Takeaway of the week is that IT job search route will be significantly less bumpy when the right steps, tools and resources are applied. Take, for example, the use of a well-planned-out career map or the latest job-hunting gadget from the biggest social networking space on the planet. Or maybe just having someone with whom to collaborate.
Career Map that IT Employment Route
The forward-thinking process of career mapping, with a helpful, virtual hand from today's tools, can be a win-win for IT employees and employers alike.
According to a recent article in Computerworld, the act of mapping out "what's next" in the career path for an IT professional not only helps guide the individual, but allows invested organizations to engage in succession planning while reducing workforce turnover.
As one personnel executive noted, "I'd love to see more IT managers take more ownership of these activities because they are so critical to the performance" of an IT team.
Career mapping, as the article notes, allows both employee and manager to review where they stand and where they want to get to using various data sets. A career map can help match job titles to competencies, analyze skills gaps and positions to research and track.
As more firms are investing in these practices as ways of both retaining and attracting talented IT workers, tools are being put to use that allow IT employees to build detailed development plans.
One profiled firm utilized a tool called Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIAplus) that allowed the organization to create a platform for its employees to create their own such plans and in turn take more control over individual development.
This process, the article notes, isn't just for the individuals, but their managers as well. Outlining job requirements and the skills and experience necessary will help organizations answer the question, "What kind of talent do we need?"
To get started, try the CompTIA IT Career Roadmap.
New App Job Seekers Might 'Like'
Can the king of social networking be the next big thing in professional pursuits?
That's the leap Facebook is taking with the launch of its job hunting app to its audience of more than 1 billion users.
The Social Jobs app, according to the recent article in Wired.com, is the result of the firm's year-long partnership with agencies including the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Association of Colleges and Employers and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, which produced research showing the usefulness of the site for job seekers and recruiters.
A survey to come out of the partnership indicated a large number of employers utilized Facebook in hiring practices and as a job-specific networking tool.
The app launched won't actually host job listings, but rather act as an aggregated search tool for more than 1.7 million openings through online job boards including BranchOut, Jobvite and Monster.com.
With existing services such as LinkedIn built for such career-specific functions, the big question going forward is whether the big player in social networking becomes just as big - or bigger - as a professional resource.
The Job Search Mentor
To those who've hit a lull in the often-agonizing job search, the jolt you seek could be the mentor you didn't know you need.
The collaboration necessary in a mentorship can produce positive results in several key areas of career transition, suggests the founder of an online employment firm in a recent post on Forbes.com.
Elena Bajic, CEO of IvyExec.com, stated that interacting with another professional within the dynamics of a mentor can help a job seeker "think outside the box," validate a career trajectory, prioritize a job search, prep for interviews and gain confidence.
However, before launching into those efforts, individuals seeking guidance have a few preliminary items on which to focus, Bajic said.
Selecting just the right mentor means factoring in employment, experience, specialized skills and professional similarities. In addition, one must set individual goals for mentoring sessions and be sure to be open to receiving feedback.
As Bajic said, just as mentorship within a company can boost a career, mentorship during a job search can certainly reduce the timeline of a job search.
