The various roles of information technology (IT) professionals are in demand and growing in today’s business environment. How will you make your impact? As you near the achievement of your IT degree, how will you use your education, experience, and unique abilities to position yourself for your career? How will you set yourself apart in a competitive job marketplace? How will you communicate your value?
To answer the questions below, you need to first review 3–5 advertised job descriptions (using a job board such as this one https://www.indeed.com/ or this one) for a position that you could realistically get after you graduate with your current level of experience, skills, and education.
These jobs do not have to be in your geographic area, but make sure that the descriptions are detailed enough to understand the requirements (i.e., provide job duties, qualifications) and that they match your current level of experience. (Note: Most often, few people will have everything that an employer advertises, so aim to have about 60–70% of the stated qualifications. If you find that you have less than that, and you are not qualified for the jobs you identified, then go back again and search for new jobs for which you do meet a majority of qualifications.)
Have these job descriptions in front of you as you answer the following questions.
Primary Task Response
Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that address the following:
- Look for themes among the job postings you selected. List at least 3 core competencies that someone needs to possess to do those jobs effectively. In other words, what are the skills, characteristics, and abilities that a successful candidate must possess (e.g., analysis and assessment, systems design, troubleshooting and problem-solving, communication, specific software knowledge)?
- For each of those 3 core competencies, share at least 1 specific story that demonstrates how you have proven that you possess that competency. In other words, think about times when you have demonstrated those skills and characteristics. What did you do? How well did you do it? What was the result? What specific, detailed, concrete examples can you provide to a prospective employer that demonstrates your value? Consider these your “success stories” you can share that prove you possess those abilities. Your stories can come from your work experience, education, volunteer work, and even personal life (if those stories are professional and relevant).
- If you had to describe the value that you gained from your education to your future employer in an interview, how would you do that? What stories would you tell about your educational experience and academic successes? Write an answer for how you might communicate the value of your IT degree on your next interview.