Congratulations on your graduation! It’s time to start adulting, and make your way down your chosen career path in the IT and technology industry.

The good news? Competition for tech talent continues to be intense among employers, with firms offering higher salaries, sign-on bonuses and better opportunities.

But the not so good news? Although sound academic technical knowledge may be the first step into opening doors, being an all-rounded IT and technology professional in the making is what will help get you closer to your dream job and career path.

So, how do you become one? Read on for our tips!

Work experience

The reason: Although the piece of paper – your qualifications – is important, it doesn’t necessarily translate into landing you the dream job you’ve been eyeing. This may sound a bit counterintuitive, but just because work in the IT and technology industry is technology-based doesn’t mean that employers only look for IT and technology-related degrees.

Instead, recruiters value and onboard talented graduates from a variety of cultures and academic backgrounds, and who can boast some working experience, usually from internships.

What you can do: Keep in mind that employers look beyond computing-related experience. They also value transferable skills like interpersonal skills, the ability to work in teams and time management skills. Transferable skills, especially those just mentioned, are great assets in the IT and technology industry.

So, if you want to better your chances of securing the position of your dreams, consider gaining the professional experience you need through part-time jobs and internships!

The benefits of internships: Ranging from summer internships to year-long placements, these roles allow you to build skills specific to positions in the IT and technology industry. In addition, you’ll have the chance to build vital and transferable workplace skills, much like the two examples already mentioned.

Moreover, if you do well and impress your employer, you may land an offer to work full-time for the company you intern at!

Other options: Most large organisations, such as Microsoft, IBM and Google, offer graduate programmes and structured training schemes to help new hires pick up the necessary technical and soft skills they’ll need. However, you’ll also have to beat out stiff competition to land a spot.

On the other hand, smaller businesses may provide mentorship and early responsibility, though it’s not guaranteed. The chance to be involved in these opportunities are the main draws for graduates, with a higher number choosing to start their career journeys there.

Getting through the recruitment process

Application: More often than not, if you want to apply for a role with a firm in the IT and technology industry, you’ll be directed to an online application system. But take note that some employers, like Sciente International, still prefer applicants to submit their resume and cover letter.

Process: Although the method of submitting applications may differ from company to company, the recruitment process itself is similar. For instance, no matter which company you’re aiming for, you’ll still have to go through a series of interviews, both physical and virtual.

Most of the time, recruiters will begin the process with phone interviews, which serves more as a screening process, before moving on to face-to-face and panel interviews.

There may also be further forms of assessments, such as group exercises, presentations, or programming tests, usually in assessment centres. Take note that these exercises aren’t to censor you, but to determine your level of experience with programmes such as C++, C# or .NET!

Length: There’s generally no fixed recruitment period, as positions in the IT and technology industry tend to overlap with other industries. For this reason, the best way to keep tabs on recruitment cycles is to check each organisation’s recruitment schedule instead, or take the initiative to follow up with recruiters.

Take note: IT and technology-related internships and graduate programmes within financial organisations, particularly major investment banks (J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley) and accounting firms (BDO LLP, KPMG, PwC, EY, Deloitte), tend to have early application deadlines. Moreover, if all available roles are filled before the given deadlines, or they have enough quality applicants in the pipeline, they may close the position.

In contrast, IT and technology organisations (Facebook, Tumblr, Apple, Google) typically hire on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Qualifications and skills

Background: As mentioned earlier, IT and technology employers hire from all disciplines. However, if you’re gunning for a technical position such as software developer, programmer and systems analyst, you’ll need a qualification (degree or certification) in a related field, including computer science, IT and computer engineering.

Vital qualifications and skills: Besides programming languages, core technical skills needed in the IT and technology sector include operating system expertise, network and infrastructure knowledge, as well as software development skills.

But if you’re looking specifically for positions in hardware development and research and development (R&D), you may need qualifications in physics or electronics engineering.

However, if your academic background and work experience aren’t related to IT and technology, it’s not the end of the road! As long as you can display a keen interest in pursuing career opportunities in the IT and technology industry, employers will be willing to onboard you for roles in consultancy or business analysis. These positions leverage on broad technical knowledge and commercial awareness to help clients improve their IT and technology systems in order to help them achieve their business goals

Where you can put your IT and technology-related skills to use: As Singapore is presently in the midst of the Smart Nation initiative (to become a knowledge-based smart nation), the country needs IT and technology specialists and professionals. Graduates with relevant knowledge, including programming languages such as C++, C#, Java, Linux, Unix and .NET, among others.

