Looking for IT job -- anything considered

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#1340061 9-Jul-2015 15:24

paulmilbank: Sorry if I have missed it, but where are you/is he based currently?

We live near Russell in the Far North, but Ben has family in West Auckland. However, he is prepared to relocate anywhere for a full-time position.

michaelmurfy

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#1340295 9-Jul-2015 22:24

Can he code at all? Specifically Java or have Database experience? Because there might be something available in Wellington at the company I work at.
We primarily deal with Linux (Debian, CentOS, RHEL) as well as the odd Windows. Database we primarily use is Postgresql so might not be some peoples cup of tea but if he is indeed an epic code ninja I can point him to a company that is excellent to work for.

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grant_k

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#1340317 9-Jul-2015 23:59

michaelmurfy: Can he code at all? Specifically Java or have Database experience? Because there might be something available in Wellington at the company I work at.
We primarily deal with Linux (Debian, CentOS, RHEL) as well as the odd Windows. Database we primarily use is Postgresql so might not be some peoples cup of tea but if he is indeed an epic code ninja I can point him to a company that is excellent to work for.

Ben has done some work in Java for various University projects, and won a Java programming competition during the first year of his degree. He has also done some work in SQL, and had some exposure to Unix at command line level from a few assignments that dealt with BASH scripts.

I wouldn't class him as an 'epic code ninja' by any means, but he is a fast learner and is willing to move to Wellington for a full-time role. Thanks for your interest Michael.

pbgben

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#1340854 10-Jul-2015 20:20

Ben most likely already knows this, but freelancing is a great way to build a portfolio. A decent portfolio in lieu of "work experiance" is just as good.

Check out places Like Elance, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour and Guru to name a few. He can work from home, and can easily build a decent portfolio with the right bids (Maybe even make a living!)

-Ben

Edit: He should also familiarize himself with ticketing and time management software like atlassian.

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grant_k

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#1340859 10-Jul-2015 20:34

pbgben: Ben most likely already knows this, but freelancing is a great way to build a portfolio. A decent portfolio in lieu of "work experiance" is just as good.

Check out places Like Elance, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour and Guru to name a few. He can work from home, and can easily build a decent portfolio with the right bids (Maybe even make a living!)

-Ben

Edit: He should also familiarize himself with ticketing and time management software like atlassian.

Thanks for your suggestions Ben. Actually, I tried Elance recently for a project I needed help with. Nobody replied except for the usual scammers looking to steal other people's money. Just yesterday I got an email from Elance saying that they are closing it down and merging with some other website. Now I can't figure out how to unsubscribe from their mailing list as the link doesn't do anything.

Anyway, that was Elance, but the other sites sound interesting, so we will check them out. He spends most of his time working on projects related to Guild Wars. If only there was a way to make money from that...

pbgben

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#1340861 10-Jul-2015 20:42

Ahh, sad to see Elance go. Thats where I gained most of my early experience.

As for making money from Guildwars... Perhaps a professional youtuber :)

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grant_k

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#1368414 18-Aug-2015 10:04

After another couple of rejections my son Ben has realised that he will have to start in a Tech. Support role, hopefully progressing to Developer once he gains experience. He is applying for an advertised position along those lines. If anybody else has a similar opportunity, we would be glad to hear about it.

surfisup1000

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#1368433 18-Aug-2015 10:21

grant_k:
From what we read constantly in the news media, such graduates are being snapped up as fast as they are produced. However, most advertised vacancies want some experience to go along with a University Degree before a candidate is accepted. How does one get such experience without being accepted into a relevant job first. Catch 22...

Don't listen to the news media, reality often differs.

Employers put out the message that there is a desperate need for IT employees.

What they really mean, "there are plenty of IT people but we are too cheap to pay for their training, so if we complain enough the government will let us import minimum wage pre-trained labour from overseas".

I'm a bit overly cynical but there is certainly some truth in this as I've seen this occur with some employers.

The ideal path is to apply for graduate programmes --- but this usually happens in the last year of study. As for gaming -- have no idea how much work is around but probably not much compared to corporate IT.

grant_k

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#1368435 18-Aug-2015 10:26

surfisup1000:
grant_k:
From what we read constantly in the news media, such graduates are being snapped up as fast as they are produced. However, most advertised vacancies want some experience to go along with a University Degree before a candidate is accepted. How does one get such experience without being accepted into a relevant job first. Catch 22...

Don't listen to the news media, reality often differs.

Employers put out the message that there is a desperate need for IT employees.

What they really mean, "there are plenty of IT people but we are too cheap to pay for their training, so if we complain enough the government will let us import minimum wage pre-trained labour from overseas".

I'm a bit overly cynical but there is certainly some truth in this as I've seen this occur with some employers.

