Own your tech career : soft skills for technologists / Don Jones.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, Don, 1971- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Information technology--Vocational guidance.

Information technology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (298 pages)

Place of Publication:

Shelter Island, New York : Manning, [2021]

Summary:

Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists is a guide to taking control of your professional life. It teaches you to approach your career with planning and purpose, always making active decisions towards your goals. Summary In Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists, you will: Define what "success" means for your career Discover personal branding and career maintenance Prepare for and conduct a tech job hunt Spot speed bumps and barriers that can derail your progress Learn how to navigate the rules of the business world Perform market analysis to keep your tech skills fresh and relevant Whatever your road to success, you'll benefit from the toolbox of career-boosting techniques you'll find in Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists. You'll discover in-demand communication and teamwork skills, essential rules for professionalism, tactics of the modern job hunt, and more. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology A successful technology career demands more than just technical ability. Achieving your goals requires clear communication, top-notch time management, and a knack for navigating business needs. Master the "soft skills, " and you'll have a smoother path to success and satisfaction, however you define that for yourself. About the book Own Your Tech Career: Soft skills for technologists helps you get what you want out of your technology career. You'll start by defining your ambition-whether that's a salary, a job title, a flexible schedule, or something else. Once you know where you're going, this book's adaptable advice guides your journey. You'll learn conflict resolution and teamwork, master nine rules of professionalism, and build the confidence and skill you need to stay on the path you've set for yourself. What's inside Personal branding and career maintenance Barriers that derail progress The rules of the business world Market analysis to keep tech skills fresh About the reader For tech professionals who want to take control of their career. About the author Microsoft MVP Don Jones brings his years of experience as a successful IT trainer to this engaging guide. Table of Contents 1 Own your career 2 Build and maintain your brand 3 Network 4 Be part of a technology community 5 Keep your tech skills fresh and relevant 6 Show up as a professional 7 Manage your time 8 Handle remote work 9 Be a team player 10 Be a team leade 11 Solve problems 12 Conquer written communications 13 Conquer verbal communications 14 Resolve conflicts 15 Be a data-driven, critical thinker 16 Understand how businesses work 17 Be a better decision-maker 18 Help others 19 Be prepared for anything 20 Business math and terminology for technologists 21 Tools for the modern job hunt

Contents:

Intro

Own Your Tech Career

Copyright

contents

front matter

preface

acknowledgments

about this book

liveBook discussion forum

about the author

about the cover illustration

Introduction

1 Own your career

1.1 Job, career, success, and self

1.2 Start at the beginning: With yourself

1.3 What does success look like for you?

1.4 Creating a career plan for right now

1.5 Action items

2 Build and maintain your brand

2.1 Brand building: Know your audience

2.2 Social media and your brand

2.3 Your brand has a wide reach

2.4 Professionalism and your brand

2.5 How to sabotage your brand

2.6 Further reading

2.7 Action items

3 Network

3.1 Why networking?

3.2 The problem with digital communications

3.3 Ideas for in-person networking

3.4 Ideas for online networking

3.5 Etiquette for networking

3.5.1 In person

3.5.2 On LinkedIn

3.6 Becoming a confident networker

3.7 Action items

4 Be part of a technology community

4.1 The value of community to your career

4.2 Yes, you're worthy of contributing

4.3 Ways to contribute and participate

4.4 Etiquette for participating

4.4.1 On Q&amp

A websites

4.4.2 In open source projects

4.5 Action items

5 Keep your tech skills fresh and relevant

5.1 Fresh vs. relevant

5.2 Deciding what's relevant

5.2.1 Proficient, not expert

5.2.2 Where to focus

5.3 Building strong learning muscles

5.4 Learning media

5.5 Assessing your relevancy

5.6 Tips for lifelong daily learning

5.7 Further reading

5.8 Action items

6 Show up as a professional

6.1 Be your word

6.1.1 Never promise what you cannot deliver

6.1.2 Always deliver what you promise

6.1.3 Be easy to work with

6.2 Be detailed and precise

6.3 Cut your losses when the time is right.

6.4 Let Blue Sky mode happen

6.5 Draw a yellow line

6.6 Action items

7 Manage your time

7.1 Discipline, procrastination, and laziness

7.2 Time management

7.2.1 Time inventory: The TimeFlip technique

7.2.2 Time rationing: The Pomodoro technique

7.2.3 Time catalog: Knowing your capabilities

7.3 Multitasking

7.4 Action items

8 Handle remote work

8.1 The challenges of being remote

8.2 Creating a space

8.3 Creating a space when you have no space

8.4 Working with family

8.5 Adopting a routine

8.6 Explicitly defining a culture

8.7 Networking like you're in the office

8.8 Remote work: Permanent or temporary?

8.9 Action items

9 Be a team player

9.1 The ups and downs of teams

9.2 A checklist for being a better team player

9.3 Dealing with less-effective teams and teammates

9.4 Contributing to an inclusive workplace

9.4.1 Help

9.4.2 Offer respect and support

9.5 Further reading

9.6 Action items

10 Be a team leader

10.1 The decision to lead

10.2 Leadership vs. management

10.3 The leader's path

10.4 Getting into their context

10.5 Leading positively

10.6 Mistakes leaders make

10.7 Leadership beyond leading

10.8 Before moving into leadership

10.8.1 Don't get promoted to your level of incompetence

10.8.2 Learn leadership

10.8.3 Measure your own success

10.9 Further reading

10.10 Action items

11 Solve problems

11.1 Problem-solving vs. troubleshooting

11.2 Clearly state the problem

11.3 Identify your levers

11.4 Negotiating solutions

11.5 Action items

12 Conquer written communications

12.1 Communicating is telling a story

12.1.1 The rules of storytelling

12.1.2 Applying storytelling to business communication

12.1.3 What about mundane, everyday communication?

12.2 Facing our fear of communicating.

12.2.1 Analyze the causes of your fear

12.2.2 Address the causes of your fear

12.2.3 Conquer fear in written communications

12.3 Applying structure to your storytelling

12.4 Practice, practice, practice

12.5 Common written defeaters

12.5.1 Avoid passive voice

12.5.2 Prune that flowery garden

12.6 Action items

13 Conquer verbal communications

13.1 Stepping up to verbal communications

13.2 Conquering your fear of speaking

13.2.1 Fear of not having all the answers

13.2.2 Fear of being judged

13.3 Common verbal defeaters

13.4 Finding the right amount of assertive

13.5 Persuasion and the art of listening

13.6 Action items

14 Resolve conflicts

14.1 Conflict can be healthy and even deliberate

14.2 Seeking context

14.3 Returning to first principles

14.4 Relying on data

14.5 Using decision-making frameworks

14.6 A win doesn't matter as much as the outcome

14.7 Action items

15 Be a data-driven, critical thinker

15.1 In business, never "believe"

15.2 Be a data-driven, critical thinker

15.3 Be data-driven

15.4 Beware the data

15.5 Further reading

15.6 Action items

16 Understand how businesses work

16.1 Businesses are people too

16.1.1 Businesses and their relationships

16.1.2 Customers and employees

16.1.3 One-sided relationships

16.1.4 Dealing with changes in the relationship

16.2 How businesses really make money

16.3 What does your business sell?

16.3.1 Example 1: Terri's International Bulbs

16.3.2 Example 2: Martin's Theme Parks

16.3.3 Example 3: Pat's Fruity Clothing

16.3.4 Know the details of the business

16.4 Understanding risk and reward

16.5 Further reading

16.6 Action items

17 Be a better decision-maker

17.1 Deciding who decides: Decision-making frameworks

17.2 Deciding what to do: OKRs, rocks, and pebbles.

17.2.1 Rocks and pebbles

17.2.2 OKRs

17.2.3 Priorities, priorities

17.3 Deciding what to drop: Opportunity cost

17.4 Deciding what's enough: Good, better, best

17.5 Deciding what to believe: Being data-driven

17.6 Deciding together: How to negotiate

17.7 Further reading

17.8 Action items

18 Help others

18.1 Why help?

18.2 Yes, you can

18.2.1 The toxic relationships that keep us from teaching

18.2.2 You are definitely worthy of teaching

18.3 How humans learn

18.4 The value of repetition

18.5 Getting in and doing it

18.6 Why analogies work . . . and how they can fail

18.7 Do it like Socrates

18.8 The importance of sequencing

18.9 Rest time is crucial

18.10 Further reading

18.11 Action items

19 Be prepared for anything

19.1 What can happen?

19.2 Basic preparedness goals

19.3 Cash on hand and credit

19.4 Social safety nets

19.5 Insurance

19.6 Prestaged job hunt tools

19.7 Action items

20 Business math and terminology for technologists

20.1 How much do you cost?

20.2 Reading a P&amp

L statement

20.2.1 Revenue

20.2.2 Expenses

20.3 Averages

20.4 OpEx and CapEx

20.4.1 Understanding the two types of expenses

20.4.2 Driving business decisions

20.5 Business architecture

20.6 Further reading

20.7 Action items

21 Tools for the modern job hunt

21.1 Job hunt tasks to do now

21.2 Review your brand

21.2.1 Your professional brand and the job hunt

21.2.2 Reviewing your public footprint

21.2.3 How would others describe your brand?

21.3 Update your résumé

21.3.1 Résumé rules

21.3.2 Starting your résumé

21.3.3 Every résumé is unique

21.3.4 Analyze the job posting

21.3.5 Writing your résumé

21.3.6 Formatting your résumé

21.3.7 Should you hire a résumé writer?

21.4 Nailing the interview.

21.5 Understanding compensation packages

21.5.1 Compensation package elements

21.5.2 Negotiating your compensation package

21.6 Further reading

21.7 Action items

index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

9781638356578

1638356572

OCLC:

1263873387