Getting into the IT industry - why so difficult?

[TallPaul_S]

Hey all, merry Christmas and all that

I figured we must have a few members here who work in the IT industry, I'm looking for some insight into why the bloody hell it's so difficult to get an entry level 1st line support position at the moment!!

Bit of background - been applying for lots of basic 1st line support/helpdesk positions over the last couple of months, pretty much all through agencies (don't get me started on agencies.... ) and, well, I'm still looking.

This is the sort of role I'm applying for - http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/it-helpdesk-support-technician-contract/23955062 - normally around 16-20k, requires good customer service, telephone skills etc etc.

I'm basically looking to get a start in IT, and from what I've read my current experience would be ideally suited to this sort of role. Money wise I only want 16-18k to start on, hopefully I'll be able to move up to a 2nd line position fairly quickly, and then start specialising from there.

I can put up my CV if anyone's interested for critique, but the basic gist is this:

8+ years customer service experience (phone based primarily with around 18 months face to face) gained mostly in the financial services industry - phone calls from customers, financial advisers, other product providers etc. some easy calls, some technical, and in both low volume and high volume call centres (100+ calls a day).
Have done user acceptance testing (again in FS) for 3 separate projects, bug reporting, running manual scripts etc.
Have experience building/upgrading/troubleshooting software and hardware (as a hobby)
Investigated and handled client complaints, doing investigation and analysis, calculating compensation (again, within the FS industry)
Admin, new business processing, handling client money etc etc.
Trained new and existing members of staff on products/processes, 1-on-1 and in groups
Provided technical support for customer service staff for new website functionality after having tested said new website functionality (see above - user acceptance testing)
Software - Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, & Outlook), Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP, Apple OS X, Sony Vegas Pro, Adobe Photoshop plus a multitude of other in house processing and back office systems

I have done a fair bit more than this, in particular relating to pension admin and everything that entails, including lots of technical stuff around pension regulations and so on (SIPP schemes, income drawdown etc if anyone is interested) but as I needed to fit everything onto a CV I've cut this out as it's not really that relevant to the IT industry.

Now, I have been out of work since mid 2012. A long time, I know. I moved from Bristol in July of this year to Kent, partially as the job market in Bristol was very competitive, some (many!) 18-20k jobs had over 100 applications, and it was hard to compete. Here in Kent it's definitely better, but I'm still having problems even getting replies to 99% of the jobs I apply for. The other reason for moving here was family, and nothing keeping me in Bristol.

I've worked within financial services since 2002, with a year out as a delivery driver, and all over the country (Peterborough, Cambridge, nearly started working in London after being made redundant from the company in Cambridge, and finally Bristol) and after 8 years in the industry I'd had enough. Hence the delivery driver job Was literally a breath of fresh air after lots of office politics...
I was due to start work down here in Kent at the end Oct, in FS (but I wanted something, anything so wasn't fussy) but that fell though unfortunately. That was the first interview I had since moving here and I got the job, so interviews aren't a problem, it's getting them!!!

So, long post, but I'd really appreciate it if anyone has any insight as to what I might be doing wrong, and any tips for me. I know there's a lot of applicants for low level IT positions at the moment, but surely being out of work for 18 months doesn't mean that my CV just gets put straight into the bin? It feels like that's what happening tbh! I also get the feeling that 90% of the jobs advertised on the normal job sites by agencies don't actually exist!

Cheers in advance

 

[Joshct]

Well i found it difficult getting into the industry mainly because experience seemed to be valued so highly, more so than qualifications.

Fortunately i managed to avoid 1st line phone support and got a job inhouse for a manufacturing company, i can only suggest keep applying and hope to get lucky!

Good luck!

 

[zegna]

Why would you want to be in IT support?

If you have UAT experience then look for junior UAT analyst roles in banking (london). Its a better start than IT support.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Why would you want to be in IT support?

