How to Protect Yourself Today for Tomorrow's Career Move

From Tech Job Market Zoo to Corporate Goo...
How to Protect What You’ve Built So Far.
How to Prepare for Tomorrow’s
Career Move
Even When
(or Especially When)
You Don’t Feel Like It!
866.755.9800 stephen@ittechexec.com 1

PLEASE NOTE
This guide is an overview with many links embedded
in it. More in-depth discussion on the topics will be
found in the links.
For optimal viewing, please download off of SlideShare onto your device.
Apple products, in particular, tend to do better when the presentations are
downloaded. But if your device does not have Flash, some links may not operate.
Contact Stephen directly at stephen@ittechexec.com if you are having issues.

Let's face it.
Making a career move in today's
tech job market can be uncertain.
It penalizes you for things you often can't control...
for being too "old," too female (or even too male), too experienced, too
qualified, too "technical," too expensive.
It might not reward you for this cert or that title.
And many companies struggle with their talent retention efforts, to put it lightly.
All of that can be demotivating!
By “uncertain,” I don’t mean lack of jobs. I
mean, well, uncertain. Career moves are
happening every 3 to 4 years. Even if you
beat those odds, change is very much part
of the market, especially in tech fields.
The job market is a “zoo” filled with corporate “goo”
(aka hiring practices that are a hot, sticky mess)

Plus, there isn't much
that is conventional about
the tech job market at the
moment.
Even though traditional approaches do still
have merit, they are convoluted in the
technical job market zoo.
You will find that even with the credentials
and the good peer referral, you still need a
differentiator to back it all up. Otherwise,
you end up with lots of nice interviews and
discussions but no offer...even though you
are qualified.
So this too can lead to more demotivation
and uncertainty.
Although jobs are opening up,
promotions are on the rise, and
contract/consulting opportunities are
exploding, the fierce competition, the
demand for more than just degrees
and certifications, and the question of
relevancy all make it uncertain...a bit
of a "zoo," if you will.

But here’s the good news:
Just because the market is uncertain,
you don’t have to be!
While times may have changed from when
you first started out, it hasn’t been all bad.
Your next career move can be
Simplified. Targeted. Certain.
All you need are the proper tools and the
proper support.

But before I go further, here’s a little bit about
me, Stephen Van Vreede …
I am NOT your average IT/technical résumé writer.
I provide 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. My team and I focus on building simplified, targeted, and certain
career move campaigns, be it an external search or an internal promotion.
I'm also a technical job search adviser for TechRepublic, CIO.com, and Dice, where I
have been featured extensively, as well as co-author of the upcoming career/life
development book UNCOMMON with business leader Brian Tracy (Summer 2015).
[Contact me directly at Stephen@ittechexec.com or send me an invite
at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede.
To see whether me and my team are a good fit for you, take our free (and
anonymous) compatibility quiz, Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You?]

Successfully Delivering Messaging & Job Search Solutions for CIOs, CTOs, Technology Executives, IT Experts,
Program/Project Managers, & Business Leaders at Top National & Global Companies, Start-Up & Venture
Capital Firms, Government Agencies and Contractors. Here’s just a sample:

Released June 2015: The latest book by Brian Tracy featuring Stephen
Van Vreede. Click here to receive a chapter copy:
The Rise of the Corporate Entrepreneur

Now that you’ve seen my credentials,
let’s get back to:
My team and I find that from our client members of established “techies” (5+ years), to those who
lead technical and engineering initiatives through project/program management, to strategy
visionaries like CIOs and VPs, and anyone in between, they all have one thing in common,
most likely the same thing you’re looking for:
To feel certain when you conduct your next career move that you are ready for the market and well
positioned to meet its demands (not to hope you are or think you are but to have a level-headed,
frank understanding of the market and your place in it).
BUT…

Life has a funny way of getting in
the way
And before we know it, we’re demotivated. We’re
too busy. We just don’t feel like doing what we
know we need to do.
We’re kind of just hoping for some magic pill or a
bit of luck. Or we’ll just put our head down and do
nothing until we’re forced to.

Maybe you can relate….
A lot of times we know what we “should” do, but
either we don’t do it or we just wait until we have to
because:
• We no longer have the ambition we once did
• We have kids to raise and focus on
• We believe the obstacles we will face in the
market are too overwhelming or exhausting to
face
• Work no longer matters much
• We’re too busy
• We always figure something out when we need
to
• We’re not really sure what we want to do next
• We have external concerns that weigh on us
• We have other unfulfilled goals and dreams

OR, perhaps worse, we
throw more money and
time at accumulating
degrees and certs.
There's no arguing that an MBA or other grad degree or the latest
certification or PMP or PE credential is still a major resume
"booster."
In the past, though, just the fact that you had one or two would
immediately open doors for you. Grad schools and cert programs
knew this, of course. So they convinced us to go into debt to get
them (and to keep going into debt to sustain them).
Today, however, the continuous quest for more credentials does
not always equate to immediate open doors. The job market is
more discerning, and these programs don't do much to prepare you
for that market, much less the technical job market that often has
its own set of rules. So you can invest quite a bit of your own time
and resources only to find out that you still need to know how to
position yourself properly. (For more on this, see my own “MBA
story”.)
If you're anything like me and my
entire team, you've probably spent
thousands on graduate degrees and
certifications, countless hours
throwing yourself into the latest
development project or solutions
initiative, and more time than you
might care to admit thinking about
work.

