So you just got your foot in the door at the company that you’ve been targeting for years and the interview for your dream job is tomorrow at 4PM. You’re understandably nervous, but don’t kick back and relax. It’s time to put the nose to the grindstone and prepare!

You start off by reviewing the job description and clicking around on the company’s website. Do you think that this is enough? I sure hope not….

In today’s market, you need to do much, much more…..

·         Do research on who you’re interviewing with

o   LinkedIn

o   Facebook

§  Sounds Odd, but Just Do It

o   A simple Google Search

·         Hop on Interview Tip websites, and get the 4-1-1 on how the company likes to interview

o   My personal favorite is GlassDoor, but there are tons of options

·         Write out answers to typical behavioral questions, i.e…..

o   Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult manager

o   Tell me how you start a project

o   How do you manage geographically diverse teams?

·         Think of off-the-wall questions…

o   https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130513133713-658789-12-unconventional-interview-entrepreneurs-should-ask?trk=tod-posts-art-

·         And do I even need to say these things?

o   Get your Suit Dry-Cleaned!

o   Get a Haircut!

o   Make the drive the Day before, so you know where you’re going!

o   Arrive 15 minutes early!

All of these things are so simple to do, and it’s shocking how many people don’t do these.

You’ve worked hard over the past 8 years to get a shot at landing this job, and here’s your chance. You owe it to yourself to give it your best shot, so PREPARE!

TechCrunch.com recently released projections from Gartner on Global IT Spend, and it’s very positive. They are projecting global spend to hit $3.8 Trillion (with a ‘T’). That’s a massive 4.1% jump over 2012. Here’s a link to the full article (http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/28/global-it-spend-will-rise-4-1-to-3-8t-in-2013-with-mobile-and-enterprise-leading-the-way/)  

So how does this affect us on a local scale? Well basically it means that it is a great time to be involved in anything IT. Gartner believes that the areas that will see the greatest % rise in spend are in Devices, and Enterprise Software. With that being said, Telco and Services will still hold the #1 & #2 slots in terms of overall spend.

If you have been waiting for the perfect moment to make a change or take on a new challenge, now is the time to start looking, as we are about to see a flood of new projects.

With that in mind, take some time this weekend (in between March Madness of course) to revamp your resume, dry clean that suit, and last but not least, reach out to a recruiter to take the pulse of the market. I’m sure that you won’t regret it!

We’ve all heard the line “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” to the point of certain nausea, but this adage carries more weight than you might think.

This adage is really at the core of what Staffing Firms or “Headhunters” do for a living. We are the group of people that may not be able to teach a class on AGILE Development or write 10 lines of Java code, but I can assure you that we know the people that can (which ultimately gets the job done, that’s the important thing right?).

I’ll give an example outside of the IT Staffing industry to prove that this adage rings true.  A good friend of mine recently purchased a motorcycle, and it simply wasn’t running correctly. He tried to fix the problems on his own with a little help from Google and YouTube, but it simply was not panning out, so he reached out to his network. Lo and behold, a distant class mate from high school (10+ years ago) turns out to be a motorcycle mechanic. They synced up, worked out a deal, and got it fixed. The value that his network provided was a $500 savings. Simply reaching out and asking for help, yielded a repair job at cost.  It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Whether you prefer attending Local User Groups, Attending Seminars in your Field, Scouring LinkedIn for Lost Connections, or even waiting on a phone call from me (a recruiter), it can never hurt to build your network.

With that being said, next time you receive a phone call from anyone here at Anchor Point, simply take the time to build your network. Who knows? We might have that perfect position that you’ve dreamt of, or even the perfect role that you didn’t know you were looking for.

Personal Networks are fundamental in growing your career, which can result in a higher salary or better working conditions.

So remember: It’s not who you know, it’s who you know from high school that can repair your new motorcycle.

I recently read an article in the New York Times (Do Job Titles Really Matter?) regarding the significance of Job Titles, and it made me ponder the question: How Important are titles?

The author pointed out both side of the argument. On one hand, you have the group of individuals who care a great deal about their titles, and believe that titles carry a good deal of weight. The counter argument is that your title doesn’t matter; it’s your day-to-day duties and their impact on the organization. Personally, I prefer the latter.

Working as a Technical Recruiter (yes, that’s my title), I peruse hundreds of resumes each week, so I would like to think that I have seen about 98% of the IT Titles out there. I’ve seen everything from the standards, Senior Project Manager to Application Engineer, but I’ve also came across titles (yes, on resumes) like Master .Net Ninja and Mobile Rockstar. To me this screams that the societal norms surrounding titles are shifting, even if it’s just within the IT sector.

