jsync | Java Staffing Specialist

Making Solid Career Choices

07/13/2005

by Dave Fecak

Thousands of technology professionals at all career levels change jobs every day. If you find yourself changing jobs every year or two (job hopper!), you probably should be making better decisions in your job search activities. While there are dozens of reasons to choose one opportunity over another, there are a handful of things to consider to keep your career on the right path.

The company

• What is the company’s line of business and does it have a solid model to generate revenue? Can the company show a history of success, or if a newer company, does the executive team have a track record of growing a firm?

• What type of benefits and perks are available at the company? How serious are they about work/life balance? Do they offer flex time?

• How would they describe their work environment, particularly in the technology areas? You are more likely to continue learning in an interactive and team-oriented environment than in a segmented one.

The people

• Is everyone there a recent hire? Try to find out. If it’s a young company this is acceptable – if you are dealing with an established firm, this means high turnover and unhappy employees.

• Do you feel that you are far more experienced than the employees that are interviewing you? Being the ‘big dog’ can be a good thing, but keep in mind that you probably won’t be learning as much if there aren’t a few co-workers that are more experienced or knowledgeable than you are. Finding someone who can mentor you or challenge you technically is key to your career growth.

• Can you see yourself working for your potential new manager and working alongside your new co-workers? 40 hours a week (if not 50!) is a LONG time to spend with people that you don’t like or respect.

The technology

• Does this company use up-to-date technologies or are they still stuck in the 80’s? If you see any punchcards, perhaps you should be concerned.

• Are the technologies the company uses ‘in demand’ by other employers? Just because a technology is new doesn’t mean it is in demand.

• Is this company making their technology buying decisions based on the quality of the products, price, or some combination of factors? Some companies tend to buy all of their products from one vendor out of convenience or loyalty (regardless of quality), while others try to build the best systems by choosing the best products (regardless of who the vendor may be). The open source movement will continue to change the way companies make purchasing decisions.

• Is the company open to looking at new technologies and evaluating them on a regular basis, or are they working off of a ‘technology roadmap’ that only allows for certain products or languages to be utilized? Roadmaps can serve as a good plan, but a good plan must always allow for change – look for companies that are willing to consider new and better technologies, and your market value will increase with every hot technology that you learn.

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