There Are Many Paths You Can Take To Start The Tech Career You Want
Plenty of people want to break out of their current career path and break into tech careers instead. You may be one of those individuals. Whether you’ve hit a dead end in your current field, are looking for more money and greater challenges, or want to enter a continuously growing and changing industry, a tech career might answer your desire for change. However, you need to position yourself for a successful transition.
If your current resume or experiences are light on tech skills or positions, there is plenty you can do to make tech companies, hiring managers, and recruiters stand up and pay attention to your resume. Here are seven simple ways to get out of your current career and break into tech instead.
Focus On What You Have – Not On What You Lack
You may not know full-stack web development from a short-stack of pancakes, but you probably have the fundamental qualities essential for success in a tech career. Instead of fixating on skills you lack, look at the skills you do have and the accomplishments under your belt. Frame these transferrable abilities to emphasize that your broader skillsets are relevant in IT: problem-solving, logic and organization, collaboration and project management, for example.
Target Your Search To Your Background
In many respects, there is no single, monolithic “tech industry.” There are healthcare tech companies and financial tech (“fintech”) companies, technology businesses that focus on logistics and insurance and those that serve the needs of the auto industry. Since technology touches every industry, think about your work in your career and focus your search on tech companies that share that same space.
Not Everyone In Tech Writes Code
In many ways, tech companies are like any other business. Not everyone who works at, say, a manufacturing company spends their days on the assembly line or shop floor. These companies have accounting and human resources professionals, marketing and sales teams, project managers and customer service representatives.
The same goes for tech companies. Not every employee at a tech company is writing code or developing software. One analysis of tech industry job openings found that 43 percent of advertised positions were non-tech jobs. You may have non-tech skills that these companies need beyond the software or services that are their core focus.
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Embrace Your Inner Outsider
Businesses in every sector of the economy understand the value and benefits of having a workforce of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Tech companies can stagnate and fossilize their thinking if everyone there comes from a tech background or has spent their entire careers in IT. So embrace that you may be an outsider and use that to your advantage by presenting a different point of view.
Similarly, many consumer-facing tech companies value the thoughts of their end-users and are searching for individuals who can communicate technology in ways non-tech folks can understand.
Start Ramping Up Your Tech Skills Now
Of course, if you want to break into tech, increasing your technology literacy and expanding your IT knowledge and skillsets will do anything but hurt your career path. Countless programs and institutions can help you hone your tech skills, leveling up your credentials, certifications, and accomplishments.
Learn about the different roles in tech and what they involve. Then, focus your efforts on those that best align with your background and interests. If you like interacting with people and learning their opinions and how they use technology, a UX (“user experience”) position might be a good fit. If numbers are your game, data analytics may be an intriguing path.
Work Your Network
You may not be in tech now, but you may have friends, family, and colleagues who are. Lean on them, use them as resources and learn from them. Set up informational interviews, share your goals and challenges, and ask for their insights and guidance on how you should go about your efforts to break into tech.
Related: Tips For Young Tech Professionals to Expand Their Professional Network
Work With a Tech Recruiting Agency
A recruiting agency specializing in IT, connecting the best tech companies with talented professionals is the surefire way to break into tech careers. A recruiter can help you polish your resume to make the best possible impression. They can work with you to improve your technical interview skills and offer you personalized career advice and guidance. And most importantly, a tech recruiter’s job is to land you in a great position. And they only get paid if they do so. That means they are extremely motivated to help you in any way possible.
GTN Technical Staffing Can Help You Break Into Tech Today
If you’re looking to break into tech, GTN Technical Staffing can increase your chances of success in the IT job market and help you stand out from the crowd. Check out our IT & technical career search board or reach out to our team of experienced tech recruiters today.
