Success Guidelines for an IT Professional Career

What makes an IT Professional stand out above his peers? We have compliled this list from interviewing thousands of IT Professionals over the last 20 years. We would like to invite you to add to this list from your own experiences by commenting on our blog.

1. Be solution-oriented

Look at every task you are given as a product / service delivered by you being the company. Every product has a customer / user that needs to use this and benefit from it. Rather than looking at a job just as a means to an end and being there in working hours. This might require of you to work longer hours than usual at times. Linked to this, every product or service has to be delivered in a reasonable time frame. This definitely also does not mean you have to be a workaholic to be successful, one should live a balanced life so I suggest you should always ensure that you also have enough rest, even if it is between projects delivered.

2. Keep your skills updated

"School is never out for the true professional". This is especially applicable for IT as we have continuously evolving technologies in the IT industry, it is so easy to fall behind. This is also one of the reasons why we have a skills shortage in our industry.

"Rack up those certifications". It is just a fact that employers take IT Certifications seriously. Certified candidates earn higher salaries and are preferred in job interviews. Keep the certifications relevant to your job, updated. (We have a training school in our group - to assist with that : see http://www.getcertified.co.za/ ) .

3. Build relationships.

People are more important than technology, so do not neglect building friendships along the way in your IT career. It is not alone "what you know" - it is also "who you know". Colleagues, bosses, customers / end-users fall into this category. Make sure that while you are delivering the best solutions possible, you are also build strong friendships and remember we are all part of the human race.

4. Specialisation vs. generalisation

Your goal should be to be a specialist in your field, but you should not neglect the basics of a generalist. While being the top guru in your field, do not rely on other people to clean up the basics. For example while being a top Software Developer, it can be very positive to know how to fix your PC (and those of you users in times of need). An end - user looks up to an IT Professional as someone who knows everything.

5. Take responsibility

When choosing tasks on a new project, look at the core skills that will make the project successful. This is not always being a project leader, often a key member in a team plays a critical role when it comes to keeping the customer / users happy. Keep adding happy customers to your list and CV, it will add to you your success.

What does Cloud Computing and Virtualisation mean for the future of IT skills?

One of the most prominent trends in IT nowadays is the move towards Cloud Computing and Virtualisation. In brief this is the concept of business using more IT services on demand via the internet, than in-house.

For Infrastructure needs businesses can now even get hardware functionality by subscribing to such services on the internet. This means they do not have to buy and maintain servers anymore, but can get those and their -operating systems via a Service Provider on the internet. If the capacity gets too small, add some more capacity is done by taking a better subscription.

For Software Applications the model is similar. Businesses can now replace their in-house software packages with subscribed software services from the same vendors. For example an accounting package that was previously used in a company and installed on an in-house server, is now available on the internet by subscription on a monthly or -usage basis by the same company.

This reduces the need for small to medium-sized businesses to maintain their own server and network infra-structure and rather get the same functionality over the internet an a pay-as-you-use basis.

What does this hold for the future of the In-house Techincal Infrastructure Specialist and for the In-house Software Developer ?

Infrastructure specialists will now be needed more to work in vendor environments. Their job skills will be the same as always, although Virtualisation skills and certifications will be more in demand. In such vendor companies, there will be an added need to equip these technicians with people- and sales skills because of the business model of supplying the services to clients.

On the software application side inside a user company, programmers will now need to customise and extract data from such on-line software services. These programmers will need to skill themselves up more on the Front-End side with web and scripting software skills to :


- enable in-house applications with web front-ends 
- use / extract data from on-line software services companies for in-house customisations.

In brief : - technical skills will never become obsolete, there will be more of a shift to where they will be employed. 

At Compuways we are ready to supply the right kind of candidate for every position in an IT environment. Whether it is with an IT vendor or with and IT user. Software Application developers for in-house systems or for vendors supplying web - services. We are able to ensure the right person is matched to the right position in the right company. Our 20 years in the IT Industry has seen many shifts in IT : From Mainframes to PC's, from procedural software programming languages to 4th generation programming languages to Object - Oriented programming languages. From mainframe to mini computers and then to servers. From servers to virtualised servers. There was never a stage where good - solutions-oriented IT skills were not in demand.

Our clients can testify that we are able to provide the right skills at the right time - always!

