By Scott Sargis
Published in CNET Tech Republic
August 1, 2003
“One of the biggest problems I see with technical people is that they’re not marketers–it’s just not in their nature,” said Scott Sargis, founder of Chicago-based executive recruiting firm Strategic Search Corporation.
“But today, you’ve got to wear a marketing hat to make sure people at high levels know you’ve done certain things. Things are so tight out there–I don’t think there’s much more you can do.”
Sargis gave this example: “During a company event, you could go up to an executive and say, ‘I was glad I could be of help to you on that project.’ Or follow up via e-mail to your boss and his immediate and write ‘I was happy to take on the XYZ project and complete it.’ That way you have a paper trail, and you can leverage it later.”
Get your name out to the press: Another good approach in marketing is reaching out for attention outside of the organization. Both Mehling and Sargis say that IT managers should be on the lookout for ways to get their IT efforts written up in the press, specifically in the well-known tech trades or financial newspapers. “Get into the media, get into the different IT publications, so that people know about you, and know what you’ve accomplished,” said Sargis.
