From Bloomberg, December 24, 2008...
Silicon Valley, the technology mecca once considered immune to fallout from the global financial meltdown, now faces the biggest cutbacks since the dot-com crash.
“Lots of my friends have been laid off,” Peter Raulwing, a project manager for Microsoft Corp., said during lunch at a Starbucks in Palo Alto, California. “I absolutely watch what I spend. I feel lucky I’ve survived, but you never really know.”
He has reason for concern. Global spending on computers and software will slide 8 percent next year in the U.S., Western Europe and Japan, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. With a 7 percent unemployment rate, Silicon Valley has about 4,000 fewer jobs today than this time last year, the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy said last week.
Read more...
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thank Your Network In The Last Week Of The Year
From Austin Startup, December 23, 2008...
2008 is coming to an abrupt close. This year in business will not soon be forgotten (although many will try). We have seen many ups and downs, and the economy has been rocked on several levels.
As people begin to look toward 2009 most companies and business professionals are focused on the future, but with one week remaining on the calendar now is a great time to reflect on the people who have had the greatest positive impact on you and your business over the past 12 months.
Read more...
2008 is coming to an abrupt close. This year in business will not soon be forgotten (although many will try). We have seen many ups and downs, and the economy has been rocked on several levels.
As people begin to look toward 2009 most companies and business professionals are focused on the future, but with one week remaining on the calendar now is a great time to reflect on the people who have had the greatest positive impact on you and your business over the past 12 months.
Read more...
Survey: Tech firms freeze pay, jobs in ‘09
From Austin Business Journal, December 24, 2008...
Many tech companies are freezing both salaries and hiring in 2009, according to Radford’s Surveys and Consulting firm in San Jose, Calif.
Radford’s quarterly summary of industry trends revealed the “drastic measures companies are making with their employee and executive compensation programs in response to the economic downturn,” the company said.
Read more...
Many tech companies are freezing both salaries and hiring in 2009, according to Radford’s Surveys and Consulting firm in San Jose, Calif.
Radford’s quarterly summary of industry trends revealed the “drastic measures companies are making with their employee and executive compensation programs in response to the economic downturn,” the company said.
Read more...
From Computerworld, December 22, 2008...
There have been 140,000 technology industry job cuts so far this year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Read more...
There have been 140,000 technology industry job cuts so far this year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Read more...
Where’s the Cutting Edge?
From DICE, December 23, 2008...
U.S. News and World Report identifies 13 jobs that offer the promise of future growth as part of its 2008 Best Careers report. Annually, the publication evaluates criteria such as median pay, job satisfaction, training difficulty, prestige and the job market outlook in naming 30 careers that have strong outlooks and high job satisfaction. In addition, the report names 13 jobs poised for growth due to megatrends like globalization, digitization, and the wave of environmentalism sweeping the world.
Computer systems analyst/architect/designer made the 30 best careers list. These IT-related careers, along with computer security, were named “cutting edge” because of their growth potential:
Read more...
U.S. News and World Report identifies 13 jobs that offer the promise of future growth as part of its 2008 Best Careers report. Annually, the publication evaluates criteria such as median pay, job satisfaction, training difficulty, prestige and the job market outlook in naming 30 careers that have strong outlooks and high job satisfaction. In addition, the report names 13 jobs poised for growth due to megatrends like globalization, digitization, and the wave of environmentalism sweeping the world.
Computer systems analyst/architect/designer made the 30 best careers list. These IT-related careers, along with computer security, were named “cutting edge” because of their growth potential:
Read more...
Need a job? Resume tips for techies
From Computerworld, December 22, 2008...
Tech résumés are piling up faster than the local landfill. It's more important than ever to have a strong résumé that is sure to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, techies are notorious for producing résumés as dense and inaccessible as a secure coding manual, volume one.
In the hot job market of yesteryear, techies could get away with it: Poor résumés didn't matter much, only a pulse. In today's crappy environment, though, a well-written résumé can make all the difference between being able to pay that mortgage or not.
Read more...
Tech résumés are piling up faster than the local landfill. It's more important than ever to have a strong résumé that is sure to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, techies are notorious for producing résumés as dense and inaccessible as a secure coding manual, volume one.
