ISSUE

Global Information Technology

12
December 2011

JobPrep

The Voice of Career Insight

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Don't know where to start? If you're straight out of school and feel like you need a place to grasp the basics.

In this issue
Impact of IT Certifications P.1 Interview Tips P.2 5 Tips for Everyday Success P.3 Outlook on the Job Market P.4

Will I.T. Certifications get you jobs and raises? Survey says Yes!
Debate rages among IT professionals over the value of certifications, but a survey of 700 network professionals jointly conducted by Network World and SolarWinds may help put that argument to rest. Among those who earned certifications, most saw a significant boost in their careers as a result. Some 60% said a certification led to a new job; 50% said they earned more pay, with 40% saying their pay increased by more than 10% directly because of a certification; and 29% said a cert led to a promotion. Respondents also offered advice on when to get certifications and which ones to get. Interestingly, they named Cisco certifications as the most valuable. defense contractor when one contract expired by moving to a different contract due to the certifications I held," another said. Since three-quarters of respondents had certifications, that means one-quarter (26%) saw no value in them. "I have no certs to my name at all. I do have an MBA. I have been in IT hardware and network admin/engineer roles for over a decade now without a single piece of paper related to the field. Even network professionals earning the highest wages -- more than $110,000 -had as many, or more, certs as

Job Searching at About.com There are lots of basics on About.com's Job Searching Site; it's a good place to start and get a little bit of everything nailed down. If you have no clue about writing a resume or what happens on an interview, this is a good primer. Managing Your Career Businessweek's Managing Your Career site has a variety of articles and really nice sections along the right-hand side. Overall, its like the next step up from the About.com site with lots of general advice. Brazen Careerist Blog A great source of advice geared towards young professionals and students. Theyve got great insight on relatively new issues like social media and networking in a digital age.

I have certifications, and yes they've been a big help to me," says Jeff Schoonmaker, a junior network

administrator in Portland, Ore., who has a Cisco CCNA, a Microsoft

Half of respondents said they pursued certifications to get a promotion or to be eligible for a new job.
education

those in lower salary brackets. That's not to say that the certs themselves are solely responsible for these high salaries. Those earning the most money also had more years of experience (75% had more than 10 years) and more traditional

MCITP and the CompTIA A+. Schoonmaker has been an IT professional for a little over a year and says his CCNA helped land him his job and the MCITP has already led to a promotion. Half of respondents said they pursued certifications to get a promotion or to be eligible for a new job. "My company wanted a Microsoft-certified IT manager, so the MCSA helped me get the job I am currently in," said one respondent. "I was able to stay working for a

But even so, among the highest-paid IT professionals who had certs, 58% said a cert led to a salary boost or bonus, 63% said it led to a promotion, and 30% to a new job. These numbers are similar to those in the lower salary brackets, who also overwhelmingly said that certs lead to a salary boost or bonus (55%), new job (62%), or promotion (27%).

Top Interview Questions that might be asked of you:

Q: Can you tell me a little about yourself? A: The ideal answer should be brief yet include enough information about your relevant skills and experience that the hiring manager understands how you could benefit the company. Q: Why do you want to work for our company? A: Your response should demonstrate that you have researched the organization prior to the interview and believe the job is a good match for your skills. Q: What are your strengths and weaknesses? A: The first part of this question is fairly easy to answer, but describing your weaknesses is a different story. A sound approach is to name an actual weakness but follow it up with steps you are taking to overcome the flaw. Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? A: With this question, prospective employers are hoping to get a sense of your drive and ambition. While avoiding sounding inflexible, demonstrate your goals for professional growth. Q: Do you have questions? A: Asking one or two targeted questions of the hiring manager at this point of the interview demonstrates your interest in the position and may shed additional light on the intricacies of the job. Phone Interviews Telephone interviews have become a common tool for narrowing down the candidate pool, especially when

Interview Tips to help you get that job!

Several simple, yet important tips to give you an edge over all other candidates.

Speak directly into your phone or headset and let him or her finish speaking before you respond. Tip 5: Smile. This may sound like odd advice, but if you smile when you respond, youll come across as more energetic and positive. Some people even suggest putting a mirror in front

skills you have and your relevant work experience. Do you really want the job? Companies want to hire someone who is genuinely enthusiastic about the

hiring managers have a large number of applicants who look similar on paper. Phone interviews can be tricky, though, because you cant make eye contact or observe the interviewers body language. These tips can help: Tip 1: Use a land line. Its more professional to use a land line when answering a call from a hiring manager for a phone interview. It demonstrates that youve made an effort to carve out a special time and place for the call, and youll have a better connection. Tip 2: Seek silence. Do your best to remove all distractions and background noise, such as barking dogs, the sound of kids playing, ringing cell phones and door bells. Tip 3: Refer to notes. Keep notes at your fingertips and jot things down as the interviewer talks. Have some questions of your own ready to ask. Tip 4: Speak clearly. Make sure your interviewer can hear you plainly.

