| You have to feel for IT job seekers. It is tough for | | | | There certainly are enough IT candidates out there |
| them to find solid IT-focused resume writers. It is | | | | to work with. Maybe it is just our unwillingness to |
| tough for them to find recruiters who truly | | | | invest the time to familiarize ourselves with the |
| understand the nuances of their field. And it is tough | | | | basics. Maybe we feel that we would have to |
| for them to get around HR personnel who also don't | | | | become techies ourselves in order to assist them |
| necessarily know more than to look for a bunch of | | | | properly. I'm not really sure what it is, but there are |
| buzzwords. | | | | without a doubt, very few firms that work well with |
| The same frustrations can really be said for | | | | IT and engineering professionals. |
| engineers and others in highly technical fields. | | | | The job search process is difficult enough, no matter |
| I have had the pleasure of working with these types | | | | what field you are in. But add to that, ignorance of |
| of job seekers, particularly in crafting resumes for | | | | the industry all together, and you have disaster. |
| them, and although I am not a techie nor an | | | | On the resume side, in particular, I have seen |
| engineer, I now share their frustrations. | | | | everything from resumes that are poorly laid out and |
| It is definitely true that these types of fields are | | | | lack a proper strategy for the IT niche of the |
| complex and that there is a lot of jargon out there, | | | | candidate to resumes that are so long and drawn out |
| but quite honestly, it doesn't take much effort to get | | | | and full of every technical detail known to man that |
| yourself at least acquainted with the basics. You | | | | no one in their right mind would ever want to read it, |
| should be able to discern the difference between a | | | | even if they understood it all. |
| systems administrator position and the types of skills | | | | My advice for IT and engineering professionals is to |
| and technical proficiencies that an employer is looking | | | | do their homework. Find writers and recruiters who |
| for versus a programmer position. Although some of | | | | at the very least can grasp some of the nuances of |
| the same terms may be thrown around, their level of | | | | your profession and "talk the talk" so to speak. I |
| importance varies. | | | | don't think it is essential that they know all the ins |
| And in IT, it isn't just what you know, but how you | | | | and outs, but they must at least know the |
| have used that knowledge that can make all the | | | | difference in marketing an IT project manager versus |
| difference. So hearing that someone has JAVA | | | | a business analyst and how the structures of those |
| experience, for example, is great, but in what | | | | roles differ. |
| context has he or she used it? | | | | Without taking the time to find the right people to |
| I'm not sure why technical job seekers get left | | | | work with, IT job seekers will only be disappointed. |
| behind by so many career services professionals. | | | | |