October 03, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Dreaming of ringing in the New Year with a new job under your belt -- either at your present company or with an entirely new employer? Don't forget that a successful career change takes time, sometimes lots of time. If you want to bust a move in 2008, the time to start laying the foundation is now.
One logical place to start: Compare your skills against our list of disciplines that employers predict will be most in demand -- such as wireless networking, security, business intelligence and machine learning.
When IT professionals first think of trying to nab a promotion or win a new job, they often "run out and get a certification or take a training course to pad their resume," says Grant Gordon, managing director at Overland Park, Kan.-based staffing firm Intronic Solutions Group LLC, which specializes in the IT and engineering industries.
While certification can indeed sometimes be a wise investment, there are other initiatives you can start right now to improve your job situation by 2008. All you need to get started is an investment of time, a good degree of motivation and (perhaps) a change of mind-set.
1. Talk to your manager
Gordon advises job seekers to start close to their workplace -- as close as the boss's office door, in fact. "Speaking up and telling your boss you're capable of something goes way beyond certification or training," Gordon says. A frank heart-to-heart with your supervisor often can help you get that additional responsibility, status and recognition, which is more valuable than any training course, he says.
Talk to your manager about what you need to do to take the next step, Gordon says. "People like to keep their weaknesses well hidden, but I advise them to sit with their boss and ask for more responsibility or find out why they're being overlooked," he says. "Don't always wait to get feedback -- go to your manager and ask, 'How am I doing?' or 'What's next?'"
Even if your manager is not very approachable, Gordon advises that you still seek his advice. "If you ask what professional need he has that you can help fulfill, he'll quickly become more approachable," he says. "The lesson is to leave your own agenda aside and listen to how you can help them."
If you do actually talk with your boss, you'll be one of the few who heeds this particular piece of career advice -- another plus that can set you apart from the competition, according to Gordon. "It's the most crucial advice, but also the most overlooked," he observes.
2. Lose the tunnel vision
Many IT professionals have tunnel vision when it comes to their profession, according to Nancy Moran, vice president of staffing at CCN Inc., an IT workforce recruiting firm in New York.
To get ahead, IT pros need to learn more about the business they're in. "If you work in health care, you should learn about health care. If you work in finance, you should learn about hedge funds," she says. "If you know more about the business, you become that much more valuable to the business."
How to do this? One idea is to talk with end users (really -- they won't bite you). By talking to the people who are actually using the stuff you build or support, you'll get a good functional understanding of how the technology you create affects the business, says Sean Ebner, vice president of professional services at Spherion Corp., a recruiting firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"A lot of developers look at the application they're building, and they don't see it as a link in the broader chain," Ebner says. "You should review the physical design document and talk to end users who will use the tool, which gives you a better view of the overall business."Not only will this grow your personal network, but you'll also gradually start standing out in management's eyes as someone who really "gets" what's going on, complete with the vocabulary and insights to prove it.
Interacting whenever possible with colleagues from other departments can serve to both increase your knowledge of the business and up your corporate visibility.
For example, at the beginning of his career, Ebner volunteered to interview new hires as part of his employer's multilayered hiring process. "It got me access to HR and senior executives in the organization who were part of hiring as well," he says. "I became a common name in a much broader circle."
3. Find a mentor
You've heard it before, but it bears repeating: A mentor can be very, very good for your career.
Mentors can guide you to the next, best step in your career; they can give you perspective on sticky subjects like whether your salary is on par with your peers or whether you're advancing as quickly as you think you should be; and they can help you practice talking to higher-ups in the organization.
How to find a mentor? First find out if your company has a formal mentor program. Companies that encourage mentoring tend to be midsize to large companies that have a passion for talent, according to Elaine Weyuker, a fellow at AT&T Labs Inc. and chair of the Committee on Women in Computing at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
If that's not your company, try joining a professional organization like the ACM, which supports MentorNet, a private, not-for-profit e-mentoring network for engineering and science professionals.
If none of those avenues pans out, don't be afraid to seek out a mentor on your own. "Most people are thrilled to help," Weyuker says.
When approaching someone to be your mentor, describe your situation and say in concrete terms what you hope to get from the relationship. Ask the person to help warn you of pitfalls and suggest positive steps you should take, Weyuker says.
For example, if you're new at the company, you could say, "I feel like I don't know the ropes, and I'd really value your help in getting acclimated," she suggests. If you're itching for advancement in a current job, try, "I feel I'm stuck at my current level, and I'd really value your help in figuring out the steps I should take to advance."
Flattery helps too -- as long it's sincere. Weyuker suggests saying something like, "I'd love to have someone in your position provide guidance and feedback to help me navigate through the early stages of my career."