Other soft skills: In addition to technical skills and good business acumen, employers also keep an eye out for candidates who demonstrate these soft skills:

• Teamwork and interpersonal skills to get along with, and work successfully in, teams during projects
• Good communication skills are needed, as you not only need to interact with your teammates, but also to liaise with stakeholders and clients. Most importantly, you’ll need to be able to convey ideas or explain projects without resorting to technical jargons, as most clients don’t understand it
• Organisational and planning skills are incredibly essential, as professionals in the IT and technology industry usually work on several projects at the same time, and need to keep track of deadlines, as well as ensure that satisfactory results are delivered to stakeholders and clients
• Due to the nature of the work, most, if not all, roles in IT and technology need problem-solving skills
• Commercial awareness is needed to keep up-to-date with the latest trends and skills in this quick-changing industry. To this end, recruiters also appreciate highly motivated quick learners who are also adaptable

Working life

The basics: If you choose to work in IT and technology, your work will usually deal with programming, coding and troubleshooting, so you’ll mostly be desk-bound. If you’re tasked with writing programmes for clients from the ground up, you may also be expected to liaise with clients, suppliers and vendors, along with working with teams.

As there’s a wide range of roles available, job scopes are highly dependent on your position and the part of the IT and technology sector you’re in. For instance, while computer programmers may have less client-facing moments, they’re often exposed to a variety of projects from different industries, which all come with different requirements and needs.

Consultants, on the other hand, will meet plenty of people in the course of travelling from one client to another, which leads to plenty of networking opportunities.

Working hours: They’re fairly regular, but occasionally, working overtime may be needed to meet tight deadlines. Some employers, like Caterpillar, do offer flexible working hour policies, so you’ll be able to make arrangements that suit your personal schedule.

Working culture: IT and technology companies tend to upkeep modern and interactive workspaces, with many investing in the latest technologies to promote employee development. Taking a leaf from Google’s book, many now also offer comprehensive wellness programmes and employee benefits such as gyms, fully-stocked pantries and gaming facilities.

Moreover, IT and technology companies tend to be meritocratic. So, on top of showing that they value what you do, as well as reward it, you have the chance to move quickly up the corporate ladder as you gain experience and maintain work of good quality!

Another option: As demand for IT and technology professionals is high, you can also consider striking out on your own as a freelancer. However, keep in mind that freelancing has its own perks and challenges. Click here to get to know them!

Fun fact: Not all roles in the IT and technology industry need technical knowledge, or are even based in IT and technology! There are other corporate roles you can explore, such as marketing and finance.

Training and development opportunities

Graduate programmes: Graduate programmes will introduce you to, and familiarise you with, sector knowledge, as well as basic professional skills such as communication, presentation and negotiation. They’ll also get you up to speed in terms of technical proficiency. After concluding your training, you’ll be able to pick an area you would like to focus on.

On the other hand, if you’re hired directly into a specific role, you’ll instead receive on-the-job training, where you’ll pick up specialised skills and in-depth knowledge.

For example, if you’re hired into the role of a junior developer, you’ll be given tasks that will help you quickly build the necessary programming language and technical skills required when you dive straight into designing new, and maintenance of, existing software products.

Training programmes: Due to the fast pace and unpredictable nature of the industry, IT and technology companies don’t usually have structured training programmes and plans. That said, it’s exactly because of technology’s rapid evolution that employers are immensely aware of the value of training, and are often willing to invest in their employees.

To take advantage of the opportunity, you’ll need to have the initiative to propose programmes and plans to acquire new skills. There’s no need to worry about your company brushing off your initiative, too – most employers are supportive if you wish to pick up specialised qualifications.

Some examples of these include certifications offered by Microsoft (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)) and Cisco (Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)), or specialist papers like Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Working abroad: If you’re keen to work abroad, consider registering for internationally-recognised accredited training programmes and certifications, like Information Systems Professional (ISP) and Security 5 Certification, are available.

Now that you’re privy to secrets on how to land your dream job in the IT and technology industry, go forth and prosper! However, if you’re not still not really sure about which role you’re best suited for, but know you want to enter the IT and technology industry, fret not! Click here to find out the top typical jobs for fresh graduates in the IT and technology sector.