Nothing will impact a small business faster than an unforeseen disaster that takes out your total IT infrastructure, so those working in disaster recovery jobs perform a vital role in your company. If you haven't already done so, create disaster recovery job opportunities within your company, and ensure those who fill the positions receive sufficient education and training to deal with the growing number of security threats facing companies today.

Disaster recovery jobs education and training comes in several forms to give those in disaster recovery-related jobs a well-rounded and detailed education. This guide focuses on three types of education and training for those seeking or in disaster recovery and disaster management jobs:

1. Courses and seminars for those in disaster management jobs and disaster recovery jobs.

2. Online degree programs for someone currently in or pursuing a disaster recovery employment opportunity.

3. Certification programs for someone working in a disaster recovery job.

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Pursue courses designed for those in or looking for a disaster recovery employment opportunity

Both professional trade organizations and service companies offer valuable courses and seminars geared toward those with jobs in disaster relief and careers in disaster management.

I recommend: Register for the online disaster recovery course offered through the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council). Designed for those in disaster recovery-related jobs like network server administrators, firewall administrators, security testers, system administrators and risk assessment professionals, the week-long EC-Council instructor-led iClass covers everything you need to know from the nature and causes of disasters to data and system recovery to incident response and much more. Consider attending the two-day IT Continuity & Disaster Recovery Planning Seminar offered by Sentryx. During the course, students learn to develop, test and maintain an IT disaster recovery plan for use in the event of a disaster or some other type of business disruption. The Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) International offers a large selection of courses (online and classroom) for professionals in disaster recovery positions working with business continuity planning and management. Click on any of the DRI International links on the left side of the page to learn more about its basic, advanced, specialized, promotional and online courses.

Find disaster recovery jobs quicker with a relevant degree

If you or any of your employees work in a disaster management job, additional education can never hurt and can only increase future career prospects and help your company operate at its peak potential.

I recommend: If you work in Information Systems, are interested in working as a disaster recovery analyst or want to advance your career, explore the online degree programs listed at Salary.com. The website lists associate, bachelor and master degree programs in IT/Database, computer science and computer information systems. Visit the Directory of Education to find online degree programs for computer networking, another avenue for pursuing disaster recovery employment opportunities. Education Disaster Education Network, a national program provided by Extension Services to reduce the impact of disasters through the Land Grant University, offers online learning, resources through university extensions nation-wide.

Get involved with certification programs beneficial to those in disaster recovery jobs

Use certification programs to gain valuable expertise, expanded career opportunities and increased earning potential.

I recommend: If you plan on working as a network security engineer, security systems analyst or security administrator, learn more about earning the title of Systems Security Certified Practitioner through the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2. Check to see if you meet the requirements for becoming an Expert--Disaster Recovery Certified Expert (DCRE), through the program offered by the Business Continuity Management Institute. The BCM Institute offers DCRE certification to IT disaster recovery managers, planners and project managers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Disaster recovery exists as a subset of business continuity planning that takes into account not only the resumption of a company's IT infrastructure but also the handling of key personnel, crisis communication, facilities and protection of the company's reputation. Those working in disaster recovery management should also pursue education and other professional development opportunities within other aspects of business continuity planning to enhance career expansion opportunities.

When disaster strikes, disaster recover job opportunities abound. A city needs many people to get things back up and running after it has faced any type of disaster. The key to disaster recovery employment is learning where to find job opportunities.

Disaster recovery employment opportunities can happen at a moment's notice. If you are interested in disaster management jobs, you must be willing to move wherever the work is.

If you want to be eligible for disaster recovery jobs:

1. Get experience. A disaster management job may not be easy and employers want to be sure that you know what you're getting into and that you're up to the task.

2. Network with others. Job opportunities in disaster cleanup come suddenly and it's helpful if you have someone that will call you as jobs arise. Put out the word that you're available for work.

3. Ask for an informational interview. If you don't have any contacts, you may try to ask someone in your area for an informational interview. This will let you know more about the field and they may call you with work.

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Volunteer to gain the experience needed for disaster recovery jobs

It's hard to get that first job when you don't have any experience. By volunteering, you will show your commitment to the field as well as receive the training necessary to do a good job. This will help you to get disaster recovery employment in the future.

I recommend: Look for volunteer opportunities through the USA Freedom Corps. Alternatively, the Red Cross is always helping out with disaster recovery projects. Experience with them can look good on your resume, even if it's volunteer.

Check out job boards to find disaster recovery jobs

Because disaster management jobs can pop up anywhere in the US, it's best to use job boards to find the most current jobs. These boards list the jobs that are available in every city.

I recommend: The Disaster Recovery Journal lists many positions available in the disaster recovery industry. Many disaster recovery jobs come from the government, particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Check out the government's job opportunities at USAJOBS.