Contractor available with PHP / Javascript / Classic ASP

One of our contractors is finishing his contract this month and is highly recommended. His skill set include:

• 3 + years of extensive experience in PHP/MySQL development.
• Strong knowledge in Object Oriented Programming and Design.
• Extensive experience in developing web applications using PHP, HTML, Ajax, JavaScript, CSS, XML, MySQL, and Apache in Windows (WAMP) based operating systems.
• Experience in creating a website using Joomla and Drupal 5/6 .
• Extensive experience in RDBMS design, normalization, and management with MySQL, Oracle, MicroSoft Sql Server.
• Well versed with complete Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process which includes Designing, Analysis, Developing, Testing and Implementation.
• Good hands on languages like JAVA, C, C++.
• Sound knowledge on Servlets and JSP’s.
• Highly motivated, hardworking and able to meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal and communication skills and very proactive by nature which benefits in working in groups.
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly.

Request the CV of this candidate by clicking here or send us an email on info@compuways.com .

Employ a junior - invest in your team's future

It is part of most long-term employment strategies - to include juniors in strategic teams. Juniors are enthusiastic, motivated, they need experience and are prepared to go the extra mile. Any team should be able to plan tasks for junior people as it is also an investment in the future of the team. Most successful IT Professionals showed their mettle early in their careers already. We are continuously trying to identify the jewels of the future for you.

• We would like to do our bit by offering a full 3 month guarantee on juniors employed from us.
• Have a look at some of the unemployed top scorers on Java and PHP training courses.  Click to see their profiles - we can also send the CV's .

Click here for:

SCJD Scoresheet  and student profiles  35785 and 36263

PHP Scoresheet and student profile  36122

• Juniors continuously apply on our website and you can have a look at their profiles by clicking here :

Junior Skills Category on our website.

• To subscribe to all our interviewed candidates will enable you to get them early (not only juniors), please click on :

Compuways Skills RSS Feed

• And for a nice layout of all our categories, please go to out homepage

www.compuways.co.za   and visit our Press Office by clicking here .

Microsoft E-Learning is cost-effective

Microsoft E-Learning promotion during January 2010:
As a valued member of Compuways, we are able to offer you Microsoft E-learning modules as shown on http://www.getcertified.co.za/ .
Increase your competitive edge - read here :
http://www.getcertified.co.za/microsoft-e-learning
http://www.compuways.co.za/images/E-learningflyer.pdf
This offer is only valid in January 2010.

Our 2009 gift to you : Valuable, Free Microsoft E-Learning Courses!

School is never out for the true professional. In the IT industry this is even more true than in other industries, because of the constantly changing nature of technology. Therefore it is important that an IT Professional continuously keeps up to date with the changing technology.

Microsoft recognised this and developed their E-learning offering to be flexible and convenient. You only need a broadband connection. You can start, stop and continue at anytime from anywhere, work or home. Being official Microsoft Courses, the offering is credible and relevant to you when preparing for your international exams.

Our E-learning offering includes Microsoft's 1400 training courses with different durations, covering training for the Home / Office user, Technical (Infrastructure) Professionals, Developers and ERP Professionals.

We have listed the categorised the E-Learning courses as such on our website http://www.getcertified.co.za/microsoft-e-learning .

Try 40 courses for free!

For you to experience the true value of these courses, we can offer you approximately 40 courses free of charge.

To enroll for a free course, or to to purchase a course / course bundle, please send us an email on elearning@getcertified.co.za .

Centurion - IS Project Manager

Our client, a leading software solutions provider, develops software solutions for various industries. They have developed and maintained systems in the Public Sector, banking sector, financial industry, electronic and gaming industries. They require the services of project managers with good experience of managing multiple projects using internationally recognised standards and methodologies like PRINCE 2, PMBOK, etc. These positions are normally on a year contract basis, renewable

Roodepoort - Linux Administrator (Salary R18 - R25 pm)

We are looking for a linux system administrator with knowledge and experience in the following fields:- installing and tuning of linxu (RedHat, CentOS or Fedora Core)- automation of installation (kickstart) and custom repository managment- security managment (iptable)- installation, tuning and maintenance of the following packages:. apache + PHP. postgresql/mysql. mail server. DNS server- automation of tasks using bash scripting- networkking (settings up switches and routers)- machines and network monitoring (SNMP, MRTG, Cricket)

Cape Town - Programme Administrator (Salary R10k)

