Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q2 2013

Nearly nine out of 10 startup executives plan to hire technology workers this year.  This compares to "only" two out of three hiring managers from a broader range of companies who expect to add tech workers during the first half of 2013.

Details are available at Tech Startups See Increased Hiring, available from Dice.com.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

On a local level, the demand for Web tech professionals continues to be strong in the Boston metro area.

The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the second quarter. It appears in the right-hand column and below.  The list is based on keyword searches in job postings at Indeed.com. The most in-demand keywords are listed more frequently than less in-demand keywords.

Indeed.com is a meta-search engine that offers a maximum number of search possibilities.  All searches encompass a 25-mile radius of Boston.  Search parameters can be adjusted to fit your personal needs.

Here are the Four Biggest Movers from the Top 20 Technologies, comparing early June postings to early March postings, listed by overall ranking and percentage increase:

1. ASP.NET | #20 32%
2. agile * | #4 23%
   
3. jQuery | #13 21%
4. Ruby | #19 21%
   
   * Note: While "agile" is not a technology, it is a process used in technology development and this keyword appears in more technology job descriptions that almost any other keyword.

Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 20 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [ or from early March ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

June, 2013

1. SQL | 4,741 15%
2. Java | 3,579 05%
3. Oracle | 3,259 16%
4. agile | 2,709 23%
5. JavaScript | 2,535 14%
6. SQL Server | 1,723 19%
7. C# | 1,610 16%
8. XML | 1,510 01%
9. Python | 1,450 09%
10. "Web Services" | 1,416 12%
11. Social Media | 1,371 17%
12. HTML + CSS | 1,350 14%
13. jQuery | 1,208 21%
14. SaaS | 1,117 09%
15. UI | 992 06%
16. Perl | 987 04%
17. MySQL | 951 05%
18. Ajax | 913 11%
19. Ruby | 888 21%
20. ASP.NET | 846 32%

An expanded version of this list -- Boston's Top 100 Web Technologies -- is being counted down for the next three months @webapprentices.

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Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q2 2013

 
Six is the magic number.  As in ...

• Six Sigma
• Six Pack Abs 
• Six Feet Under

You need Six to make The List -- The Boston Rockstar Recruiter list.

• Six recommendations from adoring fans

Boston's Top 100 Technology Recruiters

In the fall of 2012 Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?"  Welcome to the third installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 300 technology recruiters via LinkedIn.  Most are located in the Boston area.  Some are located in New Hampshire and Rhode Island and conduct a significant amount of business in the Boston area.

Beantown Web then turned to LinkedIn to identify customer satisfaction scores.  In particular, how many people were willing to provide a public recommendation for that recruiter?

Rock 'n Rollers have gold albums.  The rest of us mere mortals have to make due with Recommendations.

The market for Rockstar Recruiters is heating up.  In order for a recruiter to make the inaugural Boston Rockstar Recruiter List a mere three LinkedIn recommendations was enough to merit Rockstar status.  Last quarter the bar was raised to at least five recommendations.  This quarter the Platinum number is six recommendations.  One in three technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status.

Boston's Top 10 Technology Recruiters

Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters play to packed houses and receive standing ovations.  The best in the biz have received at least 34 Rockommendations from adoring fans, up from 29 last quarter.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the second quarter of 2013 [number of LinkedIn recommendations]:

1. Scott Dunlop [96] -- The Bivium Group
2. John VanderSande [62] -- WinterWyman
3. Jamie LeBlanc [53] -- The Bivium Group
4. Chris Fountas [50] -- AVID Technical Resources
5. Robin Napier [45] -- CyberCoders
6. Doug Schade [43] -- Winter Wyman
7. Brendan Andersen [39] -- CyberCoders
8. Leanne Owens [38] -- Onward Search
9. David Honig [34] -- MarketSearch 
10. Bill Sullivan [34] -- Rakuten Loyalty

Three companies have each placed two recruiters in the Top 10:

•  The Bivium Group
•  WinterWyman
•  CyberCoders

Could these three recruiting companies be the Super Groups of the Boston area?  Aerosmith?  The Cars? The J. Geils Band?

The Boston Rockstar Recruiter Countdown begins @webapprentices and will continue throughout the second quarter listing all 97 Boston Rockstar Recruiters.  Simply follow @webapprentices and connect with your favorite Boston Rockstar Recruiter each day.

If you are aware of a Boston-based Technology Recruiter who has garnered at least six LinkedIn recommendations, go to Beantown Web on Facebook and share your Rockstar Recruiter selection with our readers.  Rock on!

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q1 2013

More than 1,000 tech focused hiring managers and recruiters were asked "what type of talent or skill-set is your top hiring priority."  Here are the top five technology skills deemed most in demand:

1. Java/J2EE Developers
   
2. Mobile Developers
3. .NET Developers
4. Data Analysts/Analytics
5. Software Developers

Details are available at Dice.com.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

On a local level, the Boston technology job market confirms the ongoing need for developer skills.  Demand for Web tech professionals continues to be strong.