If you have UAT experience then look for junior UAT analyst roles in banking (london). Its a better start than IT support.

Banking/financial services is out, for a couple of reasons (prefer not to go into them here) so looking for a new industry to start in. It has been about 3 years since I did the UAT testing, was seconded from my normal team as a test analyst, it was about a year in total, running manual scripts (complex pension stuff, checking results on a stupid amount of weird and wonderful combinations), using HP quality center to manage and run the scripts. At the time it was something I was looking at, but have sort of forgotten about over the last couple of years. Ta for the reminder, another avenue to look into

IT support came about as something I could do and get a start in a new industry without having experience in that industry. Any other suggestions as to what I could do with my experience appreciated

 

[derfderfley]

There are two real stumbling blocks for getting on the IT ladder at the moment;

Experience is key
There has been a very slow swing over the last few years to favour those with experience to those with freshly minted qualifications but little practical experience. If you have experience and qualifications the job market is much more open, and yes I know this is a chicken/egg situation.

Lots of people are looking for IT jobs
Even if you have both the qualifications and experience the IT jobs market is pretty tough at the moment, there are a lot of people chasing fewer positions.

The second point I've found very true over the last 12 months or so, but I'm working (in IT) so have time to look for the right sort of job/opportunity.

If I had my time again, I'd probably go down the engineering qualification/degree route as I see plenty of good (and exciting) opportunities in that field advertised.

 

[zegna]

Banking/financial services is out, for a couple of reasons (prefer not to go into them here) so looking for a new industry to start in. It has been about 3 years since I did the UAT testing, was seconded from my normal team as a test analyst, it was about a year in total, running manual scripts (complex pension stuff, checking results on a stupid amount of weird and wonderful combinations), using HP quality center to manage and run the scripts. At the time it was something I was looking at, but have sort of forgotten about over the last couple of years. Ta for the reminder, another avenue to look into

IT support came about as something I could do and get a start in a new industry without having experience in that industry. Any other suggestions as to what I could do with my experience appreciated

Working with end users of the application, developing test cases and documentation is a much better job than dealing with small 1st line problems in IT support. It's quite a dead end career route, however UAT can open up lots of avenues, because of the wide group of stakeholders you will work with.

I say banking because they tend to pay relatively well, but UAT is needed for all IT solutions. I know some very average UAT analysts in my office (large bank with a blue logo in canary wharf) contracting at 350-400pd.. very well paid for the efforts required.

 

[oldbag]

There are a load of awful people in IT these days who know little, aren't proactive, and I think go into it because they think it will be a cushy number. No wonder employers want experience over qualification.

 

[Joshct]

Still hurts when you try to get into the field oldbag, the whole "how do i get experience if you wont give it to me?"

 

[TallPaul_S]

There are two real stumbling blocks for getting on the IT ladder at the moment;

Experience is key
There has been a very slow swing over the last few years to favour those with experience to those with freshly minted qualifications but little practical experience. If you have experience and qualifications the job market is much more open, and yes I know this is a chicken/egg situation.

Lots of people are looking for IT jobs
Even if you have both the qualifications and experience the IT jobs market is pretty tough at the moment, there are a lot of people chasing fewer positions.

The second point I've found very true over the last 12 months or so, but I'm working (in IT) so have time to look for the right sort of job/opportunity.

If I had my time again, I'd probably go down the engineering qualification/degree route as I see plenty of good (and exciting) opportunities in that field advertised.

Yeah I'd heard the second point too, which explains why I've seen some 1st line jobs paying as little as 14k in Kent and 18k in London. Luckily these are rare and most seem to be in the 16-20k region within Kent. Not worth commuting to London though as the same job there pays about 20k from what I've seen, doesn't cover the £350-400 a month train ticket.

Obviously trying to get a start in a new industry isn't easy (especially in the current job market) and more so without any industry specific experience. I have seen that quite a few jobs advertised look for SQL experience/knowledge so I might look into teaching myself that

 

[oldbag]

Still hurts when you try to get into the field oldbag, the whole "how do i get experience if you wont give it to me?"

