Business World to Teaching and Back to Business Again
December 6, 2015 11:48 PM   Subscribe

After college, I worked in IT for several years then started teaching. I've been in the education sector for the last 10 years, and I'm now ready to transition back to business. What do I need to know?

Do I need to hire a headhunter? Is it true that companies do not like hiring employees who are leaving the education sector? When do I need to start looking for a job if I want to start work in July or August? Will a company hire me with a start date that is 3-4 months in advance? What has changed in the business world since I left 10 years ago?

I would like to work in IT again or in corporate training. I live in a large city in Texas.
posted by anonymous to Work & Money (2 answers total)
 
NEVER hire a headhunter. They get paid by the firm who is placing you, and if one reaches out to you, that's great, but I've not found headhunters to be good resources for multiple jobs, only for the specific job they have a contract for.

LinkedIn is a fantastic resource. Check out some profiles and then build one. The more complete it is the better.

It really depends on what your IT specialty is as to how long it will take to get you placed It took me 6 months to get my current job, I'm a Salesforce consultant, this is a HOT skill and I had lots of interviews, but it takes a while to really find a good fit. Typically once an offer is extended to you, the expectation is that you'll be ready to start within 30 days.

Review the jobs that are out there, I like LinkedIn and Simply Hired. See what's on offer in your specialty, see if you need additional skills to make you marketable. Use the time to build up your skill set. If it's applicable, are there side projects you can do as recent examples of your work?

Employers are looking for the most qualified candidate for the job. If you've let your skill set atrophy and haven't done anything practical with it in 10 years, it will be harder for you. If you've been active in your user groups/communities, it will be much easier.

All you can do is get out there and test the waters. It takes about 20 submissions to get an interview, and about 5 different interviews to get an offer. You may need two or three offers to get the right fit.

Good Luck!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:31 AM on December 7, 2015


It is fine to engage a headhunter as long as your contact with them is only for firms you agree that they'll represent you to on a case by case basis that you sign off on. That way you can apply to the obvious places without them getting a cut but they can open doors for positions only they know about or where you wouldn't think to look.

Most places won't want a start date months in the future but going through the application process still take a few months.

Business is a little different, mobile and byod are everywhere, cloud is a thing, and agile techniques and DevOps are increasingly common.
posted by Candleman at 4:00 PM on December 7, 2015


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