career services report 2011
DESCRIPTION
Placement Stats for setFocus for 2007 - 2010TRANSCRIPT
S E Q U O I A C L U B
Comprehensive Career Services & Placement Success
S E Q U O I A C L U B
2
“From the up-to-date technical instruction to the career guidance and employer connections, this program was exactly what I needed to move to a new phase of my career.”
-Francis Khoury, Alumnus
Comprehensive Career Services Yield Placement Success
Since 1997, SetFocus has helped more than 2,000 IT professionals launch, revitalize, or propel their careers.
We have a proven track record of understanding current job market needs and selecDng the best candidates to re-‐train for these posiDons. An integral part of The Master's Program® is our comprehensive, customized Career Services. Every Master’s Program candidate receives individualized career services, coaching, and placement assistance as part of their experience.
SetFocus has spent 14 years developing and refining its formula for re-‐tooling and re-‐introducing IT professionals to the workforce – doing what they love to do. Let us help you to do the same today!
This document describes how our Career Services team works directly with Master’s Program candidates to improve their placement success. In it, we also share our placement staDsDcs – proof that our formula produces results.
S E Q U O I A C L U B
3
Improve Your Marketability & Earning PotentialBased on over a decade of experience with both candidates and hiring companies, SetFocus is acutely aware of the keys to career growth and success in the IT marketplace. We’ve idenDfied 3 factors proven to improve your marketability and earning potenDal -‐-‐ not just for your next posiDon -‐-‐ but for the enDre course of your career.
1. Insight. Understand who you are, where you are now, and where you want to be in the future.
Evaluate your current state. Define your desired career path. Create a specific plan of acDon by seYng well-‐defined goals and objecDves. Give yourself a reasonable Dmeframe in which to effect change and a\ain your goal.
As an IT professional, you need to conDnually re-‐evaluate your technology focus over Dme. In a field where new technologies evolve exponenDally, learning something once and sDcking with it for 20+ years has become a thing of the past. Up-‐to-‐date marketability is key to conDnued success.
2. Knowledge. Become a lifelong learner. Invest in yourself…always.
Warren Buffe\, one of America's wealthiest people, is revered as one of America's leading voices in investment advice. So what does he say is the best investment you can make?
The most important investment you can make is in yourself.
Anything that builds on your own talents cannot be taxed or taken away from you. Huge deficits can drive down the value of the dollar. All kinds of things happen. But if you've got talent and you've maximized that talent, you've got a tremendous asset that will return ten-‐fold.
3.Confidence and Communication. Know your brand and how to sell it.
Understanding who you are, acquiring a new skill set, and developing your own brand is a mulD-‐faceted process that takes Dme and effort. It includes preparing materials to demonstrate your background and abiliDes, honing your message for networking and interviewing, and effecDvely presenDng yourself online. We will prepare you to exude confidence and make yourself stand out from others presenDng themselves for the same posiDon.
“Coming to SetFocus is more than just about learning. It’s about building a valuable relationship for your career with a company that really wants you to succeed.”
-Julien Jeng, Alumnus
S E Q U O I A C L U B
4
CAREER DEVELOPMENTFinding the right opportunity requires discipline, commitment, and … a formalized job search strategy.
With the advent of social media and increased use of the internet to form and promote relaDonships, a comprehensive job search strategy includes effecDve use of social networking sites such as LinkedIn. There you can feature your skills with online porcolios and seek recommendaDons from others in your field.
New Web-‐based tools combined with the classics -‐-‐ a revamped resume; polished, pracDced interviewing skills; and personal and professional networking -‐-‐ form the foundaDon for an effecDve job search strategy.
Your Career Development Specialist will work closely with you to master the tools and maximize their potenDal so you can reach yours!
Career Development Specialists help you:
• IdenDfy your transferrable skills and how to market them.
• Define exactly what kind of work you want to do.
• Embrace Social Media & Networking -‐ Talk to people who are doing the work you want to
do. Find out how they like the work; how they found their job. Talk to people you know; explore their connecDons.
• Learn to apply the 25/75 rule of Passive vs. ProacDve Job Searching.
• Employ a mulD-‐part job search strategy: resume posDng, job searching, target markeDng, networking, and working with recruiters.
