#JobLoss #CareerAdvice #ITCareers #JobSearch #PhoenixJobMarket
👋Hey there! I’m sorry to hear about your job loss, but I’m here to help. It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed and unsure of your next steps in this situation. But don’t worry, we’ll tackle this together and get you back on your feet in no time! Let’s dive into some actionable advice to help you navigate this challenging time and find a new opportunity in the IT industry.
##Understanding Your Current Situation
Before jumping into the job search, it’s crucial to assess your current skills, experience, and the job market in the Greater Metro Phoenix region. Let’s break it down into key components:
###Assessing Your Skills and Experience
– 15 years in IT with a diverse background in Tier2 MSP helpdesk, technical alignment, VOIP engineering, and hardware troubleshooting
– A+ certification and a strong foundation in Windows-based systems and networking
– Limited experience with formal interview processes and little exposure to recent developments in the IT industry
###Evaluating the Job Market in Greater Metro Phoenix
– Research the demand for IT professionals in the region
– Identify trending skills and specializations that are in high demand
– Explore networking opportunities within the local IT community
##Strategizing Your Next Steps
Now that you have a clear understanding of where you stand, it’s time to strategize your approach towards landing a new job. Let’s outline potential actions you can take:
###Skill Enhancement and Certification
– Consider investing time in upskilling or obtaining relevant certifications
– Explore courses or training programs in areas such as coding, virtualization, or cybersecurity
– Leverage online resources and communities to stay updated with the latest industry trends
###Preparing for the Job Search
– Familiarize yourself with the modern job search process, including resume building and interview preparation
– Seek guidance from career counselors or mentors to refine your approach
– Start building a professional online presence through platforms like LinkedIn to showcase your expertise
###Networking and Exploring Opportunities
– Attend local IT meetups, workshops, and networking events to connect with professionals in the industry
– Tap into your existing connections and seek referrals or recommendations
– Explore freelance or contract opportunities to gain experience while actively searching for full-time positions
##Navigating the Job Search
Once you’ve equipped yourself with the necessary tools and knowledge, it’s time to dive into the job search process. Here are some effective strategies to consider:
###Customizing Your Job Search Approach
– Tailor your resume and cover letter for each application to highlight relevant skills and experiences
– Research companies that align with your career goals and values, and target your applications accordingly
– Utilize job search platforms, recruitment agencies, and company websites to identify potential openings
###Embracing the Interview Process
– Practice mock interviews to gain confidence and refine your communication skills
– Familiarize yourself with common interview questions and prepare compelling responses based on your experiences
– Showcase your adaptability, problem-solving abilities, and willingness to learn and grow in the dynamic IT landscape
###Staying Persistent and Resilient
– Stay proactive and consistent in your job search efforts
– Embrace rejection as a part of the process and learn from each experience
– Seek feedback from interviewers and continuously refine your approach based on the insights gained
##In Conclusion
As you embark on this journey, remember that resilience and adaptability are the keys to overcoming career challenges. Stay proactive, stay informed, and leverage your strengths to carve a new path in the IT industry. You have a wealth of experience and potential waiting to be unleashed, and the Greater Metro Phoenix region is full of opportunities for driven IT professionals like yourself. Best of luck, and remember that you’re not alone in this journey!
OK, some generic advice:
Job search is now your full time job. Get up early and focus on searching for the majority of the day, and upskilling the rest of the time. Start searching immediately – this weekend. If you haven’t been tracking the industry, job searches are taking much longer than usual. Don’t get discouraged.
LinkedIn is REALLY valuable. This is where headhunters will find you. Mark yourself as publicly available to work, and update literally everything you can. At least once a week, go make some small update or change – I’ve found that the more active I am, the more recruiters are looking at me.
Add everyone you know, and make it known that you’re job searching. You never know if your cousin’s friend is looking for someone with your credentials. Do the free demo of the paid version – you should be able to get at least a month to try it out. That’ll give you some useful job search tools.
