Have you recently experienced a lay off or find yourself dissatisfied with your current career? Have you wanted to make a change for some time now and are afraid to make that firs step?
Click the link below and learn tips about transitioning to a new career. In this espisode, Katrina Brittingham CPRW, the owner of VentureReady LLC interviews Marie Zimenoff from the Career Confidante. http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/80401/career-transition-doesnt-have-to-be-scary
Information technology specialists have one advantage over people from other disciplines in an economy in which layoffs are common and jobs aren’t: They’re used to it.
The technology sector is more prone to bubbles and busts than most others, for one thing. And even in good times, there’s always a chance you’ll be laid off for being associated with the wrong generation of technology.
In the technology world, there’s always another opportunity coming in over the horizon, often crushing the previous opportunity and ousting the people whose jobs relied on it. In February, IBM and Microsoft, for example, each announced layoffs of more than 5,000 workers, but each also has thousands of open jobs for which they continue to hire. The new jobs are often not in the same technology area as the old jobs, however, a technique IBM executives describe as adapting company resources to match the requirements of the market.
Of course, no technology and no technology skill is ever completely obsolete, no matter how “dead” it’s declared by the next generation. Every new technology builds on and borrows from its predecessors, so skills can migrate.
And few “obsolete” systems never completely disappear. No matter how old or clunky the technology, some company somewhere depends so heavily on it that they’ll pay what it takes to keep it running and keep people on staff who know how to keep the system from dying altogether.
So the basic advice recruiters and career coaches are giving is the same guidance they always give during dips in IT spending or employment: Make sure your skills are current; focus on the ones that can cut costs or increase revenue; and do your research to figure out not only which companies are hiring but which industries are expanding and increasing their reliance on technology.
Medical IT jobs on the rise
The medical industry is automating; modernizing; and updating its slow, complicated systems so quickly that the demand from medical companies for IT help is far above that of manufacturing, for example, according to Dave Willmer, executive director of RH Technology, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based IT division of recruitment giant Robert Half International.
“Overall demand for full-time positions in IT is not as strong as it was six to 12 months ago, that’s true. And companies are looking more to contracting to complete their IT projects to try to manage overall budget and headcount,” Willmer said.
“[Demand for IT jobs] is down, but we’re seeing a lot more [staffing needs] in the technology sector than in fashion marketing, for example,” said.Olson. “There is still targeted hiring going on out there.”
It’s true that technology hiring is ongoing. Yet the number of full-time IT positions for which companies are actively recruiting has dropped 80 percent compared to 2007, according to a survey conducted in December by the Computing Technology Industry of America (CompTIA).
The survey showed that in 2007, responding companies had an average of four open IT positions for which they were actively recruiting. This year they had only one. CompTIA conducts the survey every other year; the most recent edition, which surveyed 710 companies, came out in February.
“On the other hand, the overall unemployment rate for software engineers is under 2 percent,” Willmer said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistic’s February employment data showed monthly job losses for IT workers that average around 3 percent. That percentage is dwarfed by the sometimes-double-digit drops in employment in other industries, but that’s small comfort to individual job seekers.
The average overall unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in February, up from 7.6 percent in January and 4.9 percent a year earlier.
And, unlike in some harder-hit specialties, declines in pay for technology jobs flattened out during the fourth quarter of last year, according to the Yoh Index of Technology Wages, which has tracked IT pay scales since 2001.
By the end of the third quarter of 2008, IT salaries had sunk to their lowest levels since 2006, according to Yoh. They dropped another 2.4 percent during October and November. But by the end of the fourth quarter, they had recovered enough to finish out one quarter of one percent higher than they were at the same time in 2007.
That slight recovery may indicate good things for IT salaries during the first half of 2009, according to Yoh, though that trend is still uncertain.
However, this apparent bit of good news conceals a darker truth: Companies trying to save money on IT salaries just laid people off instead of reducing their pay, according to Bill Yoh, president and CEO of the research company.
“The latest data continues to emphasize uncertainty in the marketplace,” he said.
VoIP and security jobs opening up
Still, despite the tetchiness of the economy overall, some IT skills remain hotter than others, especially those connected with revenue generation or cost savings, Willmer said.
Projects focused on virtualization, voice-over-IP systems, and Web-site management or enhancement are going great guns, Willmer said.
