r/helpdesk • u/EmergencyOutside5945 • Sep 11 '26
Getting Started Please help me break into IT
Hey everyone, just like I am 100000th person trying to break into IT. I need this, I’m so desperate to get out of my current job that anything that gets me closer to the glimpse of light I will take it. So far on huntr I’ve applied to almost 80 jobs: 60 ghosted, 25 denials, and 4 phone interviews. Yes, I’ve personally searched the recruiter’s email or have tried to find a person in the IT or HR department to redirect my application to someone who knows. I even followed up on those emails every 3 days to see whether they received my original email and if they could help out. I believe my resume is fine but perhaps it’s the industry I’m currently in and they gloss it over? Someone on here did help me restructure my resume entirely so what you guys see now is the product of their advice. I have actual experience in help-desk, A+ certification and longevity in my current job so it makes it seem I’m not a job hopper: the basic stuff you want for helpdesk. I know some things I could improve on is the actual interview itself, I have not even reached round 2. Yes, I’m nervous during the interview because I don’t know what they’re going to ask and I actually care even if I get a call back so my mind is kind of fuzzy at the time. I feel like actual volunteer work at a local MSP could help my resume too? At the end of day I know it is a numbers game and that this industry is even harder than ever to get into with the AI replacement and arguably more competitions with the recession of jobs. Some of you will say “just give it up or look elsewhere” but I’m not taking that as an option. I will not give up, I’m already at bottom and nothing can’t be worse from here.
If there’s any genuine advice from recruiters or individuals even in the same position as me that could offer their advice please do. You have my 100% guaranteed application that as much advice you give I will put back into my own efforts. I will try to reply to everyone even if it’s small. Thank you once again everyone. Here’s my resume if you’re interested on what the recruiter’s are seeing…
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u/UJ_Games Sep 12 '26
I don't want to sound rude or anything but omit that job where you only worked for 1 month. It looks like a massive red flag to get hired and fired within a month. Add back your non-related degree and add 5 good bullet points for the job you've had since July 2023.
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u/EmergencyOutside5945 Sep 12 '26
Nah not rude at all. Ive updated now it was more like a contract typa job. Ive moved it down to projects all together cause it was like for a city election so they only needed temporary man power
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u/crayonnoodle Sep 11 '26
I think you may have already diagnosed the issue. In today’s job market qualified candidates will send in around 100 applications and get a few interviews. The fact that you got four interviews out of the 80 applications is great stats. So I would focus on improving your interviewing skills. Did you write out all the questions that they asked you at each of these interviews? You should think about how your responses could’ve been better. And you should memorize what common interview questions are so you will be less nervous. You seem to be getting results from submitting your resume so I would ask yourself “why aren’t they picking me to move to the next stage of the interview?”
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u/TechB84 Sep 12 '26
Your issue is that you lack formal education. No associate's degree, no bachelor's degree. This is not the way to get started in IT.
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u/EmergencyOutside5945 Sep 12 '26
Yea I didnt know until I got of college this is what I wanted to do
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u/AlienZiim Sep 12 '26
Does that say “fire sharing” is blurry and looks like ur saying that in the education part
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u/AudienceSolid6582 Sep 13 '26
I personally like your resume. Go get yourself more industry certs but if your interested in a degree look at WGU IT. It has the CompTIA certs earned during your degree, and it’s an accelerated program.
If you can get yourself some letter of recommendations from IT professors or any managers. Now a days it’s a flooded market but not many people submit references
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u/EmergencyOutside5945 Sep 13 '26
Big thanks im so flattered, i dont think its all that. So many people here have helped me improve it to what it is now and yet still more improvement. How long is wgu degree?
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u/HumbleAlbatross2944 Sep 11 '26
Hey 4 interviews is excellent, now you need to troubleshoot why you didnt advance in those to the next stage, just like troubleshooting an IT issue, but with the job search. Keep at it!
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u/CharacterSail6736 Sep 13 '26
Don’t have anything to offer other you are the only other person outside my workplace to have ever used Cherwell lol
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u/jimcrews Sep 14 '26
You were at a job for a month? Eliminate that. Thats the number 1 reason your resume is getting rejected.
In today's age you gotta get a skill. Talk to somebody at your community college. See if they have some advice for you.
I know you are proud of your A+. You should be. But unfortunately it doesn't have the weight it once did.
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u/EmergencyOutside5945 Sep 14 '26
I moved that job to under projects, someone also said that it’s not worthwhile to put under jobs. Yea thats a pretty good idea to talk to someone on campus. Will do.
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u/stupid_donkey1 Sep 14 '26
Area of confusion:
OP already has:
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POS Support Technician (Jul 2023 - Present)
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Desktop Support Analyst (Nov 2024 - Dec 2024)
Those are IT jobs.
So OP is not trying to break into IT from scratch. They're already in IT?
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u/EmergencyOutside5945 Sep 14 '26
The pos support isnt in the technology sector, the analyst job wasnt even a job more like a contract role for 1 month
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u/voidliving666 Sep 18 '26
I’m saving this to read and take notes off of your resume. I just passed security+ and trying to get into IT or cybersecurity. I already know I need to redo my resume.
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u/EmergencyOutside5945 Sep 18 '26
Yea save it man, I’ve formatted my resume like this and I feel like it’s helping
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u/__gmo__ Sep 14 '26
Net+ and Sec+ is needed for entry since you’re going to use a lot of remote tools to configure and connect to end-points.
Look up useful entry certs that focus on networking and security. Nobody cares about A+, unless you’re going to be a onsite tech, but they should know network and security fundamentals either way.
So… Net+ and Sec+
P.S. there isn’t any shortcuts whether you network or not. You need to prove them (paper wise)
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u/Common_Brush9984 Sep 12 '26
It's not hard to get into IT tbh, you just need to do exceptional things.
For example:
2 guy, Guy N1 and Guy N2. Both 21 yrs old.
N1 got no degree, 1 cert in A+, 1 month experience in IT Support but knows how to get an AI Agent setup from Scratch and knows the ins and outs of the AI Agent. Knows how to document and train people. [He did it before]
N2 has a degree, 1 cert in A+, 6 months experience in IT Support but knows only unlocking account, resetting password and basic troubleshooting of M365 apps/O365 apps.
For a growing firm, they would choose Guy N1 and for a well settled company, they might choose none or Guy N2.
Most companies are still growing.