IT Hiring Index & Skills Report | Q4 2008

"Organizations are directing recruitment efforts toward professionals who can . . . support the launch of Web 2.0 based functionality."

This is one conclusion reached as a result of a quarterly survey of Chief Information Officers (CIOs).

Robert Half Technology

According to a quarterly hiring index compiled by Robert Half Technology there will be a net increase in hiring in the greater Boston area during the fourth quarter. Here are the hiring plans for Boston Metro area technology executives according to The Boston Globe:

• 13 percent plan to add staff
• 5 percent anticipate personnel reductions

Skills in Demand

While Web professionals are not the top hiring priority for CIOs, Web development / website design skills are valued by 42% of those surveyed.

The Skills Behind Web 2.0

Earlier this year PC World published an article by Katherine Spencer Lee, the same Robert Half Technology executive who announces the quarterly skills report. In the article entitled Web 2.0: The Skills Behind the Buzzword she outlined many of the skills that she feels comprise a Web 2.0 skillset including the following:

• Microsoft .NET
• Ajax
• JavaScript
• (X)HTML
• CSS

Boston Market

All of the skills mentioned above are in the Top 20 listed in the right-hand column. The September Boston Market Report reveals that "Web 2.0" is in 24th position on the skills-in-demand list ahead of the following popular design-oriented skills:

• Dreamweaver | #25
• InDesign | #34
• Fireworks | #46

Adding Web 2.0 skills and experience to your resume will not only help open up doors with technology executives, they may even make you the coolest kid on your block!

Boston Market | September 2008

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:

• ASP.NET | 191
  
• MySQL | 153
  
• PHP | 145
  

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:

• Web Developer | 88
  
• Web Designer | 30
  
• Graphic Designer | 26
  

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:

1. Dice
2. RealMatch!
3. Smuz
4. Jobfox
5. Doostang
6. The Laddders
7. Jobs in Pods
8. Thingamajob
9. Computerwork.com
10. CareerOneStop
11. Glassdoor.com
12. Vault.com
13. Job.com
14. JobSniper
15. Blue Chip Expert
16. JobWarehouse.com
17. Careerjet.com
18. Indeed
19. Simply Hired
20. 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.

Fastest Growing Private Companies | 2008

Inc. magazine has revealed its 27th annual ranking of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America.

The second annual Inc 5000 provides an expanded version of this analysis.

Only Utah exceeded Massachusetts in terms of the number of companies making the expanded list when compared to state population.

Boston Area Map

The most popular cities in the Boston metro area for fast growing companies were the following:

• Boston | 17
• Waltham | 10
• Burlington | 5
• Dover, NH | 5
• Cambridge | 4
• Framingham | 4
• Wakefield | 4
• Woburn | 4

Fastest Growing Metro Boston Companies

Fast growing companies need qualified employees to help the organization maintain its growth trajectory. Here are the 100 fastest growing private companies in the Boston metro area:

[ Note: Log in to your LinkedIn account in a separate tab, then click the "in" icon below to reveal your LinkedIn contacts at that company. ]