In the hot job market of yesteryear, techies could get away with it: Poor résumés didn't matter much, only a pulse. In today's crappy environment, though, a well-written résumé can make all the difference between being able to pay that mortgage or not.
Read more...
Texas unemployment rate up, despite new jobs
From News 8 Austin, December 19, 2008...
The unemployment rate in Texas edged up in November.
The rate in October was 5.6 percent, last month it went to 5.7 percent. Last year in November the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent.
In Austin and Round Rock, the unemployment rate went up from 3.5 percent in November 2007, and 4.8 percent in October, to 5 percent in November.
To view the Texas Workforce Commission's report on the unemployment rate, click on the link.
Read more...
The unemployment rate in Texas edged up in November.
The rate in October was 5.6 percent, last month it went to 5.7 percent. Last year in November the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent.
In Austin and Round Rock, the unemployment rate went up from 3.5 percent in November 2007, and 4.8 percent in October, to 5 percent in November.
To view the Texas Workforce Commission's report on the unemployment rate, click on the link.
Read more...
Engineers Feeling Less Secure
From DICE, December 19, 2008...
There was a time when becoming an engineer guaranteed respect, high pay and life-long job security, particularly in North America. That’s no longer the case. The 2008 Annual EE Times Salary Survey found engineers in North America, Europe and Japan, across a wide-range of verticals, think the profession isn’t as attractive as it once was. For instance, only 6.2 percent of respondents believe engineering is a stable profession compared to 20 years ago.
Another telling piece of data: Less than one third of North American and European respondents would recommend the profession to their children. Issues such as manufacturing globalization, outsourcing/offshoring, job security and retirement security are major sore points for engineers, no matter their location.
"The 2008 Annual EE Times Salary Survey revealed engineers have become as jittery as their counterparts in other economic segments as they brushed aside their still relatively high compensation packages to worry about turmoil on the global equity markets and the potentially negative impact on their retirement planning, career goals and even the future of any of their children who might desire to follow their professional footsteps."
Read more...
There was a time when becoming an engineer guaranteed respect, high pay and life-long job security, particularly in North America. That’s no longer the case. The 2008 Annual EE Times Salary Survey found engineers in North America, Europe and Japan, across a wide-range of verticals, think the profession isn’t as attractive as it once was. For instance, only 6.2 percent of respondents believe engineering is a stable profession compared to 20 years ago.
Another telling piece of data: Less than one third of North American and European respondents would recommend the profession to their children. Issues such as manufacturing globalization, outsourcing/offshoring, job security and retirement security are major sore points for engineers, no matter their location.
"The 2008 Annual EE Times Salary Survey revealed engineers have become as jittery as their counterparts in other economic segments as they brushed aside their still relatively high compensation packages to worry about turmoil on the global equity markets and the potentially negative impact on their retirement planning, career goals and even the future of any of their children who might desire to follow their professional footsteps."
Read more...
Local jobless rate rises to 5%
From Austin Business Journal, December 19, 2008...
Austin’s unemployment rate hit 5 percent in November as the region struggles under the yoke of recession.
The number of area workers unemployed reached 43,800 in November, up from 41,500 in October and a significant increase from the 30,300 who were unemployed a year ago. The unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in October.
Read more...
Austin’s unemployment rate hit 5 percent in November as the region struggles under the yoke of recession.
The number of area workers unemployed reached 43,800 in November, up from 41,500 in October and a significant increase from the 30,300 who were unemployed a year ago. The unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in October.
Read more...
Communication: Important and often Overlooked
From DICE, December 19, 2008...
Like breathing, communication is so second nature, it’s often overlooked as a skill to develop. But let’s take a look at the job cycle to reveal where we need these skills to be strong.
Read more...
Like breathing, communication is so second nature, it’s often overlooked as a skill to develop. But let’s take a look at the job cycle to reveal where we need these skills to be strong.
Read more...
Local startup hits big leagues
From Austin Business Journal, December 19, 2008...
An Austin-based company is developing software that enables sports teams to create a variable pricing system for tickets that could change the meaning of the term “face value.”
Qcue LLC, founded in 2007, completed a season-long behind-the-scenes trial with the San Francisco Giants this year. Next season, the company plans to provide its application that, during the days leading up to a ball game, adjusts the cost of single-game tickets based on 20 variables that affect demand, such as the weather and the opposing team’s record.
