16 secrets to surviving today's technical job market

16 “Secrets” to Surviving Today’s
Technical Job Market
AKA…
“How to Avoid Becoming
Part of the 95%”
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Successfully Delivering Messaging & Job Search Solutions for CIOs, CTOs, Tech Executives, Tech Experts
& Business Leaders at Top National & Global Companies, Start-Up & Venture Capital Firms, Government
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#1. Recognize that résumés
aren’t dead, but they are ailing.
95% of technical professionals will all do the same thing; the same thing they’ve always done...
They’ll toss out a résumé (even maybe a decent one) and then hope for the best.
But there are so many more tools at your disposal today, from project highlights options to
innovation pages to LinkedIn profiles to online bios, and hiring is going more and more social.
So although the traditional résumé is still required, employers are slower to pull the trigger when
vetting talent, and they often need more of a push than the résumé gives them.
That’s why some technical pros (the 5%) have made a radical adjustment over the past year, to
continue to embrace the chronological résumé (because it still serves a purpose) but to build in
addenda or portfolio pages to go along with the résumé that, when used properly, can help build
in flexibility and prepare you to face different hiring scenarios.
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For more on
this, check
out
“How to Get
a Whole Lot
More Than
Just Another
Technical
Resume.”
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Your Technical Résumé Portfolio Arsenal Options
• Chronological Résumé
• LinkedIn Profile
• Cover Letter
• Marketing Brief
• Bio
• Thank-You Template
• Infographic Résumé
• Problems-Solutions-
Results (PSR) Page
• Innovation Page
• Testimonials Page
• Project Highlights Page
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For more on why we advocate for a portfolio approach, check out our presentation, “Move Over Resume, Hello Portfolio.”
But it all boils down to one thing: We’re interested in doing what works. Aren’t you?
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How certain can you be about your
current résumé?
If you’re starting to wonder how effective your current résumé
would be in today’s market, we’ve designed a short quiz
(takes ~1 minute to complete):
How Certain Can You Be About Your Current Technical Résumé?
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#2. Brush up on those
soft skills.
Today’s tech industry is asking more from its tech
leaders than just tech knowledge and
certifications (although they remain important
too). It wants to see strong soft skills as well.
For more on this, check out our article “The
Softer Side of Tech” (http://ow.ly/uNgUE).
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#3. Be prepared for
non-techies competing
for tech leadership roles,
at least in some places.
Here are some key attitudes that are now starting to take hold in this arena (again, right or
wrong, good or bad):
• Soft skills are more important than tech skills.
• Non-tech people can learn tech “on the fly.”
• Business intelligence is an avenue into the tech world.
• We can never have too many project managers.
The general advice to non-techies is to brush up on some tech “lingo” (aka computer code) and
sell, sell, sell those communication and fast-learning skills.
Therefore, those with a technical background need to be prepared to showcase how their
experience, combined with the soft skills, makes them a MUCH better asset.
A portfolio helps do that because (1) your 95% of your competition will certainly not have
one and (2) it can showcase both sides of you, from the knowledgebase to the soft skills.
I know, I know…you shouldn’t have to go to that much trouble, right?
Your experience should be enough, right? In a rational world, maybe…
Many job market watchdogs think the
tech job market is ripe for non-tech
people because soft skills are so
paramount. Some non-tech companies
are embracing this.
The general belief, right or wrong, is
that “anybody” can learn tech…at least
enough of it to get by (while the rest is
outsourced to service providers
anyway…the true “techies”).
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#4. Don’t ignore technical
recruiting!
Take ‘em or leave ‘em…recruiters are here to stay…at least at the moment, and especially in
the technical arena. If you know how to use them to your advantage, they can be a great
pipeline for you throughout your tech career. But not all of them are right for you, and you
can waste a lot of time on them if you are not properly matched with them.
For a more in-depth look at technical recruiting, check out
“How You Can Leverage Recruiters to Build a Career Protection “Pipeline” :
http://ow.ly/viTjn
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There’s no doubt
social recruiting on
LI is on the rise.
The stats paint an
interesting picture:
• 93% of recruiters use LinkedIn
to find talent
• 89% of them are hiring from
LinkedIn
Click on
image
to find
out
more
For 5 years in a
row, tech
recruiters have
reported “a lack
of skilled
candidates as
their greatest
challenge and
social media as
their greatest
opportunity.”
(study by
Bullhorn)
This should be
good news for
properly
positioned
technical
pros…
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How does your LinkedIn profile
rate?
To help you get a better feel for where you currently stand with your
LinkedIn profile, I’ve developed a simple self-assessment survey you can
take that is quick to do, free, and helps you compare your profile against
those that are having more success on LI in building a recruiter “pipeline”:
LI Profile Optimization Self-Assessment
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#5. Think audience, audience,
audience, not you, you, you.
