Cloud Rains Opportunities for Software Developers

From DICE, May 29, 2009...

Because it's a big money-saver for companies both large and small, running application and storing data in the cloud is already producing a rain of job opportunities for software architects, developers, and consultants.

Simply stated, cloud computing enables small companies to harness the power of many big computers at a very low cost. It means start-ups can tap the vast computing resources of companies such as Amazon or Google to handle their computing needs over the Internet. Computing tasks that only a few years ago would have required the purchase of servers and database software can now be performed on a pay-as-you-go basis, with plenty of extra computing horsepower on tap when needed. 

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The Art of the Phone Interview

From DICE, May 29, 2009...

Ahh, the quick-death elimination round of the phone interview. It's your one chance to get your foot in the door and progress to the next step in discussions with your prospective employer. But no pressure.

Fortunately, blogger Marci Alboher has a few tips on how to ace phone interviews on Lifehacker. Here are some highlights, along with a few thoughts of my own.

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Tech workers can look on bright side

From Austin Business Journal, May 29, 2009...

Laid off by a chipmaker? Jobs may be easier found in Austin’s growing solar industry.

When Austinite Ron Van Dell moved his company’s headquarters from Illinois to Austin in February, it wasn’t only because the CEO of SolarBridge Technologies Inc. wanted the solar energy company to be closer to him.

He also wanted to tap into the deep pool of Austin-area microprocessor industry workers who have been laid off during the last couple of years. Such workers possess the skills that translate well to the solar energy industry, Van Dell said.

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Best practices for getting hired in a downturn

From Computerworld, May 28, 2009...

Dave Willmer, the executive director of Robert Half Technology, discusses finding a job in a deep recession.

How is IT holding up in the downturn? Companies are downsizing, but IT has been more resilient than other areas. In fact, the unemployment rates for many positions within IT are significantly lower than the national average. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for computer software engineers for Q1 is 4.2%, or half the national average of 8.4% for the same period.

Our company also publishes on a quarterly basis the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report, and 8% of CIOs polled said they plan to expand their IT departments in the second quarter of 2009; 6% expect staff cutbacks. The majority of respondents, 83%, plan to maintain current staffing levels. Those companies that plan to hire cited reasons such as the increased need for customer/end-user support, rising workloads, corporate growth or expansion, and systems upgrades. CIOs planning to reduce staff said the primary reasons are reduced IT budgets, postponed IT projects and companywide layoffs.

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Uncover Emerging Tech Jobs in the News

From DICE, May 27, 2009...

BusinessWeek's published its list of Hottest Tech Companies of 2009, and you should pay attention. While at first glance the information seems to primarily benefit investors, the list is an excellent sourcing tool for job seekers, even beyond the current job openings listed on each company's Web site or on Dice. The hidden job market flourishes in burgeoning companies, and the halo effect often extends to subsidiaries, supply chain partners, solutions partners and customers.

To find unadvertised job opportunities, set-up news alerts on several Internet search engines, so you can spring into action when you read about local companies securing new contracts, consummating acquisitions or hiring new CIOs. The alerts will also deliver press releases, which may never receive coverage in local media and business journals. They could inform you about local mixers and networking events and uncover local companies winning IT awards - which is a great way to start up a conversation with a manager.

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Connecting with Care

From DICE, May 27, 2009...

Your mother probably taught you to choose your friends wisely, because who you hung out with made you look good - or bad - depending on the crowd. Now it appears the same advice applies to connections you make on networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.

Kirsten Dixson, a reputation management and online identity expert, warns prospective employers may cast judgments, so job seekers should be prudent when making online connections. Here's a summary of best practices, as described by ComputerWorld. 

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Study: U.S. IT wages held steady in early '09

From Computerworld, May 27, 2009...

A survey by the Philadelphia IT outsourcing firm Yoh finds that U.S. tech wages remained fairly steady during the first quarter of this year, indicating some level of stability in hiring patterns even as the global economic recession continues.

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US: H-1B workers outnumber unemployed techies

From Computerworld, May 26, 2009...

As unemployment among tech workers increases with the recession, the U.S. government is raising broad questions as part of a federal case over H-1Bs about the connection of visa fraud to the unemployment of IT workers.

