8 Signs That It's Time To Make a Career Change

People change careers several times during their lifetime. The main reason is that they don’t make informed decisions about the careers they choose. They do not take into account their own interests, values, personality types while selecting career path. Because of these reasons, you may find yourself wondering whether you should be doing something different. Here are some valid reasons to leave your current career for a new one:

• Loss of purpose and passion – If your career has no meaning, you are no longer excited about it or you have grown tired of getting up in the morning to compete for something you don’t believe in anymore – it’s time to move on. The financial incentives are not enough, when the chance to find real personal significance and happiness is missing. 
• Talent potential is not valued - When your talent is not valued, it’s difficult to stay motivated. When your boss doesn’t trust your potential and will not sponsor your career advancement, it’s extremely hard to remain loyal. You must value your talent potential more than anyone else.   Never allow your talent to be taken for granted.  If it is, it may be time to move on.
• Professional growth is stunted - If you are unable to challenge yourself to grow and mature, then how can your employer help you? If you think your employer is not investing in your professional development, you must move on. If you don’t stretch yourself to do more or remain in your comfort zone for too long, you will have to pay the price later. Your resume should reflect enough success stories to merit advancement in your career.
• Workplace culture is not trustworthy - A hostile work environment that operates in silos - where the executives are not transparent - is difficult to trust.  This type of workplace culture becomes corrupted and begins to impact your performance and ability to advance. When you are part of an organization that is full of leadership and workplace problems, it’s time to consider a career change.
• Not sufficiently awarded - It’s easy to become contented in your career, but in today’s fiercely competitive and dynamic marketplace, you must be your own manager and continually be accountable to keep a “reward scorecard.”   Rewards are qualitative and quantitative measurements. If you are not being rewarded for your work - based on industry standards (or better), it’s time to consider a career change.
• You make excuse for a day off - Do you make excuses to call in sick or let go opportunities to take lead? It may be time to assess your current career. If your sense of satisfaction fades away, you aren’t worried your performance review didn’t go well, or you spend more time on surfing internet than concentrating on business, it might be time to move on.
• Your life has changed - When you chose your career your life may have been different than it is today. For example you may have been single then and now you have a family. The crazy schedule or the frequent travel that is typical of your career may not suit your new lifestyle. You should look for an occupation that is more "family friendly."
• Your job is too stressful - Some occupations are inherently stressful. You knew that from the beginning about yours. You've come to a point, though, when it's become too much to handle. To preserve your mental and physical health, you will have to find a career that is less stressful.

If you want to make a career change, talk to the career counsellor for guidance and making a right move. Think about roles or jobs where you can use the knowledge and skills you already possess. If you are convinced that you want to make a career change, then take a dive! There is never a perfect time, so don’t wait. Try to prepare plan B, and then do it!

Where To Look For An Internship

Internships can be a great way to get your foot in the door, gaining valuable work experience in a position that would not normally be open to someone with your skills. Finding one and getting it can be hard though. Follow these strategies to land great internships.

• Look for internship listings – Visit career services office of your school or regularly browse their website to check internship listings. Many companies also post internship positions on their ‘career’ web page. Select a number of different internships and be sure to follow the application instructions precisely. Many internships are very competitive and until you hear back from an employer – don’t assume that you will be accepted. Be proactive by continuing to apply to new internships as you find them.
• Make a good resume - You know what you are good at but the employer will need to see them in ink. Ready your resume, highlighting the skills that could be beneficial in that field and mention your achievements in previous internships or a project at college where you volunteered. Showcasing your skills, while keeping in the mind the requirements for the job, plays an important role in getting yourself the right internship.
• Do your research – Before going for an interview, research on not only the company and its products, but also on the business itself. Read about company’s stock market performance, its employees, their backgrounds, competitors, media coverage regarding news about the company etc. Potential interns who get noticed in an interview or on the job are the ones who have an opinion- they aren’t afraid to speak up, give input and contribute to brainstorming sessions. But in order to have effective and credible input, one has to put in the time and do the research.
• Use and know the product - Being unfamiliar with the product or web site of the company is fatal- because interviewers will get to know about your ignorance. Candidates, who have used the product or know it well, share insight and knowledge and they even have stories about how the product has helped them in their career etc. 
• Weigh benefits correctly – Weigh the benefits of internship in terms of the value they add to your profile the knowledge that you gain from that role. Taking up just any internship is not good for your profile. Get the one that is relevant to the career you intend to pursue. 

