An annual survey on employment and compensation trends released last week reveals that employers are just as anxious about the current job market as those looking for work.
Both employers and employees were asked to rate the current job market on a scale of one to five (five being the most challenging). Here are the ratings:
- rating given by job seekers in finding a job: 3.56
- rating given by employers in finding qualified candidates: 3.47
On average it takes between four to 14 weeks to fill an open position. The more senior-level positions require the most time.
Companies continue to face a shortage of highly skilled professionals in certain fields. Two professions, in particular, were singled out:
- technology
- accounting
A press release of The Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report summarizes the responses from more than 500 hiring managers and 500 workers and is available from both Robert Half Technology and CareerBuilder.com.
Boston Market
Not all technology skills are equally valued in the marketplace, however. This monthly Boston Market analysis of the technology skills most in-demand reveals a general move to the downside since early August. This in not unexpected since August is a traditionally slow hiring month.
The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated and appears in the right-hand column. The three technology skills (followed by the number of job postings) that bucked the seasonal downward trend were as follows:
All three technologies are core Web development skills and posted slight increases from early August.
A quick look at the marketplace using a different set of keywords (followed by the number of job postings) reveals the following:
By this rough measure the demand for Web Developers outpaces the demand for both Web Designers and Graphic Designers combined by more than 50%.
Useful Technology Career Websites
As we enter what should be a promising two month hiring window (September and October), Web technology professionals who are looking to maximize their employment prospects should consider expanding their use of career websites targeting technology professionals.
According to a recent Network World article entitled Looking for IT Work in all the Right Places, technology professionals should consider expanding their search to include the following technology-friendly resources:
- Dice
- RealMatch!
- Smuz
- Jobfox
- Doostang
- The Laddders
- Jobs in Pods
- Thingamajob
- Computerwork.com
- CareerOneStop
- Glassdoor.com
- Vault.com
- Job.com
- JobSniper
- Blue Chip Expert
- JobWarehouse.com
- Careerjet.com
- Indeed
- Simply Hired
- Beyond.com
Final Thoughts
While job boards are one source of information, keep in mind that according to the 7th Annual Sources of Hire Study, employee referrals (28%) outpace job boards (26%) as a more efficient tool for hiring new staff from outside an organization.
According to Network World, "Recruiters would rather search LinkedIn or Facebook than go out to Monster because they find more active candidates and less stale information."
So, get out from behind the monitor, meet with people face to face and keep your LinkedIn profile and connections up to date.
