Dear Adviser,
After my Bachelor degree, I worked for more than 12 years in IT organisations in various positions, like database administrator, performance/capacity management, and service management.
I have also had a lot of technical training like MVS, VTAM, NCP, X25, UNIX and more general training like project management, management of change and service management (ITIL).
I seem to have good enough qualifications to move on, but every time I get interviewed, I seem to have a lack of communication skills. Some people advise me to choose more technical jobs, but I'm not sure I will be happy in these positions.
Frustrated
Dear Frustrated,
Reading between the lines of your letter I sense that perhaps you are from overseas and English is not your first language. If this is the case, then quite often New Zealanders do find it hard to communicate with people who have a strong accent.
You seem to have the right qualifications and the right attitude to get ahead. My advice is to talk to your potential employers and acknowledge the language problem as something that you would like to overcome. With lots of goodwill on both sides you can put together a plan to improve your communication skills.
If English is your first language then the above still applies. Show people you want to improve, have the desire and willingness -the passion - to be better and you will find that doors will open for you.
Readers with career questions can have them answered in this column by IT recruitment specialists. This month Auckland-based Reed IT answers your queries. Send questions via Kirstin Mills with "Dear Adviser" in the subject line.