Thursday, October 18, 2012

Can you connect with people? Can you explain your requirements and needs to management? Can you deliver your expectations to your team? These soft skills are hitting high on the employment scale for companies competing in today’s marketplace. Our work environments no longer display a homogenous work group; we have 20 somethings programming next to 50 somethings, developers whose families helped to establish your state to developers who’ve just moved to your state from another country; differences range from politics and religion to race and process methodology. All of these differences need a common goal, a referee, a peace maker, a negotiator.

That’s where you come in. Network World did an article in September this year discussing this very topic. They described how employers will pick someone with a lower skill level and strong soft skills over a high skill level with no or little soft skills. They identified 5 key skills that employers are looking for:

1. Communication – both verbal and written. Employers are looking for people who can speak in simple English. Can you talk to your non-techy friends about your work in a way that they can understand you? Do you refrain from using the millions of acronyms and technology terms in our business when talking or writing to non-technical management or staff? Do you choose being kind over being right? Then you’ve got a key skill employers are seeking.
2. Customer Service – Having a customer driven focus to your work. Do you ask a lot of questions when users provide their requests? Do you explore the many ways their goals might be accomplished in order to find a solution that works for you both? If so, you’re demonstrating the customer service focus that is desired.
3. Teamwork – Do you listen to everyone’s ideas? Do you know your team members personally? Teamwork is something we assume is a given skill in our technological environment with a heavy project focus, but having the ability to truly understand the members of your team, and respect their skills, knowledge level and opinions is the optimum teamwork approach.
4. Problem-solving – Keeping your head on straight can be challenging during problem solving. Most people are emotionally and intellectually tied to their position or idea, and negotiating your way through the labyrinth is a definite skill. If you can handle conflict that arises in these situations and keep a cool head, you’ve got an important skill employers want.
5. Business Insight – While it’s an asset to be a brilliant programmer, it’s equally important to understand how the business for which you’re designing, works, what are their business rules, the nuances of their customer interactions, the stakeholders in the enterprise. Your projects may have a huge impact to the bottom line, and your ability to understand what that entails is a strength to many employers.

If there are skills listed here that you need to learn or brush up on, go get it done! Much of this training is available at a low cost, and it will prepare you for your high salary job.

Source: 5 Career-Boosting Soft Skills By Mary Brandel, Network World, September 11, 2012

Last week, we brought you the top 5 technologies that companies will be implementing in 2013 based on the Computer World survey results.  So now we’ll look at rest of the “hot” jobs that the Computer World survey identified:

1. Cloud & SaaS – Companies are getting on board fast with cloud-computing, especially as they try to keep up in other areas where there may be limited cost cutting opportunities. Cloud offers the ability to cut costs and keep services. Architecture, configuration and security are the hot jobs in Cloud.  It’s newer companion is SaaS (that’s software as a service, not to be confused with SAS, Serial Attached SCSI).  Computer World results show that 25% of the hiring companies plan to hire in this area.
2. Virtualization – Everyone’s doing it! Especially since there have been some improvements made. Administration and Security continue to remain the top jobs within this, along with VMware Certified Professional – Datacenter Virtualization certification.
3. Networking – Networking is still a strong demand area in spite of Cloud becoming its own little niche area. Computer Word states, “There will always be demand for skilled and experienced network administrators and engineers, regardless of the economy and other external conditions.” Cisco skill sets are top of the heap along with the ability to convert non-virtual networks to the virtual environment.
4. Mobile Apps & Device Management – More and more businesses are taking advantage of marketing and communicating through mobile devices so this makes it to Computer World’s top 10 list. Having skills in this ever changing technology area is a decided plus, with iOS 5 and Android programming skills being at the top of the heap, along with security.
5. Data Center – Data Center jobs are hot, in spite of showing up in the 10th position. This area has been overlooked in the past years as being of significant importance, and now many companies are looking to placed skilled data center professionals into these positions. Hottest jobs are forecasted to be in the sever/data center operations, systems integration, and database management.

And remember: ALL jobs involve talking to people, so if that isn’t your strong suit, we recommend getting suited up in that area. Taking courses in interviewing, communicating effectively, and  managing small teams will go a long way to getting and keeping a position.