The government's interest in H-1B fraud-related unemployment turned up in court filings in a case in U.S. District Court in Iowa against a New Jersey IT firm, Vision Systems Group in South Plainfield, NJ, which was indicted in February on visa-related fraud charges.

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Too Scared To Take A Vacation?

From Forbes, May 26, 2009...

You're not alone. Here's what to do about it.

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Poll: Working for Start-ups Still a Good Bet

From DICE, May 26, 2009...

High-tech start-ups have begun to experience a pullback in venture capital lending, but IT workers still seem to consider these shops a good bet for jobs. Dice polled users last week, asking if they would consider working for a start-up and an overwhelming majority of the 504 respondents were favorable to the idea.

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How to Control a Salary Negotiation

From DICE, May 26, 2009...

A properly prepared job candidate needn't dread or be tripped up by questions about compensation.

Well before you reach the point where an interviewer asks how much you want, formulate upper and lower bounds of your required pay range using separate methods, advises Jane Ashen Turkewitz, founder and president of T & Jam Resume Services and a former executive recruiter.

For the lower end, choose "a number you'd be happy with - and could live on," Turkewitz writes in a recent poston her blog, Let's Talk Turkey. Then, make sure to stick with the range you've chosen. "Don't deviate. If you say your bottom number is $75K and someone offers you $70K, you KNOW you are going to say 'no.'"

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Tech employment shrinks for fifth straight month

From Computerworld, May 25, 2009...

The number of IT workers in the U.S. has declined steadily since December, a trend that wasn't helped by Hewlett Packard Co.'s announcement last week that it is cutting 6,000 employees..

Employment in technology occupations peaked last November at 4.058 million, according to the TechServe Alliance (formerly the National Association of Computer Consultants), which analyzes federal labor data on IT-related occupations. By the end of April, the number had declined to 3.87 million, the alliance said.

IT recruiters are mostly optimistic that the end of the decline is in sight, though most agree that the IT labor force will continue to shrink through the summer, typically a period of slower hiring because of vacations.

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Beat the Odds

From DICE, May 22, 2009...

In December 2007, which marked the start of the recession, there were 1.7 candidates for every job opening. By March 2009, the number of unemployed workers had increased to 13.2 million, which translates to 4.8 unemployed workers for every available job. Of course, those stats don't come close to estimating how many candidates might initially submit an application or a resume. Instead, they reflect the overall statistical odds job seekers face in the market.

No matter how tough things may seem, it's still possible to turn the odds in your favor by following a few best practices guaranteed to narrow the competitive field for any job.

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Made a Change? A Functional Resume May Help

From DICE, May 20, 2009...

A chronological resume, starting with the job you have now and going backwards in time to your first job, is the resume of choice for job seekers and hiring professionals alike. But in some situations, a functional resume organized by core skills and aptitudes can be a better choice.

"A functional resume works best for someone whose track record has been in a different area or who is in a new field," says Katy Piotrowski, author of Career Coward's Guide to Resumes: Sensible Strategies for Overcoming Job Search Fears. If you have a new degree or you are changing careers or coming back into the workforce after being away, send out a functional resume rather than a traditional chronological resume, she says.

While a functional resume may be the better format for your particular situation, most hiring authorities prefer chronological resumes, says Jonathan Mazzocchi, a recruiter and partner at Winter, Wyman, New York. "Chronological resumes are effective because most companies want to know what you've done most recently, not what you did 20 years ago and they'll put an emphasis on the last five or 10 years," he says.

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If you want to land the right position, ask the right questions

From Computerworld, May 18, 2009...

My first clue that the job I was interviewing for could be something special was the absence of "the look."

"The look" is my term for the facial expression we've all seen when we've asked someone something they just weren't prepared to answer. I call it the look. They don't want to seem surprised, dumbfounded or impolite, but they do want to buy a little time. They seem to make direct eye contact with you, but you can tell that their mental focus is somewhere else. Usually what has their full attention is an urgent internal search for some cogent words that will seem responsive to this question that they never thought they would receive.

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Tactics for today's job hunt

From Computerworld, May 12, 2009...

The days of circling ads in the Sunday newspaper and printing your résumé on fancy stationery may be long past, but many IT professionals still cling to other outdated job-seeking habits that can undermine their efforts. In a competitive job market, fine-tuning your approach to meet present conditions can mean the difference between frustration and success.

