The United States has 3,084 counties, boroughs and parishes, 87 of which are in
Minnesota. Jobs for the Future (JFF) ranked Hennepin County as fifteenth in the country with the most open IT jobs, a number that will be sure to increase considering that network systems and data communications analyst positions are predicted to increase by 53% in the next five years.
IT jobs in network administration and security and software engineering both ranked in the top five of US News’ list of great jobs likely to remain in demand through 2018 making highly skilled IT pros more in demand than ever.
Not only is Hennepin County finally repaying you for all of those community fundraisers you participated in, but your cloud computing skills may start to pay off too. WANTED Analytics found that in August of this year, over 10,000 online IT job ads required cloud computing skills; and if you have them you may be one of the few capable of filling those positions.
But don’t give up hope if Cloud computing isn’t your specialty. JFF listed the top twenty skills they find to be most necessary in the IT job search too. The number one skill is Oracle, with Java, .Net and SQL in the top 10. Remember that your technical skills aren’t the only thing that will make you stand out among Hennepin County’s other job seekers; it’s your soft skills that give you the edge.
According to JFF, the top soft skills needed for a position in the IT industry, include classics such as typing (#5) and trouble shooting (#4), but also include skills you may not think you need to present, like customer service skills, which ranked at number three, and communication, the number one ranked soft skill. JFF reminds job seekers that during hard economic times, employers can be more selective. Don’t rely on employers to find you, make sure to highlight your special skills and certifications to ensure that you stand out.
And next time you cross the Hennepin County boundary lines, don’t just think about how we have the tallest waterfall on the Mississippi river, think about the IT jobs, and how they are nourishing our County. Remember that good things take time: it took Hennepin County 160 years to get to where it is today. Here’s to hoping your job search is shorter, but just as plentiful.