The IT Job Market: A Positive Outlook

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the IT job market? Many professionals still see the employment environment as challenging. In fact, 42 percent of workers surveyed recently said it was more difficult to find a job in 2005 than the previous year, according to The Robert Half International (RHI) and CareerBuilder.com Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report.

The good news is that hiring has steadily improved in the past two years, and demand is high for qualified technology professionals.

Research conducted by RHI, as well as anecdotal reports from the businesses we work with, paints a positive picture.

In the most recent RHI IT Hiring Index and Skills Report, a net 9 percent of CIOs surveyed plan to add technology staff in the second quarter of 2006. The net hiring increase/decrease is the number of CIOs planning to increase their staff size minus the number of CIOs planning to reduce staff size.In addition, employers surveyed for the EDGE Report said the biggest hiring challenge is a shortage of qualified workers. And they don't expect things to get better anytime soon: 86 percent of respondents think it will be equally or more difficult to find qualified candidates one year from now.

A recent report issued by the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses also points to an improving job market; it indicates that IT employment returned to pre-recession levels in 2005.

Compensation is increasing in high-demand specialties. Average starting salaries for all technology positions are expected to climb 3 percent in 2006, with much greater increases projected for positions like IT auditor (11.2 percent), lead applications developer (5.3 percent) and network security administrator (5.2 percent).

Demographic Shifts Bring New Opportunity

The anticipated retirement of millions of baby boomers from the U.S. workforce also will affect IT employment as job vacancies are created. This is a demographic shift that will take place over several years, generating demand for seasoned managerial talent to replace tenured employees.

The baby boomer retirement movement will create a consulting career track for those boomers who want to ease into retirement by first serving in consulting roles, either with their current employers or with a range of businesses that require experienced professionals for special projects.

These changes present an increasingly bright picture for IT professionals at all levels. If the economy maintains its momentum, companies will require additional workers to address expanding business. Even now, many firms have waited as long as they can to resume hiring and are soon likely to enter the market for IT talent.Keeping Skills Current
Placing yourself in the running for emerging career opportunities requires keeping your skills sharp. If your employer doesn't offer training, pursue courses through local technical colleges, professional associations or independent study. Involvement in user groups also can help you identify emerging areas of specialization and become an early expert of new technologies.

IT professionals who become familiar with new products through research and beta testing will also be ahead of the curve when the technology becomes widely available. Consider, for example, ways to gain experience with Microsoft Vista or Microsoft SQL Server 2005. Because technology changes so fast, you must continually look for emerging trends. What technical skills will employers seek six months, one year or even three years from now?

Growing Specialties
Security is a fast-growing field, due to the demand for technologies that help companies assess and remedy system vulnerabilities.

Individuals with LAN/WAN, WLAN management and systems administration experience, as well as backgrounds in virtual private networks, TCP/IP, intrusion detection and firewall implementation, are well suited for security positions.

Networking and wireless communication skills are two other hot specialties as telecommunication companies expand voice-over-IP offerings and wireless technologies are adopted by more and more businesses.Certification Will Pay Off
Another way to expand your skills and differentiate yourself in the job market is to earn certification. By pursuing technical accreditations offered by companies such as Oracle and Microsoft, as well as vendor-neutral designations from industry groups such as the Help Desk Institute, you can learn a new technology or enhance your existing experience.

Companies view certifications as evidence of an individual's familiarity with a particular technology or practice, as well as his or her level of initiative.

Certification is of greatest value when it is accompanied by practical work experience. For example, a job applicant who possesses a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator designation is highly marketable, but one who also has spent five years working with Microsoft systems and has a track record of completing projects on time and under budget is even more desirable to prospective employers.

Develop Those Soft Skills
No matter what your role is within the IT department, being an effective communicator is essential. As companies increase their reliance on technology to support and drive the business, IT professionals are relied upon to convey complex technical information to varied audiences, build rapport with end-users and serve as vital members of project teams.

In a Robert Half Technology survey, CIOs polled said interpersonal skills, the ability to work under pressure and communication abilities are the most valued staff traits. There are also additional areas where technology professionals can distinguish themselves:

The Big Advantage: You
As you're pursuing that next rung on the tech career ladder, demonstrate that you have a solid grasp of not only technology but also the ways in which it contributes to corporate objectives.

Since business processes and the underlying technologies that support them are virtually indistinguishable today, your command of operational best practices will set you apart, giving you the advantage in any employment environment.

Katherine Spencer Lee is executive director of Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis. She and her team work with thousands of IT hiring managers and job applicants each year. Robert Half Technology has more than 100 locations in the North America and Europe, and offers online job search services.

For more expert career advice and articles on career issues and topics, visit TechCareers.

Other recent articles from TechCareers
The Big Bang for IT
Don't Ignore The Vital Soft Skills In Career Management