If you are looking for internship positions with renowned companies, log on to ThGongzuo.com to find the right internship and save your precious time.

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi…..How These Terms Were Born?

Certain terms, which were once part of technical jargon, have taken place in our normal vocabulary. Ever wonder how these terms originated?  You will be surprised to find out the facts behind it. 

• Bluetooth - Bluetooth comes from the name of an ancient Danish king called Harald Bluetooth. What's significant about King Bluetooth is that he united different regions and allowed them to communicate with each other.
• Wi-Fi - Wi-Fi, as it turns out, doesn't stand for anything. Phil Belanger, a founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, has gone on the record as saying the term was nothing more than a catchy word created by a brand consulting firm.
• Troll - While the imagery of a goblin-like cave monster seems awfully apt, there's actually more to the term than meets the eye. The word “troll,” you see, is also a verb meaning “to fish by trailing a lure or baited hook from a moving boat.”
• Wiki - Credit for the first wiki is commonly given to a guy named Ward Cunningham, who came up with a site called WikiWikiWeb. Ward was wooed by the word wiki when he traveled to Hawaii, where he saw a “wiki wiki bus”. “Wiki” means “quick” in Hawaiian.
• Ping - Ping, in its current form, traces back to a Unix-based network administration tool created in the early 80s. The program sends a data packet to a network-connected computer and then measures how long it takes for the system to respond.
• Spam - Spam, according to most popular accounts, comes not from the questionable canned meat but rather from a 70s-era Monty Python sketch.
• Cookie - The most common explanation suggests the term comes from Unix. In Unix, a “magic cookie” refers to a chunk of data that's passed between two programs.
• Bug – In 1946, Grace Hooper joined Harvard, where she traced an error in the computer due to a moth trapped in it. This bug was carefully removed, the word ‘bug’ is still being used to describe defects.
• Hotmail – Its founder tried all kinds of names ending with “mail”. Later he chose “Hotmail”, as it contains all the letters “HTML” - the markup language used to write web pages.
• Java - "Java" was selected from a list of suggestions, primarily because it is a popular slang term for coffee, especially that grown on the island of Java. As the programmers drank a lot of coffee, this seemed an appropriate name.
• Python - Named after the television series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. 

Want To Work For Google?

Among many IT professionals, working at Google is seen as a dream job. And no wonder. The flourishing company is a driving force in Internet development. Working for Google means working for an organization that’s extraordinarily well funded. It also means working alongside top talent. With as many applications as Google receives, the company has its pick of the best.

The good news is that Google is hiring. The bad news is that getting hired at Google isn’t easy. It requires a unique set of characteristics to land a gig with the search giant.

As per Google’s Director of Staffing, this is what you need to have, if want to be a ‘Googler’:

• Entrepreneurial spirit - While working in the IT department of any large manufacturing facility might not require entrepreneurial spirit, working at Google most certainly does. With the search giant’s rapid growth and its aggressive moves in arenas held by competitors, the need for smart, self-motivated and self-starters seems clear. It is also important from company’s “20 per cent time policy” point of view. As per this policy, employees are free to pursue projects they're passionate about on company time. It takes an entrepreneurial (and disciplined) spirit to use this unstructured time in ways that benefit the bottom line.
• Business skills – Google prefers to hire a candidate with business skills, because such a person can relate business and technical aspects and look at the mission-critical needs to the company, and really understand some of the context around why we’re building some of the infrastructure.
• Technical skills – Learn programming languages like C++, Java, Java Script, CSS etc. Understand algorithms and data structures. Get to know operating systems. 
• Problem solving skills – Google wants to hire candidates who have handled analytically difficult problems. They want someone who has actually interacted in a real-world situation and during an interview; the interviewers get a sense of what the candidate considers to be difficult.
• Analytical skills – The skills that that differentiate you from rest of the pool. Google doesn’t care much about GPAs. According to them, in schools, people are trained to give specific answers. But they want people who like figuring out stuff where there is no obvious answer. They believe that GPAs and test scores don’t correlate with success at the company.
• Leadership skills – They want people, who at the appropriate time, step in and lead when faced with a problem.

How To Get a Job in Silicon Valley?

Your resume is perfect, you are qualified, you have applied to hundreds of jobs in Silicon Valley, and yet you are not getting hired, right? Well, if this is your problem, then you are not alone. 