So the question becomes, then,
how do you deal with demotivation
and reduced ROI on certs/degrees?
Hint:
95% of technical professionals will all do the same
thing; the same thing they’ve always done...

Most professionals are just hoping
for the best.
Maybe they’ll toss out a resume
here or there or attend a network
mixer here or there.
But primarily, they are just waiting
and hoping something will
happen.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.
You can have more certainty.

In an ideal world, we’d get all of our jobs through
peer-to-peer networking referrals or online job
postings, continued education, and a basic resume.
In the past, maybe you always have.
Today, though, it doesn’t always work that way. It’s important to come
at the market from diverse angles or to have “pipelines,” if you will.
These pipelines take some effort to set up, but not as much as getting a new degree or certification. And they show a
much better long-term payoff. It doesn’t require you to be the most ambitious person out there or the most
extroverted. In fact, it tends to be most effective for the busy professional, balancing life, work, and a desire for more
effective connections (and less “schmoozing”).

Today’s Corporate Entrepreneur
Certainty begins with preparation and
continues with maintenance.
And that should start today
(well, really, yesterday!).
BTW: It's not really a
question of being
optimistic or pessimistic.
Having good karma or bad
karma. About always
landing on your feet or
swimming with the fishes.
It's about recognizing the
market for where it is right
now and moving forward
with it. Not where it used
to be 5, 10, 15, years ago.

No Matter Which Type of Career
Move You Want to Make…
External Search, Internal Promotion, or
Contract Opportunity…
(or even if you plan to “stay put” for awhile)
In today’s world of work, we all need to take a page out of
the entrepreneur’s playbook.
If you haven’t had a chance to read my book UNCOMMON with Brian Tracy , I
recommend you download the following chapter:
The Rise of the Corporate Entrepreneur

And that begins with pipelines.
Entrepreneurs quickly learn the importance of building channels of
opportunity that go beyond just “networking” and acquiring credentials.
Here is one “pipeline” every corporate entrepreneur should establish:
1. Recruiter connections (you should properly match yourself with at least 1
or 2 recruiters who place professionals in your field, area of focus, and with
your salary requirements) and you should be in regular contact with them
EVEN when you aren’t looking. You need to do periodic check-ins to see what
is up, what they are seeing in the market, etc. (This only has to take a few
minutes every quarter, and you can set up regular reminders to do this).
Recruiters can be frustrating, but you should have one in your back pocket!

Another pipeline:
1. Profiled employer connections. Most professionals have some idea of the
type of company that is ideal for them. But I rarely meet one who is working
toward building connections at companies that fit this profile. Occasionally,
someone will have 1 or 2 people they happen to have met or know, but until
they are in desperate job search mode, most professionals will not be
proactive in building these relationships.
And to think LinkedIn makes it so much easier!
Not sure what your ideal employer looks like, chances are you do have some idea about your ideal work
situation (within reason) would look like. Begin writing it down! Work with a career coach if you need to. The
point is to start building a target. From there you can find employers who meet all or some of these goals. A
good concierge job search agent can help you find these employers and link up with connections through LI.
The key to making this
approach work is
understanding tact and
the information
interview process!

Here’s one more:
1. Small, engaged group job hunting network. Many people tell me they
network; very few tell me they do so productively. Here’s why: Their network
is too social; their network is too large and unfocused. Yes, too large. Within
your network should be a subnetwork. These are a few people who have
specific goals that you pledge to help one another support. You then make
regular introductions, forward potential opportunities, and recommend/refer.
Some meet online every couple of months or more depending on need.
The point is that they stay engaged and concerned about each other’s goals
even after they land a new role. Group job hunting is perhaps one of the
most effective job search methods; it is certainly one of the most
underused. But just like entrepreneurs build strategic partnerships, so too
should corporate professionals.

Those are just a few pipelines
you can build. There are several
others. The point is to create
diverse areas where opportunity
could arise.
It’s Too Hard to Start From Scratch…and to Get the Timing “Right”
Today, it can be a rude and expensive awakening to find out
that what used to work is now not as effective or that a career
move can take so much longer to get up and running.
Trust me. I see it everyday with technical leaders who come to
me worn out from working for the wrong employer, corporate
acquisition/merger chaos, start-up drama, Fortune 500
messiness, and general market uncertainty. And they are
overwhelmed by the hiring process to take the steps they
need to.
All it takes is a little bit of planning, regular strategy check-ins,
and periodic updating now.
It’s not as hard as you might think. And it is much better than
the alternative!
Back in the day, you put a basic
resume together, worked a few
connections or answered a few
job ads, and felt pretty certain
the right opportunity would
come along. Then if you worked
hard and didn't burn too many
bridges, you most likely had a
pretty secure career path ahead
of you perhaps even with the
same company.

