[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcC9wGuz7OQ?rel=0&hd=1&w=560&h=349] If you're a "seasoned" IT professional, you have to overcome managers' subliminal fears and communicate your value to win the job and justify a higher salary. Here's how.
The Script
Cat: Let's see, I know C++, .NET, a few legacy programs like COBOL. That'll save a company - $15,000 annually. They won't need to hire someone to update those older programs. If you're a ... seasoned IT professional, you have to overcome managers' subliminal fears and communicate your value to win the job and justify a higher salary. Here's how. I'm Cat Miller and this is Dice TV. So. Let's play interview. Q: Are you willing to learn new technologies? A: I'm very willing. In fact, I recently learned a mobile operating system in two weeks and created an app that has over 2,000 subscribers. And I'm so disciplined, I completed a self-study security certification course and saved my company millions when I thwarted hackers from accessing customer accounts. Q: How about this one: Do you get along with less-experienced co-workers? A: My teammates not only like me, they turn to me for technical knowledge and advice. I coordinate the IT department's lunch-and-learn training sessions, which saved the company more than $65,000 in tuition last year. Q: Yes, I'm on a roll. Let's try the next one: Things change quickly around here; are you adaptable? A: I've bonded with two different CIOs in the past three years while many of my junior counterparts left the company. And when the company downsized, I volunteered to manage two outsourced vendors in addition to my other projects. I know how to deal with change. Q: I know you've heard this one before. You seem overqualified; I'm not sure we can afford you. A: Respectfully, I don't think you can afford to pass me by. I'm the top coder in my unit and I make the fewest errors. I help out my boss and I basically manage myself. I do the work of two people, which really makes me a bargain, when you stop to think about it. I'm Cat Miller, this has been DiceTV, and we now return you to your regular desktop.
