David Hayward looks at some key points for how to get started in the industry
My first IT job was as a helpdesk technician at a university. I managed to get an interview based on the fact that I was a keen enthusiast and I had some experience, albeit at home, of building a PC from scratch. At the interview, I was required to build a PC from an assortment of components laid out on a table, which I did. After that was a chat with the IT manager, and I was offered the job on the spot.
It was generally a fun job to have; there were times when the workload was utterly tremendous, and I bore the brunt of everyone’s IT ire and frustrations. And there were times where things were pretty relaxed.
Times have changed significantly, though, and where getting into an IT role based on some loose homegrown skills was once the norm, these days the potential recruit has to hone their skills, qualifications and experience to a fine degree. I for one certainly don’t envy those starting off.
Getting Into IT
Enough about me, though. How would someone today get a foot in the door for their first IT job? What qualifications are worth looking at? Do you need any prior experience in a business environment? Where do you start looking? What sort of pay can you expect? Do you go permanent or contract?
Education
Starting off in IT doesn’t necessarily require you to have a degree in a computing subject. It’ll certainly help, as will having other industry qualifications, but as the National Careers Service states. “If you have a good working knowledge of computer systems, you could be taken on by a company as a trainee technician and receive on the job training.”
Obviously you’ll be a more attractive candidate if you have good GCSE results – mostly Cs and above in maths, English and of course, IT/computing. Furthermore, if you can enhance those base qualifications with a relevant college qualification, such as an A-level or a BTEC Level Two or Three in an appropriate subject – such as Information Technology BTEC Extended Diploma/Diploma – then you stand a better chance of securing an interview.
Other qualifications worth thinking about, that are a little more focused, can be difficult to come by since they often cost a significant amount (up to £1,000 or even more) and aren’t always taught at a local college or other such training facility.
One of the most popular of the IT qualifications available is the Cisco Network Associate, which is broken down into four different courses: CCNA Routing and Switching, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, and CCNA Wireless. The main course is Routing and Switching, which is ideal for those looking for entry-level network engineering jobs. The other courses all require the Routing and Switching as a prerequisite, but they tend to focus the qualification into the respective fields and develop the candidate to be able to aim for something more specific when they come to apply for a position.
The popular Microsoft qualifications still hold a fair amount of sway in the industry too. The MTA Microsoft Technology Associate, MCSA Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate and MCSE Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert are all globally recognised and considered essential by some companies for desktop support, first- and second-line technicians.
As with the CCNA qualifications, the Microsoft set can cost a fair amount. Prices vary drastically from one training company to the next, but you could be looking at anything from £900 to £1,500 for one module (each qualification is made up of several modules). It’s a little confusing as to what you may or may not need, as you could happily get an IT job with a single module as opposed to the entire qualification. For more information, take a look at the Microsoft Learning page at goo.gl/eHwKao.
There are also qualifications available for those who want to work with Linux systems. The Linux Foundation offers both Linux System Admin and Linux Engineer qualifications, which again cost from £500 onward. And CompTIA offers a range of Linux qualifications, starting with Linux+ and moving onto server-roombased qualifications.
Most of the above are worth looking into, depending on what level of the IT industry and what type of job you’re interested in doing. However, don’t become too focused on obtaining that MCSE or such. If you’re looking to start at the ground floor in IT, then it’s not really cost effective for you as an individual to spend thousands of pounds on a course to begin with. If there are some available for a couple of hundred, though, and you can easily afford it, it could be worth the investment to have an edge over the competition.
A lot of the above mentioned qualifications are something that can be gained once you have the job and, what’s more, the company is often willing to pay the costs, provided it knows it’s investing in the future of one of its workers.
Skills
Relevant skills can often trump qualifications depending on the role applied for and the applicant themselves.
One candidate having a degree in IT and very little motivation when they come face to face with the interviews will be less likely to succeed than someone with few qualifications, tons of experience and brighter aspect.
Skills aren’t always easy to convey on a CV, though, but thanks to the modern internet, it’s extremely easy to build yourself a portfolio of skills.
Consider starting a blog based on your IT skills. You can have a picture-by-picture entry detailing the building of a topnotch gaming rig, or a post about how to build a basic home network and the various problems you may come across. It doesn’t matter if you’re building a media centre PC or a gaming desktop; it’s the fact that you’re advertising your skills and knowledge in desktop support.
It’s also worth setting up a YouTube channel where you can review components, build PCs and show how to diagnose faults on a network and so on. With some good editing, an effective showcase of your skills can be achieved with relative ease, and when you add the link to your CV, the company will not only see a demonstration of your skill, they’ll also be able to review you as a person and how you come across to others.
The blog or YouTube video could be something you build up while at school or college, and there’s always the chance that someone may comment with an alternative and effective method of installing Windows or a hard drive or something. One way or another, it’s a learning experience for you and something you can proudly display prior to and in an interview.