A lot of tech pros (that 95% again) make the mistake of thinking that technical fields come
down to credentials and background only and overlook a key ingredient: audience.
It’s important to know what matters to your target market, and it isn’t always what you
think it is. In fact, hiring decisions today are often less made on credentials alone. (In fact,
they are more often made based on benefits; so think benefits, not features!)
Don’t get fooled into thinking that just because you work in tech you know what companies
are looking for in regard to tech. You might just be surprised to find out that your perception
is much different from the hiring reality.
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#6. Understand how a portfolio
solution can maximize your personal
branding.
Companies want to see how you problem solve, how you lead,
how you apply your tech skills to business solutions, and the types
of soft skills you excel at. Again, when done properly and when
submitted properly, having additional options to the traditional
resume can help you meet this demand.
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For more on what we mean by “portfolio,” please check out http://ow.ly/viT6C
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Meet John Chavner from our CIO.com Resume Makeover Series
He was a senior/executive IT leader who was having difficulty representing his experience in a way that was most
relevant to today's market. Here's how he tells it:
"While I have always had positive feedback on my resume, this makeover process for me was about getting the
presentation of the content positioned for today's marketplace. A favorite saying I once heard rings true in this
case, 'Presentation will dictate response'," says Chavner.
When we began working together, I challenged John to set aside his understanding of conventional resume wisdom
to look at what is really working in today's hiring process. As a result, we began building more of a portfolio-based
approach, something that is often overlooked but highly effective.
The first document we created was John's traditional resume, but in addition, there were specific projects to which
he wanted to draw attention, including a stint as a CIO for SkyFiber. Therefore, we created a Project Highlights
document that included additional background and details of his three most important initiatives, which helped to
provide richer context about his career, knowledge, and achievements.
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To read more about the process we went through, check out the following article
written by Sharon Florentine of CIO.com, where she highlights both John and I:
Resume Makeover: Presentation Dictates Response
In the end, John received interview offers within days of submitting his new portfolio approach, and he summed up
his experience as follows:
"I figured my resume was something I should just be able to do on my own. But the finished results exceeded my
expectations, which was surprising. While I had no preconceived ideas of what the completed document should
look like, I did not know that Stephen could organize such a radical transformation with the same basic
information. He was able to tell my story better than I was. My resume is now a proper marketing document and
not just a list of facts and numbers," Chavner says.
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#7. Capitalize on tech as a
strategic business partner.
The general consensus is that tech as your “friendly” neighborhood strategic business
partner will manifest itself through the use of all kinds of new and “hip” titles (let’s face it,
the easiest way to look like you are making a transition is to change a job title!).
Here are some we have come across and that will ramp up throughout the new year:
• Business Intelligence Analyst: Now, this title isn’t exactly new, but it is generally
new to the IT arena now that big data is driving focus on business intelligence.
• Director of IT Infrastructure: The idea behind this title is strategic visioning, advising
CIOs (or whatever title they will be going by soon) on such things as the best
networking and cloud-based technologies for your organization.
• Chief Knowledge Officer: Although there seems to be a lack of agreement on
exactly what this role entails, generally speaking, it is a subject matter expert in the
company’s industry that also has expertise in technology [you know, a little
knowledge can sometimes be a dangerous thing :-)].
• Technology Solutions Engineer: This title is the very essence of the transition in tech
for this role is meant to look at all kinds of business problems and produce various
options, using technology, to solve them.
For more on this, check out “IT: Your Friendly Neighborhood Strategic Business Partner”.
Tech knowledge in combination with
business acumen/industry experience is
often king in today’s hiring decisions…or
at least companies claim that it is.
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#8. Welcome the era of
women in STEM.
According to the latest reports, females could be the answer to helping to “stem”
the talent shortage across STEM fields.
According to recent reports, 45% of the MIT student body alone is female,
showing a closing of the gender gap in this arena.
For a more in-depth discussion, check out She-Geeks: Is This The Era of Women
in STEM?
Also, see our highlight in MORE magazine: Should Women Learn to Code?
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#9. Don’t be caught with your tech career
pants down: Jobs are plentiful, but length of
job search is holding steady.
Despite the plethora of job openings out there, the length of
time out in the tech job market is holding steady:
1 month/$20K in salary
That’s 5 months for a salary of $100,000.
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With the 5%
who are
building
technical
resume
portfolios,
however, we
are seeing the
average
search drop
by as much as
74!
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#10. Dare to be different: Don’t get
sucked into the job board black hole.
We get it. They are alluring. They advertise hope. They make it seem easy.
