Will 2008 be a challenge for Microsoft? That's not the message one would necessarily glean from an examination of the just-ended year. Microsoft had a solid 2007. In its last full quarter of the calendar year, sales were up 27% and profits jumped 23% percent. The company could also boast that it sold twice as many copies of its new Windows Vista operating system in the weeks following Vista's January launch than it did copies of Windows XP during XP's honeymoon period ... (read more)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
What CIOs Want: Five Standout Skills
January 07, 2008 (Computerworld) It's a good market out there for IT job seekers, but that doesn't mean your technical abilities will automatically land you a rewarding position. CIOs seek professionals who can contribute immediately to their companies' success. Faced with multiple candidates who are similarly qualified and technically proficient, how do they make tough hiring decisions?
The choice often comes down to skills that are hard to quantify but essential to any successful IT career. Here are five nontechnical abilities that will help separate you from the crowd.
1. Communication skills
Verbal and written communication abilities continue to grow in importance as IT establishes itself at the forefront of business. Technology professionals must be able to interact not only with their immediate teammates, but also with colleagues throughout the company. The ability and willingness to explain a complex technology in terms the listener will understand -- and care about -- is as important as it is rare.
One key is to always keep your audience in mind. Tailor your message to their needs and preferences. For example, if you are speaking to a team of senior managers with little time to spare, highlight only the most important aspects of your project and save the details for a different conversation. And don't forget to keep your written communication skills sharp too, especially given the prevalence of e-mail in the office. If you have a colleague or friend whose e-mails are always clear and concise, ask him for tips.
2. Interpersonal skills
While technically impressive solutions are sometimes produced in isolation, the innovations that benefit a business the most are almost always the product of a joint effort, often involving people who don't share the same abilities or experience. Productive collaboration requires a willingness to see things from a different point of view.
One way to build these skills is to begin cultivating your internal network. Reach out to others, both inside and outside your department, and talk to them about what they do and how you might be able to partner. Gradually, you'll build a network of people you can interact with and turn to for ideas, suggestions and questions.
3. Customer service mind-set
Those with a customer service mind-set measure their work not by how much effort it took or how brilliantly it was executed but by how well the project served customers. Such an attitude puts you in sync with the company's overarching goals and steers you away from work that will have little business impact.
Familiarizing yourself with the company's customers (be they internal or external) is a first step toward developing this kind of results-oriented disposition. Always have an idea of the person who will be using the product, program or service you are developing. If it is the sales team, for instance, consider meeting with the group and watching them interact with technology to determine whether the software you've designed has a user-friendly interface as well as the features they seek.
4. Ability to apply technical skills to business challenges
The most sought-after job candidates don't just know how the technology works -- they also know how it will be used and by whom. IT professionals need to constantly learn new proficiencies to keep pace with industry advances, but today's hottest skills may not be the ones a particular company needs the most.
For example, while a hot programming language might be interesting to you, a given project may call for a more routine solution. When you keep in mind the business reasons underlying an IT project, you're more likely to find the best solutions, rather than trying to force a favorite technology into a situation where it doesn't quite fit.
5. Initiative
CIOs want staff members who consider their job description a starting point, not a checklist. The best employees don't wait for others to come to them with assignments, and they're often the first to volunteer for difficult challenges. Initiative also applies to your own skills -- have you demonstrated an ongoing commitment to training and education, especially in areas that may not be core strengths?
Don't confuse initiative with a willingness to take on mountains of work. Taking initiative means you're sufficiently engaged with both your work and your company's business that you can identify new ways to solve problems. Ever wonder why interviewers sometimes ask for an example of how you've handled failure in the past? Initiative-takers also tend to take ownership of their mistakes, a key ability of future leaders.
These five standout skills may not be easy to measure, but they're critical to the success of any IT professional. By approaching your career with a business-first, collaborative mind-set, you'll give yourself a better chance to be one of the people making tough hiring decisions down the road.
The choice often comes down to skills that are hard to quantify but essential to any successful IT career. Here are five nontechnical abilities that will help separate you from the crowd.
1. Communication skills
Verbal and written communication abilities continue to grow in importance as IT establishes itself at the forefront of business. Technology professionals must be able to interact not only with their immediate teammates, but also with colleagues throughout the company. The ability and willingness to explain a complex technology in terms the listener will understand -- and care about -- is as important as it is rare.