Find disaster management jobs in data recovery

Natural disasters destroy more than just buildings. Many companies can lose sensitive customer data in the event of a disaster. Most choose to take preventative actions to assure that there is always a backup of data available.

I recommend: Look for data recovery positions on technical job boards such as Vault and Dice. These jobs are a great way for people with a technical mind to help out in the event of a disaster.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Never underestimate the power of a well-written resume. If you are serious about getting disaster recovery related jobs, it's best to hire a resume writer to polish your resume. They will use industry-specific language to make your resume stand out when you apply for disaster recovery job opportunities.

Most business owners think they have enough protection and plans in place to have their business and profits survive a disaster and end up with all of their data intact. It's the job of a disaster recovery specialist to inform the business if they are protected enough and if their plans will work. To understand the lingo the disaster recovery specialist may use, here are a few frequently-heard key terms.

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Computer security engineer

Network engineers who are trained in disaster recovery roles are often called computer security engineers. They are responsible for protecting computer systems from security breaches, quickly fixing breakdowns and implementing a company's disaster recovery plan.

I recommend: Progent Corporation has a good description of what network engineers in security engineer positions are responsible for.

Disaster recovery plan

A company's disaster recovery plan, or DRP, is the plan for how the company will regain its operations after a large scale disaster.

I recommend: At IBM, you can find some useful tips on disaster recovery plans.

Data recovery engineer

Data recovery engineers are hired by a company to help retrieve lost data. These engineers are trained to handle sensitive information and can even recover encrypted information and decrypt information, if necessary. This type of data recovery allows a company's business continuity plan to work.

I recommend: DriveSavers Data Recovery explains how their data recovery service works and gives a good overview of what a data recovery engineer does.

Business continuity

The act of business continuity planning is making sure that your business can keep making money during both a large scale disaster or small challenges, such as a strike.

I recommend: The International Data Group has an article on the basics of business continuity planning.

Data recovery software

Some companies with IT professionals on staff may not need the services of a data recovery engineer or specialist. In these cases, data recovery software may aid the IT department in recovering lost data.

I recommend: Symantec Corporation has software package for data recovery and describes the features and benefits of data recovery software.

Disaster recovery coordinator

A disaster recovery coordinator has the responsiblity to identify a company's weak areas and oversee the creation of a disaster recovery plan from start to finish.

I recommend: Microsoft explains the essentials that a disaster recovery coordinator should address.

Jobs in disaster relief can be a challenging and worthwhile experience. Most people in disaster recovery spend most of the time planning for a disaster rather than having to face one. But if a disaster does occur, these planners and managers should be ready for anything. Plans for disaster recovery can be years in the making, going through many scenarios and even software simulations to determine the best approach to any situation.

Recovery jobs vary in availability according to the needs of the disaster manager. Disaster recovery jobs types and styles also vary depending on your skills. The most common disaster recovery jobs include:

1. Disaster recovery cleanup in the community;

2. Disaster recovery job opportunities in the planning stages;

3. Careers in disaster management to organize disaster recovery and cleanup.

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Choose disaster recovery employment opportunities in planning

Planning is a critical stage of the disaster recovery process. Those that come up with disaster recovery plans have to expect the worst and hope for the best. Disaster recovery plans are often very intricate to cover even the smallest areas that could be damaged. They will also include comprehensive plans for evacuation, communication between recovery workers and long-term plans for renewing the businesses and community.

I recommend: VMWare provides information on software programs that can assist disaster planning by creating virtual disasters to see where the weak spots are. IT Management provides advice on backing up data and communications systems in case of disaster.

Choose disaster management jobs to help with disaster recovery

One of the most difficult disaster recovery jobs is in management. A disaster recovery manager is responsible for many things before and after a disaster occurs. Before the disaster, managers must work with their teams to come up with the best disaster recovery plan for the area. The manager is then responsible for putting this plan into place if a disaster does occur.

I recommend: Search Storage provides information on the four main areas where disaster recovery management should focus when creating or improving on a disaster recovery plan. Disaster Assistance is a government program that the disaster recovery manager should check out to see if the damage qualifies for specific assistance programs.

Consider job opportunities in disaster cleanup

Another job related to disaster recovery services involves workers that go out into the communities after a disaster and help clean up the mess. There are many cleanup jobs depending on the type of disaster that has occurred. Cleanup crews will need to refer to property safety guidelines from the federal government and be equipped with safety gear in order to safely complete the job.

I recommend: Iowa State University provides information on cleanup and reconstruction of buildings after a flood. OSHA provides information and safety standards for disaster recovery cleanup workers working in flood and tornado damaged areas.