Birmingham UK, BSc(Hons)

[aaltaf]

Hi,

 

I am a student who has just graduated in Computer Networks and Security and achieved a 2:1. I am looking for a role in IT Support and I am finding it really difficult to even get any interviews. The only calls I seem to be getting are people offering me training at a cost.

Help!!

 

Regards,

Aasimah

[AXE]

Good luck with your search. It's not easy to get a job at the moment.

[FN-GM]

Good luck with your search. It's not easy to get a job at the moment.

 

Hes right you know.....

 

This makes me thankful the way i did things. I got a job in IT support right out of High School. Then i was headhunted and moved schools. I have done pretty well. If i had gone to college or something i would be stuck now. Next year i will be knuckling down and get some education done.

 

Good luck.

[rh91uk]

Hes right you know.....

 

This makes me thankful the way i did things. I got a job in IT support right out of High School. Then i was headhunted and moved schools. I have done pretty well. If i had gone to college or something i would be stuck now. Next year i will be knuckling down and get some education done.

 

Good luck.

 

I agree too. It is not easy to get a job! I did the same, got a job 6 months after leaving high school part time while doing my a levels. Stuck to doing both, looking forward to recieiving my results and am now Assistant ICT Network Manager at a school.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes

[maniac]

I was plain lucky with my first job in a support role and got it through a friends recomendation to the school that they take me on. Was there for 2 years then moved onto a different job at a larger school which was better paid. Was there just over 2 years gained a lot of experience there, then managed to land the job I have now as systems Manager of a medium size secondary school. I'm very lucky because I have no qualifications at all, what I've managed to do is get employers to buy into me as a person, which is just as important as what you know or can do.

 

Keep your ear to the ground, and make sure everyone you know knows you're looking for work, as sometimes it can be that one person who just happens to know somewhere that's looking for someone. Be prepared to accept a lower paid support role to start with, even though you're qualified you will still need to prove your worth to any employer I'm afraid, but if you're any good you'll find yourself at the top of the tree relatively quickly as I've found once you have some experience, it's not that difficult to move onto better positions in other schools or organisations.

 

I wish you the best of luck.

 

Mike.

Edited August 16, 2009 by maniac

[srochford]

A big problem is that although you're well qualified, you've got no experience and (rightly or wrongly) employers will pick people with experience first.

 

You can try getting by experience by doing voluntary IT support - you need to try and get this in a reasonably large place so that when you apply for a job you can include this as an example of the experience that you've got (it also looks good that you've not just sat on your bum :-))

 

You could also look at getting temp IT work through an agency; again that will give you experience. Unfortunately, it may not be good experience because some agencies are rubbish - try a few if you can till you find one who knows what they're doing.

 

Good luck!

[ranj]

My advice would be to just keep on applying. Try to adjust your CV based on the job you are applying for. Think long and hard about all the experiences you have had in IT (whether it was at uni or in your personal time) this could be software, hardware that you have worked with, even if you know a program vaguely, I would recommend popping it on if you feel its relevant to the job your are applying for.

 

Also do a quick search on the company you are applying for to try to understand what they do and what sort of software they would likely use, do some research to build up your knowledge and this should help you in the long run.

 

Also try looking at alternative ways to make your CV more snazzy. Try getting it online, create a blog and in your spare time write useful articles which interests you and may be helpful for the public domain, if its good, then link this into your CV/covering letter. Employers like some different.

 

whilst your out of employment, read books in the areas which you are interested in to further your knowledge as well as trying out new software. This cant be a bad thing.

 

Its very difficult at the moment, you just need to keep trying.

[torledo]

Hi,

 

I am a student who has just graduated in Computer Networks and Security and achieved a 2:1. I am looking for a role in IT Support and I am finding it really difficult to even get any interviews. The only calls I seem to be getting are people offering me training at a cost.

Help!!

 

Regards,

Aasimah

 

Hi Aasimah

 

Did you get any industry quali's as part of your degree course, i'm thinking specifically cisco ccna but it could have been microsoft mcsa...or atleast undertaken the training ?

 

if you have done this type of training, and with a 2:1, puts you in a good position and i would look at any opportunities that may exist at cisco partners for recent graduates. But you'd really need to be very proactive over the coming weeks as i'm sure there will be others in the same boat as you.

 

best of luck.

