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Hi there,
My husband and I are in the process of trying to relocate to NC and so I was wondering if someone... anyone could give us some insight into the job market in general for the IT industry. Is it a tough place to get into? I know that the influx of people has slowed the market down but how much?
FWIW, My husband is a Network Engineer with about 18 years of experience (some of it in the Navy).
Hi there,
My husband and I are in the process of trying to relocate to NC and so I was wondering if someone... anyone could give us some insight into the job market in general for the IT industry. Is it a tough place to get into? I know that the influx of people has slowed the market down but how much?
FWIW, My husband is a Network Engineer with about 18 years of experience (some of it in the Navy).
Thanks in advance.
I wish I knew the answer to that too! I am also a network engineer with 11-12 years of experience and some of that was in the Air Force. Lots of jobs out there, but seems almost like they are just posted as formalities. A lot of stuff gets filled internally or from friends and family. My wife and I moved here about 6 months ago and she found a job right before we moved here. I have been on a travel contract based out of DC that has been good, but we are both ready for me to have a job here. In fact, I had a promising interview fall through on Friday because it was going to be filled by a internal recommendation.
Many companies use contract to hire through Manpower, Randstad, etc. I know the companies my husband and I work for use this method and how we both got hired. Worth checking into.
Seems to be much easier to break into the scene if you use a recruiting agency. Make sure your resume has been civilianized--take out the military terminology and change it to represent whatever it is called in the outside world. It is also helpful if you have an inside friend that can get your resume hand-delivered. Consider joining a user group. There are local ones for VMWare, Citrix, Windows, etc.
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it. We are still committed to moving but knowing what you are up against (even if isn't exactly good news) is good. We will continue to do what we are doing which is using a recruiter and submitting resumes by ourselves as well. In the mean time my husband is getting all the classes and accrediations that he can to beef up his resume.
There are more people moving here than there are currently jobs.
No one has offered any proof of that. Simply opinion.
There are jobs out there. My company has them. I have a large network of friends and former coworkers. Nearly ALL of their companies are hiring. I work in SW Development for data and voice networking products (Ethernet switches, VoIP, etc).
The problem for a newcomer is that you have no local network (as opposed to local area network ). Most people I know around here would not think about hiring someone full-time perm who was not recommended by someone they know and trust. Too many people have been burned in the past by hiring people who had slick resumes and crammed for an interview.
Finding that first job here is the toughest. Not because the jobs don't exist. Because the trust doesn't exist. If you have to, take a contract job that will allow you to prove yourself to people locally that can be used as references later on.
No one has offered any proof of that. Simply opinion.
There are jobs out there. My company has them. I have a large network of friends and former coworkers. Nearly ALL of their companies are hiring. I work in SW Development for data and voice networking products (Ethernet switches, VoIP, etc).
The problem for a newcomer is that you have no local network (as opposed to local area network ). Most people I know around here would not think about hiring someone full-time perm who was not recommended by someone they know and trust. Too many people have been burned in the past by hiring people who had slick resumes and crammed for an interview.
Finding that first job here is the toughest. Not because the jobs don't exist. Because the trust doesn't exist. If you have to, take a contract job that will allow you to prove yourself to people locally that can be used as references later on.
That second paragraph is what makes me so mad. I used to work for a big telecom company in Austin, TX. My boss would hire total idiots with great resumes, when all he had to do was have his techs/engineers sit in to see through the BS. Not knowing anyone here makes it next to impossible to get a good job. My telecom background is vast, but telecom pays horrible unless you are in development or maybe a sales engineer position, hence my pursuit of IT jobs over telecom mostly (unless I can find something good in telecom).
I am guessing you work for Cisco or Nortel. I have zero fear of doing any job, that's never been the problem, getting my foot in the door is the real problem. I've told employers before that I'd work for free to prove myself more or less. So frustrating.
No one has offered any proof of that. Simply opinion.
There are jobs out there. My company has them. I have a large network of friends and former coworkers. Nearly ALL of their companies are hiring. I work in SW Development for data and voice networking products (Ethernet switches, VoIP, etc).
The problem for a newcomer is that you have no local network (as opposed to local area network ). Most people I know around here would not think about hiring someone full-time perm who was not recommended by someone they know and trust. Too many people have been burned in the past by hiring people who had slick resumes and crammed for an interview.
Finding that first job here is the toughest. Not because the jobs don't exist. Because the trust doesn't exist. If you have to, take a contract job that will allow you to prove yourself to people locally that can be used as references later on.
I hear more and more people having a harder and harder time finding a job here (still better than other areas).
I still see massive subdivisions going up even as the market continues to slow down.
I see traffic increasing
I dont see the same amount of jobs be created here as the above happens.
I am speaking more of an effect that will be felt later (but not a crashing one). Right now its OK but there is much more residential development here than anything.
And I continue to hear of people moving down here without a job because they heard that it is easy to find a job hear...
Yes the marketing is tightening - no the influx is NOT larger than the number of jobs. You can always look at the LMI statistics at NCESC.COM (NC Employment Security commission) - the employment market is still growing, and in IT in particular.
That being said - there's no doubt about the networking thing - just steel yourself to the process and just keep hammering out resumes until you get something that works for you. It takes everyone a long time to get a job it seems.
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