If you want to fulfil your dream of being an employee of the most sought after region for techies, here are tips:

• The easiest way to open yourself doors of top tech companies in the Silicon Valley is to enrol in some of the graduate schools. San Jose State University, UC, Berkeley, Stanford, San Francisco State University are among the top universities in the US from where the tech talent is placed by the hottest companies. So, if you have degree from one of these schools, you are in demand!
• Most of the candidates want work for Google, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. But the reality is for every open position, they get around 250 applications. The competition is fierce for getting into these companies. So, you need to look beyond these companies. Consider start-ups which have started receiving funding. You can contact them directly and send them your resume. Remember, start-ups are not getting 250 resumes for every open position they have.
• Make your resume tells the recruiter only the important points – your contact information, education and work experience. Don’t include your other interests, hobbies in resume. Resume should have action verbs like “Designed”, “Developed”, “Created”, “Sold” to describe what you have done so far that could benefit his/her company.
• Network with the people who are already working there. Ask them how they got the job, which skillsets are in demand in their companies, hiring When you go for an interview, show your passion for that company. The interviewer should see your excitement to work there.
• Generally, Silicon Valley companies don’t hire management trainees. They want their employees to be productive right after they join. This doesn’t mean you have to have at least 5 years of experience to get hired. But, during interview you have to show your ability to grasp things quickly and get started immediately. You cannot expect a long term training program before you start contributing here.
• Regularly browse through the job search sites such as TheGongzuo.com to know what the Silicon Valley tech companies are looking for. You get a fair idea about which skills to pickup to increase the probability of getting hired.

Say Goodbye to Bad Habits

Negative thoughts, and certain actions or sayings, can prevent you from accomplishing a goal. They steer you away from the bigger picture, deterring you from whatever you’re trying to accomplish. Some bad habits cause more trouble than others. Shedding these habits will increase your productivity and allow you to enjoy the positive mood that comes with increased self-control.

• Being late to work – Punctuality is critical when you are working. Forget your college days when you enter the classroom while it is already in the session. The professional thing to do is to arrive on time and be ready to do what is expected. Being on time for meetings is even more important. Keeping people waiting in the meeting can be construed as inconsiderate, rude, disrespectful or arrogant.
• Negative attitude – Responding in pessimistic way or always finding problems in the suggestions given by co-workers is considered being uncooperative. Complaining too much about work culture, colleagues, bosses is another negative trait. These things will make you look unprofessional.
• Spending time on social media – Being on Facebook or even texting all the time when you are at work does create bad impression. Don’t spread bad things about your organization or co-workers through social media while being in the office. You could get fired if caught. Same thing applies when you are attending a meeting. Even when you feel meetings are extended beyond limit or discussion is going off-topic, don’t let your mind wander. Other people, especially your boss will catch you if you are not paying attention.
• Unprofessional looks – Again, remember you are not a college student anymore. Even if you feel comfortable in those pair of jeans and flip-flops, this is not the place where you wear these. You want to look like you take your job seriously when you walk into work. When you go to meet with a client, you represent your company and you should present yourself professionally.
• Using foul words/language – This is one of the worst habits you got to get rid of. Vulgar language an indication that an employee is not ready for promotion. You may be taken to the HR for serious discussions if you are caught multiple times using foul language. 
• Using company phone/supplies for personal use – Making long distance frequent phone calls from your desk phone is easily traceable. Don’t commit such mistakes for saving few dollars. Similarly taking home office supplies such as notepads, folders etc. or using photocopy machine for personal use beyond a limit show your cheap behaviour. 
• Unnecessary noise – Be considerate toward your co-workers as much as possible. Many people have habit of tapping toes or fingers while working or thinking. Maintain silence when at the work. Similarly, keep your phone or computer on silent so that each text message, email or IM won’t create any annoying sound that may disturb others.

If you receive any feedback about your habits, take it seriously and correct them. At the same time, develop good habits like actively looking for a job on TheGongzuo.com. We have hundreds of thousands of job listings for different positions within IT. Your chances of getting hired multiply when you register yourself at TheGongzuo.

Funny Interview Questions

Sometimes candidates come across funny or bizarre interview questions, which do not have any specific right or wrong answers. The purpose behind asking such questions is to test candidate’s ability to remain calm and to see how well he/she responds to an unexpected question.

When you face such a question during a job interview, take a deep breath; give yourself few moments to develop an answer and then answer it. Don’t sit there staring blankly off into space. Your answers are an indication of your intelligence, critical thinking skills, and emotional intelligence.

