As we all know the technology industry is rapidly growing. Laptops, tablets and smartphones are the leading elements to the booming tech industry. But it's not the production of these devices that is driving the growth, it's the billions of applications we use on these devices that adds to the growing and fruitful industry. Think about those billions of applications, who creates these applications, who maintains these applications, who sells these applications, who markets these application, who manages the vendor relationship with these applications? We do. Of course there are millions of uber intelligent engineers who code and create these brilliant applications (which is not me), but after the birth of an application or a tech company it has to maintained by another group of intelligent people. People who don't have a technical background, by those who are smart, agile, and fast learners.
When people learn that I work in the tech industry, I think most people dismiss me as having a boring job. So first and foremost, I have to clarify that it's not a job, it's a career. In the tech industry, not only does it have several growing positions, but it also have longevity in the market. With a technical background you have a range of opportunities. Every midsize to large company has a IT Department; Target, GAP, ESPN, Bank of America, Universities, Hospitals, the list goes on and on. Believe it or not, a tech background is highly sough after, even if you're not a engineer.
Where to start when looking for a tech position. Research companies in your area. I moved to San Francisco to be part of the tech industry and one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. Having that background in Silicon Valley has been priceless. Large tech hubs are in San Francisco, New York, Austin and London, but don't be intimidated by the big cities. Jump on LinkedIn and search local companies and see if they have entry-level positions. Here are five positions to look for in tech companies.
1. Sales and Business Development - most companies are selling a production, either B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer). I've done both. The need a team on aggressive sales team to sell against the competition. Most companies have a Business Development team that generates leads and also an insides sales team that drives revenue.
2. Technical Recruiter and Staffing - with the growing demand of technical experience, recruiting and staffing is also a huge component for tech companies. It's important they hire the right people for those roles before their competition.
3. HR and Benefits Coordinator - every company needs an HR department, which can either be sourced out to a third- party or be brought in-house. Someone who manages benefits, HR issues, payroll, etc issues is value for growing companies.
4. Relationship and Account Manager - after companies generates a sale or a vendor relationship, they need someone to maintain the relationship. Someone to support the customer whenever they have questions or concerns. This streamlines the process and give the sale's team the opportunity to sell to new customers. Managing accounts is invaluable for companies to maintain their current customer base.
5. Campaign and Marketing Manager - a part of the tech industry is the social media and marketing aspect for companies. It's important they have someone who has experience and knowledge about social media. In my experience, these jobs are in high demand. It's important for every company to maintain a footprint in the social media and are willing to hire a team to grow their outreach.