Here are some tactics to use in today's job search:

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DiceTV: Negotiation Tips for IT Boomerangs

From DICE, May 13, 2009...

Negotiating compensation can be intimidating, especially if you've been out of the job market for awhile. Looking to jump in? Here's how to get ready.

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LinkedIn Profiles: Avoid the 6 Most Common Mistakes

From Computerworld, May 13, 2009...

In the midst of the recession, many job seekers have spent more time on LinkedIn to connect with colleagues, customers and partners in an effort to land a new gig. Unfortunately, many people commit common errors in their LinkedIn profiles that cost them new opportunities, says Jason Alba, CEO of JibberJobber, a company that provides web-based tools for managing your job search.

More LinkedIn Coverage on CIO.com LinkedIn's Most Unusual Members: Meet The Super-Connected LinkedIn Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts How to Use LinkedIn Company Profiles For Job Hunt, Networking

Alba, who recently released a DVD called LinkedIn for Job Seekers, shared with CIO.com the six most common mistakes he sees on LinkedIn profiles. Here's how to spot trouble in your profile and fix it.

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What's Your Resume's Story?

From DICE, May 11, 2009...

Do you persevere through obstacles when others succumb? Are you a gregarious leader who motivates others into tackling difficult assignments? Although behind every job seeker lies a story of career challenge and triumph, few succeed at captivating reviewers with their tale, because they don't convey that story in their resume.

"Your resume should not read like an obituary," says Jason Alba, chief executive of JibberJobber, a career management Web site. "It should read like a marketing piece and its primary objective is to sell your story to employers."

Build a Story Line

You wouldn't start writing a book until you'd settled on a plot, but many job seekers draft their resume without even thinking about the story they want to convey. Focus on your accomplishments and how you've achieved them to discover the common thread running through your experience. That will become your resume's central theme. Alba suggests the germ of a theme idea might lie in the comments offered by your references or in recommendations made by peers on networking sites like LinkedIn.

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Austin among nation's top tech centers

From Austin Business Journal, May 11, 2009...

With a high-tech workforce of more than 54,000, Austin ranks seventh on a list of the nation's biggest tech cities from bizjournals.

Texas' Capital City is home to roughly 2,600 tech companies, which employ an average of 20 employees each. Austin also has a relatively educated populace--11 percent of residents have a master's degree or higher. State government and the University of Texas also help make Austin a dynamic tech market.

Bizjournals created a five-part formula to identify metros blessed with the highest concentrations of high-tech companies, technology-oriented jobs, and workers with advanced degrees. San Jose, Calif.--the epicenter of internationally renowned Silicon Valley--ranked first on the list. Stockton, Calif. ranked dead last on the list of 100 U.S. markets.

Washington ranks second in bizjournals’ overall high-tech standings, followed by Boston, San Francisco-Oakland and Seattle. Each of these areas has more than 160,000 high-tech jobs, and at least 10 percent of all local workers hold advanced degrees.

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A Bit of Mental Spring Cleaning

From DICE, May 11, 2009...

If you ever find yourself in need of a motivational kick in the pants to push your career to the next level, the Internet can provide. For instance, on days when it seems impossible to sit down and get to work, sites like Zen Habits can help. A popular stop on the self-help and "getting things done" online circuit, this collection of tips, tricks, and ways to improve your mood, finances and career is uplifting, even if only for a moment. Sometimes a moment is all it takes.

Kick start your day with a browse through the Productivity and Organization section, where you'll find lists on things like 16 Ways to Get Movitated When You're In a Slump, How to Actually Execute Your To Do List, andTop 20 Motivation Hacks.

Zen Habits weaves in and out of the world of Getting Things Done, David Allen's almost cult-like program for productivity. Although some of what you'll discover there falls squarely into the category of common sense, knowing it and doing it are two different things. Motivation can be mysterious and fleeting, especially on a spring Monday. If you're having trouble getting started and the second cup of coffee isn't helping, have a browse.

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The Intelligent Techie's Online Reading Guide

From DICE, May 8, 2009...

It's virtually impossible to keep up with everything that's new in technology, but let's try to make it a little easier by assembling a list of really insightful online resources that analyze current trends and make some compelling predictions about the future.

