Mentor's Corner-Job Resources

KevinCSmallwood

In my last message, I talked about ways you can stay involved and expand on cloud engineering technologies. By consulting various websites and attending conferences, you can continue to learn new technologies as they become available and make important new contacts within the industry.

Many of you may not need to look for a new job because you are already employed by an employer willing to invest in your development; that's great! But, some of you financed this program all on your own with the dream of starting a new career in the area of cloud engineering. This is one of the most difficult mailings I've written because one size does not fit all. I am in the United States and methods that may work in the US may not work elsewhere in the world. I will give you some very general approaches to seeking jobs and ask if you have methods that have worked for you in the US and, especially, in other parts of the world, please reply and let me know what those methods are. Similarly, if you have technical cloud engineering resources that you've found helpful to expand your knowledge of cloud engineering and make new contacts in your part of the world, I would like to hear about those, too. I want to share that information with all of you in a future message.

According to "What Color Is Your Parachute," by Richard Nelson Bolles, hiring managers hire people they know or people known by people they know. Understanding this is your key. Use something like LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/) in order to find people doing the kind of work that you want to do. Even better, if you attend a conference or use an online resource where you can meet people doing the kinds of work you want to do, become friends with them. Ask them about the work they are doing. Mention the types of technologies you enjoy working with as part of the IT Professional Program and ask what else you need to learn to do this type of work. This advice is very cultural, but generally, do not ask for a job; usually, this puts people off, thinking this is the only reason you are talking with them. You are trying to establish a relationship that is both good for you and your new colleague. You may want to ask them what companies in the area of the world you are interested in working are doing the type of work that you seek. Investigate companies where you would like to work. Use search engines to find out more about what the company produces and the culture of that company. Will you fit in the culture? If not, you may end up miserable in your job and looking for a new one in just a few months.

All of this comes under the umbrella of "networking" (but not the networking that most cloud engineers work with!). I make this sound easy, but it is not necessarily easy. Many of us are introverts by nature, and contacting new people, especially face to face, is scary. Making these contacts is an investment; don't take this lightly. As I mentioned above, this should be beneficial for both of you! When you see something that might interest a contact, send them a link with a short note. If you read something about their company, drop them a line asking about it.

At some point in time, your contacts may be made aware of a new opening or may even be asked if they know of people who would be a good fit for an opening at their company (or even other companies from their contacts). This gives you the advantage of being known by someone a hiring manager knows.

You may want to work with a recruiter, or what we often call a "headhunter" in the US. One resource I have followed for years is Nick Corcodilos and his online column, Ask The Headhunter (https://www.asktheheadhunter.com/). Nick provides a free newsletter that you may consider signing up to receive. About a month ago, Nick wrote,

What makes this good for you is that you don’t need a headhunter (much less Indeed!). You just need to do what headhunters do: Rely on credible referrals.

Participate in your professional community. Seek out the most skilled, talented, respected workers--the ones others turn to for opinions, advice and help. Hang out with them. Get to know them. Help them get to know you. (Don’t forget to be really good at the work you do.)

Sound familiar? The above mentions the job site, Indeed (https://www.indeed.com/), a very popular job site in the US. You may have similar job sites in your country. Again, the ideal method is to research companies you wish to work for. Sometimes new positions are created for you that don't exist in any online job site!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this message, my approaches in the US may not help you in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, or Oceania (or even other parts of North America)! I would like to hear about the methods and resources you use in your part of the world. I sincerely wish you good luck with your career as you work through the DevOps IT Professional Program.

Remember, never stop learning!

Kevin C Smallwood--IT Professional Program Mentor