DevOps Jobs: 5 must-reads for job seekers, hiring managers

Want to win the DevOps talent wars? Get wisdom and real-world tactics from IT leaders, recruiters, and DevOps experts
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Many new IT big ideas promise to help IT transform from the department of “no” to the department of “yes.” One of the few that actually delivers on that promise: DevOps. 

DevOps has become red-hot in enterprise IT because it helps IT provide what companies want most now: Speed and flexibility to experiment. When DevOps truly wins over an IT organization, great change happens. Yet DevOps is a relatively young concept. That adds up to a war for DevOps talent. No wonder then, that our readers have been so hungry to learn more about DevOps jobs – both those of you seeking a DevOps role and those of you hiring DevOps talent and helping your DevOps organizations mature.

Both sides face real challenges. For job seekers, it’s tricky to demonstrate you have the DevOps goods when DevOps as a discipline is so new. It’s also tough to tell whether a potential employer is just talking DevOps talk, or actually does DevOps well. 

For hiring managers, it’s hard to attract experienced DevOps pros who know how to do what one CTO described to us as the essence of DevOps: Identifying friction and resolving it. These potential hires also need strong collaboration and communication skills, as they will be working in cross-functional teams, experimenting at high speed. Even if you can find these folks, you need to win them over.

As a hiring manager, you must learn how to sell - and evolve - your DevOps organization so that it’s a place where the best people want to work. As Red Hat director of product strategy Brian Gracely recently noted, IT leaders struggle to just articulate their DevOps goals. (See his article, The 7 habits of highly effective DevOps, for help on that front.) 

To this end, we’ve rounded up our recently shared wisdom and real-world tactics from IT leaders, recruiters, DevOps culture change gurus, and others. Whether you’re starting your DevOps journey or taking it to the next level, we hope you find plenty of practical advice to apply right away. 

1. DevOps Jobs: How to win that role

How can you stand out among DevOps jobs candidates? Apply this expert advice

2. DevOps Jobs: How to spot a great DevOps shop 

When interviewing, how do you tell a fantastic DevOps organization from a mediocre one? Use this advice

3. DevOps Jobs: 6 eye-opening statistics 

We examine the DevOps job boom – and share related advice for job seekers and hiring managers

4. DevOps Jobs: 5 tips for making the transition

Recruiters and tech leaders share advice on how IT professionals can land a new gig in DevOps

5. DevOps Jobs: How to tailor your resume

For DevOps jobs, your classic IT resume and interview preparations need a rethink

Bonus reading:

DevOps requires dumping old IT leadership ideas

What does leading in the DevOps era mean? One CIO's take

5 ways to nurture DevOps culture

DevOps culture change fails without grassroots support. Take these practical steps to make it work

Laurianne McLaughlin is Editorial Director, Digital Communities for Red Hat, leading content strategy. Previously, she served as Content Director for The Enterprisers Project, Editor-in-Chief at InformationWeek.com, and Managing Editor at CIO.com.