“The caveat is that many companies are willing to use contract help to complete those projects, rather than hiring people full time,” he said.
Security – a perennial chart-topper in IT skills surveys – is also in high demand. A 2008 IT skills survey from CompTIA showed three-quarters of companies surveyed in nine countries, including the U.S. identified security, firewalls and data privacy as being the skills that will be most important to their organizations during 2009. Only 57 percent of those organizations said they already had enough of those skills in-house.
“There’s more in corporate technology and business-to-business type services than in consumer,” Olson said. “There is a lot of interest in Web 2.0 tech, social media, digital marketing than in some other areas.”
This is not a great market in which to be looking for a job, Wilmer and Olson agree. There aren’t as many opportunities as usual, and there is a lot of competition for the jobs that are being filled.
If you’re focused in your search and up to date in your skills, though, you’re in a much better position as an IT specialist than people laid off in the rest of the corporate meltdown.
“Stay active, professionally,” Willmer said. “Do volunteer work, training online, whatever you need to do. The last thing you want is to end up competing against someone you were equivalent to six months ago, but that person kept up his skills and you didn’t.”
A lifetime career in Information Technology requires skills previous generations of IT executives ignored or scorned. (People skills? What are those?) The present day IT executive should be a master of the technology he manages plus the company lines it supports. What follows would be the eight essential skills, supplied by tech pros themselves, which executives must demonstrate to advance within an IT career.
Technical savvy– There’s no navigating around the fact IT means “information technology.” Your experience must show an established background of leveraging technology to boost performance, productivity and competitive edge. But technical savvy is nothing without …
Business acumen– Hiring managers are looking for those who can integrate understanding of technology with understanding of business. Technology no more just supports business – it drives it. The decisions made around technology, and the capability to identify new products and services which will take an organization to another| level, are among the most crucial made at virtually all organizations.
Communications skills –Perhaps you have seen the “Saturday Night Live” skit where Jimmy Fallon plays Nick Burns, an IT help desk employee who revels {in making end-users feel just like idiots? It’s satire, needless to say, but there’s always a kernel of truth to satire. It can’t hurt to make sure that you’re by no means falling in to the “IT guy” stereotype, especially when you are looking to move up in the industry. Ask trusted colleagues among your organization for feedback on your own communications skills, and take their constructive criticism to heart.
The capability to speak multiple languages – Along the exact same lines as No. 3, it’s very important to be fluent in the languages (and different dialects) of technology, business, your organization’s industry and end-user concerns.
Project management skills – Hiring managers desire to see that you’ve succeeded at project management. It’s not enough to learn your stuff; you need to know about everyone else’s stuff and have the ability to manage the different technologies, business applications, skills and personalities associated with a project.
Certifications – While certifications aren’t at the top of the lists of the experts who spoke with TheLadders, if you choose to list your certifications, you have to also have the ability to articulate how you’ve applied them. “I’m not really a fan of certifications on their own,” companies sometimes utilize them as a filter, but they put much more weight on experience. I’ve seen way too many certificate holders that couldn’t apply that knowledge.”
A curious mind – Hiring managers are looking for those who are always considering how things work and steps to make them better. “I discovered a few of the greatest individuals have the attribute of frequently saying, ‘I wonder why it did that?’ and then learning why.
Flexibility and foresight – The rate of technological change is staggering, and employers require IT pros who cannot just adapt to that particular change but to be out in front of it.
We don’t need to inform you the tech industry is hot. It’s one of the decade’s fastest-growing job markets, which makes it difficult to keep up with – even if you’re employed in the industry. Whether you’re an industry insider or considering a career change to this sector, it’s vital that you know the way the technology job market is evolving, and which skills are most in-demand to help you stay in front of the competition and advance your career.
To find this out, we looked to The Ladders’ newly launched Job Market Guide, which uses real-time data from our community of over 7 million employers and professionals throughout the nation. Our data science team then specifically analyzed current job openings and trending technical skills within the tech industry to find out which professionals are most in-demand by employers. Here is what they found:
2015 Top Trending Careers in Tech:
Here are top takeaways from these findings, and how these insights can be leveraged to strengthen your own career.
The right stuff? SQL, Java, C++ and C# are employer favorites.
We first looked at the top five tech positions employers are most eager to fill, and the core competencies they expect the right candidate to possess. As you may have guessed, today’s top tech jobs require a highly specialized set of skills. But which of these skills are currently most coveted by employers? Having in-depth knowledge of popular programming languages such as Java, C++, Javascript and C# were the most common desires among recruiters.
