To Advance in Your Career Get to Know These Four People in Your Company

So, you got that new job and you're trying to better navigate the landscape and culture in order to set yourself up for success and a future promotion. There are a few people you'll want to get to know ... in addition to your boss and close colleagues and co-workers.

Take some time and set up meetings with the following people in your place of business. Go in with humility and curiosity to learn as much as you can and to be of service.

Your boss's boss. You want to understand how your company works, what the new initiatives are, who are your biggest competitors, and what are some of the biggest challenges to success, and developing a relationship with your boss's boss is a great way to gain some of this knowledge, while also demonstrating your knowledge, skills, and commitment to an important decision-maker and influencer.

Your Human Resources representative. Get to know how your Human Resources department works, how promotions are handled, and how and when they post new jobs by meeting your representative in the department. When you have a good relationship with your with HR you can be on the inside track for new job postings, and get detailed information about what skills a hiring manager is looking for. You also place yourself in a position to be first in mind when a position opens that you might be qualified for.

Your intern. Be sure to become a helpful resource to interns in your company. As they leave and take on jobs elsewhere they help to expand your network and can be an excellent source of information and resource about your industry. In addition, interns often have exit interviews with managers and HR and if they comment on your assistance during their time at the company this reflects positively on you to the leadership in your company.

Your IT support person. Things often go wrong when it comes to technology and by getting to know your tech support team you can often bypass some of the red tape and bureaucracy that can often come with getting help through the official channels. You can also get some patient hands-on training and instruction in some of the new technology that becomes part of your new processes and the quicker you become skilled at new technology the better off your prospects for promotion.

No matter how far along you are in your career you can benefit from getting to know the individuals in the four roles described above.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Job Search Lessons from Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show Debut

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

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• 5 Job Search Lessons from Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show Debut: "Recently Jimmy Fallon made the leap to 'The Tonight Show.' For the job seeker on a quest for their own new gig, here are some gems from Fallon’s first day on the job."


• What HR Won’t Tell You: "Human resource professionals are doing the best they can to find and hire the best candidates. What should you know when you’re looking for a job?"


• Break Into IT with Temporary Work: "The business world may be looking for technology pros, but you're not a pro (yet) if you have a new certification and no experience. How do you gain that experience?"


• 5 Tips for Preventing Age Bias in Your Executive Resume & LinkedIn Profile: "Consider these 5 ways to get a better reception from employers – and create an “age-proof” executive resume and LinkedIn Profile-–if you believe age is working against you."


• The Era of Creative Resumes: "For a resume to be effective, it needs much more than just enlisting your details, qualifications, and achievements. This should always be kept in mind when you write modern and creative resumes."

Careers in Information Technology Services [Third Installment]

As we discovered in the previous two series installments, employment in IT services are projected to grow rapidly over the next decade, outpacing similar professional, scientific, and technical industries and the economy as a whole.

Today’s The Daily Leap post, which is the final installment in this well-received series, describes how individuals typically prepare for a career in IT services.

Preparation for IT Careers

So how can someone get started in an IT career? There are many paths. Having both general and specific skills is helpful. But for many jobs, formal training is essential.

Skills

A general foundation, such as ease with computers and a curiosity about how they work, is important for working in IT. And several specific skills may be helpful for a variety of IT occupations, especially for those that are expected to remain in demand.

• Business aptitude. High school classes in mathematics are helpful for establishing a strong foundation for IT training and for business-related subjects ranging from accounting to finance.
• Wireless networking proficiency. Workers in this area need to be detail oriented to effectively design, install, and maintain wireless networks and systems.
• Information security knowledge. Specialized training prepares IT workers to gain expertise in these issues.

Degrees

A bachelor’s degree is the usual minimum qualification for many IT jobs. Those who do the most complex tasks may need a master’s degree.

The most applicable degrees for IT jobs are those in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, or information systems. But many other types of degrees can lead to a career in information technology, including management, electrical and computer engineering, mathematics, and arts and humanities.

Not all IT workers need a bachelor’s degree, however. One example is computer support specialists. Jobs in this occupation may be open to applicants who have a high school diploma, some college, or an associate degree.

Certification

Certification programs usually require candidates to take a test or a series of tests; a passing score represents to employers an IT applicant’s or worker’s knowledge and skills. Some programs allow candidates to study on their own for these tests, and others offer test-preparation courses.

IT product vendors generally offer certification in the computer software or hardware they produce. Some vendors require certification for people who work with their products. Professional organizations offer voluntary certification programs in a broad range of subjects, such as wireless networking and information security.

Before entering such programs or paying any fees, workers should research the program to determine its reputation within the IT community.

Careers in Information Technology Services [First Installment]

Firms in the IT services industry commonly create both computer programs and complex computer systems and networks tailored specifically to meet clients’ needs.

The industry has recently devoted significant resources to technologies that are expected to contribute to employment growth over the next decade, such as cloud computing and mobile applications. Cybersecurity, health care IT, and data management also may contribute to employment growth in the near future.

Computer and Mathematical Occupations

The high demand for these services has created a large number of fast-growing and high-paying jobs. Today’s The Daily Leap post is the first of three installments on computer and mathematical occupations, which comprise about 56 percent of the industry’s workforce.

Job Duties

Software developers create computer programs and oversee the entire design process, from planning stages to future upgrades. There are two different types of developers: applications software developers and systems software developers.

Applications software developers design a wide range of programs, from spreadsheets used by accountants, to electronic maps that help give people directions, to increasingly popular mobile games. Applications developers often design software that is offered through cloud computing.

Systems software developers create and upgrade operating systems, the software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals.

Growth / Wages / Education

The following table shows projected growth rate between 2010 and 2020, and median annual wage and typical entry-level education requirements in May 2011.

Occupation	Projected Growth Rate	Median Annual Wage	Typical Education Needed for Entry
Applications software developers	57%	$88,120	Bachelor’s degree
Systems software developers	72%	$94,570	Bachelor’s degree

The rapid increase in both types of software developers is attributable to an increased demand for new and updated software. Examples include:

• Many consumer electronics include their own computers that need operating systems.
• Mobile computing and health care IT also require new software applications.
• The need for stronger cybersecurity will drive the demand for developers to design new software to detect, contain, and prevent viruses.

For more detailed information on these computing and mathematical occupations in the IT services industry, click the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.