Career Paths...

Knowing your career goals early on is key to achieving them, especially in the corporate IT sector. When it comes to software development we can generally (and sometimes unfairly) place developers into one of three brackets. Those who want to rise to the top of their game technically (Specialists, Architects), those who want to end up in management (Team Leads,  Development Managers) and those who just want to stay entertained with interesting challenges (Engineers). Let’s take a look at these three personality types and what it is they could do to maximise their career potential in each respect.

The platform debate rages on between developers across all personality types, but less so in those who only seek broaden their exposure to problem domains. Typically these individuals are passionate about problem solving and programming, technology doesn't readily factor into their career decisions. For these individuals the market can be tough. The nature of human resources procurement in the IT industry at the moment is that it is very skills focussed. A number of systems departments are understandably seeking only individuals with demonstrated experience in a particularly relevant technology stack. This allows them to employ productive staff with little training and a gentle ramp-up curve. The downside is that HR tends to miss a lot of talent in the market because of this approach and the organization suffers as a result in the long term. Software development houses that have mature incubation and training programmes have the ability to take on individuals in this category and keep them challenged and entertained across a number of domains and technologies. The “jack of all trades” developers are valuable to an organization and make well-rounded problem solvers. So here’s some pointers on how to streamline your career path as a software engineer:

·         Don’t let yourself get left behind. Being unfamiliar with a platform can lead to misinformed career decisions. Do you know what type of development work you are committing to when accepting a job offer from a potential employer? Will you be acquiring transferable skills? Will you be challenging yourself or will it be maintenance work?  

·         Being a jack means that you need to put in extra effort to meet the productivity of more specialized developers. Do your research, apply common patterns and invest in understanding the technology before diving in.

·         Focus on your core strengths: solid OO design, patterns and software architecture. Practice applying these principles and let them shine for you in interviews and in your work.

For the specialized individual, the market can be your playground. Whether it be Java, .NET, iOS or Android, being a specialist comes with a number of benefits. Firstly it increases your perceived value in the market place. An individual with 5 years of experience in a particular technology may appear more valuable than an individual with little experience in a particular technology but who has a higher aptitude for software development. This is a common oversight of a number of the larger organizations playing the short-game but works to the advantage of specialized individuals. The downside of course is that limiting your platform can also limit your domain and your list of potential employers. Highly specialized individuals tend to have greater earning capacity as their level of skill is a scarce resource in an already small pool. If your goal is to seek out a highly specialized skill-set there are a number of ways that you can achieve this.

·         Firstly decide on a platform (this may already be obvious from the sum of your experience to date).

·         Do contract work. This allows you to see a large number of problems on the platform of your choice. The wider variety problems you solve, the more proficient you will be in all areas of your chosen platform.

·         Participate in training and deliver training to your colleagues. Formal certifications can carry large or little weight depending on the person on the other side of the interview table, so it’s good to cover bases here. Teaching colleagues is a great way to teach yourself and being a specialist is all about having knowledge.

·         Read educational literature and stay up to date with conversations about your technology and platform. This gives you the edge in interviews and with your colleagues and lifts your authority as a an expert.

Then there are the developers who are passionate about software development, but have a plan to move into a management position in the future. Whether it be technical management or people management the key trait that organizations look for here is the ability to earn the respect of your colleagues and make tough decisions. Being a leader is an integral part of being a manager and you’d do well to develop a vision for yourself and your company before having this dialogue with your organisation. Ensuring that you have a solid track record of delivery, client satisfaction, tenacity, diligence, integrity and honesty will go a long way in winning the confidence of your superiors. Always be willing to go the extra mile and focus on building meaningful relationships with your colleagues and peers. 

Using LinkedIn to find a job (Part 1 – Setting up a profile)

Setting up a LinkedIn profile is an easy way for graduates to create an online professional identity. As has been mentioned in some of our other articles, this is often one of the first things a potential employer will see of you. Many employers and recruitment agents use LinkedIn as a method of unearthing talent, and so it makes sense to keep an updated profile. The following is a rough guide to creating a decent profile:

• Fill in all the fields for the information box at the top. This is the first thing anyone will see of your profile so it is important that it is complete. Add a summary (a little bit about yourself, your key skills and perhaps a career goal).

• Upload a photo – try to use a professional looking one!

• Under Experience, list any experience you may have gained in vac work, internships, tutoring etc. There is no harm in listing all of your part time work, and you can always remove this information in a few years when your stint as a bar-tender is completely irrelevant.

• The next section surrounds Education – as a graduate, these are areas that you can really elaborate on. Firstly, input your entire educational history, and then also add teams, clubs, societies etc. Add any awards or noteworthy achievements as well. This all shows that not only did you turn up for studies, but that you engaged, got involved and excelled – all important aspects a prospective employer will look for.

• Under Skills & Expertise it is important to give the appearance of a set of skills (perhaps pick 8 to 10) without lying. Line up the skills that a relevant to the types of job you will be pursuing.

• Recommendations are trickier since you firstly need someone else to recommend you! At graduate level, obtaining a recommendation from one of your lecturers or tutors again shows that you were involved above and beyond during your studies.

• Joining a few industry-specific groups will again show that you are engaged and interested in your chosen field, so search for relevant groups, join them and take part in the discussions that follow.

Creating a LinkedIn profile takes very little time and gives another opportunity to engage with potential employers, so there is no reason not to have one!

Prepare properly for interviews!

Going for an interview can be a daunting experience, especially if you are a recent graduate and this will be the first interview you are going to. If you prepare yourself properly an interview does not need to be a stressful experience at all.

Over the years that I have been interviewing candidates for Entelect, I have seen both well prepared candidates and candidates that were not, by far the individuals that were well prepared were more relaxed and confident. I have collated a few pointers from my personal experiences, those of friends and colleagues and from the vast number of links that a quick search on Google will return!

Know the people that will be interviewing you – this is a simple way of transforming the people at the other end of an interview table from faceless individuals that will be grilling you and testing your knowledge to people with a personality that you could easily hold a conversation with. It is very easy to ask the recruitment agent or the HR personal that set up the interview, who will be interviewing you. Alternatively you can have a look at the meeting request, if one was sent to you via email. Once you know the names, have a look on Linkedin or the company’s website and try at very least find a photo of the people that will be interviewing you.

Know the company – Have a look at the company’s website, chat to friends that may work for the company or have dealt with the company. Try find out as much as you can! Before the interview decide whether this is in fact a company that you are interested in working for. Formulate questions that you can ask the interviewer about the company and what role you will fulfil. Try ascertain what the appropriate dress code will be for the interview, if in doubt always dress-up.

Know yourself and your own experience – At some point during an interview you will be asked about your past experience. Make sure you are able to talk through your experience and are able to give detail when asked. Generally you will be asked the following:

• Description of the project you worked on
• The team environment for the project and what role you fulfilled in that team
• The technologies that were used during the course of the project
• The successes of the project and the failures, what you would have done differently that would have prevented these failures

Do some reading before the interview – Brush up on your textbook knowledge and ensure that you have covered the fundamentals that are required for the particular role that you will interview for. For example, if you are going to an interview for a C# developer role, do a quick search on Google for Top 10 C# developer interview questions and make sure you are comfortable with those questions.

If appropriate have a portfolio of work that you completed – It is always nice to be able to show an interviewer something that you have done in the past, this not only can creates a conversation point but it also provides something concrete that you can use to reinforce your experience. Make sure it is something that you can run through in 5 minutes or less as this should only complement the interview.