Friday, June 02, 2006

20 Questions

IT workers are on the move. Nearly half of all IT workers are planning a job change. Here are the three top reasons why technology professionals are testing the waters:

  • higher compensation
  • not liking their current company's management or corporate culture
  • seeking more personal fulfillment
The following "niche pockets" are seeing a greater than average demand for talent:

  • business analysis
  • project management

For details on the survey of more than 8,000 employed U.S. adults including more than 500 who hold IT jobs, access Information Week.

So, let's say you are a Web technology professional preparing to shop your talents. Here's a game plan for preparing for a potential interview.

  • Step #1 -- review the 20 potential interview questions below
  • Step #2 -- select one question a day for the next 20 days and formulate your response

Step#1

A Seattle-based search engine optimization (SEO) company called SEOmoz developed the following 20 interview questions:

  1. What industry sites and blogs do you read regularly?
  2. Do you prefer to work alone or on a team?
  3. How comfortable are you with writing HTML entirely by hand?
  4. What is the w3c?
  5. Can you write table-less XHTML? Do you validate your code?
  6. What are a few of your favorite development tools and why?
  7. Describe/demonstrate your level of competence in a *nix shell environment
  8. What skills and technologies are you the most interested in improving upon or learning?
  9. Show me your portfolio!
  10. What sized websites have you worked on in the past?
  11. Show me your code!
  12. What are a few sites you admire and why? (from a webdev perspective)
  13. Fix this code, please.
  14. I just pulled up the website you built and the browser is displaying a blank page. Walk me through the steps you'd take to troubleshoot the problem.
  15. What's your favorite development language and why?
  16. Do you find any particular languages or technologies intimidating?
  17. Acronym time (oh boy!)
  18. What web browser do you use?
  19. Rank your interest in these development tasks from 1 to 5 (compiled from a list of tasks the job requires)
  20. What are a few personal web projects you've got going on?

For details about the rationale for each question access Interviewing Web Developers and consider SEOmoz for your search engine optimization needs as a way of rewarding them for their contribution to the Web development community.

Step #2

Tackle a few of the more time-consuming questions first, one at a time, because they can make the most difference in separating you from your potential competition. In particular, the questions related to organizing your work and training experiences include the following:

  • Show me your portfolio!
  • What sized websites have you worked on in the past?
  • Show me your code!
  • What are a few personal web projects you've got going on?
If you are just starting out and don't have an amazing portfolio, that's OK. You're not expected to. However, organizing the work you do have in one clean, easy-to-navigate Website can go a long way to making a positive first impression.

Remember: The World is Flat -- start running!
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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

The World is Flat

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion,
or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle,
or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.

This African proverb provides the tone for The World is Flat, a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. Author Thomas Friedman will receive the award for Webby Person of the Year at the 10th annual Webby Awards on June 12.

Business executives across the country have kept this book atop the BusinessWeek Best-Seller List for more than a year. These leaders are making decisions about the future of work in America, the future of your work -- your job. Can you afford not to add this book to your personal reading list?

Friedman chronicles The Ten Forces That Flattened the World. Starting with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 these ten forces reached a tipping point around the turn of the century. About that time you and I began competing, unknowingly, with 150 million educated, Web-enabled workers outside the United States. These workers want your job and are willing to take a lot less money to do it.

Friedman details how you and I can stay relevant and remain competitive in a flattened world. The goal is to become an Untouchable -- a person whose job can not be outsourced. Untouchables come in four categories:

  • workers who are "special"
  • workers who are "specialized"
  • workers who are "anchored"
  • workers who are "really adaptable"

The bottom line is that "while technology advances make last year's work a commodity, reskilling, continual professional education and client intimacy to develop new relationships keeps him or her ahead of the commodity curve and away from a potential offshore."

The World is Flat, start running!
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

The Globe 100

The Boston Globe has released The Globe 100 -- the best performing public companies of 2005 in Massachusetts. Topping the list as Company of the Year is dot-com survivor Akamai Technologies, Inc. of Cambridge.

A complete list of 27 stories is available at the Boston Globe. Registration is required, but is free.