I've recently become a fan of The McKinsey Quarterly, an online magazine from the prestigious management consulting firm that extrapolates from its constant research to find trends for the future. While a paid subscription is needed to unlock the entire site, even casual visitors can read such articles as "The Crisis: Timing Strategic Moves," "Five Trends that Will Shape Business Technology in 2009,"
and "The Economic Impact of Increased U.S. Savings." Interesting stuff.

The McKinsey Quarterly reminds me a bit of the The Economist, which has a consistently provocative Science and Technology section that I read weekly.

And even though I wasn't smart enough to get into MIT, I can handle the university's Technology Review, a magazine that looks down the road to provide hints about the kinds of IT jobs we'll all have ten or 20 years from now.

If you aren't in the habit of reading the entire Wall Street Journal every day, you should still bookmark its two technology blogs. All Things Digital breaks tech news all the time, and Digits collects all the reportage of the Journal's two dozen or so tech reporters. There's no better way to stay on top of breaking tech news that matters to business.

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Two Iconic Austin Tech Firms Sold

May 7, 2009...

Borland to be acquired by Micro Focus - Austin Business Journal

United Kingdom software company Borland Software Corp. for $75 million in cash.

Austin-based Borland (Nasdaq: BORL) reached the agreement with Micro Focus, which will buy each outstanding share of Borland's common stock for $1 a share, a 25 percent premium over the company's May 5 closing price. Both boards have already approved the deal, which is set to close later this quarter or early in the third quarter.

Vignette to become part of Open Text in $310M deal - Austin Business Journal

Software maker Vignette Corp. has received and accepted an acquisition offer from a Canadian company.

Open Text Corp. (Nasdaq: OTEX) plans to buy Austin-based Vignette (Nasdaq: VIGN) in a $310 million cash-and-stock deal, company officials said.

The news prompted a 33 percent surge in Vignette's share price, sending the stock up to $12.05 a share.

Vignette, founded in 1996, employs about 600 workers, roughly 200 of whom are based in Austin.

Job hunting? Use social networks to make crucial connections

From Computerworld, May 7, 2009...

Although the total number of IT jobs is shrinking due to the recession, some companies are still hiring -- and using social-networking tools can help you land those jobs. In fact, being in the IT industry just might give you an advantage over the average laid-off worker.

That's because social networking Web sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are foremost among those new tools, and IT people are more likely to be comfortable with them and with related technologies that can help in a job search, such as automated scripts, customized search engines, RSS feeds and the like, experts say.

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Why Jobs Go Begging Amid Layoffs

From Business Week, May 6, 2009...

Are American employers too picky? Are they rejecting reasonable candidates at the same time they claim to have lots of openings they would like to fill?

With the labor market so weak, it's hard to understand why so many jobs are unfilled. As BusinessWeek pointed out in a recent magazine cover story, employers reported that they had 3 million openings they were actively trying to fill as of the end of February. (The March job-openings total will be released May 12.) By contrast, there were more than 13 million people unemployed in March.

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Growing Job Descriptions - And What to do About Them

From DICE, May 6, 2009...

Have you noticed how companies can merge job roles with the speed it takes to collapse ten servers into one virtual machine? Nowadays, companies want database administrators who can code, software architects who can sell, or security specialists who can program. All this makes it tough for them to find someone to hire - and hard for candidates to get in the door.

But IT workers and recruiters think a lot of reqs look more like a committee's wish list than an actionable job description.

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Some Tech Executives Are Hiring, or Plan To

From DICE, May 6, 2009...

A survey of technology executives found 54 percent are either hiring now or plan to hire over the next three months.

Of those, 93 percent predicted demand for senior talent at their organization will either remain steady or increase over the next three to six months, according to the search firm that sponsored the survey, Massachusetts-based Polachi Inc.

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Job Seekers: How to Tell Stories to Stand Out

From Computerworld, May 5, 2009...

With unemployment at a 26-year high of 8.5 percent, the biggest challenge job seekers face today-next to finding a new job-is differentiating themselves from the more than 13.2 million other people who are out of work and looking for new employment.

One way job seekers can stand out from the job search competition is to tell stories that illustrate their professional experience, says Katharine Hansen, the creative director and associate publisher of the website Quintessential Careers and author of eight career management books.

