Changing Industries
Changing industries is a very difficult task in today's world. I have been working as a web designer and developer (back and front end development) for over 15 years now. I am currently trying to move industries into cyber security with the ultimate goal to be part of an incident response or problem management team that handles security related incidents. One problem I have is that I hold some of my certifications (A+, Nwtwork+,ITIL 2011 Foundations) and I'll be obtaining my Security+ in the next 2 weeks, though I think many hiring managers only see my past experience as a developer and they drop my application as they feel like I'm looking for a development job.
If anyone out there knows of a good place for freelance work in the IT world I would be appreciative if you could share.
Thanks, Anthony
I have IT experience but only the tech support and desktop levels. What I find is IT hiring managers discount my previous experience with a non IT role. Although there is some IT involved. It's very frustrating.
I had to configure IP and network settings, communication troubleshooting, replacing cables. Just because the job title didn't have an IT title they automatically dis count my experience.
Put your certifications at the top of your resume under a section call "core competencies" or "specific expertise". This should come right after the statement about yourself, which should be about what value you can bring to any company. This core competencies section is the area you should change with each job description. You need to show the value that you can bring...your experience and career history is merely icing on the cake.
Changing industries make you more marketable.
I understand what you ate saying. Perhaps if you address this issue in your cover letter you will find this to be less of an issue. For an example you could say soomethimg to the effect of I am looking to develop my knowledge and skills putting to use what I habe learned asa developer within the field of security! I am a team player amd I look forward to building a future with you!
I want to thank you all for the comments. I will be researching how to write a better cover letter to ensure that it outlines my newly found skills and where I believe my past experience will help in my future career.
There are Go2IT, Hello Tech, Work Market, and Field Nation. Mind you, they are heavy on hardware and infrastructure projects. You can try the temp agencies, such as SmartSource Technical Solutions, Insight Global, and Apex Systems. The latter two have defense contracts where a Security+ cert will be key to hiring you.
Keep working on your training and keep looking. In my 35 year IT career, I made 4 major changes but they all involved me working late at night and on the weekends preparing for the new roles. In some, the company I worked for was changing directions so that helped. But my last one, when I went from an IT Project Manager to a Department Manager, I only got by taking a position that the company was outsourcing in the following year. I still went for it. It probably actually meant less money than staying with the original company, but I finally got my HR people management skills for my resume, and I really liked the change after years of Project Management. Also, maybe there are volunteer groups who need IT security work where you can volunteer your skills to get that experience on your resume.
Anthony, why not just say that up front on your cover letter or resume. This will draw attention to the issue, and give you a chance to clarify. Good Luck...
Anthony -
I'm not sure where you reside, but maybe you can find something of interest here: https://jobs.cisco.com/jobs in your field. it's worth looking into.
Good luck!
Anthony, have you tried FieldNation? You can download the app and check it out. I know a few guys in IT that have been successful using it in addition to a 40 hr a week position.