With that being said, I have had deals fall through because the position was titled an “Analyst” and not an “Engineer.” To me that’s absurd, but again there are some valid reasons for placing stock in a title. Some people believe that certain titles command more respect than others or that it means they’ve reached a life goal.  

Honestly, I can see some validity in that. But from my perspective, you could give me the title of “Voicemail Assassin” or “Introduction Facilitator” and that would not change my day-to-day role or view on my position.

There again, that is only my opinion. What do you think? Feel free to comment or drop me a piece of mail with your thoughts.

From conversations that I have had as of late, I have noticed that a vast majority of the workforce is still too timid to make a career change. It’s true that the layoffs are still happening and the US Department of Labor continues to publish stats that say unemployment is sky-rocketing. These figures are probably true, when the market is looked at as a whole, i.e. across all industries and regions, but when the market is segmented into locations and industries; it is certainly not the case. I can tell you first-hand that the IT Job Market in Indy is booming!

It is a time of rebuilding, and businesses all around town are starting this process with IT. People are starting to re-think the way in which they do business, which calls for new pieces of software or hardware to support it. If you are reading between the lines, this means that they will need people to customize/test these products, implement the solutions, and then train the whole organization on the new tools.

So now is the time to make that switch to a new organization, get in on the ground-floor and become an invaluable resource.

Whether you are looking to try your hand at consulting or just looking to switch careers, don’t wait!

Just give it some thought, and then give us a ring to discuss your options!

Now that you have crafted the perfect resume, do not let the incorrect use of there/their or your/you’re or even the infamous two/too/to mistake happen to you. It will make the impression that you just spent 15 minutes on your resume, not the 7 hours your actually did. Too (yes I am aware) of the easiest ways to avoid this mistake are: 1) Do NOT use contractions, 2) Actually have someone besides yourself proofread it!

Extras

If you worked at one organization for 4 years and another for 2 months, the organization that you spent 4 years at should have a lot more detail.  

If you are highly technical, provide a skills summary that shows all of the pieces of technology that you are familiar with, how many years of experience you have, and when the last time it was used.

If after reading this blog, you still do not think that you are heading down the right path, just give me a ring and I can walk you through it.

Let’s face it, life can throw all you for a loop sometimes. So regardless of your current situation, you should always be prepared for the unexpected. We have all heard this before, but not often enough, do we act upon it.

Take for instance, the recent dismissal of Peyton Manning from the Colts’ roster. Who would have guessed (even after he didn’t start last year) that he might not end his career here in Indy. I sure didn’t, but that’s just it. Change happens, so deal with it (and be prepared).

Now Peyton has found himself in the same position that many IT Professionals could find themselves in one day. Fortunately, there are things you can do today to help you tomorrow.

• Keep Your Skills Current!
  • It’s great that you are a Certified SCRUM Master, but when exactly did that happen again? 1998? Well then what have you done since then to better yourself?
  • This is a question that you should always be prepared for. Hiring managers want to see that you are motivated, and eager to learn new things (even if it isn’t work related).
    • If your reading a book on Philosophy (that counts), if you are pursuing your PMP (that counts), if you are a volunteer for a disaster relief agency (that counts)
    • Clearly, taking a class on AGILE today is more relevant that learning how to surf or ski, but none the less it shows initiative.
    • The important thing is that you are getting out there, getting exposed to new things, learning new skills
• Network!
  • Now if you are taking the above bullet point seriously, this should be cake.
  • Honestly, go out and go to IndyJUG if you are a Java Developer or trying to become one. Go to PMI meetings if you are a PM. If you are happy in your current role, take the call from the recruiter at 9AM. That last one seems a bit odd right? Not really. It is always good to have a recruiter on your side, through good times and bad. You just never know when change will happen, so fielding that call could be the difference between being unemployed for 1 week or 1 year.
    • What would Peyton do without an agent?
• Don’t Burn Bridges!
  • Yes, Indy might be the 12^th largest city in the US, but still word travels fast.
  • You just never know when you might run into the same folks you worked with a decade ago, so make sure however you leave an organization, do so on good terms.
    • That "kid" in the mailroom, might be a Director in 10 years

We all will go through ups and downs in our lifetime, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be prepared. Just keep learning new things, meeting new people (taking that call from a recruiter), and building relationships with them.