• Learn not to take rejecDon personally, but to use it as a learning tool.
• Learn the art of “The follow up”.
• Adopt a holisDc approach -‐-‐ “Finding a job is a full-‐Dme job.”
PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE
Once you have acquired new technical skills, polished your sop skills, and developed your job search strategy, it’s Dme to start your job search in earnest.
Our Placement Specialists will be there to assist you every step of the way -‐-‐ a second pair of hands and eyes in your quest to start a new career. They stand as a ready resource as you implement your personal job search strategy.
In addiDon, Placement Specialists conDnually develop relaDonships with new hiring companies to expand the universe of potenDal opportuniDes for you. Your SetFocus Placement Specialist will help market you to our growing list of company contacts.
ALUMNI SERVICES
A key benefit of successfully compleDng The Master’s Program is our extensive program of life-‐long Alumni Services.
Our goal is to remain your premier career development resource -‐-‐-‐ offering you opportuniDes to network with your fellow SetFocus Alumni and the organizaDons seeking to hire SetFocus Alumni.
BENEFITS
Con$nued Career Services
SetFocus Career Development support is available for a lifeDme! Whenever you need help, whether you are seeking a new job or need advice on conDnued career development, cerDficaDon, training or negoDaDon, we are here to help. Resume wriDng assistance, cover le\er maintenance, job search strategy revamps, and more!
Career Services at SetFocusA Mul?-‐Faceted Approach to Achieving Placement SuccessJoin SetFocus and become part of a team dedicated to your professional growth. Our Career Services team integrates Career Development, Placement Assistance, and life-‐long Alumni Support to ensure a high rate of placement success. In addiDon, we focus on Corporate Outreach, working directly with hiring companies as a source of new employment opportuniDes to help them achieve their growth iniDaDves.
S E Q U O I A C L U B
5
Network of Peers
Studies show that 80% of posiDons are found through networking! Many of our students have developed relaDonships and found opportuniDes through their Master’s Program classmates and alumni from other sessions.
Recommend & Hire Graduates
Support your organizaDon’s hiring and recruiDng efforts by submiYng your job openings, hiring and contact informaDon to our Career Development Team.
Educa$onal Discounts
In addiDon to The Master’s Program, SetFocus offers individual day and evening courses on the latest .NET, SharePoint, Business Intelligence and SQL Server topics. As a SetFocus graduate, you will receive discounts on all of these courses.
Social Networking
Each of our staff members and most of our alumni are members of various online social networks. We encourage you to join each network, connect with SetFocus students, staff, and alumni.
SetFocus Email
You will always be able to access your SetFocus email account.
Referral Bonus
Know a friend, family member, or colleague who could benefit from The Master’s Program? Refer them and earn a cash bonus!
User Groups
SetFocus hosts monthly meeDngs of the Northern NJ .NET & the SQL Server User Groups. You’re always invited to our Parsippany headquarters to a\end.
Access to latest technologies
Need extended use of a Virtual Machine to keep your skills sharp? SetFocus offers alumni the opportunity to rent a Virtual Machine with a standard current Master’s Program class image.
The GRID® Community
Stay connected to fellow alumni through The GRID Community!
OUR FORMULA YIELDS RESULTSBy evolving our technical training and placement services to meet the needs of the employment marketplace, SetFocus remains a trusted and essenDal resource for both our graduates and our clients who hire IT talent.
Amidst a great recession and high unemployment rates, Master’s Program alumni -‐-‐ in partnership with SetFocus Career Development and Placement professionals – sDll succeed in finding employment in their desired areas of experDse.
The remainder of this report presents the results achieved by our alumni. We hope you’ll choose to join The Master’s Program to share in the focus and fervor we can bring to your road to success.
The Master’s Program gave my career a much needed jump start! The
instructors are extremely knowledgeable and hard
working. The hands-on assignments that were
given were realistic - my first project out of the
program turned out to be just like what we did in
class. And the Career Development team
provides quality leads, whether it's your first position or your 10th.
My only regret is that I didn't look into the
program years earlier!
