Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q3 2014

"Six-figure salaries are table stakes for software and mobile engineers, designers and data professionals."

Fasten your seat belts; it's full speed ahead for technology professionals in the second half of 2014, according to a Dice survey of 700 hiring managers and recruiters.  Hiring is expanding and so are salaries.  One in three experienced tech professionals earns six figures or better, not including bonuses.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The list of Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the third quarter. It appears in the right-hand column and below.  This 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.

Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 25 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [ or from early March ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

July, 2014

1. SQL | 4,901 15%
2. Java | 4,019 17%
3. JavaScript | 3,381 33%
4. agile *** | 3,376 36%
5. Oracle | 2,837 27%
6. Python | 2,144 37%
7. HTML + CSS | 1,667 31%
8. XML | 1,589 24%
9. jQuery | 1,548 39%
10. Ruby | 1,499 82%
11. HTML5 | 1,469 97%
12. social media | 1,457 5%
13. Web Services | 1,441 1%
14. Git | 1,362 167 %
15. scrum *** | 1,358 60% 
16. SaaS | 1,356 18%
17. C# | 1,342 5%
18. Perl | 1,340 49%
19. SQL Server | 1,326 7%
20. PHP | 1,281 68%
21. UI | 1,254 17%
22. MySQL | 1,110 21%
23. Rails | 1,077 83%
24. Photoshop | 987 68%
25. JSP | 887 186%

*** Note: While "agile" and "scrum" are not technologies, they are methodologies used in technology development.  Likewise, "git" is a source code management system.  Combined, these three  keywords appear in many web development job descriptions.  Experience with "agile," "scrum" and "git" is often preferred, if not required, in many web development jobs.

Recommended Strategy

Select five technical skills in the Top 25 and focus on becoming proficient -- if not expert -- in each technology.  What are your Top Five technology skills?  What projects can you link to that demonstrate expertise in these technologies?

Guard against being distracted by "shiny new object skills" that are not listed in the Top 25.  Without having solid core skills in high-demand technologies, you may not experience an optimum return-on-investment in terms of time and energy invested in becoming proficient at lower-demand technical skills.

Boston's Top 100 Web Technologies

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

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

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q3 2014

 

• Shannon Miller -- seven Olympic medals in gymnastics
• Dennis Rodman -- seven NBA rebounding titles
• Arnold Palmer -- seven major golf championships

Seven remains the standard.  You need seven to make The List -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiter list.  You need seven recommendations from adoring fans to make The List.

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 eighth installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 400 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 each recruiter?

Olympic athletes have Olympic medals.  Basketball players have individual game stats, as well as, team stats and victories.  Golfers have major championship victories.  The rest of us mere mortals have to make due with LinkedIn recommendations to recognize accomplishments on our field of play.

The standard to measure Rockstar Recruiters has stalled.  In order for a recruiter to make the inaugural Boston Rockstar Recruiter List a mere three LinkedIn recommendations was enough to merit Rockstar status.  Then, the bar was raised to five.  Then, six -- for two quarters in a row.  Now, the bar stands at seven, for the fourth consecutive quarter.  Has exceptional customer service stalled along with the economy?

Only one out of four technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least seven LinkedIn recommendations received.

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 36 recommendations from adoring fans.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the third quarter of 2014 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:

1. Scott Dunlop [95 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
2. Chris Fountas [74 + 7] -- AVID Technical Resources
3. Jamie LeBlanc [66 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
4. Doug Schade [63 + 10] -- Winter Wyman
5. John VanderSande [61 +2] -- WinterWyman
6. Robin Napier [54 + 2] -- CyberCoders
7. Chris Mitchell [40 + 4] --  Winter Wyman
8. Brendan Andersen [39 + 16] -- CyberCoders
9. Leanne Owens [38 + 8] -- Onward Search
10. David Honig [36 + 0] -- MarketSearch

Top 10 in Assists

Some players are valuable because they score a lot of points.  Others pass the ball effectively.  This second list ranks "assists."  It answers the following question:

"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 100, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"

The Top 10 (plus ties) most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the second quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received]:

1. David Perlman [58 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
2. Scott Ragusa [36 + 23] -- Winter Wyman
3. Marsh Sutherland [30 + 11] -- Walden Recruiting
4. Carol Taylor [29 + 18] -- Private Clients
5. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting LLC
6. Kelley White [19 + 18] -- Advantage Technical Resourcing
7. Roy Evans [18 + 34] -- CyberCoders
8. Brendan Andersen [16 + 39] -- CyberCoders
9. Jeff Sweet [16 + 19] --  VLink, Inc.
10. Gona Nagesh Kumar [15 + 26] -- XpertTech, Inc.
11. Sean Dowling [15 + 22] -- Winter Wyman

Congrats to Brendan Andersen for posting Top 10 scores on both the receiving and giving lists.

Team Scores

In addition to receiving seven Olympic medals, the most in a career by a U.S. gymnast, Shannon Miller, was the veteran team leader of "The Magnificent Seven" team that won team gold in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Finally, the team scores.  The following teams placed the most recruiters (at least three) in the Top 100 [number of recruiters in the Top 100]:

Gold Category:

• CyberCoders [8]

Silver Category:

• WinterWyman [6]

Bronze Category:

• Global Technical Talent [3] 
• PeopleSERVE Inc. [3]
• Softworld [3]

Suggested Strategy

If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then you owe it to yourself to work with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service.  Boston's Rockstar Recruiters offers you direct access to Boston's Top 100 (out of 400) Technology Recruiters.

The Boston Rockstar Recruiter Countdown begins @webapprentices and will continue throughout the third quarter listing all 100 Boston Rockstar Recruiters.  Simply follow @webapprentices and connect with your favorite Boston Rockstar Recruiter each day.  Each Boston Rockstar Recruiter will also be recognized on Beantown Web's Facebook page.

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

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q2 2014

 

• Pat Summitt -- seven NCAA Women's Basketball Coach of the Year awards
• Venus Williams -- seven Grand Slam tennis tournament championships
• Neil Young -- seven platinum albums

Seven remains the standard.  You need seven to make The List -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiter list.  You need seven recommendations from adoring fans to make The List.

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 seventh installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 400 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 each recruiter?

Coaches have Coach of the Year honors.  Tennis players have Grand Slam Championship trophies.  Musicians have platinum albums.  The rest of us mere mortals have to make due with LinkedIn recommendations.

The standard to measure Rockstar Recruiters has stalled.  In order for a recruiter to make the inaugural Boston Rockstar Recruiter List a mere three LinkedIn recommendations was enough to merit Rockstar status.  Then, the bar was raised to five.  Then, six -- for two quarters in a row.  Now the bar stands at seven, for the third consecutive quarter.

Only one out of four technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least seven LinkedIn recommendations received.

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 36 recommendations from adoring fans.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the second quarter of 2014 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:

1. Scott Dunlop [95 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
2. Chris Fountas [71 + 7] -- AVID Technical Resources
3. Jamie LeBlanc [65 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
4. Doug Schade [62 + 10] -- Winter Wyman
5. John VanderSande [61 +2] -- WinterWyman
6. Robin Napier [51 + 2] -- CyberCoders
7. Chris Mitchell [41 + 4] --  Winter Wyman
8. Brendan Andersen [40 + 15] -- CyberCoders
9. Leanne Owens [38 + 8] -- Onward Search
10. David Honig [36 + 0] -- MarketSearch

Top 10 in Assists

Some players are valuable because they score a lot of points.  Others pass the ball effectively.  This second list ranks "assists."  It answers the following question:

"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 100, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"

The Top 10 (plus ties) most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the second quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received]:

1. David Perlman [58 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
2. Scott Ragusa [35 + 23] -- Winter Wyman
3. Marsh Sutherland [30 + 11] -- Walden Recruiting
4. Carol Taylor [29 + 18] -- Private Clients
5. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting LLC
6. Kelley White [19 + 18] -- Advantage Technical Resourcing
7. Roy Evans [18 + 34] -- CyberCoders
8. Jessica Midence [17 + 22] -- unaffiliated
9. Brendan Andersen [15 + 40] -- CyberCoders
10. Nagesh Kumar Gona [15 + 26] -- XpertTech, Inc.
11. Sean Dowling [15 + 22] -- Winter Wyman

Congrats to Brendan Andersen for posting Top 10 scores on both the receiving and giving lists.

