The Real Skinny on Ageism

Age discrimination is a delicate subject, but not talking about it won’t solve the problem. One of the lesser-known truths about it is that — yes — there is something you can do about it.

Today the tech and IT worlds are more youth-obsessed than ever, largely because younger workers tend to be cheap, smart, and “fresh.” On the other hand, age discrimination also exists for people perceived as too young to work certain types of jobs. If being too young is problematic and being over 40 merits legal protection against ageism, does that mean there are only 15-odd years to have a career between college and middle age?

Of course not.  

Experience matters. Age discrimination is illegal and should absolutely be reported, and there are many unfortunate examples of employees being frozen out of their careers while they are still in their prime. And because it’s so difficult to prove ageism, reporting it won’t always solve the problem. Yet older workers have an edge — years of real-world experience — and nobody can take that away.

So how can you leverage your experience to prove you’re the best one for the job?

First, stay at the top of your game. Settling into your job is never an option, no matter how old you are. Do you read industry publications and regularly brush up on professional skills? If not, start now. Second, focus on your company or potential employer’s pain points. Are you actively working to solve problems? Regardless of age, companies want the person who can exceed their expectations. And finally, take a good look at your company to see how they treat employees your age and older. If you don’t like what you see, plan a career move well ahead of time. Look for small to midsize companies with a good track record of senior-level employees, and tell them exactly how you can contribute to their business.

The final step? Speak up. Use your experience to make the working world a more fair and just place by reporting instances of age discrimination. Focus on being the best employee you possibly can be — not your age — and don’t let other people’s prejudice mar your career.

For more on this subject, check out Retiring from Retirement.

--About Stephen----

Stephen Van Vreede is not your average IT/technical résumé writer. He provides career strategy and concierge job search solutions for senior (15+ years) (ITtechExec) and up-and-coming (NoddlePlace) (5-15 years) tech and technical operations leaders. Stephen and his team focus on building simplified, targeted, and certain career move campaigns, be it an external search or an internal promotion. He is co-author of UNcommon with career development leader Brian Tracy (check out his exclusive offer). Contact Stephen directly at Stephen@ittechexec.com or send him an invite at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede. To see whether Stephen and his team are a good fit for you, take their free (and anonymous) 1-minute compatibility quiz, Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You?

How Many Certifications Do You Really Need?

Job-changers and entry-level job-seekers alike all seem to have the same question: Should I spruce up my resume with extra certifications? And if so, how many do I need to get the job of my dreams?

The answer? It depends.

Of course, showing off your skills and education is a good thing — but so is real-world work experience. It’s easy to get caught in a cycle of certification-collecting rather than working towards the skills that will actually move your professional life where you want it to go. And because you don’t have infinite time, you need to prioritize the ways you develop professionally.

(You also want to be careful that you haven't fallen into the Career Credential Addiction that seems to be pervasive these days.)

So, before you start raking in certification after certification, follow these three steps: take a reality check, do your research, and strategize.  

Reality Check

What certifications do you actually need for your job? Don’t get waylaid by job ads that ask for lots of certs — oftentimes, they are in the “nice to have” category and not the “need to have.” Always consult your hiring manager before jumping right into a new cert just to apply to a few jobs. Be aware that lower-level certs are usually worth less to employers than high-level ones, so don’t accumulate the basics just to have a few letters after your name.

Remember: Unless you are in a profession that legally mandates certification before you can practice your craft, there’s often some wiggle room in getting hired for jobs that ask for them.  

Research

Here’s a tip that will save you time, money, and headaches:  

Research the people who have the job that you want on LinkedIn.

What certifications do they have?

Don’t stop at just one or two — look for multiple people across the country who have the job title you seek, and keep a record of what certifications they have to their name. But don’t stop your research there. Scan as many job ads and company websites as you can to see where the common ground is. Chances are, if you see the same certs popping up over and over again, they are worth your time.  

Strategize

Once you have the lay of the land, it’s time to come up with a plan. Will your current employer pay for certifications? Find out. Do you need to join a professional organization before you can get the cert you need? Ask. Boil down your plan to just the essentials, and ask yourself if it’s worth it. Never forget that relevant work experience is almost always considered more valuable than certifications, so factor that into your plan. Can you take on a new project at work, or volunteer your skills to an organization in need? Be creative in your approach.

Remember, it’s the quality of certifications — not the quantity — that matters in your job search. There’s no magic number. Certifications are shorthand for knowledge, but they aren’t the only way to prove your skills to potential employers.

Get comfortable communicating about what you do, and use your certifications as evidence to back-up your claims — not the other way around.

--About Stephen----

Stephen Van Vreede is not your average IT/technical résumé writer. He provides career strategy and concierge job search solutions for senior (15+ years) (ITtechExec) and up-and-coming (NoddlePlace) (5-15 years) tech and technical operations leaders. Stephen and his team focus on building simplified, targeted, and certain career move campaigns, be it an external search or an internal promotion. He is co-author of UNcommon with career development leader Brian Tracy (June 2015). Contact Stephen directly at Stephen@ittechexec.com or send him an invite at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede. To see whether Stephen and his team are a good fit for you, take their free (and anonymous) compatibility quiz, Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You?