Here are some of the weird, oddball questions:

• Why are manhole covers round? (this questions was made famous by Microsoft)
• If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be and why?
• How many gas stations are there in the United States?
• If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?
• What will you do if you have a time machine?
• If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
• How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the U.S. each year?
• Why is a tennis ball fuzzy?
• You're a new addition to the crayon box, what colour would you be and why?
• How many snow shovels sold in the U.S. last year?
• What song best describes your work ethic?
• Have ever stolen a pen from work?
• How many balls would it take to fill this room?

This is just a glimpse! There are plenty of similar questions which interviewers ask sometimes just to make you relax. The best tip for dealing with such funny questions is to be calm and think out of the box. All the Best! Go tickle the funny bone of your interviewer.

Importance Of Career Counseling

Every day different careers and professional opportunities are emerging. No matter how much interest you have in more than one field, you will have to prioritize and choose the best option for you depending upon your strengths, weaknesses, interests, personality and aspirations.

Whether you are in the process of choosing a career, deciding whether or not you should change careers or jobs, re-entering the workforce, job hunting, or recovering from a job loss, you may realize that this is an overwhelming process and you need some help.

Reasons to meet with a career counsellor:

• You have no idea what you want to major in
• You have a major but do not know what you want to do with it
• You want to take an assessment to explore possible careers to help with career decisions
• You need to start your job search but you are not sure what you are looking for 
• You completed an internship and discovered that your chosen career is not a good fit for you
• You want to discuss your future with someone other than your friends or family

How will a counsellor help you?
A good career development professional can help you explore career options, can inform you of labour market trends, and can assess your skills, interests, and work related values. A career development professional can help you sharpen your job search skills, and can help you learn how to move up the corporate ladder.

A counsellor helps students discover their true potential and interest in various subjects in order to help them choose the right career. Several institutes including schools and colleges, offer career counselling through a series of aptitude and IQ tests. The advice and counselling provided is based on three deciding factors — personality, aptitude and interest.

Before hiring counsellor or coach, do your homework. Explore free or low cost online and community resources. Join job clubs and career workshops. Learn about jobs and market situation in your area. This will tell you what positions are in demand. Check out salary information websites.

A word of caution
Career counselling and coaching are unregulated fields, meaning anyone can claim himself/herself to be a counsellor. So, be sure to check the credentials and experience of your prospective consultants. The bottom line: Success in landing a good job of your interest is up to you.
When you find your niche area, register on TheGongzuo.com to search the perfect job you are dreaming of!

Is Your Resume Screaming "Unprofessional"?

You have the right skills and experience and now you are eager to move ahead with your career. But, if your resume fails to convince your prospective employer, you will have a hard time getting a new job. Resumes need to be used as a personal marketing tool. You need to focus on its style as well as contents. Prioritizing your accomplishments in the right order is very crucial.

Here are the issues which could hurt your resume and make it look ‘unprofessional’.

• Formatting – If your resume ends at the middle of the page or above, leaving more than half of blank page creates wrong impression on employer’s mind. He/she may infer that this candidate does not have much to say about his education or experience. This doesn't mean you have to stuff your resume with fluff. Describe more about what you have done, what you know, and how you can contribute to this job. Fill that white space with meaningful information that can set you apart.
• Fonts – Your prospective employer should notice the actual text or words in your resume and not the font! No Comic Sans font for resumes. Do not use colors, curly-cue fonts, and clip art. Keep your total font styles—including different points/sizes, bold text, and italics—limited to four.
• Keep personal life out of your resume - Try to keep references to your children, marital status, age, lifestyle, and religion out of your resume. If you have worked for any religious organization etc., let only its name talk about it. Don’t add additional details on your own.  
• Grammatical errors and spelling mistakes - All grammatical errors and spelling mistakes are a problem in a resume, but some may cause a proportionally higher level of damage than others. 
• Negative statements – Watch out for negative tone of the resume and edit it immediately. For example, statements like “I was not happy with my last job profile” sound negative. Instead, you can write “I learned a lot during my last job and now ready to move on”. 
• Sending unprofessional photo - If a photo isn't specifically asked for in the job application process, don’t send one.  If it is asked for, make sure that it portrays you as professional and personable.  Send a photo where you are dressed nicely and smiling.  Use your judgment. 
• Sending blank email with resume attachment – In your email, you should type a simple greeting, explanation of who you are and what you are sending. Sending blank email is not at all professional.
• Sending resume to multiple employers in the same email – If you do this, your email will most likely get deleted! 

