3. Introduction
• 12 in 2012 webinar series
– 12 top industries of 2012
• January: Hospitality
• February: Computer Science
• March: Human Resources
• April: Healthcare
• May: Law
• June: Entrepreneurship & Business
• July: Finance
• August: Education
• September: Engineering
• October: Retail
• November: Administration
• December: Government
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4. About the Moderator
• Tony Morrison
– Cachinko, VP of
Business Development
• Cachinko
– Employer-branded
career application on
Facebook
• Leverage social
networking platforms
• Connect job seekers
and employers
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5. Introduction
• Computer Science
– Broad application in nearly every sector.
– Boomed in recent years
– 7 of the 19 fastest growing jobs were computer
science-related.
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6. About the Panelists
Renee Mesh
• Professional Job Search
Coach
• Founder of RMesh Associates
• B.S. Industrial Engineering –
Rochester Institute of
Technology
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7. About the Panelists
Dr. Beverly Magda
• Associate Dean, Technology
Management, Georgetown
University
• Ph.D. Systems Engineering,
M.S. Telecommunications
Management, B.S. Computer
& Information Science
• 20 years experience in the
technology field
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8. Renee Mesh
How I got here…
• Former Recruiter and Hiring
Manager
• Job Search Coach
• Technical Base, Operations
Minded, Business
Understanding, People
Focused
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9. Renee Mesh
In my opinion the "hot" jobs in
computer science right now are…
• Mobile HW/SW, Apps, Touchscreen Tech
• UI Design / Website Dev. / eCommerce
• SAAS / Cloud Development
• SDLC, Product Manager, Test and
Release
• Database Admin, yes still
• Legacy system/software upgrades,
transitions
• IT - LAN/WAN and infrastructure architects
• Security (Energy, Medical, Government)
• Sales and customer implementations
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10. Renee Mesh
In my opinion, the qualities/skills that are vital for
someone in this industry are…
• No hard lines
• Know what you’re good at
• Able to articulate
• Ego is in check
• Watch the horizon
• Outside projects
• Grow others
• Commitment to the business
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11. Renee Mesh
In my opinion, it is especially valuable
for someone in the computer science
industry to have experience in…
• You can’t be a fit for everything and everyone, so…
• Actual projects and work experience in the field you
are specializing
• If you don’t have it, go get it through
volunteering or internships
• Small start-ups
• Small businesses
• Non-profits
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12. Dr. Beverly Magda
How I got here…
• Did not take traditional path
• Wanted to major in Sociology
• Looked at IT field as a way to help people
• Reviewed job descriptions for
positions I wanted and learned
those skills
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13. Dr. Beverly Magda
In my opinion the "hot" jobs in the
computer science industry right now are…
• Project/Program Managers
• Mobile/App Development
• Information Security/Information
Assurance/Cybersecurity
• Healthcare IT
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14. Dr. Beverly Magda
In my opinion, the qualities/skills that are
vital for someone in this industry are…
• Soft Skills
o People skills, Leadership, Negotiation
• Management
o Project, Time, People
• Technical Aptitude
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15. Beverly
In my opinion, it is especially valuable
for someone in the computer science
industry to have experience in…
• Techies that combine computer
science with other disciplines,
such as business, science,
healthcare, etc. have advantages
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17. Q&A
Have you worked with job seekers who have been able to get into
a short term contract that later brought them into a full-time gig?
-Renee - As a recruiter…
• Has hired people for contract work
o Work with small start ups – for about 3 months or so
o Get the experience in specific software, learn from other professionals
• For entry level- stay busy while searching
o Volunteer, take on contract, post your resume online where recruiters
and employers will find you
-Beverly
• Non-profits have to meet the same requirements as companies that are for
profit
• While working at non-profits looked for short-contract work
o Often looked for Grad students who did work for college credits
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18. Q&A
What are some of the challenges that the health care industry
will have to overcome in order to implement electronic
patient records and how does that relate to the hot jobs in
this field?
-Beverly
• Standardization is a big issue. The government just revealed last year
what they considered standard for every medical facility and software
companies.
• Collaboration is another issue. Different departments in the hospital
might not be talking to each other.
• As someone in IT, hopefully those gaps can be bridged. Everyone is
concerned with security with their health records, but we’ve been able to
succeed with banks so we should be able to succeed with this.
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19. Q&A
What is the best way to break into the industry and how do you
get noticed?
-(Renee)
• First, be on the hunt.
• Secondly, try to let people find you.
o Have a social media presence and participate in forums.
o Meet up in person.
• In terms of resume/cover letter…
• Showcase the problems that you have been able to solve.
• Make a list, on one side write “why I can’t do this job,” and on the other
side write “why I can do this job.” Whatever you wrote on the “Why I can”
side, that should go in your cover letter for that job.
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20. Q&A
How can you use social media to break into the industry?
-Beverly
• LinkedIn, look at the various groups.
• Using your own network of people.
• Might be out of the norm for Computer Science people, but you have to get
comfortable.
• Set up informational interviews with companies.
• Social groups on Facebook (Ex. DC Tech, DC Social Media, DC Web
Women.)
-Renee
• Follow companies on LinkedIn.
• Join job group communities.
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21. Q&A
Do you feel certifications are important? With or without
experience?
-Beverly
• It depends. You have to decide where you want to head.
o Management or technical? Many students have a mix of both. So it
depends on where you want to be.
• Positions with the Federal Government for example, will look for specific
certifications.
-Renee
• You might have to add the certifications depending on job postings that you
are seeing.
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22. Q&A
What career can you go into where you do not have to do English
or any other Liberal Arts courses? What career can you just do
math and sciences?
-Renee
• Not uncommon to not be as strong at L.A.
o A few Universities just focus on Math and Science (Ex. Full Sail
University in Florida)
• IT is a great field - They have support for students in the areas they might
not be as strong at.
-Beverly
• Being well rounded will help you in the future for your career.
• Look at universities that have schools of Professional Studies, or schools of
Continuing Education
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23. Q&A
Who are some of the top companies in Computer Science?
-Renee
• Companies hiring over 1,000 people in Comp Sci: HP, Lockheed Martin,
Dell, Microsoft, IBM, Apple, Accenture, VM World, Intel, GE, Sisco, L3
Communications, Yahoo, Sungard, SAIC, CSC, EA, Sony, Semantic
-Beverly
• Federal jobs, especially in government in health care and security (CNSI,
Mider.)
• Small start ups hiring too (such as DC Tech or DC Social Media people are
constantly posting jobs)
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24. Q&A
Would you consider a job at a major retailer (such as Macy’s or
Target) for a Computer Science job?
-Beverly
• Absolutely, every company (even restaurants) need someone setting up
systems
o setting up programing and logistics and development
• Technology permeates in all areas of an organization
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25. Q&A
What are the best forums for a job seeker to make themselves
present and to get noticed by opinion leaders and professionals
in their field?
-Beverly
• Meet ups, networking, informational interviews, conferences in your
specialty area
• For every organization there is an Association and there usually is a
technical part of that.
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26. Thank you!
For more tips: blog.cachinko.com
Join us for our next “12 in 2012” webinar at:
2 P.M. (EST) March 15, 2012:
12 in 2012: Human Resources
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