Sometimes they actually work.
In reality, they are extending the job search process with 100-150 candidates submitting resumes for every 1 job posting.
Jobs boards continue to be the least effective job search method; yet they remain the one most used.
There are other options!
You don’t have to be a slave to such an ineffective method, and it can be made easier than just attending networking mixer after
networking mixer…In 2015, ITtechExec introduced concierge-style job search solutions that went outside of job boards to put our
clients in contact with companies through other avenues. It takes some leg work, for sure, but the amazing results have
convinced us that Job Boards are too ineffective to rely on them soley.
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Job searching isn’t about 1
method; it’s about a diversified
approach. Why not create as
many pipelines as you can?
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Are you prepared today for
tomorrow’s career move?
To help you get a better feel for where you currently stand in preparing for
tomorrow’s career move, I’ve developed a simple self-assessment survey you
can take that is quick to do, free, and helps get you thinking about where you
are and where you need to be:
Career Move Preparation Self-Assessment
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Maybe you can relate….
A lot of times we know what we “should” do, but
either we don’t do it or we just wait until we have to
because:
• We no longer have the ambition we once did
• We have kids to raise and focus on
• We believe the obstacles we will face in the
market are too overwhelming or exhausting to
face
• Work no longer matters much
• We’re too busy
• We always figure something out when we need
to
• We’re not really sure what we want to do next
• We have external concerns that weigh on us
• We have other unfulfilled goals and dreams
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If any of that sounded like
you, that’s OK
Check out some of our client stories and how they ended up:
• Making It Through the Tech Career “Goo”
We also have a presentation done for our PMP and program management
clients that pertains to other positions as well. It highlights 2 of our clients and
the experience they had in the market:
• Branding Secret for PMPs and Project/Program Managers: The Portfolio
Approach
If you’re wondering whether ITtechExec might be a good match for you, take
our 1-minute anonymous compatibility quiz:
• Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You?
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#11. Don’t chase after
Google so much.
Of ALL the companies in
the U.S., 99.5% have less
than 100 employees.
Most job seekers fail to match themselves up
with smaller companies, targeting instead the
bigger fish (along with everyone else).
But the smaller companies are starved for
strong tech talent and typically have less
bureaucracy when it comes to hiring.
An effective Employer Profiling campaign can
help open doors in this area.
Yet, 95% of all tech candidates keep
chasing the .5%, the Googles and
Apples and IBMs.
That opens the door for opportunity if
you’re willing to do a little research
and dirty work first.
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#12. Don’t wait for your
credentials to do the
talking.
Although certain certifications, degrees, and other credentials
have a lot of value in today’s market, they still don’t “sell”
themselves (or you) the way most tech pros think they will.
You still need to know how to position them in the market.
When it comes to specific skills, we have written extensively on
the latest skills in demand by today’s companies.
You can visit Co-Founder Stephen Van Vreede’s blog. Here are
just a couple articles he has posted there as a sample:
• There’s Value in That Security Clearance
• Do You Have a Top-Paying IT Certification?
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How much have you
invested in the Technical
Career you've built so far?
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#13. Know location, location, location and
industry, industry, industry.
It’s important NOT to confuse your location or your industry as indicative of the
entire state of the tech job market. Find out where opportunity lies.
Here are some differentiators:
• The U.S. Manufacturing Job Turnaround?
• The Engineering Job Market: 2014 and Beyond
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting Healthcare IT
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#14. Recognize that
you’re employer loves
you, really, it does; it just
has a funny way of
showing it.
With companies crying out for more sophisticated talent, they claim they
are starting to appreciate the talent they do have more.
BUT just because companies are talking “retention” doesn’t mean they
are just going to give away bonuses and salary bumps (or at least good
ones).
More than likely as Baby Boomers continue to retire and other talent
leaves for another opportunity, these companies are still going to do
what most companies do…make you compete for the openings left
behind.
In other words, even with this push for retention, if you want to stay,
you’re still going to be asked to work for it AND a portfolio approach is
definitely the way to go because an internal job promotion is the
RISKIEST career move there is, believe it or not.
For more on this, check out “Employer Retention Will Be on the Rise: Will
You Be Prepared?”
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#15. Think Quality AND Quantity when it comes to social media,
LinkedIn in particular.
For more on this, check out our post called “The Age-Old Social Media Quality vs. Quantity Debate”.
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Does today’s job search and social media all just seem like a big game to you? Honestly, it kind of is. Technology, as
much as we love it, has taken the traditional job search process and made it more convoluted…and expensive. The good
news, however, is that some tools are opening up opportunities that were much harder to find before.
The challenge is in knowing which game is worth playing for you.
Check out my own career story for why I do what I do.
