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Career Counsel

March 12, 1998

Are you at a crossroads in your career? Or do you just want to get started in information technology? Either way, Career Counsel is a great entry point. Your questions will be answered by Paul Daversa, president and CEO of Resource Systems Group, a nationally recognized technology executive search firm based in Stamford, Conn. RSG has advised many Fortune 100 companies and their respective CIOs on how to attract today's technology leaders as well as counseling IT executives through their search efforts.

I have more than five years of international marketing experience in the paper and packa ging industry. I have an MBA in marketing and am bilingual. Due to a recent family relocation to the Pacific Northwest, I had to resign from my previous job. My job research here has not made much progress, as most marketing positions here require high-tech experience in software or telecommunications, which I don't have. I am thinking of switching to an IS career. But I don't want to spend four years to get a computer science degree; I'd rather spend a year or so to take some courses to land a position in IS. Do you have any suggestion on how and where to start. What kind of IS positions should I aim at? What are some Web sites or other references you could suggest for me to research?

Don't get discouraged. Prior to relocating, if you were happy in your marketing career, continue to stay focused. Although the job search has been slower than you had anticipated, you have an edge against other marketing professionals. Perhaps you are not marketing yourself strongly enough. You have five years of international experience, your MBA in marketing, and you are bilingual. You need to broaden your network. Talk to as many people as possible in the industry, and use your network from your previous place of employment; they may have contacts where you live today. Don't give up. However, if you want to pursue a career in technology or telecommunications, first get into a company using your marketing strengths and consider taking classes in IT after hours. Then see if there is an inroad where you are that will lead you down the technology path. There's no quick fix to changing careers. So I'm giving you a candid, straight forward answer with the intent in mind to save you from future discouragement--which will be far greater than what you are experiencing now.

I have more than 10 years' experience as a software engineer in scientific research organizat ions, mostly on Unix machines using C. I wanted to move into project management, so I returned to school and graduated last December with an MBA. Now I'm trying to figure out how to position myself for the best career. I have done market research, and have done some Web development and am very interested in the Web. My problem is that I don't really have any project-management experience, and I haven't yet mastered C++ (I'm taking a non-credit course in it right now, but don't have any experience). How can I break into the IS field, and what would be my best options?

Step one: go back to basics. Use your resources. If you have more than 10 years experience as a software engineer, you must have contacts in the industry. Make the calls. Who do you know? Who do they know? Start marketing yourself as a project manager who has a solid foundation in software engineering, and use your MBA to get your foot in the door. Step two: You are most likely two job moves away from realizing your goal. Spending a year shoring up your shortcomings would be time well spent and a terrific complement to your existing base. If your research has taken you to Web deployment, you need some of that experience--and it may not be at the project-management level from the get-go. The mature decision would be to swallow the bitter pill for a year; gain the experience, and re-launch a search a year from now with a great compliment and a great story to tell. Additionally, you should explore a few options--one is that you may find your niche in a professional services organization. Your educational pedigree coupled with your work experience may be appealing to one the of the Big Six, or even a smaller scale consulting firm.

I am a recent MBA graduate (marketing and finance) with four years of consumer marketing experience. While in school, I had an internship at Oracle in th e Tools Alliance Marketing department. Ideally, I want to get a job in high tech working in either business development (alliances), product marketing, or channel marketing. My problem is that I'm trying to stay focused because I want to be able to answer the question "what do you want to do?" However, I don't want to limit myself. Second, with the exception of the internship, I don't have any solid technology experience. Therefore, I want to leverage my consumer experience by working for a software company because software is a packaged good. Do you have any suggestions?

The No. 1 criterion for launching a successful search is focus. I think you are very focused. Business development, product marketing, and channel marketing in any software company not only work in unison, but often overlap. Your Oracle experience lends credence to your consumer marketing background and your high-tech understanding. The only thing left to do at this point is work your search. That doesn't mean sending out resumés and answering ads. It means identifying the actual companies you want to work for, calling the VPs of Business Development, Channel Marketing, or Business Alliances, and introducing yourself and expressing interest in any opportunities they may have in their organization.

I have several questions about sending resumés via E-mail. What is the best way to send an E-mail with a resumé attached? I think a cover letter should always be included. Is it OK to have the E-mail message as the cover letter? Is it acceptable to sent the resumé formatted in Microsoft Word, or should it be sent as a .txt file or something else for scanning? Should the resumé be .txt (as the de facto standard), or only if requested or the company identifies it will be scanned?



An E-mail message absolutely should serve as the cover letter and should be no longer than a paragraph. Today, corporations are less inclined to read a lengthy E-mail cover letter as they are to view and then scan the actual attachment/resumé. The de facto standard consists of a Microsoft Word attachment accompanied by a text/ASCII file.

I `m a rookie computer professional. I finished my master's degrees in computer information systems and got a job as a technical analyst (entry level) in a leading software company. I had always had an interest on programming and my job doesn't do any program stuff as of now. My education gave me good exposure to C++, a little Java AWT, and extensive JDBC. Since my long-term goal is to move into the business sector, I am wondering which skill or path I should choose to utilize my IT skills and expertise in the business enterprise world. Upon watching th e markets these days, I found software like Oracle Financials that has great demand in the business market ... so do I have to work towards that line or concentrate and become a skillful developer in Internet technology like Java, etc.

You've already won half the battle: you're working for a software company. Since the market for IT professionals is vast, you may be able to leverage the value you add to your organization today with what you want to learn. Find out if there are opportunities for you to gain hands-on programming experience in your current company. If you can gain exposure to Internet programming, move forward. Companies are moving toward electronic commerce as the major way of doing business. Chances are that if you're a conscientious, hard-working employee, your employer won't want to lose you, especially the way the IT market is today. If that doesn't work, I would encourage you to stay in the areas of Intern et, Java, and object-oriented development. It's hot. It's in demand, and there are no indications that the demand will let up over the next 2 -3 years. You can still flex your business muscles by having a core understanding of Internet technologies and related software, and that would most definitely distinguish you from your peers.

I am a college sophomore majoring in Information Systems Technology. Currently, I work on a help desk dealing directly with users--troubleshooting networking, printing, and application problems. I also train users how to use Lotus Notes E-mail. I'm interested in program development and Web designing. Is working on a help desk a good place to begin a career in IS?

First of all, gaining hands-on experience in your field of study while you're in school is advantageous. You will be more marketable after you gra duate with solid work experience under your belt. If you want to branch out into developing and designing, I strongly suggest that you aggressively pursue an internship where you can get that exposure. Contact the department at your college that handles internships and research potential companies. If you can broaden your knowledge base and increase your IS background, you will be even more marketable upon graduation.



View Past Issues Of Career Counsel:
February 24, 1998
February 17, 1998
January 27, 1998
January 13, 1998
December 23, 1997
January 27, 1998
November 25, 1997
November 17, 1997
October 14, 1997
September 29, 19 97



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