The Mateen Diop and Kai Dupé Show  

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• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 1/15/2009 3:12 AM UTC

  How to find a job in infomation technology
  

  A few weeks ago someone asked me about how they should go about conducting a job search to find a position in Information Technology. This is something that I have been doing since I became a professional software developer in 1986. The game has changed quite a bit. The one thing I absolutely would not do is limit my job search to your local newspaper. This will not get you anywhere. Job searches and those you need to connect with in order to secure an interview is done totally online these days. If you are considering a career in Information Technology and you are unable to conduct a digital search you are in for quite the challenge. After writing this response i realized that this information maybe useful to others. With that in mind, here it is:
  
  Here are a few of the ways I conduct a job search. There are a couple of differences since your situation is somewhat different being that you have very little experience. I decided to think about what I did to seek employment when I was younger and merge that will how I do it today with regards to technology and social networking. Here is what I came up with:
  
  · You said that you are familiar with Monster and Dice. There are other online job search tools such as CareerBuilder, HotJobs. I would do a search for as many of those as I could and post profile and job search agents on those sites that can match a position with your experience.
  
  · Also these days many companies are pulling back from using Monster and Dice and they are posting jobs on their own internal job sites. I would decide what position you are seeking such as ‘Junior Programmer’ our ‘Junior Network Analyst’ and conduct a search of the companies in your area. Once you have a list of organizations then you can look for their websites and go to their career link or jobs link and see what is available.
  
  · I would also look up the recruiting firms in your areas. These are companies such as TekSystems, and Adecco and talk to a recruiter and explain what you are kind of position you seek. Perhaps they know of companies that do internships or they can find you an entry-level position. Establish a relationship.
  
  · Have you utilized the career placement office in your university?
  
  · Find the user groups in your area that specialize in the topic you are interested in. This is a great way to network. For example, I was a member of the The Dallas.net User Group. This can provide you with an inside track to positions and you can build a relationship that you can use.
  
  · Microsoft has a great job site. Explore it at http://www.microsoft.com/careers
  
  · Join networking groups in your area.
  
  · Setup a profile on LinkedIn.com. This is a great way to find out about job opportunities. You can do the same on Facebook. Here is a link to great ways to use linkedin written by Guy Kawasaki who is considered somewhat of a guru on Internet Marketing. Read more here
  
  · You can also join an organization such as The Association of Computing Machinery. I get a listing of jobs available email from this once a month.
  
  I hope this helps. Let me know if I can be of further assistance!
  
  Warmest Regards,
  Kai Ajala Dupé
  • Tags:
  • kai.dupe
  • Information.Technolo
  • career.search
  • jobs
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