means it holds less weight. All in all, peristence will pay off. Tell him to not get discouraged and to attend some career fairs and knock on employers doors in his best suit. He'll find work, I promise.

wanshu

2001-05-16, 7:03 pm

Hi,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us and they are very helpful. Wish you the best luck.

BootData

2001-05-17, 2:16 am

wanshu,..
good luck to your husband!!
and do tell him not to give up...

all the best,

boss_9877

2001-05-31, 12:56 pm

Tell your husband to keep his head up and keep looking because right now it will be much harder for a person with no experience to get a job because of the economy. I would personally target and research companies that seem to fit the ideal job. I would look to another state if it takes getting the experience. I first graduated in May 99 with no experience just a college degree. Some of my family members and close friends also doubted me big time. They said that I would not even get a job. After hearing all the comments that made me more determined to get a computer job. Well july of 99 I was packing my bags and hitting the highway. I landed my 1st IT job as a Field Service Technician making 30,000 not bad for being 21 years of age. The best thing i can say is to never give up because the moment you give up looking that could have been the moment you could have found that 1st job.

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