I have about 12 years of IT experience: roughly eight years handling a mix of helpdesk, systems administration, networking, hardware, and related responsibilities, followed by about four years as an IAM Support Engineer at a well-known software company. I was laid off or otherwise had to leave that role and spent around eight months searching for work. During the past year, I applied to more than 1,000 positions but received only about 15 interviews. I eventually found a customer support job at a SaaS startup, but the role is burning me out and is not where I want my career to go.
I have tried repeatedly to improve my resume, make it ATS-friendly, tailor it to job descriptions, contact former coworkers and managers, and apply for helpdesk, systems administration, and other IT roles. Even with my experience, I am struggling to get interviews for positions that should be within my background.
I also hold advanced certifications for the IAM platform I supported. They are not widely recognized, but the exams were practical, hands-on tests performed in a CentOS virtual machine and reviewed for correctness rather than simple multiple-choice exams. Despite that experience, the certifications do not seem to carry much weight with employers.
I am located in the Silicon Slopes area of Utah, though I am open to relocating and have experience working remotely. What are hiring managers actually looking for in candidates with this kind of background? Is the main problem the current job market, how I am positioning my experience, networking, my resume, or something else?
5 Answers
A home lab, practical projects, or ongoing training can help demonstrate that you still enjoy learning and working with technology. It does not need to be an expensive rack of servers; a laptop running a few virtual machines, hands-on security labs, documentation, or a small automation project can be enough. Also make your hardware and infrastructure experience visible—repairing systems, building work areas, supporting server rooms, networking equipment, and troubleshooting physical issues all help distinguish you from applicants with only theoretical experience.
The market is extremely crowded right now. Roles that used to attract 50 applicants can easily receive several hundred, and experienced people are applying for jobs they would have ignored a few years ago. That makes timing important: apply soon after a posting goes live, because older listings may already have a huge candidate pool. If the application asks for salary expectations, staying close to the local market average may also prevent an automatic rejection. A tailored cover letter can help, but it should sound like you—not like generic AI text.
That lines up with what I have seen. I applied for a government IT position where more than 300 people competed for one opening, even with some hiring preference. It is difficult to stand out when the applicant pool is that large.
Hiring managers often weigh coachability, communication, judgment, and attitude at least as heavily as technical trivia. For systems or support roles, you need to explain technical issues clearly to users, managers, and other IT staff, stay calm when things go wrong, and show that you can learn unfamiliar tools. Your resume and interviews should include examples of troubleshooting, ownership, documentation, customer communication, and successful projects—not just a list of technologies.
I agree that soft skills matter, but getting an opportunity to demonstrate them is the hard part. Most of the interviews I have had turned into technical trivia sessions instead of conversations about how I actually work.
With 12 years of experience, the low interview rate may point more to positioning than ability. Referrals and genuine networking can get your resume in front of someone much more effectively than sending hundreds of additional applications. Make sure your resume clearly presents the level you operated at instead of making you look like a generalist who has done a little of everything. Lead with measurable accomplishments, the environments you supported, and the problems you solved.
Networking is probably part of the answer, although most of my current contacts do not know of openings. I have been trying to stay in touch and hope that changes.
Do not assume every job posting is realistically scoped or fairly paid. Some companies combine desktop support, systems administration, networking, mobile-device management, cabling, and escalation duties into one low-paid role. Your broad background may fit those requirements, but it is still worth checking whether the employer is actually offering an appropriate salary and title. Focus your search on roles that value IAM, systems support, or infrastructure experience instead of immediately stepping backward into a generic helpdesk position.
I have lost much of my old lab equipment after moving, but I still work through security challenges and run several virtual machines on my laptop. I am gradually saving for used server and networking equipment to rebuild a more substantial lab.