2015 CTE Presentation: Economic Update and Career Communication Primer / Partnering with EducationPresented to:

April 30, 2015Evan DonaldsonManaging Director, InfoSystems Resources

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Proposed Agenda

Introductions

State of the Industry/Economy Brief

What is Industry looking for?

Technical Skills

Soft Skills

Q & A, discussion.

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Introductions

Evan DonaldsonManaging Director for InfoSystems Resources DivisionStarted Leading InfoSystems Resources in June of 2014 (15+ years in technology placement and project delivery)

Consultants, Contingent, Retained, RPOSan Diego professional since 1985

• Placed hundreds of professionals in the San Diego and Orange County market

• Focused on Sr Individual Contributors, Managers, and Executives• Recognized as a candidate-centric expert on the resume-interview-

hire process, negotiation, and business communication

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InfoSystems Resources Overview

InfoSysems Resources is a sister company to General Ledger Resources, a San Diego icon for 12+ years. GLR is an Accounting and Finance Powerhouse.

Both ISR and GLR are proud divisions of Highmark Companies, LLC. Based in Arlington, VA.

Together we provide IT, Scientific, Engineering, Finance/Accounting, and Government Staffing for local and national clients.

We also provide project expertise in the IT/Development areas.

Locations in San Diego, San Francisco, Arlington, and Cary, N.C.

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Why are we here?

I believe that we are all here because we have a common desire. That desire is not to push students to the finish line, but rather to pull them to the starting line!

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How do we get there?

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State of the Industry/Economy Brief

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Bottom line:The economy is actually good, and companies are (and will be) hiring. The question is, do we have the skills to meet the need?

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So, what is industry looking for?

EDD.GOV: Top 100 Fastest Growing Occupations in California, 2012-2022:

1. Construction related work (including solar)2. Healthcare related work3. IT related work

All over 20% growth over the next decade or so

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EVERY company needs technology!Everyone has to grow with technology, or risk being left behind. Even those who don’t want to….

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My area of expertise is Technology:1. 6500 unfilled software development positions in San

Diego County.2. Tremendous increase in cyber/security, system

integration, virtualization. Hundreds of unfilled jobs.3. Data Analysis, Business Intelligence, Data

warehousing – tremendous growth.

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A brief explanation – what are some of these things?

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“Cyber” – of, or relating to, computers or computer networks.“System Integration” – Bringing together disparate systems or subsystems to ensure that they function together as a whole (a new “system”)

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“DW” – “Data Warehousing” is a system of software and hardware to create the repository of data. This includes the databases, as well as the server, hard drives, and processor.

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“BI” – “Business Intelligence” is a system, including software, that analyzes and reports findings from an organizations raw data. Used for making metrics-driven decisions.

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“Big Data” What the heck is that?

Definition: extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions.

So what?

It can provide a tremendous competitive advantage to a company. Raw data is a cost item.

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So, let’s break it down. What are the technical skills and tools required by the tech industry today?

Tech Skills:1. Programming 2. Database / “Big Data”

skills3. Analytics/statistics skills4. Computer networking

skills5. Application/systems

skills

Tech tools:1. C#/.NET, PHP, JAVA,

etc. 2. SQL, Oracle, mySQL,

Hadoop, etc. 3. SAS, R, Tableau, etc4. Network training5. Application specific tools

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How important is education to get these jobs?

In GENERAL, none of these positions always require a BS degree or higher. Some trends:1. Technical support tends to have the fewest degreed

practitioners, followed by infrastructure. Often HS.2. Cyber security tends to have the highest degree

requirement. Frequently Ph.D.

Security -> Analytics -> Development -> Networking -> Technical support

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Certifications vs. degrees?

1. Certifications matter. 2. They matter most for Infrastructure/Network and

Systems work, but also for security.

Experience also matters! A balance between the three things is the best strategy.

The most important thing is to be able to demonstrate that you can solve problems effectively.

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Certifications vs degrees?

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So, what about “soft skills?”Two Kinds of soft skills:

• Personal and Interpersonal skills• Business skills

Both are critically important, but they are not the same!

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Personal/Interpersonal skillsPersonal skills: 1. Timeliness/attendance2. Grooming/attire3. Attitude / Drive /

Enthusiasm4. Professionalism5. Accountability6. Time-management7. Willing/eager to learn8. Goal Setting (S.M.A.R.T)

Interpersonal skills: 1. Refrain from

gossip/politics2. Grammar/spelling3. Prioritization4. Team player5. Meeting/group behavior

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Business skills• Companies only hire people for one reason: ____________• Technology is not a result, or an end, it is a tool to achieve a

result, or an end. What are those ends?1. Make money2. Save money3. Get new clients4. Keep current clients happy

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Business skills• Companies don’t hire technical people, ultimately, to solve

technical problems, they hire them to solve: _____________• “Business skills” require a decent understanding of both

business practices and philosophies, in general, and the actual business of the employer.

• They also require an understanding of cultural and generational differences.

• Finally, they are focused on identifying problems and optimizing solutions.

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Q&A