Boulder County Business Report - Career Search Guide -... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 1/25/2002
Last Visited: 2/6/2002
"Don't expect the person to do all the heavy lifting; call with some good questions," said Troy Bettinger, chief talent scout at Spectra Logic Corp. in Boulder, a manufacturer of automated tape libraries."Human resources people will have a good idea of what the company needs, but may not have a great picture of the overall industry.Marketing and sales people will have a good idea of the industry."Once you understand the industry segment and the company you've got in your sights, you can begin developing a marketing plan for yourself.
Begin by assembling a comprehensive list of goals you've accomplished, milestones you've reached, big client wins you can claim, and awards you've won.While you might not share the entire list with a potential employer, it helps to clarify in your own mind what you've got to offer a company."People undersell themselves.
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"For people who have taken other jobs, there are ways to stay connected," said Bettinger, who is also a past president of the Colorado Technical Recruiters Network."Just because you've taken a job in construction and you're usually a software engineer doesn't mean that you can't clean up after work and go to a users-group meeting."These types of groups – the Colorado Technical Recruiters Network maintains a list at its Web site -- typically feature a speaker or discussion of what's going on in the industry.The meetings typically last a couple of hours and offer the chance to keep up-to-date on new tools and developments and to network with people who work at companies that might employ you.
"I believe in the power of association and networking," Bettinger said.
But choose your networking partners carefully.
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"There are a lot of people on the market right now, but taking the wrong job is as bad a move as going to a company that's going to die," Bettinger said."People need to still investigate whether this is the right thing for them.It pains me when it happens, but I'd rather someone say, ‘I don't fit in,' than they take the job and make everyone around them miserable.
"It's a hard message to hear if the guy is out there repossessing your car."
Copyright © 2001 Boulder County Business Report.
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