Networking for Tech Professionals

Regardless of someone’s speciality or the number of year’s they’ve observed an industry, they’re bound to have a few misconceptions about the nuances of internal structure for specific businesses. Many of these suppositions are based on how particular industries hire, promote, and educate its talent. And a substantial portion of conventional job search wisdom, particularly regarding executive networking, is based on false assumptions.

Networking in Tech Fields

People-oriented careers — retail, public relations, and marketing, to name a few — have a logical reputation for requiring more people-oriented job search methods. Meanwhile, industry outsiders and STEM professionals alike typically assume that engineering and computing jobs require more skills-based job search methods, such as creating a powerful executive resume, designing an impressive project sample, and garnering high quality recommendations. In fact, a recent study by LinkedIn proves the opposite true: technologically based fields need highly specialized employees, so they frequently hire based on shared education, work experience, or personal recommendations from shared contacts. The industries that most frequently hire fresh talent from networking pools include:

  • Computer gaming
  • Computer and network security
  • Venture capital and private equity
  • Political organizations
  • Wireless
  • Management consulting
  • Defense and space
  • Computer software
  • Movies/film
  • Computer hardware

Women in STEM Jobs

As any woman specializing in a STEM career knows, these industries are largely male-oriented. Women often face discrimination in both the hiring process and the promotion process. Creating a strong business network is critical to female executives seeking a career in science, technology, engineering, or math.

To learn more about personal marketing and networking for STEM executives, call Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

photo from flickr