The idea of a graceful exit is particularly important in our small and tight-knit software industry. There are only so many reputable players and word gets around quickly when someone makes a scene.
Check out this article by Scott Kirsner about making a graceful exit.
Software skills to pursue in 2013
The software industry is renowned for moving at breakneck pace, sometimes even a 3 week holiday can see you returning to work and be neck-deep in new terminology, technology and techniques. It has become so critical as a software engineer to stay abreast of technological advances, tools, processes and platforms as it puts your in the right position to be able to make decisions on what is really the best tool for the job, and be able to justify why.
It also means that you are an attractive hire because you show that you are pro-active in your research and awareness, that even though you may not have 2 years experience in a language or toolset, you do know what it is, where it came from and why it exists.
Justin James from Tech Republic describes the software environment quite accurately (it's also quite accurate down here in RSA). He aptly points out the general trend towards splitting platforms between Enterprise (Rapid, tested, best-of-breed) and Consumer (enthusiast, cutting edge and typically open source) segments.
Check out the article here: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-skills-for-developers-to-focus-on-in-2013/3525
We have noticed much of the same emphasis on things like UX (user experience) and responsive design and the notable trending of NoSQL data stores like Mongo and Raven, which will be on our shores in force this year.
Keep these things in mind, so when you're asked in an interview what technology you are interested in, you actually have an opinion on them (not to mention some of these are really fantastic to play around with anyway, win-win).
It also means that you are an attractive hire because you show that you are pro-active in your research and awareness, that even though you may not have 2 years experience in a language or toolset, you do know what it is, where it came from and why it exists.
Justin James from Tech Republic describes the software environment quite accurately (it's also quite accurate down here in RSA). He aptly points out the general trend towards splitting platforms between Enterprise (Rapid, tested, best-of-breed) and Consumer (enthusiast, cutting edge and typically open source) segments.
Check out the article here: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-skills-for-developers-to-focus-on-in-2013/3525
We have noticed much of the same emphasis on things like UX (user experience) and responsive design and the notable trending of NoSQL data stores like Mongo and Raven, which will be on our shores in force this year.
Keep these things in mind, so when you're asked in an interview what technology you are interested in, you actually have an opinion on them (not to mention some of these are really fantastic to play around with anyway, win-win).
Investing in your career
Some of the best developers we hire crack the nod not because they have a particular skill-set, rather because they are well rounded smart-thinking problem solvers who have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of object orientation and computer science. What this boils down to is - if and when you are pulled from your comfort zone, will you be able to cope ? It's easy to get cosy in a job that doesn't offer much challenge but the consequence of staying could have a much larger impact on your career than you might imagine.
When the going gets tough at your company and you start seeing warning signs of instability - will you be in a position to make a move and sustain your income? These are tough questions to ask, but investing early on in the right skills and education can put you in a better position to navigate your career through tough times.
Some warning signs to look out for are highlighted in the following article by Rich Hein
When the going gets tough at your company and you start seeing warning signs of instability - will you be in a position to make a move and sustain your income? These are tough questions to ask, but investing early on in the right skills and education can put you in a better position to navigate your career through tough times.
Some warning signs to look out for are highlighted in the following article by Rich Hein
Realities of Your Industry
I came across this article recently. Some of the advice comes across as quite harsh and the article will not appeal to all personality types, but it's worth a read if you're in the software industry. I certainly wouldn't take all the advice as gospel, but there are some useful things to take away such as being technology agnostic, understanding that most systems you'll work on will be line-of-business and taking an interest in networking.
When is it time to change jobs?
So you went to the interview, you got the job, started working, made a name for yourself from day one but now you are not happy or you are thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. I am sure that most people got through this from time to time and they wonder if moving would be the right move or not. I have always believed that this should be a really easy decision and after spending some time searching Google, there seems to be a lot of people who agree with me:
- Is your current job no longer challenging you?
- Is your current job no longer assisting you to reach your longer term career goals?
- Are you no longer gaining transferable skills?
If you answered no to the questions above, then it is
probably time to make a move. The quicker you do this the better, the last
thing anyone wants to do is stagnate…
Following up after an interview
Once you’ve completed
the dreaded interview, the next thing to do is send a follow up. This shows
your interest in the company, provides you with valuable feedback and
highlights to the interviewers that you respected their time.
The best is to
follow up as quickly as possible with an e-mail. You should follow up for both
in-person and telephonic interviews. The e-mail should be addressed to everyone
who interviewed you and should:
- Thank the interviewers for taking the time to meet with you.
- Reiterate your interest in the company and position.
- Highlight your relevant skills.
- Mention anything you wished you had said, but didn't, during the interview.
- Provide feedback on the interview.
The e-mail should
be short and professional. You need to proof read it to ensure that there
are no spelling or grammatical errors.
Another possibility
is to ask the interviewers to connect via LinkedIn. This may serve you later
even if you didn't get the position.
