Looking for IT job -- anything considered

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grant_k

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#175712 9-Jul-2015 13:15

My son is looking for an IT job after recently completing his B.Sc Computer Science degree at Auckland University. He is a hard-core gamer with a lot of experience in various PC games, and has done his own PC hardware and software upgrades. He also worked in our local Countdown supermarket for a year part-time, and was given an 'Excellence of Service' award.

He is well-presented, and having been born in NZ and raised with an English-speaking family, language is no problem. He has a full driver's licence without any blemishes. He will relocate anywhere in NZ for a full-time position.

If anyone is interested, please let me know and he will send you his full CV.

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#1339967 9-Jul-2015 13:33

What sort of IT work is your son looking for? I know you say anything considered...but what path is he hoping to go down?

grant_k

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#1339992 9-Jul-2015 13:56

Thanks for your question Alex. Having done a B.Sc in Computer Science with average A- grades, he was hoping to get into a development role. Intergen (as shown in the picture above) is just one of many places he has applied to. However, it seems he needs some experience with the typical software used in such development shops, and there are just so many to choose from nowadays, it's hard to know where to start.

As part of his B.Sc degree, Ben has a superficial knowledge of many languages and development tools. He has also done a little bit of web development for me, migrating a website over to a new version of the CMS, which involved getting to grips with HTML, CSS and the like. He is a fast learner and can pick up anything very quickly.

Ideally, he would like to work in the computer games industry, as he has been involved in private projects including level design, rendering etc for many years. He also worked part-time at Sky TV doing broadcast graphics for various sporting events including the Olympic Games in 2012, NRL, Silver Ferns Netball among others. He has an eye for design, fonts, page layout etc but wants something more challenging than being a graphic artist, hence he opted for a B.Sc in Computer Science.

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...

lxsw20

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#1339996 9-Jul-2015 13:58

Thanks, I know of a helpdesk/ jr sysadmin roll going soon, but sounds like he's more after the dev path. Best of luck :)

timmmay

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#1339997 9-Jul-2015 14:00

Graduates aren't particularly useful for a while after they're hired, they need a lot of direction and supervision. University doesn't prepare people for jobs well.

In the USA there's the concept of an intern. They typically don't get paid, but they get experience. I wonder if that kind of thing would work in NZ?

grant_k

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#1340001 9-Jul-2015 14:02

lxsw20: Thanks, I know of a helpdesk/ jr sysadmin roll going soon, but sounds like he's more after the dev path. Best of luck :)

At this point he would consider anything. Let me know what sort of work is involved in the role you mentioned, and I will discuss it with him. He is also considering sales roles in retail, so that gives you some idea how keen he is to find work...

networkn

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#1340008 9-Jul-2015 14:10

timmmay: Graduates aren't particularly useful for a while after they're hired, they need a lot of direction and supervision. University doesn't prepare people for jobs well.

In the USA there's the concept of an intern. They typically don't get paid, but they get experience. I wonder if that kind of thing would work in NZ?

We did this for a guy end of last year, and it was fantastic for both of us. We did provide him with a very small stipend to cover his travel expenses and a bonus for doing such a great job on our website.

Inphinity

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#1340010 9-Jul-2015 14:11

Is he considering full-time only?

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grant_k

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#1340021 9-Jul-2015 14:23

Inphinity: Is he considering full-time only?

Wherever Ben ends up working, he will need to cover his accommodation cost as we live in a rural area. It's hard to do that if you're not working full-time, but if you have another arrangement in mind, please PM the details to me and we'll discuss it. Thanks for your interest.

lokhor

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#1340023 9-Jul-2015 14:25

Provoke are often looking for graduate developers and have offices in Auckland and Wellington (as well as a few overseas)
http://www.provokesolutions.com/contact-us/job-vacancies

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

grant_k

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#1340030 9-Jul-2015 14:38

lokhor: Provoke are often looking for graduate developers and have offices in Auckland and Wellington (as well as a few overseas)
http://www.provokesolutions.com/contact-us/job-vacancies

Thanks for your suggestion Nick. There aren't any vacancies listed at present, but I guess an expression of interest wouldn't hurt.

sidefx

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#1340031 9-Jul-2015 14:38

grant_k:
Inphinity: Is he considering full-time only?

Wherever Ben ends up working, he will need to cover his accommodation cost as we live in a rural area. It's hard to do that if you're not working full-time, but if you have another arrangement in mind, please PM the details to me and we'll discuss it. Thanks for your interest.

Fair enough, but he may find it easier to find some sort of shorter term contract or arrangement which would then get his foot in the door and give him some experience - extremely valuable especially if he's looking to go into a dev role.

But yeah, also as above, look at companies that offer graduate roles - not sure it's the right time of year for that though? (EDIT: tried datacom? http://datacomgroup.net/Careers/Graduate-Programme.aspx)

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lokhor

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#1340035 9-Jul-2015 14:43

grant_k:
lokhor: Provoke are often looking for graduate developers and have offices in Auckland and Wellington (as well as a few overseas)
http://www.provokesolutions.com/contact-us/job-vacancies

Thanks for your suggestion Nick. There aren't any vacancies listed at present, but I guess an expression of interest wouldn't hurt.

Yes definitely get him to put in an expression of interest, I suspect there will be some junior developer roles coming up soon (may be in Wellington though)

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

grant_k

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#1340040 9-Jul-2015 14:49

sidefx: ...
Fair enough, but he may find it easier to find some sort of shorter term contract or arrangement which would then get his foot in the door and give him some experience - extremely valuable especially if he's looking to go into a dev role.

But yeah, also as above, look at companies that offer graduate roles - not sure it's the right time of year for that though? (EDIT: tried datacom? http://datacomgroup.net/Careers/Graduate-Programme.aspx)

Thanks for your suggestions Simon. Yes, he already applied to Datacom last year, and various other graduate programmes as their opening dates came up. He has just been turned down by Intergen, as per the photo above. This was after going right through their selection process including two final interviews. So it is very disappointing, but that is life, and we keep trying.
I will also look into contract roles as you say, they do give a foot in the door. Thanks again for your advice.

grant_k

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#1340045 9-Jul-2015 14:59

lokhor:
grant_k:
lokhor: Provoke are often looking for graduate developers and have offices in Auckland and Wellington (as well as a few overseas)
http://www.provokesolutions.com/contact-us/job-vacancies

Thanks for your suggestion Nick. There aren't any vacancies listed at present, but I guess an expression of interest wouldn't hurt.

Yes definitely get him to put in an expression of interest, I suspect there will be some junior developer roles coming up soon (may be in Wellington though)

Wellington is no problem at all. As I said earlier, he is prepared to relocate anywhere for a full-time position. Thanks again.

toyonut

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#1340060 9-Jul-2015 15:23

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

Try Vultr using this link and get us both some credit:

http://www.vultr.com/?ref=7033587-3B

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