The list of Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the first quarter. It appears in the right-hand column and below.  The list is based on keyword searches in job postings at Indeed.com. The most in-demand keywords are listed more frequently than less in-demand keywords.

This quarter marks the first time that Indeed.com has been used to monitor Boston's Web Tech job market.  Because Indeed.com is a meta-search engine it offers greater reach than Boston.com, our original job search engine.  The number of available job listings at Indeed.com is several times greater and offers an expanded view of the job market at companies of all sizes.

Here are the Nine Biggest Movers from the Top 50 Technologies, comparing mid-October postings to early-March postings, listed by ranking and percentage increase:

1. Drupal | #49 57%
2. MVC | #24 26%
3. InDesign | #47 24%
4. API | #33 20%
5. HTML5 | #26 18%
6. JSON | #39 18%
7. multimedia | #48 17%
8. SaaS  | #14 15%
9. Android  | #31 15%

Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 20 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [ or from mid October ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

1. SQL | 4,111 04%
2. Java | 3,424 02%
3. Oracle | 2,817 01%
4. JavaScript | 2,215 03%
5. agile | 2,208 00%
6. XML | 1,500 00%
7. SQL Server | 1,450 04%
8. C# | 1,393 02%
9. Python | 1,335 06%
10. "Web Services" | 1,264 02%
11. HTML + CSS | 1,188 01%
12. Social Media | 1,167 09%
13. Perl | 1,025 04%
14. SaaS | 1,024 15%
15. jQuery | 1,002 04%
16. UI | 936 06%
17. MySQL | 909 03%
18. Ajax | 825 05%
19. scrum | 796 00%
20. PHP | 795 02%

An expanded version of this list -- Boston's Top 90 Web Technologies -- is being counted down for the next three months @webapprentices.

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]

Best Business Books | 2012

It is estimated that more than

10,000 business books

are published each year.

source:  Forbes

Eleven books catapulted to the top in this year's search for the Best Business Books of 2012. For the fifth year running Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published in the previous year.

This year's search began by identifying 10 "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. Presented here are the results.

A total of 63 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. These 63 books comprise the Honorable Mention list.

Best Business Books | Runners-Up

Here are the eight books that were mentioned on at least two lists and have been elevated to the Runners-Up list:

• 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era
• Daring Greatly
• How Will You Measure Your Life?
• Makers
• Quiet
• So Good They Can't Ignore You
• The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty
• The Signal and the Noise

Best Business Books | Second Place

One book was mentioned on three lists and claims Second Place:

• The Advantage

Best Business Books | Top Honors

Two books tied for Top Honors by being mentioned on five lists:

• Private Empire
• The Power of Habit

Personal Recommendations

If 11 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The four highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 11 listed here) are as follows:

• Daring Greatly (4.27 rating out of 5.00)
• The Advantage (4.17)
• So Good They Can't Ignore You (4.11)
• The Power of Habit (4.10)

These four books are now on my Short List.

I have read five books from this list of 11. I have also read two books from the Honorable Mention list (not pictured above). As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

• American Icon ★★★★★
• How Will You Measure Your Life? ★★★★
• Makers ★★★
• So Good They Can't Ignore You ★★★★
• The Advantage ★★★★
• The Power of Habit ★★★★★
• Understanding Michael Porter ★★★★★

You can access reviews of all 100+ books that I have read on Leadership and Strategy at Pinterest.

Suggested Success Strategy

No matter what your professional discipline is -- Web technology or some other field -- business is the engine that drives economic well-being. The economy continues to chug along at a less-then-optimal pace. You can help improve your economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Identify one business book from the eleven listed above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career prospects into a higher gear in 2013.

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]

View recent Best Business Books blog postings.

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q1 2013

 
All hail The Year of The Rockstar.

Companies idolize Rockstars.

Managers cherish Rockstars.

Recruiters profit from Rockstars.

Everyone wants to meet a Rockstar!

If you currently play in a garage band, but aspire to become a Rockstar, you should begin networking with Rockstar companies, Rockstar managers and Rockstar recruiters.

Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?"

Boston's Top 100 Technology Recruiters

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 250 technology recruiters via LinkedIn.  Most are located in the Boston area.  Some are located in New Hampshire and Rhode Island and do a significant amount of business in the Boston area.

Beantown Web then turned to LinkedIn to identify customer satisfaction scores.  In particular, how many people were willing to provide a public recommendation for that recruiter?

Rock 'n Rollers have gold albums.  Mere mortals have to make due with Recommendations.

