1. The University of Kent Careers Advisory Service COMPUTING CAREERS You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm

2. Survey of Skills required by IT Employers 1. Communication - oral and written 2. Technical aptitude 3. Career motivation 4. Analytical skills 5. Business Awareness 6. Numeracy 7. Technical Knowledge 8. Team-working 9. Problem solving 10. Leadership

3. Survey of Skills required by IT Employers  Communication skills come top of the list.  Technical aptitude comes before technical knowledge - it's more important to be able to learn a new language quickly from scratch, than to know a particular language.

4. CORE SKILLS REQUIRED BY MAJOR IT JOBS  Teamworking is required for ALL jobs! PROGRAMMER, SOFTWARE ENGINEER  analytical and logical reasoning  good technical knowledge  attention to detail  problem-solving  work to deadlines  determination SYSTEMS ANALYSIS, CONSULTANCY  business awareness  persuasiveness  handling clients  written communication skills  oral communication skills  creative problem- solving

5. Top 10 Technical Skills Computer Weekly Magazine Survey  Java  MS Office  Visual Basic  SQL Server  SAP  SQL  C++  Unix  Oracle  Windows NT  C

6. I.T. EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE REVIEW  Technical knowledge Quick Learner  Planning Establishing priorities and scheduling time. Well organised.  Productivity Professionalism - "completing projects on time".  Quality of work "On schedule, under budget, works first time  Self Development Teaching yourself new skills!“  Communication Presentation skills, Clear, concise, documentation.  Teamwork  Problem Solving and Judgement Coming up with effective solutions  Innovation and Change Receptivity to new ideas. "Flexible designs that can withstand last minute changes"  Administration Documentation - "Much of software development involves writing things down and looking them up again"

7. Gartner Research  IT Professionals who maintain only a technical toolbox will be at risk. Executives will seek out and elevate IT professionals who demonstrate knowledge of how the company can apply technology to achieve business goals.

8. IT Employers  Consultancies  Hardware and Software Firms  Telecommunications firms  End Users  Government

9. Consultancies  Recruit IT consultants, systems analysts, systems designers, project managers, sales staff  Major recruiters of new graduates.  Lots of client contact so interpersonal and business skills important.  Project based work - move to a new project every few months so constantly learning new skills, but can be a bit unsettling.  Focus on "whole solutions" rather than just consultancy  Often international so opportunities to work abroad.

10. Vacancy Sources  Kent Jobs Database www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs  Prospects Web www.prospects.ac.ukwww.prospects.ac.uk  Recruitment Fairs  Directories e.g. Target IT  Recruitment Agencies  Speculative CVs to IT Employers

11. Careers Web Pages  What can I do with Computer Science? www.kent.ac.uk/careers/computersci.htm  What can I do with a Multimedia degree? www.kent.ac.uk/careers/multimedia.htm  MSc Computer Science CV www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/msccompcv.htm Computing Application Form www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/scienceitaf.htm Practice Computing Interview www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/mockivs.htm

12. ACTION PLAN  Pick up a directory of employers  See the vacancy lists on-line www.kent.ac.uk/careers/vaclist.htm www.kent.ac.uk/careers/vaclist.htm  Register with Prospects Web www.prospects.ac.uk www.prospects.ac.uk  Check your campus email/newsgroups regularly!  Apply soon for jobs in large companies– closing dates are early.  Apply for most postgraduate study around December/January  We will help for 3 years after graduation.

13. Jenny Walters  UKM Careers Adviser  Room M2 – 24 Tel: 01634 (88)8876 E-mail: J.Walters@kent.ac.ukJ.Walters@kent.ac.uk  For full details of the Careers Advisory Service at Medway including photographs see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/medway.htm www.kent.ac.uk/careers/medway.htm

14. The University of Kent Careers Advisory Service You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm