Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Fastest Growing Companies | 2008

The Boston Business Journal recently recognized metro Boston's fastest-growing private companies, ranked by revenue growth.

Boston Business Journal Pacesetters

Fast growing companies need talented people to help sustain growth. Here are the 60 fastest-growing private companies in metro Boston.

NOTE: Beantown Web now features the LinkedIn Company Insider Widget. Simply log into your LinkedIn account on a separate tab, then click the "in" icon next to the company name below to identify the LinkedIn connections you might have within that organization.

The Next Step

According to one conclusion from the 7th Annual Sources of Hire Study:

"Good or bad, we advise job seekers to never apply to a company without first networking to an employee in that firm for a referral. The difference in probability of getting 'up to bat' is too large to ignore."
If you want to be a Pacesetter follow this simple three-step plan:
  • add value to your professional network
  • offer referrals to others
  • ask for a referral in return when you need one

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Ignite Boston 3

The third Ignite Boston will be held this week:

  • Thursday, May 29
  • 6 pm to 10 pm
  • Tommy Doyle's in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA

The event is FREE and open to anyone interested in learning about Web 2.0 developments in the greater Boston area. This event is sponsored by Microsoft and features a preview of Microsoft's new WorldWide Telescope.

The event is coordinated by O'Reilly Media, Inc. whose founder, Tim O'Reilly, is credited with coining the phrase Web 2.0. The event features two keynote speakers followed by at least 16 five-minute "lightening talks" on various Web 2.0-related topics.

Keynote Speakers

Lightening Talks

Ignite events are held periodically in various locations around the globe including Seattle and San Francisco. Upcoming events are scheduled for Philadelphia and Paris.

If you preregister for the Boston event, you become eligible for a chance to win $300 worth of O'Reilly books of your choosing. RSVP by sending an e-mail to IgniteBoston at oreilly dot com.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Boston Market | May 2008

The Internet economy should be less susceptible to an economic downturn in the United States than many other industries, according to a panel of economists and technologists convened at Google's new Washington, DC offices.

Panelist's comments included the following [sources: 1, 2, 3]:

"Yes, we are seeing an economic slowdown. No, we're not seeing an Internet slowdown."
"The Internet economy is almost counter-recessional."

IT Executive Views

Nonetheless, senior information technology (IT) executives are starting to feel pressure to contain their budgets for new projects in 2008, according to interviews with 27 CIOs and senior IT leaders.

The research was conducted by IDC, a Framingham-based company focused on market intelligence and advisory services for the information technology industry.

Despite budget constraints IT executives in the U.S. are facing real skill shortages in the following technical areas:
  • SAP
  • .Net
  • VOIP
  • Java
The job functions that remain difficult to fill include the following:
  • business analysis
  • security administration
  • project management

A summary of IT Executive Views: IT Priorities and Investments is available via an IDC press release. The interviews focus on large public and private companies and may not be reflective of trends in the public sector, educational organizations or small companies.

IT Employee Confidence Index

In addition, a quarterly measure of confidence among IT workers in the United States reveals a fifth consecutive decline. The index measures the following:

  • how likely IT workers think it is that they will lose their job in the next year
  • how likely employees are to look for a new job in the next year
  • employees’ overall confidence in the economy, their employers and their ability to find other employment

A press release (pdf) summarizing the key findings of IT Employee Confidence Index for the first quarter is available from Technisource, a national technology recruiting and staffing firm with offices in Boston.

Boston Market

The Beantown Web monthly analysis of the Boston Market reveals a trend toward more cautious hiring. The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for May and links to job postings appear in the right-hand column. Demand declined over the past month for 19 out of 20 skills. The lone exception was Photoshop.

Web designers and developers who wish to gain a competitive advantage might want to focus on honing in-demand programming skills, especially the following:

  • Java | #3
  • C# | #7
  • ASP.NET | #11

In addition, project managers are in short supply. Demonstrating that you can lead a project team and deliver results on time and under budget will not likely go out of style any time soon.