Forget status and salary

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 417.

You're already valuable

Become aware of the skills you have right now that are valued by the industry. Then put these near the top of your resume, right under the "Job Objective" section. Some skills that are in short supply at most high-tech companies these days include:

· Writing excellence.

· Strong interpersonal skills, particularly in dealing with difficult situations, such as disgruntled customers.

· Making presentations before groups.

· Telephone savvy

· Paying attention to details in a chaotic work environment.

· Organizational skills. Have you ever served as an officer of a service, social or sports organization?

It's common for recent grads to overlook the experiences they've garnered in life. Don't shortchange yourself. These aren't negligible attributes.

In high tech, you can start anywhere, at any level. So don't get hung up on either status or salary. Job mobility is very high. A colleague of mine with a history degree started with a PC retail store. Today she's in international software sales. You could start at a company that provides services to the industry, such as research, technical writing or recruiting. It might not sound like much, but this is only the first step.

While writing this article I got e-mail from a friend who has a degree in psychology with a minor in communications. He started as a freelance writer for a PC magazine covering nontechnical staff, then took a course about PCs and started writing about them. Next, he joined a big computer company in the PR department, and soon after talked a software sales manager into giving him a chance. He excelled in sales for three years, then quit to become the national marketing manager of a small, Midwestern high-tech company. The reason for his e-mail to me? He's looking for a European sales manager. Know anyone who might be interested?

If you're a woman, a member of a minority group or physically disabled, you ought to know that the high-tech industry wants diversity, not because of a Congressional mandate, but out of common sense.

Don't be shy. I gave a talk about careers to a sociology class at Santa Clara University a few months back. At the end of the hour I asked for questions, and no one asked me for a job! Unbelievable, right? Here I am, right in front of them. They had me in their power and let me get away. Well, almost. At the very end of the session, one young woman hesitantly asked if she could give me her resume, and whether I could “help get it in front of the right people.” I said, I'd try. She's been working for us several months now, and doing very well I hear.

Get the picture?

v Comprehension check

o Answer the following questions using information from the article to support your ideas. Remember to use the article vocabulary to the maximum:

1. What is valued in high-tech industry and why?

2. What constitutes a major part of presenting oneself as an industry insider?

3. What skills are in demand in the industry?

4. What are the most important things when starting your work in the high-tech? Why?

o Explain what is meant by:

A degree of pushiness

A subtle rejection

To be in short supply

Interpersonal skills

Savvy

To shortchange someone