Seeks to appoint an Administrator in the Cape Town office to support the Director and researchers in the financial and administrative management of the research programme. The level of appointment will depend on the mix of qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.
The candidate will be required to:
Provide efficient administrative, organizational and secretarial support to the Director and researchers of the Child, Youth, Family and Social Development (CYFSD) programme in the Cape Town office as well as the Administrative Manager of CYFSD
Liaise with Corporate Services and respond to queries
Manage programme and project finances and the processing of claims and payments
Update and maintain financial activity and performance filing systems and databases
Prepare and monitor project budgets, expenditure, milestones, deliverables, correspondence and conferences and report on them
Ensure that infrastructure, equipment and services are available to ensure a high level of effectiveness and efficiency within the research programme
Organise meetings, workshops and conferences and produce minutes and records and facilitate travel arrangements thereof.
Scan the funding and dissemination environment for opportunities for the research programme and liaise with funders, users and the media
Key requirements include:
A post matric qualification and proven senior-level relevant office experience, thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office, email / InternetThe position requires a candidate with a commitment to excellence and strong team orientation. A high level of administrative and financial skill, and advanced computer literacy Intellectual and personal integrity, a well developed work ethic, and drive A strong user orientation, ability to prioritize, and an understanding of a research environment Advanced computer literacy; Intellectual and personal integrity, a well developed work ethic, and drive;A strong user orientation and an ability to prioritise; Flexibility and independence, and aptitude for innovation; The ability to get on with other people and to motivate and coordinate staff; A capacity to work under pressure and to work after hours when needed; Presentable and confident with excellent spoken and written English fluency.The environment demands a high level of competency, a teamwork orientation while expecting the incumbent to be self-motivated and able to work

Centurion - ASP.NET Developer with C#, XML, XSLT (Salary up to R30k)

Our client provides Information Technology solutions and business consulting services to their clients in South Africa and abroad covering a range of vertical markets.
They have a proud history of software engineering excellence and has been doing so for more than 10 years.
They focus on providing business solutions to organisations active in emerging markets, i.e. Micro-Finance Institutions, NGO s and banks. Together with their clients, they are working to increase access to banking products and services to people and businesses in developing economies. Their solutions cover personal, SME and housing loan origination, credit management, as well as debt and arrears management.
They have developed an integrated suite of products including workflow, document management, credit scoring, payment systems, wireless front-office and MIS that augments the functionality of most core banking systems to create a very flexible web-based banking environment.
In addition, they provide software development services to a variety of other industries like transport, travel, education, training and retail management.
We are looking for a person that has 0-4 years experience in development C#, ASP.Net, XML and XSLT. Will first be doing development support (+-1 year) to learn the systems and then based on progress move into new development.

Look at the big picture when planning your IT career

The IT industry consist of IT Companies and Non-IT Companies. Companies who's main product line is IT Services / products, and Companies who's main product line is not IT, but they buy IT products / services from IT Companies.

We have placed these two types of companies on our websites to categorise the skills in each. In IT Companies we find the position of a 'Consultant' a lot. For example a SAP Consultant in an IT Company will work next to a similarly educated person in a non-IT Company but the nature of a consultant's job is so much more different than that of the 'Business Analyst', that we do have to distinguish between the two.

A Consultant spends his time at client sites, performing an advisory role, whereas an in-house Business Analyst's main priority is the business of his own company. It is often said that a consultant must be prepared to 'live out of his car's boot'.

The skills are mapped out on our home page on http://www.compuways.co.za .

Compuways - 19 years and going stronger

[2009] As South Africa faces a skills shortage, IT recruitment company Compuways CEO reveals his secrets for success in IT recruitment.

Established in July 1990, Compuways the local ICT recruitment and skills specialists celebrates 19 years in IT recruitment in July.

Compuways is the brainchild of Arnold Graaff, and was initially started as a promotion agency for IT contracting freelancers, while he was working as a freelance programmer. The company gained traction when Graaff teamed up with a general recruiter and began focusing on all aspects of IT recruitment, resulting in the Compuways we now know today.

“IT placements compared to general placements are very much skills-based, therefore a lot of effort goes into ensuring the applicant's skill-levels are up to standard,” says Graaff, MD at Compuways.

“Other factors like team type and industry, as well as oriented matching must be taken into account when placing candidates with an employer. All of that needs to happen before we even look at the softer aspects of candidate matching such as culture and personality types.”?

The secret of Compuways success has hinged around the development of an electronic database driven system that firstly categorises applicants and then matches them to positions. Being a computer programmer since 1982 and after obtaining his Hons Degree in Computer Science in 1988 Graaff himself was deeply entrenched in the development of the system, and touts it as a unique contributor to the success of Compuways in the IT recruitment space.

Graaff states that the system provides crucial support throughout the entire recruitment process. In the year 2000, the system was given a Web Interface, in essence automating much of the manual process, and in turn enabling recruiters, applicants and employers to provide their inputs throughout the recruitment process.