Happy hunting!

Computer World has completed its survey that evaluates what are the technologies that companies will be implementing in 2013. Responses also showed that one third  say they’ll be hiring additional IT employees. This is a significant improvement – up 5% from last year and 10% from 2010. While 5% doesn’t sound like alot, 5% of 235,500,000 over age 18 US citizens is 11, 775,000; almost 12 million more people will become employed in 2013. Two thirds of those responding said that they’ll be making a major IT purchase or important upgrade. All of this bodes very well for 2013! So let’s see what are the “hot” jobs that the results of the Computer World survey identified:

1. Programming and Application Development  – Companies have held off moving into new technology areas, upgrading their systems and designing new systems, so 2013 is that year that it will happen for two thirds of the companies polled. With all the changes in social media and communications, database enhancements, and networking and VoIP improvements, companies have got to jump on implementation to compete and stay ahead of their competition. The survey indicates that web developers, computer programmers and software engineers will be the most in demand with skills in Java, Java Enterprise Edition (J2EE), .Net and PHP.
2. Project Management – If you’re an experienced project manager without your PMP, you’re doing yourself a disservice. The PMP certification offering through the Project Management Institute (PMI) now comes in a variety of flavors including PgMP (managing programs that include several projects), PMI-RMP (managing risk within programs) and CAPM (project management for entry level managers). This is a consistently good area in which to be involved as the complexity of projects has increased with such variables as outsourced development, connectivity to the web, databases and networks and responsiveness.
3. Help Desk and Technical Support – Are you a Windows 7 geek who can talk to people? It’s your turn! As companies make decisions to move from their “beloved XP” to the “newly loved 7” (they don’t have a choice  – the new cheer heard at Microsoft  is “No support team in 2014” :-)), they will be looking to hire additional talent with a solid understanding of features, problems, patches and glitches of Windows 7, as the volume of calls will increase as it always does with a new OS. The survey shows that in addition to Windows 7, mobile device support and those ever important interpersonal skills are in the hot seat for jobs.
4. IT Security – Yes, we know;  you’ve heard this before…but this time it’s true!  IT Security is moving from the “lip service” category to a truly identified need within many organizations. Skilled Security professionals are needed to deal with the increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks plaguing companies. The losses due to these attacks not only impact revenue streams but reputations as well. Got Security certification along with experience? You’re on your way to a job, my friend!
5. Business Intelligence – Data abounds in all forms: customer feedback, quality management systems, revenue streams, purchasing systems, process control measures…the list goes on, and now with the Cloud, there’s even more data! And someone (actually a bunch of someones) needs to analyze the data, appropriately group the data and present it to management in a usable form. That’s where you can come in! The survey points to areas like Big Data, math and statistics, and a solid understanding of the business along with IT, as being the high demand arena in BI.

Come join us back here at IT CareerCast on Thursday, October 11th for the other 5 hot areas of employment for 2013. I know, you’re waiting with bated breath…..breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out…

Credits: Survey results taken from 2013 Computer World. Additional content taken from posting on IT CareerFinder September 26, 2012.

Yes, the mind works just like A MUSCLE! I recently read that when you learn new things, you are continuing to expand connections in the brain. When you stop learning, your only option is to use what you already know. At that point, your brain begins the process of decay. There was a very interesting study done with London taxi drivers  by Katherine Woollett and  Eleanor Maguire updated last year that examined the increased grey matter to the back of the hippocampus in the brain. The hippocampus is connected with spatial awareness and memory.This change was attributed to the time spent on memorizing the 4,000 plus routes needed to get around London’s street and the minute by minute adjustments that were needed based on traffic patterns.

In order to be considered for a cabbie position, a candidate needs to know “the location of every street within six miles of Charing Cross – all 25,000 of the capital’s arteries, veins and capillaries. They also need to know the locations of 20,000 landmarks – museums, police stations, theatres, clubs, and more – and 320 routes that connect everything up. It can take two to four years to learn everything.”

