Employment in the IT industry falls into two main areas of development and support. Although development could be perceived as anything new, it typically refers to producing new computer applications. Although support could be seen as encompassing the technical support, in one from or another.
When an IT recruiter reads a job seeker's CV and sees job titles such as "Cobol Programmer" or " Java Developer," they can get a pretty good idea where the person fits in the IT industry, just like like they do when they see roles titled "PC Support Technician" or "Systems Engineer " - these types of IT job titles do not necessarily tell the recruiter what the person does. Normally, but surprisingly not always, the person who sent the CV will list their duties and thus clarify the situation.
This is all fine once an IT recruiter "reads" a CV and can ascertain this information, but it is getting that CV in front of the recruiter in the first place that can sometimes cause the owner of the CV a problem. A lot of job boards and so-called CV databases allow recruitment firms to search through their CVs and download the ones of interest. They may search for people who are "Java Developers" or "C++ Software Engineers," but may not be looking for "ICT officers" or for other such broad titles - or at least they may not think of typing in those types of IT jobs into the search bar when searching - so candidates who use such job titles will be missing out on possible IT job opportunities.
The same can also apply to job advertisements. If an agency or employer advertises for a "Net Developer" then people searching the web with these skills are likely to find them, but if they advertise for an "Applications Support Analyst," they are not focussing on the candidates that they need and will either be missed by the right people or be flooded by people who think that they can do the job.Therefore, it is important that both candidates and recruiters understand the importance of what to "call themselves" and what to "ask for," respectively. Job titles need to reflect what the job encompasses and involves. Understanding the different types of IT jobs in the industry will assist both parties in titling job roles properly and effectively.
