If you had to give advice to someone wanting to get into IT (technical support) what would it be?

Discussion in 'The Lounge - Off Topic' started by Juelz, Mar 8, 2018.

  1. Juelz

    Juelz Gigabyte Poster

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    These are things i have figured out in my 2+ years, a lot of things I state here applies to what I thought before getting into this game.

    1.Don't over certify getting yourself MCSAs/CCNAs there is literally no point, it will just lead to recruiters scheduling you interviews for third-line positions that you do not qualify for.

    2.Don't try to skip helpdesk, helpdesk is where men (and women) are made, I work in desktop support now and without first starting on helpdesk I may have not got this far. Helpdesk gives you valuable experience with dealing with people. Alot of people who want to get into IT seem to want to skip helpdesk entirely but its worth its weight in gold IMO.

    3. Don't lie or your CV saying you know x and y technology when really you have just read a wikipedia article.

    4. Drop the idea now that it will be fun and you will just get to play with computers all day long

    5. Remember it's a thankless industry, you could spend 10 hours fixing something and receive zero appreciation

    6. If you constantly need praise look to another industry

    7. If you get disheartened quickly look to another industry

    8. be prepared to spend a god amount of your free-time learning new things just to stay a-float

    9. IT is very rarely a 9-5 job, you will most likely have to put in extra hours and possibly not even be paid for it

    10. Don't underestimate the power of Google searching when you are stuck on certain issues
     
    Kopite_21 likes this.
  2. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    I get to test new products at work, which I guess you can class as ‘playing with computers’

    Also finally get to build my own private cloud so I’ll be stuck in the server room for a while. :)
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  3. SimonD
    Honorary Member

    SimonD Terabyte Poster

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    Sorry but I agree with the CV padding thing, don't do it.

    True stories.

    1. I hired a member of staff who lied on his CV about experience and time in the placements, during the initial induction phase the company does a thorough back ground check, checks on certifications, checks on degree results, checks on the true dates you stayed at a company.
    Said member of staff had lied about a number of things, his experience was very much lacking as it was discovered in the first couple of days, a check with previous companies showed that the job where he claimed to have worked for 18 months was only actually a 3 month placement, other roles were discovered to have not happened as well.

    Needless to say he couldn't explain the discrepancies on his CV and was let go (if you lie that much then how can you be trusted with confidential company data).

    2. Ex girlfriend of mine, having graduated from Uni a good 10 years earlier had lied on her CV on the result she got from her degree (claimed a 1st Class result but actually only got a lower 2nd, after 2 months of working at the place (she was a marketing and communications manager at the time) was asked to provide a copy of her degree, the day after she was asked for it she didn't go back to work because she knew she had lied and eventually had to resign from the position because she had been found out.

    I should add that #1 happened within the last 4 years, #2 happened a good 15 years ago so it's not something recent.
     
    Certifications: CNA | CNE | CCNA | MCP | MCP+I | MCSE NT4 | MCSA 2003 | Security+ | MCSA:S 2003 | MCSE:S 2003 | MCTS:SCCM 2007 | MCTS:Win 7 | MCITP:EDA7 | MCITP:SA | MCITP:EA | MCTS:Hyper-V | VCP 4 | ITIL v3 Foundation | VCP 5 DCV | VCP 5 Cloud | VCP6 NV | VCP6 DCV | VCAP 5.5 DCA
  4. nisseki

    nisseki Byte Poster

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    I would be interested to speak to people who have lied on their CV (from little to lots) and how it worked out for them.

    It's definitely risky with companies and agencies doing background checks but most of my previous and current roles have never asked to see proof of my GCSE results or my HND. Also never contacted any of my references.

    It has been tempting to bend the truth on my CV to get my dream job in something more challenging but I don't think I will be able to pull it off.

    I'm going to continue to work and study hard which will hopefully pay off.
     
  5. nisseki

    nisseki Byte Poster

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    My post wasn't directed at you Pseudonym. I apologise if I offended you.