Indeed is the 2nd place to look. Indeed is a job board as well as a search engine, so it’ll give you results from all the smaller boards – Monster, Dice, etc.
Also take a look at the ‘Jobs’ page for any big company near you.
Good luck!
Interview as much as you can.
Practice can lead to perfect.
I lost my job after 6 years and interviewing was harder than I thought. Job market is tough.
Best of luck!
Temp work get in a Fortune 500 then transfer to your role
Print out a copy of your current resume and get a pencil. Right down anything you have ever done professionally and be prepared to rearrange your resume for other roles you apply to. In a parallel path, think about what you want to do for your new role and certify in that accordingly
If you use Indeed, new positions drop daily, with a big drop on Sunday. Spend at least 3 hours a day applying to jobs, which I think of as carpet bombing employers with a resume.
Odd skills can help you stand out. For example, knowing XML, XPath and XSLT helped me get my current position. So, include skills that might be considered older.
We’re in the start of Q1. This is when new budgets are written.
Jobs will start appearing at the end of January from recruiters. Yes, right now is scary and there are zero call backs. I promise you, this will pass. You just have to wait a bit.
I am sorry that happened. I used to live in the Phoenix metro area but that was more than 10 years ago now. Back then, being laid off was tough because 500+ people would apply for a single IT job opening. I cannot say what it is like now but I would advise you to start pounding the pavement so to speak. Polish up your resume, get yourself on indeed, and start applying. Go to your local library and get assistance with your resume. I know that my local library has free assistance with resume writing among other things. They may offer a free resume writing clinic.
Ok, first thing. This will be a blessing in disguise. Skilled Tier 2 can make 70k. I know this for a fact, believe in yourself, and I believe in you too. I had so much doubt leaving my company but man was it worth it. My uncle lost a 250k salary job and decided to start his own, now he pulls 400k — change is good. Forget what anyone says. You get new experiences and growth from all this. Emotionally, technically, new people, new experiences, everything. Embrace this!
Certs, I am at over double the salary and have a felony that costed me 21-25. With half of an A+. What I’m getting at is that the certs mean jack shit. In an interview if you can talk the talk and walk the walk you’ll win. I even bombed my interview and they still hired me which was a huge increase in pay, STILL. People want to work with people who are likable, techs will give people chances more so then other fields because who hasn’t done some major fuck up in IT.
I removed ALL special permissions for a govt contracted client across drive of 3TB at the root! for years that haunted me.
Half the shit I do, I just talk myself out of imposter syndrome and just say “I can do this” you can do it too. It’s rough but get your unemployment coming in, 2 week delay and find you a job.
Second on linked in, toggle the “open for work” every couple weeks to bring you on top of their lists
Rooting for you brother. Kick ass seabass!
Make a public Dice.com profile and ensure keywords for technologies or life cycles you’re comfortable with appear in your resume. Dice.com is a job search site specific to IT. It’s not a silver bullet moon shot perfect solution, but it’s new in the last 15 years and you should probably be on there. You can search for jobs, apply online, and maintain multiple pictures, resumes, and cover letters I think. Imagine I was targeting Project Manager and Product Owner jobs and wanted to have two cover letters and one resume. Imagine I’m targeting huge firms and startups and the cover letter is still the same for the one role but I have a resume that’s quirky and one that’s buttoned-down. It’s a convenient way to apply to jobs half-automatic.
Just do bunch of interviews with no expectations. Think of them like practice exams. Take note of questions posed to you that you handled poorly.
Practice those questions.
Repeat. Repeat.
Before you know it you will be comfortable doing interviews. You’ll be more confident and relaxed.
But I think main thing you really need to put effort in and skill up.
Your 20 years of experience are / should be a lot more important than an entry level cert like Network+.
Applying for jobs is now your full time job. Interview for the sake of it, even on jobs you more or less want, just to get that muscle going.
