Education alone won’t win IT jobs

EXPERIENCE IS KEY

Education is taking a back seat to industry experience for today’s IT professionals. A survey released by Robert Half Technology found managers are focusing less on post-secondary education and technical training when making hiring decisions. The factors more likely to distinguish a candidate are their experience in a specific industry, followed by communication and team- building skills.

The survey, which questioned 270 chief information officers of mid-sized to large companies, found industry-specific experience will land someone a job 55% of the time. Soft skills will be the distinguishing factor in 28% of hiring cases.

“What we’re finding is that hiring managers are looking for less of a learning curve,” said Geoffrey Thompson, branch manager with Robert Half Technology. “It seems to work best when employees come on board who already know industry specific terminology and have a good understanding of how business is done in their field.”

In only 6% of cases did hiring managers choose candidates based on certification in a specific technology. Post- secondary education was of even less weight, as an IT-related undergraduate degree only distinguished a candidate 5% of the time, and an MBA only secured work for 1% of applicants.

“What an employee can do for the bottom line is more important than the educational credentials they have,” Mr. Thompson said. “Most organizations are more team-oriented than individualist. IT workers don’t just sit in a corner at the keyboard anymore; they’re becoming increasingly involved in the business end.”

Laura Francis, a recruitment specialist with Hewitt Associates, said the findings of this survey are very consistent with her own IT recruitment experience.

“ It’s not that education isn’t important, in fact, it’s essential for some jobs, but managers really seem to focus on what you’ve done,” Ms. Francis said. “ Just because you are certified in Unix doesn’t mean you can build a network or work well in a team. My hiring managers are more interested in what candidates have been actually doing rather than the courses they’ve taken.”

Based on the survey results, Mr. Thompson said the message to prospective candidates was clear. After identifying an industry of interest, gain as much experience there as possible.

“Focusing on the industry where you have experience is the best way to improve your career chances,” he said. “Then when you apply for jobs, you can emphasize this experience in any way you can; through cover letters, interviews, etc. You have to make it clear you’ve done the job before and you’re qualified now.”

For people hoping to change career paths, Mr. Thompson suggested working on soft skills. Taking advantage of opportunities to work in teams, enrolling in leadership or communications seminars, and becoming familiar with the workings of a business will be as beneficial today as a computer science degree was five years ago.

Financial Post fpworking@ nationalpost. com