JobPrep July 2012

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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