If you are looking for a job, consider the 50 Fastest Growth Companies. You can also consider the Top 10 Technology Companies ranked by revenue. They are as follows:

  1. Raytheon
  2. EMC Corporation
  3. Analog Devices
  4. CMGI
  5. Teradyne
  6. Avid Technology
  7. Parametric Technology Corp.
  8. Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates
  9. Kronos
  10. MKS Instruments
Looking to work for a company a little closer to home? Then access an interactive map of The Globe 100.
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Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Webby Awards -- 2006

The Webby Awards is the leading international honor for Web sites and the innovators behind them. New York Times proclaimed the Webby Awards "the online equivalent of an Oscar." This year's winners have been announced in 69 categories.

The 10th Annual Webby Awards received a record 5,500 entries from over 40 countries around the world. In addition, more than 300,000 votes were cast by people around the world to identify the People's Voice Awards.

Organizers also announced recipients of this year's Webby Special Achievement awards, including the following:

[ NOTE: Beantown Web will review Friedman's influential book, The World is Flat, in a upcoming issue. ]

The 2006 Webby Awards winners are as follows:
Learn more about the Webby Awards by accessing a press release. You can also review the People's Voice Winners and additional category nominees at the Web Awards Website.
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Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Boston Market -- May

Trend #1: The Consumer Confidence Index rose in April to its highest level since March 2002. "Recent improvements in the labor market have been a major driver behind the rise in confidence in early 2006," according to a Conference Board representative.

Trend #2: The most recent Monster Employment Index for Boston (pdf) reached its highest level since it was launched 12 months ago.

Trend #3: The Yoh Index of Technology Wages ended the first quarter of 2006 at the highest level since its inception.

Trend #4: Microsoft will invest an additional $2 billion in a variety of technologies designed to transform its way of doing business on the Web.

So how do technology professionals capitalize on these powerful trends? By making a commitment to learning Microsoft's Web-based technologies. SQL is the generic database language that cements these technologies together.

BostonWorks.com lists the following opportunities:

Monster.com lists the following opportunities:

The best training value this month is to download the following FREE software:

Then, make an investment in one of three new Dummies books:

You invest $20. Microsoft invests $2 billion. Where can you get a better return on investment than that?
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Sunday, April 23, 2006

Streaming Media

In 2005, broadband Internet access surpassed 50 percent of U.S. households and is expected to reach 75 percent by 2011 according to a new research report released Friday. Along with high-speed connection comes the capability to deliver quality video content.

An increasing number of Websites are offering video content, not only in the form of entertainment (Lost and Desperate Housewives), but also in the form of product demos, educational seminars, and other so-called "streaming media" service offerings.

For additional information about the report findings access a press release and a market research report summary available from Insight Research.

So, what is streaming media? Two definitions follow:
  • media (Web content) that is consumed (read, heard, viewed) while it is being delivered (source: Wikipedia)
  • the transmission of digital audio and video files over an IP network or wireless network in real time or on-demand, while prohibiting users from storing the files locally (source: Insight Research)

The most important factor driving the consumer segment is content-on-demand -- the desire by consumers to listen and watch what they want at the time and place of their choosing.

The practical implication for Web developers is that clients will increasingly seek to differentiate their Web-based offerings via streaming media content and designers and developers should become knowledgeable and proficient in educating clients on the available options.

To learn more about streaming media access University of Wisconsin's Understanding Streaming Media tutorial series. Then visit the Creation and Production section to learn more about the five most popular streaming media technologies.

To understand the specific HTML code you would use to add rich media content to a Website access Embedding Streaming Video in a Web Page available from Media College. In particular, check out the technique used to enable video to be displayed in both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Code is available in the following formats:

As the Web evolves so must a Web professional's skills. And rich media content development is a skill consistent with the recent increase in demand for Web Marketing skills.
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Thursday, April 20, 2006

Skilled Tech Workers in Demand

Virtually all CEOs of the fastest growing technology companies say they have plans to grow their workforce over the next 12 months. However, 41 percent said finding, hiring and retaining qualified employees remains the major challenge.

