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Entering a 21st Century Technology Career
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by Chandra Fox, e-resume.net
Bill Winner, a sales manager with 10 years in the medical industry, wants to shift his career into the information technology (IT) field. Many friends of his, with much less sales experience, are making double his salary plus stock options in technical industries. Since William knows the impact Internet technology will have in the 21st century, he wants a job involving e-commerce.
Many people face William's dilemma: they want to participate in the booming technology markets, but they aren't sure whether -- or how -- to make the leap from their industry. Here are some helpful hints in shifting your career.
Understand the industry. Become well versed in the publications that are popular to those in the Internet/technology field. Fast Company, Business 2.0, and The Industry Standard are just a few of the media read by e-commerce businesspeople. Gain an understanding of key business issues and common problems within the industry. Discover the hot topics and learn the jargon. For example, when Internet companies talk "hits" versus "unique visitors," know the difference.
Polish up the old resume. If you have been with your company for a while and have forgotten how a resume is expected to look, get professional assistance or read books on the subject. Technology once again helps: an Internet resume-writing company understands what Web companies are looking for in future employees and can guide you in formatting and writing your resume. Unfortunately, many people who have been out of the career search process for years still put their height, weight, marital status, religious affiliations, and sex on their resumes. These resumes are "hot potatoes" for HR people. In fact, companies legally are not allowed to screen resumes on those criteria.
Also, keep your resume brief and to the point. Employers want a succinct synopsis, not a blow-by-blow account of each project you worked on. In the interview you will have the opportunity to expand on the resume. Think of the resume as the itinerary for the interview. Give career highlights, but if interviewers want specifics, they will ask you. Finally, remember that all hiring decisions are still decided by humans and not by Optical Character Readers (OCR), so make sure your resume is easy to read.
Show your success. Your goal is to show how your best achievements and contributions to your current or past employers will allow a technology company to increase profitability and excel as well. If you were a tremendous sales manager due to your follow-up skills and ability to immediately develop rapport with new clients, then these skills are transferable to an Internet/technology company. Remember, the processes at most companies are very similar even if the products or services differ. And most companies will put you through extensive training on their products.
On-line career search. Use technology tools to get your resume in the hands of decision makers. Faxing resumes is passe. There are tremendous career opportunities to be found on career sites, such as CareerBuilder. In evaluating career sites, be sure you are able to search numerous job opportunities, post your resume to thousands of viewers daily, easily update your resume, and have your resume in the company's hands very quickly.
There are also services that will e-mail your resume to recruiters for one small price, which can save you time and money when compared to snail mailing your resume to the same recruiters. No matter what avenue you decide, use technology to your advantage. You should be able to easily e-mail your resume to any company or headhunter when necessary. Have your resume in both Word and Text formats, so that it can be read by any system.
Interviewing. When our friend Bill Winner interviewed with technical companies, he thought about his previous experiences and decided that he was in the "sales" industry not the "medical" industry, and that sales was about process, not product. With this mindset, when he was asked about a product with which he was not familiar, he mentally replaced that topic with "widgets." For example, the interviewer asked, "How do you think that you could boost the sales of our 'meta tag software' that will be used by web-driven businesses to increase their position in the market?" William, mentally replacing "widgets" in place of 'meta tag software' said, "I would research companies with low visibility in their specific area on the Internet and initiate contact with these companies and provide a solution to their problem."
Just remember, whether you are discussing computer software, hardware, or an Internet company, business is business. So, if you have a good track record in your profession, you will likely have success in an emerging technology or Internet industry -- with the right preparation and motivation.
Bill Winner, a sales manager with 10 years in the medical industry, wants to shift his career into the information technology (IT) field. Many friends of his, with much less sales experience, are making double his salary plus stock options in technical industries. Since William knows the impact Internet technology will have in the 21st century, he wants a job involving e-commerce.
Many people face William's dilemma: they want to participate in the booming technology markets, but they aren't sure whether -- or how -- to make the leap from their industry. Here are some helpful hints in shifting your career.
Understand the industry. Become well versed in the publications that are popular to those in the Internet/technology field. Fast Company, Business 2.0, and The Industry Standard are just a few of the media read by e-commerce businesspeople. Gain an understanding of key business issues and common problems within the industry. Discover the hot topics and learn the jargon. For example, when Internet companies talk "hits" versus "unique visitors," know the difference.
Polish up the old resume. If you have been with your company for a while and have forgotten how a resume is expected to look, get professional assistance or read books on the subject. Technology once again helps: an Internet resume-writing company understands what Web companies are looking for in future employees and can guide you in formatting and writing your resume. Unfortunately, many people who have been out of the career search process for years still put their height, weight, marital status, religious affiliations, and sex on their resumes. These resumes are "hot potatoes" for HR people. In fact, companies legally are not allowed to screen resumes on those criteria.
Also, keep your resume brief and to the point. Employers want a succinct synopsis, not a blow-by-blow account of each project you worked on. In the interview you will have the opportunity to expand on the resume. Think of the resume as the itinerary for the interview. Give career highlights, but if interviewers want specifics, they will ask you. Finally, remember that all hiring decisions are still decided by humans and not by Optical Character Readers (OCR), so make sure your resume is easy to read.
Show your success. Your goal is to show how your best achievements and contributions to your current or past employers will allow a technology company to increase profitability and excel as well. If you were a tremendous sales manager due to your follow-up skills and ability to immediately develop rapport with new clients, then these skills are transferable to an Internet/technology company. Remember, the processes at most companies are very similar even if the products or services differ. And most companies will put you through extensive training on their products.
On-line career search. Use technology tools to get your resume in the hands of decision makers. Faxing resumes is passe. There are tremendous career opportunities to be found on career sites, such as CareerBuilder. In evaluating career sites, be sure you are able to search numerous job opportunities, post your resume to thousands of viewers daily, easily update your resume, and have your resume in the company's hands very quickly.
There are also services that will e-mail your resume to recruiters for one small price, which can save you time and money when compared to snail mailing your resume to the same recruiters. No matter what avenue you decide, use technology to your advantage. You should be able to easily e-mail your resume to any company or headhunter when necessary. Have your resume in both Word and Text formats, so that it can be read by any system.
Interviewing. When our friend Bill Winner interviewed with technical companies, he thought about his previous experiences and decided that he was in the "sales" industry not the "medical" industry, and that sales was about process, not product. With this mindset, when he was asked about a product with which he was not familiar, he mentally replaced that topic with "widgets." For example, the interviewer asked, "How do you think that you could boost the sales of our 'meta tag software' that will be used by web-driven businesses to increase their position in the market?" William, mentally replacing "widgets" in place of 'meta tag software' said, "I would research companies with low visibility in their specific area on the Internet and initiate contact with these companies and provide a solution to their problem."
Just remember, whether you are discussing computer software, hardware, or an Internet company, business is business. So, if you have a good track record in your profession, you will likely have success in an emerging technology or Internet industry -- with the right preparation and motivation.
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