Breaking into the IT Industry

by Paul Griffin

Changing to an IT career:

There are a lot of people that want to break into the IT industry, but they face a dilemma: they aren’t certain whether or how they should make the switch from their current career. This article will offer some helpful hints for anyone looking to make the change to a new and rewarding IT career.

The first and most important thing for any candidate is to understand the industry. Any candidate serious about an IT job will want to become familiar with publications that are popular with those in the industry. These publications include “Fast company”, “Business 2.0″ and “The industry Standard”. Candidates should always strive to gain understanding of key business principles and common problems within the technology world. Jargon is very important in this industry. If you’re working for an internet company, you’ll want to know the difference between “hits” and “unique”.

Update your resume:

If you haven’t switched jobs for a while, you might notice that resumes and job searches are completely different these days. You may want to invest in a professional resume writer or at the very least, do some research on how to write a modern resume. There are a lot of new things that employers are interested in, and a lot of old things that you should no longer put on your resume.

Your resume shouldn’t be too lengthy and should contain only quality information. Employers like it when you keep the message to the point. The point of the resume is to get you an interview. You can explain things in detail there. It’s important to show career highlights and while you certainly do want to explain your day-to-day work, your work history should focus on achievements. If they want to know anything specific, they will ask you in the interview.

Establish your relevancy:

You are looking to enter a new field. In order to impress an employer, you’ll want to draw comparisons between your past achievements, and the employer’s expectations. Present your experience in such a way that it looks relevant to the position you are applying for. This takes a lot of creativity but the goal is to have a prospective employer view your accomplishments in the most positive light. Most successful companies have similar processes and procedures even when the industry or product is greatly different. Normally training is provided for any company-specific tasks.

Search online:

It’s important to establish that you are familiar and comfortable with technology. Working online is the fastest way to get your resume to employers. Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones that are less visible so dig deep in your internet services. Less visible employment offers attract less applicants and that means less competition for you. Many companies do not post on big job boards like Monster.com and instead will just post job opportunities on their own web site. There are services that crawl company websites to retrieve these postings, one notable example is Hound.com. Whatever tactic you choose, make sure that you do take the time to apply to positions off the beaten path.

Never Stop Learning:

In the IT industry, things change fast and it’s important to keep your skills up-to-date. Employers are more likely to make an investment in a candidate who has first invested in themselves. There are many globally recognized IT certifications that will signal to an employer that you have highly marketable IT skills. The most common entry level certification is the CompTIA A+, and it’s likely that many employers will require this certification. There are a number of certification training companies online that can help you to prepare for your A+ exams.

Stay motivated:

If you’ve had success in your current industry, you should be able to obtain success in IT, but you need to have the proper motivation to learn and devote your energy towards moving up.

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Aug201024

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