IT Dream Career
Industry Insider Strategies for a Successful Job Search Campaign
Information Technology insiders reveal how corporate IT shops work and what key decision makers are looking for in new hires.
How to to develop a Professional Network and influence others to work for you to get that job you want.
How to optimize your Digital Search and how to craft your Personal Brand.
How to establish your Professional Values and identify your Skills and Talents.
How to write an attention-getting resume that will peak the interest of IT manager.
How to become a better Story Teller and nail the interview everytime.
12 Easy Steps to Finding Your Dream Job in Information Technology
Step 2: Map Your Career Path
You have made a decision to seek out your next professional opportunity. You have
decided to move on from your current position or maybe that decision was made for
you. Either way, you now have the opportunity to closely examine your career path.
Certainly your next job will determine the amenities you will be able to enjoy such as
the home you live in, the car you drive, the holiday trips you will take, and the schools
your children attend. But have you considered the effects the job will have on you as
a person and ultimately the people around you, especially your spouse and children.
If you do not spend time examining and re-examining your career path, you
risk getting lost in a lifetime of dissatisfaction and unhappiness. It is completely up to
you to manage your career. It is a lifelong process, and you will need to be proactive,
resourceful, and self-aware. But it is simple. It is as simple as defining your short term
goals, your long term goals and the intermediate steps and jobs you will need to take
to achieve your dreams.
This step will help you identify a career track that fits your
skills and ambitions.
Step 4: Identify Your Talents
Your skills and talents are vital to your future career success. What you like to do and
what you are confident in doing play an important role in your future career satisfaction
and success. You will need to take inventory of your skills, talents, and strengths. Skills
are abilities you develop, talents are born, and strengths make you the best at what
you do. A skill is a capacity you have developed that can be used in different ways.
It is said that by our late teens we have acquired more than 400 work focused skills.
Can you imagine how many you have developed by your 30s, your 40s, your 50s?
Unfortunately, most of us are using only a small portion of our skills and the majority
of us are using the wrong ones in our daily activities. We are not using the skills that
are our true talents and our true strengths. Finding your dream job requires that you
understand the skills that matter the most, the skills that are your true talents, and the
ones that are your strengths.
This step will help you flush out your talents and identify
your strengths.
Step 7: Craft Your Personal Brand
You are the product, and the product must be attractive to a potential employer. We
all have an image, whether we are conscious of it or not. Ask yourself, does my image
reflect my professional standards? When you walk into a meeting or an interview,
does your appearance say who you are and does it demonstrate the image you desire
others to perceive? Clothing and appearance are among the most important criteria
we use to judge other people. Conservative business clothing covers 90% of your body;
naturally it makes a very powerful statement. You can easily influence how someone
else thinks of you by choosing the appropriate attire. After all, you never get a second
chance to make a first impression. When you walk into that interview, you want to
look successful and successful people generally dress successfully. The message you
want to send is that you feel good about yourself and that you are confident. If you feel
confident about your clothes, hairstyle and make-up you will present a positive and
confident image.
This step will prepare you for every encounter with a potential employer
during your campaign.
Step 12: Seal the Deal
Most of us feel we are underpaid for our hard work and dedication. Salary.com
published the following statistics: 61 percent of people ages 18 to 34 and 55 percent of
people ages 35 to 54 say they are not compensated fairly. The topic of money and salary
will come up during your job interview. You must be prepared to properly handle the
inevitable compensation discussion and negotiate for the salary you want and that
you need. Think of it like bidding on a house, go to the negotiating table with three
numbers in mind, a high, a low and a mid-point. The high in this case is your target
and the low is the minimum you will accept. Be prepared to give a range if asked, the
range would be your mid-point to your high. For example, if your high is 115k and your
low is 95k then your asking range should be 105k to 115k, with 95k being you absolute
lowest. By having these numbers in your head in advance, you will be prepared to have
this discussion with confidence and ease. This final step in the process will prepare you
for this fairly awkward, but extremely important conversation.