Here are some of the strategies technology companies are using to attract quality workers:

  • increase stock options or some form of ownership interest (71 percent)
  • offer flexible work hours (49 percent)
  • offer additional vacation days (23 percent)
  • offer training and development programs (35 percent)
  • provide a career growth plan (28 percent)

So, what does it take to succeed at a fast growing high tech company? According to CEOs their success can be attributed to the following qualities:

  • entrepreneurial spirit (72 percent)
  • sheer determination to succeed (66 percent)

Making a lesser contribution were factors such as technical knowledge, upbringing, luck, personal relationships, and education.

A press release of The Technology Fast 500 CEO Survey can be found at the Deloitte Website. To access the websites of the 50 Fastest Growing Technology Companies in New England visit the Web Apprentices Career Center.
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Monday, April 17, 2006

New Year, New Life

Behind every runner is a story. And today more than 22,000 stories will unfold in the 110th running of the Boston Marathon. Setting an ambitious goal, such as completing a marathon, can be uplifting for the individual and inspirational for others. I can personally attest to the power of accomplishing such a "feet" having successfully navigated the Hopkinton to Boston course in 1990. My desire to help others set and achieve this special goal lead to the publication of The Race to Boston.

If today's event fuels a desire to dream big and make a change in your life, then resources are available to help you navigate the course. Whether that change is professional or personal, having a plan and consistently implementing the plan are just a few of the cornerstones for unlocking the secrets of motivation.

You may be familiar with the work of Anthony Robbins through his infomercials and audio training products Personal Power and Get the Edge. Tony wants to help you set and achieve one significant goal of your choosing and he has offered a FREE online mini-seminar, New Year, New Life to help guide you though the process. This audio coaching service will help you turn your resolutions into actions and results.

If you find yourself inspired by the stories that will emerge from today's race, then use the power of momentum to script your own story of achievement that you can use to help inspire others next year.
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Friday, April 14, 2006

Boston Market -- April

Demand for business and financial workers surged in March as corporations staff up due to continued expansion efforts. Details of this increasing job expansion can be viewed in the Monster Employment Index which reached another all-time high last month.

In keeping with the marketing focus in the last two articles, this month's market analysis highlights a few of the technology skills needed to help businesses market their products and services.

A quick search on the "e-commerce" keyword reveals the following job listings in the greater Boston area (number of listings):

  • BostonWorks.com (77)
  • Monster.com (390)

According to an annual survey of 250 e-commerce executives conducted by the e-tailing group, "e-commerce is becoming an important, stand-alone sales channel and websites are increasingly seen as revenue generators and important profit centers." A summary of the survey can be accessed for a limited time via eMarketer.

According to the survey the top three Web-related initiatives planned for 2006 are as follows (percentage of executive responding):

  • enhanced onsite merchandising features (75%)
  • more targeted e-mail marketing programs (74%)
  • improving onsite search (70%)

If your skill-set includes knowledge and experience in these areas then your skills are in demand. To obtain knowledge and experience in these in-demand Web marketing areas consider the following FREE training plan that focuses on two popular Web development technologies that can be used to develop and maintain a company's e-commerce strategy:

ASP.NET focus:

PHP focus:

Web technology + marketing skills = career opportunities
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Tuesday, April 11, 2006

IAC Award Winners

The Web Marketing Association has announced its 2006 Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Award winners. The awards were developed to honor excellence in online advertising, recognize the individuals and organizations responsible, and showcase the award winning Internet advertising.

The judging criteria was as follows:
  • creativity
  • innovation
  • impact
  • design
  • copywriting
  • use of the medium

The Best of Show winners for 2006 are as follows:

Additional winners in the The Best of Industry award level can be accessed at the IAC Winners website.
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Monday, April 03, 2006

Wanted: Marketing Skills

Question: Where are corporate marketing departments spending their money in 2006?
Answer: Internet marketing

A survey of more than 1,700 marketing professionals at Fortune 500 companies across the United States and Canada provides insights into what areas of marketing large companies plan to focus their attention on in 2006.

