Oftentimes, career advancements come through technical capabilities in addition to strategic thinking and ways to show one’s value. Simran Kaur, IT Operations Manager in Ottawa, was able to successfully increase her salary from CAD $95,000 to $140,000 using her skills strategically. The blog goes in-depth into the journey of Simran-what exactly she did to receive such an exceptional hike in her salary-and prepares a case for others seeking excellence in IT operations.
IT Operations Manager Role
The IT Operations Manager holds responsibility for day-to-day management of all IT systems and infrastructures within an organization. This involves IT team management, system reliability, optimization of processes related to IT to meet business objectives. She required deep knowledge in IT infrastructure, how to effectively manage a team, and how to effectively implement process improvements to succeed at this level in the company.
Developing Technical and Leadership Skills
She then worked on enhancing her technical and leadership skills to give her an edge in career prospects, so that better opportunities with a good salary could be availed of. She did advanced training in IT Infrastructure Management, including certifications in ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies). Besides this, she enhanced her leadership skills by taking management courses and leadership development programs. Only this combination of technical skill and leadership capability finally allowed her to take on much greater responsibilities and deliver far more value to her organization.
Driving Operational Efficiency
One of the major strategies Simran drove in an attempt to ensure a salary increase was helping to drive the operational efficiency of her IT department. She did this first by pointing out areas where improvements needed to be done, then installed solutions to eradicate much of the downtime that streamlined workflows and made them more productive overall. A good example would be that Simran oversaw the automation of tasks considered mundane within IT admin. That way, they could use that time for other projects that are much more strategic. Her ability to ensure concrete improvements in operational efficiency is one of the most influential factors in increasing her salary.
Building Strong Relationships with Stakeholders
Other critical features in advancing her career concern the important relationship to be developed with every category of stakeholder.
She worked closely with the other departments and senior management to understand their needs and aligned IT operations to the overall goals of business operations. As Simran developed the relationships and encouraged cooperation and communication, the IT initiatives got aligned to the strategic objectives of the organization in terms of delivery of value to all the stakeholders. Indeed this managerial capability in terms of relationship maintenance and growth helped her to get a better job and better remuneration.
Negotiation of Salary
By the time negotiations about her salary were to be made, Simran was ready. She looked at the current market rate for IT Operations Managers in Ottawa and compiled a record of her achievements, such as operational efficiencies she had been able to introduce, along with improved stakeholder satisfaction. Besides this, she worked out an in-depth presentation that would not only present but also quantify her contributions and impact on organizational outcomes. She came better prepared with her sound and left on a positive attitude towards negotiation, which got her the increment from $95,000 to $140,000.
Directives for IT Operations Managers
The experience of Simran outlines a few key messages that are very relevant for IT Operations Managers seeking career growth:
- Upskill Yourself: Engage in both technical and leadership training. Certifications and management courses will go a long way in bringing invaluable improvement to your skill level and making you ready for higher responsibilities.
- Drive Operational Efficiency: Look out for process improvements that increase efficiency within your IT department. Showing them the impact of such improvements is helping your case for a raise, actually.
- Nurture Relationships: Help collaborate and communicate key stakeholders with other departments. This will help you understand their needs, help align IT operations to business goals, and thereby develop your value within the organization.
- Prepare to Negotiate: Do your homework on benchmarking salaries, write down your achievements, and be prepared to make a strong case for your raise.
- Stay Current: Keep yourself updated about IT operations and technology trends. Continuous learning will help you stay abreast by showing creative solutions for your organization.
The story of Simran Kaur’s journey from 95,000 to 140,000 dollars as an IT Operations Manager in Ottawa is filled with enhancing skills, driving operational efficiency, and managing relationships effectively.
Therefore, investing in her technical and leadership capability, driving improvements within her department, and preparing well for salary negotiation became some sort of secret sauce for her huge salary raise and career growth. Her experiences speak volumes about how other professionals might take their work in IT operations to the next level.
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