Look up Andy LaCivita on YouTube, amazing career coach.
You can do this.
You don’t have a job, so you should start immediately applying. At the same time, don’t expect to find a job tomorrow so use that time to expand your knowledgebase.
I have to say, 20 years in IT and your salary is only $55k? What on earth is going on?
I recommend the STAR interviewing strategy. It helps me stay focused when answering questions. Be positive and try to put everything in a positive light, even if the only good thing was learning what not to do.
Remain jobless like me
Ask a recruiter for help with your resume. Reach out to recruiters and post on LinkedIn what you’re looking for. Go to local tech networking events. Also while you have time try to increase your skills and get new certs or learn something valuable. There’s so many cheap and free courses out there. Also try marketing yourself as a consultant.
Not trying to be a dick, but 15 years in IT and only $55000 annually….what happened?!!!?!
I don’t know if Arizona has similar programs, but when I had gotten on unemployment. Oh yeah, apply for unemployment if you’re eligible for that. I went to Workforce Solutions here in Texas and they actually have funding from city/state to sponsor certifications, bootcamp, education for people that are unemployed, or underemployed. I’d recommend doing that if you were wanting to get more certifications under your belt and not have to pay out of your own pocket for it.
This might be a blessing in disguise, you were severely underpaid. Update your LinkedIn and get on your grind.
Don’t be shy to call people you know to have worked with in the past and ask for internal referrals for any openings at their place of work
You are in Phoenix.
Look into temp data center roles as I believe MS, Meta, Apple and now Amazon are there (not sure about Google). Converting to FTE can be quirky but if not possible you can jump ship to another and use your experience to be hired as FTE.
If things turn sour or take too long you can always flip over to contract work via recruiting firm.
As others have put it: getting a job is part is your fulltime alongside yes skilling up for what you think you need.
Applying for jobs and doing interviews alongside marketing yourself is in of itself a job. The HR people and likely your boss will be looking at your soft skills in the interview compared to a list of people with similar skill sets or breadth of knowledge.
At this point in your career, the last thing on your mind should be certifications unless they are extremely job-specific. You need to have picked something to specialize in 10 years ago. Right now, choose something you enjoy, or that’s in demand (Kubernetes, Linux, IaC) and search for jobs in those fields. Otherwise, 15 years in what equates to Help Desk is no bueno. Without knowing you at all, my advice is to get into IT management and use your years of experience to lead projects. You need to specialize ASAP. You’re salary and position are far too low for your years of experience. I don’t mean to be rude but there’s a whole world of IT waiting for you to actually join it.
Others gave you good advice, just to add on top I would say don’t underestimate your MSP experience and up sell the fact that you have worked with many different environments and customers, worked with a lot of different vendors and products, etc.. (as such at most MSPs)
Brush up on the STAR method of interviewing and have a few stories ready.
Don’t only target Full time employee roles, look for contract roles as well, even a 6-12+ month contract can get you by, get you experience until the next role, or have you hired once the contract ends.
Try to aim for a higher salary, hoping the layoff was actually a blessing in disguise for you, good luck!
How does one combine helpdesk with VOIP engineering?
If you were in Houston or Tyler, I’d have a job for you.
A lot of good advice on here but the one I would emphasize is start getting ANY leads to just start interviewing and work on that skill. Even if they’re jobs you don’t even care about or would never consider whether that’s short term contract work, some field you don’t even care about.
1. You can get live experience from just interviewing and presenting yourself.
2. Just understanding the market first-hand instead of relying on job boards.
Sorry this happened to you, good luck.
15 years is a long time to work mostly help Desk roles. What made you not process up in your career like a Network or Sysadmin? I know some people may like that kind of work on Help Desk. I know worked with plenty that stay on Help Desk and Desktop Support roles for over 15+ years.
