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Getting a Job - IT
phonkenstein
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've spent the last year as a tech at Staples, and now that I've finished community college I want to start looking for something better. I made up my resume the other day, and now I just need to figure out how to go about getting someone to hire me.
I've already put it up on Monster and Careerbuilder, but that hasn't yielded much results. I was thinking about emailing it to a few of the computer repair businesses in the area, but I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm afraid it will look too unprofessional. What should I do?
I've already put it up on Monster and Careerbuilder, but that hasn't yielded much results. I was thinking about emailing it to a few of the computer repair businesses in the area, but I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm afraid it will look too unprofessional. What should I do?
phonkenstein on
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On top of that, search monster and careerbuilder. Don't just toss your resume up there. Look for jobs, submit your resume, and then call about them. I usually try to call immediately after doing so. When doing that, don't start off with "I just sent in my resume, did you see it?" but just ask for more info. "Hello, I was searching monster.com and came across this job. I have already applied for it but wanted to follow up to get more information on the position and to introduce myself." Most recruiters work a lot harder for you if you reach out and contact them first, make yourself known, etc. rather than just hoping your resume stands out from the masses.
Go ahead and email it to the local places, so long as your email address isn't "jonnylovesdongs333956@gmail.com" or something. Just a short email mentioning that you just graduated an are looking for an entry level position to continue building your knowledge or something.
A warning though, your first job will likely be crap pay with low to mid level work for at least a year, probably two. Any decent corporate IT department jobs usually require a couple years of experience before they'll even interview you. Oh and experience on certain stuff like VPN/firewall managment or special projects is worth far more to future corporate employers than certificates from microsoft or HP. Those are generally only useful for computer shops or IT management companies that like to Flaunt their "A+ Certified Business" or "HP Authorized Reseller" status.
I got my first job in IT by accident, reading the classifieds in my hometown's local paper. I walked in with a resume for that one.
I can't remember if I found my current job via classifieds again or if I found it through Monster.
The pay is going to be a little less than private sector. Expect between 30 to 40K a year depending on skill level, jobs available, and experience. The best part is though is that it's a steady job, because governments don't just close or file bankruptcy. Also, you get free health insurance, great benifits, a million holidays, etc.
I work for the state now in an IT department and it's one of the best (albeit a little boring) jobs I've ever had. I get full teacher benifits packages, 14 annual holidays, two weeks sick and two weeks vacation a year (which goes up the longer you're with the government, and it rolls over as well)
Seriously, give it a shot. Just go to your local state and federal personel websites.
This is exactly what I was going to suggest.
I know it's not polite to discuss salary, but since he's asking for advice, I'll tell. I had two years of retail based IT experience, and a four year college degree in an unrelated field. I took the test, aced it, and was offered four jobs within the span of two months. I settled for the one I'm at now, and started at 30k a year, with benefits. (not having to pay $200 a check for health insurance is a big thing... trust me). Now I have two years of real world IT experience, free training classes, a legacy system conversion (valuable skill, and includes a nice logistics note on your resume), rac F mainframe, active directory, and expression website design experience. That is the kind of stuff I can take to the private sector if I ever move and make some real money.