What Information systems Employers Want: An Analysis of Job Advertisments
Carolyn McKinnell Jacobson, Ruth D. Armstrong
Thefield ofinformation systems is highly dynamic as a result ofunderlying technologies that are rapidly changing. Information systems curricula must be updated to keep pace with new developments and to ensure that students acquire the knowledge andskills needed to succeed in the business world. To identify the information systems skills currently in demandby businessandgovernment organizations in the mid-Atlantic region, employment ads appearing in The Washington Post, The Sun (Baltimore), The Philadelphia Inquirer, andSunday Patriot-News (Harrisburg) were analyzed.
Results indicatethat communication skills are highly sought. Knowledge andskills relatedto multi-user, multi-tasking systems, GU! interfaces, andnetworking are In high demand. Implications ofthese andotherfindingsfor Information systems curriculum planning are discussed.
Carolyn McKinnell Jacobson is a professor of information management at Marymount University in Arlington, VA. She is a past president ofthe International Academy for Information Management (IAIM) and a recipient of IAIM's Best Paper Award with her co-author, Ruth D. Armstrong. Her research interests include ethics and information systems, innovation, gender issues in information management, and information systems curriculum development. Dr. Jacobson's research has appeared in such joumals as The Journal ofEducation for Business, Psychological Reports, Sex Roles, and Perceptual and Motor Skills as well as numerous conference proceedings. She received her Ph.D. from The Ohio University.
Ruth D. Armstrong is professor ofbusiness information systems at Shippensburg University. She has served as department chair for nine years and interim dean ofbusiness for I year. In addition to studying employer requirements, her other interests include curriculum development, the internship program, and placement of graduates. She has completed placement surveys of Shippensburg business graduates for the last seven years.
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