Pot Luck or just plain unlucky

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by revolution, Aug 5, 2011.

  1. revolution

    revolution New Member

    2
    0
    1
    Hey guys, new here, so hello to all of you!

    Question similar to this may have popped up already, but haven't found anything similar while searching around sooo...

    A little about myself first in terms of education:

    25 years old
    over 3 years experience in the IT sector mainly as a 1st Line Support, 2nd Line Support Analyst
    No degree but went to college doing IT
    A+ certified
    MCTS Windows 7 Configuring Passed
    MCTS Windows Server 2008 AD Passed
    Job hunting in London
    Jobless for 5 months

    Searching for jobs relating to:
    2nd Line Support
    Networks Administrator
    Systems Administrator
    Infrastructure Support
    25k-35k

    So... i have been hunting for jobs in London as it seems the best place to look in the IT job market... and have been getting a lot of interviews (about 7 in total). Each one being multistage interviews; either 2 or 3, usually a phone interview, followed by an interview with the IT manager and HR then an interview with the owner of the company or a couple of partners.

    Most of the ones i have been to, i have managed to impress them throughout the whole multistage process, only to have the agency call me up at the end with the common feedback (to me) of, 'the company liked you very much and can't find any faults in terms with your skills nor your attitude and passion.'

    I'm quite frustrated as a majority of them (about 5) said the same or similar feedback, which in a way is good, but i'm trying to find out what i'm doing wrong, since i'm not getting the job... and the feedback given doesn't really help me in terms of what i need improving.

    I remember 2 of the interviews were with top40 architectural firms, and on one, i was rejected as an internal candidate applied at the last minute and received the job instead, then the other, i got rejected as another candidate had previously worked in an architect firm.

    I guess finding the right role is hard, as from previous experiences, i have been told i'm either over qualified for the poison, or others have better skills than i do.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Edit: I am contemplating on going back to Uni and getting a degree, but unsure. Will it make a difference or carry on looking?
     
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2011
  2. Apexes

    Apexes Gigabyte Poster

    1,055
    78
    141
    Going back to uni for a degree won't really count for alot, with the experience and certs you already have.

    What interviews are you going in for, what are the job descriptions?

    I work for a firm who are design engineers / architects - i can't see why working within a firm with architectural background counts for anything related to the IT dept within it.

    Why not finish of the MCITP from your AD exam and get that upto an MCITP:SA cert, that could look better on job apps.

    If you have only experience in 1st & 2nd line support, you may find it a struggle to get into the roles you posted above, as you won't have experience in that line of work, you may have the knowledge, but companies want experience to back that up.
     
    Certifications: 70-243 MCTS: ConfigMgr 2012 | MCSE: Private Cloud
  3. revolution

    revolution New Member

    2
    0
    1
    I thought that would be the case.. in regards to university vs experience... but wasn't sure whether it would make much of a difference... since most employers now look for experience more than anything else.

    In terms of what jobs i have been applying for, mainly based around 2nd line support with exposure to 3rd line.

    The job interviews i mentioned in my original post were as a Support Analyst or Infrastructure support. Originally (from one of the firms), i had applied as a Desktop Support Analyst (they had 2 types of positions available), but was advised by the firm to apply for the Infrastructure role, as they said it better suited my skill set and they thought the Desktop job would be too junior for me.

    I have thought about upgrading my certs to MCITP level, however it is more of a double-edged sword as even if i did get the cert as a Server Administrator, i don't really have the necessary commercial experience to cover it. I would feel "more at home", if i stayed on the level i currently am, then being exposed to the technologies and working with them, then maybe do the certs relating to the topic afterwards. I guess i'm trying to find a balance of not being under qualified and at the same time, not being over qualified.

    Typical 2nd line support jobs i have been looking which closely matches my skills would be:

    Troubleshooting hardware and software related issues
    application support
    networking dns,dhcp,tcpip etc
    hardware roll outs and moves
    windows server 2003/2008 mainly AD to Group Policy level
    Exchange 2003 support
    SQL Server 2005
    Database Management
    Windows XP/Vista/7
    Office 2000-2010
    experience with backup and AV software (backup exec and sophos for example)
    Basic Citrix experience
    Exposure/experience with Linux

    The list goes on, but thats a few of the main criteria i look for
     

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.