Tech Job Hunt Handbook is a career management book—just for technology professionals—that reflects today’s new economic realities. The world of work is constantly changing, and staying professionally relevant while competing for more specialized tech jobs in areas like cloud computing, mobile and social applications, and big data in a highly competitive global economy is critical. The world is churning out hungry programmers and developers in record numbers, making the global labor market highly competitive. It is now essential to plan a campaign to get a better job as well as your overall career. Retooling your skills and re-branding yourself is mandatory whether you’re seeking a new job or intent on retaining current employment.

Readers of the Tech Job Hunt Handbook will find tools, practical guidance, and recommendations on how to find the best new tech jobs, how to get noticed, how to ace interviews and get hired, and how to keep those new jobs—until it’s time for a better one. As you will learn, learning how to assess and then invest in career management skills leads to long-term competitive advantage and a happier working life.

Tech Job Hunt Handbook—for recent graduates, risk-taking innovators, and tech veterans alike—shows how to build a comprehensive online professional profile, identify the companies you’re interested in and who you know at those companies, approach interviews with confidence, uncover opportunities in your current company, and understand the new emerging technology markets that could lead to a career rebirth. This book will help you:

• Find a new or better tech job.
• Stay relevant and employable despite constant new developments.
• Manage your tech career for long-term success.

What you’ll learn

• Why it’s essential to adapt quickly in today’s job market.
• Why pursuing degrees, certifications, and new skills are more important than ever.
• How to create a comprehensive online profile, consistent across online networks, that shines a light on your skills and capabilities.
• How to spot the best-run companies, identify who you know in them, and grow networks that lead to new and better jobs.
• How to make the most of the latest technology--online assessments, interactive video interviews, etc.--to put your best foot forward at all times.
• How to win hearts and minds during the hiring interview.
• How to determine when it’s time to consider a career change and how to go about it effectively.
• How to find work in today’s emerging tech disciplines: cloud, social technologies, mobile, big data, and analytics.
• How to transform yourself into someone companies view as a great investment.

Who this book is for

Tech Job Hunt Handbook is for the technology professional seeking new employment or retaining current employment in today’s ever-changing, ever-more-competitive world of work. It’s for those just graduating from college, risk-taking innovators, and project-hardened developers with decades of experience alike. Tech Job Hunt Handbook is the right choice for technology professionals ready to retool and re-brand their workplace persona and their skills, get a much better job, and stay employed in satisfying positions no matter how the economy or job market changes.

Table of Contents

1. Career Management Means You
2. Finish Your Education
3. Learn New Specialized Skills
4. Find and Take the Contract Work
5. Cross-training and Volunteering
6. Background Screens and Assessments
7. Interviewing, Part 1
8. Building an Online Profile
9. Researching Employers
10. Leverage Your Network, and Their Networks
11. Mentors and Professional Associations
12. Zero in on the Company
13. Cool Tools for Getting a Job
14. From Best Practice to Business Case
15. Interviewing, Part 2
16. The Onboarding Battle and Beyond
17. Internal Mobility
18. Careers in Cloud Computing and Mobile Technology
19. Careers in Big Data and Social Analytics
20. Traditional Careers IT Today
21. Appendix: Resources