Monthly Archives: February 2013

When evaluating prospective candidates, employers frequently look to the certifications that the candidate may have earned as a measure of excellence and commitment to quality. They are willing to pay for these certifications.

Four of the top IT certifications that can boost your career include:…

Project Management Professional (PMP) is viewed as the most important certification for project managers.  It highly sought after and employees who have earned this credential can earn over $100K a year.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is considered the “gold standard” in information security certifications and education. 

Everyone has heard the story.  Amy’s Baking Company thought that they had the marketing coup of 2013 when they were offered the chance to be featured on Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay.  However, their joyous success quickly turned into a true kitchen nightmare …much of it through the owners’ own doing.  After Ramsay abandoned them on the show, the owners allegedly turned to social media to defend and justify their behavior through a series of vitriolic Facebook posts and Yelp review responses….

If you are searching for ways to hone your skill set and increase your hireability, an excellent option is training and education. Training in a specialization or increasing your working knowledge of relevant advances in your industry is a particularly helpful method of increasing your own hireability and professional worth, as well as helps your resume to stand out from the crowd when submitting for contract work. Contract work helps you expand your skill set and connects you with people at different companies and corporations in your industry, and can make you a more sought-after candidate and put you at the forefront for the most choice opportunities….

Once you have passed through the initial phone (i.e. screening) interview, your next step is a series of face-to-face interviews. However, as an IT professional, you will also have the technical interview to deal with.

The good news is that once you make it to the technical “round”, you have been more than likely placed on the short list of candidates. These interviews are expensive and time-consuming, and they simply will not be given to every applicant.

You must prepare all your interviews by updating and focusing on your resume as well as polishing your appearance and your professional demeanor. …

Ask any hiring manager what the most important skills are for working in IT, you will likely find that the answer is not wrapped up in comprehensive knowledge of coding languages, or being capable of building networks. Those skills are a given in the field, and should be similar across the board for applicants of like positions. So, what are the skills that are most valuable to your successful career in IT? Soft skills are landing candidates jobs at the most desirable companies….

When it comes to motivation, you must cease viewing this as a task to check off a list, and embrace it as a vital component of your leadership style. Simply put, when it comes to motivating your IT employees, less is so very much more.

Incentive programs that are used to motivate employees mask an underlying problem that cannot be fixed with a Starbucks gift card; they disguise the fact that they are being put in place to ramp up intrinsic motivation that may not even be present….

Because the field has evolved greatly to accommodate companies’ needs for smarter, faster and more palatable and relatable Information Technology, IT managers and employees have noticed changes in what interviewers are seeking over the last ten to fifteen years. Discounting any of these newer factors could cost you an interview or a position with a desirable company. Incorporating the following into your interview arsenal can increase your chances of landing a job.

Identify strengths and weakness in your soft skills….

When you blow out your birthday candles have you ever wished for more time in a day? Getting everything done that needs to get done can be difficult with a busy schedule, but there are several things that you can do every single day to help find that extra time. As an IT manager, you have a million things on your plate. AZ Tech Finders has provided some suggestions to be more productive with your day.

Managers are charged with dealing with many different types of people in different departments and fields. But when it comes to managing the IT crowd, will the usual managerial tactics be sufficient? Some of the managerial imperatives for IT employees are similar to or the same as those for any other field. However, there are a small handful of items that are specific to IT. Putting these ideas into practice can help you coax superior results out of your employees and create a more cohesive office environment….

After attracting and interviewing their top candidate, many companies end up having their job offer refused.

Top candidates have options.  Their skills are in high demand, and multiple companies often are pursuing them.  So what can you do to improve your chances of having a top candidate accept your offer? Here are 4 areas to focus on:

Stability
According to the most recent Global Workforce Insights Quarterly Report, job stability is a priority for employees considering a new job – falling directly behind compensation and work / life balance. …