More than half of all large companies plan to increase spending on Internet marketing, according to the "2006 Spending & Staffing Trends for Corporate Marketing Departments" study. Other areas receiving increased focus are brand marketing (42%) and advertising (39%).

The survey also found that an improving economy and an impending labor shortage combine to raise the following concerns among large corporations:

  • 59 percent of companies are concerned about employee retention
  • 78 percent believe employee turnover will be a challenge over the next five years
So, large companies are concerned about retention and turnover and they are looking for workers with marketing and Internet experience. Web designers and Web developers who can document Web-based marketing project expertise can position themselves today to take advantage of the opportunities of tomorrow.

To supplement your technical training with marketing knowledge sign up for one of three Web-based marketing classes:

You can review the highlights of the marketing survey in a press release or obtain a free copy by contacting Kelly Shumaker at Aquent Marketing Staffing, a Boston-based a global professional services firm.
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Monday, March 13, 2006

SXSW Web Awards

The SXSW Web Awards is an international competition that attempts to uncover "the best new websites and celebrate those who are building and implementing tomorrow's online trends." The awards focus primarily on sites that went active or were redesigned in 2005.

Sixteen categories were selected with five finalists in each category. A People's Choice Award was given to one site in each category. Here are the sixteen categories along with the respective award winner:

Amusement: Heart Attack
Art: AIGA Design Archives
Blog: Avalonstar
Business (For-Profit): Timberland: Build Your Own Boot
Business (Green/Non-Profit): GE - Geoterra
CSS: Kutztown University Communication Design
Classic: Compound Pilot
Community/Wiki: 9rules Network
Educational Resource: MAKEZine
Experimental: Meebo
Film/TV: IMAX's Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
Flash: LeapFrog/FLY
Music: Eminem.com
Personal Portfolio: David Josue Photography
Student: HipCal
Technical Achievement: Technorati

People's Choice (online public's favorite finalist): Eminem.com
Best of Show (judges favorite finalist): Technorati

For a more detailed explanation of each category visit the SXSW (South by Southwest) 9th Annual Web Awards Winners Web page. To view the additional four nominees for each category visit the Awards Finalists Web page.
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Thursday, March 09, 2006

CIO Survey - Second Quarter

Executives at firms with more than 1,000 employees plan a net 20 percent increase in IT hiring activity during the second quarter, according a survey of more than 1,400 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) at companies with more than 100 employees.

“Competition is rising for professionals skilled in the hottest applications and specialties, and multiple offers are increasingly common,” according to the executive director of Robert Half Technology, sponsors of the quarterly study.

The top three technical skill sets most in demand within their IT departments are the following (percentage of CIOs responding):
  • Microsoft Windows (NT/2000/XP) administration (81 percent)
  • Wireless network management (52 percent)
  • SQL Server management (49 percent)

The following four Web development-related skills all were mentioned as being in-demand by at least 20 percent of CIOs:

  • .NET development
  • ASP development
  • Java development
  • XML development
To learn more access a press release about the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report.
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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Boston Market -- March

This month's analysis of the Web technology marketplace in the Boston metro area is vendor-specific. Read beyond this sentence only if you are open-minded about advancing your career. The focus for March will be on developing Microsoft-centric skills.

Web design evolves into Web development when interactivity and database connectivity are added to a Website. So, database knowledge and programming skills help to differentiate a developer from a designer.

In the database arena Oracle remains king (number of listings at Monster.com):

Structured Query Language (SQL), the common language of database access, is the single most valued technology skill with more than 1000 listings!

In the skill set of Web programming Java Server Pages (JSP) holds the lead:

So, adding SQL Server and ASP.NET skills to your resume will significantly enhance career prospects.

Late last year Microsoft launched SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005. Along with these tools they announced the upgrade of ASP.NET to ASP.NET 2.0. Two new books are now on the market to help learn the Express (FREE) Editions of these two products:

Amazon offers both books together at a discounted price of only $42.88. There might not be a better training investment out there this month, except for this one . . .