“We attribute our success to our ability to deliver the right calibre of candidate to the right kind of company, time and again, and across the whole spectrum of the IT skills base,” states Graaff.

Compuways prides itself on having grown through many IT Industry developments such as ERP, Object Orientation, as well as the Mainframe and Mini's right through to contemporary networks. In the IT industry times and technologies have changed considerably requiring an array of different skills. Throughout its 19 years Compuways has provided top-notch candidates, delivering from learnerships to CIO's, ERP consultants, technicians and developers.

“Compuways has built a strong brand throughout the years and nurtured loyal client relationships - some of our clients are still with us since our inception. I believe our success can be attributed to our taking pride in every placement we make,” ends Graaff.

Be aware of how our recruitment procedure works

To maximise your chances of getting one of our jobs, ensure that your keywords are valid and your profile updated. Here is what we do when we get a new position from a client.

We give preference to our registered members. After categorising the new job, we identify the most important keywords in the job spec. We select all our Compuways Candidate profiles in the same category and those containing the same keywords. We then email it to them.

A job spec can be matched with 1 to 3 keywords in a category. We can unfortunately not match to the detail of salary brackets but we do offer our members a referral bonus if they can refer someone.

If we do not find any of our registered members interested, we then go out to advertise and search on 3rd party job sites for candidates.

Make your next career move wisely

Nobody wants to make a bad career move, neither does anyone want to stagnate in a job that leads nowhere. When considering a new job, one should look at oneself through the eyes of a prospective employer. You can learn about yourself by looking at your past jobs / projects and also by being honest and 'interviewing yourself '.

Looking at your current and / or previous jobs or projects

What am I good at and what not?
What makes me happy and unhappy?
What are my achievements?

When answering the above 3 questions, try to see the big picture. With that I mean how an employer sees it in terms of the running of his department and so in terms of how the owner of the company sees it.

Training / Education

Formal training in a classroom environment.e.g:
Java Lecturer
.NET lecturer
A+ Lecturer

Juniors with less than 1 year working experience

This category is for all those nicely educated juniors who are struggling to find a job. You must have a University Degree or a Technikon National Diploma or a Matric. This category was started at the end of 2005. Please indicater your preferred industry in the best skills (keywords) section of your Career Summary.e.g:
Junior .NET Programmer
Junior Java programmer
Junior Web Designer
Trainee Programmer
Learnership Candidate

Marketing / Sales / Account Management

In a vendor / consulting organisation the Account Manager looks after the clients to ensure they are happy and obviously to get the required spending out of them! This function is mostly commission driven and can be lucrative if you have the right attitude and skills. Companies often would require a sales person to have the required technical industry background as well.e.g:
Marketing Manager
Marketing Assistant
Accounts Manager
Sales Executive
Sales Engineer
Tele-Sales Consultant
Outbound Call-Centre Agent.

IT : Using ERP (In-house) - working in the ERP user environment (Erp)

Users of ERP Products are becoming important players because they understand the business well. User communities usually elect a representative user called a super user to represent their requirements to the Business Analysts / Consultants for subsequent submission to the developers.e.g:
SAP MM Super User
SAP SD User

IT : Support End User / Workstation - Hardware, Networking, Cabling (H/w)(O/S)

The end-user uses a PC or workstation which might or might not be part of the network. The desktop software support technician supports the user in the smooth running of his PC. Installation of operating systems, email office software, anti-virus and linking them to the host network if any. In consulting companies, these representatives are often required to travel to users to assit them on-site but may nowadays also do so remotely with the aid of software and remote-conferencing. The next step in this person's career is either into server administration or sales if working for a consulting company.e.g:
Desktop Support Technician
A+ Technician
Field Support Technician

IT : Support End User - Application Software (Accounting, Health, Property etc.) (Business Skills)

The end-user uses a PC or workstation which might or might not be part of the network. The desktop software support technician supports the user in the smooth running of the software on his / her PC. Installation of operating systems, application software like accounting packages or any software packages like property, health, email office software, anti-virus and linking them to the host network if any. In consulting companies, these representatives are often required to travel to users to assit them on-site but may nowadays also do so remotely with the aid of software and remote-conferencing. The next step in this person's career could be in sales if working for a consulting company or business analysis because he knows the business of the specific software package that he / she supports.e.g.:
Accpac Consultant
Pastel Consultant
GIS Consultant
Navision Consultant
Great Plains Consultant