Experience
Experience in IT is, like the skills section, something that can often trump qualifications. A lot of companies will often take on someone with experience of being in a helpdesk environment rather than someone who’s just finished their qualification.
It’s not always easy to find and build experience, though, and by experience I mean recognised experience in the industry. To begin with, you may be best looking for volunteer opportunities, to build up a CV of companies you’ve worked with and who can provide you with a reference.
Although it’s not always an option, you could ask if a company is willing to take you on free of charge just so you can gain valuable experience within a team and doing the job. Be aware, though, that just because you’re offering to do something without being paid, a company can’t always take someone on ,as it needs to cover the costs of health and safety, security and so on.
It’s tricky, I’ll admit, but it’s not impossible. Even if you just help out at school or college, setting up a room ready for a lesson or setting up a new computer suite, it’s an experience worth mentioning.
If you’re lacking server or experience of a particular desktop OS, there’s always a chance that the software can be obtained for a limited trial period for free. Microsoft Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 is available with a 30-day trial, provided you register with MS. You can then run it either in a virtual environment or on a physical machine for the time period. Either way, you’ll gain some experience of its use and how to deploy it.
Responsibilities, Essentials And Desirables
Most jobs advertised are broken down into sections: the responsibilities of the candidate, the essential skills and qualifications and any extra desirable elements.
You as a candidate need to break these down into what you can offer, but without becoming disheartened because you don’t have one or two of the stated elements.
For example, an IT support role may ask for a degree in IT or relevant subject. However, just because you don’t have a degree doesn’t mean you’re out of the running. Use the other areas to boost your abilities and experiences, mention that YouTube channel or blog, list your experiences in a similar role as a volunteer and mention the qualifications you’re working towards.
A candidate who is professional, efficient and with a high degree of customer service skills will attract as much attention as the one with a higher-end qualification. It’s not a sure-fire thing, of course, but you need to fight your corner.
One of the IT managers we spoke to recommended making a list of the advertised duties and responsibilities of the job in question and drilling them down to their finest points. If a role says you need to be able “To work effectively and productively with third-line support”, then break down all the times you’ve stayed an extra half hour to help run some cables around a building or that time you helped the server administrator fit a rack-mounted UPS. You may have only supported the weight of the UPS for the server admin, but you worked with thirdline support, and you were willing to help out when necessary. Obviously don’t lie or embellish the truth too much; just be aware that little instances of support may make the difference.
The CV
The CV is often the first impression a candidate makes on a company, therefore it’s a pretty important element in the whole job hunting experience.
I’m not going to tell you how to write your CV, because I’m by no means qualified for such a task, but having seen a number of CVs during my time, I can give a few tips to help make yours stand out.
Frame Your Achievements
Don’t just list all the places you’ve worked for in the past; that’s not enough. Consider adding a few lines detailing (in brief) what added value you gave to those companies.
For example, what deadlines did you deliver on, what projects did you help to complete on time, what improvements did you make to the company and what recognition have you had (e.g. employee of the month).
Technical Skills
We’ve already covered this to some degree, but to emphasise the point, you’re going to have to list what IT skills you possess depending on the job you’re applying for. As one recruitment advisor told me, “Don’t be afraid to tailor you CV for the job. Don’t lie! Just push those skills that are desirable to the top.”
List any personal work you’ve achieved (e.g. fixing your neighbour’s PC). What OSs can you install and maintain? What projects have you worked that have been successful, and have you improved on them? Mention that blog or YouTube channel too.
Have You Got What It Takes?
Leading on from the technical skills, read the job description carefully. If you’re applying for a first-level helpdesk role, then perhaps the ability to recompile a Linux kernel is irrelevant compared to the fact that you have excellent people skills and the ability to talk someone through a problem over the phone.
Also, if you’re applying for a junior developer post, don’t forget to provide links to code you’ve produced or demos of your work online.
The Cover Letter
The cover letter is as important as the CV. It’s the first thing that a prospective employer reads, so make it snappy and persuasive enough to warrant a look at your CV.
Use words and phrases from the job description to highlight those areas that make you right for the role. Refer to the CV as soon as possible in the opening sentence, then maybe once again towards the end.
Draw on what transferable skills you have from your previous jobs that can be used in this job, even if the sector is totally different. Dealing with an awkward customer is universal.
And finally, include your availability for an interview and a start date. If you’re out of work, then this could be as soon as possible or as soon as the company wants the post to start. Remember if you’re out of work, then you have an advantage over someone who may need to give three months’ notice. There are loads of tips, tricks and advice out there on writing the ultimate CV and cover letter. Your best bet is to read the advice from job search engines, because they see thousands of applications a week.
Contract Or Permanent?
If you have a house to run and a family to look after, then a permanent post will probably be all you’re looking for, but have you considered contracting?
In this current climate the amount of short term contract positions has increased dramatically. Whereas a few years ago you could have landed a 12 month contract, nowadays you could be looking at anything from one week to 2 to 3 months. Don’t let this dishearten you, though, as a contract could be a valuable stepping stone into a permanent role.