1. Senior Whole Health | Cambridge
2. Nantero | Woburn
3. Innovative Foods | Wilmington
4. Ahura Scientific | Wilmington
5. Smart Destinations | Boston
6. Hillery Holding | Boston
7. DestinationWeddings.com | Framingham
8. SANBlaze Technology | Maynard
9. Infoscitex | Waltham
10. eIQnetworks | Acton
11. Avention | Lawrence
12. Planet Shoes | Waltham
13. MindLeaf Technologies | Bedford
14. TalentBurst | Natick
15. Acronis | Burlington
16. Zipcar | Cambridge
17. S4 | Burlington
18. SOURCEntra | Framingham
19. CSN Stores | Boston
20. 21st Century Biochemicals | Marlborough
21. Sell My Timeshare Now | Dover, NH
22. Everon Technology Services | Boston
23. Treeline | Wakefield
24. AccountAbility Outsourcing | Newton Lower Falls
25. K Logix | Brookline
26. Planet Fitness | Dover, NH
27. The Brookeside Group | Acton
28. Plenus Group | Lowell
29. Syrinx Consulting | Waltham
30. Comfortsource.com | Waltham
31. Bullhorn | Boston
32. KaZaK Composites | Woburn
33. NitroSecurity, Inc. | Portsmouth, NH
34. Incendia Partners | Framingham
35. Overdrive Interactive | Boston
36. AgencyPort Insurance Services | Boston
37. Communispace | Watertown
38. Litle & Co. | Lowell
39. Astaro | Burlington
40. Observant | Waltham
41. Compete | Boston
42. WorldAPP | Braintree
43. Accounting Management Solutions | Waltham
44. NameMedia | Waltham
45. Wellesley Hills Group | Framingham
46. Integrated Process Technologies | Devens
47. Isis Maternity | Needham
48. DB Healthcare | Burlington
49. Beacon Hill Staffing Group | Boston
50. Veroxity Technology Partners | Bedford
51. PepperDash Technology | Allston
52. Recycline, Inc. | Waltham
53. Granite Telecommunications | Quincy
54. BioTrove | Woburn
55. Synergic Solutions | Chelmsford
56. Moonrock Paper Company | Burlington
57. PeopleServe | Chestnut Hill
58. Satuit Technologies | Norwell
59. Sagent Healthstaff | Wellesley
60. Salient Surgical Technologies | Dover, NH
61. Resourcesoft | Marlborough
62. OpenAir | Boston
63. Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation | Boston
64. PHT Corporation | Boston
65. Gomez | Lexington
66. FlyPrivate | Hingham
67. Grandstream Networks | Brookline
68. Agility Manufacturing | Dover, NH
69. J. Calnan & Associates | Quincy
70. ZoomInfo | Waltham
71. Jets.com | Quincy
72. Liquid Advertising | Boston
73. Turbine | Westwood
74. Beacon Partners | Weymouth
75. IntrinsiQ | Waltham
76. Tri Wire Engineering Solutions | Tewksbury
77. ITA Software | Cambridge
78. SmartPak Equine | Plymouth
79. Commodore Builders | Newton
80. Agiltron | Woburn
81. Oasis Systems | Lexington
82. PENSCO Trust Company | Portsmouth, NH
83. Picis | Wakefield
84. Lawrence Pumps | Lawrence
85. Xfact | North Andover
86. RewardsNOW | Dover, NH
87. Ambient Devices | Cambridge
88. Roxbury Technology | Jamaica Plain
89. Merchant Warehouse | Boston
90. Collegeboxes | Boston
91. M.J. Scully & Co. | Wilmington
92. Verndale | Boston
93. Display Solutions | Hudson
94. Fulgent Media Group | Boston
95. Iatric Systems | Boxford
96. iMarc | Newburyport
97. Odyssey Systems Consulting Group | Wakefield
98. Glance Networks | Arlington
99. Eliassen Group | Wakefield
100. Leader Bank | Arlington

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 believe you can excel in a fast growing organization, then tap into your LinkedIn network to gain an introduction into that organization and explore ways in which you can add your unique value to their operation.

Boston Market | August 2008

News Flash #1

In July the unemployment rate in the United States rose to its highest level (5.7%) in more than four years. There has been a net loss of more than 460,000 jobs in the U.S. since the beginning of 2008 according to Bloomberg.com. In general, Massachusetts is fairing better than the national economy. The statewide unemployment rate stands at 5.2% according to the Boston Business Journal.

News Flash #2

In July employment in the information technology (IT) professions reached an all-time high. The report by the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses (NACCB) covers the most recent data from June and a press release is available from Reuters. NACCB issues its IT Employment Index (pdf) monthly.

While the roof appears to be collapsing in the overall economy, workers in Massachusetts are fairing better than most and workers with information technology skills remain a valuable commodity.

Boston Market

The Boston Web technology marketplace continues its cautious rebound from two dramatically down months in April and May. The Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for August and appears in the right-hand column.

Five of the top six technologies have demonstrated an increase in job postings for the second month in a row. The six most in-demand technologies are as follows:

1. SQL
2. Oracle
3. Java
4. XML
5. SQL Server
6. JavaScript
   

Only Java opportunities are down this month, and only by six job postings. Of the remaining 14 technologies, two technologies posted increases for the second month in a row. These technologies are as follows:

• Web Services | #9
  
• PHP | #18
  

These trends are quite remarkable given that June and July are traditionally slow hiring months -- even in a strong economy!