Avoiding these mistakes is as easy as stepping back for a minute, proofreading, and engaging your common sense.

Invest enough time in writing your resume and when you are ready to apply for a job, register on TheGongzuo.com for free. Top IT companies are eager to hire professional employees. They will call you for an interview only if your resume reveals your professionalism!

Most Common Interview Questions

When you are interviewing for an Information Technology (IT) job, you will be asked focused and specific technical questions about your education, skills, certifications, languages and tools you have expertise in.

The best approach when answering is to give specific examples whenever possible. Providing details and experience will tell the interviewer that you have handled projects and situations in the past, deeming you more qualified for the job.

Here are some of the questions you may come across with in an interview. Review this list and prepare your responses based on your qualifications and the nature of the job.

• What are your technical certifications?
• How do you maintain your certifications?
• What development tools have you used?
• Which all programming languages have you worked in?
• How do you handle multiple deadlines?
• How do you troubleshoot IT issues?
• Tell me about the most recent project you worked on. What were your responsibilities?
• Tell me about the project you are most proud of, and what your contribution was.
• What is the biggest IT challenge you have faced and how did you handle it?
• If you know you aren't going to make a project deadline what will you tell your manager and/or the client?

These are just a few, but most common, of the questions that might be asked. They are enough to give you an idea of what to expect during an interview, but do keep in mind that different positions and companies have different requirements, so questions will vary. But your answers should reflect that you are well-experienced and well-informed about the position that they are looking for.

When preparing for a technical interview, you should review basic structures and algorithms within programming. Mastery of these topics will give you necessary knowledge to tackle the problems during the technical interview. Also, review the specific areas for which you're interviewing. E.g. if you're interviewing for a systems programming job, review the differences between threads and processes, OS scheduling algorithms, and memory allocation. Some companies do publish their technical interview questions either on blogs or on their websites. Do spend time in researching on questions asked by a specific employer for the position you are applying for.

If possible, make it a point to carry documentation of any project that you have worked for. This will give the interviewer a better idea about your skills and talents. However, the basic premise of such interview questions is searching for a person who is technically adept as well as professionally good to get along; a managerial attitude is much preferred.

Demonstrate your interest in the position, your drive to excel in the role and the fact that you have done some homework. Ultimately, the more prepared you are for what you will encounter, the more successful you will be. 

Register at TheGongzuo.com today for free. Apply to your desired open position, shine in an interview and get hired by your dream organization!

How to Choose the Right Online IT Courses?

Getting certified is the safest way to advance your career in the IT industry. Whether you work for an enterprise, or a small business or government that employs IT professionals, your best bet for career advancement is to validate your skills and knowledge through a carefully chosen combination of certifications.

However, the biggest challenge when it comes to earning a professional certification is often determining which one or ones to pursue. There are so many courses and certifications available. You first have to see what do you enjoy and then consider what job you ultimately see yourself in that matches your skill set.  This will help you in the long term to achieve your end goals – a job that you want, a job that challenges you and a job you enjoy doing! 

Studying for specific certifications within your current job role will demonstrate willingness to take responsibility for your own progression within your company and will show your employer that you are serious about promotion. Often, companies are willing to invest heavily in their staff’s development so you may even find that they will fund the course for you.

Degree Programs

Earning a degree, rather than a certification, is beneficial for a long-term career in the IT industry. Generally, it takes longer to earn an online IT degree than it does an online certificate. Degree programs typically include general education requirements and emphasize critical thinking and writing. Systems Analysis and Design, Database Management, Networking and Telecommunications, IT Project Management etc. are examples of some of the courses offered within degree programs. 

Certificate Programs

IT online certificates require fewer classes than degrees do and focus on the field or a more specific topic within it. Many reputed universities in the US offer online graduate certificate in information technology, computer science, telecommunications, computer forensics and information security.

IT Training and Boot Camps

IT training institutes offer a variety of online training courses. These range from software training such as a specific module of SAP or Oracle to PMP, Microsoft or Cisco Network  program with classes that last five or six weeks and meet twice a week, to OnDemand, a self-paced program. 

Before enrolling into any online course or certification program, visualise your end goal and take responsibility for your own development and progression and you will quickly be able to identify where to take your studies. 