Completing a short-term contract will not only give you much needed experience in the IT industry and some cash in your hands, but a lot of companies who often look for contractors tend to stick with the ones that they know will do a good job. If you manage to get yourself onto the books of an agency and land a contract, then try your best to go above and beyond the call of duty. Get stuck in with the work and offer any extra hours. Contribute as much as possible without becoming too annoying, and you may find yourself with an extension on the contract or, with luck, led into the board room for a discussion to make your role permanent.
It does happen, and it’s all down to the amount of effort you put in. Finding the right contract will depend on how much experience or qualifications you have already, if you’re totally new to the IT industry, but if you have home experience of installing Windows and such, then look for something along the lines of desktop roll-out contracts. They tend to only last a week or so and involve ghosting and delivering desktops across the company.
Once you have a few of these under your belt, you can aim for helpdesk work, which usually lasts a few months at best. After that, you can begin to specialise in desktop support, network administration or software support.
Another good bonus to contracting, and one that I’ve used in the past, is if the company you’re doing the contract for turns out to be terrible, you know you’ll be gone in X amount of weeks and you won’t have to deal with them any more.
Pay
Pay is a tricky element to nail down. One company may offer £18k for a helpdesk or support role, whereas another may offer only £15k. One end of the country will start the role at £16k but the same role in a city may go for as high as £28k.
The CWJobs Salary Checker, for example, states that a helpdesk support job’s average salary is around £27k, whereas Payscale.com’s median salary for the same role is £18,709. A helpdesk analyst in Hampshire is advertised for £20k to £24k, and the same role in Hull goes for £18k to £21k.
Of course, not all helpdesk or support roles are equal, and one company may demand a special set of skills over another and will offer more in return. The number of years of experience can also effect the salary, as can, sadly, whether you’re male or female. The average salary graphs from Monster are worth looking at, if just purely out of interest: goo.gl/HTk6kk.
Based on what I checked through Jobserve.co.uk and taking into account London, Midlands, East Anglia, the North, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the averages work out (very roughly) as:
• Web based – £47.5k
• Security – £52k
• First-line support (inc. Helpdesk) – £19k
• Second-line support – £26k
• Third-line support – £35-45k
• Project manager – £57.5K
• Developer – £47k
• Network engineer – £40k
Depending on where you’re located, these numbers will differ, and they’re certainly not written in stone. But you can see where various factors affect a salary, the more you look into each role.
The Job Sites
Picking up the Thursday job section in the local newspaper isn’t enough to find a job these days; you have to cast your net a little further.
Since the rise of the internet, companies and recruitment agencies have used the medium to advertise their vacancies. In today’s climate, it’s the agencies that do most of the recruiting on behalf of the companies, since it generally costs less for the companies to filter through the applicants, and the agency can offer a more technical eye over a CV than the HR department of a company.
There are a number of good job sites that feature the adverts posted by the agencies, and most repeat the adverts, but you can often find a job advertised with one that’s not with another. A couple worth looking at are:
Jobserve
Jobserve has been around for years; it’s like the daddy of job search engines and, what’s more, it’s really easy to use.
Located at www.jobserve.com, there are countless vacancies available. Just select the industry from the list (IT & Telecoms in this case), type in a keyword such as ‘helpdesk’, and enter your location.
You can then filter the number of days to search from and whether you want a permanent or contract job.
Once you click ‘Search’, you’ll see the results based on the number of miles from the location you entered and the age of the advertised job. Don’t forget to spread the location around a bit, as a listing is often advertised depending on the wording the agency used when putting the job up.
As well as searching for Lowestoft, for example, search for Norfolk, since it’s on the Suffolk/Norfolk border. Although only 20 miles separate Norwich from Lowestoft, there are dozens of jobs you could miss out for the sake of a 40-minute train ride.
Obviously, you’ll know your area better than me, but it’s worth thinking anywhere up to a 50 mile radius from your home town – or a cost effective commutable distance, at least.
CWjobs
CWjobs is another old-school search engine that’s always come up trumps when searching for location-specific jobs.
Go to www.cwjobs.co.uk and as before, type in your search parameters. I’ve often found that CWjobs displays jobs that aren’t on Jobserve, or if they are, they can be from a different recruitment agency and may give a little more detail. Plus CWjobs includes any postings from a direct employer, which is another area that’s often left out when searching in Jobserve.
Good Luck
Hopefully you have a number of interviews lined up for the permanent posts you’ve applied for; the contract posts can often be accomplished over the phone or by visiting the agency that’s handling them.
I can’t comment on interview skills because I’m a nervous wreck during them, on both sides of the table. But try to keep calm, and remember to mention your IT achievements, goals, aspirations and where you want to be in five years’ time. Don’t forget to add that extra help you give your friends and family or even the advice you give on forums, your YouTube channel, blog and so on. Every little detail will help you get that job.
And finally, good luck.