Implications

One conclusion that can be inferred from the data might be that Web 2.0 skills are in demand. Web 1.0 websites are static. Web 2.0 websites are interactive. While (X)HTML and CSS skills are required to build a Web 1.0 site, two additional skills are required to transform that site into an interactive site that engages viewers and prompts potential customers to take action. Those skill categories are as follows:

• programming > Java, JavaScript, Web Services, PHP
  
• databases > SQL, Oracle, XML, SQL Server

August Opportunities

The best training opportunity for August is the following:

• XML: Introduction

This FREE online course is brought to you by the HP Learning Center. Registration has begun and the first of six lessons has been posted.

The best networking opportunities for August are the following:

• SocialMediaCampBoston | Tuesday, August 5, 11:00 am
• SummerMash Boston | Tuesday, August 5, 7:00 pm

TECH cocktail Boston 2

TECH cocktail is returning to Boston this week and you are invited to attend.

TECH cocktail is a social event co-founded by Eric Olson, a Massachusetts native and Bentley College alumnus. Previous events have been held in the following cities:

• Chicago
• Washington, D.C.
• Boulder
• Boston

This is the second visit to Boston.

TECH cocktail looks to help Boston and other technology communities "amplify the technology signal and have fun doing it."

A handful of startups will be present to show off their Web 2.0 businesses in an expo-style to the rest of the Boston community.

Who Should Attend?

The guest list includes primarily developers, designers and entrepreneurs:

More than 300 guests have preregistered. Check the Attendee List to see if this a networking event that you might find valuable.

Details:

Location: Tequila Rain, Boston (map)

Date: Thursday, July 24, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Price: FREE (with nominal donation)

Registration: RSVP required

For additional information visit TECH cocktail. Also, consider joining the TECH cocktail Attendee Group on LinkedIn and begin networking with more than 50 attendees in the Boston area and more than 700 attendees globally.

Boston Market | 3rd Quarter, 2008

The Boston Market for Web technology jobs has rebounded after two dramatically down months. There are more job postings this month than last month for 19 out of 20 popular Web technologies.

Top 20 Web Technologies

The list of the most in-demand Web-related technologies has been updated and appears in the right-hand column along with links to job postings for that technology at Boston.com.

This quarterly report of the job market goes deeper than the monthly Boston Market updates. In particular, let's explore the remaining technologies that comprise the Top 50 most in-demand Web-related skills in Boston.

The Top 30

Rounding out the Top 30 are the following 10 technologies:

21. IIS [ 104 ]
22. Python [ 102 ]
23. Visual Studio [ 99 ]
24. Web 2.0 [ 98 ]
25. DHTML [ 91 ]
26. Tomcat [ 85 ]
27. Acrobat [ 81 ]
28. SEO [ 77 ]
29. XHTML [ 75 ]
30. InDesign [ 71 ]

Of these technologies the most valuable might be Visual Studio (#23) because it is the centerpiece tool for developing Microsoft-centric Web applications that incorporate SQL Server (#5), the C# programming language (#7), Web Services (#10), Ajax (#14) and ASP.NET (#15).

The Top 40

Rounding out the Top 40 are the following 10 technologies:

31. Dreamweaver [ 67 ]
32. "Content Management System" [ 67 ]
33. Quark [ 57 ]
34. Struts [ 54 ]
35. DB2 [ 52 ]
36. Ruby [ 51 ]
37. social networking [ 47 ]
38. ActionScript [ 34 ]
39. VBScript [ 33 ]
40. blog [ 32 ]

Of these technologies the most valuable might be Ruby (#36). A report at Dice.com called Expanding Opportunities in Open Source Software reveals that the open source Web development framework Ruby on Rails is in demand.

The Top 50

Rounding out the Top 50 are the following 10 technologies:

41. ColdFusion [ 29 ]
42. DOM [ 28 ]
43. "Web standards" [ 28 ]
44. Rails [ 26 ]
45. Fireworks [ 25 ]
46. wiki [ 20 ]
47. QuarkXPress [ 19 ]
48. WSDL [ 17 ]
49. Adobe + Flex [ 14 ]
50. CS3 [ 14 ]
    

Of these technologies the most valuable might be Rails (#44) because it is part of the Ruby on Rails web application framework.

Out of Playoff Contention

Popular Web-related technologies that don't make the Top 50 include the following:

• Silverlight [ 11 ]
• Drupal [ 10 ]
  
• WordPress [ 7 ]
  
• Adobe AIR [ 3 ]
  

It's not that these technologies are not valuable, it is simply that there is little market demand for Web professionals with expertise in these skills compared to the Top 20 Web Technologies.

