[Sigia-l] Frustrated Mid-Level IA job seeker

[Stewart Dean]

Hi Kathleen,

I'm London based, although worked for six months in NYC so not sure how much 
worth there is to this advice.  Through the recruiters I have worked with I 
have discovered there are a lot of IAs out there who are not IA's and many 
who call themselves senior who are good at, say, project management but aver 
very bad at IA (this is going by what others have said).

I'm lucky that I've grown with the new media industry in the UK, which means 
I have got over the hurdle of getting in the door. I can also say that 
unlike designer, developer etc the portfolio of past work doesnt make as 
much difference.  It's the experience or knowledge of an industry and 
processes that make the difference.  And so we get to the point where it 
depends what kind of company you're joining.

Agencies don't tend have business analyst, but as some have pointed out but 
if you're client side or in a consulting / tech environemt then they are 
usualy part of the team.  There is an overlap between the role of business 
analyst and IA in that kind of role (unless you become, esentialy, a front 
end desgner).

The concept of joining as a web producer and moving across is a good one.  
Many roles do blend into IA and, providing there's no politics, you can move 
over to where you are happy. Roles include producer, project manager, 
account handler, user interface deisgner and, as mentioned, business 
analyst.  It is dependent on the environment you're joining as well.

Good luck

Stewart Dean


>From: "Kathleen Tucker" <ktucker24 at hotmail.com>
>To: sigia-l at asis.org
>Subject: [Sigia-l] Frustrated Mid-Level IA job seeker
>Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 02:40:17 +0000
>
>Fellow IA'ers,
>
>I am a NYC metro emerging mid-level IA who has been looking for a mid-level 
>IA position that will help develop my skills in the field and provide 
>quality work for the rest of the company and client.
>
>It seems every company and recruiter has the same story.  They are only 
>looking for senior-level IA's and will not even consider someone with a 
>strong background on a mid-level. I know I have the talent, skills and 
>passion to work as an IA.  Yes, I'm sure there are things on my resume and 
>portfolio I could improve upon, but I have to start somewhere.  I would 
>just be nice if potential employers and recruiters would actually READ IT 
>before calling me to grill me about my work experience just to tell me that 
>I'm too junior for the position they are looking to fill.  What's the point 
>of creating a portfolio to show off my work samples just to be told I'm too 
>junior for the job.  UGGGHHHH!!!!!
>
>Why is this IA discipline only looking for Senior level????   I know I've 
>addressed this topic before, but it still seems I'm up against a wall 
>regarding persuing a job as an IA or having to refocus my career toward 
>another discipline.
>
>Now I have read several suggestions on this board that said to look for a 
>business analyst position in order to work up to a senior-level IA postion. 
>  I don't see how that would help me promote the IA work I already have.  
>Another suggestion was to get into a company working as a technical writer 
>(my previous career) and try to get yourself into the IA department.
>
>These are suggestions that lead to nowhere, because once an employer hires 
>you as a business analyst or technical writer, that's what they want you to 
>do.  They do not want to hire someone in one position only to have them 
>focus on getting into another position.  They are not concerned with 
>growing your career.  They just want the work done in the position they 
>hired you for.  I don't find this inspiring, as I want to be an IA, NOT a 
>technical writer.
>
>I am applying for Web Producer positions hoping that this may be another 
>avenue into working as an IA in the futue.
>
>Does anyone in the NYC area know the company, 141xm?  They are advertising 
>a mid-level IA position opening for which I plan to apply.
>
>Thanks for reading my vent.  Sometimes it's helpful to write out my 
>frustrations to get refocused on the goal.
>
>Kathleen
>www.TuckerTalent.com
>
>
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