Looking for IT job in melb

[primatives]

Hey guys just graduated with an Advanced Dip. in Network Security, does anyone have any contacts in Melb that might be able to help me out or any ideas to spruce up my resume. That would be a big help have been looking but no luck so far! thanks!

[Hursticon]

Hey guys just graduated with an Advanced Dip. in Network Security, does anyone have any contacts in Melb that might be able to help me out or any ideas to spruce up my resume. That would be a big help have been looking but no luck so far! thanks!

Congratulations Primatives!
I too studied for that certificate, evidently your partner/s actually did their work though.

Resume-wise, make mention of the Networking software you're skilled in (Including O/Ss) as well as any specific hardware you've had experience with; such as Cisco.
Best of luck with your search for employment dude, it's very slow and hard to just get your foot in the door but when you do man - make the most of it.

[Doubledealer]

Make sure your resume is very clear and easy to read, these agencies & HR departments go through tonnes of these things so it has to read well. The cover letter is just as important and should always be addressed to the intended recipient (eg. Dear Ms Green), never to someone generic (eg. Dear HR Manager) unless you've called them and that's what they say to use. Cover letter - From top to bottom you want:

(all in top right)
*Your full name
*Your address
*Mobile number
*Email address

*Todays date eg. Thursday, 16 February 2012

(all on left)
*3-4 paragraphs

*Sincerely,

*Your full name

If you want to be extra fancy you can scan a nice copy of your hand signature and insert it in-between 'Sincerley' and 'Your full name'. Looks classy imo.

What sort of jobs are you applying for? If this is your first job in the IT industry you should be applying for IT Support/Helpdesk/Service Desk Analyst positions. Unfortunately we all have to start from the bottom of the pile and work our way up. Career progression is important so find out if this is something your prospective employer takes seriously.

Personally I wouldn't worry about Government jobs for at least a year as for those you really need practical work experience to be able to address the key selection criteria.

Hope some of this helps. Let me know if you want some more in-depth advice.

[primatives]

hey guys thanks for your help, so far i got 2 callbacks one is just a trial at a small shop doing networking and handling servers for small businesses (1-75) and one that is a helpdesk role but I dont think there much networking involvment type work available for the future but i may need to go and install software for clients.

what do you guys think i should go for?

[Skullcruncher]

hey guys thanks for your help, so far i got 2 callbacks one is just a trial at a small shop doing networking and handling servers for small businesses (1-75) and one that is a helpdesk role but I dont think there much networking involvment type work available for the future but i may need to go and install software for clients.

what do you guys think i should go for?

Both if you can That way you can get a feel for the different enviroments before you sign on. IT companys with fishtanks are always my preference Good luck!

[Doubledealer]

hey guys thanks for your help, so far i got 2 callbacks one is just a trial at a small shop doing networking and handling servers for small businesses (1-75) and one that is a helpdesk role but I dont think there much networking involvment type work available for the future but i may need to go and install software for clients.

what do you guys think i should go for?

Good on you primatives, sounds like you're well on your way!

It's a bit hard to recommend one job over the other with so little info but I'm leaning towards the helpdesk role. Are you able to provide a bit more info on the two companies? Also, don't think you have to go for the very first thing that's offered to you. Keep in mind that February is one of the busiest times for new jobs and there will be plenty of opportunities out there for you.

With helpdesk roles, my first question to the employer is whether they have a KPI for adhearance or not. If they do, they will monitor how much time you spend available to take calls. After 3 years of this, trust me, run if they say this is one of their KPI's! Need to go for a 3rd toilet break in one day, or *gasp* take a toilet break outside of your allotted time? Get ready to send an email to your team leader explaining yourself! Admittedly you get used to it but **** me if I could do it again, especially after having worked in the public sector for quite some time where SLA's and KPI's are a thing of the past (mainly due to no financial penalties being imposed for missing weekly/monthly/whatever targets).

[Zippo]

One thing I learnt in my quest for work was that I wanted to work for an internal helpdesk rather than for another company that helps others - for the reasons Doubledealer mentioned

Internal helpdesk - not really an issue if you cant solve something and need to spend time on finding the solution (within reason)

[5FDP]

The cover letter is just as important and should always be addressed to the intended recipient (eg. Dear Ms Green), never to someone generic (eg. Dear HR Manager) unless you've called them and that's what they say to use.

I can tell you first hand that employers / agencies rarely even read the cover letters. The reason is that they have to literally read hundreds of these for a single vacancy and most simply do not have the time.

another question to all the guys in IT. I enjoy IT and have learnt things like dhcp, dns, active directory , permissions, switches routers, ip addressing, subnetting.

Did you guys understand all of this well when u applied for jobs???

I worked for IBM for 5 years back in the late 90's / early 00's and had little to no understanding when it came to networking or server support.

By the time I left the industry, I was a manager in the technical operations department and the only reason why I left was because my team was made redundant along with 6000 other employees after over-spending on Y2K fixes Your attitude counts for a lot.

[kup]

Hey guys just graduated with an Advanced Dip. in Network Security, does anyone have any contacts in Melb that might be able to help me out or any ideas to spruce up my resume. That would be a big help have been looking but no luck so far! thanks!

The No 1 rule is that most employers won't really care about your academic credentials - They are mostly concerned with your real world experience and what you can do.

The main thing for you is to build up experience as much and as quickly as you can. That is what the employer will be concerned about. Get employed as quickly as you can even if it's a casual/part time job to develop your skill set.

[Hursticon]

another question to all the guys in IT. I enjoy IT and have learnt things like dhcp, dns, active directory , permissions, switches routers, ip addressing, subnetting.

Did you guys understand all of this well when u applied for jobs??? Whilst i have learnt and done it during my course i am not confident and have trouble remembering it as i dont use it everyday. do u find that you pick it up during work and you understand it more when applying it at work because i honestly dont remember alot and and wondering if im the only one that has trouble remembering all if any of what i learnt during my course!! thanks guys

This is very much the boat that I've found myself in and it still remains a concern of mine.

In my area the issue is that employers only want people with a minimum of 3 years on-the-job experience, which leaves a shit-tone of the 18-15 age group basically left to look for work in Sydney... of which you then have to try and compete with the immense number of ex-students, foreign workers etc. up there and employers literally have their choice of the top of the crop and many, many people are left fighting just trying to get experience.

The No 1 rule is that most employers won't really care about your academic credentials - They are mostly concerned with your real world experience and what you can do.

The main thing for you is to build up experience as much and as quickly as you can. That is what the employer will be concerned about. Get employed as quickly as you can even if it's a casual/part time job to develop your skill set.

I spent time at 2 business in August and December last year; both made promises they couldn't, in the case of the former - wouldn't, live up to and whilst I received a little bit of working experience in Level 1 Helpdesk and Contracted on-site work... (Of which the later actually kept to their word and paid me); I've still not had a great deal of luck, this is more indicative of my area though which has an unemployment rating twice to 3 times the national average and in the 18-25 y/o bracket alone it's 18%.

All that being said, definitely try and get as much experience you can Primatives but certainly don't get taken for a ride either - It's not a lot of fun.