How to Break into the IT Industry and Get the Job You Want

There are no sure fire ways to get hired in the IT field, especially if you’re a newcomer in the current economy with organizations taking the “do more with less” mantra to a whole new level of meaning.

Not only are you coming in with little to no practical experience but you’re potentially competing with some seasoned veterans for the few jobs that are available.

There are however a few things you can do to maximize your chances and to set yourself apart from other potential hires. Today I’ll show you what you can do to position yourself for the best chance to grab that open position and get the job you want.

Theoretical Knowledge

It probably goes without saying that you have to have some mastery of the subject before you go after the job you want. Be it classroom learning as part of a college course, or a certification class, or even through self paced training — if you want an entry level job on a help desk (level 1 support) or desktop hardware / software support role (level 2) you’ll need to have some form of training.

Additionally, you will need to know how to explain what you know to someone. Being able to understand that different RAID configurations lend themselves to data protection or performance improvements and being able to implement them are two different things. You need to have the knowledge before you can choose the most effective solution for the situation and then recommend and implement the solution.

The Lesson:

Learn as much as you can from the environment you’re presently in. Ask someone in a higher role what it is they are doing in the adjacent area working on that workstation or server. Try to remember the key things they are talking about and then research them on your own.

The knowledge is power rule applies here.

Practical Knowledge

On top of the theory, you also need to have some level of practical hands on experience. That might come from tinkering in a home lab setup or building your own white box computers for yourself or family and friends — but you’ll need this exposure and the more the better.

Sometimes this catch 22 is like getting a credit for the first time — you can’t have a credit history without having someone give you an opportunity to have credit and you generally do not get the opportunity to get credit from someone without showing them your pay back history and that you’re a good risk. Somewhere along the line someone has to take a chance on you.

With respect to getting hands on experience with computers and networking you might need to take a job that literally no one else wants or you may need to offer up what you know for free in exchange to use it as experience on your resume.

There are not too many people that are going to want to rotate tapes out of 10 year old backup systems and configurations, on third shift, part time, over the weekends only, for minimum wage — but if that’s what you can get to start out that might be what you need to do.

Grab the opportunity and do the job impeccably. Show up early, leave a couple of minutes after your shift ends, outline details of what was completed and what the next person needs to take care of and so forth.

All of these things will impress your current employer to the point where they may offer you more hours or a full shift when and if an opportunity comes up.

It doesn’t always work this way, but at least you’ll have the experience on your resume. Think of this as a stepping stone — your chance to get the job you want.

Additionally, you might see that a not for profit organization in your community needs helps rebuilding donated workstations and getting them onto their network. By donating your time you are gaining experience and another thing to add to your resume. And you’re helping out the community or the organization in a way that few other people can.

The Lesson:

Do the things you know how to do exceptionally well. Learn how to do things you don’t and practice them.

The knowledge is power rule applies here too but actual expertise and proficiency trumps it.

Moving to Where the Jobs Are / Commuting Long Distances

This is always a touchy subject; if you live in a small town you’re going to have to understand that in order to have options in the IT field you’re going to have to commit to driving long distances or totally relocating closer to the available jobs. It’s either that or understanding that your opportunities are going to be limited.

My first job in IT was 60 miles from my house; I drove about an hour each day to get to work and then an hour to get home. I did this daily for a year before the situation improved and I got an assignment closer to home. That was despite living in central Connecticut where there are many major population centers — I had to go into neighboring metropolitan areas to get a better position.

In order to get more exposure and greater experience I had to go farther than I previously was. I would take my car to the New Haven train station at 5:15AM and take the 1.5 hour commuter rail trip to Stamford so I would get there by 7AM to start work. The reverse trip would start at 4PM heading to the train station and getting on the 4:35 to come home. By the time the train ride ended, I got my car and arrived home it was 6:30PM most nights.

At the time it was tough justifying in my head all the time commuting (5 hours or so daily) and the cost (I think I remember it being about $400.00 a month ten years ago – who knows what it would cost today). The end result of my efforts however was worth it as the exposure and the experience I got paid dividends as I applied for positions in other organizations closer to home.

The Lesson:

To increase your chances at getting the job you want you will have to be flexible and make some sacrifices. If you want more than what the local job market has to offer then you may need to consider dealing with commuting or relocating.

Understanding Your Limitations and Making Them Work for You

Beyond knowing what you want to do you also need to understand that there are things you might not like doing long term or might not be able to do at all.

For example, I’m not much of a programmer. I can barely craft up much in the way of scripts and simple batch files. I understand how they work and I appreciate the power they harness but I would not like to focus on that all day long.

Others are complete scripting gurus but faced with dealing with a difficult customer situation or a technical escalation that creeps outside of their area of expertise might not be comfortable for them at all.

There are going to be things you do well and things you don’t do so well — make sure you understand that. Once you’re completely (or mostly) aware of this you can communicate these things to prospective or new employers as politically correct as possible; for example:

“I understand the concepts and the larger fundamentals of scripting, and I know how to leverage them but it is not my strong suit”

carries much better than:

“Scripting sucks and I can’t be bothered with it; I can click 60 times a minute and can do everything in GUI faster than any command line geek can type.”

When it comes to looking at new opportunities and positions some hiring managers don’t want to just hear what you’re good at. They also want to hear what your weaknesses are and how you manage them. You can only do that if you have the correct perspective on them.

The Lesson:

Have an understanding and appreciation for things you don’t do well and don’t like doing much; figure out the best ways for managing the scenarios where you have to do these things.

Make it a goal to handle these things a little better tomorrow than you do today. After that, focus on the things you excel at and make them the focus of your resume and skills that prospective managers are looking for.

That’s a wrap for today — I hope you found this article a good investment of your time.

I’m always looking forward to your feedback so feel free to drop in some comments or contact me directly. Additionally, I welcome your suggestions for topics of interest that you would like to see.

Best of luck in your studies!

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