What does this mean for you personally? In the tech industry, it’s about possessing the proper expertise. Look in your local area and inside the Job Market Guide, and then use the listing of Desired Skills to find out which competencies are necessary to improve your career and stay in front of the pack.
The Industry is good – and not only where you think.
In regards to the job market, national trends aren’t typically that insightful. Why? Location matters! So rather than provide you with a blanketed ranking, they dug deeper and leveraged the Job Market Guide to also identify top trending markets for each one of these roles based on cities with the greatest current demand and greatest earning potential.
What does this mean for you personally? If you’re trying to prosper in the tech industry, you do not have to go to Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley to get a great job market. While cities like San Francisco and New York City top the charts for tech roles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Raleigh, North Carolina also appeared on top of the list for several of these positions. Actually, after factoring cost of living adjustments, you could even earn more in a market like Boston or Washington, D.C.
You do not need decades of experience to be successful.
One last point of interest common among top trending tech jobs is the amount of experience these professionals hold. Although some have 25-year careers, the majority are fresh in the industry with 5 years of experience or less. If you’re thinking about a technology career, it is a great field to get involved with no formal education barrier of other career paths. Browse the five hottest jobs in tech today, and should they interest you, try resources such as this list from Mashable or bootcamp from General Assembly to show you the skills needed for the job!
What you need to know about pursuing an encore career later in life.
Question:
I am 65 and nowhere near ready to retire (physically and emotionally) but I need to find more meaningful work than I’m doing now. What’s the best way to overcome the age issue when approaching potential employers? – J.F. of Annapolis, MD
Answer:
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve spoken to recently who are looking for new opportunities later in life!
Do me a favor and Google the following term today: “encore career”
An “encore career,” also called “recareering,” is defined as an employment transition made during the latter part of one’s career, typically to the social sector or a public-interest field, such as education, the environment, health care, government, social services or nonprofits.
It makes sense. You’ve worked hard throughout your career, doing what needed to be done to pay the bills and put the kids through school. Now the kids are out of the house and you’re considering downsizing. You don’t want to work 60+ hours a week anymore, and you’re OK taking a pay cut to get there. And most importantly, you’re looking for a job that’s not “just a job” – you want a role that helps you give back to the community and that makes a social impact.
You’re not alone.
A 2011 research study conducted by Penn Schoen Berland concluded that nearly 9 million Americans between the ages of 44 and 70 are in encore careers, with an additional 31 million interested in pursuing one. It’s an appealing option for job seekers at retirement age who either need to continue working to maintain a paycheck and medical benefits, or want to continue working while making a lifestyle change.
Here are some things to consider before you leap into that next chapter of your career:
Are you tired of your job, or you have no advancement possiblities and you have been thinking about a new career but not sure how to go about it. Read this and get started on a new and exciting career.
Become explorers in the workforce. However, exploration shouldn’t be restricted to the entry-level professional. In fact, I think it’s healthy to reevaluate your career goals every few years. What you desired in your twenties may not hold true a decade or two later.
Here are five ways to help you explore new career paths and identify your dream job.
Tap into your childhood dreams.
Nothing beats finding a way to turn your passion into a paycheck. If money didn’t matter, what would you do with your life? Brainstorm ten different dream jobs and look for themes among these ideal jobs. For instance, you may realize that your love of the arts or your entrepreneurial spirit keeps surfacing. If you’re having trouble with this exercise, think back to when you were a child. What did you want to do when you grew up?
Research career fields online.
Luckily, there are a number of online resources available to help you explore various career tracks. While they’re mostly geared towards college students and entry-level professionals, they can also be helpful when you’re considering a career change. My two favorite resources are WetFeet’s industry and career guide and The Daily Muse’s career path exploration section. Use these online tools to learn about the good, the bad and the ugly side to any industry and to understand the various career paths available within each field.
Leverage your existing skill sets.
In some instances, you may not be able to pursue your dream job as a career. It may be a little too late in life to suddenly become a prima ballerina. Or perhaps you were never blessed with the natural skill required for such a role. In these cases, search for a position that leverages your existing skill set and experience within an industry that interests you. For example, if you have a finance background, pursue corporate finance opportunities within the fine arts industry for organizations such as the American Ballet Theater (ABT) or Pointe Magazine.
