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Greetings all, I'm hoping I can gain some local and maybe some industry incite into helping me secure work before I attempt to relocate to the Seattle area from my home state of Montana hopefully within the summer/fall timeframe of this year. I have a lot of personal reasons along with professional reasons that I want to upgrade to a larger city and after a lot of researching, job searching, interviews and rejections, I've decided to forego trying to find work in Portland as the job and IT market especially is horrendously tight and hard to get a foot inwards not being a local, not to mention the vast majority of jobs being filled by inner networking before it even reaches public knowledge.
I'm well aware of Seattle's weather and traffic woes along with the "Seattle Freeze" but like all things in life, there are pro's and con's and Seattle's Pro's outweighs its problems where my needs and priorities are concerned with moving forward into the next section of my life as an early 30's bachelor.
Back to my original posting reason, I've been on the resume and cover letter overhauling for almost three months now and I've been applying to jobs for almost two months and I have gotten a few phone interviews and a fair amount of rejections with the typical cloned response that I don't fit their needs and or job qualifications, which is to be expected. I'm nearing 10 years in the IT industry that has been mainly focused upon in-house and onsite computer/printer/networking/wiring troubleshooting and installation along with face to face and over the phone customer service and troubleshooting. The last seven years I've been doing field IT work for a large nation wide investment firm in my area of Montana working out of my home and being on call with a company provided van and laptop to monitor work issues and scheduling my apts.
Ideally im very much looking forward to working in house for a company so I can be around coworkers and managers again on a daily basis and have that face to face interaction that I've been missing the last several years. I see my investment clients at random times with my current work but all my managers and contracted support team is way in St Louis, so its all been phone based and its getting rather old. I'd really like to find work as a Tier 2 level IT support tech working under systems and networking administrators so I can get more hands on learning and knowledge about server administration as im rather rusty at it because that is all handled through my support team in a different state.
I very much enjoy working with people face to face in regards to IT and love communicating with them in regards to troubleshooting their IT issues, elaborating on what I'm doing to fix problems, what I will also do to help prevent the issue from occurring again and informing them of what they can do to help minimize future IT problems. Essentially, I really love to inform people about what work I am doing, why I am doing it, why something went wrong and what can be done to prevent it in the future, along with explaining benefits of new IT based systems and software vs. older systems. I've found my clients over the years very much respond positively to this more "personal" type of IT support rather then just some computer guru who comes along, fixes a problem, doesn't say much and just walks away back to his desk. I find that to be my biggest strength and skill to help overcome my lack of knowledge in certain IT area's.
Anyway, as I said, I really want to secure work before attempting a big and expensive move to the Seattle area and im doing all I can think of to help me stand out from the other IT candidates, especially not being local so I want to list what I've been doing to give you an idea of what I'm doing so hopefully you can give me some new ideas or suggestions on what else I can do.
1. Proactively searching and applying to a variety of companies with CareerBuilder, Dice, Indeed, Linkedin and occasionally Seattles Times job sites. I've applied my credentials and resumes on these websites but I've been actively searching for jobs every other day rather then just waiting and hoping companies will contact me first.
2. Customizing all my cover letters to specific companies for specific positions along with stating I will personally cover all moving costs with relocating in both my cover and resumes so employers are well aware from the start I am willing to do whatever is necessary to relocate without incurring them costs for hiring me out of state.
3. Replied to emails as soon as possible and returning phone calls leaving my full information if I cannot get in touch with them directly
4. When possible and appropriate, I attempt to get in touch with the hiring manager or HR resources after a period time after applying for a position to state my continued interest in the positioning and willingness to answer any preliminary questions being an out of state applicant
5. Dressed in formal clothes while doing phone interviews to help feel more professional and have the right frame of mind rather then be in regular clothing. I write down questions to ask the interviewer as well as jot down information they are giving me and maintain a polite and formal attitude at all times
6. Sending thank you emails to the interviewer within 24 hours, regardless of how good or how bad I feel the interview went.
7. When asked, I give formal and accurate reasons why I want to relocate and work in Seattle.
That being said, I feel like im on the right track with trying to prove myself as a great potential asset potential employers even though I am applying out of state. But im' all for more ideas, suggestions or even connections and networking from people here at the forum to help give me that extra edge from other candidates that live locally that are also vying for positions. Vs Portland, its really nice to see how many jobs are available in Seattle and even though the competition is a lot larger and tougher, I know I can accomplish this goal and dream of mine and im' asking for any help you guys can give me.
Help Desk stuff while needed is really dime-a-dozen in many metros, including Seattle and it's gonna be tough to get any movement as an Out of state applicant, as you've found. I recently hired for such a position and I can assure you, there were no shortage of applicants from the Seattle area, some looking for career shifts, others young but with good experience. Some had very strong credentials , dare I say overqualified in a few instances.
The types of folks "imported" to or filtered through Seattle/East Side IT are of the App/Prod Dev, Sysops, Infosec, DB Admin etc. Do you have any certifications, bachelors masters etc that might help you stand out? If you want networking or sysadmin experience you'll have to do some of the legwork yourself; get the CCNA or CCENT to show employers you're serious about networking. Definately persue Microsoft certifications if you want to do Win server admin. It can be done for very little cost (get a book for the cert, download the 180 day trial, lab and pass the exam).
That being said, I feel like im on the right track with trying to prove myself as a great potential asset potential employers even though I am applying out of state. But im' all for more ideas, suggestions or even connections and networking from people here at the forum to help give me that extra edge from other candidates that live locally that are also vying for positions. Vs Portland, its really nice to see how many jobs are available in Seattle and even though the competition is a lot larger and tougher, I know I can accomplish this goal and dream of mine and im' asking for any help you guys can give me.
Thanks for your time and input!
