With companies looking to fill more and more technology roles, non-tech  grads may fear they will be thrown out of the job market. But is finding a tech job really that difficult?

Rowen Douglas, consultant at Futureboard Consulting, says curiosity – not outstanding technology skills – might give you a better chance to get a tech job. She says: “Tech firms are looking for candidates with a passion for learning.”Curious-Definition1


Rowen has been interviewing candidates for tech firms for the past four years here at Futureboard.

She says fool-proof technology skills won’t necessarily get you the job: “Take a computer science grad who’s learnt everything throughout his degree and then compare him to a maths student who has developed tech skills during his free time. A company is more likely to be interested in the latter, because he has shown curiosity and commitment to something that is not even in his field.”

However, Rowen says you still need the basic technology skills to work for a tech firm. She says: “You shouldn’t apply for a technology job if it’s not really what you want.”

Rowen adds there is a difference between an interest in everyday technology and actual expertise. She says: “No one is going to ask you if you can use Microsoft Word or Google Chrome: there’s an assumption that the current generation is going to be good at the basics of technology.”

According to Rowen, the dream candidates for tech firms have to be curious and forward-looking. She says: “They have to be inquisitive and willing to develop the company’s product, with an eye to what customers will look for in the future.”

Picture by: Leah Palmer Preiss