FREE Online Training Courses

Learning a new skill is just a mouse click away. If you are new to the collection of Top 20 skills supported in the Microsoft development environment (SQL Server, C#, Web Services, Ajax and ASP.NET) you might want to start with the following FREE online seminar:

ASP.NET 2.0: Building Applications

• started Tuesday, July 1
• continues weekly for five weeks

While the current version is ASP.NET 3.5 this gentle introduction provides and overview of Microsoft's approach to Web development.

The following two FREE training opportunities are much more in-depth and offer a certificate upon completion:

Ruby, JRuby, and Rails Application Development (with Passion!)

• starts Tuesday, July 15
• continues weekly for 19 weeks

Ajax and Web 2.0 Programming (with Passion!)

• starts Wednesday, July 30
• continues weekly for 20 weeks

Of these three technologies -- ASP.NET, Ajax, "Ruby on Rails" -- ASP.NET offers the most opportunities in the current marketplace as evident by the chart below.

However, Ajax and "Ruby on Rails" are two of the fastest growing technologies in the marketplace as evident by the chart below.

Check out Indeed's Job Trends to compare the absolute and relative values of your current skill set.

Web Innovators Group | WebInno18

If you are interested in previewing the latest innovations on the Internet and mobile devices, check out the next gathering of the Web Innovators Group.

This 18th installment (WebInno18) will feature the following presentations (click the "in" icon to reveal your LinkedIn contacts at each company):

Main Dishes

• TotSpot | a place for parents to publish a page about their kids and share with family and friends -- part online babybook, parent journal, and social network.


• WebNotes | a tool that helps you create and manage online annotations -- you can highlight text and stick notes to web pages.


• Zeer | "You are what you eat" -- you can research grocery products in advance, read reviews, obtain nutritional info, join communities that match your needs, and more.

Side Dishes

• 211me | personalized mobile mashups


• WordChamp | the language learning network


• PaperG | promote your local business or organization online


• CreaturePark | Ingeeni Studios | artificial intelligence technologies for online interactive entertainment


• YouCastr | a real-time, interactive, global sports network


• LuckyCal | get more out of your calendar than you put in


• Snipd | Stealth

Details

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of several hundred pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with more than 600 members.

What is LinkedIn? Check out this video on how LinkedIn works.

SummerMash Boston

Mashable.com has announced its U.S. Summer Tour for 2008 and Boston is one of seven destinations.

Mashable.com is one of the Top 10 most popular blogs in the world according to Technorati.com. It focuses on providing up-to-the-minute news about the Web 2.0 phenomenon that is social networking. It was started by Pete Cashmore in a small town in the north of Scotland.

U.S. Summer Tour 2008

The Mashable Summer Tour will feature a social networking event in each city. Each event will feature the following:

• approximately 500 to 900 attendees
• networking opportunities
• formal introductions to the sponsors
• raffle prizes
• giveaways
• music
  
• drink tickets
• light appetizers

Here are the locations and dates for Mashable's US Summer Tour 2008:

• Seattle | July 12
• San Francisco | July 15
• Los Angeles | July 18
• Austin | July 30
• Miami | August 2
• Boston | August 5
• New York City | August 7

SummerMash Boston

Here are the details of the Boston event:

• When: Tuesday, August 5th, 7:00 - 10:00 PM
• Where: The Roxy | directions & map

Local sponsors include the following (click the "in" icon to reveal your LinkedIn contacts at each company):

• Trip Advisor | Newton
• W3 Edge | Boston

Additional local sponsors will be included as the event draws near.

Registration is required and is available online via Eventbrite. The cost is $17 for the first 100 to register by August 4. Additional tickets will be made available for $21 after the first slots are filled.

Expand Your Network

If you are a Web Designer/Developer and want to learn more about Web 2.0 and social networking then your action plan is as follows:

• check out Mashable
• sign up for SummerMash Boston
• join the LinkedIn Fans of Mashable Group

IT Salary Survey | 2008

According to the recently released Cybercities 2008 report, Boston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. in terms of technology employment. The top four cities are as follows:

• New York Metro Area
• Washington, DC
• San Jose/Silicon Valley
• Boston

The Boston metro area employed approximately 192,000 tech workers in 2006, according to the report. The average tech worker in Boston earned approximately $95,000.

