Thursday, April 16, 2015

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q2 2015


 

~ Geno Auriemma -- lead his team to eight consecutive Final Four appearances
~ Michael Phelps -- won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
~ Michael Kahn -- nominated eight times for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing

Eight is the current standard for performance.  You need eight to make The List.  You need eight LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.
 
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 11th 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 championship trophies; Olympic competitors have gold medals; film editors have Academy Awards.  The rest of us mere mortals have to make due with LinkedIn recommendations to recognize accomplishments on our field of play.

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

Boston's Top 10 Technology Recruiters


Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard.  The best in the recruiting business have received at least 39 LinkedIn recommendations each.


Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the second quarter of 2015 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:
  1. Chris Fountas [100 + 9] -- AVID Technical Resources
  2. Scott Dunlop [95 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
  3. Doug Schade [76 + 11] -- Winter Wyman
  4. Jamie LeBlanc [71 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
  5. John VanderSande [64 +2] -- WinterWyman
  6. Brendan Andersen [58 + 20] -- CyberCoders
  7. Roy Evans [47 + 19] -- CyberCoders
  8. Danielle Lief [41 + 8] -- InnoTECH Staffing
  9. Chris Mitchell [40 + 4] --  Winter Wyman
  10. David Honig [39 + 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 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the second quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received] are as follows:
  1. David Perlman [60 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
  2. Scott Ragusa [37 + 25] -- Winter Wyman
  3. Marsh Sutherland [31 + 11] -- Walden Recruiting
  4. Carol Taylor [29 + 17] -- Private Clients
  5. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting LLC
  6. Brendan Anderson [20 + 54] -- CyberCoders
  7. Roy Evans [19 + 47] -- CyberCoders
  8. Phil Hurd [19 + 34] -- Oculus Search Partners, LLC
  9. Sean Dowling [17 + 23] -- Winter Wyman 
  10. Nagesh Kumar Gona [16 + 26] --  XpertTech, Inc. 
Congratulations to both Brendan Anderson and Roy Evans for attaining Top 10 status on both the receiving and the giving lists!

Team Scores


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

Gold Category:

Silver Category:
Bronze Category:

Suggested Strategy


There are no championships for technical recruiting performance.  There are no gold medals to wear or awards to display.  There is no single measure we can all agree on to decide which recruiter or recruiting firm might work best for you as a candidate or as a hiring manager.

However, there is one place to start your search.  It is the same place many of us start when buying a car, or looking for a plumber or finding a dentist.  That place is personal recommendations.  LinkedIn provides personal recommendations.

If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then consider working with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service in the form of personal recommendations.

The List of Boston's Rockstar Recruiters is made available exclusively to the 400+ Web Design and Web Development alumni of CDIA, some of the most talented designers and developers I have had the pleasure to teach, mentor and collaborate with.  You will hear more about the CDIA Alumni in the very near future.  Until then, r
ock on!

[ NOTE: You can follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook. ]

Friday, April 10, 2015

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q2 2015


The Boston technology job market is showing no signs of slowdown.  Over the past three months job postings have increased for every one of the Top 25 skills.

Boston Web Tech Job Market


The list of Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for the second 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 January ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

April, 2015
  1. SQL | 6,348  21%
  2. Java | 3,971  17%
  3. agile *** | 3,283  19%
  4. Oracle | 3,021  19%
  5. JavaScript | 2,943  19%
  6. Python | 2,1492  22%
  7. social media | 1,836  15%
  8. Web Services | 1,524  16%
  9. SaaS | 1,490  19%
  10. HTML + CSS | 1,428  15%
  11. C# | 1,401  14%
  12. XML | 1,363  14%
  13. SQL Server | 1,356  5%
  14. UI | 1,188  11%
  15. jQuery | 1,161  11%
  16. Perl | 1,089  16%
  17. scrum *** | 1,077  25%
  18. MySQL | 1,044  25%
  19. PHP | 948  34%
  20. Ruby | 940  17%
  21. SharePoint | 846  20%
  22. HTML5 | 809  8%
  23. UX | 805  18%
  24. Photoshop | 778  25%
  25. iOS |  726  23%
*** Note: While "agile" and "scrum" are not technologies, they are methodologies used in technology development.  These two  keywords appear in many web development job descriptions.  Experience with "agile" and "scrum" 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?  View a Smarterer Scorecard of my top technical and business skills.

