6 IT Career Resolutions
Resolve to polish your skills, value, and appeal in 2015 with these tips from recruiters and senior IT executives.
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The end of the year is the perfect time to make smart resolutions and tactical plans regarding your IT career.
But where to start? The following potpourri of ideas, suggested by HR and recruiting professionals, as well as senior IT executives, is a great place to begin.
But make no mistake, our list isn't only intended for those who plan to job hunt in the new year. A number of these practical tips will boost your visibility and value with your current employer, increasing the likelihood of bonuses and promotions in 2015.
If you are looking for a new job, be sure to check out our slideshow: 6 IT Job Hunting Dos & Don'ts.
When it comes to sprucing up your professional career, the key is to create an alignment between the needs of the organization (or marketplace) and your personal assets. Keep these two dimensions in sync to avoid spinning your wheels and wasting time.
For more on the realities of today's talent situation, see our in-depth report: The IT Talent Shortage Debate.
For example, simply having up-to-date IT skills isn't your end game. With today's flatter organizations and spotlight on better collaboration between the IT and business organizations, companies are looking for IT professionals with strong communication skills.
Employers want new hires who can work on teams, lead, solve problems decisively, and prioritize work, according to the results of a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), a nonprofit group that links college career placement offices with employers.
The end of the year is also a perfect time to take an honest inventory of your IT skills, and be ready to augment them.
"Be sure to know what is your strongest technology skill, and two to three additional skills that you are comfortable with or actively learning," Joseph Yeh, a recruiter with Riviera Partners, told InformationWeek for a previous story about job searching.
"Depending on your specific skillset/job responsibility, get certified in one or more technologies you don't currently have a certification for," Erik Balkan, managing director of IT staffing and recruiting services company Modis, told InformationWeek in an email.
One way to update your skillset is to take one or more of the free massive open online courses (MOOCs) for IT professionals. A number of MOOCs now offer, for a nominal fee, a certification upon successful completion of the course.
So before you head off to your holiday celebrations, check out our slideshow and commit to taking some of these steps next year.
And if you have additional ideas for supercharging an IT career, let us know in the comments below.
(Image: khfalk/Pixabay)
While stubborn individualism works for John Wayne and artists, it rarely helps a professional career, especially in the early days. A business mentor can expand your knowledge base and professional networking quickly, as well as steer you clear of common mistakes. When the time comes, you may find yourself a mentor for others, which is a good sign that you've achieved a high level in your industry.
One way to locate mentors is to join a networking group in your field and seek out people who are already successful.
There's a titanic shift from capital expenditure (capex) to operational expenditure (opex) in IT budgeting, as well as a shift from hardware to solutions-and-services-based IT. From a career perspective, see if you can do a tour of duty as a sales engineer or, failing that, make friends with a sales engineer.
There's an abundance of massive open online courses (MOOCs) to choose from, many aimed at technology professionals. For a nominal fee, a number of them offer certificates to students upon successful completion of the course. Certification may be important to a current or future employer.
Also, don't forget that many employers will reimburse employees who take classes related to their job. Even if your company doesn't have a formal policy about continuing education, see if you can convince your manager to send you to back to school.
Speaking of your current employer, definitely check whether it offers an in-house MOOC or has plans for one. Just asking a manager about this kind of in-house training is likely to be viewed positively.
Don't run to your contacts only when you're searching for a job or, worse, in a panic when you've just been laid off.
Asking friends and colleagues to "let you know if they hear of anything," is a mistake, Erin Setzen, an HR executive in Chicago, told InformationWeek. (For more advice on job searching, check out 6 IT Job Hunting Dos & Don'ts.)
"Many IT workers are very skilled in technology, but lack the social skills to effectively interact with hiring managers," said Erik Balkan, managing director of Modis, an IT recruiting company. "To combat this, take a public speaking course."
Communication skills matter because, as you advance in your career, you'll invariably find yourself interacting with colleagues outside of your department. Learning how to explain IT subjects to non-technical people is an essential skill, and probably the most-cited recommendation we hear from senior HR and IT executives. Effective listening is just as important, so learn this side of the communication road, too.
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