IT Salary Survey | 2008

More recent salary data can be found in the annual InformationWeek U.S. IT Salary Survey. The average information technology (IT) manager earns $103,000 (bonus included). Median base pay according to the survey:

• staff | $73,000 (+ $3,000 bonus)
• managers | $96,000 (+ $7,000 bonus)

Half of staffers and two-thirds of managers receive bonuses.

Median total compensation for staff with the "programmer" title comes in at $66,000.

Critical Job Skills

Half of IT staffers identify the following as their most critical job skills:

• aligning business and technology goals
• interacting with customers
• analyzing data

For IT managers the critical skills are as follows:

• business technology alignment
• the ability to communicate and collaborate with internal stakeholders
• the ability to communicate and collaborate with customers

Salary by Job Function

"There are some jobs that are seeing an uptick in salary, particularly those with Web design and development roles," according to an excerpt of the full report that is available for purchase.

None-the-less, "Web content management" ranks as one of the lowest paid IT management functions. Here are the highest and lowest paid management functions:

Highest Paid Management Functions:

• Data mining/data warehouse | $130,000
• Web infrastructure | $121,000
• Wireless infrastructure | $121,000
  

Lowest Paid Management Functions:

• Training | $79,000
• Web content development | $75,000
• Help desk/IT support | $72,000

This data is reported in an annual survey of more than 9,000 workers across 20 IT job functions and management positions. An InformationWeek article provides additional insight. A slide show is also available summarizing the results.

Bottom Line

Based on this compensation survey the surest route to a six-figure paycheck in the technology marketplace is to improve in the following four areas:

• acquire additional technical skills, especially data analysis
  
• improve communication & collaboration skills
• develop business skills
• assume managerial responsibilities

By helping a business enterprise improve it's bottom line you can help improve yours.

Firefox Download Day

Firefox Download Day is scheduled for Tuesday, June 17. On this day Mozilla will officially release the Firefox 3 Web browser from beta. The current release is Firefox 2.

The Mozilla Foundation is looking to set the Guinness World Record for Most Software Downloaded in 24 Hours and they are asking for your help.

Why Get Involved

Most Web Designers/Developers prefer working with standards-compliant Web browsers like Firefox. Non-compliant browsers, like Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (IE 6), simply create extra work for coders whose job it is to make Web pages work equally well in all major browsers. By spreading the word about Firefox Download Day, Web professionals can help educate less-informed Web users on the benefits of designing with Web Standards.

To participate simply access the Firefox Download Day website and click the Pledge Now! button. More than one million Internet users have made the pledge to download Firefox 3 on Tuesday.

Additionally, you can join a Firefox 3 World Record Facebook group to help promote the event.

Practical Implications

Beantown Web reports on Web browser usage statistics and posts these figures in the right hand column. According to NetApplications.com the current Browser Version Market Share is as follows:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 | 46%
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 | 28%
• Firefox 2.0 | 17%
• Safari 3.0 | 4%
• Other | 5%

Currently, Internet Explorer 6.0 is more popular than Firefox 2.0 in viewing Web pages. Firefox Download Day will help raise awareness about the value of the Firefox viewing experience. However, the campaign may not have much affect in converting IE 6 users to Firefox 3 users. For that we turn to another campaign.

Say No To IE 6!

The Say No To IE 6! campaign from SaveTheDevelopers.org focuses on assisting users in upgrading their Internet Explorer 6.0 web browser.

"This campaign will result in former IE 6 users having a more enjoyable experience on the web while (hopefully) creating a less stressful and complicated environment for web developers by hastening the retirement of an outdated browser."

Here's how it works:

• Simply add one line of javascript code to any web page.
• If the page is viewed using IE 6 the browser will activate a clickable dropdown image (below) that will encourage the viewer to upgrade to the much-improved IE 7 version.

Access the Save The Developers website to see how it works and to obtain the code.

Get Out The Vote

No matter which candidate you prefer, Firefox Download Day or Say No To IE 6!, this Tuesday presents a unique educational opportunity to help inform the casual Web user of the value of using a standards-compliant browser.

Join a campaign and spread the word today!

