As the IT field increases to expand, so does the demand for qualified Project Managers. This role not only demands technical expertise, but also cohesive soft skills. This complex position can be broken down into three categories of expertise: Business Management, Human Resource Management, and IT skills.

If you're currently a manager in information technology and looking to move up to the next level, here are some skills to master on your journey to becoming an IT Project Manager.

Communication

Studies have shown that the most vital success factor to master before entering project management is effective communication. Managers must manage communication between their crew, upper management, and customers. You can think of communication as the bridge connecting you to your network, so it’s important that you be able to break down the given information and thoroughly understand it. To be an effective communicator, you must provide the correct information, in the correct format, and directed to the right audience at the right time.

Predictability

As a team leader, it will be your job to have your techs ready for whatever comes their way, and to anticipate a whole range of possible outcomes, hiccups and problems. Make sure you're aware of what’s going on in the market and your organization. To prepare, start creating weekly and monthly risk assessment of your current job, in a qualitative or quantitative manner. Identify which risks pose greater threats than others.  A good manager is ready to turn on the dime.

Familiarity With Technology

You’ll often find Project Manager’s working with system design, integration, and custom programming, so It's important to prioritize staying up-to-date with new technologies and programs. Gather a thorough understanding of the commonly used software and applications. Become an expert on the agile methodology with the numerous concepts embedded within (Iteration. Sprints. Scrum.). If you lay the groundwork now and continue to invest in building your knowledge, you’ll be better prepared for the transition to PM.

Allocation of Resources

A great manager can make use of the resources at hand. There will always be time and cost constraints involved in any job. You’ll need to assess a project and, using your available budget and resources, to produce top quality results. Part of the joy of this position comes from the constant challenges and problem solving that is required.

The Extra Step

Though certifications might not necessarily be required to land the PM position, they certainly help prepare you for the role. Experience might be the most important variable when it comes to getting hired; however, coming equipped with certifications very well might place you at the front of the line. The two main Project Management certifications are Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). The PMP and CAPM are heavily recognized certifications out in the field. What you lack in experience can be compensated for by education earned.

Decision-making

Out in the field, you might come across situations that seem to have two apparent answers, or none at all. You’ll find yourself deciding which resources to allocate to which project, or which crew member to assign to a which site. There is no such thing as the correct answer, but rather, the answer you believe to be right. Your experience out in the field will have prepared you in more ways than you could expect.

Get ready to enter a work environment that invites challenges and enjoys the responsibility of driving business results. Over the next eight years, demand for qualified PM’s is expected to grow 15%, with salaries for highly qualified PM’s averaging $100,000-$130,000 annually. Put in the time and effort to build on these qualities and traits, and opportunity will be there to meet you on the other side.

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The tech sector is constantly on the move, and the demand for qualified managers has skyrocketed. If you are a technician or software developer, now is the time to prepare to move up, otherwise, you might end up getting left behind like your 98’ VCR player.

Let's break down the role of a Technical Manager, and identify the key technical and management skills you should be working on now to prepare for your bright future as a tech manager.

TECHNICAL SKILLS TO HONE

Know Tech And Know It Well

The first things you'll need to be familiar with is handling different software tools and building a strong understanding of distinctive programming languages. Make it your business to stay on top of all the new software applications. Learn to communicate with different machines by studying numerous programming languages (SQL.JAVA.). Play with various systems on the client and server side of things.

By working with a broad range of tools, you're essentially preparing for the future. Skills learned are also skills to one day pass on to the team you'll be managing.

Stay Up-to-Date

As a future leader in the technology field, you must keep current with the constant advancements in tech. Being proficient in the latest software applications, and maintaining a general understanding of upcoming tech puts you in a strong position to keep growing your abilities. Have sites like Cnet or Techradar bookmarked to your dashboard to stay up on tech news, and subscribe to sector specific groups on LinkedIn. By keeping up with relevant companies and technologies, you’ll increase your relevancy within the job market.

Solve Till You Dissolve

Once you are leading a team, you're often going to be called on for numerous solutions and reports. It’ll be your job to guide your team through different situations, using unfamiliar tools, in unusual settings. You won't have to know every answer, but you will need to know the steps to get to the right one.

