So you are fresh out of campus as an IT student and putting your foot into the job market. Just like any other career, it is always very hard to adjust to the job market. It goes without saying that the IT market, in particular, is thronged with incredible professionals. This will make it even harder for any newbie to cope with the market trends. However, there are resources in place to help any fresh professional succeed in their IT career. In this article, I am going to spell out 10 great career resources that will help you kick start your IT career. Although these career resources are formidable, it is of utter importance to bear in mind that hard work is always the key to success.
Specific Career Competency Test
Even though you are fresh from class and full of knowledge, it is important to take a competency test in order to gauge your abilities. Thanks to the internet, there are numerous sites that provide tests for you to carry out. Some of them even provide some recommendations depending on your strengths. One such website is Assessment.com. This site provides multiple questions that take only 15 minutes to complete. At the end of the test, results are provided to you. These results will give you a clear picture of your abilities and how to move forward with your career plan.
Employment Statistics and Trends
This is basically a report on how a certain profession is faring. These reports are available on the internet and certain governmental bureaus like the U.S Bureau of Labour statistics www.bls.gov. The latter is specifically interesting because it provides a clear assessment of the IT career and future forecasts of how the career will be. These forecasts can be projected for even 10 years. Such reports will give you a clear career plan and what to expect for a certain period of time, say 10 years to come.
Company Information Research
One may wonder why researching for certain company information is important. Well, before going for an interview, it is important to do research on what to expect. Factors like company history, financial and revenue reports will put you in a good position to answer questions with ease, thus increasing your chances of being employed. For any company information, you can visit the specific company website.
Resume and Cover Letter Writing
It’s always the norm that there is no second chance to first impression. It is, therefore, important to write an attractive resume that will attract the attention of employers. One way of attaining this is by hiring professional resume writers to do the job for you. The cost is always worth it. Platforms like Upwork.com have the best freelancers in the market who are skilled in writing a cover letter or resume.
Community Service
One of the best ways to build a good resume is by doing community service. Not only will your resume be thick, but you will also gain a lot of experience. Institutions like Corporation for National and Community Service aim at assigning community service jobs to individuals. They can assign you a task that aligns with your career, in this case, IT.
Networking
In this time and age, networking is a very important aspect that all professionals should possess. For an IT professional, it is important to stay on par with the current trends in technology. There are online guides that will guide you on issues such as etiquette. It is rich with a lot of information that can help you as an IT professional.
Reputation Management
As stated earlier, the world is run today by digital media. This makes it important for anyone to source information. Employers will tend to look you out on the internet before employing you. It is therefore very important to maintain a good online reputation if you want to be successful in your IT career. One of the best places to maintain a proper reputation is Facebook. Just like any other social platform, Facebook will tend to display all the details of your profile for anyone to see, even your potential employer.
Job Interview Resources
Interviews are always intense processes and may prove to be an uphill task for new individuals in the job market. It is important to learn how to contain your anxiety during interviews. A more composed interviewee has greater chances of being employed than one who is anxious. There are numerous resources online that can guide you on how to contain your anxiety and you can find them on sites such as quintcareers.
Self-development Career Resources
These career resources are aimed at improving some of the essential skills that are important for a working place. These skills include communication, stress management, stack up, and problem-solving. In doing so, you will be more appealing to potential employees. You can also avail of some online training on specific IT skills. It’s a great way to start your IT career.
Salary Guide Resources
Salary guide resources from www.hr-guide.com will give you a sneak preview of what to expect when it comes to remuneration in the current IT market and future expectations. With this knowledge at hand, you will be in a good position to plan your IT career and your life well.
This article is written by Michael Gorman. Michael is high skilled editor and proofreader who currently work at Aussiessay. He is proficient in blog writing and online freelance networking. Feel free to contact him via Facebook.