Category: Job Search

Contents important for job seekers

Discovering Your Ideal Career Path: A Breakdown of the Self-Assessment Survey

Living in a world full of choices and opportunities, we are often influenced by others when making decisions. But are we truly making the right choices when it comes to important matters? I wanted to create a self-assessment survey to help people figure out the ideal career path tailored to them. This is specifically designed for individuals looking to make a choice in the IT field.

For the initial version, I’ve kept it ultra-simple. The survey consists of just four multiple-choice questions. If you’d like to try it out, here’s the link: https://itpro.lk/mypath

Logic Rules to Map to Career Pathways

The first question gathers input about the user’s preferred tasks, while the remaining three validate the initial choice. Based on their answers, the survey suggests career paths best aligned with their preferences.

Recommending Software Development:

  1. Task: A (Building software).
  2. Skills: Intermediate/Advanced programming.
  3. Motivation: High earning potential, Opportunities for creativity.
  4. People/Tasks: Prefers technical tasks.

Recommending Data Science/Analysis:

  1. Task: B (Analyzing data).
  2. Skills: Intermediate/Advanced programming.
  3. Motivation: High earning potential, Job stability and security.
  4. People/Tasks: Prefers technical tasks.

Recommending UI/UX Design:

  1. Task: C (Designing visuals).
  2. Skills: Beginner/Intermediate programming.
  3. Motivation: Opportunities for creativity.
  4. People/Tasks: Prefers technical tasks.

Recommending Cybersecurity:

  1. Task: D (Solving security challenges).
  2. Skills: Intermediate/Advanced programming.
  3. Motivation: High earning potential, Job stability and security.
  4. People/Tasks: Prefers technical tasks.

Recommending Quality Assurance:

  1. Task: E (Testing and improving quality).
  2. Skills: Beginner/Intermediate programming.
  3. Motivation: Job stability and security.
  4. People/Tasks: Prefers technical tasks.

Recommending IT Academic:

  1. Task: F (Teaching IT concepts).
  2. Skills: Beginner/Intermediate programming.
  3. Motivation: Helping others, Leading and organizing teams.
  4. People/Tasks: Enjoys working with people.

Recommending IT Management (Project/Product):

  1. Task: G (Managing teams and projects).
  2. Skills: Beginner/Intermediate programming.
  3. Motivation: Leading and organizing teams.
  4. People/Tasks: Enjoys working with people.

Recommending to try different paths

If the answers provided by users don’t align with any of the options, the system suggests exploring different paths to discover the most suitable career for them.

That’s all for now, folks! 🙂 I know it’s a very basic tool, and its recommendations shouldn’t be taken too seriously. I just recommend giving it a try for fun. I’m working on a more advanced version to share with you in the future.

The Unspoken Truths About Recruitment, What They Never Tell You

Listen to what people say, but understand them by watching what they are doing.

This golden strategy unlocks many opportunities in identifying needs. When applied to recruiters, it provides valuable insights into their processes and priorities.

Who Are the Recruiters?

We refer to the individuals within an organization involved in shortlisting your CV, conducting interview panels, and making decisions about your salary and hiring confirmation. They play a crucial role in matching candidates with job vacancies.

Job Vacancy Advertisements is The Tip of the Iceberg

Job vacancy advertisements often focus on the hard skills required for a role. However, there are many unspoken requirements and preferences. Understanding these can give you a significant advantage.

The Interview Focus

About 80% of interviews focus on evaluating the candidate, leaving very little time for the candidate to learn about the company and the team they will be working with. This imbalance can leave candidates unaware of the full scope of the company’s needs and culture.

Unspoken Factors in Recruitment

Profile Picture in Your CV: Including a photo on your CV is a debated topic. The general recommendation is to include a picture if your appearance is relevant to the role. However, it’s fine to have or not have a photo. If someone shortlists your CV based on a positive impression of your photo, that’s great. If they decide not to choose you based on your photo, it’s also fine, you likely wouldn’t fit well in their environment anyway.

