How to Avoid Being Pigeon-Holed In Your IT Career
Vincent Benjamin

People have a lot of preconceived ideas about the information technology industry. When you’re applying for jobs you often have to sell yourself to someone who doesn’t have a background in IT. So how can you avoid be pigeon-holed if you apply for jobs that aren’t a carbon copy of your experience? Before you send your next resume here are some tips to help you think outside the box.

  • Customize your resume. Never send out the same resume to every job posting. When you’re responding, look at the job description and customize the information to better relate to the focus the company has for the job available. This will help you stay away from being type-casted in your career.
  • Challenge yourself. Don’t be afraid to apply for jobs that aren’t an identical match for things you’re doing today. Sure, you may not want to apply for CIO if all you’ve been is a systems admin, but look at other job titles and see how your skills are transferable.
  • Be flexible. You can start your journey toward not being pigeon-holed in your current job by being more flexible. Don’t fall into the trap of declaring, “That’s not my job!” Take on tasks that seem like something you might want to learn and you can use that experience to get more diverse jobs in the future.
  • Volunteer to get experience. Another way to gain additional experience is to volunteer your time. This is a great resume builder and will help you accumulate additional skills that you may not have had a chance to learn in your professional career. Plus, it is a perfect way to network in your community.
  • Network outside your market. Speaking of networking, don’t forget to do it as often as possible. And don’t only attend events for IT professionals. Go to other industry events in your town. Information technology is an in-demand field and there are roles for people with experience across a wide spectrum of other industries.

Are you looking to expand your IT career? The experienced IT recruiters at VincentBenjamin are here for you! We have IT recruiting teams located in Phoenix, Orange County, Los Angeles and Denver

Sign up for the latest