Want to be marketable? Consider sharpening these in-demand competencies.Computerworld’s 2016 Forecast study has identified the hottest skills for IT professionals. The top five include IT architecture (42 percent of IT hiring managers seek this skill), application development (40 percent), project management (39 percent), big data (36 percent), and business intelligence/analytics (34 percent). And business intelligence and...

Cover letters are still an important document in an executive job seeker’s collateral materials. They provide a good opportunity to build rapport with a recruiter or prospective employer. Comments expressed by more than 75% of hiring managers range from “somewhat valuable to very valuable” when evaluating an executive candidate for a position who presents a cover letter.Eye appeal is important. A visually attractive cover l...

Gender bias (both conscious and unconscious) remains a critical problem in today’s workforce, especially in tech, with many complex influences and factors sustaining the problem. While hundreds of experts and business and HR leaders have shared their suggested strategies, solutions and approaches to this serious challenge, the needle has been slow to move. Interested in learning how a CEO in the tech world is addressing...

In 2016, millennial IT professionals aren’t working in back offices. Increasingly, they are finding themselves in the CIO role. I chatted with IDC’s Christopher Chute, who is vice president of the SMB Cloud and Mobility Practice, about his recent study assessing how millennial CIOs are investing in digital transformation. Here’s a recap of our conversation.Chris, what does digital transformation mean to millennial CIOs? Clo...

How would your work change if your pay was based on your performance rather than howmuch your clients like you or how much time you spend with them?I believe that neither of these (how much I’m liked or the length time I spend with my clients) is a good metric for them to achieve positive, long-term changes in their behavior.In fact, I have never seen a study that showed that clients’ love of a coach was highly correlated w...

It’s not uncommon for employees to get the urge to job shop when they find themselves or their careers oppressed by out-of-touch leadership. For most, self-diagnosing for antiquated leadership behavior may seem daunting. As such, the following list provides insight into nine things leaders do that show their leadership style may need an overhaul.1. Lead from an ivory tower. A genuine leader is willing to spend time on the f...

Over five years ago, I wrote one of my first posts for the Fast Track blog. The article was about how I was able to hold down four paid jobs in addition to raising a toddler. Fast forward to today, when I am working on at least a dozen paid jobs and am responsible for an additional child. I’m still using the same system, and it’s still working.One of the things I mentioned in the article is how I leave two hours per day for...

I had a fascinating experience this weekend that helped me understand even more deeply why we don’t take action to help ourselves when we need it and why, under the right circumstances, we will. I’m a trained therapist, career coach, writer, speaker and trainer, and in my work with professionals and through my writing, I hear from literally thousands of women and men who share that they’ve put off getting help for months...

Part of the series “Women, Leadership and Vision” What is the largest minority in the world? The answer might surprise you. It is people living with disabilities. In honor of National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month in March, I had the honor of connecting with Loreen Arbus, a tireless disability rights activist, philanthropist, television producer, and author, who is passionate about supporting those with disabilities and...

Artificial intelligence has been in the news a lot lately, specifically related to machines’ ability to deep learn, or more closely mimic the actions of a human brain. In the near future, will a computer’s algorithms be able to do the project manager’s job as well as you can?It started in 2011. Stanford professor Andrew Ng holed up at the Google X Lab at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters and initiated a project dubb...