Information Systems

Career Profile (Salary, Job Titles, Grad School Data)

The Information Systems major provides students the skills necessary to understand and manage information, information technology development, systems analysis, e-business management, and electronic commerce. Information Systems professionals are interested in the application of information technology to business activities. They are concerned with the design and implementation of information systems to support the information processing needs of an organization.  Below are some of the career opportunities that you might pursue:

Information Systems Management - Professionals in this field manage information and process data to be analyzed within complex networks. A person in this position is the link between hardware/software and the people who need the data to complete their projects.

Consulting - Consultants assess, design and combine leading information management and operational processes, approaches, technologies and controls to help enable sustained business value and risk management in support of the client's business.

Business Consultant/Analyst - In this area, you will assess, design, and combine leading information management and operational processes, approaches, technologies, and controls to help enable sustained business value and risk management in support of the client's business -- identifying pain points in client processes and scope technology-enabled transformations in multiple industries. You may specialize in certain technologies, functional areas, or industries in this role.

Technology consultant/Analyst - In this area, you will match the business objectives/requirements and assess IT needs and capabilities-- provide advice on appropriate new solutions and be a part of a team that helps deploy such solutions, thus improving the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes.

Technology risk consultant - As information becomes central to competitive advantage, the associated risks due to issues with confidentiality, integrity or availability of information systems become a big focus. In this role, you will identify risks in a firm's systems, as well as the extended value/supply chain for the firm. You will build/execute/monitor plans to mitigate such risks. You could focus on infrastructure risk (on premise or in the cloud) or you could focus on digital strategy risk.

Data /Business Intelligence analyst - In this role, you will be applying your skills in extracting data, analyzing it using machine learning algorithms, and visualizing insights using languages such as Python/R or tools such as Tableau/PowerBI.

User Interface /User Experience Designer - As a designer, you focus on what a user sees and does while interacting with a system. You may use survey research, observations, focus groups or more often A/B testing of digital interfaces to iterate and improve the interfaces or the user experience. This may also involve designing physical experiences. You do not need to be a designer to succeed at this role.  What Does a UX Designer Actually Do?

Solutions Engineer- As a solutions engineer, your focus is on having technical conversations with customers and prospects to understand their business needs and challenges. You are a cross functional partner not only with sales, but also with implementation consultants, product managers and customer success partners within an organization. You will communicate with software engineers to share customer feedback and impact the future of the product roadmap. You work with the customer to communicate how your solution will solve their challenges. From an implementation perspective, you need to effectively deliver what the customer needs are and how they can make their "go-live" successful.

Learn more about the Information System major at Gies here.    For additional career exploration resources, check out this page.

How to Get a Job Using Your Information Systems Degree

Job Titles

When using job search platforms, such as Handshake, utilize keywords to find appropriate positions the industries you are interested in.

Below are titles Gies Alumni have had:

Technology Consultant

Cyber Risk Consultant

Business Analyst Associate

Financial Analyst

Buy Analyst

Consulting Analyst

Business Systems Analyst

Leadership Development Program

Quality Assurance Analyst

Staff Consultant

Merchandise Analyst

Marketing Data Analyst

Corporate Performance Improvement

Product Management Analyst

Software Implementation Specialist and Trainer

IT analyst

Account Executive

IT support Associate

Desktop Support Engineer

Associate Product Manager

Data Specialist

Technical Problem Solver

AI Business Analyst

Audit IT Assurance Consultant

Technical Analyst

Associate Engagement Specialist

UX Designer

User Experience 1

Employers

A simple way to get started is by learning more about the companies that hired Gies students in the past.  Once you have identified your target companies, follow these companies on Handshake to be informed about opportunities and info sessions, in which you can network with recruiters and professionals.   Learn more about networking to find a job here.  Request to join the Gies IS LinkedIn Page.

Below are employers who have hired Gies IS students:

EY

PwC

Protiviti

KPMG

Accenture

Grant Thornton

Allstate Insurance Company

Deloitte

IBM

West Monroe Partners

Epic Systems

Crowe

Cognizant

Nielsen

W.W. Grainger

Alight Solutions

Microsoft

U.S. Foods

Synchrony Financial

3M

Capgemini

Motorola Solutions

Boeing

John Deere

BP

PepsiCo

Baker Tilly

ALDI

RSM

Capital One

ZS Associates

Google

Baxter Healthcare

Baxter International

AT&T

JP Morgan Chase

Bain

Customize your Resume & Cover Letter

It's important to customize your application documents for the industry/position you will be pursuing. Highlight your relevant experience by incorporating desired skills and qualifications into your application documents. How does your experience align with the skills the employer is seeking?