The Real Skinny on Prepping for the 2015 Job Market

Great news: Bloomberg reports that after November’s remarkable hiring surge, the job market is expected to grow in 2015. If you’ve been stuck in a non-ideal or part-time job and are looking to make a strategic career move, now is the best time to do it. The way we hire and work is changing now more than ever, and there are many exciting opportunities for IT and other technical professionals. But what do you do if you haven’t been on the job hunt in a while and don’t know the new rules of interviewing and hiring? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back!

1. Expect a different hiring process

More and more companies are realizing that how they hire reflects well (or poorly) upon their brand. Today’s recruiters and hiring managers are aiming to make the process more human and relatable. Use this friendlier recruitment process to showcase your soft skills, but always keep it professional.

2. Build a portfolio

Whether or not you have something physical to show for the work you’ve done, hiring managers will want to see examples of your work before you get the interview. Write case studies for projects you’ve worked on to broadcast your skills and back up your claims of success.

3. Go beyond LinkedIn

If you haven’t spruced up your LinkedIn lately, now’s the time — but don’t stop there! Develop a social media presence that shows off your skills and interest in your profession.

4. Ask the right questions

A report from LinkedIn says that many qualified job candidates don’t get hired because the interviewers don’t know the best questions to ask them. Learn the “forced-choice question” method — asking what the main objectives for the job are, and then using examples to show how you can achieve them — to help improve your odds.

5. Anticipate a 3-5 year tenure

Perhaps the biggest change of all, many companies now realize that job seekers will only stay at the company for a handful of years. Know this when going into the interview, and stress what a difference you can make in a short time frame. Be sure to think of this job as the stepping stone to what’s next, not the position you’ll be in for the next several decades.

--About Stephen----

Stephen Van Vreede is not your average IT/technical résumé writer. He provides career strategy and concierge job search solutions for senior (15+ years) (ITtechExec) and up-and-coming (NoddlePlace) (5-15 years) tech and technical operations leaders. Stephen and his team focus on building simplified, targeted, and certain career move campaigns, be it an external search or an internal promotion. He is co-author of UNcommon with career development leader Brian Tracy (June 2015). Contact Stephen directly at Stephen@ittechexec.com or send him an invite at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede. To see whether Stephen and his team are a good fit for you, take their free (and anonymous) compatibility quiz, Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You?

Waiting Out a Corporate Acquisition

Here's a snippet of a typical conversation I have with professionals whose companies are experiencing a merger or acquisition:  

Pro: "My company was just acquired. I'm not sure what this means for me."  

ME: "OK, so knowing that, what do you think your strategy should be?"  

Pro: "I should sit tight and see what happens."  

ME: "How long should you do that for?"  

Pro: "Until I'm either told I'm OK or laid off."  

ME: "What are some things you could do in the meantime?"  

Pro: "Well, I don't want to do anything rash."

Maybe you can relate with this interaction. After all, corporate acquisitions and mergers are one of the most uncertain times a professional can face as everything hangs in the balance and staff await their fate.  

And although it's true that you can't control or even accurately predict what will happen, you don't have to be powerless.

Let me say that again:  

You don't have to be powerless.

Understandably, however, it's how we feel. We feel like we have no other choice but than to sit tight and see what happens.

But here are two things to keep in mind:

1. Demotivation is a trap. Whenever something significant happens to us in our careers, especially something we didn't or couldn't see coming, demotivation is a natural reaction. Maybe you don't recognize it at first, but usually it comes in the form of false positivity ("I'm sure it will all be fine. Just wait and see.") followed by a strong aversion to even thinking about the possibility of a job search followed by clinging to every word leadership says ("They said it's looking good for our department.") followed by a worry that doing anything before you know something for certain would appear rash, and you don't want to appear rash!

It's not that there isn't some truth to what we are telling ourselves; in fact, it could all be true. It could all work out fine, and leadership could really mean what they are saying. The problem is that we are leaving ourselves vulnerable. While corporate is doing what corporate does, we aren't doing anything to at least try and protect ourselves...just in case.

2. Haste does NOT always make waste. Harnessing the power of negative preparation (preparing for the worst), putting feelers out there, and developing strategic contacts is not "rash"; it's wise, and it's especially wise to do while you are doing all this "waiting." It will help you build leverage even if your current company decides to keep you because you will already have things in motion, opportunity pipelines in the works, that you might be able to assess against the offer your "new" current company is extending (especially now that you've seen what the market has to offer).

We often forget that just because we didn't go through an official job search during the merger or acquisition doesn't mean that we aren't essentially being hired all over again by the "new" entity. Many times professionals are caught off guard by the fact that they might have to interview to keep their job or justify the value they bring to the organization. These things require preparation as well! So you don't have to jump ship necessarily, but you do have to recognize that the ship might be sinking and develop a strategy for survival. If you don't, then you really are powerless.

--About Stephen----

Stephen Van Vreede is not your average IT/technical résumé writer. He provides career strategy and concierge job search solutions for senior (15+ years) (ITtechExec) and up-and-coming (NoddlePlace) (5-15 years) tech and technical operations leaders. Stephen and his team focus on building simplified, targeted, and certain career move campaigns, be it an external search or an internal promotion. He is co-author of UNcommon with career development leader Brian Tracy (check out his exclusive offer). Contact Stephen directly at Stephen@ittechexec.com or send him an invite at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede. To see whether Stephen and his team are a good fit for you, take their free (and anonymous) 1-minute compatibility quiz, Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You?