Elite IT Services Business Blog

Are IT Certifications a Waste of Your Time and Money?

My favorite Information Week author Marianne Kolbasuk McGee release a new article last week titled, "In Growing Job Market, IT Pros Get More for the Soft Skills"  Here's an excerpt.

"One report concludes that employers are now paying higher premiums for non certified tech skills--areas like enterprise applications, e-commerce, and process management--than those paid for certified skills. That research comes from Foote Partners, which has done in-depth quarterly employer surveys of employers for eight years".

Isn't that interesting, the report indicates that tech skills areas that don't have certification programs are higher paying than positions that do have certifications available. It's been my experience that most certified professionals acquire their certification using their own time and their own money. It looks like the investment is not paying off the way it was anticipated. So many people have acquired certifications (especially Microsoft Certifications) that the value of the certification has been diminished. I know for a fact that my clients are not impressed by certifications. But they are impressed by Personal Leadership, Solution Oriented Mindsets, Excellent Communication Skills, Aptitude and Passion. There's more to the article including some statistics on job growth in specific IT categories. Read More.

One Year Anniversary of Elite IT Services Business Blog

By: Rob Hubert

That's right - one year ago we started blogging. This post is a quick review of the highlights from year one of our blogging experience. An interesting note about blogging, news and history is that nuggets of wisdom are sprinkled throughout and sometimes forgot about.

It was October 6, 2006. Our president Sandra Hubert wrote the first post, titled "Should I Wear a Suit for an Interview at a Business Casual Company?" She was also quoted in Forbes Magazine about the same topic. Sandi followed up that post with several more, including: "Are You Passionate? - About Your IT Career?" and Setting Goals. Steve Stadler had some great posts throughout the year, including  "Want to Improve Your Relationship with your Boss?" and Mastery A Process for Achieving Results

And of course, I made a few contributions, my favorites include: Ebay's Feedback System in the Office, The Most Successful Resume Format Ever and Accountability the Difference Between Average and Outstanding If you missed these posts, you may want to check them out.

While the frequency of our posts has been variable, our commitment to blogging is strong. I want to thank Jim Durbin from Durbin Media  and Stlrecruiting.com for enrolling us in the exciting and fun filled blog world. If it wasn't for Jim, I wouldn't be writing this and you wouldn't be reading this. Jim Durbin is truly an innovative and leading expert on branding, marketing, the Internet and blogging. Thank You Jim.

And most importantly, I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read our blog. You are the reason that we keep blogging.

The Power of an Informational Interview

By: Rob Hubert

A friend recently shared this story:  My friend Jon referred Larry to me. Larry called and asked to meet with me for an "Informational Interview". I was reluctant at first, but I knew Jon wouldn't give my name out to someone that he didn't trust. Larry came to my office to meet and I was quite surprised by the rapport that we built. I was able to give Larry some leads, but nothing became of them. I did however stay in touch with him. He landed a new management job that was similar to his old job and he thanked me for helping him (even though I didn't think that I really helped). Nine months later, much to my surprise, my company began having financial difficulties and I was released. After a couple of months of an unsuccessful job search, I remembered Larry. I called him up and told him my situation and he invited me to his office to meet with him. Long story short, Larry is now my boss.

Everyone knows that Networking is one of the keys to continued career success and to a successful job search. One of the most common tools of networking is the Informational Interview. An Informational Interview is a formal, yet relaxed information exchange between two people with an interest to help each other. This may come in the form of sharing contacts from each others network to help achieve an objective (i.e. like finding a job). From a job search perspective, the idea is based on the simple fact that people don't hire resumes, they hire people.