Communications of the ACM
Tech Hiring Boom? Yes
Demand is high for particular skill sets such as those of developers, shown here at an Open Library Developer's Meeting.
Credit: hangingtogether.org
The technology industry is in the midst of its biggest hiring surge since the days of the first dot-com boom. The hottest job markets are in places like New York and Washington, DC, where financial services firms and the federal government are hiring IT professionals. As a barometer of the job market, in October 2011, Dice.com listed 83,567 IT job openings, an increase of 72% over January 2010, and 18% higher than October 2010. While there are many openings, landing a position still takes the right experience, the right education, and a willingness to chart a new career path when necessary. The article takes a closer look at which jobs are gaining the most traction and the IT skills that are most desired by tech employers.
While companies are avoiding a too rapid ramp-up of the workforce that hurt many Silicon Valley startups during the last Web boom, they are aggressively hiring for key business priorities. This current tech jobs boom favors developers, cloud experts and business strategists. Interest in new mobile applications has spurred strong demand for programmers with skills in Ruby and JavaScript. In addition to experience with programming languages, employers are eager to find employees with experience working with the cloud. Employers also want a solid grasp of business priorities, both those of the customer and of the employer. People need to be attuned to the use of technology. Companies need support engineers who not only have the technical chops, but can get a sense of the customer's business and sell the benefits of cloud computing.
In general, companies want employees who can hit the ground running. They want team players, self-starters and people with enthusiasm, not just a strong resume or education. Working on tech projects means dealing with a high-pressure environment, and that means there's a need for team players and self-directed people who can find solutions. A strong technical background is always helpful. You can demonstrate some or part of these skills by using social media. Recruiters look for people who show leadership on discussion boards and networking sites like LinkedIn. According to experts, job boards like Dice and Monster, although still important, are losing ground to social media.
From InfoWorld
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