Software Development
The Rise of the Corporate Entrepreneur
In my newly released book UNCOMMON with Brian Tracy, I wanted to focus on the concept of “corporate entrepreneur.” Thanks to feedback from my social media connections, I was able to gather some great data and comments on what corporate entrepreneurship means to today’s professional.
Below is an excerpt from the book. If you’d like to download the entire chapter, click on the cover graphic and I will send it to you! OR if you’d like to order a signed copy of the book, check out my exclusive offer.
Click on cover photo to receive rest of chapter!
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THE RISE OF THE CORPORATE “ENTREPRENEUR”
Let’s face it. The world of “work” is more uncertain than ever. It penalizes you for things you often can’t control … for being too “old,” too experienced, too qualified, too “educated,” too “expensive.” It might not reward you for this certification or that title. On top of that, corporate hiring processes are a sophisticated mess (to put it mildly), internal cultural and multigenerational conflict is commonplace, and many companies are struggling with how to retain their top talent.
As a result, professionals now make an external career move every 3 to 4 years. That means the average 30-year-old with 35 years (or more!) left in the marketplace can expect 10 or more company changes before he or she retires. Even if this professional were to beat the odds with an internal promotion or two, by say double, he or she could still be out in the market every 6 to 8 years.
If all that corporate “goo” isn’t bad enough, then there’s the job market “zoo” to contend with.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT’S NOT ALL BAD NEWS!
Each day I work with professionals across the globe dedicated to building in career protection, and they are achieving tremendous results. Just like the rest of us, they face many of the same limitations: age, gender, level of experience, geographic restrictions, lack of credentials, market instability, and so on. The difference is in how they approach these limitations and build in their protection from the storm.
IS THERE REALLY SUCH A THING AS CAREER “PROTECTION”?
People tell me that “job security” is a myth today or that if you work for someone else, such as a corporation, you can’t really control your fate.
And I understand what they mean.
IT SEEMS LIKE SOMEONE ELSE IS HOLDING ALL THE CARDS.
(For the rest of the story, click on the graphic above!)
—About Stephen—-
Stephen Van Vreede is not your average IT/technical résumé writer. He provides career strategy and concierge job search solutions for senior (15+ years) (ITtechExec) and up-and-coming (NoddlePlace) (5-15 years) tech and technical operations leaders. Stephen and his team focus on building simplified, targeted, and certain career move campaigns, be it an external search or an internal promotion. He is co-author of UNcommon with career development leader Brian Tracy (out June 11, 2015). Contact Stephen directly at Stephen@ittechexec.com or send him an invite at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede. To see whether Stephen and his team are a good fit for you, take their free (and anonymous) 1-minute compatibility quiz, Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You? Also, feel free to take his complimentary resume self-assessment quiz, How Certain Can You Be About Your Technical Resume? You might be surprised by what you find out!
How to Get a Whole Lot More Than Just Another IT Resume
When it comes to the hiring process, 95% of professionals spend their time worrying about, and focusing on, credentials. Not surprisingly, then, they end up creating, or looking for writers who will create, resumes focused on showcasing lists of credentials backed by experience.
On the surface, this makes sense, especially when you do what most rational people would do, and that is listen to what companies are saying when it comes to their ideal candidates. After all, they say they want someone with X experience and X credentials, so why wouldn’t you produce documents that tell them you have exactly that, right?
Well, how many times have you or someone you know applied for positions that you were 100% qualified for and did not get the job, maybe not even a call or an interview?
It happens all the time. The reason?
Because companies are human too! And us humans have a habit of saying one thing and doing another.
And when you look at what companies do in regard to hiring, what you find is that they respond more to benefits than they do to features. In other words, while they like all the credentials and experience you list out on your resume, those things are most often not what persuades them to hire you.
Instead, they are looking for how all those credentials and skills can be leveraged to make their lives better. And they don’t want to have to connect the dots.
That’s where your IT resume comes in…it must begin the process of connecting the dots. Then it must be reinforced by additional content (what we refer to as a portfolio) and a holistic job search strategy that completes the connection.
The result? You get a whole lot more than “just” another IT resume. You get an approach that is proving to be much more effective.
To find out more about the IT resume portfolio approach we take, and why we take it, feel free to request:
—About Stephen—-
Stephen Van Vreede is not your average IT/technical résumé writer. He provides career strategy and concierge job search solutions for senior (15+ years) (ITtechExec) and up-and-coming (NoddlePlace) (5-15 years) tech and technical operations leaders. Stephen and his team focus on building simplified, targeted, and certain career move campaigns, be it an external search or an internal promotion. Contact Stephen directly at Stephen@ittechexec.com or send him an invite at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenvanvreede. To see whether Stephen and his team are a good fit for you, take their free (and anonymous) compatibility quiz, Is the ITtechExec Approach a Good Match for You?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Hacker-Proof: How Next Big IT Push Relates to Your Next Job
In TechCrunch’s New Year’s Eve post on projected IT trends in 2015, venture capitalist Steve Herrod wrote “there will be hacks.” As we witnessed in 2014 with the major cyber attacks of the likes of eBay, Target, JPMorgan, and Sony, even the biggest companies are not immune to hacks. And, when you’re an IT professional, you aren’t immune from understanding how hacking happens and how to prevent it if you want to compete for the best jobs out there.
Whether data safety falls into your job duties or not, employers this year will be paying special attention to keeping their information hacker-free. Here is how you can leverage this information on the job market.
Know Your History
Are you staying up-to-date on current events in tech and IT? Show your future employer that you understand your field of expertise by staying up-to-date. Do your homework and contribute to the conversation online, with colleagues, or at networking events.
Know What You’d Have Done Differently
A great way of making an impression on potential employers is to take an example problem and walk them through your problem-solving process. Even if you don’t specialize in data security, use your skills and experience to create a solution to the problem — it shows not only your commitment to a hacker-free workplace, but a high level of investment in your field.
Know How to Relate Data Security to Your Job
Hacking creates an environment of fear wherein a company’s most valuable assets are no longer safe. Think of the problems that arise in your specific field that parallel this pain point. If you can relate how you would solve them, you’re speaking to one of your potential employer’s most deeply rooted concerns, which will separate you out from the crowd.
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