Request 1st line support course

Skyline

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Apparently so, it might even extend in to alcohol. Its an American company based in Ohio I believe but they've branched out, in to the UK. www.Reyrey.co.uk Reynolds & Reynold.

Edit:

I didn't get the job. Absolutely gutted
Unlucky mate.

You'll be gutted but pick yourself back up and go again.

IT is one of the mostpopular fields these days. Loads of applicants for each position. You just need to keep applying and using the experience and feedback.
 

Karl

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Apparently so, it might even extend in to alcohol. Its an American company based in Ohio I believe but they've branched out, in to the UK. www.Reyrey.co.uk Reynolds & Reynold.

Edit:

I didn't get the job. Absolutely gutted
Make sure you ask for feedback. Companies are required to give it you and you can use that to help you in the future.
 

Omnibus

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In my first IT job, a lot of the guys in my team were smokers and vapers. They can't discriminate against that.

Even a Christian company can't discriminate against atheists, agnostics, hindu or muslim.
 

PoPcOrN

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I'm done applying for jobs. It's so demoralising being told no when I know I'm capable.

Just got to get some qualifications I guess
 

Netskee

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Been following this thread and it's been a real interesting read. Don't give up. Take the feedback and improve your interview technique. Try again and if that doesn't work - try again. Soon enough the right company will see your drive and give you the chance you're after
 
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Karl

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In my first IT job, a lot of the guys in my team were smokers and vapers. They can't discriminate against that.

Even a Christian company can't discriminate against atheists, agnostics, hindu or muslim.
Sadly they actually can. Apparently smoking isn't deemed one of those things that are "protected". Infact if you claim to be a non smoker and the company discovers you're a smoker, they can infact dismiss you for it!

Religion is protected against discrimination, that's why Christian companies cant do that.
I'm done applying for jobs. It's so demoralising being told no when I know I'm capable.

Just got to get some qualifications I guess
Have you gathered feedback? You may be doing something glaringly wrong to other people but not to yourself.

A common thing for me with external candidates is the appearance of desperation. Some people will attempt to show willing, when they just plain come across desperate for anything someone will throw to them. But it may not be apparent to them.

Give them something to think about, make them remember you. As silly as it sounds, if you ever get asked about your biggest achievement, or something you do outside of work, make it really stand out in their mind, it might be bullshit, but as long as you can sell it, you're good.....someone who says they enjoy programming or playing video games won't stand out in your mind as much as someone who says they ride giant pink elephants at the weekend (a little far fetched, but you'll get the idea) If I interview half a dozen people in a day, people start to blur together sometimes, so having that extra something that makes you stand out WILL help make you memorable.

Research the companies, keep a note of what you've applied for and with who, people who just fire off CV's everywhere don't tend to do this and are very unprepared when an employer reaches out to them. My recruitment Manager makes countless calls to people who's response is along the lines of "what job was this for?" On the note of applying for jobs - blag! If you see a few things you feel you might not be able to do, still apply. Have a quick google, play with the product/service they're asking about, just enough so you can talk about it (or know about the terminology they mention) The job description is for the ideal candidate......... you rarely find the perfect person who knows everything you've asked for.

You honestly do not need qualifications, and sadly rejection is always a part of the recruitment process. I can get 15-20 applications for a single role sometimes, so 19 people I have to say no to (well thankfully I don't, the recruitment team do it for me!) Other times I might only get 2-3 people for the same role. You just need a little bit of luck sometimes.

A little bit of knowledge on different operating systems will go a long way to helping you. Install Linux in virtualbox on your PC - without the gui. Get used to navigating around, install software like mysql / apache etc play around with the configs, break them, fix them. Having even a small amount of knowledge of Linux will likely give you a huge advantage over other people, it's massively used in businesses and most people are afraid of it.
https://learning.lpi.org/en/learning-materials/learning-materials/ - Have a look at the LPIC-1 learning material on here if you want to improve your skills.
 
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PoPcOrN

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Sadly they actually can. Apparently smoking isn't deemed one of those things that are "protected". Infact if you claim to be a non smoker and the company discovers you're a smoker, they can infact dismiss you for it!