Read more...
An Austin-based company is developing software that enables sports teams to create a variable pricing system for tickets that could change the meaning of the term “face value.”
Qcue LLC, founded in 2007, completed a season-long behind-the-scenes trial with the San Francisco Giants this year. Next season, the company plans to provide its application that, during the days leading up to a ball game, adjusts the cost of single-game tickets based on 20 variables that affect demand, such as the weather and the opposing team’s record.
Read more...
Job seekers flood IT staffing site
From Computerworld, December 17, 2008...
Last month, about 20,000 people signed up looking for jobs on oDesk Corp.'s online staffing marketplace, which links job seekers with employers offering contract work. It was the largest monthly increase -- by at least 40% -- that the company's CEO, Gary Swart, has seen since joining oDesk in 2005. Swart said says he expects another 15,000 people to sign up this month.
At the same time, the number of contract jobs advertised on the site has doubled over the past year to approximately 4,600, Swart said.
The increase may be a sign that like outsourcing, contract work may be countercyclical in a troubled economy. "We're seeing companies that are trying to do more with less," said Swart. There are now 157,000 providers, or work seekers, on the site. About a third of those are in the U.S.
Read more...
Last month, about 20,000 people signed up looking for jobs on oDesk Corp.'s online staffing marketplace, which links job seekers with employers offering contract work. It was the largest monthly increase -- by at least 40% -- that the company's CEO, Gary Swart, has seen since joining oDesk in 2005. Swart said says he expects another 15,000 people to sign up this month.
At the same time, the number of contract jobs advertised on the site has doubled over the past year to approximately 4,600, Swart said.
The increase may be a sign that like outsourcing, contract work may be countercyclical in a troubled economy. "We're seeing companies that are trying to do more with less," said Swart. There are now 157,000 providers, or work seekers, on the site. About a third of those are in the U.S.
Read more...
How to enhance your high-tech career with new skills -- and meaning.
From Computerworld, December 17, 2008...
Ryan Whitney had been back in the U.S. less than two months when he received an urgent call from Geekcorps.
The nonprofit service agency wanted him to travel to Cape Town to help a consortium of African universities develop and promote open-source software. Although Whitney had just spent nine months backpacking through Central America, he leapt at the chance to return to foreign soil.
Whitney isn't some rudderless techie with time to kill. Before hitting the road, he had been earning six figures as an independent IT contractor, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing in his career.
Read more...
Ryan Whitney had been back in the U.S. less than two months when he received an urgent call from Geekcorps.
The nonprofit service agency wanted him to travel to Cape Town to help a consortium of African universities develop and promote open-source software. Although Whitney had just spent nine months backpacking through Central America, he leapt at the chance to return to foreign soil.
Whitney isn't some rudderless techie with time to kill. Before hitting the road, he had been earning six figures as an independent IT contractor, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing in his career.
Read more...
Explaining Your Layoff
From DICE, December 18, 2008...
If you’re out of work, one of job-hunting’s trickiest aspects is explaining the circumstances surrounding your departure from your last position. It’s a sensitive subject - perhaps more sensitive to you than to any prospective employer in this day and age. So, it’s important not to let your emotions get the best of you. Some insight from The Wall Street Journal:
"When applying, avoid expressing bitterness or self-pity. Many layoff victims send cover letters that blame the economy for their job loss. There’s no need to even point out the fact that you’ve been laid off. “If your last work day was in October, your résumé will say that,” says Cynthia Shapiro, a career strategist in Woodland Hills, Calif. Plus, since so many workers have been handed pink slips in the past year, this information is unlikely to kill your candidacy upfront."
Read more...
If you’re out of work, one of job-hunting’s trickiest aspects is explaining the circumstances surrounding your departure from your last position. It’s a sensitive subject - perhaps more sensitive to you than to any prospective employer in this day and age. So, it’s important not to let your emotions get the best of you. Some insight from The Wall Street Journal:
"When applying, avoid expressing bitterness or self-pity. Many layoff victims send cover letters that blame the economy for their job loss. There’s no need to even point out the fact that you’ve been laid off. “If your last work day was in October, your résumé will say that,” says Cynthia Shapiro, a career strategist in Woodland Hills, Calif. Plus, since so many workers have been handed pink slips in the past year, this information is unlikely to kill your candidacy upfront."
