Someone please guide me!!!

Collapse -

Sell yourself then

by Oz_Media · 16 years ago In reply to Someone please guide me!! ...

Sell yourself, forget the POSTED requirements for positions, apply with confidence anyway, You'll be AMAZED at how many people actually respond to you.

PHONE companies, don't email them from Monster, workopolis and all that junk, they have alower success/placement rate than the newspaper (which is between 2&4%).

I have beaten out FAR more qualified people for contracts. The only cert I hold is an MCNE, and I am not seeking work with Novell based firms.

I picked up a conrtact for 12 months as a director of online marketing, I was up against people with a Masters in Marketing, Advertising professionals you name it. I just did a better job of selling myself then they did by emailing in a resume. Sure they were interviewed and the short list took nearly 6 weeks, but after interviews I won the deal, with nowhere NEAR the experience or qualifications of the others.

Certs some people swear by them, usually becaus ethey feel everyone ants certs (after looking at job advertisements). SO go after them too, but also go after what ISN'T advertised, call companies and sell your experience (preferably to the boss while skipping the HR dept).

Just ask for the bosses name on your first call, if they won't connect you. Call the next day and ask for him BY name. If he's not available, don't leave a message, call back. "I'd love to but I am in and out too often, instead of playing phone tag I'll just try backm thanks so much for all of your help."

YOu need to sell yourself as an important call, not seeking help or looking for a job.

WHen you get the boss on the phone, tell him a breif history about you and what you bring to the table along with what you hope to do for/with them. Then ask the boss if he will SEE you, not take your resume.

IF he says it ALL goes through HR, ask to be transferred, your call beng transferred to them FROM their boss ets you noticed, an interview will follow.

Best of luck, if you have skill, sell it. Certs are GENERALLY for those who DON'T have experience and need skills to find work.

Watched The Apprentice lately? Plenty of over trained and incapable people this time around!

"but I've been to college of course I will be a better employee!" sure.

Collapse -

Well.

by jasonmccubbin · 16 years ago In reply to Sell yourself then

Thanks.
I am just deterred because of the pay drop to get in anywhere.
As for selling myself? I have been a mortgage broker for quite some time. And with a heavy background in PR and Sales.
Should I be looking for a position in sales in the IT world? I just need to satisfy the ever hungry financial monster called "southern california living expenses!" So I cant afford working from the bottom.

Maybe more of a Public Relations in this field will suit me better? but SALES=STRESS!
Any ideas?
thnx

Collapse -

Hit the mortgage providers etc

by Tony Hopkinson · 16 years ago In reply to Well.

Industry expertise + IT knowledge = Business Analyst ot possibly Quality Assurance. Use your industry contacts and hit them direct. Reaserch UML, case tools and project management

Collapse -

Thanks Tony!

by jasonmccubbin · 16 years ago In reply to Hit the mortgage provider ...

Completely blew past the fact that had been in a industry already that was made of IT pieces.
Thanks for the input I appericate it.

Collapse -

Sales=Stress????

by dafe2 · 16 years ago In reply to Well.

I guess it depends on how you view it. Most people sell themselves everyday.........some are really good at it, for example, CEO's CIO's etc...

Others aren't so good at it, for example, a very talented but unemployed IT Peer.

If you've got limited IT skills & are just after $$$......do us (& yourself) a favor ----> Move on to something else.

"Can't take the pay ding".........gimme a break.

Collapse -

A Pay ding.. yep!

by jasonmccubbin · 16 years ago In reply to Sales=Stress????

Well dafe,

Try living in So. california and making 82k last year. And then try to pay your mortgage, bills, cars, etc. with 24-32k offer letters from the IT industry?!? So yeah.. I can't take the drastic pay ding.

My main concern was how can I do my school\work on the side while I am in a good financial position now and prepare to walk in (when I am ready) at what I established to be the min. needed pay.

k?

Collapse -

Wasn't my point

by dafe2 · 16 years ago In reply to A Pay ding.. yep!

My point was..................to let you know that an A+ & no xperience would earn you no more than a store clerk wage.

On the other hand, IT sales is not that much more lucrative (Initially) unless you've got drive ambition & good product knowledge.

Collapse -

Pay ding is BANG ON

by Oz_Media · 16 years ago In reply to Sales=Stress????

FOr someone ENTERING an IT field after a successful sales/comsulting field there is a MASSIVE pay ding. I couldn't have been in IT unless I had income trickling in from other avenues.

As a sales rep I earned an AVG. 75k-120k/yr.
In IT I started at 50k, it was a big kick in the pants and another reason I didn't waste more time with certs to try and make 75k again. IT sales and contracted services have been able to offer me a rasonable income, not the cert I got.

You show me an entry level IT position that can replace that lifestyle. Better still, show everyone else here too, god knows how many people struggle on IT wages.

Collapse -

Hmm.... a curse?

by jasonmccubbin · 16 years ago In reply to Pay ding is BANG ON

I guess I will be in the rip tide of sales for all time. :)

Oz,
I apperciate your response. I guess if I want to go into this side of the spectrum I will have to enter it in a IT sales position. Where is a good foothold in the Tech sales genre?
THNX!

Collapse -

Here you go

by Oz_Media · 16 years ago In reply to Hmm.... a curse?

Get a job selling ERP solutions to Mortgage Brokers, there are all kinds of software firms that seek reps to sell B2B software sales. These entry level outside sales positions will quickly get you into management and solutuion consulting positions. From there you can build your own client base and take up consulting if you wish.

It actually an easy cycle, gets you field experience, and as you have BOTH sales and some computer experience, not to mention direct experience in the industry of mortgages it will be a piece of cake. Sometimes having many talents works like a snowball, you just need to apply all of your skills in one position.

I have been a jack-of-all-trades but master of few all my life. Now I can pretty much go anywhere that interests me and find I have several different skills that benefit the company and my income.

You seem to have an interest in exploration, you get bored easily and don't like redundancy, you like a challenge but must be secure in knowing you have security in a paycheck. You are not a person for commission sales because even though you KNOW you can write yourself a better paycheck, there's always the WHAT IF scenario so you prefer a salary and then performance commission.

Now you have realized that as s sales rep, no matter how high you climb on one ladder, you are at the bottom of the next and have to climb again. You can probably sell pretty much anything, so industry doesn't bother you, you will pick up and go with whatever product you like but you want some stability, and ironclad guarantee of a stable income without the faking it and crocodile smiles involved. Stop me if I'm wrong. (well I guess you can't, so read on then :) )

I am going to take a REALLY rough guess here, (I hate this astrology crap)Aries/Taurus, probably boprn on the cusp, late March, early Arpil?

I am sure I have just shot any shred of credibility all to **** with that one.

But I think I know you're 'type' and you are quite dynamic but still somewhat reserved, you are your own worst enemy when it comes to self evaluation?

I have been in sales, and sales psychology for a while and it is just an stab in the dark based on your few comments shared here. Hopefully I haven't offended you in anyway though.

OM

(this should be embarrassing!)

IT Employment

General discussion