Finally, if you're worrying about imposing on a potential mentor, drop that notion, Weyuker says. People like to mentor other people. "It makes them feel good about themselves, and they themselves learn from the experience," she says.
4. Show off your writing skills
Again and again, hiring managers emphasize the need for IT personnel to have better communications skills, but exactly how does one do that? One way to start is to write more -- whether it's writing documentation or a blog.
"There's a whole subset in the technology industry of people who translate between the business and the IT department," Ebner says. "Practicing that kind of communication is the best way to hone those skills, and being well-written is an important part."
How to evolve from writing code to writing business-friendly material? Volunteer to be part of the design team and let your documentation writing skills shine. (As always, if you make the team, make sure your grammar, spelling and formatting are of the highest quality, Ebner says.)
Blogging is another way to hone your writing skills, says Allan Hoffman, technical jobs expert at Monster.com, and it's also a great way to develop community and make contacts. In the interest of career development, blog about an area that's of technical interest to you, not about your pet parrot, your vintage video game collection or whatever cool band you saw last night.
A programmer, for instance, might focus on Asynchronous JavaScript and XML and related technologies, while an information architect might follow Web 2.0 trends, Hoffman says. Most important: You want your enthusiasm to come through in your blog, so be sure to write about something that you're passionate about, almost to the point of obsession. "If you're not enthusiastic about it, then don't bother," Hoffman says.
5. Be a joiner
It's easy to sit in your cubicle, but getting ahead means being proactive and demonstrating that you have an understanding of the business environment, says Monster.com's Hoffman. A great way to do that, he says, is to get involved with an IT-related organization, such as a local chapter of the IEEE Computer Society or ACM, and seek to participate by organizing events, contributing to conferences or managing the local chapter Web site.
"By doing that, you'll make contacts and improve your ability to work with others," he says. "It also demonstrates that you're enthusiastic and serious about [technology] as a career."
Another good move is to join an alumni network, a community group or a professional organization in your company's line of work, any place in which you are likely to come in face-to-face contact with senior manager types, from your company and other firms, in a relaxed environment. "If you have the opportunity to have a personal conversation with key decision-makers outside of work, it breaks down the hierarchy," Ebner points out.
Such groups may also give you an opportunity to try out public speaking, something with which few people are comfortable without practice. "It's not easy for anybody, but you can get better at it with practice," Ebner says. Why is this important? "It helps you become more comfortable framing conversations in professional terms."
6. Work for free
Employers want experienced people, but how can you get that experience outside of your job? One good way is to gain it through volunteer work.
If your knee-jerk reaction to that suggestion is "I don't have the time," you might want to think it through a little more deeply. Volunteer positions that help advance your career can be powerful motivators indeed. "I knew a person who volunteered to develop a Java program for Make a Wish in Chicago," Ebner relates. "When her employer said it needed a Java person, she had something to point to -- she could present the applications she'd developed."
Another idea is to contribute to an open-source project, which shows your willingness to learn new things while providing you with experience in that arena.
7. Become an entrepreneur
The best thing you can start doing right now to improve your job situation is to become an entrepreneur, says Chad Fowler, author of My Job Went to India (And All I Got Was This Lousy Book): 52 Ways to Save Your Job.
"I don't necessarily mean you should start your own business, although that might not be a bad idea either," he says. "What I mean is that you should apply the spirit of entrepreneurship to every piece of work you do." In other words, you don't have to run your own company to be an entrepreneur; you just have to take ownership for your work.
In Fowler's terms, that means a person who organizes, operates and assumes risk.
Specifically, "organize" means creating value for your employer by discovering ideas that could change the business and then selling those ideas to your co-workers and managers. "Operate" means taking initiative and managing your own time and objectives instead of always waiting for someone to manage you. "Assuming risk" means trying new things. "If you never fail, you never try anything that stretches your boundaries," Fowler says.
How to apply that thinking to a real-world situation? Imagine you're part of a team creating customer service software for a large consumer products company, Fowler says.
Because you've made a point to spend time with the actual service reps, you notice that they waste a significant amount of time on a certain class of support call. You do some research and determine that adding some business logic into your team's software could save the client's call center 1% of its person-hours per week, resulting in real bottom-line savings.
You work up a proof of concept on your lunch breaks, demonstrate the concept and its associated metrics to your manager, and ta-da! You're given the go-ahead to lead the development of a full implementation of the new feature.
What are you waiting for?
Whether you decide to upgrade your skills, get certified or simply boost your profile in the office, if you're gunning for a career makeover in 2008, it's important to get started now.
