Over the past two decades IT recruitment has become a huge industry in and of itself. The growth of computers and digital infrastructure in the modern workplace has been profound and this has driven a greater intake of qualified professionals for development, maintenance and implementation of IT systems across organisations of all sizes and scales.Today, it is believed that over three quarters of those in employment make use of IT as part of their job role’s central duties. This is particularly so in administrative roles, where 90% of managers, professionals and secretarial/admin staff cite the use of computers and computer systems as central to their daily activities.This use of IT systems is supported by the 900,000 people in the UK who work directly in the IT sector as well as the 600,000 people working in IT or telecoms in other industries. Overall it is estimated that one in twenty (5%) people in employment work in IT, working in roles that are often unseen by other members of staff but which are vital to the continued performance of everything from individual workstations to network security and cloud data storage systems.Despite the wide range of IT-based qualifications in existence, recruitment to the sector places more emphasis on experience and ability than academic education. In fact such qualifications are generally earned on-the-job rather than in academic study prior to employment and as such, most IT-related degrees have a heavy emphasis on vocational studies.Often selection is based upon the individual’s knowledge of a network system, a programming language, or other such case-specific disciplines within IT. However existing familiarity with the proposed system is not always vital. Like any other industry, the candidate’s personal ability in technical and analytical skills. Of particular importance, according to the 2008 TARGET jobs report on IT, are skills such as problem solving, analytical thinking, flexibility and adaptability, as well as perseverance and motivation.The key to successful progression and advancement in IT though is communication – the ability to make technical issues and other details understandable to outside departments – and the ability to understand how IT relates to the company’s overall strategy and can affect profitability. Whilst these are almost exclusive to the ability to actually work with the complexities of IT systems in practice, they are vital to progression to the management and consultancy roles which make up the upper end of the IT sector.
Are Your References “Professional”?
What do your professional references say about you? Ever think about it? You should because no matter how good your interview went, if your references don’t say good things about you….you’re not getting that new job you want. Seems kinda harsh doesn’t it? But it’s true, a bad reference can single handedly sink an otherwise great opportunity.Ironically, most people pay little to no attention to their references. I hear things like “I haven’t talked to him in ages.”, “I didn’t really work that closely with her.”, “I’m just his friend” but my favorite is the “one word answers” – yep, no, yes, maybe, absolutely. Joking aside, if you aren’t taking the time to really cultivate and inform your professional references you are putting yourself at a disadvantage in any job search. Someone who takes their job search seriously has educated, informed, prepared and PREDICTABLE references. I recall a candidate interaction a long time ago where the recruiter asked a reference “Would you hire so and so again?”. Simple stuff, nothing major, should be a straight forward response and it was just that….”I wouldn’t hire that guy to stock shelves”. End of interview, no hire, thanks for playing. If your references say they wouldn’t hire you again, it’s pretty bad but when they go out of their way to torpedo your application it’s apocalyptic.Without further adieu, a few quick tips on how to give the best professional references:1) Give people who you know, trust and who will absolutely, positively say nice things about you – I know, right, who WOULDN’T do that? You’d be surprised. I’m not even going to talk about this anymore, do your homework, call your references so when they talk to potential a employer they don’t throw you under the bus.2) Give a former manager – Again, I know, not rocket science. I’m always happy to hear how great a guy someone is, or how they play a mean guitar or how they can finish Halo without dying……….but, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. I want to talk to someone who can tell me what kind of an employee you’ll be once you are hired. Former managers are critical to making sure any potential employer can get the info they need to hire you without reservation. If you don’t have a former manager who’ll say nice things, try someone else in a leadership role. You need someone besides your lunch buddies to say nice things about you, especially in a competitive job market like we have now.3) Make sure your references are available and expecting the call – This one drives recruiters crazy. Nothing more frustrating than leaving voice mail after voice mail for a reference only to follow up with an email that bounces back “On vacation until September 2013″. Good times! It’s common courtesy for everyone involved and will help also make sure our references say nice things about you.4) Have a few people recommend you on LinkedIn – Simple stuff, and frankly it doesn’t matter if this is a former manager or not. With the rise of social networking, more and more companies are searching the web for potential hires. No better way to reinforce that you are a quality hire than to have a well groomed LinkedIn profile that has several people singing your praises.5) Keep in touch with your references to make sure you have a big stable of people to use -This is the final tip, and probably the most important. You want to keep in touch with people who can serve as great professional references. Seriously, think about it. How many former managers can you give that would say nice things about you? The more you have, the better off you’ll be long term. You don’t need to talk to them every day, week or even every month however, you should be just touching base once every quarter or two, JUST in case you need them or, get this…..maybe they need you. That’s right, your former boss may be looking for a job and need a “former direct report” to say nice things…next think you know you guys are colleagues again. So, trust me on this one, figure out who will give you a stellar reference and then maintain and build on that relationship.That’s it, nothing crazy, nothing complicated. Follow these simple tips and I can guarantee you’ll have much more success converting those interviews into offers.
Starting A Photography Business? – 11 Reasons Why You Should Not!
We are always confronted with the positive if not the encouragement to look at why we should open or think of starting a photography business. Sometimes it is suggested by those around you and often it’s a personal whim. I thought it would be beneficial to perhaps look at the ‘other side of the coin’ and answer why some people should not be starting a photography business even if you’ve got enough money to do so.Here are eleven reasons why you should not be starting a photography business. For the sake of easy reading I’ve placed these in bullet point fashion,- If you believe that your fantastic photo ability on its own will attract an abundance of customers, think again because there are some great phoographers out there and there will always be one that you can learn from- If you like to avoid conversation with strange people or just people in general you are unlikely to survive running your own photography business- If you think that the term customer service is a useless cliche and is an overrated term, then starting a photography business is not for you. The ‘best of the best’ keep on surprising their new and existing customers with little extras they simply were not expecting. As a result their customers become loyal and won’t go anywhere else- Being pleasant in unusual circumstances or when the subject is getting tired and irritable is essential – do you have that skill?- Living on a budget while you struggle to make ends meet but still do all of the above is not for the faint hearted – discipline and staying powere is also essential- Someone who jumps in without learning anything about starting a photography business and equally important, making it profitable is bordering on stupidity (this one is for the cheap skates who blame everyone else except themselves when it all falls down)- Not having enough cash flow to see the early period through before the business becomes profitable. Some of you are clever enough to have another job while they build a clientelle if they don’t have enough cash in the tin- Not deciding on what photography business(es) they would like to specialize in before they start- If you’re aren’t sure whether you enjoy photography or not- If you suffer from any kind of depression regularly- If you have difficulty in understanding why ‘the customer is always right’ then starting a photography business is not a good look for youNone of these points are intended to be offensive just factual. I apologize if any of this information struck a nerve but better you think about this now than too far down the track – right? Starting a photography business is a big move.