Yeah I know, you gotta somehow stand out over the bsers. It's not easy.

 

[oldbag]

Yeah I'd heard the second point too, which explains why I've seen some 1st line jobs paying as little as 14k in Kent and 18k in London. Luckily these are rare and most seem to be in the 16-20k region within Kent. Not worth commuting to London though as the same job there pays about 20k from what I've seen, doesn't cover the £350-400 a month train ticket.

Obviously trying to get a start in a new industry isn't easy (especially in the current job market) and more so without any industry specific experience. I have seen that quite a few jobs advertised look for SQL experience/knowledge so I might look into teaching myself that

Try and get on some specific courses like Ccna, or programming if you're interested in that. It will help

 

[m4cc45]

There are two real stumbling blocks for getting on the IT ladder at the moment;

Experience is key
There has been a very slow swing over the last few years to favour those with experience to those with freshly minted qualifications but little practical experience. If you have experience and qualifications the job market is much more open, and yes I know this is a chicken/egg situation.

Lots of people are looking for IT jobs
Even if you have both the qualifications and experience the IT jobs market is pretty tough at the moment, there are a lot of people chasing fewer positions.

The second point I've found very true over the last 12 months or so, but I'm working (in IT) so have time to look for the right sort of job/opportunity.

If I had my time again, I'd probably go down the engineering qualification/degree route as I see plenty of good (and exciting) opportunities in that field advertised.

Not quite true - qualifications are still preferred and every job advert I look at for 3rd line+ requires an MCSE to get past the CV shifting stage. Qualifications are not just to prove you can do the job they prove that you have the dedication it takes to study and pass the exams. For the OP though I'd suggest that if you're not getting replies then take a look at your CV and model it for what you are applying for. It definitely needs altering if you're not hearing back.

Though I agree with the second point to a degree. Every man and his dog thinks he can work in IT because he fixes his mates PC. IT is getting very hard to get into and, from my point of view, that's a good thing as it takes years and years of hard work to actually be good at it on a high level.

If you still want to get into IT re-do your CV to the point whereby you get replies - if you're not in work then think about trying to get into something as it's easier to find work when you're working. Just use it as a stepping stone.



M.

 

[Jas1975]

Hate to say it but you are up against other candidates with a few years experience for the money you desire in first line / servicedesk roles. You need to reduce your salary expectations by a few grand. The sector is massively oversubscribed for entry level positions.

 

[Mercutio]

While a 1st line support desk type role is usually the start of an IT career, it's MUCH better to decide on a specialty that's generally in demand (microsoft, unix, cisco, oracle/MS SQL are usually a good bet) and get cracking on the basic entry qualification.

The training materials can usually be found for free (or "free" - let your moral compass lead you as you see fit) and the first exam in each is generally a self study effort followed by a fee based (usually in the <£100 region) exam.

While this is a bit harder to do as you don't generally have the experience to go with the qualification, a "junior" role in each of the mentioned areas will still pay decent money (e.g for my field, Junior Oracle DBA jobs are generally around the £30k/year mark).

Grab some crappy job in ANYTHING to cover your basic living expenses, get your head in a book for 6 months and you'll probably find you get pretty positive responses.

As it happens, I can get someone with some oracle experience and a decent general IT background a 25-30k a year job (shift work though) in Sheffield right now drop me a mail to trust. (Genuinely - the company I work for are pathetic at getting staff in so the boss is happy to take recommendations and bypass our HR completely).

 

[TallPaul_S]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but generally most 1st line/helpdesk positions don't need specific IT experience? I know there's no set job role for a 1st line job, some can be general call centre agents doing basic password resets, and then others can be doing a lot more.