Team Scores

Finally, the team scores. The following teams placed the most recruiters (at least three) in the Top 100 [number of recruiters in the Top 100]:

Gold Category:

• CyberCoders [8]

Silver Category:

• WinterWyman [6]

Bronze Category:

• Global Technical Talent [3] 
• Jobspring Partners [3]
• Kelly IT Resources [3]
• PeopleSERVE Inc. [3]
• Softworld [3]

Suggested Strategy

If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then you owe it to yourself to work with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service.  Boston's Rockstar Recruiters offers you direct access to Boston's Top 100 (out of 400) Technology Recruiters.

The Boston Rockstar Recruiter Countdown begins @webapprentices and will continue throughout the second quarter listing all 100 Boston Rockstar Recruiters.  Simply follow @webapprentices and connect with your favorite Boston Rockstar Recruiter each day.  Each Boston Rockstar Recruiter will also be recognized on Beantown Web's Facebook page.

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

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q1 2014

Expertise in these three areas will be much sought-after by IT hiring managers this year:

• web development
• mobile development
• large-scale analysis

According to Doug Schade -- #5 on the Boston Rockstar Recruiter list -- employers are especially interested in Web developers who know open source languages such as Java, Ruby and Python.  He adds that Microsoft languages are being de-emphasized. Additional details are available at Hot IT Job Skills in 2014.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The list of Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the first quarter. It appears in the right-hand column and below.  This 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.

Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 25 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [ or from early December ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

March, 2014

1. SQL | 4,272 18%
2. Java | 3,427 14%
3. JavaScript | 2,550 20% 
4. agile *** | 2,479 13%  
5. Oracle | 2,242 07%
6. Python | 1,570 13%
7. "Web Services" | 1,441 19%
8. SQL Server | 1,429 20%
9. C# | 1,409 13%
10. Social Media | 1,390 12%
11. XML | 1,286 07%
12. HTML + CSS | 1,276 21%
13. SaaS | 1,151 26%
14. jQuery | 1,111 16%
15. UI | 1,070 05%
16. MySQL | 917 00%
17. Perl | 899 01%
18. scrum *** | 848 15%
19. Ruby | 824 02%
20. PHP | 751 07%
21. Ajax | 762 18%
22. HTML5 | 744 29%
23. SharePoint | 670 09%
24. MVC | 640 32%
25. UX | 639 34%

*** Note: While "agile" and "scrum" are not technologies, they are methodologies used in technology development.  These keywords appear in many web development job descriptions.  Experience with "agile" and "scrum" is often required or preferred.

Recommended Strategy

Select five technical skills in the Top 25 and focus on becoming proficient, if not expert, in these technologies.  What are your Top Five technology skills?  What projects can you link to that demonstrate expertise in these technologies?

Guard against being distracted by "shiny new object skills" that are not listed in the Top 25.  Without having solid core skills in high-demand technolgies, you may not experience an optimum return-on-investment in terms of time and energy invested in becoming proficient at lower-demand technical skills.

Boston's Top 100 Web Technologies

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

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

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q1 2014

 

Seven remains the gold standard.

• The New England Patriots have appeared in seven Super Bowls.
• The Denver Broncos (will) have appeared in seven Super Bowls.
• Mark Spitz set the standard of seven world records in seven races winning seven Olympic Gold Medals.

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

• Seven 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 sixth installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 400 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?

Football teams have Super Bowl trophies.  Mark Spitz has Olympic Gold Medals.  The rest of us mere mortals have to make due with recommendations.

The standard to measure Rockstar Recruiters keeps climbing.  In order for a recruiter to make the inaugural Boston Rockstar Recruiter List a mere three LinkedIn recommendations was enough to merit Rockstar status.  Then, the bar was raised to five.  Then, six -- for two quarters in a row.  Now the bar stands at seven, for the second quarter in row.

Only one out of four technology recruiters in the Boston metro area have earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least seven LinkedIn recommendations received.