If you haven’t heard
back in a while once you've sent your follow up mail, send a second follow up
enquiring if your first was received. Don’t start to harass the interviewers as
this creates a negative perception of you as a candidate.
With all your
follow ups, don’t:
- Harass the interviewers. Respect their time and possible workload.
- Go over their heads to someone more senior. You’ll make yourself and the interviewer look bad.
- Be aggressive or disrespectful.
- Be long winded.
- Beg or plead.
- Leave grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.
Here are some links to help you with your follow up:
Approaching a New Dev Job
If you’re starting out in a dev job, you should definitely read Joel Spolsky’s excellent article Getting Things Done When You're Only a Grunt
Some of the advice may be a bit idealistic, but the crux of the article is spot on – just do it. Strategies 1, 3 and 6 in particular give some great advice – these will definitely help you get noticed, but will also help improve the environment in which you work.
Intra-Company Leadership
Positively standing out above the rest as a leader is the fastest way to move up in a company.
How soon should you become a leader? As soon as possible! Obviously the easiest way to signalling that you are a leader is to get people to follow you and engage in your cause. In software development, this could be an initiative or a deliverable project.
Now not everyone is a born leader, and critical introspective review of oneself may be required; for this I recommend completing 3 simple topics for a self-review:
In terms of leadership capabilities,
Here are a few things for an employee to consider about leadership:
How soon should you become a leader? As soon as possible! Obviously the easiest way to signalling that you are a leader is to get people to follow you and engage in your cause. In software development, this could be an initiative or a deliverable project.
Now not everyone is a born leader, and critical introspective review of oneself may be required; for this I recommend completing 3 simple topics for a self-review:
In terms of leadership capabilities,
- Catalogue what you do best
- Document what others think you do
- List things that you should be doing.
- Identify the project or initiative requirements and position yourself as the go-to-person. It also helps if you can provide an (on-going) explanation of the project on demand. This act of explaining, often in layman’s terms is a core element of leadership. To put something in layman's terms is to describe a complex or technical issue using words and terms that the average individual can understand.
- Identify tasks that your line-manager completes daily, weekly or monthly – perhaps you could volunteer to do these?
- Understand your team. We are all human, make mistakes and respond differently. These traits should not be seen as weaknesses, but should be handled with sensitivity and discretion (where applicable).
- Understanding your environment, deadlines, key reporting individuals and if possible, risks and finances.
- Celebrate successes as a team and give credit where due.
Here are a few things for an employee to consider about leadership:
- Leaders are made: Consider identifying a mentor to answer questions. Refine your skills. Refine again.
- Research first, then ask: you’ll remember the answer far easier if you understand the question and the domain.
- Grab an opportunity to lead: If you wait, that seat may be taken.
- Peer review: Ego will only get you so far, colleagues will help keep you on target.
Choosing the right company for you continued
In continuation to the last blog, there are many factors that need to be considered when looking for that perfect company for you – and again yes, IT professionals are in demand so you can be picky about the company you choose to work for. So in addition consider some of these factors when choosing your next position.
Growth
When looking at Small and medium sized companies it is important to look at their growth (head count and client base) over the last few years (where possible). Joining a company that is experiencing an accelerated growth can be very beneficial to your career in the long term.
On the flip side a company that is losing customers and shrinking its business may not have room for you in the long run. Look for companies that lead in their industry and are performing well, acquiring new clients and retaining the business and loyalties of old ones.
Reputation of the company and its staff
Do some research; try understand the image a company holds in the industry. Working for a company synonymous for quality and delivery will be seen as a very positive reflection of your abilities and attitude on your CV.
Culture and values
The company culture and company values are very important to your happiness and growth within the company. Ask about the company culture, the team structure and try to ensure that the ethics, values, team dynamics, management style and atmosphere are in-line with what you would like.
Finer details
In the interview try get a better understanding of exactly what your day to day job entails. This normally happens within larger companies, where developers are pigeon holed into certain components of a project or within certain internally developed frameworks. Make sure you know what type of development work you are committing to. Make sure you are acquiring transferable skills. Will you be working on challenging new development or are you going to be confined to maintenance work?
Management team
Management teams and styles vary from company to company. In my opinion a development manager/team lead/project manager is most effective if he/she has worked their way up from developer or analyst and therefore understands the interests/dynamics/intricacies of all parties and components as well as the business motives behind the decision he/she makes.
Employee turnover
It is generally accepted that developers, analyst, project manager etc. are in high demand and will move between companies in the search for better career opportunities. So resignations in an IT company or division are natural and organic but be weary of companies with higher than normal employee turnover. Generally companies with this effect have underlying issues that may not be easily seen. Try ascertaining what the management’s attitude is toward employee development and retention before making this important decision in your career.
These are not blanket rules and there are exceptions in every case but hopefully they have given you a better basis to make a decision on your next career move.