    I was reflecting on what Simon had said in his post as it's very common.
     
  6. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    I think there is a thin line between 'lying' and 'fluffing up' but in Pseudonyms defense, fluffing up is not a bad thing, your resume is basically your marketing department, it doesn't even get in front of a set of eyes before going through a round or two of automated algorithms, then you have but a glance to stand out from the crowd when it does cross someones desk

    • Be accurate - if it says you are familiar with something, be familiar, if it says expert, be an expert
    • If you are confident in an ability, list it! didn't do it in production? who cares, just see point 1!
    • Think different, resumes can all tend to look the same, the ones the stand out ALWAYS get my eye for a while longer, just because they are different
    • Don't undersell your free time, have a great home lab? speak at events? run user groups? find a way to list that in your resume without taking up too much precious space, showing this is not just a job for you highlights your passion
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCITP, VCP
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    AJ likes this.
  7. SimonD
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    SimonD Terabyte Poster

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    Well I know the ex girlfriend updated her CV with the right grades, it was less of an issue at that time anyway but she learnt from it.
     
    Certifications: CNA | CNE | CCNA | MCP | MCP+I | MCSE NT4 | MCSA 2003 | Security+ | MCSA:S 2003 | MCSE:S 2003 | MCTS:SCCM 2007 | MCTS:Win 7 | MCITP:EDA7 | MCITP:SA | MCITP:EA | MCTS:Hyper-V | VCP 4 | ITIL v3 Foundation | VCP 5 DCV | VCP 5 Cloud | VCP6 NV | VCP6 DCV | VCAP 5.5 DCA
  8. Juelz

    Juelz Gigabyte Poster

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    Cant have a conversation on here anymore without it going south.. getting very tiring.

    @Pseudonym I think it was due to you saying you only agreed with 6 & 10, maybe you missed 3 as I would think not lying on a CV would be considered a basic no-no.
     
  9. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    What makes you feel this has gone south? seems like a very polite and structured debate about a fairly big issue out there, i for one appreciate it being brought up and seeing both sides of the (very thin) line :)
    minor misunderstandings in tone are a given on the internet, you are missing 80% of the conversation (body language, vocal nuance etc)
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCITP, VCP
    WIP: > 0
    JK2447 likes this.
  10. Nyx

    Nyx Byte Poster

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    Regarding the title of the thread, I'd say to anyone "spend a few days reading this and techexams forums". Helped me loads back in the day.

    CV gets you the interview, interview gets you the job. Agree here, it does matter a lot what's on the CV, whether it gets you the interview depends purely on what you put there. Action verbs, achievements etc are important but tech keywords are as well. In most cases you don't need to lie to improve your chances.
     
  11. zxspectrum

    zxspectrum Terabyte Poster Forum Leader Gold Member

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    Allow Uncle ZX to bring it back on track ha ha ha

    Advice for someone getting into IT

    Use the experience of others and listen to what they have to say.
    Always be willing to look beyond the obvious
    Challenge yourself
    Work with people who know a certain software well, very closely
    If something is wrecking your head, take a 20 minute break and discuss it with someone to get their perspective.
    Use a note taking tool like OneNote to record isses you have dealt with, just in case they pop up again in the future, so you can quickly refer to them.
    Most importantly laugh and have fun.

    Zx
     
    Certifications: BSc computing and information systems
    WIP: 70-680
  12. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Didn’t think there was a problem with the thread tbh.

    Ok to fluff up a CV with the correct keywords if it helps – read my mates CV and it didn’t even have the work Microsoft in it despite having worked with Windows 2000 onwards.

    Just avoid BS if you can.

    C.V – “Excellent Cisco Skills”

    Me: “Can you expand on your Cisco skills please”

    Idiot “Basically Cisco routers get shipped to site and I plug them in and call the Cisco support team to see if they can connect”

    Me: "If they can’t connect do you assist?"

    Idiot: “Not really – it means the wrong config is on the router so they ship another one”
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs

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