One key is to always keep your audience in mind. Tailor your message to their needs and preferences. For example, if you are speaking to a team of senior managers with little time to spare, highlight only the most important aspects of your project and save the details for a different conversation. And don't forget to keep your written communication skills sharp too, especially given the prevalence of e-mail in the office. If you have a colleague or friend whose e-mails are always clear and concise, ask him for tips.
2. Interpersonal skills
While technically impressive solutions are sometimes produced in isolation, the innovations that benefit a business the most are almost always the product of a joint effort, often involving people who don't share the same abilities or experience. Productive collaboration requires a willingness to see things from a different point of view.
One way to build these skills is to begin cultivating your internal network. Reach out to others, both inside and outside your department, and talk to them about what they do and how you might be able to partner. Gradually, you'll build a network of people you can interact with and turn to for ideas, suggestions and questions.
3. Customer service mind-set
Those with a customer service mind-set measure their work not by how much effort it took or how brilliantly it was executed but by how well the project served customers. Such an attitude puts you in sync with the company's overarching goals and steers you away from work that will have little business impact.
Familiarizing yourself with the company's customers (be they internal or external) is a first step toward developing this kind of results-oriented disposition. Always have an idea of the person who will be using the product, program or service you are developing. If it is the sales team, for instance, consider meeting with the group and watching them interact with technology to determine whether the software you've designed has a user-friendly interface as well as the features they seek.
4. Ability to apply technical skills to business challenges
The most sought-after job candidates don't just know how the technology works -- they also know how it will be used and by whom. IT professionals need to constantly learn new proficiencies to keep pace with industry advances, but today's hottest skills may not be the ones a particular company needs the most.
For example, while a hot programming language might be interesting to you, a given project may call for a more routine solution. When you keep in mind the business reasons underlying an IT project, you're more likely to find the best solutions, rather than trying to force a favorite technology into a situation where it doesn't quite fit.
5. Initiative
CIOs want staff members who consider their job description a starting point, not a checklist. The best employees don't wait for others to come to them with assignments, and they're often the first to volunteer for difficult challenges. Initiative also applies to your own skills -- have you demonstrated an ongoing commitment to training and education, especially in areas that may not be core strengths?
Don't confuse initiative with a willingness to take on mountains of work. Taking initiative means you're sufficiently engaged with both your work and your company's business that you can identify new ways to solve problems. Ever wonder why interviewers sometimes ask for an example of how you've handled failure in the past? Initiative-takers also tend to take ownership of their mistakes, a key ability of future leaders.
These five standout skills may not be easy to measure, but they're critical to the success of any IT professional. By approaching your career with a business-first, collaborative mind-set, you'll give yourself a better chance to be one of the people making tough hiring decisions down the road.
Google’s Lunchtime Betting Game
IT probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise to learn that while employees in many companies sit in the cafeteria gossiping about work, or the boss, or the competition, at Google they are doing something else ... (read more)
The Interview: What Employers Really Want
For many, a job interview is more stressful than the job itself. The worst part - we all have to deal with them. Even if you are self employed, winning your next consulting contract is contingent on your interview skills.
Interview stress is the result of not knowing what the hiring manager really wants. If you knew what he is looking for before the interview starts, you would increase your chances of winning the job - and make the whole process a lot less stressful. So your best bet is to be prepared.
Here are ten ways to strengthen your interview aptitude and help you win the job.
Interview stress is the result of not knowing what the hiring manager really wants. If you knew what he is looking for before the interview starts, you would increase your chances of winning the job - and make the whole process a lot less stressful. So your best bet is to be prepared.
Here are ten ways to strengthen your interview aptitude and help you win the job.
- Make Sure You're Qualified - "You may have nothing to lose by applying for every job that even remotely peaks your interest or looks like it might fit your personal skills but if you overstate your qualifications, it will come out during an interview," explains Hansen. At that point you're only wasting both your and the hiring manager's time, not to mention possibly upsetting her in the process. "On the other hand," says Hansen, "it doesn't hurt to ask if the person whose position you are filling had all of the qualifications on the job description and if you can grow into the position."
- Dress for Success - First impressions are everything. Walk into an interview dressed like Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happiness and contrary to the movie, you won't win the job. In fact, you'll be rejected even before you shake hands. Your thirty-minute interview will take ten minutes and the interview will be much harder to win.