Update: Firefox 3 Downloaded 8.3 Million Times in First 24 Hours

Best Places to Work | 2008

Yesterday, the Boston Business Journal honored the 2008 Top 60 Best Places to Work in Greater Boston.

Best Places to Work

The best work environments usually attract the best employees. Here are the 60 best places to work in metro Boston based on input from a 38-question online survey taken by workers throughout Massachusetts.

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.

Small Companies (between 20 and 100 Massachusetts employees)

1. Treeline, Inc. | Wakefield
2. Oasis Technology Partners | Boston
3. Fama PR | Cambridge
   
4. John Galt Staffing, Inc. | Burlington
5. Longfellow Benefits | Boston
6. Atlantic Associates, Inc. | West Roxbury
   
7. The Travel Collaborative | Somerville
8. CM&B, Inc. | Lynnfield
9. MaidPro Franchising | Boston
10. CresaPartners | Boston
11. Vlingo Corp. | Cambridge
12. Matter Communications, Inc. | Newburyport
13. Insight Direct | Boston
14. The Pentad Group | Wellesley Hills
15. Cadence Capital Management | Boston
16. The Mount Vernon Company | Boston
17. OnForce | Lexington
18. Memento, Inc. | Concord
19. SwervePoint, LLC | Middleton
20. Copanion, Inc. | Andover

Mid-Sized Companies (between 101 and 500 Massachusetts employees)

1. Google, Inc. | Cambridge
2. Commonwealth Financial Network | Waltham
3. Eze Castle Software | Boston
4. The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common | Boston
5. Triumvirate Environmental | Somerville
6. Suffolk Construction Company | Boston
   
7. Bromberg & Sunstein LLP | Boston
   
8. The Winter, Wyman Companies | Waltham
9. SolidWorks Corporation | Concord
10. Consigli Construction Company, Inc. | Milford
11. Gilbane Building Company | Boston
12. Kforce Professional Staffing | Boston
13. EnerNOC, Inc. | Boston
14. Communispace Corporation | Watertown
    
15. Ahura Scientific | Wilmington
    
16. Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP | Boston
    
17. VistaPrint | Lexington
18. Infinity Pharmaceuticals | Cambridge
19. Sapphire Technologies | Woburn
20. Tofias PC | Cambridge

Large Companies (more than 500 Massachusetts employees)

1. Winchester Hospital | Winchester
2. Microsoft Corporation | Waltham & Cambridge
3. Shawmut Design & Construction | Boston
4. Seaport Companies | Boston
5. Bingham McCutchen LLP | Boston
6. Hallmark Health System | Melrose
7. Comcast Corporation | multiple locations
8. Mount Auburn Hospital | Cambridge
9. Vertex Pharmaceuticals | Cambridge
10. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | Wellesley
11. New England Baptist Hospital | Boston
12. Digitas | Boston
13. Bright Horizons Family Solutions | Watertown
14. American Student Assistance | Boston
15. Newton-Wellesley Hospital | Newton
16. KPMG LLP | Boston
17. Sun Microsystems | Burlington
18. TechTarget | Needham
    
19. Genzyme Corporation | Cambridge
20. International Data Group | Framingham

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 believe you are one of the best employees and want to work for one of the best employers, then tap into your LinkedIn network to gain an introduction into that organization and explore ways in which you can add your unique value to their operation.

Survey of Design Salaries | 2008

The most comprehensive survey of compensation for the communication design profession in the United States has just been released. More than 6,400 design professionals participated. More than 280 participants were from the greater Boston area.

What Designers Do

The top four production areas for design professionals are as follows:

• advertising/marketing/sales materials | 70%
• corporate identity | 65%
• web design | 63%
• brand/packaging design | 50%

Where Designers Work

Design professionals work in many settings. Here are the top three descriptions for the type of organizational work setting:

• in-house design department | 29%
• design studio or consultancy | 21%
• freelance or self-employed (solo designer) | 16%

The vast majority of respondents (87%) work in a for-profit environment. One in ten work in a not-for-profit environment. Only 3% work in a government setting.

What Designers Earn

Median salaries for various design-related titles in the greater Boston area are as follows:

• Designer (entry level) | $40,000
• Designer | $47,000
• Web Designer | $60,000
• Senior Designer | $65,000
• Web Developer | N/A
• Web Programmer | N/A

There were not enough survey respondents to calculate Boston salaries for Web Developers and Web Programmers. (These professionals typically do not affiliate with the organizations that the survey drew respondents from.) However, assumptions and projections can be made.

