They need to build good working relationships with internal and external customers and will have excellent interpersonal, negotiation, motivation and presentation skills.
Josh Gosselin – The Potting Shed
What do you do?
My role is to lead any digital projects we have from small websites to highly complex application development
What do you do on an average day?
Plenty of client meetings, new business meetings, catching up with long term clients or specific project meetings. Management of current projects, ensuring everything is on track and we have everything we need to keep moving forward. Ensure the team of developers have a clear understanding of their workload and working though any complexities with them. In my role I take a project from conception through the planning, design and development phases to delivery and on going support.
What training have you undergone?
I have a degree in Computer Science, whilst you don’t need to head to university to succeed in the digital industry it has proven invaluable to me. My degree provided me with a core understanding of computing. I use very little of what I learnt day to day but having an understanding of the mechanics and core principles in computing influences everything I do in the digital space. Beyond university I have undertaken a number of courses, but these are upskilling in a particular area that is relevant to my work at that time. For example training in specific software.
Advice for job seekers?
Learn as much as you can. It’s so easy to learn in our industry. There are so many great online learning platforms that will help you learn anything in the digital space. From coding applications to SEO. The more knowledge and experience you can bring the an interview the better position you’ll be in, plus if you can demonstrate your learning it’s a great example of how hard a worker you are!
“Skill up! Learn as much as you can, delve deep into a relevant topic or go broad and have a wide ranging skill set to offer a potential employer.”
Andy Hollywood-Russell – C5 Alliance
What do you do on an average day?
In the BI team you can find yourself working on a large variety of projects. An average day will see me working at a client’s office and liaising with their team. All projects generally revolve around data, meaning that I am constantly analysing, querying and reporting to client requirements. Working on numerous projects in parallel requires good time management and record keeping, meaning I always maintain an actions list which enables me to quickly pick up where I left off.
Training and development on the job?
The great thing about working at C5 is the encouragement you get to continue your personal development. Being in the BI team, you are surrounded by colleagues with varied skill sets and there is always the opportunity to shadow them to increase your knowledge and gain exposure to new technologies.
Skills you need for the job?
Confidence, attention to detail and good communication skills are essential for a career in the digital sector. Being well organised and having good time management is also a necessity. Having the ability to communicate at different levels, to both technical and non-technical clients helps too, as it is important to be able to deliver a clear message so that all parties understand what it is you intend to provide/deliver.
Career prospects:
Working for a large tech firm provides you with countless opportunities to progress your career. There is always the opportunity to get involved in different projects that you find of interest, even outside of your team allowing you to broaden your knowledge.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The tech industry is huge and no one person knows everything.”
Fabio Hepworth – Prosperity 24.7
What do you do?
My area of focus recently has been in developing analytics & reporting solutions and business process management/ automation. Helping businesses improve operational efficiency by improving the flow of tasks between teams and automating repetitive or time-consuming tasks.
What training have you undergone?
I started with a very broad computing degree; covering all the roles required in software projects. Since then my training has focused on database and integration/ workflow technologies. I am certified in Microsoft SQL Server development. I am also a certified Prince 2 Practitioner.
What do you do on an average day?
It can vary quite a lot, which is what attracted me to this role. A day can involve visiting clients to discuss requirements or implement systems/solutions. Another day could be on site with a client supporting them in projects. Some days are spent entirely in the office working on new solutions or researching new tech.
Skills you need for the job?
Communication and willingness to learn. Communication is vital as nothing is done in isolation. Being able to clearly and effectively communicate will help greatly in whatever you need to do. Technology is constantly changing and every business is different. You need to be open to learning throughout your career.
Career prospects:
For the medium-term future, it is to widen my skills in recent technologies/areas and further develop my soft and business development skills.
James Molloy – Prosperity 24.7
What do you do?
I am a Programme Manager that assists organisations with running successful programs of work. My main focus is the overseeing of multiple projects to ensure alignment to the business strategy and strategic goals of an organisation.
What do you do on an average day?
