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I am sure you have all been there, as have I for the last year. I have gotten plenty of interviews, and the results are always the same on the rejection notice. We thought you were very professional, very qualified, but we went with a candidate who had more experience in X or Y.
I am sort of at a loss for how to get past this barrier, as I get to the final round of interviews and always get a rejection. I've got about two years of Help desk / Bench tech IT work experience, and have my own business while I am searching for FT employment, but I fear I am going to continue to be rejected b/c I have been out of a job for too long.
In IT it is impossible to volunteer at anything because you must be an employee to work on computers, so that is out. Any other suggestions.
I check Dice, Craigslist, Monster, Careerbuilder, Indeed and various local city websites looking for a job, but so far am still unemployed.
I got that response 7 months ago when I was searching for a job. Aced the mathematics test, aced the blue print test, explained everything pertaining to the job. Of course, the company went with the guy with more experience A couple weeks later, I got a call from the company asking me if I would like to work for them. I said, "yea, 2 weeks ago!" Fortunately for me, I had found something else a few days after my interview there, and have been with that company since. Work is slowing down a bit, but I feel my job is relatively secure. At the other company, I would have been laid off by now.
what kind of job r u looking for? the days of on site help desks and tech support people are basically over. with outsourcing and all types of virtualization software the need is minimal. even lower to mid level network admin jobs are few. I used to be a network admin myself but left the field entirely. when people constantly say IT is a top field i think they are referring to high end software development or maybe ERP software exp. with everything going the way of the Cloud there will be even less need for certain IT jobs (ie-help desk, tech support, onsite net admins, etc). your best bet is move to a city that has the most opportunities in what u r looking for
We thought you were very professional, very qualified, but we went with a candidate who had more experience in X or Y.
that could also mean they hired the mgr's best friends son or some other person who was less qualified but had a strong inside contact. honestly, there is no telling why a person who is overly qualified does not get hired. could be anything, especially these days
what kind of job r u looking for? the days of on site help desks and tech support people are basically over. with outsourcing and all types of virtualization software the need is minimal. even lower to mid level network admin jobs are few. I used to be a network admin myself but left the field entirely. when people constantly say IT is a top field i think they are referring to high end software development or maybe ERP software exp. with everything going the way of the Cloud there will be even less need for certain IT jobs (ie-help desk, tech support, onsite net admins, etc). your best bet is move to a city that has the most opportunities in what u r looking for
Completely agree if you're referring to working for an internal IT department. However, like you said, many of those support positions are being outsourced. So the key there is finding a job in one of those outsourcing companies.
To the OP - what you may want to also do is start establishing a network. One of the reasons for the "rejections" may not be the lack of experience as much as "who you know". Not saying they're all like that... but it certainly helps if your applying to a job via a referral vs. "cold calling".
what kind of job r u looking for? the days of on site help desks and tech support people are basically over. with outsourcing and all types of virtualization software the need is minimal. even lower to mid level network admin jobs are few. I used to be a network admin myself but left the field entirely. when people constantly say IT is a top field i think they are referring to high end software development or maybe ERP software exp. with everything going the way of the Cloud there will be even less need for certain IT jobs (ie-help desk, tech support, onsite net admins, etc). your best bet is move to a city that has the most opportunities in what u r looking for
Ya, I know the low level IT stuff is going overseas, but the companies I have interviewed for still want in house IT support staff, which are the jobs I am getting interviews for.
Completely agree if you're referring to working for an internal IT department. However, like you said, many of those support positions are being outsourced. So the key there is finding a job in one of those outsourcing companies.
To the OP - what you may want to also do is start establishing a network. One of the reasons for the "rejections" may not be the lack of experience as much as "who you know". Not saying they're all like that... but it certainly helps if your applying to a job via a referral vs. "cold calling".
Ya, my biggest problem with networking has been even when I get an interview based on a recommendation of a good friend, I STILL don't get the job.
You could always move to another country that stole your type of jobs...
Kidding aside ... if you're already in I.T. why not train yourself in a new area of I.T. such as programming or web development? I'm a programmer and I feel that my job is pretty secure. It would be a bit of a leap from what you are doing now but not as much of a leap as say going into an entirely new field.
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Until more people have jobs, this is going to remain a major problem for those with little experience. There are so many people available with 15-30 years experience these days, it's going to be hard to compete when you only have 2-3. You have to bring something that will overcome that and make you a stronger choice. For me that is enthusiasm for working at that company. Do research on the company, lots of it, and somehow in the interview work in some facts and figures that demonstrate your knowledge of them, and communicate reasons why you are not just looking for a job, but for a job there. While age discrimination is illegal, employers are aware that new older employees may not be around long, and do need to ensure continuity over the years. The problem is in being able to support their decision, it's hard to justify a younger less experienced person without appearing to discriminate.
i feel badly that im about to bust your bubble but that is what they say when they like someone else better, you wanted too much money or they are just not into you. in my case being over 50 im told i have too much experience and the position is entry level or they tell me im not qualified as there is certain criteria that was omitted from the job posting. seems funny to me that knowing there was an omission in their ad they would replace omitting the same exact ad not just a week or two later but in one case a year later. liar liar pants on fire.
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A couple weeks later, I got a call from the company asking me if I would like to work for them. I said, "yea, 2 weeks ago!" Fortunately for me, I had found something else a few days after my interview there, and have been with that company since. Work is slowing down a bit, but I feel my job is relatively secure. At the other company, I would have been laid off by now.
