1

Hey all:

I am currently working in an IT help desk. I would like to move into support and I have been studying SQL, CSS3, HTML5, PowerShell, Salesforce, and currently studying JavaScript. The problem is that all the recruiters that I talk to want me to look at Service Desk/Help Desk support positions and I want to move into a higher level, but I don’t have the experience. My current positions, with the exception of some assistance to some of the other teams, is basically help desk and going to stay that way, even after volunteering. What would be the best course of action so that recruiters and such can see that I am capable of doing more? Thanks!

7 Spice ups
2

Recruiters just want to make their own lives easier. Try applying directly to jobs you’re interested in, or to companies you are interested in (even if they’re not advertising). And keep trying.

2 Spice ups
3

I wouldn’t let the advice from a recruiter bring you down at all. I would just directly apply for a job. If you have really gained a lot of knowledge, when you go into interviews that is how you will prove you are capable to do the job correctly.

If anything, you could use some of those skills to put together a portfolio to present to potential companies when you apply / go in for interviews.

4

There are three areas that recruiters will look at:

  1. Experience: The most weighted of the three. What experience do you have?

  2. Education: What level and area of study have you been educated in?

  3. Certifications: Do you have any certifications? What are they?

You don’t need all three, but these will determine where HR and recruiters will want to place you with one caveat, who you know.

5

Recruiters will push anything at you, as long as they end up getting paid. With that said, you can always apply for helpdesk jobs at companies that have potential to promote you. Apply directly and also consider joining your local spicecorps or IT groups.

2 Spice ups
6

Apply directly and be willing to work at a smaller company to get a bigger title and grow your skills.

7

Thanks, where are good places to find out if small places are hiring (without going through an agency)? What is a good way to stand out?

8

Thanks guys btw, I guess recruiters are not the way to go. I have been using them since I started in IT, but maybe not always a good idea.

9

From what I’ve gleaned, recruiters are more useful for finding spots in larger corporations. Other than that, they’ll just sort of throw anything at you that might even vaguely be connected to your skills. It seems they often operate under the assumption that if they throw enough dirty socks at the wall one of them will eventually stick.

As far as where to start, hit up your contacts. Any vendors you work with hiring? Any friends working at good places? Any former colleagues have suggestions to apply to their new companies? Check out sites like LinkedIn, or even better, the Spiceworks careers forum . Find some local businesses in your area and either do some canvassing with resumes (make sure to dress up as if you were going to an interview) or start calling to see if they’re hiring.

10

Apply in small companies. You can get your kind of job there but the pay will be effected definitely.