The ideal path is to apply for graduate programmes --- but this usually happens in the last year of study. As for gaming -- have no idea how much work is around but probably not much compared to corporate IT.

Yes, Ben has applied for pretty much every Graduate Programme on offer with the major companies. All turned him down for various reasons even though his grades are pretty good at A- average. There is intense competition for places on these programmes and it seems they only pick the cream of the crop.

There is a Tech Support role being advertised at the moment with a gaming company so he is applying for that one in addition to another similar role with a niche software company.

Any suggestions are welcome, so please keep them coming.

boland

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#1368505 18-Aug-2015 11:35

I work at Provoke Wellington and we are looking for graduate dev's. Send me a PM so I can forward your CV to our recruitment department.

DravidDavid

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#1368610 18-Aug-2015 13:49

grant_k:
surfisup1000:
grant_k:
From what we read constantly in the news media, such graduates are being snapped up as fast as they are produced. However, most advertised vacancies want some experience to go along with a University Degree before a candidate is accepted. How does one get such experience without being accepted into a relevant job first. Catch 22...

Don't listen to the news media, reality often differs.

Employers put out the message that there is a desperate need for IT employees.

What they really mean, "there are plenty of IT people but we are too cheap to pay for their training, so if we complain enough the government will let us import minimum wage pre-trained labour from overseas".

I'm a bit overly cynical but there is certainly some truth in this as I've seen this occur with some employers.

The ideal path is to apply for graduate programmes --- but this usually happens in the last year of study. As for gaming -- have no idea how much work is around but probably not much compared to corporate IT.

Yes, Ben has applied for pretty much every Graduate Programme on offer with the major companies. All turned him down for various reasons even though his grades are pretty good at A- average. There is intense competition for places on these programmes and it seems they only pick the cream of the crop.

There is a Tech Support role being advertised at the moment with a gaming company so he is applying for that one in addition to another similar role with a niche software company.

Any suggestions are welcome, so please keep them coming.

My advice would be not to scroll past the adverts that say "3 to 5 years minimum experience". Especially if the pay estimation is something like 35K to 40K. They are describing their ideal candidate. Apply anyway. I started my complex technical roll at an ISP with practically zero experience and the advert I applied to said 3 to 5 years minimum.

Also, don't give up! It could be Ben's CV letting him down or perhaps how he interviews. My partner was recently made redundant and has been struggling for a job in the animal veterinary sector for a while, even though she is quite experienced. Both her CV and the way she interviewed was letting her down, so we focused on those things and it was only a few weeks before she had a job again.

I'm more than happy to have a look at Ben's CV if he's willing to flick it to my email.

Cheers!

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lokhor

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#1368712 18-Aug-2015 16:02

boland: I work at Provoke Wellington and we are looking for graduate dev's. Send me a PM so I can forward your CV to our recruitment department.

I already suggested Provoke as I used to work there.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

Aaroona

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#1378084 2-Sep-2015 10:02

Another place to keep an eye on is Fiserv.

I went for a couple of interviews for a role there (different area, Sysadmin/Infrastructure role), and they seemed like they had a great working environment. Had it not been for my current company coming to the table, I'd be working there. But it was very relaxed, casual dress code, they seem to play with a lot of different technologies- they impressed me during my interviews.
http://jobs.fiserv.co.nz/jobs/

I see they have been listing graduate positions a lot lately (none available at the moment though), but definitely watch out for any new ones.

grant_k

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#1378111 2-Sep-2015 11:04

Many thanks for your suggestion Aarona. Ben has been for a couple more interviews, but no job offers yet. There are 2 applications in train at the moment, so we are hopeful about those.

He has also been working in a local vineyard planting grape vines, which provided almost a full week's work. So it's better than nothing, but nowhere near what he was hoping for after getting a B.Sc (CompSci) degree with average A- grades.

DravidDavid

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#1378194 2-Sep-2015 12:28

grant_k: Many thanks for your suggestion Aarona. Ben has been for a couple more interviews, but no job offers yet. There are 2 applications in train at the moment, so we are hopeful about those.

He has also been working in a local vineyard planting grape vines, which provided almost a full week's work. So it's better than nothing, but nowhere near what he was hoping for after getting a B.Sc (CompSci) degree with average A- grades.

I don't know much about Ben, but with the support he has behind him and his temporary job, he's in a good position to at least start growing his own business. Finding someone of equal mind with similar goals is a bonus, but not required.

When I struggled for employment, I employed myself. It doesn't have to be an "official" registered company. But you'd be surprised with what you can do with a fancy logo and a $60.00 TradeMe ad. It was also highly beneficial being able to say that I was working for myself in all fields when being interviewed by potential employers. They like to see/hear examples of hard work, skills confidence and initiative. Starting your own business demonstrates all of those things.

Hope the applications work out. :)

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