IT Job Outlook 2009

According to a nationwide survey conducted by Robert Half Technology, seven out of 10 chief information officers (CIOs) said they planned to invest in IT initiatives in 2009.

The top areas for planned investment included:

These national survey results are reflected in what Kirk Walton, senior recruiter for Tech-Pro in Roseville, is seeing in the Twin Cities market. "The biggest initiatives CIOs are planning right now are about how to save costs and generate revenue," Walton says. "There are fewer business transformation and strategic initiatives."

Overall, Walton says, the IT consulting market seems to be picking up. "We're getting back to a little bit of normalcy," he says. At Tech-Pro, business improved every month from January through April, and Walton says, "I hear that from others, as well." Contract placements typically pick up ahead of full-time positions, Walton notes.

In a market where the supply of workers outstrips demand, Walton says it's possible to run into a "classic Catch 22:" You can't get a job without experience in a specific application or system, but you can't get experience without a job.

Flexibility Required

Walton says job-seekers can improve their chances with increased flexibility: Be willing to work further from home; understand that pay rates are lower now than they were a couple of years ago. Walton says it can also help to be more open about roles you'll consider.

In a tougher job market, attention-grabbing résumés and professional profiles (like those found on LinkedIn) are more important than ever. Presenting yourself "as creatively and innovatively as you can" may take prospective employers from a 15-second scan of your résumé to an interview-hatching review, Deare says. Résumés should be accomplishment and performance oriented and "any number is better than a word, `Number one' gets their attention every time," Deare says.

Laura French is principal of Words Into Action, Inc., and is a freelance writer from Roseville.