Sainath's Advice on Sunday, April 29, 2012 :
Hi Sandeep,
Firstly, let me say that you are on the right track. It takes a lot of courage to switch fields and I am glad to know that you have successfully done the same.Based on the technologies you have mentioned I have no doubt that you are continuously growing in the skill / knowledge area.
One of the reasons that it is a little difficult to change jobs right now is due to the current economic situation - post 2008 recession the job market has not taken off like in the past. 2012 should hopefully be a little better.
Many HR persons go by a set definition when looking for a suitable candidate - this can be one of the reasons that you may get rejected. It is indeed unfair, but this does happen, particularly in India. I have seen many persons switching careers abroad but no labels get attached to their profile.
I would suggest the below recommendations:
1. Target small companies which will be more willing to give you a fair chance.
2.Target niche skills - now that you have a strong base in web technologies I think you should step into greater niche skills. Survey the job descriptions on job portals and figure out which are the core skills which are high in demand but not easily available.
3. As far as possible, please attend the interview in person. Since you already have a decent amount of knowledge your first impression on a potential employer will be a positive one. More than anything else, body language influences people more than we expect so it is mandatory that you give the interview in person. Telephonic interviews will never communicate your full potential across.
4. Become active on the .Net community sites - it is a good way of building your profile on the internet. It will give you positive visibility and .Net community will take a serious look at you.
5. Finally, I can say this. In comparison with the average candidate, you may need to go through a higher volume of No's i.e. rejections. But believe me, it really does not matter. At the end of it, it is just the question of a potential employer seeing you for what you really are and the rest will fall in place. Eventually, skill wins and as I always say on this forum, truly skilled people are in a minority.
In your case, progress will be gradual - one small step at a time but it will be rock-solid, meaning that you will not slide backwards once you have crossed a certain level. But this may not be visible to you right now.
Regards,
Sainath S,
www.ugain.info