Some of the important skills you may want to highlight:

Technical/Hard Skills

  • Data Analysis
  • Project Management
  • Security Awareness
  • Technical Skills: Excel, R, Tableau/PowerBI
  • Basic Coding Language, Python, SQL, C++, HTML, CSS
  • Hardware, software development and programming
  • Systems analysis
  • Database systems and design
  • Networking and operating systems
  • Data mining
  • Emerging technologies
  • Mobile applications
  • Computer security
  • Business analysisSoft Skills

Soft Skills

  • Problem Solving
  • Communication
  • Critical Thinking
  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Collaboration
  • Attention to detail
  • Focus under pressure
  • Teamwork

Tech Job Boards

No one likes logging on a dozen different platforms to find job opportunities, so we recommend starting with the Handshake job board. Additional job boards can be helpful if you don't find what you are looking for.

Information Systems Sample Job Interview Questions

For more information and resources on interviewing, click here!

Tell me how you organize, plan and prioritize your work.

Provide an example of a project you worked on that demonstrates your programing abilities. What was your role in the project?

Share an experience you had in dealing with a difficult person and how you handled the situation.

Share an experience when you applied a new technology or information.

Give me an example of when you thought outside of the box.

Tell me about an experience in which you analyzed information and evaluated results to choose the best solution to a problem.

Share an effective approach to working with a large amount of information/data.

Describe your experience using object-oriented programming languages and client and server applications development processes?

Tell me about some of your most recent computer programming projects.

Provide an example of a time when you were able to demonstrated excellent listening skills. What was the situation and outcome?

Share an experience in which your attention to detail and thoroughness had an impact on a project?

Would you consider analyzing data or information a strength? How so?

Provide an example of a time when you successfully organized a diverse group of people to accomplish a task.

Share an experience in which your ability to consider the costs or benefits of a potential action helped you choose the most appropriate action.

Name a time when you identified strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions to problems. What was the impact?

Share an experience in which you successfully share a difficulty piece of information.

Please share an experience in which you presented to a group. What was the situation. How did it go?

Please share an experience in which you had to gather information from multiple sources. How did you determine which information was relevant?

Provide a time when you were able to identify a complex problem, evaluate the options and implement a solution.

Share a tie when you willingly took on additional responsibilities or challenges. ow did you successfully meet all of the demands of these responsibilities?

Share a time when you were persistent in the face of obstacles.

Share an experience in which you were able to generate a new design or modify a current design to better serve the needs of your audience.

Example Question and Response

Question: Explain an IT concept in simple terms.

IT personnel should be able to explain highly technical ideas in terms that are relatable for people outside the information technology industry. Your response can show how you can present ideas to people who work with you. When answering this question, you can include an example of a time you needed to speak on a complicated technical project or idea and did it successfully.

Example: "When describing technical concepts, I like to make them as simple as possible by paying close attention to word choice, avoiding jargon and organizing my thoughts for clarity.  Last year, I was asked to present on the concept of DevOps to a group of high school students at my former high school. I responded by defining DevOps in simple terms. I used analogies the group would understand, like comparing the development team to their athletic department and operations team to their coaches.    Several students approached me after the event and told me my presentation made them decide to pursue coding in college."

Additional Resources

Career Spotlight: Information Systems Manager Career Overview

Retrieved from: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook

A minimum of three to five years of experience in lower-level project management or supervisory positions are needed to work as an IT project manager. Smaller employers typically require the lowest levels of experience, while the largest companies may require as many as eight to 10 years of experience.

Successful project managers are strong leaders who are able to inspire members of their team to do their best even under the most challenging circumstances. They are good at multitasking and excel under pressure. They need excellent communication and interpersonal skills because their work days are filled with meetings with executives, project status meet-ups with their staff, and time at their computers writing reports. Other important traits include good organizational and time-management skills; the ability to assess and mitigate risk during IT projects; and a willingness to make hard decisions (which may upset some members of the team who disagree with their decisions) in order to successfully complete projects on time and within budget. They also need to be familiar with the standard way in which software is developed, designed, and built in the IT industry; many IT organizations now use the agile development methodology or the waterfall model.