Pay a visit to a top IT recruitment fair

Thinking of improving your job prospects or even considering your next career move? The Visit (vacancies in systems and IT) show, at London's Kensington Olympia on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 September, is the right place to start.

Visit attracts the best in the industry, from both sides of the recruiting fence. Top recruiters use it to showcase their premier vacancies. And IT professionals committed to finding their next career move attend in their hundreds.

The more astute candidates will come away with a better idea of the companies they want to work for, and in what field.

"We are currently planning to grow our UK organisation to over 150 consultants by the end of 2000," says Amy Diamond, human resources manager at ebusiness specialist Xpedior. "Visit will quickly and easily allow us to assemble a large pool of candidates."

Visit has an impressive track record, having placed more than a thousand middle and senior IT professionals this year alone. And don't worry if you can't get to Kensington Olympia - Visit goes to locations around the UK and Europe, including Dublin, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and the Netherlands.

Soft skills - hard skills
Whatever your area of IT expertise, the chances are there will be a company at Visit looking to hire someone just like you. In particular, Wap technologies, internet skills and database disciplines are all in demand at the moment, and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. But it's also your soft skills - your team spirit, your customer-facing skills, self-management, personality and drive - that recruiters are hoping to see first-hand at Visit.

Networking specialist Lucent Technologies (SMG), one of the show's exhibitors, is on the lookout for IT professionals with a variety of skills, including Oracle, Visual Basic, C++, Java, Unix and Windows NT. While Britt Hughes, human resources manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is keen to recruit those with the appropriate hard skills to fill vacancies brought about by the company's expansion across Europe, it's just as important that he finds the right type of person.

"We are looking for people who fit into and contribute successfully to our relaxed, open, friendly and team-oriented working environment," he says. "We're after people with an emphasis on self-management, a positive 'can do' attitude and a commitment to first-class customer service."

Anne Simmonds, human resources manager at Computer Answers International, agrees that Visit is a good environment to assess if a candidate has the right soft skills for her organisation.

"We are looking to attract highly skilled, dynamic people who are adaptable to change," she says. "In particular, we're looking for people who are not afraid to work with new technologies."

Only by meeting you face-to-face at Visit will potential employers be able to assess you as an individual. That's certainly the experience of Deepak, who found himself a permanent job at Visit after a spell as a contractor.

"I wanted a permanent job, but also an atmosphere to work in that fitted my personality as well," he says. "I toured all of the stands, met most of the people, and from that arranged three interviews with the companies that matched my needs. Three weeks later I was sorted! It was well worth the trip."

Something for everyone
Visit allows potential candidates to meet a huge array of exhibitors, including Air Miles Promotions, Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young, IBM, KPMG, Nortel, Redstone Telecom, Sema and Siemens. And there are jobs in a wide range of technology areas, such as cross-platform, database, datamining, ecommerce, internet, telecoms and customer service.

Companies such as Marlborough-Stirling (M-S), an ebusiness specialist in the finance sector, are keen to recruit immediately.

"Due to our continued success, we have 170 vacancies to fill by the end of 2000," says Maxine Hughes, M-S's campaign and recruitment co-ordinator. "We're looking for IT professionals with 18 months' experience, and skills in Visual Basic, internet systems development and systems analysis." Hughes envisages even more opportunities as M-S's business continues to expand.

The show is about putting the right people in front of the best in IT recruitment, in a relaxed but professional environment. So when you go to Visit, you should be prepared for any eventuality. Recruiters want their money's worth, and some will happily interview you on the spot.

Don't forget to arm yourself with plenty of copies of your CV to hand out to employers, and be ready to fill your diary with interview dates to take your informal chats a stage further.

There's even a fully-equipped business centre, just in case you need to run off more copies of your resume. Experts are also on hand to give CVs the once over - just to make sure that you're not selling yourself short, or that there aren't any mistakes.

Maybe later
The industry consensus is that a UK-wide IT skills shortage, coupled with the increasing number of vacancies for internet, Wap, and third-generation technology skills, will keep demand for IT professionals with good skillsets at a high level.

But it is those who constantly evolve their experience and skillsets that will benefit most. Those who sit back and assume they will always be the hottest things on the market will soon see their appeal cooling.

So even if the show doesn't appeal at the moment - you may be happy in your current role - it may still be in your interest to attend. Companies such as Air Miles Promotions, for example, are looking to recruit top IT staff now and in the future.

"We are looking for developers with Java, C++ and Oracle skills," says Sue Fenner, part of the company's recruitment team. "We are always on the lookout for IT change managers, service desk team leaders, business analysts, and developers and analyst programmers with VB skills. Applicants should enjoy challenging and leading-edge work. They should be bright, talented leaders and experts in their field. Also an interest in learning more about the travel industry is desirable."

The atmosphere at Visit is open and easy, so networking with your peers or just having a chat to people that you may one day want to work with is no chore. Keeping abreast of the ever-changing IT market - knowing the 'hot' skills that will be in demand in the future - means that you can plot your skill acquisition efficiently. And when the day to move arrives, you could have saved yourself months of research and training thanks to your little Visit.