Story-telling, when done right, reveals a job seeker's personality, makes him or her more memorable, and helps a job seeker establish an emotional connection with hiring managers, Hansen says.

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Maintain Your Professional Reputation Online

From DICE, May 5, 2009...

As more of us spend more time fussing around in social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, it's worth remembering what we do there is widely visible by all sorts of people - including potential employers. Writing in Certification magazine, Robert Half Technology's Dave Willmer (who also writes the "Ask the IT Career Doctor" column in our advice area) says, "a growing number of employers are searching the Internet for details about potential hires." What to do? We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Be smart.

• Determine what information about you exists online by scanning several search engines.
• Take corrective action if you see damaging remarks by asking the source or the site to remove them. If not, consider working with a service such as ReputationDefender to help you.
• Strengthen your reputation by sharpening up your personal Web site and by making sure any online resumes are clean and current.
• Move forward wisely by watching what you say online wherever you go and considering saying less, or saying it anonymously.
• Network wisely by always behaving professionally in social networks, and by observing every possible bit of online etiquette.
• Also be selective about whom you invite into your work, keeping in mind that potential employers may take a look at your "known associates."
• Keep tabs on yourself by setting up alerts in Google News or elsewhere to see where your name pops up.

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How to Perfect an Elevator Pitch About Yourself

From Havard Business Review, May 4, 2009...

You're in the elevator with the hiring manager of Dream-Job Corporation. As the door slides shut, you feel a combination of adrenaline and slight nausea: you've got 15 seconds, if that, to communicate your value as a potential employee in a compelling way — just 15 seconds to cram in a whole resume's worth of work and accomplishments and late nights and successes. There's so much you want to say, but your message has got to be crisp, tailored, to-the-point. Handle this one right, and you'll be the newest member of the Dream-Job team. Flub it up, and you're back to scanning listings on Monster.com. What are you supposed to say?

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The Tricky Truth About Downsizing

From Harvard Business Review, April 30, 2009...

Downsizing has always been a popular practice in the corporate world - even for firms not in distress. But today, with many companies in distress, downsizing efforts are on the rise. So I thought I might as well look into what we know about the effects of such efforts from academic research to see when they can be a good idea.

The answer? Not very often. On average, they simply don't work. For example, professors James Guthrie, from the University of Kansas, and Deepak Datta, from the University of Texas at Arlington, examined data on 122 firms that had engaged in downsizing and statistically analyzed whether the program had improved their profitability. And the answer was a plain and simple "no." The average company did not benefit from a downsizing effort, no matter what situation and industry they were in.

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Are Layoffs Too Expensive?

From Computerworld, May 4, 2009...

Maybe some IT jobs will be saved if enough executives read a March 8 research note from AMR Research Inc.'s Phil Fersht and then are able to convince the top brass of the sense of Fersht's argument. Which is this: The cost of laying off an IT employee may exceed the benefit to be derived.

He says that should the economy recover in 2010, a company might derive only $50,000 to $100,000 in savings from each IT layoff, after all costs have been incurred. Then Fersht asks how those savings stack up against the cost of replacing the laid-off employee once conditions improve. "How can you put a price on replacing the inherent business knowledge of that staff member when you rehire a replacement?" he writes. "It may take another year or two to get the replacement up to speed, and will not only end up costing you more, but may also impede your executives from accessing critical data in a timely fashion. The overall cost of replacing that staff member could easily be three times the costs saved by laying her off. And these easily-identified direct costs are only the beginning; the costs incurred to your culture and morale can prove even more damaging."

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Don't Twitter Your Job Prospects Away

From Computerworld, May 4, 2009...

Do you doubt that things move fast in our highly connected world? In mid-March, someone with the username of "theconnor" posted a public tweet on Twitter: "Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work."

Tim Levad at Cisco saw the tweet and replied, "Who is the hiring manager. I'm sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web." And that same day, someone else established the Web site CiscoFatty.com and shared the story. No one seems to know whether theconnor (or Cisco Fatty, if you prefer) took the job or not, but he or she did learn a lesson and instituted some privacy settings on Twitter.

Of course, there's a lesson for us all -- to watch what we say and to whom.

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