For 25 years, Kim Seltzer always had a job. But Seltzer's long tenure ended last spring, when she was laid off from her job as the IT infrastructure director of financial services company IHS Global Insight.
The New Normal. I'm sure you've heard this expression. It's used by many people to describe the way the recession has changed American life and business. There's a new normal for consumer spending, a new normal for IT operations, and not surprisingly, a new normal for employment.
We wish we had better news to share on the IT salary front: The median pay increases organizations are planning for IT professionals this year are small--1.8 percent--according to the latest Computer Economics IT salary survey. That's.2 percent lower than the median salary increases the Irvine, Calif.-based IT research firm predicted tech workers would receive in 2009.
What's the best way for job seekers to land a new job in this dismal market? Target specific employers and network your way into them, career experts say. It's sound job search advice. Unfortunately, most job seekers go about this the wrong way (or they don't do it at all), says Vicki Brackett, a career coach and president and CEO of Make It Happen Consulting.
The value of project management certifications is hotly debated among IT professionals. CIO.com investigates whether certifications make better project managers and whether projects staffed by certified project managers are more successful than projects without PMPs.
In their haste to differentiate themselves during the worst job market in decades, job seekers are making personal branding mistakes that can undermine their job search efforts. Here are six things that you should never do.
As bad as 2009 was for employment in the U.S.--and it was truly terrible--the CIO job market picked up during the latter half of the year, according to executive recruiters who believe the increase in CIO job openings and search activity is a positive sign of what's to come in 2010.
Nathan Wenneker joined Elance, an online freelance marketplace, in August 2008 because he wanted to become a self-employed IT contractor. The web application developer had no interest in a traditional full-time IT job; he wanted control over when he worked, how much he worked and the kind of work he did.
Sometimes, for IT professionals, work is just like being in high school all over again. Sigh.
Good legal counsel can be worth every penny when putting together an outsourcing deal. But those legal fees can add up quickly if you're not careful. Worse yet, some common mistakes customers make when working with an outsourcing attorney can prove costly not only during contracting and negotiations but over the life of the deal.
"We're coming up on the best five weeks of networking for the entire year, from Thanksgiving to New Year's," says Dave Sherman, an author, motivational speaker and master networker. "Everyone says there's never any business during the last five weeks of the year, but it's a gold mine for networking because you get invited to so many parties."
Approximately one in four IT professionals are unhappy with their compensation, according to Computerworld's 2009 Salary Survey. Dissatisfaction with their earnings is the leading reason IT professionals polled by Computerworld would consider taking a new job.
Many factors influence project success and failure, including schedules, resources and funding. But new project management research from training company Insights Learning and Development, the Project Management Institute and a strategic execution consultant suggests that the single most important factor influencing project success is the project's link to the organization's business strategy and the project manager's understanding of how the project supports the business strategy.
Employers complain that they're having trouble finding qualified candidates for open positions. So why don't they offer more $?
If you're tired of hearing about personal branding, the following anecdote will convince you that it's not a passing fad.