Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q1 2018

"More job creation, higher voluntary employee turnover and intensified competition for talent will be the main themes surrounding employment in 2018." ~ CEO of CareerBuilder

In addition to CareerBuilder, reports from Indeed, Forbes, ManpowerGroup and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) echo these sentiments.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The list of Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for February and appears in the right-hand column.  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.  This list reflects the change in the last three months.

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. Indeed helps more people get hired than any other jobsite.

Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 25 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [  or  from September, 2017 ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

February, 2018

1. SQL | 3,778  0%
2. agile *** | 3,401  7%
3. Java | 2,670  0%
4. Python | 2,654  9%
5. social media | 2,051  8%
6. JavaScript | 1,734  2%
7. SaaS | 1,532  17%
8. AWS | 1,387  10%
9. Oracle | 1,248  2%
10. scrum *** | 1,098  2%
11. C# | 1,077  13%
12. Web Services | 1,030  1%
13. UI | 877  6%
14. SQL Server | 783  5%
15. HTML + CSS | 767  2%
16. UX | 750  10%
17. Git | 725  15%
18. API | 714  1%
19. Ruby | 700  4%
20. Hadoop | 696  16%
21. XML | 658  12%
22. Perl | 582  7%
23. Android | 580  7%
24. SharePoint | 579  11%
25. Photoshop | 565  4%

*** 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.

Career Training

Tech job seekers should feel confident that plentiful opportunities will continue through the first half of 2018.  If you are looking to upgrade your tech skills and would like the added benefit of obtaining a certificate you can add to your LinkedIn profile, consider joining Boston PHP Meetup for HTML5 Brunch, Season 7.  During Season 7 our focus will be to Become a Front-End Developer.

The Top 50 Web Technologies in Boston are being counted down for the next two months on Beantown Web's Twitter page @webapprentices.

[ NOTE: You can also become a Fan of Beantown Web on Facebook. ]

Boston's Rockstar Recruiters | Q1 2018

   

The New England Patriots have set the standard in the NFL with 17 consecutive winning seasons.  Only the Dallas Cowboys stand ahead of them with 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966 to 1985.

In the recruiting industry 17 becomes the new standard for consistent performance.  Technical recruiters need 17 to make The List.  They need 17 LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.

Boston's Technology Recruiters

In the fall of 2012 Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?"  Welcome to the 20th installment of The List.

To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 500 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?

Football players have championship rings to gauge excellence on the gridiron.  For those of us who perform on different playing fields, we have LinkedIn recommendations to recognize our performance.  Only 54 out of more than 500 technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least 17 LinkedIn recommendations received.

Top 10 on Offense

Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard.  The best in the recruiting business have received at least 64 LinkedIn recommendations each.  These recruiters have demonstrated an ability to consistently score recommendations.

Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter of 2018 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:

1. Chris Fountas [120 + 12] -- TPA Technologies
2. Scott Dunlop [97 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
3. Brendan Andersen [94 + 22] -- CyberCoders
4. Doug Schade [90 + 11] -- WinterWyman
5. Jamie LeBlanc [84 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
6. Ashlee Evan Chan [80 + 0] -- Strategic Employment Partners (SEP. Inc.)
7. Phil Hurd [74 + 18] -- Oculus Search Partners, LLC
8. Roy Evans [67 + 22] -- CyberCoders
9. John VanderSande [65 + 2] -- WinterWyman
10. Justin Wissman [64 - 1] -- ReSource Technology Partners

Top 10 on Defense

In recruiting this less glamorous statistic of defense reveals how many times a recruiter is willing to recognize the effort of others.  It answers the following question:

"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 54, 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] are as follows:

1. David Perlman [60 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
2. Ed Nathanson [51 + 32] -- Red Pill Talent, LLC
3. Scott Ragusa [41 + 26] -- WinterWyman
4. Andrea Williams [30 + 32] -- Career Minded Recruiting, LLC
5. Carol Taylor [28 + 18] -- Private Clients
6. Sean Dowling [23 + 26] -- WinterWyman
7. Brendan Andersen [22 + 94] -- CyberCoders
8. Roy Evans [22 + 67] -- CyberCoders
9. Kelley White [20 + 19] -- Purple Cow Recruiting
10. Phil Hurd [18 + 74] -- Oculus Search Partners

Congrats to Brendan Andersen, Roy Evans and Phil Hurd for their top 10 appearances in both Offense and Defense.

Team Scores

Now, for the team scores.  The following teams placed the most recruiters in the Top 54 [number of recruiters in the Top 54]:

Gold Category:

• WinterWyman [7]

Silver Category:

• CyberCoders [4]
• Strategic Employment Partners (SEP, Inc.) [4]

No other recruiting firm placed more than two recruiters in the Top 54.