A Web Designer in Boston earns an $8,000 premium over the national average ($60,000 vs. $52,000). Applying this $8,000 premium to the national averages for Web Programmer ($62,400) and Web developer ($65,000) yields the following projected median salaries for these job titles in the greater Boston area:

• Web Programmer | $70,400
• Web Developer | $73,000

A website has been set up to review the The AIGA|Aquent Survey of Design Salaries. Access the Salary Calculator to benchmark the compensation for your job title and region of the country. Download a copy (pdf) of the entire 2008 survey to review the detailed findings.

Boston Market | June 2008

Robert Half Technology's quarterly IT Hiring Index and Skills Report was released this week. During the third quarter (July, August and September) more than three times as many chief information officers (CIOs) in the greater Boston area expect to add to their staff than reduce their staff:

• increase staff | 10%
• decrease staff | 3%

The vast majority of CIOs anticipate no change in staffing requirements.

IT Skills in Demand

Here are the Web-related skills that CIOs will be looking for over the next three months:

• Database management | 63%
• Microsoft .NET development | 24%
• Java development | 21%
• XML development | 18%
• Open source development | 18%

Boston Market

While CIO's remain optimistic about the next 90 days, the technology marketplace has shown considerable slowdown in the past 60 days. In early May demand fell for 19 of the Top 20 skills. This month demand fell further for all 20 of the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston. This list has been updated and appears in the right-hand column along with direct links to job postings for that skill.

This slowdown reflects, in part, a seasonal adjustment not uncommon as the summer months arrive. None-the-less, the average demand for Top 20 skills as represented by job listings that mention those skills is down 37% on average over the past 60 days.

Demand has declined the least for the following skills:

• HTML & CSS | 26%
• Flash | 26%
• Photoshop | 28%
• Ajax | 29%

Demand has declined the most for the following skills:

• ASP.NET | 50%
• Oracle | 47%

The Next Step

Web technology professionals looking to land work or upgrade to a higher-paying position should redouble their efforts over the summer months while others might become distracted.

Two areas to set measurable goals over the next 90 days are as follows:

• expand your skill-set
• expand your professional network

Stop . . . Start

One strategy to help focus your training efforts is to borrow a page from IBM's recent print advertising campaign:

"Stop selling what you have. Start selling what they need."

The professionals who manage information (CIOs) are telling us that they need database managers and developers (programmers) to provide access to that information. The survey results above correlate directly with the Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston listed on the right.

Here is a three-step plan for the next 90 days:

• Identify one Top 20 skill that you would like to improve | June
  
• Set out on a course of study by investing in a book | July
  
• Demonstrate your new skill in a Web-related project | August
  

Come Labor Day you'll be one step ahead of your competition at a time when organizations are likely to refocus their energies on expanding their workforce.

New England's Digital Industry

MITX invented a new acronym -- DMM&T.

The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) released a study that identifies New England’s digital marketing, media, and technology (DMM&T) industry.

DMM&T Snapshot

Here is a quick look at the Massachusetts DMM&T economy by the numbers:

• approximately 78,000 professionals practice in this industry
• approximately 2,400 organizations are affiliated with this industry

The top 10 DMM&T cities in the Boston metro area by number of employees are as follows:

1. Boston
2. Cambridge
3. Waltham
4. Burlington
   
5. Marlborough
6. Lexington
7. Nashua, NH
8. Newton
9. Woburn
10. Andover

As you can see from the Wayfaring map, career opportunities are focused north and west of the city of Boston.

DMM&T Future Looks Bright

MITX members expect staffing to grow an average of six percent during 2008. Revenue is projected to expand by 14 percent over last year.

When questioned how the current economy has affected growth prospects, more than a third of survey respondents replied "not at all." Only five percent indicated that the current economy is significantly affecting growth.

According to Kiki Mills, MITX Executive Director:

"We’ve all seen the headlines – softening economy, enterprises retrenching and downsizing underway. However, the MITX constituency is bucking the trend with growth and expansion."

"MITX members tell us that a key challenge will be recruiting and retaining digital marketing and media technology talent. We're working to get the word out to graduates in the region that they can build their careers right here in the Bay State."

A summary of these findings is available via an MITX press release including contact information for obtaining the detailed study results.