Seek outside counsel.
I often advise clients making a career transition to highlight their transferrable skills. However, not everyone knows which skills to highlight. If you’re struggling to understand where your strengths can be applied in a different industry, talk to someone in that field. This is when informational interviews become useful. Leverage your network to find someone in your target industry and take them out for a cup of coffee to pick their brain. After explaining your work background, ask the person where your skills might fit within their field. This will help you understand which roles are most realistic for you to transition into and what skills you may first need to acquire before you can pursue such a role.
Test-drive a career.
Before you commit to making a career transition, take a career for a test drive. If you know someone who works in the industry, ask if you can shadow someone at their company for a day or longer to get a better understanding of the role and its daily responsibilities. Look for internships or volunteer opportunities related to your target field so you can build networking ties and practice your relevant skill sets. Alternatively, look for part-time work you can do in the evenings or on weekends so you can learn more about your desired field while maintaining your regular paycheck. Not only will these tactics make you a more attractive candidate, but it will help you decide if this path is right for you.
Do companies only hire overqualified candidates? Are cover letters really that important? Separate the facts from the fiction with these clarifications.
Every individual has a job-hunting strategy that they are proud of, along with a list of things a job seeker must never do. Some of it is good advice, and some of it is downright blasphemous. While certain myths of the trade are harmless, others are disastrous to the success of a job seeker. So how do you know which advice to disregard and which to embrace? Let’s expose 10 of the most common myths of the job hunt and offer some useful advice in its place.
Myth: Registering on several online job portals will result in maximum call-backs
This is one of the biggest myths of this industry. Although online portals are accessible and increase visibility, they should not be viewed as having a higher success rate than any of the traditional counterparts like ads in newspapers and magazines. Thousands of people register on these portals on a daily basis and it could take days just for the screening process to end.
Advice: Register on two or three good job boards, and update your resume regularly to stay on top of the results lists.
Myth: A majority of vacancies are posted online or in the newspapers
It’s common practice for job openings to be “closed” or “hidden,” meaning recruiters will search for candidates or get references without ever posting the job online. The higher the title or salary, the less likely it is that the position will be advertised at all.
Advice: Start networking. It is the one and only fool-proof method of knowing what’s happening in the current job market. You have a better chance of finding what you seek if you make connections with others in your desired industry. For example, if you want to work as a freelance writer, building relationships with other writers and editors is your most critical resource in finding a position of your own.
Myth: Changing jobs regularly is frowned upon by employers
People who change jobs frequently, also called job hoppers, have always been scrutinized. However, since the great downsizing of companies and increase of limited-term positions, employers have recognized the need for frequent change. To climb the corporate ladder and get a better salary, job seekers often need to change jobs regularly. It’s not only logical, but necessary for professional development.
Advice: Avoid the really short stints lasting three to six months. Stick to one job profile for at least a year if possible. When writing or updating your resume, focus more on your transferable skills rather than your time duration at a given position.
Myth: Cover letters are not that important
Cover letters must be an integral part of your job-search strategy. A resume just gives an account of your work experience, skill set, and core competencies. It is all but useless if not accompanied with a document that gives a detailed description of why you are uniquely qualified for the particular job profile.
Advice: Every time you apply for a position, send a customized cover letter written specifically for the company that you are applying to. The only exception to this rule is when the employer explicitly states that he does NOT need one.
Myth: A resume and cover letter is sufficient enough to be called for an interview
This ideology is so not true. Maybe if the job market is very tight, or if you are applying to niche positions for which you are specifically qualified, you might land an interview instantly. For all other intents and purposes, this job-search strategy almost never works.
Advice: Shake a leg and be proactive when job hunting. Follow up with every job lead and call employers requesting for an interview, if required. Chances are that you may not be exceptionally qualified for a particular job position, but the employer – impressed by your initiative – might grant you higher consideration, or have leads to other openings.
Myth: Asking for less salary will make you a more attractive candidate
Lowering your salary expectations will only make you look weak. Worst-case scenario, you will be frustrated for the rest of your tenure because you will feel that you were cheated out of the money that you deserved.
Advice: Never initiate the salary topic. Let the employer go through their motions and then set your demands accordingly. As long as they are within the acceptable range of the job profile, the employer, and the organization – you should be good to go.
