CRM jobs and careers: Special report

CRM job market news

Watch for red flags when doing online job searches -- According to one report, in 2007 73% of job seekers used the Internet during their job search. Unfortunately, job boards are full of scammers looking to take advantage of unsuspecting applicants. The Better Business Bureau has provided some guidelines that will help people spot and avoid the most common online job search scams.

IT hiring stays apace despite recession worries -- Unemployment in the IT job market is at historic lows, despite the state of the U.S. economy. Many organizations are looking to expand IT staff, but a shortage of midlevel and skilled IT professionals is making hiring difficult for many organizations.

CRM job market improving -- According to Gartner, job boards and recent research, CRM skills will be in high demand this year, due to a shortage in CRM and analytics skills in particular. The shortage is giving way to increased pay for those with a variety of enterprise business application skills.

ERP, CRM drive modest hiring gains in tight market -- In a tight hiring market, getting top talent means employers need to find a way to speed up their hiring processes.

Is CMO turnover related to a lack of interest in long-term customer value? -- According to Peppers and Rogers, frequent turnover in the chief marking officer (CMO) position could be related to a focus on short-term goals instead of long-term customer value. Peppers and Rogers urge CMOs to put metrics in place that will allow them to assess the impact of current actions on long-term customer value.

CIOs: MBA worth the effort, but doesn't guarantee IT stardom -- Does it make sense for the chief information officer (CIO) of a midmarket organization to pursue an MBA, or will operational experience suffice? According to a poll of 200 CIOs, an MBA is helpful, especially for advancement, but job performance is the key to success.

Chief customer officers need patience, energy -- Chief customer officers require a specific skill set that demands communication, energy and patience, according to Forrester Research. The chief customer officer must also be able to facilitate change across the organization.

Advice for CRM job seekers

Marketing MBA looking to get into SAP CRM -- Many companies will hire and train promising individuals in CRM packages such as SAP CRM, says SAP expert Jon Reed. Reed suggests applying to a variety of companies and going where there is an opportunity for CRM software exposure.

Additional resources for CRM job seekers: Browse the latest CRM job opportunities, network with your peers and sign up to get weekly job alerts send to your inbox at myCRM Career.

Will I fit into a SAP CRM role without IT or practical SAP experience? -- According to SAP CRM expert Srini Katta, a SAP CRM beginner should take a CRM training course, which could run anywhere from six months to one year, before getting a job in the field.

Value of Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) exam in landing entry-level job -- Oracle expert Michael Hillenbrand explains that OCP exams are the next best thing to actual experience for professionals who want an entry-level database administrator (DBA) job.

Advice for call center job seekers

Additional resources for call center job seekers: Find a call center position on the ICMI job board. Become a member of CCNG and post your call center resume in the career center.

New call center agents -- top 10 pitfalls -- Fluss lists the top 10 best practices new call center agents should follow to succeed on the job, some of which include arriving on time and remaining positive.

Career path a hidden trail for call center agents -- One survey found that many call centers fail to offer call center agents a well-defined career path or flexible pay plans.

Advice for CRM career advancement

A smooth career transition from Siebel to SAP CRM -- In order to make a career transition to a SAP CRM functional consultant, Katta advises that you first get trained and certified in SAP CRM and understand how SAP CRM integrates with SAP ERP.

Are PeopleSoft CRM professionals as in demand as those certified in Siebel or SAP? -- When Oracle acquired PeopleSoft, many wondered what would become of PeopleSoft CRM professionals. Bill Band of Forrester Research names a few CRM certification options for PeopleSoft professionals.

Career change: From data analyst to data architect -- Data analysts looking to advance in their career and obtain data analysis and data modeling skills will find valuable advice in this tip.

Sharpening up your soft skills -- "Soft" skills, such as working well with people and knowing how to lead a team, can be just as important for IT professionals as technical know-how. A variety of consultants, seminars and training programs are available for IT professionals looking to sharpen their interpersonal skills.

A career switch to SAP CRM from experience in after sales service -- Katta explains how a service manager can start a career as a SAP CRM service consultant in roughly six months in this expert response.

Is a good job possible with SAP certification but no project experience? -- SAP CRM professionals don't need experience or SAP-certified training to take the SAP CRM certification examination. Katta tells readers where they can find SAP certification examination schedules in this expert tip.

Advice for call center career advancement

Customer service and call center jobs: Five best practices for getting ahead -- A customer service and call center professional who is looking to advance in their career should make sure they are applying these five best practices in their current role. Find out why Fluss believes sales skills are important for all customer service professionals.

Is your call center team leader ready for a management position? 10 ways to tell -- According to Fluss, call center team leaders should possess these 10 skills and abilities before being promoted to a call center management position.

Call center training for communication skills in sensitive customer situations -- Fluss names a few ways call center managers can help their call center agents handle sensitive customer situations in this expert tip. Fluss suggests managers begin by asking agents to flag calls that involve sensitive customer situations.

Becoming a CRM consultant

Nine tips to get started as an SAP CRM consultant -- Katta provides advice for SAP CRM consultants getting started in the industry and looking to get some hands-on CRM implementation experience. Katta stresses the importance of understanding the client's business model and studying the project methodology.

The best way to get an SAP consulting job without hands-on experience in SAP -- While many companies are looking for consultants with some amount of hands-on experience, Katta says some companies will hire a consultant with other types of relevant experience, and gives tips job seekers can use to get a consulting job without a lot of experience.

Get certified to start an Oracle consulting career -- Individuals looking to begin a career as an Oracle consultant can get trained and certified at Oracle University.

Demand for SAP CRM consultants? -- Learn about the demand for SAP CRM consultants in the U.S. and the U.K. and get expert advice on things to keep in mind when beginning a career as a SAP CRM consultant.

CRM training and certification

Resistance (to) training: Getting your IT staff on board -- Having a well-trained staff is worth the time and money, says career expert Jean Fuller. Fuller lists a few things to consider when cross-training an IT staff.

Additional resources for CRM training and certification: Visit myCRM Career for CRM certification seminars and other resources. Browse CRM certification and eLearning courses offered by BPT Partners. Get Oracle-specific CRM training and certification at Oracle University.

IT certification losing luster -- According to one report, technical certifications aren't as important as they used to be. Now, many employers say a candidate's knowledge, experience and other non-certified skills are at the top of the list.

Microsoft-sponsored CRM training for power users -- Are you a Microsoft CRM power user? Discover Microsoft training and certification options in this expert tip.

Help! We need CRM training following an implementation -- When deploying new CRM software, it's important that employees learn how to use it correctly. Expert Paul Greenberg lists some resources for organizations looking to invest in CRM training courses.

Call center training and certification

Additional resources for call center training and certification: Become a certified call center professional with CIAC's certification courses. Take advantage of the many call center training courses ICMI offers. Become a CCNG member and attend call center events and seminars.

Call center certification programs for managers and agents -- There are certification options for entire customer service departments, but which program can you trust? Fluss reveals the call center certification program that is currently attracting the most attention.

Call center management training -- Call center managers need a variety of skills to run a call center effectively. Read the most important skills and criteria for a call center manager position, plus learn where to get call center manager training and certification with these resources.

CRM jobs and training podcasts

Tanner and Culbert on CRM jobs, training -- How important are Web 2.0 skills when looking for a CRM-related job? What technology training is necessary for a CRM practitioner? Get the answers to these questions and more in this podcast with CRM career experts Jeff Tanner and Bruce Culbert.

Tanner and Culbert on CRM training and education --In this podcast, Tanner and Culbert discuss where CRM professionals should go for CRM-specific training and whether or not a CRM professional needs an MBA.

Tanner and Culbert on CRM certification, consulting -- What certification is most suitable for today's CRM practitioner? What are some best practices for beginning a consulting career? Get answers to your CRM certification and consulting questions in this podcast.

Tanner and Culbert on CRM strategy, trends in today's careers -- Discover what hiring managers are looking for when interviewing customer service candidates and learn how the economy is impacting the CRM job market in this podcast.

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