Take the decision wisely before you spend your time and money on an online course/certification. When you are ready with it, please register yourself with TheGongzuo.com to find the suitable job as per your skills and knowledge and apply for free.

The Best Cities for Women in Tech

Based on a research conducted by SmartAsset.com in February, 2016, the list of top 10 cities for women in technology has been revealed. In this research, 4 major factors were taken into account: the percentage of tech workforce that is female, the gap between men and women’s salaries, women’s median income and three-year tech employment growth in that city. The research team used Census Bureau data to evaluate 58 metropolitan areas.

San Francisco – the hub of tech jobs didn’t appear in the list for the two major reasons: skyrocketing housing prices and the fact that women earn only 85% of salaries of their men counterparts. Moreover, 75% of tech positions in San Francisco are held by males. Other tech hubs such as San Jose and Seattle have similar ratios.

Whereas, in some other cities, there is a better culture of payment equality among men and women and also percentage of women workforce is not too low.

Here’s the list of best cities for women in technology field. The percentage figures in bracket indicate tech jobs held by women.

• Washington D.C. (40%)
• Kansas City, MO (34%)
• Detroit, MI (44%)
• Baltimore, MD (34%)
• Indianapolis, IN (29%)
• Chandler, AZ (28%)
• New York, NY (26%)
• New Orleans, LA (38%)
• Denver, CO (24%)
• Fremont, CA (25%)
• St. Paul, MN (26%)

In top-ranked Washington, D.C., pay for women is statistically equivalent to the pay for men. There is no gender pay gap in D.C. Kansas City ranked second and its tech community continues to stand out for both pay and the makeup of its tech workforce.

Computer Programming: Fun Facts

• The C language is written in C.
• The first high-level programming language was FORTRAN invented in 1954 by IBM’s John Backus.
• The first computer virus was created in 1983.
• The first computer programmer was a female, Ada Lovelace.
• The first computer game was “Spacewar” designed in 1961.
• Programming and coding are not the same. Coder is clearly instructed on what should be done. Programmer must be able to imagine a broad set of solutions before writing codes.
• In programming there is a thing called “constant variable”.
• In programming algorithms, root comes at the top.
• Programming language Java was originally designed for interactive TV, but digital cable industry was not ready for the technology.
• Programming language Python came out as a result of boredom of its author Van Rossum during the Christmas week of 1989.
• Python is one of the official languages at Google and NASA.

Trends Driving The Future of Technology

Technology is constantly evolving. Newer technologies such as smart devices, 3D printing are making headway in their mainstream adoption. The possibilities for where these technologies will take us and how they can impact our lives are endless.  Here is the list of top technology trends with potential to have a significant impact on the organizations.

1. Device Mesh - The device mesh moves beyond the traditional desktop computer and mobile devices (tablets and smartphones). As the device mesh evolves, we will see greater interaction between these devices.
2. Ambient user experience - The experience blends physical, virtual and electronic environments, and uses real-time contextual information as the ambient environment changes or as the user moves from one place to another.
3. 3D printing materials - Advances in 3D printing have already enabled 3D printing to use a wide range of materials, including advanced nickel alloys, carbon fiber, glass, conductive ink, electronics, pharmaceuticals and biological materials. These innovations are driving user demand, as the practical applications for 3D printers expand to more sectors, including aerospace, medical, automotive, energy and the military. 3D printing will see a steady expansion over next 20 years.
4. Information of everything - The now a days information goes beyond textual, audio and video information to include sensory and contextual information. Information of everything addresses technologies to link data from all these different data sources. Information has always existed everywhere but has often been isolated, incomplete, unavailable or unintelligible. Advances in semantic tools such as graph databases as well as other emerging data classification and information analysis techniques will bring meaning to the often chaotic form of information.

Things You Can Do To Improve Your Technical Skills

Improving technical skills could be one of the ways that leads towards your personal development. Here are few things you can do to improve your technical skills.

• Best way to learn anything is by doing it. You can read all the manuals and look at all the websites you want, but until you actually make your hands dirty, you're not really going to know how to do it. For website construction and any programming type stuff, this is all the more important - just do it and play with it. Of course, there is so much you can learn from those that are more experienced.
• Once you have basic skill set, find a mentor either at your own workplace or outside. Ask if you can shadow them, help out, or watch over their shoulder and ask questions. Ask them for advice. Take their inputs in your IT career planning. With their experience and knowledge, you can have wisdom of the ages.
• Sometimes skills in different areas help you in IT field. Make effective use of what you have learned so far. For example, if you have been building and repairing electronic equipments, these skills will help you in programming, troubleshooting, software testing etc.
• Visit tech websites daily. By visiting those sites everyday you'll be introduced to new technology, news and ideas.
• Read technical books/magazines.
• Take online tutorials.