It’s not about being smarter or more ambitious or about putting your career
above other things.
It’s about adapting to where the market is now.
In fact, it’s about understanding that you do have a lot to lose and you
want to protect you and your loved ones.

So where do you start?
Getting your resume ready is a start, but it's no longer enough. You want to think about your “brand” message and
how you want to position yourself before you build your pipelines.
At the same time, though, you don’t need to do everything (or buy everything!).
You can waste a lot of resources doing that.
To help you get a better feel for where you currently stand in preparing for tomorrow’s career move, I’ve
developed a simple self-assessment survey you can take that is quick to do, free, and helps get you thinking
about where you are and where you need to be:
Career Move Preparation Self-Assessment

Don't Get Stuck in the
Muck with the 95%
If you just plan for one career move at a time,
no matter where you are in your career, you
could be making an expensive mistake.
The Corporate Entrepreneur approach is
simple, targeted, and certain.
It might not fast…but it is effective, much more
so than starting a job search from scratch every
few years.
OK, so along with still putting all their eggs in
the proverbial “resume” basket, most
technical professionals also fail to be “ever
ready.”
They know they kind of need to be, but they
get stuck in that period of time where work
and life take over, and the last thing they
want to do is keep their resume updated,
build pipelines, or think about a job search.
But Proper Maintenance Is the Key to the
Whole Thing!
With the rapidly shifting market we seem to
be in, and career moves happening every 3-4
years or less, technical professionals in
particular are being forced to keep their
options open, at all times.

If you don’t do anything more, at least start to consider…
Where do you currently stand in preparing for tomorrow’s
career move?
Maybe it seems overwhelming or too time-consuming. But it
doesn’t have to be:
You can be part of the “Rise of the Corporate Entrepreneur”!

You don’t have to suddenly turn into the tech job market guru.
Isn’t that a relief?
Let’s make the most out of the power of our connection!
Join my active network on LinkedIn: Send me a connection request
at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede.

Let’s talk some more:
Set up your complimentary Upcoming Career Move Prep Session
with Technical Resume Writer & Career Strategist,
Stephen Van Vreede, today.
We've made it easy to schedule your consult with Stephen. Simply click on the calendar image below to schedule
your appointment. (If you can arrange to have Internet access during the call, then he can share his desktop
presentation with you.) You will receive 1 confirmation email and 1 follow-up note from Stephen sent through our
Appointment Core admin (Links make life so simple when they're working, but sometimes they take on a life of their
own. If for some reason the link doesn't work properly here,
please email Sheree directly at sheree@ittechexec.com!):
**Please look for the "admin" email from Stephen that has information regarding the call. It usually arrives
within an hour of booking the appointment.**

To learn more about ITtechExec or NoddlePlace:
Check ITtechExec Out
Or call Stephen toll-free at 1-866-755-9800; email at stephen@ittechexec.com.
(When you contact us, we will help determine which of our approaches is best
for you.)
Check NoddlePlace Out

ITtechExec
Protecting the Technical Career You’ve
Built So Far
ITtechExec members are senior managers, directors, executives,
and C-level tech leaders (15+y ears of experience) who specialize in
the following fields:
• CIO & CTO
• IT Operations
• Project/Program Management
• Enterprise Architecture
• Telecommunications
• Engineering (Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical…)
• Manufacturing
• Call Center Operations
• Technical Sales Leadership
• Medical Device
• And all things technical related…
These members have worked hard to get where they are today, and
they are committed to investing in protecting and maintaining
these careers. They come to us as guides through the technical job
market “zoo” to help them invest their valuable time and resources
wisely on solutions that produce effective results.
NoddlePlace
Your Technical Career Advancement.
SIMPLIFIED.
NoddlePlace members are the up-and-coming versions of our
ITtechExec members. With about 5 to 15 years of technical career
experience under their belts, they are dedicated to investing in
steady career advancement.
They understand that they are likely to make 8 to 10 career moves
over the next 25+ years of their career, and they are looking not
just at getting a resume but at building in a strategic approach that
positions them for this next move and beyond.
As with ITtechExec, we provide a concierge-type service, where we
combine the resume portfolio side with the job search “launch”
side.
Our goal is to produce measurable ROI and to reduce the stress that
comes with job search and career management for both our
NoddlePlace and ITtechExec members.
At NoddlePlace, we make technical career advancement simple in a
job market that’s gone insane.

How to Protect Yourself Today for Tomorrow's Career Move

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Mehr von Stephen Van Vreede

Mehr von Stephen Van Vreede (6)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

How to Protect Yourself Today for Tomorrow's Career Move