Global Information Technology
ISSUE
07
JobPrep
July 2012
The Voice of Career Insight
Six Unexpected Uses for your iPad
In this issue How to Prepare for the coming Revolution P.1-P.2
You already know you can
Six Unexpected Uses for your iPad P.1/P.3
surf the Web from a beach
The I.T. Industry’s Dos and Don’ts P.2
chair, watch TV on airplanes, record audio in any setting or teleconference from the 19th hole
clubhouse
at
the
golf
course. Millions of people world-
How to prepare for the coming IT skills revolution!
wide are playing games, read-
Call it the tech industry's version of a rid-
ing, sending email or doodling
dle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma:
Most portentous, though, is that the
on the iPad's 9.7-inch screen.
Businesses have job openings, but IT pro-
gap, whatever its true nature, is rapidly
Here are a few of the other uses
fessionals are struggling to land jobs or
becoming a yawning chasm -- one that
for tablets that you may not
move to better ones.
IT employees will have to cross sooner
have explored yet, starting with
What phenomenon could knock the hal-
share responsibility for the gap, they say.
rather than later. Many hiring experts, IT
tools that could make or save
lowed laws of supply and demand off-
managers and CIOs believe that the tech
you money, and ending with
kilter? Two words: "skills gap."
employment landscape will be radically
some
random
and
creative
ideas.
It seems as though tales of this alleged IT skills gap have become especially common
1) Start a business: Gone are
during the past six months. As the story goes, employ-
and ringing up purchases on
ers are desperate to find
100-pound cash registers. With
people with expertise in hot
a small piece of peripheral hard-
areas like mobile app de-
ware and an iPad app called
velopment, cloud compu-
Square, you can set up a mer-
ting and business analyt-
chandise table or street food
ics, while employees, ex-
stand or mobile design business
hausted from staff reductions and in-
that
creased workloads, wonder what more they
credit
and
debit
cards.
must to do to keep current.
2) Get to work: Tablet apps
and more companies outsource IT oper-
What phenomenon could knock the hallowed laws of supply and demand offkilter? Two words: "skills gap."
the days of renting shopfronts
takes
different five years from now as more
It's a tragic tale -- but not completely ac-
ations to service providers, perhaps offshore, or move traditional IT jobs to other business units. In the face of such rapid change, it's becoming clear that the one skill every member of the IT work-
force needs is career management. "Everybody is a free agent, navigating the corporate chaos," says Todd Weinman, president of The Weinman Group,
span industries and professions.
curate, according to some tech-
an executive search firm headquartered
Doctors can find tools for keep-
employment experts. The situation is more
in Oakland, Calif., that specializes in au-
ing electronic health records
nuanced than what can be captured in a
dit and corporate govern-
and
headline, and both workers and employers
ance. In the IT job market,
data
management,
like
Continued on page 2.
The IT Career: Top Dos and Don'ts 1. Do Empower yourself Empowerment
is
about
using
knowledge to make things happen to create opportunity. Knowledge options include: training, certifica-
How to prepare for the
tion, books, work experience and the Internet.
coming I.T. revolution
2. Don't lose Focus
Continued from Page 1
What is your WHY? Empowerment for what? Are you just following the crowd? Be wise. What is your
he says, "the people who
is an IT professional associ-
hearing how difficult it is to
passion? What do you value? Have
are faring a little bit better
ation that, among other
find people with certain
a laser-like focus on WHY. "A dream
are constantly cultivating
things, provides security
skills -- but she says the
without a plan is a nightmare".
their careers on a variety of
certifications.
gap involves a different set
The Current Gap
of skills. Fairlie, president of
Tech employees log long
Weinman is one of sever-
ProSearch, a nationwide
hours, meaning they get a
al employment experts who
executive search company
sumption. Life, or opportunity, isn't
lot of hands-on experience,
say they see a clear gap
with a strong focus on CIO
usually a one-way street. Having the
but they're not getting
right skills and knowledge are great,
the training and other
but creativity needs more than just
types of enrichment
expertise. IT attracts everyone, but
they need to develop
are they all making a difference? To
their careers. "In addi-
stand out and stay ahead in IT, you
tion to your 50-plus
need to go beneath the surface.
hours a week, you
3. Do develop your Creative skills Focus on creativity and not con-
4. Don't neglect Service and
fronts."
placement, took a
"Those who want to stay relevant have to work very hard" -- at work and during offhours, says Weinman
back-of-the-envelope survey of 12 CIOs with whom she has worked recently. "To a person, everybody validated that there is a gap," she says.
need in-depth coursework to refresh your skills, plus
between the talent that em-
But it's not necessarily a
studying to sit for certifica-
ployers are seeking and the
gap in deep technical skills;
contribution. Invest not just for pass-
tions," says Weinman. At
talent that's available. "It's
it primarily involves the stra-
ing exams but to contribute and to
many companies, employ-
very difficult to find people
tegic skills that managers
be of benefit to others.