To decide which technical skills you want to pick up or to get an idea which IT skills are in demand, register at TheGongzuo.com and search IT jobs relevant to your current or desired skillsets.

10 Best US Cities For Tech Jobs In 2016

Promising IT career opportunities can be found around the world, but some places are technology hubs. The ranking of top cities is based on factors such as hiring opportunity, cost of living, work-life balance and job satisfaction. IT job seekers and especially those who want to settle down at one place should target these cities, so that they will have many IT opportunities open for them.

Here is a list of tech-friendly cities:

1. San Jose, California – It is home to several high-profile companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook. Some of the hottest tech jobs in San Jose include solutions architect, data scientist, and senior software developer. The downside of San Jose is cost of living and housing prices.
2. San Francisco, California – It is another hot spot for tech jobs. Career profiles in demand in San Francisco include data scientist, solutions architect, and engagement manager. Just like nearby city San Jose, San Francisco also has a high cost of living.
3. Seattle, Washington - If you're looking for new opportunities but prefer a lower cost of living, look toward the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is a fast-growing, mid-sized tech magnet, and is gaining a national reputation as an alternative to high-cost tech hubs such as the Bay Area. Hot jobs in Seattle include solutions architect, UI-UX designer, and data scientist.
4. Austin, Texas - Austin is among the midsize tech hubs where employees can enjoy a lower cost of living without sacrificing job satisfaction, work-life balance, or a thriving job market. Austin's hottest tech jobs include solutions architect, data scientist, and business systems analyst.
5. Salt Lake City, Utah - This is another star in the midsize tech hub category. Hot tech jobs in Salt Lake City include technical support engineer, software engineer, and product manager.
6. Boston, Massachusetts - Boston has a higher cost of living than tech cities in the Midwest, but plenty of opportunities for IT professionals. The hottest tech jobs in Boston include applications developer, solutions architect, and data scientist.
7. Washington D.C. – U.S. capital is another hub for tech pros on the east coast. Some hot jobs in the district include data scientist, solutions architect, and UI-UX designer.
8. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina – Raleigh is again a low cost family friendly city, having tech jobs mainly in Research Triangle Park (RTP) area. Hot IT jobs in Raleigh-Durham include software engineer, solutions architect, and software engineer. 
9. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota - If you're looking for work in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, some of its hottest jobs include solutions architect, data scientist, and systems administrator.
10. St. Louis, Missouri - The strongest tech jobs in St. Louis include software developer, data scientist, and IT project manager.

If you are an IT professional interested in working in any of the above cities, register for free at TheGongzuo.com. You will find a list of open positions at your preferred location based on your priorities and IT skills.

IT Job Search Tips

IT Job Search Tips: What Successful Job Seekers Do Differently?

After polishing the resume and carefully drafting the cover letter, candidates apply for the desired jobs and wait for a favorable reply. But, when they get that discouraging reply from an organization, they start to wonder what went wrong.

As a job seeker, you need to realize that mere clicking on the “Apply” button passively is not going to work. You need to practice certain methods throughout your job search. If you are actively looking for an IT job, check out the tips below shared by successful job seekers.

• Learn new technical skills – Learn new skills, which are current and are in demand so that IT recruitment agencies or IT employment websites can find you when they look for candidates of your background.
• Follow companies that interest you – Be well aware with the latest news as well as IT opportunities within those companies. Try to connect with people who are already working there.
• Keep adding new connections – Grow your network to be more visible. Expose yourself to new opportunities.
• Use social media effectively – Join groups such as LinkedIn and look out for IT job openings in your industry posted by other group members.
• Read relevant information – Take out some time each day to read news, interviews in IT industry. Stay informed about emerging technologies and latest trends in IT.
• Be consistent with your job search activity - Successful candidates set milestones for themselves. Every day they dedicate some time to visiting job search sites, sending applications, calling friends and family for introduction, talking to recruiters, etc. If you are seriously looking for a job, you cannot send applications only when you feel like.

Besides practicing these methods, register yourself with top IT job search website TheGongzuo, where you can find hot IT jobs for different profiles, industry experience and skills. Apply for free and get hired by your dream company today!