In the roiling waters of IT, even a small move now can result in a big tide change later. That knock on your manager's door today could get you that much closer to the shores of a happier work life tomorrow.
One logical place to start: Compare your skills against our list of disciplines that employers predict will be most in demand -- such as wireless networking, security, business intelligence and machine learning.
When IT professionals first think of trying to nab a promotion or win a new job, they often "run out and get a certification or take a training course to pad their resume," says Grant Gordon, managing director at Overland Park, Kan.-based staffing firm Intronic Solutions Group LLC, which specializes in the IT and engineering industries.
While certification can indeed sometimes be a wise investment, there are other initiatives you can start right now to improve your job situation by 2008. All you need to get started is an investment of time, a good degree of motivation and (perhaps) a change of mind-set.
1. Talk to your manager
Gordon advises job seekers to start close to their workplace -- as close as the boss's office door, in fact. "Speaking up and telling your boss you're capable of something goes way beyond certification or training," Gordon says. A frank heart-to-heart with your supervisor often can help you get that additional responsibility, status and recognition, which is more valuable than any training course, he says.
Talk to your manager about what you need to do to take the next step, Gordon says. "People like to keep their weaknesses well hidden, but I advise them to sit with their boss and ask for more responsibility or find out why they're being overlooked," he says. "Don't always wait to get feedback -- go to your manager and ask, 'How am I doing?' or 'What's next?'"
Even if your manager is not very approachable, Gordon advises that you still seek his advice. "If you ask what professional need he has that you can help fulfill, he'll quickly become more approachable," he says. "The lesson is to leave your own agenda aside and listen to how you can help them."
If you do actually talk with your boss, you'll be one of the few who heeds this particular piece of career advice -- another plus that can set you apart from the competition, according to Gordon. "It's the most crucial advice, but also the most overlooked," he observes.
2. Lose the tunnel vision
Many IT professionals have tunnel vision when it comes to their profession, according to Nancy Moran, vice president of staffing at CCN Inc., an IT workforce recruiting firm in New York.
To get ahead, IT pros need to learn more about the business they're in. "If you work in health care, you should learn about health care. If you work in finance, you should learn about hedge funds," she says. "If you know more about the business, you become that much more valuable to the business."
How to do this? One idea is to talk with end users (really -- they won't bite you). By talking to the people who are actually using the stuff you build or support, you'll get a good functional understanding of how the technology you create affects the business, says Sean Ebner, vice president of professional services at Spherion Corp., a recruiting firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"A lot of developers look at the application they're building, and they don't see it as a link in the broader chain," Ebner says. "You should review the physical design document and talk to end users who will use the tool, which gives you a better view of the overall business."Not only will this grow your personal network, but you'll also gradually start standing out in management's eyes as someone who really "gets" what's going on, complete with the vocabulary and insights to prove it.
Interacting whenever possible with colleagues from other departments can serve to both increase your knowledge of the business and up your corporate visibility.
For example, at the beginning of his career, Ebner volunteered to interview new hires as part of his employer's multilayered hiring process. "It got me access to HR and senior executives in the organization who were part of hiring as well," he says. "I became a common name in a much broader circle."
3. Find a mentor
You've heard it before, but it bears repeating: A mentor can be very, very good for your career.
Mentors can guide you to the next, best step in your career; they can give you perspective on sticky subjects like whether your salary is on par with your peers or whether you're advancing as quickly as you think you should be; and they can help you practice talking to higher-ups in the organization.
How to find a mentor? First find out if your company has a formal mentor program. Companies that encourage mentoring tend to be midsize to large companies that have a passion for talent, according to Elaine Weyuker, a fellow at AT&T Labs Inc. and chair of the Committee on Women in Computing at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
If that's not your company, try joining a professional organization like the ACM, which supports MentorNet, a private, not-for-profit e-mentoring network for engineering and science professionals.
If none of those avenues pans out, don't be afraid to seek out a mentor on your own. "Most people are thrilled to help," Weyuker says.
When approaching someone to be your mentor, describe your situation and say in concrete terms what you hope to get from the relationship. Ask the person to help warn you of pitfalls and suggest positive steps you should take, Weyuker says.
For example, if you're new at the company, you could say, "I feel like I don't know the ropes, and I'd really value your help in getting acclimated," she suggests. If you're itching for advancement in a current job, try, "I feel I'm stuck at my current level, and I'd really value your help in figuring out the steps I should take to advance."
Flattery helps too -- as long it's sincere. Weyuker suggests saying something like, "I'd love to have someone in your position provide guidance and feedback to help me navigate through the early stages of my career."