On an average day I will provide co-ordination towards a programme’s projects, assisting the management of the interdependencies of the projects involved. I will ensure that the programme is operational against the agreed governance arrangements and will ensure that it is being delivered to the agreed strategy defined by the board. A key part of my day to day activity is the management of communication between all stakeholders whilst monitoring the programme’s progress, resolving issues and initiating appropriate corrective action when required.
Skills you need for the job?
A key skill is the ability to communicate clearly to different stakeholders to ensure that all project members are aligned for product delivery. Having a calm, collective demeanour and being able to listen to stakeholders is vital. Being organised is also key and will provide essential assurance to the success delivery of projects/programme’s of work.
Training and development on the job?
Since joining Prosperity 24/7 I have undertaken a wide range of training. I have become certified in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, completing the certifications in Customisation and Configuration and Online Deployment. I have also gained the Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis and have qualified as a Prince2 Practitioner and Prince2 Agile Practitioner.
Advice for job seekers?
Showing enthusiasm and willingness to learn will ensure that you stand out from the crowd. Having good people skills will show that you can work effectively in a team.
“Try to have an open mind, this will allow you to be receptive to different opinions and ideas.”
Dave Johnson – Continuum
What do you do?
I work with my team and several clients, primarily in financial services at the moment to provide solutions to data challenges. The work we do with Alteryx, a data analytics tool can be applied to any business in any sector.
What do you do on an average day?
An average day can involve working on a data project with Alteryx on a client site, demonstrating Alteryx to potential new clients or training clients to use Alteryx.
Skills you need for the job?
An aptitude for and understanding of data as well as enthusiasm and an outgoing personality are good starting points for a junior data consultant.
What training have you undergone?
To use Alteryx, I have been through a lot of free self-paced and interactive training provided by the vendor. I have become certified after passing an online exam. Also, I have a lot of experience built up over several years in IT as a programmer and a DBA that help with a problem-solving mindset, although this isn’t essential to use Alteryx.
Advice for job seekers?
Be willing to learn new things and not to close your mind off to a different way of working. You need to be self-motivated and willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone to get the most satisfying experience and results from the role.
Career prospects?
I enjoy what I am doing as I am in a good position with a great company. My prospects involve continuing to learn and develop into being the best consultant I can be. The only barrier to this is me, so there is everything to gain.
“Be enthusiastic, open to change and give every challenge your all.”
Hollie Allen – Prosperity 24.7
What do you do?
My main area of focus is business analysis, however, I am often involved with many areas of a project and have recently taken up the role of Test Manager as well.
What do you do on an average day?
There is a great deal of variety in what I do during an average day. This can range from analysing business processes, documenting and gathering requirements to holding workshops, assisting with training and carrying out unit testing on new software.
What training have you undergone?
I have done a lot of learning on the job through my career, I started off in 1st Line support on an IT help desk, which has helped me to develop interpersonal skills, build customer service experience whilst learning to build strong relationships with all levels of stakeholders. All of which has proved invaluable on a day to basis in my current role. I’m also currently studying towards my BCS Diploma in Business Analysis and hope to gain my Prince 2 Practitioner certificate later in the year.
Training and development on the job?
I like to be continually learning and have learnt to use new software including Hype (for animation) and continue to learn Cinema 4D for 3D rendering.
Advice for job seekers?
Don’t let a job description that sounds too technical put you off. Having good people skills and some good customer service experience will go a long way in a lot of roles!
Kerri Le Clercq – Prosperity 24.7
What do you do?
The biggest part of what I do on a daily basis is a hybrid role covering Business Analysis and Project Management activities. I can go from a full day of managing meetings between multiple departments and suppliers across global offices; talking with people to understand what they want and turning that into something developers can use to build something the business users want; to providing testing support and getting the project teams together to celebrate success.
Skills you need for the job?
Softskills are just as important as any certificate you can gain, it is important to be able to listen fully, communicate clearly, be honest and be organised. It helps if you can learn quickly, demonstrate basic understanding of technology and don’t be afraid of things going wrong, they can be fixed.
Training and development on the job?
I don’t recommend just jumping into training and qualifications because it looks good on the CV, think about what direction you want to go in and find the right courses for you. I am keen to progress down the agile route and my next personal goal is to build up my capabilities of being a scrum master.
Advice for job seekers in the same field:
It’s a cliché, but be yourself and even if you feel you don’t have enough experience, still apply for the job, people are not looking for the ones that can recite the book, but those that show determination to learn and achieve.
“Softskills are just as important as any certificate you can gain.”
Michelle Devine – Touchstone
What do you do?
I work in our Singapore office with our clients in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region to help them identify their business, operational and regulatory requirements for our NavOne software. I’m Business Lead for several projects supporting clients through their NavOne implementation or upgrade process. I work closely with clients to understand their training needs and deliver our core administration training courses. I also focus on business development within the APAC region.
Skills you need for the job?
My prior experience in the wealth management industry having undertook various client facing, project based and management roles in Jersey, Hong Kong, Bermuda and Switzerland allows me to understand both our client needs and business requirements on a global scale. I was a customer of Touchstone for many years before joining the team to help them continue to grow to meet the global demand of customers for their technology products and services.
What training have you undergone?
I am originally from Jersey and have over 20 years’ experience in the finance industry, with 16 of those being in wealth management. I hold Company Secretarial, Trust Practitioner and Compliance qualifications and have attended Train the Trainer courses. I’m currently studying towards my Project Management qualification and I’m now using the skills gained in the finance industry working more in a digital and technology focussed role.
Career prospects?
Touchstone is a business founded locally and grown to what it is today with significant business in Australia and emerging in Singapore after continued growth success, especially in the APAC region. Being from Jersey, it is incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to be part of Touchstones global success and to be part of the leading team, growing the business in APAC.
“Network, network, network. Business networking is so powerful and is a really valuable way to expand your knowledge, learn from the success of others, attain new client and tell others about your business.”
Andrea Simoncelli – States of Jersey
What do you do?
As a business enabler the bulk of my role is to form and maintain partnerships with our business partners and suppliers. To communicate how IT solutions can support the achievement of short and long term business goals, but to also provide steerage and a direct contribution to maturity progression of the organization. As the Information Security representative to our business partners, I’m required to be able to build alliances, to listen, to negotiate and occasionally mitigate conflict. Project management & project delivery and undertaking change management activities, are also the order of the day as well as maintaining application and systems lifecycles.
Skills you need for the job?
This role is the result of almost 20 years’ experience, the technical skillsets are a valuable foundation but not necessarily the main requirement. More important is the ability to understand the organization’s needs and to have good interpersonal skills.
What training have you undergone?
My introduction to IT began in 1998 with a GCSE in IT at Highlands College. I then went on to obtain a range of technical qualifications with Comptia qualifications such as A+ and Network+, Cisco CCNA, Microsoft MSCE. Overtime I have obtained certifications ranging from teaching qualifications such as the City & Guilds Cert in Adult Education to Project and Change Management in the form of PRINCE2 Practitioner and Lean System Yellow Belt Practitioner. I have also attained diplomas with the Open University in Computing and Mathematics. More recent training include ITIL and Business Relationship Management certifications.
“Organisations will always strive to make use of the latest technology. The pace of change is ever increasing and you will need to keep up.”
Ben Banim – Continuum
What do you do?
I work with businesses helping them find answers by preparing, analysing and reporting on their own data. IT teams are really busy with other projects, so by helping the business people do it themselves without writing code I save time, money and a lot of hassle.
What do you do on an average day?
On an average day, I work at different clients’ offices with my data project stakeholders, managers and business users. I use Alteryx every day creating solutions to sometimes tricky business data issues. Working closely alongside my clients I understand their issues and ensure I deliver the best possible service. If I need quiet time for training or research I have a desk at the friendly Digital Jersey Hub.
Training and development on the job?
With Alteryx, there’s multiple ways in which one can produce the same result. As such, I’m consistently discovering new tips, tricks and shortcuts which really keeps me engaged with my work. The training exercises are great for giving a fundamental understanding of Alteryx, but using it in a working environment improves my expertise every day.
Advice for job seekers in the same field:
Never just do the minimum, your clients will recognise and appreciate your enthusiasm.