All the jobs I've been applying for only need customer service plus some other general experience, software knowledge etc never any specific IT experience/qualifications (apart from SQL as I mentioned before), and quite honestly most of the jobs I'm applying for I could do blindfolded this is what gets me, apply for a job where my CV matches EVERYTHING they're looking for in the ad, get no reply, not even a response from the recruiter. Repeat 10\20\30 times...

 

[TallPaul_S]

Hate to say it but you are up against other candidates with a few years experience for the money you desire in first line / servicedesk roles. You need to reduce your salary expectations by a few grand. The sector is massively oversubscribed for entry level positions.

Hmm, didn't realise it was that bad, seems there is a lot of competition out there for the entry level jobs.

While a 1st line support desk type role is usually the start of an IT career, it's MUCH better to decide on a specialty that's generally in demand (microsoft, unix, cisco, oracle/MS SQL are usually a good bet) and get cracking on the basic entry qualification.

The training materials can usually be found for free (or "free" - let your moral compass lead you as you see fit) and the first exam in each is generally a self study effort followed by a fee based (usually in the <£100 region) exam.

While this is a bit harder to do as you don't generally have the experience to go with the qualification, a "junior" role in each of the mentioned areas will still pay decent money (e.g for my field, Junior Oracle DBA jobs are generally around the £30k/year mark).

Grab some crappy job in ANYTHING to cover your basic living expenses, get your head in a book for 6 months and you'll probably find you get pretty positive responses.

Luckily at the moment I'm back in with the parents, so living expenses aren't much, but I don't want to be stuck with them for too long, would only need around 17k working locally to be able to get my own place, hence why I'm aiming for that sort of salary to start. My previous jobs have paid around 20k so it's not much of a reduction.

Didn't realise the entry level qualifications can be done self study, will deffo be looking into that (ccna seems interesting, will look into the others), thanks for the heads up

 

[Mercutio]

Ye, I think the entry level one is always "reasonably" accessible as otherwise it's chicken and egg. For each of the vendors, having staff coming into the field is obviously in their best interest so it's doable.

I've known a few folks back when I was doing the support desk job who were hammering the study materials. Check on the relevant vendors site and there's usually a brief of what they cover on the entry exam so you know what you need to learn. A check on a popular online book store will usually find you a named study guide for the exam and you can go from there. The dodgy step after is of course .pdf based if you catch my drift.

 

[JBod]

I entered the IT industry as a wide eyed 21 year old about 12 years ago now on the stunning salary of £13k as a 1st line support weeny. Get your experience anyway you can, get your foot in a door of a company that has a good solid technical department that has lots of opportunities.

http://www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=IT+desktop+support&l=london

 

[danielanthony]

Just get in with a large/medium sized company and work your way up. If they're decent, they will have career progression as part of your annual appraisal, laying out a path from 1st>2nd>3rd line and beyond.

Don't knock support, I've met many 'consultants' who don't know the difference between a RJ45 and JR11 cable, let alone the low level technical differences between iSCSI and FC storage protocols. Support people can earn good money too if you're good, we're advertising for Escalation Engineers with cloud and automation skills paying £70k+ and are struggling to find people.

 

[V-Spec]

I started out in the industry in 2000 after doing an apprenticeship as a welder, and worked for free at a college for about 8 weeks, then passed my CCNA and landed a decent job based on the experience I got for free and a new exam, 13 years later I've got a CCIE, and an appropriate level of pay, so it was all well worth the effort - you've just got to keep plugging away, never give up.

I've met a lot of people in that time, and I've done a lot of job interviews for all levels, I've seen more liars and cheats in job interviews than I've seen anywhere else, I'd say the best thing is just be honest - you're going to do much better being honest, than you are over-inflating what you've done and being found out, at the interview stage.

Also, when applying for jobs via agencies - it normally doesn't do any harm to harass them, if you see a job online - apply for it, then call the agency and make sure they send your details over, enthusiasm can never be overstated in my experience.