[Lock me] On the hunt [for a job]

Krikee

Long story short, I'm pretty new to my industry (almost 4 years professional experience in IT, going on 2 in Networking) and I've been poking around for a new job since I am certified and under employed at the moment (Tier 1 ticket jockey, yay!); but, I have yet to get a call back from a single application I've put in anywhere when I clearly meet their requirements. Are companies just picking up bigger fish that have been laid off? What's the deal? How's everyone's experience with the hunt?

John Matrix

http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=110994&page=18

Post in here, JoeUser could very well be your new best friend.

MoSiAc

I got lucky with my IT job because no one seemed interested in working near radio active materials, I was the third choice on the list.

I think the market is saturated with tech people so unless you've really got something to show, it's pretty hard to get a job.

I think it's going to get even more saturated at least in my state (Kentucky) because the state is giving people free classes and a free certification test of your choice (I'm going for the MCTIP). I dunno if it'll help me but it'll look good on that resume right?

All I can say is, apply, apply, apply. I must have applied for over 100 IT jobs in my state and others before I even started to get calls.

Krikee

John Matrix wrote: »

http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=110994&page=18

Post in here, JoeUser could very well be your new best friend.

Excellent. Thanks!

t MoSiAc:
I think the problem is I'm an entry level network engineer. There is no "got something to show" aspect. You either know it or you don't and, I don't even get my foot in the door to talk because my experience is short.

Capt Howdy

USAJobs.gov is a great place to start. Where are you located?

PirateJon

The deal is more help than wanted. More bodies than jobs. You got more bread than meat in this sandwich, son. No matter what else, you're competing with lots of other people. Yay capitalism.

Add in the resume scamers and bullshit contract company harvesters, the flakes that lose your resume, the morons that sit on it (got a call about a job I applied at 14 months ago), and the guys putting up a job their moron cousin is going to get, and the people 'just checking whats out there' and yeah, Not a good time to be a job seeker.

Anyway, the only thing that helped me (Tier3 windows/cisco) was moving to where the jobs are. If you're applying more than a few hours away, chances are you'll be discounted almost immediately unless you state you're available to relocate at your own expense. I moved to DC from down south, had interviews within a few weeks and a good job inside 4 months. Wasn't easy, but something beats nothing.

SkyGheNe

I have an RSS feeder that updates with jobs on a daily basis and I apply to about 8-10 places a day while working in an unrelated field.

I think, since September, I have received about 25 responses, many of which, after negotiations, decided to go with an under-qualified candidate. It's just really slow, and I recommend participating in a hobby or going out and meeting new people to increase your chances of finding a job. Lately I've had more luck with finding potential jobs by reaching out to family, friends, and attending business seminars.

Krikee

I live in Plano, Tx (DFW for you crazy people that don't live in Texas :P) so I'm in a prime area for my industry. My current plan is to keep on trucking for the CCNP... that should give me a leg up. Anywho, I'm going to migrate over towards the thread linked by John Matrix. Thanks for the input everybody!