Facebook’s Scandal and How it Will Impact IT Professionals
It may not be shocking, but information technology has seen one of, if not its first, scandal of an IT company abusing its technology. In the last few weeks, it has come to light that Facebook has used its IT contractors and IT consultants to help a psychological study to be carried out on an unwitting 700,000 participants. The IT managers and others at Facebook are coming under fire now for having a blanket policy that seems to imply that any Facebook users could be included in such studies without their consent.
While the Facebook scandal is interesting, what is most relevant here is probably the bigger moral questions IT professionals are forced to think about now in relation to their IT jobs. What are the moral responsibilities that the IT world needs to uphold? What will IT companies owe its users? Questions like these will undoubtedly be debated hotly in the wake of the Facebook scandal and as technology continues to evolve.
3 Things You Must Know Before Doing IT Job Interviews
IT recruiters and IT staffing firms always do their best to prep IT consultants for job interviews, but there are some things IT contractors are expected to know before they interview for IT jobs. Here are a few things any IT professional should know before they interview with an IT manager:
1. Show interest in the particular job you’re interviewing for. Do no give a longer career trajectory in which this job is just a stepping stone. Do not suggest that you don’t know what you want to do with your career, but you think this job works well for now. Do not ask about how quickly you can be promoted from this job. The interviewer wants to know you want this job and that you’re excited about it.
2. Don’t ask about the hours or the perks. These are things to discuss if you’re given a job offer. You can ask about what a typical day looks like, but you want to give the impression you’re more concerned about the work and expectations rather than when you can jet out of the office every day.
3. Research the company. Then research them again and again and again. Try to focus on what information might be relevant to the particular department you’re interviewing for.
Is Your Attitude Hurting Your IT Career?
The best IT professionals, the ones that IT recruiters are constantly calling are obviously successful for their pristine resumes and glowing references from former IT managers. But there’s certainly more to it than that. IT consultants who are truly successful and have their pick of IT jobs are that way because of their attitudes. Below are a few ways you can build an attitude that will have IT headhunters calling you non-stop.
1. Keep your mind open. The best IT professionals are the ones who can think creatively and can keep up with changes in protocol. It’s far more challenging, but making sure you adequately consider new and differing viewpoints on a project will make you a much better team member and employee. If you stay stuck in one mindset, you’ll be rejecting a lot of interesting and helpful new data.
2. Try to think of everything as possible. When you come at any project or task with a good mindset, it will be much easier to get it done. Simply thinking that something isn’t possible will block your ability to get it done. Be the kind of employee that managers want: the one who gives 100% to get things done.
3. See the bigger picture. The employee who keeps not only their tasks in mind, but how these tasks fit into the company and its goals, will be the most successful. You don’t always have to sacrifice for your company, but you should at least be aware of what you can do to better meet the company’s needs—and do that as often as possible.