Attend three Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Webcast Series seminars (FREE) and you will receive Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition software ($299 retail value) and other training materials FREE! If you have prior experience with JSP, PHP or ColdFusion, Microsoft wants to introduce you to ASP.NET 2.0. (If you have no prior experience with these technologies select the PHP option.) Webcasts begin Tuesday, March 7.

Now, if you are really into it, you can catch a 17-minute interview with Bill Gates as he discusses these and other technologies that Microsoft is building its future on. Note that this is an in-house interview from Channel 9, Microsoft's own news channel. The interviewer is not a threat to challenge Katie Couric for the coveted CBS Evening News assignment.

Microsoft has received the focus of attention this month simply because I have found no other vendor committed to providing resources to helping Web professionals develop their skills at little or no cost. If you are aware of other vendors -- Adobe (Macromedia), Oracle, IBM, Sun, to name a few -- that offer low-cost, no-cost software and training to help develop skills that are highly valued in the marketplace, then please let me know. I'll be glad to spotlight their offerings in future articles.
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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Most Admired Employees

FORTUNE magazine's Most Admired Companies list is the definitive report card on corporate reputations. The 2006 ranking has been released. The 1,000 largest U.S. companies, ranked by revenue, were included in the evaluation process. The Top 20 were determined by surveying 10,000 executives, directors and securities analysts.

The seven Most Admired Companies in Massachusetts were as follows (including location and ranking within their industry):

Rankings were based on the following criteria:

  • Innovation
  • People management
  • Use of corporate assets
  • Social responsibility
  • Quality of management
  • Financial soundness
  • Long-term investment
  • Quality of products/services

Wouldn't it be interesting if we had access to a Most Admired Employees list! Workers who made the list would be prize candidates for the best assignments. Job satisfaction would improve. Recruiters would call. Compensation would skyrocket.

While no such list exists, Ajilon Professional Staffing offers these five tips to elevate your admiration ranking in your current position:

  • Manage up. The ability to communicate with your manager in his or her own terms is essential to help you reach your career goals. Be aware of your boss’ management style and goals and communicate your ideas or plans in a similar manner.
  • Make your boss your #1 fan. Your boss’ success is tied to your success, so work with your manager to better understand his/her goals – and help achieve them!
  • Work even harder when the boss is away. Complete jobs they assigned before they return and make sure other projects did not slip through the cracks. Stay organized and pay attention to details. Before they return to the office, send them an e-mail update on the status of projects. They will appreciate this report waiting for them in their inbox.
  • Track your accomplishments. Although sometimes it’s difficult to toot your own horn, make sure your boss is aware of your accomplishments and the times you go above and beyond the call of duty so he/she knows about your successes to reward you with time off, bonuses or a raise.
  • Be a team player. Every boss likes to have his team on his side. Demonstrate that you're committed to the company, not just to your own personal goals.
Set a goal this week to improve in one of these five areas, then chart your progress. By striving to become a Most Admired Employee in your current position your reputation will grow and Most Admired Companies will seek you out for more satisfying and better paying opportunities.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

It's Tuesday morning, the day after a three-day holiday. You are sitting at your computer reviewing your e-mail and maybe wishing you were somewhere else.

It's not that you hate your job; it's just that you don't feel appreciated and don't feel your talents are being put to the best use by your current employer. If fact, according to Marcus Buckingham, half of all workers will spend half of their workday doing things they are not particularly interested in doing.

So, you might spend part of your workday going online and casually searching for another job, being careful to pull up some "real work" should your boss stop by for a visit.

Why not consider a different strategy? Why not spend part of your day -- your lunch break perhaps -- developing your network of contacts? In this third installment of a series on Internet Recruiting we will explore the concept of social networking.

Fully 60% of 200 employers surveyed say they plan to invest in social networking technology to generate referrals to fill vacant positions. Social networking Websites have been in the news lately. If you have teenage child chances are you are aware of a Website called MySpace. A similar Website called Facebook is popular with college kids. Dozens of business networking sites have sprung up over the past year of so.

