By Mike Roberts, 5 May 2009 10:00
COMMENT
Changing the sector you work in can be a great way to survive a recession. IT director Mike Roberts explains how it's possible - even a good idea.
I started my career in IT back in 1979 when the world of technology was very different to how it is today. Since then I have worked in almost every business sector and learnt that experience in one sector is no barrier to working in another.
So many skills in this industry are transferable; it is worth remembering that fundamentally the role of IT is the same for every business and that there are common processes and systems. What my 30-year career has shown me is that moving between sectors can be a definite advantage.
My first job was as an electronics engineer covering everything from equipment testing to field service and repair. After almost seven years in field service I got my first IT management role in an advertising agency. Working in a very dynamic and creative environment, I found it difficult to get a clear understanding of the business' requirements and quickly learnt that common sense was the most important skill when trying to implement change through technology.
During this time I remember being introduced to a very young Michael Dell at a launch party for the Dell direct marketing campaign and was struck by the realisation that delivering the 'solution' wasn't the answer - it was understanding the problem from the users' perspective.
After a few years and with the experience of a full IT refresh under my belt (yes I used Dell PCs), I moved to a City firm. I was initially responsible for a small team supporting some of the settlements systems. It was here that I realised the importance of applying the simple rules of understanding users' needs and then using common sense to meet them.
This role saw me refresh the firm's systems, help with the introduction of Unix servers and support a merger through to completion.
After six years I left the City for management consulting. This move provided me with a new opportunity to develop my expertise. I was trained in business transformation, IT strategy and process design and optimisation. While these fresh skills gave me a new vocabulary that helped me gain credibility with clients, it was my hands-on experience that proved to be the most valuable tool.
In 2000, after spending time working in a wide range of sectors including retail, utilities, government and media, I found myself back in the world of IT management. I joined a major telecoms provider and took up a post in their dot-com business, focusing on new technologies.
This role was made particularly difficult by a boss who was unable to articulate the business' specific needs or requirements. I left this role understanding the value of clear two-way communication, and how important it is to get the business to buy in to any technical solution.
Moving back to consulting I spent some time working in utilities and large industrial organisations interspersed with a spell in Africa at a small telecoms company. During this time, I focused on not overselling the benefits of any IT and trying to get the business to sign up to change.
What I found was that there appeared to be no link between an organisation's size, complexity, maturity and the intellectual prowess of its executive team and its willingness to accept responsibility for IT-enabled change. No matter how well structured and documented the business case, and the risks and issues associated with the change, the focus of the decision often rests on relations between the business team and key stakeholders. Management decisions can be as much about politics as pragmatism.
My current role finds me in a new sector once again: healthcare. I joined The London Clinic in the summer of 2005. I am the first to hold the post of IT director here and have found that coming from outside the industry has been a distinct advantage. When I arrived I was able to ask lots of simple questions about why and how things were done and how information flows around the business.
No one thought my lack of hospital or healthcare industry experience was a problem. In fact the ability to provide examples of how business processes are automated in other industries has enabled the clinic to look at themselves in a different light and start to challenge some ways of working and help drive change. Having experience in other regulated industries helps me to support the business and help them to be effective and efficient without any loss of quality.
During this economic downturn when many in our industry are looking for new positions, my advice is: don't be afraid of moving sectors. Varied experience is of value to an employer and you should consider it an advantage. Common sense, good communication and clear business buy-in are what are needed in every sector - along with a thick skin.
Mike Roberts is IT director at The London Clinic.
Comments
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1. Ian B
Try telling this to teh agencies posting on the job boards !
I have noticed that there seems to be an increasing emphasis on industry vertical experience over the last few years. But perhaps that's just a way for them to be able to prune the 2-300 applicants for each role down to a mangeable number to review for shortlisting, though!