To work in Cloud computing these day’s you almost have to have Sysadmin or Networking background since most people that are transiting into Cloud or DevOps Engineers roles are often seasoned Sysadmins due to the overlap of foundational existing skill sets. Linux, Bash Scripting and Networking, Ansible, Databases are often what a Sysadmin would know which is required to have experience with to move into Cloud.
Sucks man. My wife got laid off, not IT, she was able to find new gig equal pay after about 2 months.
About 11 years ago I got laid off from a job and it took me 6 months to find the job I have today. 1 st thing I did was apply for unemployment and food stamps. I had 4 kids and a mortgage at the time. One of the requirements for unemployment is you had to apply for x amount of jobs per week. So when I was not job searching and apply for jobs I was taking free training classes. Eventually my mental health took a hit so I started doing other things to keep my mind off of my lack of job. I did things around my house and I started playing some computer games. So with the job search, training and a long honeydo’s list I got threw the 6 months.
I got laid off Dec 3., start my new job this upcoming Tuesday. Here are the steps I took:
– Immediately updated LinkedIn and made it known I was open for work.
– Updated my resume and uploaded to LinkedIn, Dice, indeed etc.
– Applied to about 3-5 places that seemed like good fits for me. I tried doing this every morning as soon as I woke up.
– Answered all calls from recruiters and made sure to reach out to old coworkers to ask if they had recruiters they could send my resume to.
Some people will tell you to take time off to kinda gather yourself. Me personally, I couldn’t really do that. I hit the ground running and was thankfully able to secure a job relatively quickly.
Good luck on your job search.
I have 20 years experience with cutting edge technologies in my resume. I have been trying to find jobs and it’s never been as bad as in the past. In the past I interviewed in 4 jobs and got 3 of them. Today I have hours and hours of interview questions and tests and still never hear back from anyone. It’s like the worse time for tech jobs. I look at LinkedIn and there are like 400 applications for every job position and I never hear back from anyone. I get some interviews though through some local networking but no final selection that doesn’t require you to relocate. I’m not trying to discourage anyone just giving everyone a good picture of what’s out there. There are jobs out there but you have to be better than everyone else who is looking for it.
I’m wondering how you were in IT for 15 years and only making 55k.
At the very least, you deserve more than 55K a year, especially with a former engineer title on your belt.
I’m 40 with 15 years experience in IT as well. Currently working as a Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, but before that I was a sysadmin and desktop support for over 10 years.
You should definitely consider a career as a cloud engineer. I build entire datacenters using Terraform code. I had zero prior programming experience and learned the language in about 6 months. I use this to build the infrastructure and powershell for more granular configurations. Powershell is more challenging than Terraform IMO. I build everything in Azure at the moment, but Terraform is a universal language across all major cloud providers.
My manager has a strict no-click deployment strategy. Everything must be automated as much as possible. So this concept has now transitioned me into a DevOps career using Azure Pipelines for CI/CD with the Terraform code I put together. This also moves you away from corporate to the production side of IT. You will find yourself more valuable to the company when you’re on the production side, because your work directly impacts the revenue generated for the business.
Start your own company. Get a screw driver and a cell phone. Make a website with a multi ethnic photo of people near a laptop. Make a domain and have like 10 different email address. salesATdomainDOTcom and other names. HelenWaite works in HR. shit like that. Charge clients 200$ and ask them to sing up for support contracts. hire people and have them do the heavy lifting. get successful. Base your C-Corp out of Delaware for tax breaks. stock pile cash. Get your mortgage paid off rent a spot for an office and meetings and water cooler and all that. Hire someone with 5 years experience and BS is MCSE and all get a few tech junkies and have at.
[SBA.gov](https://SBA.gov) business license business insurance registered agent bus lawyer and a rent-a-cpa. get someone that can do sales and do as much work as possible until you are afloat. give it 15 20 years do stock buy backs and put business on sale. make a few million and stick the money in your ears and go pbbbbbbbbbbbblllllllllllllttttttttt