Careers

Social media - part 3

We like our risk management, don’t we? It allows us to identify risks, and take action to mitigate them. Risk Management can and should be applied to social media usage. It makes good sense to manage the risk by having a very clear social media policy.

By Breed Lewis | 12 March, 2011 10:00

Tags: business, productivity, risk management, social media, social media policy

Social media - part 2

Apart from the above example where it can be demonstrated that it improves productivity when we allow employees to use social media as a ‘diversion break’ from the concentration of their daily tasks, there are also the obvious benefits of ‘market intelligence”. By encouraging staff to get positive messages out there via Twitter, Facebook etc and also uncovering public opinion of your organisation that is being shared via social media, it is easy to see why organisations would permit and even encourage social media use.

By Breed Lewis | 11 March, 2011 10:17

Tags: business, gen-y, IBM, productivity, social media

Processes and the people factor

As an IT management consultant, I look at a lot of processes. They're everywhere. And so are the misconceptions about what makes them useful.

By Paul Glen | 27 September, 2010 23:40

Tags: CIO role, it management, Management and Careers

CEOs gone wild

They're like out-of-control teenagers - flouting authority, spewing abuse, wrecking the car, allowing 10 billion gallons of crude oil to slime up the planet. I am, of course, talking about the world's chief executive officers - and the bootlicking lackeys who do their dirty work.

By Robert X. Cringely | 05 June, 2010 07:30

Tags: CEOs

Employment referrals the right way

When competition for IT opportunities is intense, the value of every possible edge is magnified. A recommendation from someone within a potential employer can make the difference between landing an interview and continuing frustration. In many cases, job seekers are calling on the outermost reaches of their networks -- and sometimes beyond -- to find a way in.

By Dave Willmer | 30 June, 2009 13:12

Tags: jobs, references, resume

Linux certifications: Hot or not?

With Linux having gained traction in business, certifications of Linux expertise are becoming more popular, similar to how Novell or Microsoft systems certifications became important for those platforms. But some in the Linux community say the emergence of certifications is by no means a golden ticket for admins, and perhaps just a waste of time and money.

By Paul Krill | 15 May, 2009 06:06

Tags: certification, Linux, linux foundation, Linux Professional Institute

Who will be king of the Geeks?

Now that the election is finally over, all that's left are about a zillion new government appointments. But I know the denizens of Cringeville are particularly interested in one post above all: who the new administration will call to serve as the nation's first CTO.

By Robert X. Cringely | 12 November, 2008 10:09

Tags: Barack Obama, cringely, cto

A 100-day plan for your new job

Rebecca Paddock needed a way to prepare for her move from a test engineer job to a systems engineer position. So, inspired by the 100-day plans US presidents historically use when they first take office, she developed a list of tasks to tackle.

By Mary K. Pratt | 28 October, 2008 07:59

Tags: careers, it management

Employee ghosts haunt your systems

People come and go in your organization all the time. A select few stay for years while others pass through in just months or even weeks. But whether they are lifers or transients, they all leave a digital ghost behind when they exit -- a trail of their interactions with your network and systems.

Should computer programming be mandatory for students?

If Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the State Board of Education have their way, soon every California student will have to pass an algebra test to graduate from the eighth grade.

By Neil McAllister | 03 October, 2008 08:59

Tags: education, Java, software development

Why can't I get promoted?

Today's topic is the question I most often received as an IT manager: "Why can't I get promoted?"

By Paul M. Ingevaldson | 30 September, 2008 07:40

Tags: it management

Tech firms faking job ads to avoid hiring US workers?

Ask the Programmers Guild that question, and their answer would be an emphatic "yes!" The US-based organization has accused Hewlett Packard of advertising for jobs it has no intention of filling -- at least with US citizens -- on the Idaho Department of Labor Web site.

High-tech tax credits are no bailout

Timing is everything -- in sports, budget requests, and yes, politics, too. So it is with our collective high-tech fingers crossed that we watch as House Bill H.R. 6049 "Renewable Energy and Job Creation" [PDF] and a Senate amendment -- both of which propose tax credits for R&D in the so-called "innovation" industries -- make their way through US Congress.

Infrastructure: IT's stepchild

Every enterprise needs a robust IT infrastructure in order to function effectively. Infrastructure is the foundation of corporate productivity and success. Many IT groups, however, don't have enough skilled infrastructure staffers to provide the solid foundation required.

By Bart Perkins | 23 September, 2008 09:13

Tags: it management

Bright spots for tech in a dark economic picture

The state of today's economy has triggered many economists, job experts and hiring managers to warn of layoffs and hiring contractions, and tech pros themselves have become skeptical about job security and future opportunities. Despite these concerns, the outlook for US employment, particularly in the tech sector, is not as dismal as some fortunetellers would lead us to believe.

By Jim Lanzalotto | 17 September, 2008 08:56

Tags: CRM, environment, it management, virtualisation

What Is a Job, Anyway?

With the economy ailing, the US presidential election in full swing and surveys showing cuts in next year's IT budgets, get ready to hear more and more about jobs. People will lose jobs. Evil corporations will export jobs. We will need more jobs. We will need better jobs. Not McJobs.

Exam preparation can put your career at risk

Would you compromise your personal integrity for $80? How about risk your IT career for $200? Of course not, you say. But you already have -- if you've ever used certification-examination "study materials" from TestKing, Pass4Sure or hundreds of test-preparation Web sites just like them.

So you want to be a network manager

You've worked your way up the ladder, from cable jockey to network technician to network administrator.

7 skills for IT fame and fortune

With the economic downturn on everyone's mind, assumptions about job security come under question, and everyone starts reexamining their skills. There are lots and lots of valuable jobs performed in IT, but some skills are valued even more highly than others. With all the upheaval we're experiencing in IT, many new skills are in high demand or rapidly increasing in value. Here are my Top 7 skills that could help you not only keep that job, but secure an even better new job, positioning you to work on the next generation of IT applications and software products in the era of Web-delivered online applications.

Five things you should never tell your boss

In the information biz, more isn't necessarily better. Though full disclosure and transparency are buzzwords today, that doesn't mean your boss wants to hear about everything going on in the office. In fact, there are some things your CIO definitely doesn't want to hear, and if your career is going to thrive, you'd better know what they are.