change of career

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Hi everybody
I'm a professional musician wanting to break into the IT industry. I've had enough of the cut-throat music scene and now would really love to get an entry-level job in IT! I have applied for quite a few jobs, helpdesk mainly and posted my CV on numerous job sites. I've not had any positive response as of yet-not even a rejection email-then at least I'd know they had received it.

How do I stand a chance of standing out from the crowd for entry-level jobs?! I'm working towards A+ by the way. Any advice on how to approach potential employers-covering letters etc?

 

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Hm - and IT isn't cut-throat?

I think it is good that you are prepared to work at it - too many I''ve seen just coast. But it isn't easy, so you may find that it is just as difficult!

Perhaps your best bet is getting some low-level experience under your belt. Talk to local PC independant dealers and see if they are prepared to take you on. You may find yourself mostly making the tea to start with!

Having a clean driving license may help there as well!

Harry.

 

This is par for the course Daniel, you will find even experienced certified people saying similar things. The trick is to keep on doing what you are doing, persistence is vital. You must never give up and don't expect to be contacted just because you have applied. The truth is that recruitment is a very time consuming activity and the people involved don't always have the time to reply to every applicant.

What instrument/s do you play btw?

I was semi-pro bassist guitarist for over 20 years, I know that making money in the music industry is not easy either

 

thanks for yor replies. Yea I play clarinet mainly although in my teaching job I have to teach flute-I play that too but only to about grade 3. Yes I guessed IT would be just as cut-throat-I applied for a helpdesk position on reed.co.uk and was chuckling to myself when I saw there was 90 applicants! I will try not to get disheartened though- I really want to prove to myself that I can get this first job. At the moment it feels like I'm trying to find a needle in the middle of an overcrowded huge haystack!!

 

'At the moment it feels like I'm trying to find a needle in the middle of an overcrowded huge haystack!!'

No, I think the Haystack should read, "a leaf on an ocean" or
"a speck of dust in the milky way"

I am also looking for junior entry level help desk positions.

I've also tried sending letters to PC fixers & smaller IT firms listed in the phone book for the Bristol and South Gloucestershire areas.

Maybe unpaid work for some firm might be a solution, I've got to do some research.

 

All i can advise is to stick with it. I lost track of the amount of app's sent off....

 

Good luck with your job hunt unemployedstudent! Let me know how your research gets on-there must be a way in somewhere. I might try the jobcentre this week, although my confidence in their staff is quite low from past experience; They seem to employ people who have no knowelge of anything.

 

if you can afford to work why not? i did it for three months just after i finished school and while i got my a+... once you have something under you experience wise i think things will take off!

 

Hi,

I'm in the same position (have built, lived and breathed PC's for 26 years), and have lost count of the number of applications I have sent, I have managed to secure one interview about a 50 minute drive to 1 hour away from me (looking for a Desktop Support . Helpdesk job btw), and i intend to make the most of the day out and experience, and use the usefull pre-interview tips on this site.
My advice, don't give up or get too dispondant. Also, as well as applying or registering with agencies, try phoning local IT employers and asking about openings or sending prospective applications accompanied by a CV (i've read and heard that roughly 80% of IT jobs aren't advertised externally).
I think that there must still be a healthy demand for PC Hardware support, Judging by the catagorised amount of jobs on (for example) reed.co.uk - 1843 desktop support roles.

Best of luck , Baron210

 

Thanks and noted.