Getting a job

[Master Razor]

I have been working for 5 years straight for a company not in any way related to IT. That being said, I want to move to the IT business, most specifically networking but also for programming.

The most jobs I've found are very demanding; they require a middle to high-level of experience in the field. The few jobs as entry-level are overwhelmed with applicants. Say 50 apply for high-level and 300 for a job as entry-level.
Once you finish college, you cannot have any experience; that's the point of a job. In my particular case, I have a experience but it is not on their field. In other words, 5 years are equal to 0. My resume ain't the best but most certainly not the worst. yet, no one seems interested.

I tried sending mails containing a letter of intent plus my resume to a few companies but that didn't work.
Mostly, I apply through the means of a recruiting site but no calls sadly.

Any advice will be appreciated.

[Instab]

I want to move to the IT business, most specifically networking but also for programming.

that sounds good so what are you good at?

[anon]

My resume ain't the best but most certainly not the worst.

That won't do. Your CV is a tool you use to "sell" yourself to the potential employer. It must be the best you can do. Here are some tips.

Make sure it is concise and well-formatted. No multi-page doorstoppers, no dull blocks of text. Summarize, and use (but don't abuse) formatting and bullet lists to your advantage. A potential employer may skim through everything and take no more than 20 seconds to decide if you're okay or not: you want them to have an easy read, and to like what they see.

Add your personal details as a small block of right-aligned text at the top of the first page. When multiple papers are stapled together, it makes it very easy for your contact information to be found. Using a dark shade of blue for headers can break the black & white monotony while still retaining a professional look.

It's fine to inflate your achievements a little; they expect that simply because everyone does it, so you'll be at a disadvantage if you don't. Just don't add anything that would make you go "oh crap" if asked to prove it.

You say you have no experience, but if you've ever done any IT work as an intern or freelancer, that's work experience. Add it. You don't want it to be ultra-thin here. Once again, inflate but don't invent.

If you have extra qualifications of any kind, mention them. For example, I once landed a scholarship in '05 (each school in the district had to send a student to do an uber-exam in which apparently I got the highest mark). I also finished English school with a 9.66 GPA. None of that has to do with IT directly (although English is a mandatory skill for anything), but you said it yourself: an entry-level position has as many as 300 applicants. You need to stand out from the rest, and this sort of thing achieves it for a good reason: it proves you aim for self-improvement and get stuff done. Just don't go overboard with the details unless they directly relate to what you're applying for.

Employers will have a list of skills you must have if you are to be hired. Anything that's not in the first 3-4 places is probably filler, so don't let it deter you from applying. My current job's description demanded knowledge on setting up cooling and security alarm systems, which is actually not part of it at all If anything, leave the worries for when they actually call you.

But the most important thing is: persist persist persist. When I looked for a job in late 2012, I signed up on multiple job search Web sites and sent copies of my CV to a fuckton of companies. Only one of them called back, the printer repair shop I made a thread about. I had to do the same again when I left that place, and once again, there was but a single reply. Until you are 100% sure you got a job somewhere (don't hold your breath on things like "you look great, we'll be calling the following week"; they won't unless reality says otherwise), keep sending those CVs.

[Master Razor]

that sounds good so what are you good at?

Well, I know the administrative side of windows, which is batch and powershell, little vbScript. Know a little bit of linux bash, but enough to get by.
HTML5, CSS and very little PHP.
On the networking side, I have studied cisco CCNA and CCNP, which is Cisco IOS, configuration of routing protocols bgp, eigrp, ospf and rip. Have done several maps in GNS3. A non direct thanks to Instab for this.
All that remains are the general stuff, office, adobe photoshop, little autocad though.

That won't do.

I didn't mean it like that. I meant that I have no experience in the field.

You need to stand out from the rest, and this sort of thing achieves it for a good reason: it proves you aim for self-improvement and get stuff done.

Easy to say, hard to do. I made a kick-ass letter of intent and still nothing.

