Advice for Job in today market
A former student came to see me. He is unemployed and find it is difficult to get job in today market. He has been a programmer for the past five years. I asked him what kind of work that he is looking for and he said: “Any kind of development work in C and C++ but no Java or J2EE because I do not like that kind of work”. I asked him “Would you consider other works like design, architect or project management? He hesitated for awhile and said: “I could try but I do not know much about those works since I was a programmer for a long time. Maybe I can do testing if there is work”.
Finding job in a highly competitive market is difficult if you have only limited skill such as programming and testing. These skills are suitable for beginner, for student who just graduated but for someone with many years in the industry, it would be more difficult. Why should a company hire a person with many years of experience, pay higher salary when they can hire someone with the same skills for much less. This is a common problem for people who believe that they have a secured jobs based on what they learned in school but do not continue to learn new things.
The software industry is changing very fast with new technology and new skills emerging all the time. Keeping up with these changes is not easy but to survive, people must continue to improve their skills and knowledge. Without appropriated skills, they could be eliminated from the job market. Knowledge and skills are key factors in getting good jobs in this highly competitive market as each year, more and more people are entering the field. With globalization, software people can come from anywhere, any country, and they are motivated to get jobs that pay high salaries. If you do not continue to upgrade your skills, you will not be able to compete. The “rule of the market” is to learn new knowledge, new skills and always looking for better opportunity to advance your career. Following are some ideas that you may want to follow:
- Know what you want to do. If you see a job that that you want but do not qualify, reassess your skill and take additional trainings to obtain that skill and prepare for the next opportunity.
- Every year, you should look at the job market and identify what is hot and what is not. Make a list of all the good jobs then review your skills to identify your strengths and weaknesses then take the necessary action to make sure that you have the skills needed. Update your resume and add in your new accomplishments. (For example: Just complete the software management course, finish several classes on project management and information system management etc.)
- Your accomplishments and skills are your value to other people. In the current market, every company is looking for skilled people with incentive on continuous learning so take the time to articulate your strengths and how you can be valuable in your preferred job.
- Although skills and knowledge are very important, many companies are looking at practical experience within a relevant role as an equally important factor in choosing the right candidate for a job. If you are working for a job for more than four years without any advancement, you may not be viewed as a “Good enough”. A programming job is good for newly graduated students but after few years, you must move up to other jobs such as technical leaders, system architect, project manager etc.
- Most companies do not expect much for university students or newly graduates, because they know that most do not have working experience but they do expect more from people who have several years of working in the industry. If you do not demonstrate the ability to move up or gaining additional skills then you will not be viewed favourably because the pay is significant different for non-experienced and experienced workers.
- For those already working in jobs, you need to continuously improving your knowledge and skills by assuming more responsibilities. In many cases, companies may be willing to let their employees take additional trainings, manage projects or additional roles that would otherwise require them to hire additional resources. For an employee, this is a good way to prove their value to their current employer and also a chance to build up their skills for when the next job.
Today, Information Technology and business are being fully integrated. Technical skills is a good foundation but after few years working in the industry, you also need to have business knowledge too. The ability to demonstrate a good understanding of the business environment will make you a much better candidate for advancement into management or senior positions in the company. On the list of most global companies, Information Technology people who can manage technical works to meet business objectives is the most desirable with the highest salary possible. That is why Information System Management is one of the hottest field in the industry today.
As we all know, Information Technology is a constantly changing industry and it is important that students are aware of and adapt to the changes as best they can. When it comes to apply for job or looking for a new challenge, knowing what the employer is looking for will help to put your skills on the top of their “Must hire” list.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