All of these Websites are based on the concept that by developing a network of like-minded peers who have their own network of contacts, you can expand your network exponentially. The concept has been made popular by the trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Let's pick one business-related social network -- LinkedIn -- and explore it. Why LinkedIn? Because it's been written up in the popular press and it's the only career network I've been invited to join! Since this is a "club" you do have to be a "member" to see what goes on behind the scenes. Currently, I have one "connection" in my network -- the person who invited me. This "sponsor" is connected to three other people. These three other people have connections. All told, I am just two connections away from being in touch with 137 business professionals, all from one connection!

So, you can see that "working your network" can lead to introductions that you didn't think were possible. Even Kevin Bacon, Independent Motion Pictures and Film Professional, from Los Angeles is LinkedIn! Alas, none of my current contacts has a connection to Kevin, not yet anyway.

Two features of LinkedIn that I find particularly interesting:
  • job openings that are listed exclusively to network members, thus reducing competition and unnecessary weeding out of resumes from unqualified candidates
  • job openings that give preference to applicants with endorsements -- kind of an eBay system of obtaining references for a job well done from someone in your network, perhaps a previous boss or coworker, or a satisfied client
An increasing number of employers will use social networks to fill job vacancies. The time to start building your network is today, while the economy is good and jobs are plentiful. If you feel I am a trusted contact that you would like to continue doing business with, then by all means, visit my LinkedIn page and join my network today. It's free, it's easy, and it could lead to your next job, or better yet, an introduction to Kevin Bacon!
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Saturday, February 18, 2006

Who's Zoomin' Who?

As discussed in the previous blog, Internet Recruiting, companies looking for talent in today's marketplace are finding that employee referrals deliver the best results. In addition, recruiters are investing in social networking technologies to build their referral base.

Today's issue focuses on how you can create a Web presence, and begin establishing a referral network, even if you do not have your own Website. (Of course, if your career involves Internet technology, you should have your own Website!)

To begin, have you ever "Googled yourself?" That is, gone to a search engine like Google and typed in your own name. Some interesting results can occur, like links to documents you never knew existed or links to people with your same name who are definitely NOT YOU!

Now, have you ever "Zoomed yourself?" That is, visited a Website called ZoomInfo and typed in your name? ZoomInfo is "the search engine for discovering people, companies and relationships." Go there now, type in your first and last name, and see what you find.

Even if you have never used this Website before, it's quite possible others have, looking for information about you, and perhaps finding mixed results. The difference between ZoomInfo and Google is that you get to control your Web presence at ZoomInfo. And if you want people to find you, you want to be in control of what's being said about you.

Setting up a ZoomInfo Web summary is FREE and easy to do. To join "the largest index of people in business in the world," you can start with a basic profile in just a few minutes. Over time you can add additional information such as education, past work experience and important Website links. You don't have to add sensitive information, like your date of birth or marital status. This is a business profile and should be treated as such.

Once you are registered here's how you can use ZoomInfo to position yourself in the marketplace:

  • When sending out an e-mail use a link to your ZoomInfo Profile as part of your signature
  • Research people and companies prior to an interview or sales call
  • Use the "Connect With . . ." feature to contact a former business associate or introduce yourself to a new one
  • Use the "Add to Colleagues" feature to begin building a referral network of colleagues and associates
Recruiters are using search tools like ZoomInfo and you should be too to give yourself a competitive advantage. Little did Aretha Franklin know when she recorded Who's Zoomin' Who? (.asx file) in 1985 that her song would take on a whole new meaning in the 21st Century.
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Friday, February 17, 2006

Internet Recruiting

The score at halftime: Internet 51 Newspaper 5

Internet sources produced 51% of all hires last year, while newspaper classified ads generated just 5% of the new hires, according to a newly released study. The most popular Internet sources for new hires at leading U.S. companies were the following:
  • Corporate Employment Web Sites (21%)
  • General Job Boards (15%)
  • Niche Job Boards: (6%)
  • Social Network Web Sites (5%)
  • Commercial Resume Databases (4%)
Employers reported that they find the highest quality candidates and receive the greatest return on their investment from the following two sources:
  • their own corporate web sites
  • employee referrals
Most notably, employers report they will significantly increase employment related spending in the following key areas:
  • Corporate Employment Web Sites (74%)
  • Employee Referrals (68%)
  • Social Networking Technology (60%)
The trends are clear. If you are looking to upgrade your current job this year and do not have a presence on the Internet and do not have a network of professionals who can help refer you to opportunities, then you are at a competitive disadvantage.