Religion is protected against discrimination, that's why Christian companies cant do that.

Have you gathered feedback? You may be doing something glaringly wrong to other people but not to yourself.

A common thing for me with external candidates is the appearance of desperation. Some people will attempt to show willing, when they just plain come across desperate for anything someone will throw to them. But it may not be apparent to them.

Give them something to think about, make them remember you. As silly as it sounds, if you ever get asked about your biggest achievement, or something you do outside of work, make it really stand out in their mind, it might be bullshit, but as long as you can sell it, you're good.....someone who says they enjoy programming or playing video games won't stand out in your mind as much as someone who says they ride giant pink elephants at the weekend (a little far fetched, but you'll get the idea) If I interview half a dozen people in a day, people start to blur together sometimes, so having that extra something that makes you stand out WILL help make you memorable.

Research the companies, keep a note of what you've applied for and with who, people who just fire off CV's everywhere don't tend to do this and are very unprepared when an employer reaches out to them. My recruitment Manager makes countless calls to people who's response is along the lines of "what job was this for?" On the note of applying for jobs - blag! If you see a few things you feel you might not be able to do, still apply. Have a quick google, play with the product/service they're asking about, just enough so you can talk about it (or know about the terminology they mention) The job description is for the ideal candidate......... you rarely find the perfect person who knows everything you've asked for.

You honestly do not need qualifications, and sadly rejection is always a part of the recruitment process. I can get 15-20 applications for a single role sometimes, so 19 people I have to say no to (well thankfully I don't, the recruitment team do it for me!) Other times I might only get 2-3 people for the same role. You just need a little bit of luck sometimes.

A little bit of knowledge on different operating systems will go a long way to helping you. Install Linux in virtualbox on your PC - without the gui. Get used to navigating around, install software like mysql / apache etc play around with the configs, break them, fix them. Having even a small amount of knowledge of Linux will likely give you a huge advantage over other people, it's massively used in businesses and most people are afraid of it.
https://learning.lpi.org/en/learning-materials/learning-materials/ - Have a look at the LPIC-1 learning material on here if you want to improve your skills.
I'll definitely look in to that as I could do with lerning Linux.

Microsoft have reshaped the way they do their Certs now. Is this something that will help me get interviews? I'm very open to learning, there's a lot of stuff I don't know. Ask me what azure is and I couldn't tell you.
 

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zedina

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I'll definitely look in to that as I could do with lerning Linux.

Microsoft have reshaped the way they do their Certs now. Is this something that will help me get interviews? I'm very open to learning, there's a lot of stuff I don't know. Ask me what azure is and I couldn't tell you.
Those microsoft courses usually companies are buying them for the employees so they can focus on a branch of infrastructure.

Mind me asking, the interview you had was for 2nd or 1st?
Usually Linux is for Cloud Ops/Networking.
 

PoPcOrN

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Those microsoft courses usually companies are buying them for the employees so they can focus on a branch of infrastructure.

Mind me asking, the interview you had was for 2nd or 1st?
Usually Linux is for Cloud Ops/Networking.
It was for 1st primarily but also 2nd.
 

zedina

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It was for 1st primarily but also 2nd.
Anything that involves 2nd tasks it requires experience in work field, mandatory.
Search the lowest 1st line you can find - thats where companies are willing to take the "risk" of training you.

Chin up, don't give up after first failures. It happens.
 

Karl

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I'll definitely look in to that as I could do with lerning Linux.

Microsoft have reshaped the way they do their Certs now. Is this something that will help me get interviews? I'm very open to learning, there's a lot of stuff I don't know. Ask me what azure is and I couldn't tell you.
RE: The new MS certs, they're a joke! They're valid for 12 months and you have to retake them :D

Honestly, Azure I don't have any knowledge of, everything I look after is on premise. As myself and a few others who actively recruit people have said, having certification doesn't matter. It shows you can learn how to pass an exam, but doesn't show you know how to do things.

@zedina completely disagree that Linux is CloudOps/Networking. Over 70% of on premise machines in medium to large businesses run on some kind of unix system.

