Had an interview...

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First off let me say that I have never worked in an I.T role before and have been studying the AIO book now for the last 6 weeks. Have also set up the end of the month to do my exams which i am pretty confidant in getting as I have been doing really well on all the practice tests and so forth, and through the advice I have read on here I have been sending out my C.V to various recruitment places looking for work.

Now knowing that I don't have any " hands on " experience I am obviously getting very little interst in my C.V

But...yesterday I get a call from a recruitment place saying that a company is very interested to see me as they only require someone who has very good customer service skills ( which i have 8 years experience i might add) and that only a very basic knowledge of xp and office is required for a 1st line role and all training will be given. So I think this is an awesome opportunity.

Anyway, went to the interview and what a disaster! The helpdesk manager who interviewed me asked if I had seen the role and what knowledge I had. He then looks at my C.V where I have listed that I am currently in study for the A+ and then looking forward to doing the N+ and he tells me he has never even heard of these certifications before so they are irrelevant!! I am like WTF!!

After that the only question he asks me is if I have any experience in A.D and when I tell him I have just touched on that but have never used it in a "real world environment" because i don't have any experience and that is the whole reason I am looking for an entry level position, he starts ranting on about learning MCSA/MCSE for any real chance of getting into I.T

Now this is quite the contradiction from all people I have spoken to and read regarding getting my foot in the door.

All in all, I think there must have been some sort of miscommunication between what the employer wanted and the recruitment agency so the wrong people have been sent to the interviews.
The other thing is they were only advertising between £16k - £18k for the position. I spoke with the agency and was told I would get a call back in the afternoon as to what happened as there were more people to be interviewed.

It is now the next day nearly lunch time and I have still not heard anything...

gotta say i am feeling pretty gutted as I got quite excited about finding this rare opportunity for an entry level position.

 

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My IT director had never heard of the A+ either and thought I should be doing the MCSE, I have since educated him in why the MCSE is not correct for me and what the A+ is all about.

compTIA aren't as reconised in the UK as Microsoft but are getting there, but alot of more up to date IT companies will know about compTIA.

Just keep on trying, and if someone in an interview says they don't know what the A+ is just explain to them what it is and then they'll probably look into it themselves.

Good Luck

 

An inconsistency between what the employer wants and what the agency put forward!?!?! Impossible!

Happened to me a fair bit when I was breaking into the industry. Just keep plugging away. Took me over a year to get my first IT job

Regarding the A+ not being heard of by the interviewer. Very few of my prospective employers had heard of it but had at least made the effort to Google it before interviewing me. The person that interviewed you may have had quite a few people to interview that day and they probably have a high staff turnover so dont invest much time or art into the interviewing process.

As for the interviewer twoddling on about getting an MCSA or MCSE to get into IT!! Utter turd. Good luck getting people that qualified for entry level positions and if he does . . . .. .. . . . well they'll probably be as big a berk as he is

Normally its the recruitment agency asking for stupid quals.

You should give the interviewer some feedback by pointing him to the microsoft website and showing him who the MCSE is suitable for. What a tit

Good luck on your quest though. It can take a while. I'd completed my MCP (270) by the time I got a job but think the MCP helped alot as its more recognised.

Dont take that to mean drop the A+. The A+ is a great cert and helps us newer people cover the foundations we need to truly understand the more advanced stuff later. You want to be good at the job not just in the job so keep following the path your on.

 

Unfortunately this type of thing happens frequently.

I would suggest the following :

1) on you CV where you talk about A+ etc make sure you put CompTIA in front of it (if room you could always put a link to their website)

2) Recruiters do make mistakes (surprise surprise) so always confirm everything in email and send a confirmatory email after a telephone conversation stating was was said/agreed

3) take a copy of the emails with you to the interview so that you can show the issue lies with the employer/recruiter relationship and is not your fault if they feel you are mismatched for the position

4) stand your ground if they are having a go at you for not matching what they want and point out that perhaps they should take the matter up with the recruiter. You can also state that you are willing to study for MCSE after you have gathered the more fundamental groundings given by A+ etc

Other than that just chalk it up to experience, learn from it and try to ensure that for the next one you are suitably matched

 

I cant believe someone like this is employed as a helpdesk manager, yet I am unemployed.

Wait a minute, yes I can because my bs skills are only improving in the last year or so, this guy is clearly a master.

MCSE for first line support, umm how many cluster servers do first line support setup, or how many group policies do they implement.

Take it from us, this guy obviously hires brain dumpers and "5 day intensive course MCSEs" so he is clearly clueless if he thinks a true MCSE should be on firstline support

(This wasnt for the NHS was it?)