Finally, if you're worrying about imposing on a potential mentor, drop that notion, Weyuker says. People like to mentor other people. "It makes them feel good about themselves, and they themselves learn from the experience," she says.
4. Show off your writing skills
Again and again, hiring managers emphasize the need for IT personnel to have better communications skills, but exactly how does one do that? One way to start is to write more -- whether it's writing documentation or a blog.
"There's a whole subset in the technology industry of people who translate between the business and the IT department," Ebner says. "Practicing that kind of communication is the best way to hone those skills, and being well-written is an important part."
How to evolve from writing code to writing business-friendly material? Volunteer to be part of the design team and let your documentation writing skills shine. (As always, if you make the team, make sure your grammar, spelling and formatting are of the highest quality, Ebner says.)
Blogging is another way to hone your writing skills, says Allan Hoffman, technical jobs expert at Monster.com, and it's also a great way to develop community and make contacts. In the interest of career development, blog about an area that's of technical interest to you, not about your pet parrot, your vintage video game collection or whatever cool band you saw last night.
A programmer, for instance, might focus on Asynchronous JavaScript and XML and related technologies, while an information architect might follow Web 2.0 trends, Hoffman says. Most important: You want your enthusiasm to come through in your blog, so be sure to write about something that you're passionate about, almost to the point of obsession. "If you're not enthusiastic about it, then don't bother," Hoffman says.
5. Be a joiner
It's easy to sit in your cubicle, but getting ahead means being proactive and demonstrating that you have an understanding of the business environment, says Monster.com's Hoffman. A great way to do that, he says, is to get involved with an IT-related organization, such as a local chapter of the IEEE Computer Society or ACM, and seek to participate by organizing events, contributing to conferences or managing the local chapter Web site.
"By doing that, you'll make contacts and improve your ability to work with others," he says. "It also demonstrates that you're enthusiastic and serious about [technology] as a career."
Another good move is to join an alumni network, a community group or a professional organization in your company's line of work, any place in which you are likely to come in face-to-face contact with senior manager types, from your company and other firms, in a relaxed environment. "If you have the opportunity to have a personal conversation with key decision-makers outside of work, it breaks down the hierarchy," Ebner points out.
Such groups may also give you an opportunity to try out public speaking, something with which few people are comfortable without practice. "It's not easy for anybody, but you can get better at it with practice," Ebner says. Why is this important? "It helps you become more comfortable framing conversations in professional terms."
6. Work for free
Employers want experienced people, but how can you get that experience outside of your job? One good way is to gain it through volunteer work.
If your knee-jerk reaction to that suggestion is "I don't have the time," you might want to think it through a little more deeply. Volunteer positions that help advance your career can be powerful motivators indeed. "I knew a person who volunteered to develop a Java program for Make a Wish in Chicago," Ebner relates. "When her employer said it needed a Java person, she had something to point to -- she could present the applications she'd developed."
Another idea is to contribute to an open-source project, which shows your willingness to learn new things while providing you with experience in that arena.
7. Become an entrepreneur
The best thing you can start doing right now to improve your job situation is to become an entrepreneur, says Chad Fowler, author of My Job Went to India (And All I Got Was This Lousy Book): 52 Ways to Save Your Job.
"I don't necessarily mean you should start your own business, although that might not be a bad idea either," he says. "What I mean is that you should apply the spirit of entrepreneurship to every piece of work you do." In other words, you don't have to run your own company to be an entrepreneur; you just have to take ownership for your work.
In Fowler's terms, that means a person who organizes, operates and assumes risk.
Specifically, "organize" means creating value for your employer by discovering ideas that could change the business and then selling those ideas to your co-workers and managers. "Operate" means taking initiative and managing your own time and objectives instead of always waiting for someone to manage you. "Assuming risk" means trying new things. "If you never fail, you never try anything that stretches your boundaries," Fowler says.
How to apply that thinking to a real-world situation? Imagine you're part of a team creating customer service software for a large consumer products company, Fowler says.
Because you've made a point to spend time with the actual service reps, you notice that they waste a significant amount of time on a certain class of support call. You do some research and determine that adding some business logic into your team's software could save the client's call center 1% of its person-hours per week, resulting in real bottom-line savings.
You work up a proof of concept on your lunch breaks, demonstrate the concept and its associated metrics to your manager, and ta-da! You're given the go-ahead to lead the development of a full implementation of the new feature.
What are you waiting for?
Whether you decide to upgrade your skills, get certified or simply boost your profile in the office, if you're gunning for a career makeover in 2008, it's important to get started now.
In the roiling waters of IT, even a small move now can result in a big tide change later. That knock on your manager's door today could get you that much closer to the shores of a happier work life tomorrow.