Read more...
Getting Attention in a Tough Market
From DICE, December 18, 2008...
People are starting to do some pretty crazy things to get the attention of prospective employers. (In case you - somehow - missed it, one job seeker wore a sandwich board advertising his availability in New York. In the end, that didn’t get him a job, but the blog he created sure helped.)
So when would a job seeker cross the line and get labeled a loon? It’s hard to say, but it’s probably at the point when you go from assertive to aggressive, or when your innovative marketing idea starts registering on the “strange” scale. In the case of sandwich-board man Joshua Persky, he at least wore a shirt and tie under his ad, and so maintained a professional image.
Read more...
People are starting to do some pretty crazy things to get the attention of prospective employers. (In case you - somehow - missed it, one job seeker wore a sandwich board advertising his availability in New York. In the end, that didn’t get him a job, but the blog he created sure helped.)
So when would a job seeker cross the line and get labeled a loon? It’s hard to say, but it’s probably at the point when you go from assertive to aggressive, or when your innovative marketing idea starts registering on the “strange” scale. In the case of sandwich-board man Joshua Persky, he at least wore a shirt and tie under his ad, and so maintained a professional image.
Read more...
When Simple Questions Hide Quicksand
From DICE, December 17, 2008...
Clarence Ewing has an insightful post over at the G.L.I. Press blog titled 5 Job Interview Questions That Mean You’re Not Getting Hired…And One That Means You Are. Having sat on both side of the interview table, I both chuckled and hung my head in shame while reading it.
In the post, Ewing lists 5 of the questions that you hear in almost every interview, with somewhat cynical commentary on what they mean and the information they are attempting to sus out. Who’d have thought these standards had hidden land mines in them?
Read more...
Clarence Ewing has an insightful post over at the G.L.I. Press blog titled 5 Job Interview Questions That Mean You’re Not Getting Hired…And One That Means You Are. Having sat on both side of the interview table, I both chuckled and hung my head in shame while reading it.
In the post, Ewing lists 5 of the questions that you hear in almost every interview, with somewhat cynical commentary on what they mean and the information they are attempting to sus out. Who’d have thought these standards had hidden land mines in them?
Read more...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
More Growth in Healthcare IT
From DICE News Blog. December 16, 2008...
On NPR’s All Things Considered last week, Uwe Reinhardt, professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University, made the case that increased production in health care will be a key to growing the U.S. economy. In fact health care, which is 100 percent domestically produced, is expected to grow to around $2.5 trillion over...
Read more...
On NPR’s All Things Considered last week, Uwe Reinhardt, professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University, made the case that increased production in health care will be a key to growing the U.S. economy. In fact health care, which is 100 percent domestically produced, is expected to grow to around $2.5 trillion over...
Read more...
Landing contract IT work through staffing agencies
From Computerworld, December 16, 2008...
Out-of-work IT professionals are turning to temp jobs to fill the void. Here's what to watch out for and how to avoid difficult situations.
Read more...
Out-of-work IT professionals are turning to temp jobs to fill the void. Here's what to watch out for and how to avoid difficult situations.
Read more...
Monday, December 15, 2008
Gartner Predictions Hint at Where Jobs Might Be
From DICE News, December 15, 2008...
Gartner is seeing at least some upside for software during this economic downturn. As more companies look for cost efficiencies, chances are organizations will be drawn to open-source software, virtualization technologies, unified messaging and collaboration technologies, according to ComputerWorld.
Read more...
Gartner is seeing at least some upside for software during this economic downturn. As more companies look for cost efficiencies, chances are organizations will be drawn to open-source software, virtualization technologies, unified messaging and collaboration technologies, according to ComputerWorld.
Read more...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
IT employment falls in U.S.; hiring may be stalled for months
From Computerworld, December10, 2008...
IT employment in the U.S. dropped in November after months of bucking national employment trends in other industries, said the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses (NACCB).
U.S. IT employment dropped by nearly 34,000 jobs, or 0.87%, in November, according to the NACCB, an Alexandria, Va.-based trade group that represents IT staffing firms.