Anything that's not in the first 3-4 places is probably filler, so don't let it deter you from applying.

What exactly does this mean?

But I will think about what you've said.

[Instab]

Well, I know the administrative side of windows, which is batch and powershell, little vbScript. Know a little bit of linux bash, but enough to get by.
HTML5, CSS and very little PHP.
On the networking side, I have studied cisco CCNA and CCNP, which is Cisco IOS, configuration of routing protocols bgp, eigrp, ospf and rip. Have done several maps in GNS3.

okay with that you can apply for windows admin jobs with extended network skills or a pure network job. you also mentioned "programming" but what you listed above dösn't include that.

A non direct thanks to Instab for this.

ah yeah? not sure what you mean but you're welcome

[Master Razor]

not sure why you mentioned "programming"

It's web developing. i admit, not the same but similar.

not sure what you mean

Yes you do. At least everything turned out okay cause sure as hell it wasn't worth it.

[Instab]

It's web developing. i admit, not the same but similar.

oh that's a massive difference

Yes you do. At least everything turned out okay cause sure as hell it wasn't worth it.

glad to hear that

[anon]

Easy to say, hard to do. I made a kick-ass letter of intent and still nothing.

How kick-ass? Ideally, it must be a formal letter with five paragraphs at most, where you mention you would like to apply, your skills, achievements and experience, and some blabber about why you would like this particular job. Some companies also demand that you include the pay you wish to receive.

What exactly does this mean?

Well, suppose you find a job offer that asks this from you:

• Network creation, control and administration.
• Solid knowledge of the TCP/IP protocol and associated devices (routers, switches, etc)
• Installation, configuration, updating and maintenance of the company's server software (Microsoft-oriented) and hardware.
• Maintenance, monitoring and repairing of the company's network infrastructure.
• Maintenance, monitoring and configuration of the Datacenter (UPS, PABX, racks, switches, etc)
• Giving IT support to users.
• Experience on installation and configuration of software on different platforms (Windows and Linux)
• Solid knwoledge of TCP/IP protocols (DNS, DHCP, etc) and TCP/IP terms (host, IP address, router, server, etc)
• Solid knowledge of Exchange, Windows 2003 Server/XP, SQL Server.
• Web administration and management of relational databases (MS SQL)
• Active Directory implementations
• Knowledge of PC hardware, servers, local networks, IP networks
• Knowledge of VMWare Virtualization

The really important points are at the top. Those are the skills you must have because you will be using them if you get hired. The rest are tasks you'll probably be doing very sparingly or not at all, or even just a repetition of what was said beforehand, and so less relevant. So, if you're ace with networking and server setups but don't know a lot about SQL or VMWare, it doesn't matter and you should apply for this hypothetical offer anyway.

[slikrapid]

@Master Razor:

I have been working for 5 years straight for a company not in any way related to IT. That being said, I want to move to the IT business, most specifically networking but also for programming.
...It's web developing. i admit, not the same but similar.

prepare a convincing answer why you wanted to switch fields (detailed answer for the job interview)
make sure you understand the terms, properly use them (developing/programming difference)

The most jobs I've found are very demanding;

yeah, yeah, employers like to exaggerate (you'll probably have to do a little exaggeration of your own in those cover letters & CVs), they want top employees for their mediocre companies, though they will scale such expectations down for anyone that looks good enough so it is advisable not to skip these offers just because they seem rather demanding

Once you finish college, you cannot have any experience

you can: through volunteering, open-source projects, student/extracurricular activities, hobbies, DIY's, some other related (or unrelated) activity, etc. while attending the college/school(s) - all this counts as experience and may be added to the CV, it speaks of one's above-average involvement (= desirable)

I have a experience but it is not on their field.

so try to gather some in this field, even if it is merely 'practicing at home', show your proactivity (= desirable)
if this is really something you'd like to pursue in the upcoming years, make sure to learn as much as you can about it