Experience is the only antidote when its comes to improving your problem solving capabilities. So put yourself out there and don't be intimidated by the game of trial-and-error.

DEVELOPING YOUR MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Communication

As the point person on a project, it's going to be your responsibility to constantly relay messages from upper management to your staff and vice versa. You will come across numerous situations where you'll have to communicate different steps, in their correct chronological manner. If you fail to relay all the necessary components an entire job can be put at risk. It’s crucial that you are able to breakdown the essential info and understand all the variables, especially when you're communicating with customers. Being a proficient communicator will positively increase your workflow, your team’s productivity, and ultimately your performance. 

Leadership

Being a leader is much more than barking orders at your team. To be effective as a leader you must lead from the front. Your work ethic sets the tone, and your ability to communicate clearly ensures that the team can work as one. Show your team that you’re willing to get your hands dirty. Create an atmosphere where your crew can pitch in ideas and suggestions. Build a level of trust. You're only as strong as your team.

The Three P’s

Prepare. A well executed plan only gets accomplished after a considerable amount of preparation. Create a system or a step-by-step solution playbook for common problems that you and your crew can refer back too. Strong strategies prepare for you the unexpected.

Prioritize. As a manager, you'll need to be able to prioritize your jobs and the routes to complete them. Scalability and resources at-hand are a few of the factors that go into scheduling jobs that deliver on time. A strong awareness of time management and procedures are vital to your success.

Proceed. You'll need to delegate tasks to your crew. For an effective outcome, you’ll need to be aware of your team's strengths, weaknesses and assign accordingly. You have a team of professionals, so match them with a project that will utilize their maximum potential.             

To prepare for a jump into management keep learning, whether it be new applications, new systems, or new skills. This industry is growing at a much quicker rate than the supply of qualified candidates can keep up with. Get in the game!

If you are ready to advance your career, get in touch with a leading recruiter in your field, they are your best resource to test if you are ready for the leap.

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IoT Security: Protect your product and your customers

Think of IoT as the gateway between the digital and physical worlds. Products are being created with pattern recognition and monitoring sensors providing valuable data that can be applied for the benefit of its users and producers. This market will continue to expand over the next 10 years with companies connecting more and more devices. However, with the connection of so many devices, also comes an increase in the number of entry points for potential hackers.

Since IoT is relatively new to the market, devices often lack basic security measures (Communication Encryption). Researchers have shown that many IoT device manufacturers and service providers are failing to implement common security measures in their products. Reports have surfaced exhibiting the increase in programmers hacking into products, ranging from baby monitors to self-driven cars.

Standard security technologies (SSL.SSH) are no longer enough when it comes to safeguarding your IoT devices. The only way to stay ahead of the cyber terrorists is to embed integrated firewalls directly within the protocol stack at the link-layer- configured with a specific set of rules on what communication is and isn't allowed.

These firewalls are necessary to stop the cyber-attacks before they begin. 

Failing to implement a strong security protocol will result in:

Loss of Customer Trust

Customers don't want to worry about having their personal information exploited. We all remember what happened to Target.

Increase of Expenses

After being hacked, there is a mass amount of damage control to attend too. That’s a pricey expenditure.

Competition Head Start

To compete in the market, you must offer benefits that your opponents cannot. Don't let your competition leave you in the dust.

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Investment in securing IoT machinery is going to drastically increase from now till 2020. If you're in the market, it's time to check your

The demand for online security has never been greater. What was once a luxury item has now become a necessary component for your online presence. Whether you're a company conducting business online or a consumer who stores their personal info online, there is a potential risk. With an ever widening range of online attacks, you absolutely need to protect your property. =

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) is a digital attack that attempts to disable any online service by sending an overwhelming amount of traffic from multiple sources, also known as 'Botnets". Though these attacks do harm, they are not targeting to expose or steal any personal information, but rather to overpower a service through the hosting server, making it unavailable to it's users. Over 2000 DDoS attacks are observed daily with one-third of all online downtime complications resulting from DDoS bombardment.

These attacks can be disguised in many shapes and sizes; however, each strike falls under one of the three core categories:

Volumetric

In a volume-based attack (ICMP), the bandwidth of a network/service is affected and flooded.

Protocol

Protocol attacks are aimed at saturating networks resources by sending open requests (Pings of Death).