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. ]

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q1 2015


 

Major professional sports teams in Boston have won eight championships this century.

Patriots: 2002 Super Bowl

Patriots: 2003 Super Bowl
Red Sox: 2004 World Series
Patriots: 2005 Super Bowl
Red Sox: 2007 World Series
Celtics: 2008 NBA Championship
Bruins: 2011 Stanley Cup
Red Sox: 2013 World Series

Eight is the new standard for performance.  You need eight to make The List.  You need eight LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.
 
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 10th 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?

Members of Boston's professional sports teams have championship rings to display their achievements.  The rest of us mere mortals have to make due with LinkedIn recommendations to recognize accomplishments on our field of play.

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

Boston's Top 10 Technology Recruiters


Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard.  The best in the recruiting business have received at least 39 LinkedIn recommendations each.


Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter of 2015 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:
  1. Scott Dunlop [96 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
  2. Chris Fountas [93 + 8] -- AVID Technical Resources
  3. Doug Schade [70 + 10] -- Winter Wyman
  4. Jamie LeBlanc [69 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
  5. John VanderSande [61 +2] -- WinterWyman
  6. Roy Evans [44 + 17] -- CyberCoders
  7. Brendan Andersen [41 + 16] -- CyberCoders
  8. Chris Mitchell [40 + 4] --  Winter Wyman
  9. Danielle Lief [39 + 8] -- InnoTECH Staffing
  10. David Honig [39 + 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 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the fourth quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations given + received] are as follows:
  1. David Perlman [58 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
  2. Scott Ragusa [37 + 25] -- Winter Wyman
  3. Marsh Sutherland [31 + 11] -- Walden Recruiting
  4. Carol Taylor [29 + 17] -- Private Clients
  5. Andrea Williams [25 + 28] -- Career Minded Recruiting LLC
  6. Kelley White [19 + 18] -- Advantage Technical Resourcing
  7. Phil Hurd [18 + 34] -- Oculus Search Partners, LLC
  8. Roy Evans [17 + 44] -- CyberCoders
  9. Sean Dowling [17 + 23] -- Winter Wyman
  10. Jeff Sweet [17 + 19] --  VLink, Inc.

Team Scores


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

Gold Category:

Silver Category:
Bronze Category:

Suggested Strategy


There are no championships for technical recruiting performance.  There are no trophies to hoist or rings to wear.  There is no measure we can all agree on to decide which recruiter or recruiting firm might work best for you as a candidate or as a hiring manager.

However, there is one place to start your search.  It is the same place many of us start when buying a car, or looking for a plumber or finding a dentist.  That place is personal recommendations.  LinkedIn provides personal recommendations.

If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then consider working with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service.

The List of Boston's Rockstar Recruiters is made available exclusively to the 400+ Web Design and Web Development alumni of CDIA, some of the most talented designers and developers I have the pleasure to teach, mentor and collaborate with.  You will hear more about the CDIA Alumni in the very near future.  Until then, r
ock on!

[ NOTE: You can follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices and become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook. ]

Monday, January 12, 2015

Best Business Books | 2014



More than 10,000 business books
are published in a typical year.

source: Statista


For the seventh 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 104 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Of these recommendations, 78 books were mentioned only once. An additional 13 books were mentioned on two lists and these books comprise the Honorable Mention list.

The Fifth Shelf


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



The Fourth Shelf


Four books were mentioned on four lists and have been placed on the Fourth Shelf:




The Third Shelf


Five books were mentioned on five lists and have been placed on the Third Shelf:





The Second Shelf


One book was mentioned on six lists and was placed on the Second Shelf:



The Top Shelf


One book was mentioned on seven lists and was placed on the Top Shelf:



Personal Recommendations


If 13 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The five highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 13 listed here) are as follows:

These five books are now on my Short List.

I have read nine books from this list of 13. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

I have to admit that I gave up on Capital in the Twenty-First Century and gave it 
★★.

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

Suggested Success Strategy


Regardless of your professional discipline, web-related or otherwise, business is the engine that drives economic well-being.The economy continues to improve and job growth continues to look promising in 2015. You can help enhance your economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the 13 listed above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2015. Of course, you can select all 13 books, read one per month (one extra for the beach this summer) and receive a guaranteed seat in business class!

[ NOTE: The 13 Honorable Mention books, as well as, the 13 Best Business Books of 2014 are being 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.