Depending on the actual area of IT you try to get into will determine the types of OS you use. But it never hurts to show you know your way around different systems even if you're not expected to have exposure to them.
 

PoPcOrN

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Once again, i've chosen pluralsight as my way of lerning. Unless somebody else can suggest something better?

I believe pluralsight is about £50 a month and you get videos teaching you what you need to know. aswell as livelabs.
 

PoPcOrN

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Finished my BT Openreach engineer interview. Fingers crossed i think it went well. The pay scale seems to go up nicely with promotions. up to about 40k as an engineer so if i get this, i might just stick with it.
 

Omnibus

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Finished my BT Openreach engineer interview. Fingers crossed i think it went well. The pay scale seems to go up nicely with promotions. up to about 40k as an engineer so if i get this, i might just stick with it.
I hope you get this.

BT Openreach pay well :)
 

PoPcOrN

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Fantastic news with a kick in the nuts lol. I've heard some people have waited 2 years+. This is the openreach engineer job.

Screenshot_20220615-154257_Gmail.jpg
 

Pottsy

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Certifications grant you an extra glance at your CV, that's about it lol. They also give untrained management the "proof" they require to show your worth in a company when they don't understand your job role, if you get to that particular wall.

They are generally nothing more than a money grab for the companies providing them, and to the companies whose training it is (Such as Microsoft). The only situations they become useful is if information and knowledge bases are locked behind them.

For example to actually access resources of Checkpoint, you need to be an account holder with a passed qualification attached to it.

1st Line Support can be taught within a year, depending on the person. I've trained someone who picked it up in less than 6 months. Companies know full well that you will learn more in 6 months than you would in 2-3 years of courses and apprenticeships. The thing they can't guarantee is you sticking around...because as others have said, hopping companies is the quickest route to higher wages, and no one is going to start you out at £30k and increase from there when you might not know fk all, are **** at your job or will leave after taking all the training time.

2nd Line can be achieved by company hopping after a year. Maybe 2-3 years if staying put depending on position availability. 3rd Line can generally be impossible as they are finite. If a company themself has a reason to have these positions, they generally only have a few because they can be paid well and don't rotate out very often, unless they are an IT Support company who hire you to work for other companies (Because then you could potentially have a lot more 3rd line places)...generally you would have to change company to get to that, but you are expected to actually know **** or you won't make it past probation. But if you have a good portion of experience, and you like to dabble and experiment, your CV will show that...I would say at least 5 years experience minimum.

These are full time positions though. Mate of mine did nothing but contractual work. Within his first 5 years in his career he was earning £100k+ and was never within 1 company for more than 6 months at a time, and was working on 3rd line within 3 years. But I believe he is the rare exception lol.

10 Years ago I sent out my CV for my first job about 200 times, customised slightly depending on the company and it's position so it didn't read like a copy and paste job. I would hear back from a fraction of them...but I ended up going through 7 interviews before I got my job, and that was in the middle of the Credit Crunch.

But...once you are in the door, it's home sailing. There is so much opportunity in the field at the moment, it's insane...you just need your foot in the door. Up those applications to 30 a week, and you'll get one. You'll know when you've applied too much when you start forgetting who you are going to an interview with.
 
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PoPcOrN

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Not only have I got a job as an openreach engineer ( on the waiting list for positions )

I've just had a job offer for 1st line tech support with a company that deals with cars to put in simple terms.

Massive thank you to @Skyline and everybody else. You've helped me massively. I never finished comptia but studying it, gave me knowledge I used in the interview. It was signing up to recruitment agencies that got me the job, so thank you again Skyline for the advice.

Thank you all again, couldn't of done it without you ❤️
 
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Omnibus

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Not only have I got a job as an openreach engineer ( on the waiting list for positions )

I've just had a job offer for 1st line tech support with a company that deals with cars to put in simple terms.

Massive thank you to @Skyline and everybody else. You've helped me massively. I never finished comptia but studying it, gave me knowledge I used in the interview. It was signing up to recruitment agencies that got me the job, so thank you again Skyline for the advice.

Thank you all again, couldn't of done it without you ❤️
Congratulations on the role!

I am wishing you all the best in your new position.

Achievement accomplished for you!
 
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