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THE BIG APPLE QUESTION - WHY DO IT SUPPORT TECHNICIANS KEEP THEIR MAC SKILLS A SECRET

Being an IT recruiter specialising in IT Support, it’s crucial for me to try and keep as up to date with new tech (and try to understand it) as much I can. One thing that has become abundantly clear to me in my whirlwind 10 months at Argyll Scott is that a lot of CV’s do not contain any mention of Mac skills. I’ve been thinking about why this is.

Are IT support professionals just taking their Mac skills for granted and not including them on their CV’s? Are Mac skills uncommon? Even though they are in demand is the simple truth that there is an imbalance between supply and demand? Is the demand for Mac skills by employers a well-kept secret? Could it be that only recruiters and hiring managers are aware of the increasing demand in mac skills? Having reflected on conversations with candidates, clients and colleagues about this issue, I have come to the conclusion that all of the above are true to a greater or lesser extent. So here’s my advice to all you IT Support professionals: If you have worked on 1 Mac or 100 Macs make sure it’s in your CV – don’t leave important skills out! Employers and recruiters searching on skill keywords to find talent will overlook you if you don’t include these skills on your CV. If you are looking for a long career within IT, maybe it’s time to consider doing a Mac qualification. I can’t see the demand for these skills disappearing any time soon (http://training.apple.com/en/certification/osxyosemite.html).

Here’s a fact, more than 90% of IT Support roles that I have recruited for in the last 6 months have required Mac skills. On the other hand, out of the 26,661 IT Support CV’s updated on Jobsite in the past month, only 1,708 have Mac skills listed. This on the surface suggests that there is a huge disparity between demand and supply. However I am sure that a lot of those IT Support technicians who registered their CV had some level of Mac skill but for one reason or another didn’t list them. With more and more companies issuing Macs to employees, it’ safe to say that these skills are in demand but one thing to remember is that we aren’t saying goodbye to Windows we are just introducing Mac to the mix as well. It’s important to keep all your skills listed accurately on your CV so you don’t miss out on great opportunities. So guys don’t give up on Windows, Mac hasn’t completely taken over (yet) but it’s definitely making its mark on the IT world and it is here to stay.

Do you agree or have you got an alternative reason as to why so few CVs contain Mac skills? If you’re an IT support professional and would like to know what the market is like at the moment, please don’t hesitate to contact me at lellis@argyllscott.com or on 020 7936 1079.

Posted over 8 years ago
About the author:
Lorna Maltby

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