opportunity. Your attitude and the questions you ask will indicate the sincerity of your interest and how motivated you are to land

Companies want to hire someone who is genuinely enthusiastic about the opportunity.
of you to help you remember to smile and be engaging. Tip 6: Follow up. Send a note thanking the interviewer and reiterating your key points. In-Person Interviews Once youre fortunate enough to land an in-person interview, its essential to understand the main hiring considerations from your interviewers perspective. These include: Can you do the job? Interviewers want to know if you have the ability to handle the basic responsibilities of the role. Theyre interested in the

the position. Will you fit in? An employer wants to gain a sense of how well youd fit in with the corporate culture. Be yourself and let your personality

shine through. Avoid these Pitfalls Dont skip the research. The biggest mistake applicants make during interviews is not knowing enough about the firm. Check out local business journals, tap members of your network for their insights. Dont be negative. Avoid disparaging comments regarding former employers, colleagues and companies. Also stay away from self-deprecating comments, which do not support a positive image.

EYE ON IT Current Job Market Statistics

Last month, the Labor Department reported that about 14 million people were out of work. Employers say they're having trouble finding applicants who fit the requirements for open posi-

5 Things To Do Every Day for Success

I hear that a lot, along with "You are so lucky." So, I'm going to help out here and let you in on the secrets of my success. Well, not all of them--but enough to show you the foundation I build on every day. 1. Wake up early. For the next week, get up a half an hour earlier that you normally do--and get going. If you get a few more things done, then get up even earlier the next week. Early in the morning is a great time to get work done because most of your associates have not started emailing, tweeting, IMing, or posting yet. want to argue this point 2. Read the headlines and watch the news. Not only should you know what is going on in the world, you will also be the first to recognize opportunities (if you followed #1) for you and your business--long before the competition has even had their first cup of coffee. 3. Send something to one person who can hire you or buy your product--something you promised to 4. Touch base with an old friend or associate you haven't talked to in ages. Ask how they are, what are they working on and ask or suggest how you might help. You'll make their day. 5. Write a handwritten note to someone. Seriously. It is a lost art and makes quite an impression. There is always someone you can send a thank you note to--or you aren't doing things correctly. A simple yet highly effective list. Try all five every weekday for a month. Then, tell me I'm right. If I'm wrong, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.

tions. In a recent survey by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 40 percent of the members of the Inc. 500 (a group of

Of the companies surveyed, 96 percent said they plan to add employees in 2012
the fastest-growing companies in the United States) reported that the biggest impediment to growing their companies was finding qualified people. Of the companies surveyed, 96 percent said they plan to add employees in 2012, and 41 percent say they expect to hire

follow-up with, a quick email with a link to something relevant or a "Hey, just checking in to see how thing are going" email.

*UPDATE: The rebuttal for those who

Marcials Say: Apple releases iTunes Match

On November 14, 2011 Apple unveiled its latest addition to its iTunes iCloud service called iTunes Match. The idea behind this service: Bring your music to 10 different devices through the use of the iCloud. For a yearly charge of $24, this service is truly brilliant, albeit with a few hiccups. Having recently test-driven this service, my conclusions is that this service works fairly well. I started with the PC that contains my primary music library on which I enabled iTunes Match. After crashing several times, iTunes finally was able to upload my library information to the cloud and was able to match 9550 songs, out of a total of 15,292 songs. The idea behind the matching is that if iTunes has a version of the song, you dont need to upload it. More hours passed and my entire library was uploaded to the iCloud. I then connected my laptop and my iPads version of iTunes to the iTunes Match service, and just as promised, my music was synchronized. Another great service from Apple. Well done.

more than 20 people next year. The challenge is finding the right employees.

Upcoming I.T. Workshops at Global I.T.

12/09/2011 @ 4pm Oracle Java Webinar Live Q&A session with Oracle representative will follow the presentation. Webinar will also cover Demographics and Labor Market for Java technologies, Oracle Java jobs in Michigan Average salaries, Value of Oracle Java certification and Job Hunt Workshop. 12/13/2011 @ 4pm LinkedIn: Create and Effectively Manage a LinkedIn Site LinkedIn is a social collaboration tool focused on helping business professionals, consultants, freelancers, job seekers, and others develop a network of connections. Learn how to design, modify, and effectively manage a LinkedIn site in an instructor led computer lab.

Upcoming Courses
A+ - 12/03/2011 Tuesday/Thursday MCITP - 12/05/2011 Monday/Wednesday Java Pro - 12/04/2011 Sundays Cisco - 01/04/2012 Tuesday/Thursday

All workshops are free. Sign-up today at :

http://www.global-itech.com/html/main/calendar.php

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Global I.T. JobPrep - Issue 12 December 2011

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