The market for Rockstar Recruiters is heating up.  In order for a recruiter to make the Boston Rockstar Recruiter List for the first quarter they had to garner at least five LinkedIn Recommendations.  Last quarter, a mere three Recommendations was enough to merit Rockstar status.

Boston's Top 10 Technology Recruiters

Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters play to packed houses and receive standing ovations.  The best in the biz have received at least 29 Rockommendations from adoring fans.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter of 2013 [number of LinkedIn recommendations]:

1. Scott Dunlop [95] -- The Bivium Group
2. John VanderSande [62] -- WinterWyman
3. Jamie LeBlanc [50] -- The Bivium Group
4. Robin Napier [44] -- CyberCoders
5. Brendan Andersen [39] -- CyberCoders
6. Leanne Owens [38] -- Onward Search
7. Doug Schade [37] -- Winter Wyman
8. David Honig [32] -- MarketSearch 
9. Luis Perez [29] -- Winter Wyman
10. Bill Sullivan [29] -- Chase Technology Consultants

The Boston Rockstar Recruiter Countdown begins @webapprentices and will continue throughout the first quarter listing all 95 Rockstar Recruiters.  Simply follow @webapprentices and connect with your favorite Boston Rockstar Recruiter each day.

If you are aware of a Boston-based Technology Recruiter who has garnered at least five LinkedIn Recommendations, go to Beantown Web on Facebook and share your Rockstar Recruiter selection with our readers.  Rock on!

Chowda Chat | Larry Ullman

Chowda Chat is a periodic Beantown Web installment that features a conversation with an influential member of the Web technology community.

The purpose of Chowda Chat is to provide Web technology professionals with information to help advance their careers. The format involves three questions and responses followed by one final thought.

Today's Chowda Chat presents the insights of Larry Ullman, writer, Web and software developer, trainer, instructor, speaker, and consultant.

You are the author of 23 technology books.  Do you ever run out of topics or ideas?

"We're fortunate to be in an industry in which lots of new and exciting developments are constantly occurring, so it has not been difficult coming up with topics and ideas. Basically, I write about what I use and find interesting.  That being said, after I finish my current book on the Yii PHP framework, I have no idea what I'll write about next."

What is your best selling book of all time?

"My best selling book is PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide, put out by Peachpit Press. Second, is my beginner's guide to PHP, PHP for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide.  My Modern JavaScript: Develop and Design book has only been out not quite a year, but its sales look like they'll be in the same ballpark as those other two. These sales make sense, I think, as PHP and JavaScript are two of the most important and used Web technologies."

You are visiting Boston to present "How to Become a Web Developer."  Is there one highlight from your presentation that you would like to mention here to entice aspiring web developers to attend?

"One thing I'm doing in the presentation, which is harder to find, is discussing how one goes about the business of being a Web developer. This includes starting up, finding clients, and working with clients. I have some good insights to share in these areas, which should be quite useful to those in attendance."

Final Thought

"If I had to summarize who I am (from a work-related perspective) in a single sentence, it’d be this: I’m not a computer geek, but I can speak their language."

Spend an FREE evening with Larry Ullman on Wednesday, December 12 in Cambridge, MA and join 300 other geeks and wannabe geeks in learning How to Become a Web Developer.

Follow Larry Ullman on Twitter.

Previous Chowda Chats

• Chowda Chat | Brian Rinaldi
• Chowda Chat | Leah Busque
• Chowda Chat | Margaret Meloni
• Chowda Chat | Dan Keldsen
• Chowda Chat | Dean Fossella

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ] 

The Power of We | Virtual Self-Study Groups

Today is Blog Action Day. This year's theme is The Power of We, a celebration of people working together to make a positive difference in the world.

The Power of We in Boston

Here's how we are making a difference in Boston.

The Challenge: Companies are looking for technology workers and they are not finding workers with the skills they need.

The Solution: Form virtual self-study groups to train workers on technology skills.

Narrowing the Skills Gap, One Chapter at a Time

Boston PHP Meetup , the largest Web technology Meetup in the United States with more than 3,000 members, launched this virtual self-study group initiative in January 2011. 

The format of a virtual self-study group is as follows:

~ Each participant purchases the same textbook.
~ Each participant commits to read one chapter per week, complete the exercises and post a link to their completed work.
~ Each participant obtains assistance by posting questions to a discussion area set up on the Boston PHP Message Board.

One group is currently under way: PHP Percolate! Season 4.

Two groups are about to begin on November 4: jQuery jAM, Season 2 and HTML5 Brunch, Season 2.

More than 80 alumni are enshrined on the Self-Study Group | Wall of Accomplishment.

Training is Virtual

Since training is virtual you do not need to live in Boston to participate.  If you are interested in learning Web technology, then join us and help narrow the skills gap, one chapter at a time.

[ NOTE: Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]