Finding the Right Technology Job for You

Community Guest Blog By Peter Lehrman, Certified Personnel Consultant

It’s not easy getting a technology job these days.  Especially one that is right for you.  There seem to be many jobs available, both temporary and permanent.  The entire country has technology openings and recruiters are hard pressed to find the right applicant to match the cultural and technology fit of their organization.  Let’s explore the reasons together and ask some of America’s technology leaders for answers.

While it appears many technology jobs have gone offshore; that isn’t the case.  There are thousands and thousands of technology jobs onshore.  Why companies keep jobs on shore is because they cannot replace the customer facing roles, the work that cannot wait and are tired to offshore work that is of poor quality.

There are IT jobs all over the country, from entry level to senior management; how do you find the right one for you?  There are a number of things to consider:  will you relocate, will you contact companies directly using LinkedIn to find the names, do you want to use a recruiter (there are thousands of unposted jobs that only recruiters know about), which web sites should you use (Dice, Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder and The Ladders) and other factors to consider.

Information technology hiring remains stronger than other sectors.  Employers are particularly looking for candidates with specific skills such as Java, SAP, Linux, C++, .Net and Python. There is particularly strong demand for professionals with experience in network, desktop and application development, as well as those with military security clearance. Experience with Web application development technologies and server-based applications are particularly beneficial.

There are great jobs in Silicon Valley, in the biotech research capitals of Boston and Raleigh-Durham and in advanced manufacturing plants along the southern I-85 corridor. These companies recruit all over the country and the globe for workers with specific abilities. You don’t need to be the next Mark Zuckerberg to get a job in one of the microhubs, by the way. But you will almost certainly need at least a B.A. in computer science or a year or two at a technical school, according to Ananth Krishnan, CTO of Tata Consultancy Services.

The combination of management skills, breadth of technology understanding and depth in one or two areas of technology or business domains is what companies look for. While knowledge of specific IT skills, such as SAP, .Net or RIA technologies are needed, to find that project, process and program management skills as well as enterprise architecture, solution architecture, design and modeling, test and verification are equally important skill areas. And, some niche areas like assembly language programming never seem to go away!

Right now I see that the No. 1 certification is PMP [Project Management Professional] certification, says Paul Pennington, IT Search Consultant With The Judson Group. It's a detailed process, much like the bar exam. When the client sees applicants with PMP, they know they are what they say they are. Also, being a CISSP [Certified Information Systems Security Professional] goes a long way in networking and data. With the new health-care initiative, electronic medical records, it's big. Security certifications are starting to carry a lot of weight.

Employers are looking for versatile workers who can wear many hats in the workplace. More and more, individuals will be required to demonstrate leadership skills and the flexibility to adapt quickly as the pace of change accelerates. Job seekers can best position themselves for a job with a well-respected company by gaining what we call a 'T-shaped skill set.' This implies that companies are looking for experts with high degrees of creativity, problem solving, communications, customer relations, computing, collaboration and teamwork in the 21st century workforce, says Mark Hanny, VP ISV Alliances and Academic Initiatives, IBM.

"Having domain or previous sector experience in one of these 'hot' sectors -- clean technology, mobile, consumer Internet/social media, and infrastructure software, particularly virtualization and cloud computing technologies including companies like VMWare or Citrix Systems -- absolutely positions you better than the next candidate, but functional expertise is also of great importance, says Rebecca Foreman Janjic, Executive Recruiter At Polachi.

Finally, writing a good resume is very important.  Your resume must be in reverse chronological order explaining in details everything you’ve accomplished in your career.  A functional resume is a death knell:  no one can tell what you did where; so, do not write one of these.  In addition, cover letters are practically useless; no one reads them.  Writing a top notch, clear resume in reverse chronological order is the best thing to prepare.  You must email it to your prospective employer.  Email/snail mail a copy to a manager to you’ve found on LinkedIn and directly to the HR professional in charge to the company; make sure you send a copy to both people.  Then, pick up the phone and call the manager directly and introduce yourself by leaving a message or speaking directly to them about how you can add value to their organization.

If you’d like to find more contacts, LinkIn with me; send me an invitation and I will accept it and you’ll have access to thousands of more managers than before.  My network in LinkedIn is millions strong.

Happy Hunting!

Peter Lehrman, CPC, is a senior technical recruiter with Mitchell Martin Inc.   Mitchell Martin Inc. (MMI) is a staffing and solutions firm established in 1984, specializing in the recruitment of Information Technology professionals. The company provides staff augmentation, solutions, permanent placement, and payroll services to a wide range of clients.

The company is headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in New Jersey, Ohio, Georgia, and Minnesota. Currently, MMI has more than 1000 consultants engaged at fortune 500 and technology clients in more than 25 different states. MMI offers candidates access to the most distinguished firms in Financial Services, Insurance, Publishing, Media, and Management Consulting verticals.

MMI has been named one of the "50 Fastest Growing Staffing Firms in the US," by Staffing Industry Analysts for the last 2 years.

We welcome you to experience the MMI difference at: www.mitchellmartin.com and see why “your talent is our passion”.