Application

An application violation (Slowloris) targets the hypertext transfer protocol with the conclusional outcome of crashing the server.

The process of recovering from a DDoS attack can take hours to days to weeks; all depending on the time length of the strike. All businesses and consumers should take the precaution of purchasing an anti-DDoS service to insure your IT safety.

Here are our top 5 DDoS Protection Selections:

There is just too much on the line when it comes to protecting your online assets. Just remember that one of these attacks has the potential to destroy all the hard work you’ve put in to your online presence. Beat the botnets to the punch, and take immediate action by purchasing a protective service.

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“Hard skills will get you an interview but soft skills will get- and keep- the job.”

SaaS is a technologically driven field where success is driven by your hard skill sets, however, you also need to develop some very important soft skills if you want to enjoy long term success in this space.

Here are some common soft skills to help build your success in the SaaS industry:

Adaptability

Software as a Service continues to be a model for technology to drive and deliver innovation to businesses worldwide. If you plan on working in this industry, you’ll need to be able to adjust to your surroundings and make use of the resources at hand. It's important to be familiar with multiple web frames (Python. Ruby on Rails), or have experience with different user interfaces (JQuery or YUI). The ability to learn a new system, adjust to new features and controls, and utilize it to its fullest capabilities is an invaluable skill that has endless applications. In an ever-changing market, having knowledge of numerous server and client-side technologies positions you to be better prepared for whatever new systems come down the pike in the future.  

Organization

Nothing feels better than going through your files and grabbing a document in the exact folder where you left it. Computer files are similar to a teenagers bedroom, in the sense that things can get out of hand and quickly disorganized; it just happens and we don't realize until the damage is already done. Being able to track and locate all files and documents is vital within the SaaS space. To stay organized, try to limit the number of folders by consolidating documents and deleting unnecessary files. Though it's elementary, proper labeling and archiving goes a long way and will make you more efficient.

Situational Awareness

Constantly working around different computer systems requires you to be aware of your surroundings and all elements (hardware, software) contributing to the work process. In SaaS, you'll need to be able to break down a situation, understand the who’s, what’s, and why’s. Don't be afraid to get a little paranoid or OCD here. Checking, rechecking and checking again keeps the process running smoothly.

By analyzing an environment, you'll be able to point out weak areas that are in need of security or surveillance. By being attentive and focused, you can analyze your customer's needs and discover where they are in the buyer's journey and how to help move them along the process. Overall, being mindful towards your work or environment will lead to positive decision making.

Communication

As we continue to make the necessary adjustments to new systems and software, we need to remember to communicate with associates and customers on the recent changes. Instruct how to make the proper alterations in a clear and professional manner. Restate key statements while pausing to ask for any clarification. When you communicate via email, use clear and concise subject lines while being informative and straightforward.

Through communication, present and future complications may be resolved while new skills can be learned. Just keep in mind that everybody perceives information at a different rate. Be prepared to cater to your audience.

Relationship Building

Collaboration is key in SaaS. Growing and building your network enables you to learn new tricks and solutions around what can often be problematic tech. If you need feedback on a new system or want an experienced opinion in a program you created; your opportunities are endless with a large network pooled around the same sector. Also if you're working in sales, building relationships with customers are crucial; it helps grow trust for the product and company, while also increasing the potential for referral traffic. 

Though hard and technical skills are crucial for your career success, your soft skills will make you shine above your competition.

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J. Patrick and Associates serves Information Technology firms that are looking to improve or expand their teams in mission-critical functions, where the success of the firm is highly dependent on the quality of certain hires. Whether you’re a candidate looking to move to one of our top-end customers, or a vendor looking to build your sales team, contact us today. 

Looking to fill an open position is so much more than closing a vacant role. Vacant positions open the window of opportunity for the role and company alike. The main factor to keep in mind when searching through candidates is how the new hire will benefit or improve the current business. Here are a few suggestions to consider when deciding to outsource for your emloyment needs.