The next several issues of Beantown Web will focus exclusively on this emerging trend of social networking and how you can utilize today's technology to maximize your potential for uncovering the business opportunities of tomorrow.

A press release of this report is available from DirectEmployers Association, a non-profit consortium of over 200 leading U.S. employers and operator of JobCentral.com. A more detailed summary, 2006 DirectEmployers Association Recruiting Trends, is also available in pdf format.
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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Databases: What to Know

Three truths about databases:

  • every organization has them
  • no organization can thrive without them
  • the more you know about them, the more valuable you become to the organization
The Big Three of databases are as follows:

  • Oracle
  • IBM (DB2)
  • Microsoft (SQL Server)

These three competitors combined control 85% of the $15 billion database market [1]. The marketplace provides a snapshot of their relative value. The number of job listings for each of The Big Three when searching by keyword are as follows [Monster.com listings]:

  • Oracle [ 995 ]
  • Microsoft (SQL Server) [ 506 ]
  • IBM (DB2) [ 93 ]

The common language of all databases is Structured Query Language (SQL). So, the more you know about SQL the more you'll be able to manage data regardless of which relational database management system (RDBMS) is being used.

According to a recent BusinessWeek article, Taking On the Database Giants, open-source database products are gaining ground. Of these MySQL appears to have the most momentum.

So, how does one get experience using these products? Here's a two-step plan:

Step #1: Learn SQL

Step #2: Learn one of The Big Three (SQL Server)

Why select SQL Server? Quite simply, I have not been able to identify any low-cost alternatives to learning Oracle or IBM DB2. Both products are expensive and so is the training. Microsoft, on the other hand, wants technology professionals to learn its new SQL Server 2005 product so that it can capture market share from its competitors.

[1] reference: Taking On the Database Giants
[2] note: The courses are designed for SQL Server 2005, not the Express Edition, so there my be some aspects of the course that may not apply to the 'lite' version of the product.
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Sunday, February 12, 2006

SeaMonkey Internet Suite

August 9, 1995 is considered by many historians to mark the birth of the Internet Era. On that day Netscape Communications went public and countless Internet millionaires would be minted over the next five years.

Most early Internet users experienced the World Wide Web for the first time using Netscape's Navigator software. In short order Microsoft launched Internet Explorer and today maintains a commanding lead in Web browser utilization.

Netscape's original concept was to bundle the Navigator browser with other software including Web developer tools. This design package has been resurrected by The Mozilla Foundation and has been renamed SeaMonkey Internet Suite. (Mozilla was Netscape's early mascot and the organization is also the keeper of the open-source Firefox Web browser.)

SeaMonkey 1.0 is now available for FREE public download. It's Web developer tool is called Composer, which is primarily an HTML text editor with support for JavaScript debugging. SeaMonkey is ideal for students and other budget-conscious designers and developers who want to learn the basics of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS and are not in position to purchase industry standard tollkits such as Dreamweaver, which retails for $399.

I used the SeaMonkey Composer tool to edit and upload my Recent Training section of the Web Apprentices Website and it works quite nicely for simple edits.

Designers and developers in training can download SeaMonkey and start practicing with the following FREE tutorials available from WebDevelopersNotes.com:
By the way, Netscape hasn't gone away. Netscape 8.1 is available for download and there are rumors of a Netscape 9.0 version in development.
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Monday, February 06, 2006

Open Ajax Project

Ajax is an evolving set of tools and standards for creating interactive Web applications. The Open Ajax Project is a collaborative of organizations that has been formed to focus on establishing universal compatibility for Ajax among computer hardware, operating systems, and other software programs. A few of the companies that have lent their support to the project include the following:
  • IBM
  • Google
  • Yahoo!
  • Oracle
Ajax is an acronym for "Asynchronous JavaScript and XML." It is a technique used to create a "rich internet application." Web design innovations that can be incorporated into a website using Ajax include the following:
  • updating portions of a Web page automatically
  • checking information submitted (order form information, for example)
  • dragging-and-dropping objects inside a Web browser
Web designers and developers are invited to attend a FREE Ajax seminar hosted by IBM at their Cambridge office. The seminar is Tuesday, February 7 at 6:30 pm. To attend you must register at the PHP Boston Chapter Website.