To earn the right to be a cabbie they are quizzed on the best route between two locations. They cannot bring an information with them, no helpful tips, books or papers; only their mind. “They even have to narrate the details of their journey, complete with passed landmarks, road names, junctions, turns and maybe even traffic lights. Only after successfully doing this, several times over, can they earn a cab driver’s license.” stated the Discover Magazine article reviewing the research. Those applying for this position have been memorizing what has been coined as The Knowledge since 1865! While the cabbies are active in this career, their hippocampus is significantly larger than people in other jobs, and shrinks down to normal size when they retire.

So how’s this relevant to what you’re doing? If you’re in a position where the tasks are not changing much, choose to learn new information – pick a new technology or related one and keep expanding those grey cells. If you’re not currently employed, keep your mind active by learning. Pick up a new hobby, start up a new interest. Keeping your mind active and growing is crucial to those in the field of IT, where change is the only constant.

Excerpts taken from December 8th, 2011 by Ed Yong in Learning, Memory, Neuroscience and psychology, Discover Magazine Online.

The most important thing that you can do today is to stay current.  With the field of IT in constant flux, that can be a daunting task.  Here are some tips from CIO Rich Hein:

1. Stay current with industry news.

2. Attend classes, boot camps and conferences.

3. Choose certifications that are applicable to your area of expertise.

4. Get involved in online user communities.

5. Use industry magazines to stay current.

6. Pick some blogs and follow them.

7. Social networking is a must.

8. What to know what jobs are hot?  Stay current by visiting job boards.

Turns out that when you listen to people complaining or are exposed via radio or TV to negative input that you risk turning your brain into mush.  Now how about that for an excuse to walk away from someone who is constantly complaining?

“Listening to Complainers Is Bad for Your Brain,” gives you all the details and a plan for keeping your sanity.  Enjoy!

Yes it is true.  Thanks to Java you can experience landing the Mars rover.  The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has a Java-powered simulator that will give you a chance to experience your own Mars landing.  The simulator known as, Eyes on the Solar system, will take you through the details of landing on Mars.  NASA calls it, “Seven Minutes of Terror.”  To read the full article, click here.  To become a Java Programmer, click here.

Interesting article on publicity in today’s American Express Open Forum publication entitled, “What Did We Learn from Chick-Fil-A?”  In the article the author, Rieva Lesonsky, gives a very valuable take away that can be applied to ABSOLUTELY everyone and everything we do and it goes like this:

“The business world is more transparent than ever. Whatever you (and sometimes your employees) say, whether in your business role or in your personal life, is going to reflect on your business. Before you speak, be aware that what you say can help or hurt your business.”

Whether this is right or wrong is really not the issue.  We don’t live in the days of the pony express anymore.  Our world is online, our learning is online, our friendships are online and news becomes news the moment you or someone posts it on the internet.  Whether you just created a new application or you said something about a competitor or you simply voice your thoughts, everyone in the world will know and the more important you are, the faster the world will know.

When you write a document you have spell check.  Take that concept out into the world with you.  Create a “spell check” system for communicating in business and in private and always, always remember to make sure it is on.

Wondering where the best places are for Tech Jobs?  Click Here and wonder no more!

eWeek.com reports that the list of states offering employment opportunities in the tech field is growing.  New players like the states like Massachusetts, Oregon, Maryland, Utah and Minnesota are not to be overlooked.  Here are some interesting facts:

• Maryland had 6% growth in computer systems design and related services jobs.
• Massachusetts comes in second to Maryland with 5.5% growth and over 3,500 job postings on DICE on any given day.
• Minnesota comes in at 4.2% growth and has “the goal of becoming one of the country’s top-five technology states by 2020.”
• Average Tech Salaries in Oregon are 80K+ and that outpaces salaries for software and chip development positions.

The leading states for IT employments like California, Virginia, Texas, New York and Florida remain on top with 15,000 positions being added this year so far.  All having experienced an uptick except New York which was down 5 percent from the same period last year, but still offered 8,951 positions.  Best locals overall were Chicago and Los Angeles.

Stay flexible, keep your skill set sharp and be on the look out for new markets, new communities and new opportunities.