How to find a job when career Web sites fail users
05/07/08
Career Web sites are failing job seekers. Here's how you can succeed anyway.

IT worker confidence hits low point
04/30/08
IT worker confidence has hit its lowest point in years, with fewer than half of employees confident in their ability to find a new job.

Ethical hacking certification offered by McAfee
04/23/08
A division of McAfee is teaching IT professionals how to think like hackers and attack their own networks in a new course that lets network managers earn a popular certification for ethical hacking.

MBA boosts IT salary more than experience and non-business degrees
04/16/08
IT professionals who lack an MBA might be shocked to learn how much money they're leaving on the table. A new study of IT salaries finds that a Master of Business Administration degree is worth as much as 10 years of IT workforce experience, and is far more valuable financially than any other master's or bachelor's degree.

Cisco tackles certification exam cheating
04/09/08
Exam cheating and braindump sites are persistent problems in the high-stakes world of IT certifications, and vendors serious about protecting the integrity of their certifications have to fight cheaters on many levels.

IT job security plummets five times faster than nationwide average
04/02/08
Job security for IT professionals plummeted more than 10% from January to February of this year, far surpassing the average job security declines seen nationwide in a rigorous analysis of U.S. employment patterns.

Your online image is just as important as your physical one
03/26/08
If there's one stereotype that has been broken since I began editing Cisco Subnet, Network World's community for Cisco users and partners, it's that tech geeks can't communicate. Judging by the working network execs we have blogging for us, today's eloquent network professionals are giving us professional wordsmiths a run for our money. I believe that maintaining such a professional image online speaks more about an IT pro's character than a one-paged resume. But, unfortunately, there are other 'IT pros' who don't have a clue how to conduct themselves online, showing not only poor judgment when it comes to posting unflattering pictures on Web sites - even ones intended just between friends - but also making insulting comments and remarks online. It's no wonder that these people choose to hide behind the mask of anonymity when posting up such remarks. For some IT pros, it's time to rethink their image online because future employers/clients may be reading.

Cisco releases CCVP curriculum, exams for Unified Communications Manager 6.0
03/19/08
Cisco Monday updated the exams and courseware for its Cisco Certified Voice Professional certification to cover its Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0 product. The new exams and courseware are available now and replace exams and courseware that supported Cisco Unified CallManager 5.0.

Is CCIE pay slipping compared to other certifications?
03/12/08
In a provocatively headlined blog, TechRepublic Executive Editor Jason Hiner writes that "Cisco's CCIE is no longer the biggest cash cow of IT certification." According to the Web site's 2008 IT Skills and Salary Report conducted in association with training firm Global Knowledge, Cisco's highest accolade for network engineers is the fifth highest-earning certification for IT professionals, following PMI Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Certified Associate in Project Management, ITIL v. 2 - Foundation, and (ISC)2's Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

More needs to be done to encourage women into IT
03/05/08
Why does it appear that the movement of getting more women into IT or promoting the advancement of women already in IT takes one step forward and then another back? For example, in January, it was reported that Cisco managers in the United Kingdom get rewarded for hiring women to their teams, and the new hires are place on a special program to equip them with the necessary IT skills and knowledge. But in the same month, Dice.com released its annual technology survey that found that women in IT make 12% less on average than their male counterparts. What more needs to be done to get women into IT and what do employers need to do to make technology an attractive sector for female workers?

How to negotiate a better pay deal from your boss
02/27/08
Last time, we discussed the best way to use data from salary surveys during performance reviews. A reader wrote in saying that the majority of salary surveys he saw showed that he's way underpaid - how does he ask for more money from his bosses? Last week, we heard advice from two career experts, this week we hear from another, James Del Monte, a Certified Employee Retention Specialist, a Certified Personnel Consultant, and president of staffing firm JDA Professional Services, based in Houston.

Salary surveys show you're underpaid - how do you ask your boss for a pay raise?
02/20/08
The best part of writing this newsletter is getting feedback from readers and hearing about their career and training successes as well as their concerns. One recent correspondence I received was from a reader wanting to know how to use data from salary surveys during performance reviews, particularly if the majority of surveys show the individual to be earning below the average. It's questions such as these that I present to my panel of career experts for their advice. But before we get to that, I wanted to point you to a new blog I've set up especially to enable you to ask any career-related question you have and to be answered by my panel of career and training experts, as well as by your peers.

An IT Careers Research Center worth a look
02/13/08
Network World has revamped its IT Careers Research Center into a must-visit destination for IT pros looking to advance their careers. Take a look at the new site and let me know what you think. You can follow the blogs of seven career and training experts who are writing exclusively for Network World, you can also find links to our other careers-related newsletters - IT Leadership and Technology Executive. You can use our salary calculator to see what you are worth, and get links to the latest IT career and training news articles and podcasts.