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So like it or not, if you plan to be in the tech job market for the next 5, 10, 15+
years, what is your answer to this market going to be?
Getting your resume ready is a start, but it’s only a start.
At the same time, though, you don’t need to do everything (or buy everything!).
You can waste a lot of resources doing that.
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This should be a
no-brainer, BUT
But that’s not the end of the “secrets”…
Let’s Do What Works*
Set up your complimentary Upcoming Career Move Prep Session with Technical Resume Writer & Career Strategist, Stephen Van Vreede.
Simply click on the calendar image below to schedule your appointment. (If you can arrange to have Internet access during the call, then
he can share his desktop presentation with you.) You will receive 1 confirmation email and 1 follow-up note from Stephen sent through
our Appointment Core admin:
It’s not. Very
few pros are
willing to adapt.
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#16. Don't Get Stuck in
the Muck with the 95%
If you just plan for one career
move at a time, no matter where
you are in your career, you could
be making an expensive mistake.
OK, so along with still putting all their eggs in
the proverbial “resume” basket, most
technical professionals also fail to be “ever
ready.”
They know they kind of need to be, but they
get stuck in that period of time where work
and life take over, and the last thing they
want to do is keep their resume, much less a
portfolio, updated.
But Proper Maintenance Is the Key to the
Whole Thing!
With the rapidly shifting market we seem to
be in, and career moves happening every 3-4
years or less, technical professionals in
particular are being forced to keep their
options open, at all times.
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Yes, expensive.
Career services and job search support solutions are booming, especially in tech, thanks
to growing demand (lots of career moves and lots of competition for positions) and to
social recruiting processes (companies are vetting candidates much more now).
So you can expect prices to double for these services over the next few years.
At the same time, when uncertainty hits, if you are not prepared for the market as it is
then, any amount of employment gap hurts your wallet. It’s extremely expensive to be
out of work, and employment gaps make life even tougher, especially with recruiters.
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ITtechExec’s own Stephen Van Vreede alongside business guru Brian Tracy
released best-seller unCOMMON in 2015. Click here to receive a free
hardcover copy shipped right to you (no s/h; continental US only):
Get a Copy of unCOMMON
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Background on Stephen Van Vreede & ITtechExec:
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From Tech Job Market Zoo to Corporate Goo...
How to Protect What You’ve Built So Far.
First and foremost, I am a sci-fi fantasy NUT. I read as much of it as I can possibly get my hands on. I'm also a golf
"daydreamer," which means at this stage of my life, I get to daydream about being on the golf course more than I
get to play it. Keep in mind that I do live in Rochester, NY, where we see sun for a solid 14 weeks a year, IF we're
lucky, and that's about it, so there's that (and, thus, why I am inside reading a lot). :-)
When I am not daydreaming about golf or geeking out on sci-fi, I run, alongside my wife, Sheree, and our Job
Search "Agent", Sue, an innovative small business called ITtechExec that recruits on behalf of up-and-coming
"tech" leaders, which includes IT operations, engineering, supply chain/logistics, manufacturing, project/program
management, CIO/CTO, and more.
Unlike traditional recruiting, which works for the hiring organization, our company works on behalf of the
individual as an advocate in the process providing, in addition to résumé design, what we call "concierge job
search solutions." It is a cutting edge approach in which a high-quality service partners with a high-quality
candidate.
This way we help professionals navigate through the job search process, from designing résumé portfolios to
conducting concierge job searches.
To learn more and see some samples of our work, check out:
• How to Get a Whole Lot More than Just Another Technical Resume
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Background cont.:
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From Tech Job Market Zoo to Corporate Goo...
How to Protect What You’ve Built So Far.
Here is how we describe our approach:
“You know, some people just toss their résumé up on a job board and hope for the best. It's like wanting to be
movie star thin and never working out. Your odds of success are pretty poor. Our solutions were built in reality.
Landing that great opportunity requires hard work and dedication in today's world; the 1990s and 2000s tech job
market is no longer; you've got to "work out" more now, so to speak. But it's not all bad because what we've done
is create an approach that comes up alongside you and makes the weights a little lighter; takes some of the
pressure off; and keeps you from just ‘hoping.’ Why do people pay for fitness trainers? Do they really not know
how to do a push-up? Run on a treadmill? No, they hire a trainer because they want to succeed, and they know
they need someone with the right background to get them there. They still have to show up; the trainer makes it
more manageable...in our case, it's even better because we do some of the heavy-lifting and we help you realize a
better livelihood. And who doesn't want that?”
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If you’re wondering whether ITtechExec might be a good match for you, take our 1-minute anonymous
compatibility quiz:
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16 secrets to surviving today's technical job market

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