[aaltaf]

thnx guys.. Ive covered all the CCNA and CCNP material as part of my degree so maybe I should take the exams for it. Just kinda scared I mite fail it.

[torledo]

thnx guys.. Ive covered all the CCNA and CCNP material as part of my degree so maybe I should take the exams for it. Just kinda scared I mite fail it.

 

if i were would take the ccna exam atleast. It's not expensive to take the test [infact being an academy student i'm sure you should have received a voucher], also with preparation shouldn't be too difficult for someone with a 2:1 to pass first time.

 

plus you need to get networking [making contact with employers].

 

One area to start is look at case studies where companies or public sector bodies like local authorities have implemented cisco solutions ie telephony, contact centre, WAN solutions,. You should be able to discover who the partner was who implemented the solution, this gives you a better understanding of who's doing what with which technologies. That could lead to a more targeted approach to your search for employment entry into an organisation. just a thought.

 

I know agencies are used a lot and there are formal process for graduate opportunities, but no-ones going to bite your head off for using your initiative. As i said it's important to be proactive, you've got the free time on your hands over what's rest of the summer....and just go for it, do your research, get on the phone and start making some contacts. Remain positive. Trust me, with your 2:1 and ccnp level training you are in a far, far better position than many. It's no guarantee, and you will need a fair bit of luck but i honestly beleive you can make your own luck or atleast improve your chances of getting lucky.....so good luck to you !!

[Cache]

I would say, and others may agree or disagree, in that have a job, even if it is just a part time one initially in a supermarket somewhere, so then you can provide examples of customer service, responsibility, general skills of working in a team. To me at the last place I worked when they were looking for somebody one of the things that did crop up for one person is them having never worked before, anywhere, so the question of how they would get on was raised (again rightly or wrongly).

 

The other thing is, and I did this when I was applying for my first job out of uni, was go to the careers service at uni and make yourself known. They'll have links to job sites out there looking for graduates, I know there's one in the north west set up and run by several uni's. But also they will probably provide and application form and cv checking service free of charge, or atleast provide you with some guidance on how to tailor your CV/application for to the job description/person spec. I didn't realise in all honesty how far off the mark what I thought was supposed to be put on an application form and what people are looking for and how quickly they may will discard it if they can't find the info they are looking for at a glance. Maybe naivety on my part but then again a couple of things I would never thought of. Plus most should offer support after you have graduated too, I know the one I went to does.

 

Don't know whether that will help at all, but good luck!

Edited August 16, 2009 by Cache

[SpecialAgent]

I have a junior tech support role at the moment which might get you started but its london based

 

Any good for you

 

[email protected]

[dhicks]

The only calls I seem to be getting are people offering me training at a cost.

 

So start your own company offering computer training.

 

--

David Hicks

[_BC_]

I remember watching a program on the TV about graduates and their expectations for when they finnished their course. Paticularly it had a guy that had just finnished a degree in management. Now that he had his degree he wanted to be a senior manager, but like you, he couldnt even get an interview. So the TV company arranged for an careers advisor to offer some advice. She said that he needed to lower his expectations quite a bit. So he applied for a job, lower down the ladder, as a trainee manager in a supermarket getting minimum wage - which he got! Obviously this is not what he wants to do, but its a stepping stone for where he wants to get too.

 

While I was studying at Uni, I helped out at a local college. Then got offered a full time job. If it was not for that I would not be where I am now.

 

Also, I have found that alot of companies will not want to bother with the hassle of advertising for people. So it is worth while contacting IT mangers and asking if they have any vacancies.

 

Hope this helps... and good luck!!!

[Wils86]

Just wanna say goodluck dude, Im comin to the end of my BSc Hons in computing at wolvo and have just started a job as an IT tech at a school. There are a couple knocking round its just spotting em. Best bets for it are the job center and the metro job section. Thts where i found mine.

 

Also any work experince you did in your course as well as voluntary work (think some one mentioned this)

[Vortex566]

I graduated in May 2009 and it took me a good three months before I found IT work. In the end it was my experience in a school on my placement year that helped get me the job.

 

I think as others have said experience is key right now the more you have the more chances you have to find a job. While having a degree is better in the long term most employers will not look at you unless you have some experience. This might come as a bit of a shock but sadly it is how things are working right now.

 

Keep you chin up and take the Cisco exam. I am working towards my MCSE which together with my work experience will help in the long term.

[Vanti]

Aasimah, check your PMs