The question: My pay is falling, have I been in IT too
long?
I am a 54-year-old woman who has been in IT for more than 20
years, adapting to frequent changes in platforms and languages.
However, since 2000 I have experienced a salary decrease of 50%.
Despite six years' experience in C++ and SQL, I find myself
virtually on the scrap heap. When agencies have presented my CV to
employers, they have not had any success. Is it my age, my sex, or
simply that I have been in IT too long?
The solution: Upgrade your skills and revise your
CV
First, remove your date of birth from your CV. To comply with
age discrimination legislation, agencies and employers should not
ask about your age at the application stage.
You clearly have great IT experience, and C++ and SQL are
certainly in demand. Nevertheless, I advise anyone working in IT at
any stage of their career to keep on learning. Have a look at the
MCSD (Microsoft certified solutions developer) certification, which
will enable you to create applications within the .net Framework
using C#. Agencies frequently have development vacancies requiring
these skills.
Have you considered putting your CV on job sites? Recruitment
agencies often search for candidates on job boards, so this will
give you extra exposure.
It is also worth doing some research on "good" CVs, then
re-writing yours from scratch, emphasising your key skills at the
top of the front page. This is critical as a well-written CV will
always improve your chances of finding the right job.
Solution by Jeremy I'Anson, principal IT consultant at
Hudson
The panel:
Computer People,Hudson,No Limits
Coaching,The Training
Camp,Wreay Group
Computer Weekly has put together a panel of experts whose
specialist knowledge you can draw on to solve a problem. E-mail
your question (or your solution to the question above) to
computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk
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