Six Figure DeveloperHow to Be a

Gaines Kergosien - @gainesk

My Brand(and yours?)

Gaines Kergosienhttp://DotNetDude.Net

twitter: @gainesk

My Brand

Senior Solutions Architect

Branding

Overview

Assessment

Establish Value

Negotiation

Tips

• Are your skills in demand?• What’s your specialty?• Enough experience?

• Years != Experience• Recognize soft skills• Are you under-valued?

AssessmentKnow Your Value

AssessmentKnow the Market

Top companies for most Senior Software salaries reported at GlassDoor.com

Qualifications• 5+ years of design and coding experience with C# and .NET• Proven experience designing, implementing & delivering complex

software projects that span across multiple teams & releases• Excellent communication, collaboration, cross-group skills• Bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science or related fields

• Quantify Past Results• Problems Solved• Increased Efficiency• Increased Sales• Decreased Risk

• Assign Dollar Values• Solicit Recommendations

Prove your worth!Establish Value

Branding

• Google Yourself• Buy a Domain• Blogging• Speaking• Thought Leadership

Branding

• Just Start!• Problems = Opportunities• Solicit Feedback

You can do it!

Branding - Blogging / Speaking

• Company lunch-and-learns*• Contact local user group leaders• Conference call for speakers• http://groups.google.com/group/speaknet

How do I start?Branding - Speaking

* Great justification for sending you to conferences!

Branding - Blogging

• Tumblr (simple)• WordPress (most popular)• Blogger (middle ground)• Ghost (open source)• Weebly (sleek, basic)• Squarespace ($)• TypePad ($$, easy)

Branding - Blogging Platforms

• Announce events• Twitter• Blog

• Share involvement• Online• Resume

• Encourage others

Promote Thought Leadership!

Branding – Thought Leadership

• Google Yourself• Buy a Domain• Blogging• Speaking• Thought Leadership• Resume

Branding

Branding - Resume

What NOT to do!Branding – Resume

• http://resume.yourdomain.com• Submit Tailored Versions• Solicit Feedback

Your First InterviewBranding - Resume

• Start with Skills and Expertise*• Tailor to Specific Needs

Branding - Resume

• Google Yourself• Buy a Domain• Blogging• Speaking• Thought Leadership• Resume• Business Cards

Branding

What NOT to do!Branding – Business Cards

• Plan Ahead• Simplicity Stands Out

• Name• Email• Phone Number• Website

• White Space is Useful

Represent yourself!Branding – Business Cards

Don’t cheap out!Branding – Business Cards

• Google Yourself• Buy a Domain• Blogging• Speaking• Thought Leadership• Resume• Business Cards• Networking

Branding

• Social Profiles• Discover Passions & Pains• Follow Up!• Feed People ***• Take Interest in Projects• Seek Opportunities to Help

Branding - Networking

*** Gratuitous asterisks

• Research the Position• Set Targets• Portray an Image• Balance Humility with Pride• Present Your Value• Request Offer• Provide a Range• Treat No as an Opportunity• Do Not Fear Change!

Negotiation

• You are a valuable commodity!• Change jobs every 2-3 years (>3 months)• Open source work on GitHub or other repositories• Be confident! *

Tips

• Decide on a Brand• Buy a Domain Name• Start a Blog• Order Business Cards• Attend Local Events• Start Speaking• Nurture Relationships

Find me at http://dotnetdude.netContact me on twitter @gaineskFeedback at http://spkr8.com/t/38641

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