Torm the True, The Loyal Fury, The...unemployed?

[Torm]

Apologies ahead of time to anyone who reads this and feels it is inappropriate for the board:

Well, I feel a bit embarassed posting about this here, but I was laid off Thursday before last, and at this point I'm willing to ask all the good folk here at ENWorld for any help they can provide in my job search. I'm already searching through several tech placement services and the local funny papers, but I figure it can't hurt to ask here, too. If anyone knows any openings for a hard working PC technician\systems administrator\network administrator with 9 years professional and 22 years hobby experience, who knows his stuff and can learn anything he doesn't in 3 notes, I'd be more than happy to hear about them. I'm looking for something within an hour of where I am, paying $30,000 annually or better, or something anywhere in the continental U.S. paying $40,000 annually or better.

 

[Macbeth]

I thought my college might be looking for a new SysAdmin (in which case I would have posted here and given a heads up to BardStephenFox), but I couldn't find a listing for it, even though I know our current SysAdmin is leaving. But, while looking, I did find this: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST.

I know it's a little lower paying then you were looking for, but I figured I'd post anyway. And, just so you know, EMRTC, the people posting the position, are involved in all kinds of explosives testing. Sure, it doesn't look like the position actually involves explosives, but who doesn't like being able to say they work around people who blow stuff up for a living.

 

[Macbeth]

Sorry, I posted before I read the whole job posting. Looks like a bit of a stretch given your resume. But you might want to try anyway, you never know.

 

[GlassJaw]

Join the club. I was laid off in Oct of 02 (in Mass) and I just started working again this past summer (at a real job at least) - almost 2 years and I had to move back to RI. I'm not really sure it is down there, but the tech industry is still awful up here. Lots of people still unemployed.

 

[Mystery Man]

Not that I'm hiring.

But this resume' is not quite enough. Think of all the different types of pc's and other technical equipment you've ever touched in your IT career and list them in an organized easy to follow way. No matter how insignificant you think it may be.

Everyone who is hiring assumes that you're skillful and knowledgeable and are experienced in computer stuff. In addition to that, list your accomplishments. Such as:

-Implemented and oversaw systemwide migration to Active Directory from Novell Netware with this many users, using these tools and these servers in this amount of time. Or vice versa for those netware stooges.

Stretch it out for a few pages with as many facts as you can. . The myth that a short and sweet resume is a big fat fallacy. The more facts an employer has the better chance you have of them noticing you. As soon as I learned this fact when I was job searching I beefed up my resume and was hired within that month.

Good luck!

 

[Rel]

Sorry to hear about this, Torm. I certainly hope you can find something in your area soon. If not, you may want to consider the Triangle area here in NC. There are a TON of tech companies of various stripes here and you may well have some luck looking for jobs in this are. One place to start would be trianglehelpwanted.com HERE.

On a more general level, let me just say that I've been there, a bit too often for my taste in the last couple of years. And it has all worked out for me in the long run.

I got laid off from a company that I'd worked for for over five years a couple of years ago and that sucked...until I shortly got another job, where I learned a lot more and was paid better for what I did. Then I got fired from that job over a stupid misunderstanding and that sucked...until about three hours later when my best friend invited me to come work with him. Then our workload dried up and I was left with no income again and that sucked...until I started my own company doing something completely different. And now I work from home, less hours a week than I ever have and making about the same amount of money, with a lot more upside in the years to come.

Change always sucks. But try to stay positive and keep your eyes open for something you might not ordinarily consider. I'd have never guessed in a million years that I'd wind up doing what I do now. But I'm happier than I've ever been in a job.

Good luck to you. And try to make it to the next NC Game Day. If you haven't found a job by then, you never know who you might meet that could give you a lead on something.

 

[der_kluge]

Torm, I technically got laid off recently as well. I say technically because it was sort of a voluntary layoff. I could either go to work for IBM (whom my company was outsourcing my job to), or I could choose to be laid off. I chose the latter.

I moved from Kansas City to Richmond, VA working at Capital One as a data architect. I'm a consultant. I'd be happy to forward your resume along to the branch office in Charlotte, NC. They have employees there, and here in Richmond, maybe other places as well.

I gotta side with Mystery Man, though. Your resume could use a serious boost.

Assuming I can grab your email address out of the system, I'm going to forward you a copy of mine. Make yours look mine. It's based on a $150 professional template.

And yes, it looks cheesy. And yes, it gets serious results.

 

[Torm]

Thanks to all that have posted so far. I can use all the advice and support I can get right now. And trianglehelpwanted.com did have a few places I applied to, including a position doing desktop support for an adult erotic catalog company. So that's good.

die_kluge: I appreciate the offer to show me your resume.

Any other advice or leads, please keep 'em coming.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Once you beef up your resume, feel free to send it my direction. I work for a non-partisian grass-roots campaign organizing firm in DC... if you're willing to haul yourself out here, we're looking for some new IT and Network people right now... we also maintain several websites and databases filled with all sorts of information... so, we love people with your sorts of skillz.

elizabeth.bauman@gmail.com

I'd be more than happy to forward it to our HR guy!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Do you have a CompUSA in your area?