The cloud, data center and the end-user are all evolving. The way we compute and process information has completely changed over the past few years. Now, with more consumerization and a lot more cloud computing, data centers, administrators and everyone in between must adapt to new types of demands. The movement towards the Internet-of-Things has created additional challenge for both the cloud and the modern data center.
Mobility and data-on-demand has become the new normal. Large enterprises are already adapting their business model to be more conducive to the capabilities both the cloud and their own infrastructure.
But what happens to the staff? How does the cloud administrator adapt to these types of changes? More specifically, what can you do today to get on the bandwagon of tomorrow?
Large organizations and recruiters are actively changing the way they acquire talent. Technical skills, education and certifications are certainly still important. However, there are other aspects that are becoming just as important in the hiring process. Shops like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other large IT organizations are now looking at a new type of technologist to help drive innovation and IT.
Here’s a list of what some of the largest organizations and top cloud recruiters are expecting from the next-gen technology specialist.
Your Willingness (and Capability) to Learn
Leading organizations which know how to lead with technology want a person who is excited about what’s next. This is the engineer, architect, manager, or executive who truly wants to envision the future of their respective technology. The blistering pace of technological evolution leaves little room for technologists who are unwilling to adapt. Taking on new challenges and learning new technologies is becoming the norm for the next-gen cloud professional.
Your Interpersonal Communication Skills
Because business, IT, and various IT teams are so intertwined that you will find yourself speaking to engineers, business people and entire IT teams. Although you may think this is easy, it’s really not. Hiring folks look for people who are capable of listening and interpreting the challenges and ideas of individuals as well as team members within an organization. Your ability to communicate at multiple levels is critical to your career and success. Remember, in some cases being interpersonal comes naturally; other times you might have to work at it.
Your Personality
Are you approachable? Do you speak up during meetings? Do you “think outside the data center?” Personality and your enthusiasm around an organization or technology gets both you and the recruiters excited. Furthermore, hiring managers love to see someone who is enthusiastic about their product or platform. Take the time to understand what an organization does. Learn their technologies and solutions. Now, are you genuinely excited about the opportunity to work with this organization? If not, maybe you should keep searching. Talent acquisition professionals actively evaluate the personality of a candidate to make sure they’re the right fit for the organization both now, and in the long run. Remember, they’re investing quite a bit in hiring you.
Your General and Theoretical Technology Knowledge
There’s nothing wrong with being an absolute expert in a given field. However, the interconnected nature of cloud computing and the modern data center has pretty much forced all IT people to learn some type of parallel technology. Network engineers must now better understand application that traverse their environment. Storage professionals must understand how underlying compute resources and connections impact their platform. Cloud professionals must understand everything that makes up the various cloud models, and what makes it all tick. Take the time to learn what impacts your work, even if it’s outside of your comfort zone. You don’t have to become an expert in every technology. However, having a solid theoretical understanding of how ecosystem technologies impact your technology or organization is important. The more intelligently you’re able to discuss a variety of cohesive platforms, the more of a visionary you’ll become. Remember, critical technologies now span the logical and physical. Take the time to know what’s making an impact in the cloud industry.
Your Ability to Speak the Language of Business
Whether you’re currently in a cloud position or are seeking something in the industry, there’s an important concept to understand. The modern business depends on technology, which basically means that IT folks now have a direct say in the flow of organizational operations. Business flow processes can be built around cloud, SaaS and other next-gen data center models. Hiring managers are looking for people who are directly capable of aligning business goals with the capabilities of technology. The big firms, which are tech-savvy, actively try to recruit IT and cloud professionals who can speak the language of business. That means seeing the big picture, explain concepts in a manner everyone can understand, and laying out a technological plan which integrates with the business.
It’s important to note that many of these new traits are being applied to job fields all across the board. Whether you’re an engineer or working on the data center floor, you are now directly tied into the business process of your organization. There are a few very critical points to understand when it comes to the modern enterprise:
- IT is no longer an island within a business.
- Organizations are actively building their business plans around the capabilities of IT.
- Business leaders look to IT to enable them to do great things – and get ahead of the competition.
Unlike the past, your business and IT model are tied at the hip. To advance in your career it’s critical for you to understand the business structure and how IT enables the entire process. As you move forward in your cloud and technology career, always think outside the box and be creative with your solutions. Ultimately, you’re helping your company optimally align business goals with the capabilities of your technology platform.