What hiring managers look for in a security professional
02/06/08
Today, we'll review a couple of recent announcements from (ISC)2, the industry body that runs the highly-regarded and highly sought-after Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification. It has published a hiring guide that although is aimed at managers looking to recruit security specialists, the content could also be useful to IT pros interested in entering the security industry or for existing security personnel wanting an inside look at how they can better present themselves to potential new employers. The industry body also launched an online self-assessment tool that enables security pros to assess their knowledge of the (ISC)2 CBK taxonomy of information security topics - the foundation for all (ISC)2 certifications.

How to revamp your soft skills
01/30/08
Earlier this month we discussed how techies can broaden their soft skills and received some advice from the author of 'The IT Careers Builder's Toolkit'. Today, we bring you a Q&A with Jeremy W. Hill, senior national accounts manager at national staffing company Sapphire, in which we discuss how employers weigh interpersonal skills vs. technical skills, the options for improving soft skills, whether we can improve soft skills by going to training courses or reading books, and if vendors are putting more emphasis on soft skills in their certification training curriculum.

Cisco announces general availability of design expert written exam
01/23/08
Cisco is formally launching its much-discussed Cisco Certified Design Expert program at this week's Networkers Europe 2008 conference in Barcelona, Spain. The program was first discussed with a few Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert at Networkers U.S. last summer and Network World and its Cisco Subnet bloggers since have written extensively about the new certification. But there are still questions surrounding the new program, mostly around how it fits with Cisco's CCIE certifications, whether Cisco partners and resellers are required to have x many CCDEs on their roster, how the lab portion of the exam would work, and how Cisco would be raising awareness of the program among businesses and employers. Cisco last week spoke on the record about the program.

How techies can broaden their soft skills
01/16/08
Last time, we mentioned that now more than ever, employers are asking for soft skills and business knowledge of their tech hires. Jeremy W. Hill, senior national accounts manager at national staffing company Sapphire, says: "In year's past, it was more common to have requirements for just a 'heads-down techie' with X skill set. Though our clients still do request specific certifications and skills, we are seeing an increase in requests for individuals with multiple proficiencies." What are these soft skills and how do you improve yours?

Time to trade your geek backpack for a business briefcase?
01/09/08
As you settle into the New Year, thoughts often turn to your career as you take stock of where you are and where you want to be. In recent weeks, Network World has published a whole raft of careers-related articles that (hopefully) will help clarify some of your thoughts, the nut being that adding business-savviness to your repertoire will take you a longer way than just relying on your technical know-how. Here are three articles that could provide the wisdom you're looking for.

How successful was Juniper's free training to Cisco professionals offer?
01/02/08
In May last year, Juniper made its boldest move yet to lure Cisco certified pros to become certified in Juniper's JUNOS enterprise routers by offering them free training. The program provided participants with access to a range of courses aimed to produce a raft of new Juniper certified professionals to help the Cisco rival increase its share of the enterprise routing market. The program closed Dec. 31, and in mid-December Juniper claimed that 12,000 Cisco certified folks had enrolled in the program since its inception, 2,300 participants have become JUNOS-certified in enterprise routing, and that 130 countries were represented by participants in the program. I spoke to one individual who works at a reseller of both Cisco and Juniper equipment about why he took part in the initiative.

Cisco combats exam cheating with digital ID policy
12/19/07
In a bid to combat cheating and to "protect the value of certifications" Cisco now requires all exam takers to provide digital photos and digital signatures during the admission process at Pearson VUE, Cisco's primary test centers.

Microsoft unveils certifications for Windows Server 2008
12/12/07
With just three months to go until the launch of Windows Server 2008, Microsoft last week unveiled the certification structure for the upcoming server operating system. The structure follows the new three-tiered certification levels that Microsoft outlined in 2005, in which the titles Microsoft Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified Systems Analyst and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer will gradually be replaced with certifications based around specific technologies and job roles.

Is Six Sigma in your future?
12/05/07
In October, my colleague Carolyn Duffy Marsan reported on Cummins, an engine manufacturer in Columbus, Ind., that hit $12 billion in revenue this year. Much of its success was attributed to the company's commitment to the Six Sigma quality management technique. Cummins is in the process of training all of its IT staffers in Six Sigma, a technique that applies statistical tools to measure, analyze and fix problems. If it's important for Cummins to have its IT people qualified in Six Sigma, is it worthwhile you adding it to your certifications portfolio?

Micro Focus aims to make Cobol learning fashionable again
11/28/07
When the threat of Y2K reared its head many of us IT reporters wrote heaps about luring programmers out of early retirement to make sure that Cobol-based applications didn't go kaput when the clocks ushered in the New Year. Now enterprises are once again seeking folks with Cobol programming experience to replace the Cobol Baby Boomers who are entering retirement. According to a survey of 650 customers by enterprise software vendor Micro Focus, 70% said recruiting Cobol skills would be important in the next five years.

IT jobs top online jobs postings, says Beyond.com
11/14/07
The pool of IT job openings on Beyond.com is the highest of all industries, according to the online job portal's Career Trend Analysis for the third quarter of 2007.

Starting salaries for IT pros to jump in 2008
11/07/07
If you're thinking of getting a new job next year, you might be interested to know that starting salaries for IT jobs will increase by an average 5.3% next year, according to the recently released Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide.

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