Sexual Attractiveness: While it may be uncomfortable to acknowledge, physical attractiveness can play a role in hiring decisions. Studies have shown that attractive individuals are often perceived more positively and may have an edge in job interviews. This isn’t fair, but it’s a reality in many workplaces.

Your Personality: Your personality creates an emotional response in others, which can influence their decision-making process. This response varies depending on the personalities of the interview panel. Positive feelings during interviews can increase your chances of being selected. Interviewers document their feedback using factual information, but these facts often stem from their emotions, even if unconsciously.

The Realities of a Competitive Job Market

In highly competitive job markets, your CV might sometimes go unnoticed among many applications. This is not necessarily a reflection of your abilities but can be due to recruiters’ oversight or the sheer volume of applications.

Emotional Decision-Making

No matter how skilled you are, hiring decisions are often influenced by personal preferences and emotions. Recruiters tend to select candidates they feel a connection with.

Solutions

It’s important to acknowledge that not all recruiters fall into the pitfalls mentioned above. Many recruiters and hiring managers are aware of these potential biases and actively work to mitigate them in their processes. Probably we could discuss them in a new article.

Moving Forward

Understanding these dynamics can help you navigate the recruitment process more effectively. Stay true to yourself, present your best qualities, and remember that finding the right job is also about finding the right cultural fit.

Do you have anything in your mind? Feel free to share in the comments section, and let’s discuss!

The Dual Challenge of Skills and Jobs in Sri Lanka’s IT Sector

Many countries are facing two major problems:

  1. Not enough skilled people for skilled jobs (Supply).
  2. Not enough skilled jobs for skilled people (Demand).

Which do you think is the bigger problem in Sri Lanka?

This is a question we asked our users a few months back. We received different answers. Some said the problem is a lack of skilled people, while others said it’s a lack of skilled jobs. Some even said we have both problems simultaneously.

Personally, I believe both problems exist in Sri Lanka at the time of writing this. Narrowing this question down to the IT industry, there is a significant challenge in finding skilled jobs for entry-level job seekers and a challenge in finding qualified workers for senior-level positions.

Why These Problems Exist?

Growth in the Academic Sector

The growth in the academic sector, both public and private, has led to a significant increase in the number of IT graduates. Universities and technical institutes are producing a large number of graduates each year. However, the market is not expanding at the same rate to absorb these fresh graduates. This imbalance results in a surplus of entry-level job seekers struggling to find appropriate positions.

Impact of COVID-19 and the Global Economic Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting global economic crisis have significantly slowed down the growth of the IT industry. Many companies have had to cut back on hiring and even lay off employees. The uncertain economic environment has also led to fewer opportunities for fresh graduates, further exacerbating the mismatch between the supply of skilled workers and the demand for skilled jobs.

Experienced Professionals Leaving the Country

Another critical issue is the brain drain. Many experienced professionals are leaving Sri Lanka for better opportunities abroad. This exit of talent leaves a gap in senior-level positions that are hard to fill. The lack of experienced mentors and leaders within the country also hampers the growth and development of junior employees.

Moving Forward

Entrepreneurs are key to solving these problems and taking advantage of opportunities in the IT sector. They can create jobs, drive innovation, and build strong networks to support the industry. By offering good salaries, career growth opportunities, and remote work options, they can attract and keep top talent, reducing the loss of skilled workers to other countries. Despite these challenges, there is always hope.

Do you have anything in your mind? Feel free to share in the comments section, and let’s discuss!

Welcome to ITPro Insights!

Hi there!

I’m Rasan Samarasinghe, the founder of itpro.lk. I warmly welcome you to ITPro Insights, the official blog of ITPro.lk.

Here, I’ll be sharing valuable content for both job seekers and recruiters. Whether you’re looking for your next career opportunity or seeking top tech talent, this blog will have something for you.

I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions for topics you’d like us to cover. Thank you for joining us!

Warm regards,

Rasan