It is definitely a conundrum, not phyically being here (Seattle) and applying for IT jobs. Guessing it will take awhile for you to hit something. I have no hard and fast numbers, but "awhile" might mean six months or longer.
Followed your saga from another post or two, earlier. Wish there was a magic bullet for a go-getter. Not sure such a thing exists, today. I find your attitude refreshing, however.
Not much to add to your methods: that's the right track. Work LinkedIn pretty hard, too, btw.
Good luck, AT-AT28. I am in the same boat, but looking for a job in a different industry. It sounds like you're doing the right things, but it can be hard to distinguish yourself when there are so many local applicants to choose from.
lets start with your resume. Was it professionaly done, or modified since your last search 10 years ago? Haveing a professional write your resume does make a difference. Choose someone who specializes in your industry. Plan on spending $300 to $500 based on your career length and position desired.
Next you say you apply to jobs on LinkedIn, but are you really using LinkedIn? Are you a paid job seeker? if not, do it so you have access to inmails. Then scour your network for people in the companies you want to work. if you dont have any inside connections, just find the recruiter and introduce yourself, they wont mind. Join the groups that are appropriate as often jobs are posted in there since theya re free. become part of the community by answering questions and asking.
Lastly, have you looked at the pay sites like The Ladders or Bullhorn? I'm not sure if these are the right ones for your industry, but there are some that will be. Join and use all they offer.
All of these things cost money, but all will help you find a job sooner.
I can't justify spending that kind of money on having someone work on my resume, especially when I need that money for moving expenses. I researched into LinkedIns paid services but what I found is it mostly turns out to be a waste of money for job seekers.
I can't justify spending that kind of money on having someone work on my resume, especially when I need that money for moving expenses. I researched into LinkedIns paid services but what I found is it mostly turns out to be a waste of money for job seekers.
Welp, you will just have to decide how bad you want to find a job. A "homemade" resume, just dosent cut it anymore, especially for a professional. LinkedIn is well worth the money if for the InMails alone. That is the only way to reach out to recruiters that you dont know. if you think reaching out to the recruiters hiring for your target companies is a waste of money, then nothing I say will change your mind. You really need to try it yourself and see rather than trust anyone else. You asked for ideas to help you get noticed. These are two tried and true ideas. If you aren't getting the response you want, ask yourself why. The reality is that spending money will get you noticed and in front of the people making the decisions. if you can't or won't spend the money, then you have to simply be lucky.
Welp, you will just have to decide how bad you want to find a job. A "homemade" resume, just dosent cut it anymore, especially for a professional. LinkedIn is well worth the money if for the InMails alone. That is the only way to reach out to recruiters that you dont know. if you think reaching out to the recruiters hiring for your target companies is a waste of money, then nothing I say will change your mind. You really need to try it yourself and see rather than trust anyone else. You asked for ideas to help you get noticed. These are two tried and true ideas. If you aren't getting the response you want, ask yourself why. The reality is that spending money will get you noticed and in front of the people making the decisions. if you can't or won't spend the money, then you have to simply be lucky.
This is nonsense. If you can't make your own resume and get hired with it, then you probably don't deserve whatever job you're applying for. End of story.
Personally, I got lucky. My experience with tech stuff was pretty scattered, but I found a position with a company that has a really open mind about training people without an IT background. I also moved here from a different region, but my company was recruiting nationally. So I guess I don't really have any good advice for you other than to keep trying. Any job search is frustrating and difficult. I interviewed (at least phone interviews) for nearly three dozen jobs over the course of seven months before I finally nailed something down. That was with no geographic preferences (I interviewed for jobs everywhere from Los Angeles to Boston and between), and I wasn't just looking at jobs in IT (most of my experience was in finance). If you're set on a tech job in Seattle, it's going to be that much harder. Only the combination of hard work and a little luck will get you what you want. I hope it goes as well for you as it did for me. Just hang in there.
This is nonsense. If you can't make your own resume and get hired with it, then you probably don't deserve whatever job you're applying for. End of story..
Well i wont go so far as to discredit your opinion. You said it yourself...you got lucky. As i said you can always get lucky. The OP asked for how to get noticed....not how to get a job. I just completed a national job search and would contend that most professionals would agree with me. Anyone can make a resume, but to stand out you really need a professional resume designed by an expert in your industry. While you called my entire post nonsense, I dont think you will find anyone who thinks networking wont help. lastly, you may be looking at more of an entry level or blue collar position than what my advise was aimed at at.
Well i wont go so far as to discredit your opinion. You said it yourself...you got lucky. As i said you can always get lucky. The OP asked for how to get noticed....not how to get a job. I just completed a national job search and would contend that most professionals would agree with me. Anyone can make a resume, but to stand out you really need a professional resume designed by an expert in your industry. While you called my entire post nonsense, I dont think you will find anyone who thinks networking wont help. lastly, you may be looking at more of an entry level or blue collar position than what my advise was aimed at at.
I spend a lot of my time actually looking at tech resume's. My experience is that major corporations with recruiting departments scan all the resume's through OCS systems and dump them into central databases. In other words all that time you spent on formatting the resume is gone before a hiring manager sees it. I'm sure that does vary and the smaller the company the more likely they are to see your actual document. I wouldn't necessarily pay for professional design. What I would do is
1) Make sure your resume is concise and aimed at your target company. Don't necessarily send the same one to every company. Tune the message to fit the position you're applying for.
2) Stick to simple formatting. Honestly the standard templates in word work fairly well.
3) Highlight your skills and describe the kind of work you've done and why its interesting. Be concrete enough so an employer can see how you would be able to fulfill a role.
4) I'm noticing that LinkedIn is increasingly being used to source people. Take advantage of that.
5) Have someone else you trust review your resume.
I hope that helps,
Ben
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