Even with November's losses, IT employment in the U.S. is up 2.1% from November of 2007, the NACCB said. IT employment dropped slightly in September and October, the organization said
Read more...
IT employment in the U.S. dropped in November after months of bucking national employment trends in other industries, said the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses (NACCB).
U.S. IT employment dropped by nearly 34,000 jobs, or 0.87%, in November, according to the NACCB, an Alexandria, Va.-based trade group that represents IT staffing firms.
Even with November's losses, IT employment in the U.S. is up 2.1% from November of 2007, the NACCB said. IT employment dropped slightly in September and October, the organization said
Read more...
Friday, December 5, 2008
Internet can assist, frustrate, job seekers
From KNXV, November 25, 2008...
Job seekers might be tempted to spend most of their time using Internet services to find employment. There are, after all, so many options out there.
But relying on Web sites rather than networking, research and perseverance won't get you far, University of Tampa career-services director Tim Harding advises.
"If all that you do is click away on the job boards ... it is like climbing to the top of the (university) minarets with a stack of resumes and tossing them into the air," he said. "The likelihood is they're going to be tossed into trash cans or blown away as litter."
The Internet is "one of the ways" to job search, he suggests, but not the one to yield the best results.
Read more...
Job seekers might be tempted to spend most of their time using Internet services to find employment. There are, after all, so many options out there.
But relying on Web sites rather than networking, research and perseverance won't get you far, University of Tampa career-services director Tim Harding advises.
"If all that you do is click away on the job boards ... it is like climbing to the top of the (university) minarets with a stack of resumes and tossing them into the air," he said. "The likelihood is they're going to be tossed into trash cans or blown away as litter."
The Internet is "one of the ways" to job search, he suggests, but not the one to yield the best results.
Read more...
Job Fair Attracts Hundreds of People Wanting 'Stability'
From Fox News Kansas City, November 25, 2008...
With thousands of unemployed across the metro, people were out looking for work and talking with employers at a local job fair on Tuesday. People are asking for "real jobs" they can depend on.
"Real jobs" and "jobs in demand" are terms employers say job seekers are using to refer to jobs where they can earn a livable wage to take care of their families.
Read more...
With thousands of unemployed across the metro, people were out looking for work and talking with employers at a local job fair on Tuesday. People are asking for "real jobs" they can depend on.
"Real jobs" and "jobs in demand" are terms employers say job seekers are using to refer to jobs where they can earn a livable wage to take care of their families.
Read more...
Current IT Job Losses Won't Mirror 2001 Nightmare
From PC World, November 25, 2008...
The number of IT jobs being posted to online job boards is shrinking as CIOs institute hiring freezes, former financial services giants eviscerate their IT staffs, and a steady stream of technology companies announce layoffs.
Tom Silver, the SVP and CMO of Dice.com, an online job board geared toward IT pros in their mid-20s to mid-40s, says that the number of IT jobs advertised on his site had been holding steady at between 85,000 and 90,000 jobs until the September-October time frame, when the number of ads for IT jobs dipped significantly. "We've seen a drop of roughly 20 percent versus where we were last year," he says. "We're now around 70,000 jobs on the site."
Read more...
The number of IT jobs being posted to online job boards is shrinking as CIOs institute hiring freezes, former financial services giants eviscerate their IT staffs, and a steady stream of technology companies announce layoffs.
Tom Silver, the SVP and CMO of Dice.com, an online job board geared toward IT pros in their mid-20s to mid-40s, says that the number of IT jobs advertised on his site had been holding steady at between 85,000 and 90,000 jobs until the September-October time frame, when the number of ads for IT jobs dipped significantly. "We've seen a drop of roughly 20 percent versus where we were last year," he says. "We're now around 70,000 jobs on the site."
Read more...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
UnboundID lines up $2 million in funding
From Austin Business Journal, December 2, 2008...
UnboundID Corp., an Austin-based developer of identity management software for large enterprises and service providers, has garnered $2 million of a planned $3 million Series A round of financing, according to published reports.
The funding was led by Austin-based venture capital firm Silverton Partners.
Read more...
UnboundID Corp., an Austin-based developer of identity management software for large enterprises and service providers, has garnered $2 million of a planned $3 million Series A round of financing, according to published reports.
The funding was led by Austin-based venture capital firm Silverton Partners.
Read more...
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