257: Consider Zigging Instead of Zagging and Set Clear Career Goals with Austin Belcak

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Austin Belcak. He teaches people how to land jobs they love in today’s market without traditional ‘experience’ and without applying online.

His strategies have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc., Fast Company, and USA Today. His clients have landed job offers at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook to name but a few.

In this episode, Phil and Austin Belcak discuss how to land an IT job with a major company even if you do not have traditional experience or qualifications. He explains how to establish a connection, build relationships, and leverage them. They talk about how to demonstrate to your target firm that you have something that they need.

They also discuss how not to fall into the trap of simply following the crowd. As well as looking at how the CoVid crisis is changing the way everyone works and lives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(29.32) TOP CAREER TIP

If you see everybody else recommending something, take a step back and ask if that is truly the best way to do things. Ask yourself why people are doing it that way. Are they getting results? If not, in all likelihood you will be able to come up with a better approach.

Often, being different is a good thing. It can help you to get noticed.

(31.47) WORST CAREER MOMENT

For Austin realizing that graduating from university was not enough to get him a decent job was a bad moment. He ended up in an awful job that paid poorly. Worse, he had a bad boss. Yet, even after applying for hundreds of jobs online, he could not get out of the situation.

In the podcast, he explains, in quite some depth, how he managed to break this negative cycle and find success.

(35.24) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Landing his current job with Microsoft is Austin ́s career highlight. For him, it has been life changing. During this section, he explains why that has been the case and what steps he has taken to ensure that he gets the most out of being in that position.

(39.04) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

The emergence of more flexibility in the workplace is exciting. It opens up all kinds of opportunities. Working from home has many potential benefits for the planet as well as for individuals and companies.

Austin and Phil also talk about how easy it now is to start something on your own.

(42.14) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The fact that working online and in IT offers the best lifestyle.

What’s the best career advice you received? – Only take advice from people who already have what you want.

What’s the worst career advice you received? – Go through the traditional job application process.

What would you do if you started your career now? – Austin would prioritize working on his storytelling and copywriting skills, so he could be a more effective communicator and marketer.

What are your current career objectives? – Doing well at Microsoft and helping as many job seekers as possible.

What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being a good copywriter, in particular, being able to write a persuasive resume or email.

How do you keep your own career energized? – Austin works on projects and hobbies outside of his work life.

What do you do away from technology? – Austin and his wife make their own hot source and are home brewers too.

(50.00) FINAL CAREER TIP

You need to be clear about what you want to do. It is important to choose one of the things you are interested in and focus on mastering that.

Speak to other people who work in those fields and roles to help you to narrow down your options. Then try Austin’s 30-day pilot method, which he talks about in the podcast.

BEST MOMENTS

(3.40) – Austin - “Step outside of traditional boundaries, get creative, demonstrate what you can do and the value you have to offer.”

(31.30) – Austin - “Consider zigging while everybody else is zagging. Often, it is a better way to get results.”

(0.00) – Austin - “Identify people who are doing the things you want to do and follow them. They have not got to be far ahead of you.”

(42.53) – Austin - “Only take advice from people who already have what you want.”

(50.00) – Austin - “The first step in anything is getting clear about where you want to go. You need to focus on one thing at a time.”

(52.43) – Austin - “Dip into something for 30 days. Take some courses, do a project. If you don ́t like it, just move on.”

ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS

Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations to design, develop, and implement software solutions. Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers. And in 2017 Phil started the I.T. Career Energizer podcast to try to help as many people...