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Hello Spiceworks,

I have recently graduated with a BAS in Computer Networking and have a pretty good competency level in many IT areas. I have a LOT of customer service experience, but no real on the job professional IT experience. I was recently hired into a position at a global company for a job I did not think I would get as my start in the IT career. The pay is WAY above what I was expecting and the responsibilities seemed varied as it is sort of a IT Analyst position that works at several places around town. My resume is accurate to my abilities and the questions asked in my two interviews for the job were by far mostly just personality type questions and a few very general IT questions. I have been worried since I received the job offer and accepted it that I will not meet their standards and will be fired shortly after being hired. Is this just self doubt I have been building up from nerves about starting a new career? Any advice would be appreciated.

21 Spice ups
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Take the job. If you fail, you up your resume and you get paid. If you succeed, then well that’s a good thing right?

I really don’t see a downside, unless you truly want to avoid that ‘just fired feeling’. However a trip to the bank to cash that big final check might make it a little easier

5 Spice ups
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They obviously think that you can do it, so you shouldn’t worry!

2 Spice ups
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That is a lot of self doubt. If you were honest and upfront about your qualifications and experience, don’t sweat it. A lot of times a person will get hired for a position they are not qualified for because the management feels they can grow into a position. Don’t feel bad for the company, they get someone at a reduced salary and an employee who will feel loyal to the company for taking a chance on them. Just remember that Google is a great mentor for any IT pro, as well as communities such as SpiceWorks. Show up a little early, stay a little late, ask questions of management and bring ideas to the table. Be willing to tackle anything, but also let them know if a particular issue gets over your head. You will do great.

Good Luck!

4 Spice ups
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I would say don’t sweat it too much. Trust that the people who hired you know what they’re looking for and you have it. I work with a guy who is new to the IT field. His only “IT” experience is fixing computers for family members. Since he got the job he’s been worried, kinda like you, that the company will fire him. Having been there for years, I can tell he’s progressing at the same rate as anyone else would, but I’m concerned that he’s worried about being fired so much that it will cause him to get distracted, make a huge mistake, and actually get fired.

Best advice I can give is stay confident and once you start, learn as much as you can. It may be a rocky transition, but like I said, I don’t think anyone would hire someone they think would fail at the job.

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If you were honest about your skill sets as you stated then you have nothing to worry about. A lot of companies hire less experienced employees that they can mold into getting the job done over time. Personality and being a great fit is sometimes way more important than your skill sets.

For example, today we interviewed for a $100,000 +/yr senior engineer position. This guy nailed every question in the book. But when asked if he considers his co-workers his friends he said no. This axed him from the position. If you truly were honest about your skill sets and did not over hype your resume, then you have nothing to worry about.

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Take the job!! YOU WILL NOT FAIL!!!

I underestimated my abilities and still do to this day, but it never stops me from taking on new projects and challenges because I always wind up learning something new and proving that I can do it.

The greatest asset of an IT Professional is the ability to work through almost anything and come out with solutions at the other end.

YOU GOT THIS!!

Congratulations!!

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If you applied then you must have felt on some level that you could do the job… whether it would be difficult or not shouldn’t be a question… if it isn’t difficult then it isn’t a good job as you will get bored… as a beginning IT pro you’ll need some challenges thrown your way for you to overcome and that will only build your confidence level. If you get fired then so be it and you’ll have a better understanding of what jobs not to apply for or take.

I often applied for things above my knowledge just knowing I could figure it out if I had to… you don’t need to know everything just have the ability to learn and adapt.

congrats on the degree and good luck with your endeavors

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Take it and hit the ground running! No job is going to expect you to know every answer about THEIR OWN SYSTEMS when you first start. Give it 3-6 months and see how you fair.

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It is nerves, most jobs require a little getting up to speed, as every network/company is different.

Smile, nod, keep your ears open… learn as much as you can and don’t be afraid to Google what you don’t.

You will do fine.

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Use the most powerful tool in your aresenal… The Spiceworks Community!

Never hesitate to ask questions on here, whether you are seeking advice, a second opinion, or some hand holding until you get on the right track.

1 Spice up
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Thanks for the responses!

I guess a lot of it is coming from it being my first IT job and not really knowing the ropes of the professional business world . Without having worked with other professionals I can’t gauge what I personally think is a competent level in a certain OS/software and what really is that skill level in the real world.

1 Spice up
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As others have said, don’t sweat it.

“My resume is accurate to my abilities and the questions asked in my two interviews for the job were by far mostly just personality type questions and a few very general IT questions.”

You see, the thing is this. They asked you the personality questions because if the underlying base technical skillset is there, you can teach anybody to do the job. What you can’t teach is fit in the organization. Many times, that is more important than how good you are technically.

About 14 years ago I was hired on to a large company making $10K more than I was looking for. I too worried about not being up to par with what they needed. But I worked hard, took notes, told them when I didn’t know something, was honest, and stayed late. It took a solid 6 months before I really even felt like I knew the job. I got great reviews and grew tremendously.

I was told by them that they can teach anyone to do the job, but the fit has to be right.

So, it sounds like they think you will be a good fit for their team. Have fun!

6 Spice ups
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One of the advantages of being in an IT Analyst position is that your core function is research… at least if they are using the DOL’s job description for your position. So regardless of the complexity of the issue it is expected that you can find and answer, not that you know the answer off of the top of your head. use this to your advantage, it’s a fast-track to bigger and better things - things that you’ll be prepared for because of all of your research.

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Take the risk… I’ve proven my inner voice wrong so many times!

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Question 1: Does the company have written policies, procedures and best practices for you to ensure compliance with?

Question 2: How do you feel about getting your hands on new tech in a lab environment?

Question 3: Do you feel that you can adequately support end-users with day-to-day computer related support issues?

Question 4: Do you mind getting paid to get more certs and further bolster your resume?

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Basicly, after reading the job description, I think you’ve just landed the best “fresh out of school” position you could have. Enjoy it, grow with it, be an inspiration to all of those other girls and boys working towards their degrees, and the envy of all of us who have built our careers on the blood and sweat of experience without the benefit of education. :wink:

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  1. I do not know yet as I have not started yet, but I would think it would be impossible for them not to. This is one of the most recognizable brands in the world so it is a huge company.

  2. would be thrilled

  3. yes

  4. yes

Here is what they listed the job description as minus all the details.

Primary Responsibilities
Business Partnering (20%)

Deployment/Projects (35%)

Service Level Management (35%)

People Development (10%)

So I think it is part analyst and part IT support

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Those numbers reflect time (generally speaking) not effort. There is only 35% of time spent working with end-users, the rest is research, education, testing, planning and implementation. The end-user is the easy part, albeit most frustrating, specifically the part of the job that generally does not require a degree of any kind.

Anyone in an IT field will end up supporting users at some point, even those of us in management positions over teams will occasionally (every day ./facepalm) helping a user figure out to convert a line of text to all caps in Word…

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Have at it!

.

Read up on ITIL and Project Management (i.e., PMP).

If needed, Lynda.com has a series of Business track sessions which are useful—

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Don’t oversell yourself. Give them realistic expectations as to what you CAN and CANNOT do. If you do that, you’ll be fine. :slight_smile:

Thanks,

A.J.