Since JavaScript and XML are languages used to create this technique, they should also be in the toolkit of every Web designer and developer who wants to stay current on emerging design and development trends. To get started with XML, you can sign up for Introduction to XML, a FREE online course conducted via the HP Learning Center. The eight-lesson course begins Thursday, February 16.
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Saturday, February 04, 2006

Big Demand, Big Pay

Which job-hunting workers are in a solid position to negotiate better pay in 2006? According to CNNMoney.com, in coordination with Spherion, a national staffing and recruiting firm, the most in-demand workers are concentrated in five arenas as follows:

  • Accounting
  • Sales and marketing
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Manufacturing and engineering

So, what is the one skill that is most in-demand in the technology arena? "Developers who are expert users of Microsoft's software programming language .NET can make between $75,000 and $85,000 a year in major cities when they're starting out," according to the author of this staffing analysis.

Here is a six-step, zero-cost plan to introduce yourself to Microsoft .NET:

  1. Review What is .NET? [FREE]
  2. Complete the Microsoft .NET Tutorial [FREE]
  3. Review Why ASP.NET? [FREE]
  4. Download ASP.NET Web Matrix [FREE]
  5. Take the Web Matrix Guided Tour [FREE]
  6. Complete the ASP.NET Tutorial [FREE]
The average IT worker spends $2,200 on training and education annually and invests approximately 11 hours a week to learn new skills and technologies, according to a recent survey by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). The 12 hours a week you invest (you are better than average) developing your .NET skills will be handsomely rewarded.
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Thursday, February 02, 2006

Boston Market -- February

The Monster Employment Index hit another all-time high in January -- its ninth new high in the last 13 months -- indicating strong job demand. "Online opportunities for white-collar workers in accounting, IT and legal professions surge, demonstrating broad strength in business services," according to a Monster press release.

Businesses are actively acquiring technology talent, but only professionals with the right skill sets and requisite experience. One way to gauge the current demand is through a keyword search on specific technology skills at selective online job sites. Beantown Web monitors two sites: BostonWorks and Monster.

Skills sets are grouped into four categories: Tools, Acronyms, Containers, and Knowledge (TACK). A few of the common keywords associated with Web design and Web development jobs include the following:

Note: the numbers in parentheses indicate the number of job postings that list that keyword in the job description. [ First number: BostonWorks.com ][ Second number: Monster.com ]

Tools (software)

  • Photoshop [ 77 ][184]
  • Flash [ 48 ][ 36 ]
  • Dreamweaver [ 31 ][ 57 ]
  • Visual Studio [ 25 ][ 70 ]

Acronyms (languages)

Containers (databases)

Knowledge (certifications)

  • The demand for certified professionals varies by discipline. All things being equal certification helps to distinguish you from your competition. An appropriate certification entry point for Web design and Web development professionals is Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW). For a complete listing of all technology certifications, along with links to the appropriate certification Website, be sure to check out the Web Apprentices Career Center.

A few quick observations:

  • Monster.com consistently lists twice as many opportunities as BostonWorks.com
  • Acronym (language) skills are in greater demand than Tool (software) skills
  • Container (database) skills are in greater demand than Tool (software) skills
Web designers and Web developers who want to advance their careers should focus on one Acronym (language) and one Container (database) and set a near-term goal to obtain additional training and experience. Feel free to check out my "Tour Dates" (right-hand column) for training opportunities in the coming months. You have a choice of attending a traditional "classroom" workshop or beaming me directly into your PC for a "virtual" training session!
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