One way IT professionals can maximize earnings and remain
marketable is by jumping into emerging industries and learning hot
technologies. But job seekers often refrain because job postings
request previous experience, even though few candidates meet the criteria. When you face that, keep
in mind that a job posting is really a wish list. While some might wait for the requirements to change, assertive job seekers are
knocking on doors and accepting offers – without having prior experience.
When job demand outpaces supply or management favors an
injection of external expertise, the window opens for well-positioned career changers,
and even recent grads, to win hot jobs. For example, the healthcare
and mobile app industries are
currently hiring technical outsiders with the right mix of transferable skills
and experience. While timing may influence your success, follow these steps and you’ll be poised to win a hot technology job.
- Research
the market: Study the job requirements to ascertain
your transferable skills and experience and identify any gaps. Fill as many
gaps as possible through training courses, college classes, mentors, peers,
reading materials or hands-on experience. Your research should include meetings
with current employees and informational interviews with managers and in-house
recruiters. In addition to providing valuable information, these contacts can
open doors or facilitate introductions that could lead to an offer. - Adapt
your resume and bio: You’ll need a functional or
blended resume to change careers, one that highlights your transferable skills
and experience. Point out your newly acquired knowledge and examples of your
adaptability to show that you can succeed in a new environment. - Rub
shoulders: Spend time with people in the
industry so you seem like an insider during interviews. Pick-up the lingo, study
competitors and read about the trends. If your personality doesn’t jive with
clinicians or you don’t display a passion for building hot apps, you won’t convince
a hospital or a mobile development firm to give you a shot. - Apply
directly and network: Successful candidates take matters
into their own hands: They cold call and network their way to a job. Once
enough workers have been trained and job growth subsides, employers will
be able to back-fill positions by posting them and accepting experienced
candidates from recruiters. By then, the IT movers and shakers will have moved
on to new opportunities.
— Leslie Stevens-Huffman