Transcript Location of the Careers Centre

The University of Kent
Careers Advisory Service
COMPUTING CAREERS
You can download a copy of
this presentation at
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm
Survey of Skills required
by IT Employers
1. Communication oral and written
6. Numeracy
2. Technical aptitude
7. Technical
Knowledge
3. Career motivation
8. Team-working
4. Analytical skills
9. Problem
solving
5. Business
Awareness
10. Leadership
Survey of Skills required
by IT Employers
 Communication skills come top of
the list.
 Technical aptitude comes before
technical knowledge - it's more
important to be able to learn a
new language quickly from
scratch, than to know a particular
language.
CORE SKILLS REQUIRED
BY MAJOR IT JOBS
 Teamworking is
required for ALL jobs!
PROGRAMMER,
SOFTWARE ENGINEER
 analytical and logical
reasoning
 good technical
knowledge
 attention to detail
 problem-solving
 work to deadlines
 determination
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS,
CONSULTANCY
 business awareness
 persuasiveness
 handling clients
 written
communication skills
 oral communication
skills
 creative problemsolving
Top 10 Technical Skills
Computer Weekly Magazine Survey
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SQL
C++
Unix
Oracle
Windows NT
C
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Java
MS Office
Visual Basic
SQL Server
SAP
I.T. EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE REVIEW
 Technical knowledge

Quick Learner

 Planning
Establishing priorities and
scheduling time. Well organised.
 Productivity

Professionalism - "completing
projects on time".
 Quality of work
"On schedule, under budget,
works first time

 Self Development
Teaching yourself new skills!“
 Communication Presentation
skills, Clear, concise,
documentation.
Teamwork
Problem Solving and
Judgement
Coming up with effective
solutions
Innovation and Change
Receptivity to new ideas.
"Flexible designs that can
withstand last minute
changes"
Administration
Documentation - "Much of
software development
involves writing things down
and looking them up again"
Gartner Research
 IT Professionals who maintain only
a technical toolbox will be at risk.
Executives will seek out and
elevate IT professionals who
demonstrate knowledge of how the
company can apply technology to
achieve business goals.
IT Employers
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Consultancies
Hardware and Software Firms
Telecommunications firms
End Users
Government
Consultancies
 Recruit IT consultants, systems analysts,
systems designers, project managers, sales staff
 Major recruiters of new graduates.
 Lots of client contact so interpersonal and business
skills important.
 Project based work - move to a new project every few
months so constantly learning new skills, but can be a
bit unsettling.
 Focus on "whole solutions" rather than just
consultancy
 Often international so opportunities to work abroad.
Vacancy Sources
Kent Jobs Database
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs
Prospects Web www.prospects.ac.uk
Recruitment Fairs
Directories e.g. Target IT
Recruitment Agencies
Speculative CVs to IT Employers
Careers Web Pages
 What can I do with Computer Science?
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/computersci.htm
 What can I do with a Multimedia degree?
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/multimedia.htm
 MSc Computer Science CV
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/msccompcv.htm
Computing Application Form
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/scienceitaf.htm
Practice Computing Interview
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/mockivs.htm
ACTION PLAN
 Pick up a directory of employers
 See the vacancy lists on-line
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/vaclist.htm
 Register with Prospects Web
www.prospects.ac.uk
 Check your campus email/newsgroups
regularly!
 Apply soon for jobs in large companies–
closing dates are early.
 Apply for most postgraduate study around
December/January
 We will help for 3 years after graduation.
Jenny Walters
 UKM Careers Adviser
 Room M2 – 24
Tel: 01634 (88)8876
E-mail: [email protected]
 For full details of the Careers Advisory
Service at Medway including
photographs see
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/medway.htm
The University of Kent
Careers Advisory Service
You can download a copy of
this presentation at
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm