247: Improve Your Interpersonal Skills and Don´t Be Afraid to Take Any Opportunity with Roberta Matuson

<p>Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Roberta Matuson. She has helped leaders in Fortune 500 companies, as well as small to medium-sized businesses, achieve dramatic growth and market leadership through the maximization of talent.</p> <p>Roberta is a leading authority on leadership and the skills and strategies required to earn employee commitment and client loyalty.</p> <p>She is also the author of several books including the recently released “Evergreen Talent”.</p> <p>In this episode, Phil and Roberta Matuson discuss the importance of building strong interpersonal and people management skills. They talk about why, instead of waiting until you have acquired every skill asked for in a job advert, you should just apply. Roberta also explains how the IT job market is changing and how job hunters can adapt and benefit from the changes.</p> <p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS:</strong></p> <p><strong>(4.16) WORST CAREER MOMENT</strong></p> <p>Losing a great job, mainly because she had failed to build a good relationship with her boss and other members of higher management. As a result, when the firm let people go, there was nobody there to advocate for her so she could keep her job.</p> <p>That experience taught her not to just focus on managing down. She now actively works on and cultivates her relationships with her bosses.</p> <p><strong>(5.36) CAREER HIGHLIGHT</strong></p> <p>Landing her first executive role and starting her consultancy firm have both been career highlights for Roberta.</p> <p><strong>(7.42) TOP CAREER TIP</strong></p> <p>Take courses to help you to improve your interpersonal skills and your ability to communicate with non-technical people. It is also a good idea to acquire the skillset to manage your relationship with your boss. These softer skills will help you in many different ways, during your career.</p> <p><strong>(9.43) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T</strong></p> <p>There are not enough talented people out there. As a result, job applicants are in the driver´s seat. Un