Different Skill-sets

• A great way to change the flow of operations around the department is hiring an individual with a new set of skills. The job market is like the ocean; in the sense that it’s filled with tons of fish, each containing their own unique features, and you don’t really know what's out there till you lower your fishing rod and wait for the pull. Every person in the workforce is fully equipped with their own distinct set of skills that pertain to a certain niche. It’s simple, discover areas for improvement throughout the company and recruit professionals that specialize in those particular fields. By bringing in a new set of tools, you will be able to integrate them throughout the entire office. Current employees will have the opportunity to learn new things and collaborate on unfamiliar topics that wouldn't have been possible without the new acquisition.

Competition on the Rise

• As we all know, in this competitive market, the only way to survive in the industry is to adapt and evolve. If your business is falling behind the competition, there's two things to consider: Why your competition is getting ahead and What you can add or improve to get the lead. Hiring some fresh blood that has experience in particular fields, providing insight learned from previous jobs or education may be the right amount of spice to increase productivity over competitors and get ahead in the market.

Expansion

• There’s no better time to look for outside candidates then when you’re looking to expand the company. Expanding an organization will mostly require outside sourcing, especially recruiting new staff to run day-to-day operations. If you’re expanding internationally, then it is highly recommended to hire applicants that live locally. Having a local employee can become one of your greatest assets, simply due to the fact that they have a greater awareness of what and what not to do. When you’re expanding your business, don’t forget to also expand your resources.

New Perspectives

• As stated above, when your company needs to brush things up or possibly take a new direction, hiring externally could be a major key. A person’s perspective is what shapes and creates their ideas with the potential to evolve into something greater. All of our surroundings (Race, Income, Education, Etc.) frame our perspectives, creating a wide-range of unique angles. A business can utilize these different perspective for identifying unforeseen problems and creating efficient solutions. A competing company can never have enough perspectives.

Corporate Turnarounds

• In the case of an acquirement or change in management, it’s not uncommon for a business to change their strategies or practices. However, hiring externally can help smooth over this process. Implementing new practices isn't the easiest shift in the workforce, especially for long-time employees. By creating a team through outsourcing, the new employees will be only accustomed to new business practices further helping implement them into the culture. The external hires will also be able to help ease current employees into the transition.

Investment

• As we’ve all heard, the greatest investment is to invest in yourself. It goes the same for businesses and consumers. By going to college and earning a degree, you are choosing to invest in yourself and your future. A business may also choose to invest in themselves by purchasing new equipment, or recruiting new team members. If you're company has the appropriate training and financial resources, then it is highly recommended that you outsource and hire externally. You'll be able to build your star employee from the ground up.   

Positives and negatives surround the hiring process. If you're looking to fill an open position, consider all options before deciding to outsource or hire internally. Just remember, the most important variable to keep in mind when filling a vacant position: How will this person benefit the company.

J. Patrick & Associates is an Executive Recruiting firm that focuses on Executive Management, Sales, Marketing and Technical roles within Information Technology markets. We have over 20 years of experience recruiting in every aspect of AV/VTC/UC, Application, Storage, Information/Network Security, Mobile Technologies and Telecommunications.

More and more companies have begun using video conferencing to conduct the early stages of an interview. What had begun as a trend, has become an industry standard, but is this really an effective use of a company’s resources?

Let’s explore some of the Pros and cons of video interviews from a business perspective.  

Pros of Video Interviews

Convenience

The need for two people to be in the same room is eliminated. Hiring managers and candidates both enjoy greater flexibility, meetings no longer have to be confined to the office, and both parties can meet from the comfort of their own home or work post.

Cuts Expenses

Handling interviews remotely can cut traveling, scheduling, and interviewing costs. Money saved can be re-allocated to improving productivity in other sectors of the organization, or towards expansion. Similar to phone interviews, video conferencing can be one of the most cost-effective ways to meet candidates. 

Saves Time

Time is money. Instead of budgeting time to get to and from the physical location, all that is necessary is a block of time in front of a computer. Most importantly, video conferencing reduces the time it takes to fill an open position, as you are able to meet more candidates in a shorter period of time.

Broader Selection

Distance is no longer be an issue for first or second round interviews. You can connect with candidates all over the globe with a touch of a button, allowing you to reach out and discover the hidden potential in unexplored terrains. Unlike live interviews, you don't have to miss out on discovering the final piece to your puzzle because the applicant lives too far away. With access to the internet, every candidate now has an equal opportunity to interview. 