Suggested Strategy

There are no live sportscasts on network television that document technical recruiting excellence.  In fact, 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.  Banks use credit score as a proxy for trustworthiness.  We can use LinkedIn recommendations as a starting point to determine networking currency.

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 -- both receiving them and giving them.

The list of the 54 most recommended technical recruiters (out of more than 500) in the Boston metro area is being counted down throughout the quarter on Facebook.

[ NOTE: You can also follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices.]

Best Business Books | 2017

 

"What we really need is not more authors,
 or better publishers. What we most need is
 a vastly better system to identify the books we will love."

TechCrunch

Beantown Web has developed such a system. For the 10th year running Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published during the calendar year. These books are most likely to add value to your career.

This year's search began by identifying 13 "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. Presented here are the results.

A total of 113 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list -- 74 of these books were mentioned only once.

The Honorable Mention Shelf

An additional 19 books were mentioned on two lists and these books comprise the Honorable Mention list.

The Must-Read Shelf

Eight books were mentioned on three lists and have been placed on the Must-Read shelf:

• Barking Up the Wrong Tree
• Insight
• Move Fast and Break Things
• Once Upon a Time in Shaolin
• Superconsumers
• The Four
• The Wisdom of Finance
• Wild Ride
  
  

The Top Shelf

Five books were mentioned on four lists:

• Black Edge
• Hit Refresh
• Machine, Platform, Crowd
• Option B
• The Great Leveler
  

Two books were mentioned on five lists:

• Adaptive Markets
• The Spider Network
  

Four books were mentioned on six lists:

• Janesville
• Principles
• Reset
• The One Device
  

One book was mentioned on seven lists:

• The Captain Class
  
  

 

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:

• Black Edge (4.21 rating out of 5.00)
• Reset (4.15)
• Principles (4.14)
• Adaptive Markets (4.12)
  

I have read four of 12 Top Shelf books and none from the Must-Read shelf. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

• Principles ★★★★★
• Janesville ★★★★★
• Machine, Platform, Crowd ★★★★
• The Captain Class ★★★★
  

You can access more than 100 Leadership and Strategy books I have read at Pinterest.

Suggested Success Strategy

Regardless of your professional discipline, business is the engine that drives economic well-being. The economy continues to improve and job growth continues to look promising in 2018.  You can help enhance your personal economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the five pictured above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2018.  Of course, you can select all 20 books, read more than one per month, and receive a guaranteed seat in business class!

[ NOTE: The 20 Best Business Books of 2017 -- those making at least three "Best of" lists -- are being counted down on Facebook.  Follow Beantown Web on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Beantown Web and on Twitter @webapprentices. ]

View recent Best Business Books blog postings.

Boston Web Tech Job Market | Q3 2017

According to the quarterly Manpower Group Employment Outlook Survey, during the final quarter of 2017, more than three times as many U.S. employers expect to increase payrolls than decrease employment levels.

That said, the report lists Boston as one of the underperforming metro areas in the United States.

Beantown Web confirms that hiring continues to slow down in the Boston area.  Job postings for tech workers peaked at the end of 2016 and have continued to trend lower throughout 2017.

Boston Web Tech Job Market

The list of Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston has been updated for September and appears in the right-hand column.  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.  This list reflects the change in the last three months.

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. Indeed helps more people get hired than any other jobsite.

Top 25 Web Technologies in Boston

Here is an abbreviated list of the 25 most in-demand web technologies in Boston. [  or  from Election Day, November 2016 ] listed by number of job postings at Indeed.com:

September, 2017

1. SQL | 3,780  24%
2. agile *** | 3,164  13%
3. Java | 2,676  29%
4. Python | 2,428  4%
5. social media | 1,895  12%
6. JavaScript | 1,775  30%
7. SaaS | 1,309  21%
8. Oracle | 1,278  21%
9. AWS | 1,257  8%
10. scrum *** | 1,072  13%
11. Web Services | 1,036  27%
12. C# | 957  35%
13. Git | 857  8%
14. UI | 831  31%
15. HTML + CSS | 785  39%
16. SQL Server | 746  34%
17. API | 720  26%
18. UX | 684  15%
19. Ruby | 674  29%
20. Perl | 629  27%
21. PHP | 623  43%
22. MySQL | 616  38%
23. Hadoop | 601  26%
24. XML | 590  28%
25. Photoshop | 587  20%

*** 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.

Job Prospects

Despite the plethora of red down arrows, job seekers should feel confident that plentiful job opportunities will continue through the second half of 2017.  The "hottest" skills in Boston, as reflected by the lowest percentage declines, are as follows:

~ Python | 2,428  4%

~ AWS | 1,257  8%

~ Git | 857  8%

To compare these results to those at Dice, access Examining the Hottest (and Coldest Tech Skills).

The Top 50 Web Technologies in Boston are being counted down for the next two months on Beantown Web's Facebook page.

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