Boston's Top 10

Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters play to packed houses and receive standing ovations.  The best in the biz have received at least 36 recommendations from adoring fans.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter of 2014 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:

1. Scott Dunlop [97 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
2. Chris Fountas [70 + 7] -- AVID Technical Resources
3. Jamie LeBlanc [62 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
4. John VanderSande [62 +2] -- WinterWyman
5. Doug Schade [56 + 10] -- Winter Wyman 
6. Robin Napier [50 + 2] -- CyberCoders
7. Brendan Andersen [41 + 18] -- CyberCoders
8. Chris Mitchell [40 + 4] --  Winter Wyman
9. Leanne Owens [39 + 8] -- Onward Search
10. David Honig [36 + 0] -- MarketSearch
    

Boston's Top 10 in Assists

Some players are valuable because they score a lot of points.  Others pass the ball effectively.  This second list ranks "assists."  It answers the following question:

"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 100, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"

The Top 10 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received]:

1. David Perlman [56 + 20] -- Grenadier Search Group
2. Marsh Sutherland [30 + 11] -- Walden Recruiting
3. Carol Taylor [29 + 20] -- Private Clients
4. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting LLC
5. Brendan Andersen [18 + 41] -- CyberCoders
6. Roy Evans [18 + 33] -- CyberCoders
7. Kelley White [18 + 18] -- Advantage Technical Resourcing
8. Jessica Midence [16 + 20] -- Hollister, Inc.
9. Nagesh Kumar Gona [15 + 27] -- XpertTech, Inc.
10. Sean Dowling [15 + 21] -- Winter Wyman

Congrats to Brendan Andersen for posting Top 10 scores on both the receiving and giving lists.

Boston's Team Scores

Finally, the team scores. The following teams placed the most recruiters (at least three) in the Top 100 [number of recruiters in the Top 100]:

• WinterWyman [6]
• CyberCoders [5] 
• AVID Technical Resources [3]
• HireMinds [3]
• Kelly IT Resources [3] 
• Onward Search [3]
• PeopleSERVE Inc. [3]
• Softworld [3]

The Boston Rockstar Recruiter Countdown begins @webapprentices and will continue throughout the first quarter listing all 100 Boston Rockstar Recruiters.  Simply follow @webapprentices and connect with your favorite Boston Rockstar Recruiter each day.  Each Boston Rockstar Recruiter will also be recognized on Beantown Web's Facebook page.

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

Best Business Books | 2013

It is estimated that more than 10,000 business books

are published each year.

source: Forbes

Life is too short to drink cheap scotch. The same can been said about reading business books. No need to wait three years. The list has been distilled. Here are the twelve business books that represent the finest that 2013 had to offer.

For the sixth year running Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published during the calendar year. The books identified in this analysis are most likely to add value to your career.

This year's search began by identifying 12 "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. Presented here are the results.

A total of 118 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Of these recommendations, 90 books were mentioned only once. An additional 16 books were mentioned on two lists and these 16 books comprise the Honorable Mention list.

The Fifth Shelf

Three books were mentioned on three lists and have been placed on the Fifth Shelf:

• Compelling People
• Creative Confidence
• Looptail

The Fourth Shelf

One book was mentioned on four lists and was placed on the Fourth Shelf:

• The End of Competitive Advantage

The Third Shelf

Three books were mentioned on five lists and were placed on the Third Shelf:

• Big Data
• Give and Take
• To Sell is Human

The Second Shelf

Two books were mentioned on six lists and were placed on the Second Shelf:

• Contagious
• Playing to Win

The Top Shelf

Three books were mentioned on seven lists and were placed on the Top Shelf:

• Decisive
• Lean In
• The Everything Store

Personal Recommendations

If 12 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The four highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 12 listed here) are as follows:

• The Everything Store (4.15 rating out of 5.00)
• Give and Take (4.10)
• Creative Confidence (4.04)
• Playing to Win (4.03)
  

These four books are now on my Short List.

I have read seven books from this list of 12. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

• Contagious ★★★★★
• Creative Confidence ★★★★★
• Decisive ★★★★
• Give and Take ★★★★
• Lean In ★★★★★
• Playing to Win ★★★★
• The End of Competitive Advantage ★★★★

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

[ NOTE: The 16 Honorable Mention books, as well as, the 12 Best Business Books of 2013 will be counted down on Twitter.  Follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web. ]

View recent Best Business Books blog postings.