Career Advice for New IT Professionals: 10 tips

1. Career Advice for New IT Professionals: 10 tips Tim Jacks tjacks@siue.edu Linked-In: www.linkedin.com/in/tfjacks

2. My background • Corning • PC Support • Network Engineer • Manager of IT Customer Support • Manager of student intern/co-op program • Consulting • Piedmont Health Alliance • Data Center Manager • Lowe’s Home Improvement • Manager, Corporate Support • Manager, Hardware Services

3. #10 Answer the Big Question • The Big Question:What do you want to do? • Worst possible answer: “I don't know.” • Possible entry level jobs: programmer, PC support, business analyst, junior telecom analyst, trainer, operations, technical writer/documentation, junior security analyst, desktop publishing, webmaster, systems analyst (servers) , multimedia specialist, social media analyst

4. Why U want 2 B a network engineer when U grow up  • Help Desk / Tech Support: ~$39K-49K • Computer Operator: ~$41K-51K • Network Administrator: ~$51K-61K • Web developer: ~$53K-63K • Programmer: ~$62K-72K • Network Engineer: ~$68K-78K • Project leader: ~$76K-86K • Information security: ~$77K-87K • Storage architect: ~$86K-96K • Not just good money. Network people get exposure to the whole enterprise!

5. Source: 2012 SIMposium

6. #9 – Keep tweaking that resume • Spelling errors send your resume straight to the trash can. • Get many people to look at your resume, preferably people in management. • Customize your resume for every single individual job you post for. • Sign up for a resume workshop.

7. #8 - Get specificabout your IT skills • Nobody cares if you know MS Office! • MS Office includes Access, Publisher, Visio, Outlook, OneNote • What do you know how to do in MS Office? • Other possible items • Operating systems, Database platforms, TCP/IP and other networking protocols, Troubleshooting tools and CLI commands from CMIS468, SDLC, Web development, Programming languages, Multimedia, Wireless configuration/security, PC Troubleshooting, PC installation/configuration, MS Project, MS Sharepoint, Cloud computing, Backups • Don’t forget SAP!

8. #7- Get specific about business skills • Most students forget about these. These are actually more important. • Possibilities include: • customer service, teamwork, organization, communication (written, oral), presentation, planning, negotiation, attention to detail, leadership, project management, financial management, vendor management, contract management, documentation, time management, punctuality, accounting, sales, merchandising, inventory control, mentorship, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, HIPPA privacy, ITIL • Don’t forget POS

9. #6 Weigh the pro’s and con’s of technology certifications • I have many caveats about certifications! • Focus on your GPA first! • Certifications might help. Might not. • Knowledge is good. Paper is just paper. Consider training classes, don’t necessarily need certification. • 4-year degree is better. (Certification only good for 3 years.) • Study abroad is better. • Work experience is better. Consider an internship, even if it’s unpaid! • But the real advantage in a training class is it’s yet another networking opportunity for you! • Ask prospective employers if they’ll pay for certifications

10. My opinion • CompTIA A+ certification • vendor-neutral • 2 exams, $178 each • (Notice they have a new healthcare technician path!) • http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified/steps_to_certification.aspx • Microsoft certification • Very vendor-specific • MCSE is being revamped. • Old: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer -> New: Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. • http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-overview.aspx • Start with MCSA in either Windows 7 or 8, Windows Server 2008 or 2012, or SQL Server • 3 exams, $382 • Cisco certification • CCNA • Very vendor-specific, but principles are applicable everywhere • http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learning_certification_type_home.html • 1 exam, $295 Heads-up: Pricing is for the exam, not the training.

11. Things that stand out to employers more than certifications • Are you willing to relocate? • Are you willing to travel? • Are you willing to work off-shift? • Are you willing to be on-call? • Are you bi-lingual? • Then say so!

12. #5 – Use Social Media • If you’re not on Linked-In, you’re a loser. • Twitter, too. • This is how employers are finding motivated, tech-savvy people now.

13. #4 – Consider temp/contractor work • Rent-to-own; try-and-buy; foot-in-the-door • Low risk for everyone • Examples: TekSystems, Pomeroy, CITP, CRG

14. #3 – Do research on hot IT skills • Health care informatics!

15. #2 – Don’t screw up the interview! Don’t get lost or be late. Don’t dress like a slob. Don’t accept coffee. Don’t say “no one will hire me”. Don’t mess up the “weakness” question. Do know what the company does. Do ask questions. Do sit on the edge of your seat. Do ask for a business card. Do know the difference between types of interviews. Never, ever ask about salary until an actual offer is made.

16. The Salary Game • If they ask “What do you want to get paid?”, you say… • “I’d like to be compensated fair market value for the job that is being offered.” • If they ask “What do you need to make?”, you say… • “I’d like to be compensated fair market value for the job that is being offered.” • If they ask “Fine, What did you make at your last job?”, you emphasize that that was a different job and… • you want to be compensated fair market value for this job • If they ask you what that is, you can refer to a source that says the range for this type of work is between $x and $y

17. #1 – Persevere! • 5-10 applications per week • Might fill out 50 before you get an interview! • Some interview cycles are short, others are long • Some never get back to you • Set deadlines for yourself, block out time each work day. Finding a job is your job.

18. Technology people who understand business • This is not just a t-shirt, this is your creed. • This is what hiring managers want to see! • This is the answer to the last interview question!

19. Career Advice for New IT Professionals: 10 tips Tim Jacks tjacks@siue.edu Linked-In: www.linkedin.com/in/tfjacks