<tt> Here is an article from last year's ITWorld Canada:
An exercise in backing up your career Back to Basics
By: Peter de Jager
ComputerWorld Canada (30 Apr 2004)
It's likely that your school days are far behind you. Nevertheless,
I'm handing out some homework for this evening. As you leave the
office today, pretend you've just been downsized, fired, or laid
off. For the rest of the evening, take a look at the employment ads
and match the listed necessary qualifications against those in your
resumé. (You do have an up-to-date resumé, don't you?)
Additionally, if you have any friends or associates who are
currently "between positions," give them a call and see how they're
doing. How better to find out what it's really like out there than
by asking those looking for work? While you're at it, do you know
anyone who might be a good lead for them? That's the real secret to
networking: doing favours for others before you need them for
yourself.
What is unfortunate is that when you consider the state of the IT
industry and the number of people who read this column, for some
readers this won't be a silly exercise — it'll be the real thing. We
lose our supposedly secure positions at the most unexpected times.
The best we can do is to prepare for the unexpected, even if all we
do is take stock of our assets, skills and abilities from time to
time and attempt to correct the obvious deficiencies.
Here's what you will find if you take the time to look at those ads.
Certifications have become the mandatory passport to entry. Without
skills certification you won't make it past the Human Resource
gatekeepers. Regardless of how many hundreds of projects you've
managed successfully, on time, on budget, unless you have a project
management (PM) certificate of some shape and size, you are
automatically tossed into the slush pile.
We could argue the pros and cons of certification, but what would be
the point? The reality is that certification is now necessary when
applying for a new position. I know individuals who have
successfully delivered huge, multi-year, multi-million dollar
projects on time and on budget, who have been searching for work —
unsuccessfully — for more than a year.
While the economy has something to do with this state of affairs,
these folks all state that their primary problem is their lack of a
piece of paper "certifying" they have PM skills; their real world
experience, documented and verifiable through references, is all but
worthless.
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Two solutions to the certification situation immediately spring to
mind. Surrendering to the inevitable seems like an appropriate
response. What certifications are you qualified for, but haven't yet
acquired? Get them now, while you have a job. If you're lucky, your
current company might even pay for the certification process and
whatever upgrading of skills might be necessary.
Admittedly, getting certified is a nuisance. It takes time way from
current projects to prove we're qualified to work on those projects.
Certification isn't something we need to do our job; it's become
something we need to get a job.
The other solution to the certification issue involves a totally
different approach. A certificate of achievement is very much like a
passport, in that it is intended to serve as proof of your identity,
or in this case, ability, to complete strangers. If I already know
you, your work and accomplishments, then certification isn't an
issue. I already trust you and your abilities; certification is a
substitute for first-hand experience and trust.
While networking has almost become an annoying cliché, it is still a
vital tool in a professional's arsenal. It's not only useful when
looking for work; it's the way to solve common problems, keep an eye
on trends and find the perfect person for a new position.
Whether you do your networking on a personal basis by staying in
touch with those you meet at conferences and in the daily course of
business, or take a more focused approach by becoming involved with
professional associations, networking is perhaps the only way to
land a new position if your certification folder isn't filled to the
brim.
We regularly back up our data; spending some time to back up our
career is just another form of contingency planning.</tt> |