ees used to be able to take
who have deep skills in se-
are increasingly demanding
5. Do grow your Network
time for those types of pur-
curity on mobile devices,
of everyone in their depart-
To serve and contribute effectively
suits during the workday,
infrastructure, network se-
ments. The list includes
but not anymore.
curity, advanced persistent
"business analysis skills,
Contribution Technology is about service and
in your IT career, build networks by cooperating and collaborating with
"Those who want to stay
threats or mainframe skills,"
relationship skills, under-
others. What is your value if you
relevant have to work very
he says. "People who have
standing the value of IT to
can't learn from or work with other
hard" -- at work and during
those skills are becoming a
the organization, navigating
people? The value of networking
off-hours, says Weinman,
smaller percentage of the
internal politics," says Fair-
can't be underestimated. How will
who is a member of the
overall population."
lie. "Those are hard to
you spread your message or under-
ISACA Leadership Devel-
stand the needs of others?
opment Committee. ISACA
Suzanne Fairlie is also
come by, and yet, they're so essential."
Six Unexpected Uses for your iPad cont... drchrono's Patient Care Platform. Aviation apps are being customized to train aircraft engineers. 3) Remote-control your house: With a few pieces of external hardware and some software, you can
Jack Cullen, president of
the path that led to the skills
take priority over opportunities
take control of your electronic
Modis, a global provider of IT
gap, while cautioning that an
to investigate up-and-coming
environment.
staffing services, concurs. "In
improved economy won't
technologies.
today's marketplace, if you
much ease the crunch for
have good references and a
many workers.
strong technical skill set and
"Companies are getting
4) Create a two-headed laptop:
"In a way, it's natural for a
The ultra-high resolution display on
manager to develop a tech-
this generation's iPad is a welcome
nical skills gap. We're not able
feature, so why not make as much
can communicate how you'll
leaner and leaner. Starting in
to sit down and play with
use of it as possible? Multiple
provide ROI, four jobs will be
2008, they downsized and
things the way our employees
software applications exist to allow
waiting for you," he says.
streamlined, and they haven't
might," he says. And that wor-
users to extend their laptop display
What amazes, and to some
replaced those positions," he
ries him. "I feel like I need to
onto the iPad screen, and vice
degree frustrates, Cullen are
observes. "If you're the hiring
know a lot about the different
versa.
those instances when clients
director of one of these very
job skills in my department,"
choose not to hire a job appli-
lean teams, you want only A+
he adds. "I need to under-
you have kids or work with kids,
cant because they can't check
workers. In the past, some-
stand at a deep technical level
you already know about all the
every box on their wish lists.
one could get away with be-
what my employees are talk-
educational apps. For example,
"We're seeing this huge pent-
ing a solid middle-of-the-road
ing about."
Quick Graph is a free app where
up demand, and the pool of
employee. Not anymore."
Cutbacks in training and travel haven't helped Williams
5) Teach your children well: If
you enter math equations and produce 2D or 3D graphs.
labor isn't growing. And yet,
Charles Williams sees the
what's perplexing is just how
situation from both sides. As
or his employees in their
specific hiring managers still
manager of data systems at
quest to stay relevant. "It's
2012, Magic Mirror by Touch Multi-
are," he says. "They want this
Georgia System Operations,
been a mixed bag because of
media can help you try on hair-
skill, that particular work on the
an electric utility in Tucker,
the recession, but we're start-
styles as easily as changing hats.
network side, certifications,
Ga., he wants and expects
ing to see that turn around,"
Style-conscious users can find out
this many years of experience.
the people who report to him
he says. Upper management
how they'd look in the latest styles
Companies are not willing to
(currently there are seven) to
is beginning to loosen the re-
and colors, add highlights and
take a risk. Nobody's jumping
keep their skills up to date. At
strictions on training, especial-
change the length of their locks
out the window to hire the av-
the same time, he acknowl-
ly in the area of security.
with a few taps on the screen.
erage employee."
edges that he is challenged to
Weinman blames the Great Recession for starting IT down
keep his own knowledge fresh when day-to-day duties
Marcial’s Say: Apple releases iTunes Match
6) Get a makeover: Updated for
Upcoming I.T. Workshops at Global I.T. 07/06/2012 @ 3pm Professional I.T. Resume Critique Melissa Lecznar, Job Placement Manager at Global Information Technology will be doing some IT resume critiquing at Global Information Technology on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 3pm! Very limited seats. Do not miss out on this great opportunity. Have your resume critiqued by professionals for free! If you are interested, sign up on our website at:
Upcoming Courses
http://www.global-itech.com/html/main/calendar.php
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Global I.T. JobPrep - Issue 07 July 2012
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