Playback  

One of the prime features embedded in a virtual interview is the ability to re-watch or playback the meeting. After a live interview, you are left to rely on memory and notes you took during or after the meeting. Video conferencing allows you to take a second look at the interview to analyze body language or discover cues that might have slipped by. You can dig deeper into the candidate's responses, and you can get more team members involved in the decision process. 

Cons of Video Interviews

Glitches

For all of its advantages, technology can sometimes be unreliable. There’s always the possibility of hardware/software problems. A connection is a two-way street, so the chances of interference are doubled, and the wait time can be unpredictable. Lag and delay can both cause interruptions. Hardware problems such as microphone/webcam failures can make communication problematic. With video conferencing you’re buying into the possibility that complications can disrupt an entire interview, setting back your workday. 

No Face-to-Face Interactions

There’s no better way to get a feel for someone than shaking their hand and sitting across from them. Video can flatten out an interaction, allowing cues you might have picked up in person, to go unseen. When deciding to bring someone into your department, you want to be assured that there is chemistry and a connection, something you can only fully experience in person. 

Feel for Space

During a live meeting, candidates are able to get a feel for the environment of the office. Video conferencing cuts out the possibility for spontaneous introductions to different team members, while also eliminating the candidate’s opportunity to get a sense of what the office is like. A potential hire's first visit to the office is also one way of seeing if they are a good cultural fit for your organization. 

With the benefits of cutting costs and time, it makes sense to switch to video conferencing for the early stages of the process. However, don't forget the power of an in-person meeting before making the final decision.

Hiring managers know that filling vacancies can be time consuming. Reading through resumes, conducting phone interviews, and vetting candidates can take you away from all your other responsibilities. But taking the time to get the job done right can save time, money, and headaches. Spare yourself the struggle and do it right the first time!

Here are 3 strategic methods for gaining an asset to your organization.

Understand the Company

Let your mission statement be your guide to success! A well crafted mission statement, one that reveals the character of your company is one of the best ways to  attract desirable candidates. Make sure that the key qualities that you value are easily identifiable in all of your materials. If a company’s main focus is “Going Green” and the potential candidate disregards the practice of taking care of the environment, then maybe they're not the best pick for the position. When interviewing a candidate, ask how their personal goals intersect with the company’s. If both are in alignment, you could have a very good match on your hands.

Understand the Role

Before the interview process, it's important that you understand the open position and obligations that are embedded within it. Any vacancies should be thoroughly explored before you hand a job description off to human resources. Discover faults or pain points in the role. Find out why the position requires certain specifications.

A study from the National Business Research Institute has shown the two leading factors that attribute to a failed hire are poor skills match and unclear performance objectives.

This isn't to say that you need your human resources department to become experts on all company roles. However, you do want them to be familiar with tasks that are performed in an average day, so that they can filter for your job properly.  Putting yourself in the shoes of the candidate could further help your search to finding the most qualified employee.

Quickly But Not Too Fast

After a promising first date, would you be ready to walk down the aisle?  I didn't think so! However, you also don't want to take too long, creating the opportunity for another to sweep in and steal your true love.

The hiring process is eerily similar to the dating game. In a technical aspect, two parties engaging, shaping a bond, and establishing goals that can be executed together. When a company hires someone, they are granting them access to numerous resources and assets. An unsuccessful match can cost you time, money and can in some cases lead to security vulnerabilities.

Hiring managers need to strike a balance between finding qualified candidates, and doing so in an efficient and respectable amount of time. Taking too long to close a hire can result in the lose of a worthy applicant, and rushing the process can lead to a bad match. According to the National Business Research Institute,  43% of employers cited that filling vacant positions in a limited amount of time resulted in unfit and unqualified hires.

Having to refill a position after a failed hire is a time consuming and costly endeavor. Find your balance and place the right candidate the first time. Nobody wants to repeat the process!

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Looking for a new job or to relocate? Give one of our recruiters a call!

J. Patrick & Associates, Inc is an Executive Recruiting firm that focuses on Executive Mangement, Sales, Marketing and Technical roles within Information Technology markets. We have over 20 years of experience recruiting in every aspect of AV/VTC/UC, Application, Storage, Information/Network Security, Mobile Technologies, and Telecommunications.