That said, you may not want to dress in a suit. It's always a good idea to check out what kind of clothes employees are wearing to work for the company you're interviewing for and then follow their lead. For example, if you're interviewing for a job at Apple, you might consider wearing something business casual. If you're not comfortable wearing a dress shirt and jeans to a job interview, throw on a blazer but forget the sport coat. This will impress the hiring manager because she'll see that you've done your research. - Be (Really) Prepared - Think having a two-minute speech rehearsed for the question "Tell me about yourself," constitutes as being prepared? Think again. When preparing for an interview, the most important thing you can do, aside from practicing your answers to different interview questions, is research the company you selected. Find out what they sell or what service they provide, what their mission is, challenges they face, who their customers are, etc. "It's always impressive to us when you know something about our company," says Hansen. Really dig deep. Consume yourself with everything about that company for at least a few days. Live and breathe it. Then, enter the interview with some ideas already prepared on how you could make positive changes to the company, be it the way it operates, the products or services it sells, or anything else that will add to the company's bottom line. The ideas don't have to be earth-shattering, just plausible. The big idea here is to sell solutions. Aside from impressing him, this will show the hiring manager that you have value that you could bring to the company.
- Demonstrate Your Interpersonal Skills - You may have an impressive resume and aced the phone interview but if you have poor interpersonal skills and don't know how to be a team player, it's a deal killer. The face-to-face interview will show the hiring manager a quick snapshot of your personality and give him a good idea of how well you'll get along with other employees and whether you're going to be a prima-donna or not. In today's business climate, no man is an island and employers don't have time to deal with those who clash with colleagues and can't play as part of the team. So be sure to put your best personality forward during the interview and impress the hiring manager with your fantastic ability to get along.
- Show Enthusiasm for the Job - You must express real interest for the job if you really want it. By not showing enthusiasm you're telling the hiring manager that you're not really interested in the job and wouldn't care one way or the other if you were offered the position. So be enthusiastic about the job. Communicate using the tone of your voice that you really want this job. Passion is difficult to fake and the hiring manager will take notice.
- Ask For It - Sometimes people lose a job simply because they don't ask for it. If you want the job, you need to communicate that you want the job; physically ask for it. At the end of the interview tell the hiring manager that you're really interested in the job and would appreciate an offer. Occasionally that alone can seal the deal.
- Remember to Say Thank You - "Follow-up with a phone call three or four days after an interview. We expect it," says Hansen, "and it's a great way to reinforce your interest in the job as well as ask a question or two that you may have forgotten to ask." Another advantage to the follow-up thank you call is that it may lift your resume from the bottom of the pile to the top. Above all else, it's good PR to do so. Even if you don't get the job, the hiring manager may just pass your name along to another hiring manager at a different company and a word-of-mouth recommendation always has impact.
Tech Job Sector Growing at Record Paces Through 2016
The BLS' 10-year economic and employment predictions have cheers for computer professionals, but jeers for programmers.
Many computer programmers could find themselves out of work, despite the computer professionals' job market growing at record paces through 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 10-year economic and employment predictions released Dec. 4.
Many computer programmers could find themselves out of work, despite the computer professionals' job market growing at record paces through 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 10-year economic and employment predictions released Dec. 4.
- Network systems and data communications professionals make up the single fastest-growing occupation categorized between 2006 and 2016, increasing by an estimated 53.4 percent.
- Computer software engineers who work in the application professions sector are not far behind in fourth place and are expected to increase their headcount by 44.6 percent.
- Strong growth is expected in seven other computer-related categories, including computer systems analysts (29 percent), computer software engineers who work on systems software (28 percent), database administrators (27 percent), network and computer systems administrators (27 percent), computer and information scientists (22 percent), computer and information systems managers (16 percent), and computer support specialists (13 percent).
- However, the good news for IT and technology professionals ends there—computer programmers were listed among the 30 occupations with the largest employment decline in the decade between 2006 and 2016, losing 4.1 percent of its work availability.
- Due largely to aging and retiring baby boomers, the labor force as a whole is projected to grow more slowly through 2016.
- Total U.S. employment is expected to increase by 15.6 million (10 percent) between 2006 and 2016, slightly less than the 15.9 million jobs (12 percent) created during the 1996-2006 decade.
Computer Science Education: Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?
Formal Methods and Software Construction
Formal techniques for proving the correctness of programs were an extremely active subject of research 20 years ago ... (read more)
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