Laura LaRegina - Alumnus, Former Cobol Developer
6
Placement Success
Placement Rates SummaryPlacement Rates Summary
2007 -‐ 2010 82%
2010 (Q1-‐Q3) 83%
Opportunity on the Rebound
According to Robert Half Technology1, IT is poised for a skills-‐driven rebound. A wave of new and deferred projects, especially those that will deliver high return on investment, is driving demand for applicaDon developers, .NET developers, systems administrators, database administrators, and desktop support professionals.
While specific requirements for IT posiDons vary across industries and regions, there is consistent, widespread demand for the following skill sets:
Programming -‐ Knowledge of .NET, Java, mySQL, PHP, Silverlight, Flex, and portal technologies such as SharePoint are highly sought aper. Prepare for these opportuni$es with The Master’s Program .NET Track or SharePoint track!
A business mind-‐set -‐ Companies seek mulD-‐faceted IT professionals with business analysis and project management skills, combined with the ability to understand how technology supports broader business objecDves. Join The Master’s Program BI Track or SQL Server track to prepare yourself for these openings!
SetFocus Graduates Succeed
The emerging rebound in IT opportunity coupled with strict entry requirements for The Master’s Program enabled SetFocus graduates to realize placement success -‐-‐ even amidst tough economic Dmes, a deep recession, and high unemployment rates.
Between January 1, 2007 to September 30, 2010, more than 500 IT professionals joined the full-‐Dme Master’s Program to improve their marketability and earning potenDal.
The following data reflect the percentage of individuals who engaged in and successfully completed their job search by accepDng a new IT posiDon. 2
1 http://www.roberthalftechnology.com/SkillsInDemand
2 Based on candidates who successfully completed the full-time Master’s Program and engaged with our Career Services Department between January 1, 2007 and September 31, 2010.
Placement Rates by Track 2007-‐2010
.NET 82%
SQL 85%
Business Intelligence 81%
SharePoint 80%Time to employmentTime to employment
Prior to graduaDon 10%
1-‐ 13 weeks post graduaDon 61%
13+ weeks post graduaDon 29%
S E Q U O I A C L U B
7
Candidate DemographicsPrior Level of Education
In addiDon to technical skills, employers seek professionals who possess both the ability and the desire to learn.
Candidates who join The Master’s Program believe in the power of knowledge and the need for career-‐long conDnuing educaDon. Thus, it’s no surprise that 87% of individuals who join our program have a Bachelor’s degree and 18% a Master’s Degree or higher.
Prior Work ExperienceTo be accepted into The Master’s Program, candidates must already know how to program.
Though we will accept recent college graduates or individuals with limited relevant work experience, only 11% of our student body falls into to this category. Over 55% of our candidates have 7 or more years’ experience. Eighteen percent of Master’s Program candidates have 20+ years on the job.
Loca$on
With The GRID, all of our students enjoy the benefit of a\ending The Master’s Program from the convenience of their home or office. The following is a breakdown of where our students were located during training
Entry 0-‐2 years
Junior 3-‐5 years
Mid 5-‐7 years
Senior 7+ years
PhD1%
Master’s17%
Bachelors69%
Assoc.7%HS
6%
Senior55%
Mid22%
Jr.12%
Entry Level11%
-‐ 18% -‐ 17%-‐ 38%
-‐ 27%
8
Candidate Marketability and Earning PotentialPartner with SetFocus and you’ll be on your way to improving your marketability and earning poten?al.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
During Training 1-‐6 weeks 7-‐13 weeks 13+ weeks
29%
23%
38%
10%
Time to employment post training
Breakdown of Job Type
Full-‐Dme Employment 82%
ConsulDng 18%
Job Titles
Developer
Junior Developer
Senior / Lead Developer
Analyst
Database Administrator
Systems Architect
Project Manager
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
.NET SharePoint SQL BI
Track
Average Salary Max Salary
Salary RangesIndividual salaries are based on locaDon of posiDon, company size and candidate’s prior work experience.
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
Entry Jr. Mid Sr. Sr.+
Level of prior work experience
Time to EmploymentA key indicator of the success of this partnership is the Dme it takes for individuals to a\ain a job.
During the 2007-‐2010 Dmeframe, 71% of individuals who engaged with our Career Services team a\ained a posiDon within 13 weeks of the start date of training. A full 10% a\ained a posiDon PRIOR to graduaDon.