Careers, Consulting,

1
Careers, Consulting, The Value-Added
Technologist

• Matthew Moran
• The IT Career Builders Toolkit

2
Objectives

• Challenge or Confirm Your Belief About IT Career
  Development
• Force You To Rethink (or think) Your Strategy

3
Is IT a good career choice?

• A resounding
• YES!!!!

4
The Past 3-4 Years

• Failure in general for IT to deliver on its
  promise.
• Industry Abuse
• Semantic Cultural Barriers

5
Industry Abuse Project Overruns
Project Manager (5-7 years) 300/hr. x 1
2,400/day
Project Leads (1-4 years) 225/hr. x 2 3,600/day
Puppies (6wks 2 years) 150/hr. x 4 4,800/day
Project Totals 10,800/day 226,800/month
2,721,600/year
6
Examples

• Nick Burns
• KPMG/Computerworld Study
• Recent articles in Computerworld, IT World,
  EWeek, and others
• Personal experience

7
IT Growth By the numberswww.bls.gov Largest
Job Growth BLS View
8
IT Growth By the numberswww.bls.gov Largest
Job Growth Matts View
9
IT Growth By the numberswww.bls.gov Hottest
Jobs! BLS View
10
IT Growth By the numberswww.bls.gov Hottest
Jobs Matts View
11
3 Keys to IT Career Success

• A Career Perspective
• An Attitude of Partnering
• The Value of Value

12
Career Myth 1

• Career Development occurs on the job only.
• CAREER TRUTH 1
• A career is the ongoing development of skills,
  attitudes, and relationships that lead you into
  and through various professional positions and
  objectives. - No Job Makes A Career, No Job
  Breaks A Career

13
Career Myth 2

• Career advancement is best gauged by incremental
  financial increases.
• CAREER TRUTH 2
• Career advancement will often require a trade
  pay/prestige/position for opportunity
  mentality.

14
Career Myth 3

• Careers are Linear In Nature

15
Career Truth 3

• Careers are chaotic and fluid adaptability is a
  key

16
Promote an Attitude of Partnering

• An Agreement between 2 parties trading value
• The man is not trying to keep you down.
• Place the organizations goal(s) as paramount
• Learn to Match Agendas everyone has one

17
The Value of Value

• We are all working on pure commission
• Find a place where they place value on the value
  you bring.

18
How Do Technologist Add Value

• Understand The Role of Technology
• InformationThe storage retrieval of
  information for analysis and decision support.
• AutomationThe Automation Delivery of a
  Product or Service.
• Concept Over Process

19
COP Premise

• A perfectly designed implemented project,
  technology, or process that is based on a flawed
  business understanding or concept will produce in
  a perfectly-flawed result..
• and the adverse
• A less-than optimally designed implemented
  project, technology, or process that is based on
  a solid business understanding or concept will
  produce a solution..
• The first is a costly throw-away. The second is
  a solution that can be further optimized.

20
Rapid Opportunity Developmentfinding a job
really fast!!!

• A change of perception
• From need to value
• You and I know the need exist but employers are
  looking for value
• From job seeker to opportunity generator
• We are all working on commission, move into a
  sales role
• Do you have a valuable commodity

21
The 1-Page Resume

• Does not need to be fancy
• Does not need to be long
• Does not get you a job
• Does not even get you an interview
• Is part of a Professionals Marketing Plan
• Yes, you are in sales marketing!
• I hope you have a valuable commodity

22
Job Search Dynamics

• Middle of the alphabet
• LMNO
• Lucid Message Need Opportunity
• Remember what Bolles taught us
• What color is your parachute

23
The Job Search Dilemma

• Where are you in this picture?

24
One-Page?? Are You Kidding?

• Brevity, to a busy employer, is a great virtue.
• The resume works with the cover letter.
• Your cover letter gets the personality
• Time is our most valuable commodity and I truly
  appreciate yours.
• I can provide a more detailed professional
  summary if desired.

25
The Formula/Framework

• Geo Contact information
• The must be able to reach you
• Beware of email addresses and domains you own
• sexykitten_at_hotmail.com or studman55_at_yahoo.com are
  both BIG RED FLAGS!!!!
• Objective
• optional, I dont recommend You want a job
• Professional Skills
• I said professional..
• Professional Summary
• Relevant items only unless new to market
• Education
• Pertinent
• Interest/Clubs/Hobbies
• Dont even think about it
• Carefully about playing the alma-mater card

26
The One-Page Resume Distribution

• Determine what your ideal job looks like
• Create an image to shoot for, not to land
  initially.
• Determine your geographic needs
• And now for the scary part.
• Visit the companies in your geographic preference
  zone
• Company size is less important than culture and
  growth
• Role Responsibility is more critical than title
  and evensalary

27
Selling A Valuable Commodity You!!

• The Secret Introduction
• Getting Referred To Opportunities
• From People You Dont Know!
• Follow Up Is Simply Follow Through
• I want and expect a professional answer
• Belief In The Value You Bring Is Key

28
Parting Shots on Creating Opportunity

• You are either a value-add or a necessary
  expense. One is viewed in terms of how quickly
  or cheaply it can be replaced while the other is
  indispensable.
• Your are not what you do and you are not your
  title!
• You are what you achieve/solve
• Being effective is better than being good.

29
? Questions Comments ?

• My Info
• website http//www.cbtoolkit.com
• The Forums _at_ CBToolkit.com
• http//www.cbtoolkit.com/forums
• email info_at_cbtoolkit.com
• blog http//blogs.ittoolbox.com/pm/career