In other words, 5 years are equal to 0.

actually, this is respectable experience in terms of time/duration, it tells them you are able to hold a position, ie. presumably able to work adequately for many years (= desirable)

My resume ain't the best but most certainly not the worst.

anon's answer applies ('It must be the best you can do' - try returning to it from time to time, see if you notice some possible improvements)

I tried sending mails containing a letter of intent plus my resume to a few companies but that didn't work.

anon's answer applies ('persist persist persist' & '...to a fuckton of companies' - gotta find a starting point/position in this field first, then work your way up/further)
call them up to ask about your application (ie. that opening/vacancy), might find out some interesting info (about them, about that field, about what is expected/desirable/...)
also, try sending these even if there is no open position (though only to companies you'd like to work for, this way you might be able to skip a few steps while trying to find a really good company)

...HTML5, CSS and very little PHP...
...studied...
...cisco CCNA and CCNP...

seems you're not really a beginner in these fields, eh?
hopefully you mentioned all these in the CV, yeah?


other than that, there could be many reasons why your efforts haven't been successful yet - might wanna try (re)viewing your application from the employer's perspective, asking yourself: 'why would they hire me', 'are the reasons sound/visible/clearly stated', 'does the letter make them interested', 'is the language/style/layout/contents/grammar appropriate', 'does it feel professional/serious/balanced', 'is it aligned with their own official statements/goals', 'how can YOU make a difference',...

Your CV is a tool you use to "sell" yourself to the potential employer

seems your first post mixes these two together, whereas:
cover letter = the 'sales pitch' + case-dependent or relevant specific data taken from the CV
CV = mostly facts, technical data, detailed overview

not sure why you mentioned "programming"...
...It's web developing. i admit, not the same but similar.

supposedly developers/developing is regarded as 'better' or more desirable than 'mere' programmers/programming, though depending on the situation these two may contain either very different or basically the same activities

[Master Razor]

so try to gather some in this field, even if it is merely 'practicing at home', show your proactivity (= desirable)
if this is really something you'd like to pursue in the upcoming years, make sure to learn as much as you can about it

Speaking of which, is there any way that i can add training such as CCNA that I've learned without a certification (i.e downloaded the course and studied it)? Will that work or better not mention it?

[anon]

seems your first post mixes these two together, whereas:
cover letter = the 'sales pitch' + case-dependent or relevant specific data taken from the CV
CV = mostly facts, technical data, detailed overview

I guess that when a letter is sent, this is indeed a better analogy. Otherwise, the CV alone fulfills both roles.

Speaking of which, is there any way that i can add training such as CCNA that I've learned without a certification (i.e downloaded the course and studied it)? Will that work or better not mention it?

No way you shouldn't mention this, the CCNA is an important certification. You can mention you have "CCNA-level skills" and then make a bullet list of everything that implies (like your knowledge of network maps and protocols). But if you make it to an interview, there are some big chances they will ask you why you haven't taken the course formally, so you should strongly consider doing it if possible.

[Master Razor]

What about when you send your resume, is it better to send it directly to the employer (email) or send it via recruiting site?

[Instab]

No way you shouldn't mention this, the CCNA is an important certification. You can mention you have "CCNA-level skills"

exactly, grabbing a course and going through it at home, even if you're good at it, tells nothing about what you actually can do. they have no clü if it was just sitting in a corner collecting dust or if you were really digging into it.
if you're good at it then the qüstion comes up why you don't have a certificate ...

[anon]

What about when you send your resume, is it better to send it directly to the employer (email) or send it via recruiting site?

Both! It maximizes the chances they'll see it, and there's no downside.

[Master Razor]

if you're good at it then the question comes up why you don't have a certificate ...

Don't get me wrong, I would get the certifications but I lack the money. they aren't exactly cheap down here.

Both! It maximizes the chances they'll see it, and there's no downside.

I thought so but never tried it. Especially since the recruiting site does not allow intent letters.