Myth: You need to be overqualified to get the job
The truth is that the most qualified individual does not always get the job. Employers seek candidates with the mix of interviewing skills, confidence, qualifications, and overall personality that fit with the company.
Advice: Do not be arrogant if you feel you are the most qualified for the job, and don’t be discouraged if you feel that you know a little less than the other applicants. The employer saw something to call you for an interview. Be confident and prove why you are the best contender for the job.
Myth: You will have a tough time looking for a job if you are over a certain age
Gone are the days when people over 50 were considered old. Employers look for education, skills, and experience over superficial, uncontrollable attributes. Your experiences will only add value to your potential candidacy at a new organization.
Advice: Have the right attitude and temperament regardless of your age. If you are a team player and not just a seasoned professional who is unwilling to embrace change, your age will not matter one bit.
Myth: Accept the first job offer you get
Though this may occasionally be true for first-timers, seasoned professionals should refrain from accepting the first job offer they receive. With experience and enhanced qualifications you might get multiple job offers at a time or within close proximity of each other. It is always wise to analyze your options before committing to a position or company. Of course, if the first offer is for your dream job, or the salary package and location is perfect, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
Advice: Weigh your options rationally before you make a career move. If it’s not a perfect fit, hold out for the job offer that makes the most sense for your career.
Myth: Your resume needs to be one page
The length of your resume should be determined by your amount of experience. Resumes should be anywhere between one and three pages. Anything less might deem you inexperienced, anything more is simply unnecessary information that won’t be read.
Advice: A resume should highlight and emphasize on your education, experience, and transferable skills. If you have less than 10 years of experience under your belt, you should probably stick to one page. The more experience you have, the more you can include, so long as it’s highly relevant and unique to you. Do not leave out important information like your achievements and project experience just to limit the length of the document to one page.
3 ways you’re sabotaging your own job search. 
You’ve got your resume together, your cover letter polished, references locked and loaded. You’ve been scouring the job boards for hours, days, weeks, maybe even months – and still haven’t found the right fit. If this is your reality, perhaps it’s time to consider it might be you. Here are three common mistakes that could be the reason the perfect job has yet to come your way.
Keep missing the mark? Maybe you’re aiming at the wrong targets. Obvious as it may seem, you’ll never land a job if you’re looking for jobs that are wrong for you. Think hard about what type of positions you’re looking for and narrow your search parameters accordingly. When looking at a job, ask yourself if the description fits your experience and skill set. Do you feel capable of performing all the listed tasks? Do you truly have the experience requested in the requirements? If the answer is no, you’re likely wasting time and energy. Nine times out of ten, poor searches yield poor results.
Only apply for positions you are qualified for, and try not to be too hard-set on a specific company or position. You may want a big job to write home about with a big Fortune 500 company like Apple or Berkshire Hathaway, but realistically, there’s not enough room to accommodate the entire workforce. Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, try spreading your net wider. Who knows, your dream job could be in a role or with a company you haven’t heard of yet!
You’ve led six-figure marketing campaigns and built homes for needy families out of the kindness of your heart. You should be proud, but how does that pertain to your experience as a graphic designer? A resume focused on your goal profession is the critical resource to get your foot in the door for that coveted interview.
Your resume should highlight relevant strengths and demonstrate that you have the professional skills and background required to excel in a given position. Did you play a part in making the graphics used in that six-figure marketing campaign? Did you design a room in the home you built for needy families? This is what you should be focusing on. Use strong, concise language to make your resume stand out in the over-saturated crowd. Also, make sure your resume is devoid of any outdated or superfluous information.
As the old parable goes, it’s not what you know, but who you know. And this is truer in networking than ever before. According to Forbes, networking is still the best way to find a job in today’s career market. That doesn’t mean to hit up your extended family and entire high school class begging for work, but it’s never a bad idea to phone a friend and ask for help.
Never undermine the effectiveness of network. If you have a friend or family member with connections to your desired industry, use them as a resource. Lean on past colleagues for leads to companies of interest. If possible, talk to someone in a similar role and ask about their story (a proud employee will be happy to share). If it worked for them, it could work for you.
Last year was America’s best year of job growth since 1999. Great news if your New Year’s Resolution is to find a career you love! Now is the time to be proactive. Remember, your job search should be your full-time job. Be open. Be receptive. You never know where you’ll find your dream job!