The IT Job Market

Things Are Not As Bad As They Seem

The landscape of the IT industry has changed significantly since the tidal wave of the high-tech crash in March 2001. By now, you’ve probably been affected by the slowing economy as IT budgets shrink, or you have even felt the sting of losing a job. Finding a new position in this market might be difficult; finding your dream position is likely to be especially difficult. However, if you possess solid IT skills and are flexible about employment opportunities, there is a light at the end of the layoff tunnel.

IT pros, especially those in urban areas, had their pick of positions before the bottom fell out of the tech sector. Many IT positions were eliminated in the aftermath of the tech crash, which included thousands of layoffs at Dell, 3Com and Hewlett-Packard.

But do the state of the economy and the altered industry landscape mean that unemployed IT professionals cannot find work? No, because organisations still need workers with IT skills. But you can’t be as picky as you used to be. Relocation or starting at slightly different career path might help you find the position you want, though experts warn that you should relocate only to a place that suits you.

While it’s not a buyer’s market, or one where the demand for jobs exceeds the number of qualified applicants, the job market is leveling off.

The hiring practices of a large organisation are not always the same as those of a small or medium-size organisation. Small organisations often lack some of the pressures large organisations face and, as a result, may not have to lay off employees to pull itself out of the red. In smaller companies, which represent a large piece of the total job market, IT pros are quite insulated from industry-wide trends.

So what do you do if you can’t wait for the job market to right itself in your area? Take a step back and look at what you want to do and where you want to be as an IT pro. Dramatic economic change requires that we all ‘reconfigure’ ourselves.

Start looking for a great company and not a perfect job. The solution is not to find the jobs. It’s to find the great companies that you really want to work for and show them how you will contribute to their profitability if they hire you.

Keep an open mind, and a position you never considered before might appear. Maybe step into a slightly different (career) area, because a down market is a good time to make a smart career shift. If you have skills that are in demand, capitalise on this fact during your job search. Web development, wireless applications and application development are skills currently hot. Prove yourself, sell your skills to a company and show what you can add to the organisation if hired. Find work you’d love to do and show the company how you can do it profitably. Your next IT position will probably not be your last. Always be on the lookout for new positions, just in case.