by
Jim Staats
| Aug 17, 2012
Takeaway of the week is a tidy set of suggestions to help the would-be IT job candidate: Expand your horizon from the technical know-how to "business 101" skills, be opinionated, flexible in your approach and cognizant of the big picture.
Oh, and employers without fully-formed technical training programs? Your valued staff may not be yours for long.
Five to Strive
To reach the altitude of the rising stars of the IT industry, it takes a little bit more than rock-star coding.
Knowing how to properly communicate, negotiate and lead are a few of the seemingly simple professional abilities that help distinguish professionals more often these days, according to a recent piece in InformationWeek.
Such "soft skills" may be the key to standing out as a strong candidate in a percolating IT job market. Here are five key ones:
- Ability to express strong opinion - it's not just having the technical knowledge, but being prepared to weigh in on how to use that knowledge when asked. Be opinionated.
- Be curious - the good IT pro is always striving, seeking and willing to try new things in order to stay up-to-date.
- Good writing skills - writing code is one thing, but being able to communicate what you've done in system documentation, email and instant messaging is sometimes valued just as highly.
- Flexibility - just as technology changes at the speed of light, so are the professionals in the industry expected to take on the new languages and trends that make it go.
- Big picture attitude - while it's nice to have a specialty, don't overlook the benefits of seeing the big picture of applications and the like.
Good Growth in the Market
Things continue to look up for the IT job market, according to recent labor statistics.
A confluence of cloud computing and heavier reliance on Web offerings to bolster businesses is reflected in a net increase of 20,400 IT jobs in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As pointed out in a report this week on the Total Training site, during a time when many people are looking at gloomy job prospects, candidates with solid technical skills and an IT background are in high demand.
The statistics, when broken down, show positive growth in several categories including computer system design (10,400 jobs), telecommunications (7,000), data processing, hosting and related services (1,900) and other information services (1,100).
As Victor Janulatis, CEO of the management consulting firm, Janco Associates, said, "This looks like a marked improvement of the job prospects for IT professionals."
Training: The Missed Opportunity
More software engineers and related professionals aren't getting the necessary training for their skillsets from their employers, a new survey says.
In part because of this, an overwhelming number of respondents to the poll done by employment agency JAM recruitment say they're considering career moves as career growth.
A new article on ComputerWeekly on survey findings noted that 79 percent of the more than 400 engineers surveyed were planning a move due to dissatisfaction with pay and opportunities for career progression.
More than half of the engineers who took part in the survey felt their current employers were not investing enough in improving the skills of their workers.
"With fewer skilled people around, employers need to look seriously at how they can engage and retain key staff," said Daniel Turner, director of engineering and manufacturing at JAM.
Survey findings also show a good deal of blame for the current skills gap should be pointed towards education standards.
More than half of the respondents felt computer science degrees don't do enough on their own to prepare graduates for the workplace. A large percentage of respondents also believe teaching methods may be turning young people away from careers in software and electronics.