Why Outplacement Firms Fail- Wall Street Journal

This article from the Wall Street Journal clearly explains the difficulty large outplacement firms face in today's market. As the unemployment rate skyrockets these firms are stretched thin and prove that the one size fits all approach does not work. Recruiters and Career Advisors seem to get bad press in many of the articles I read. What people seem to forget is that  there are experts in all business sectors, however , finding these experts can sometimes be a  difficult process.
Read the full article below

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125069793645343423.html

Top Cloud Computing Companies

Cloud Computing is  certainly a very hot topic and it seems everyone from Oracle to the smallest startup is claiming to be in the space . Gartner estimates that the Cloud Computing market will reach $25.07 billion by 2013.  This is up from an estimated $11 billion in 2009. Talk about a growth industry.
Here is a list of companies to watch.

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/features/article.php/12297_3835941_1/85-Cloud-Computing-Vendors-Shaping-the-Emerging-Cloud.htm

2010- Job Market Forecast

By Nick D'Ambrosio

Ok, so I am not an economist and quite frankly not a real numbers guy either. But I do spend a good deal of my time talking to job seekers and hiring managers each week. While not the most scientific way to gauge the job market, the insight gained through these conversations provides data I doubt you will find in those “other reports”. As far as the technology job market goes, here is what my indicators are telling me.

2009- A Tough Summer

No doubt about it, the summer was a tough time to be looking for a job. I believe it was either the bottom or very close to it. We had a good start to 2009 but as summer started the jobs begin disappearing. As recruiters we spend a lot of time reaching out to potential hiring managers. During the months of June, July and August we approached approximately 500 potential hiring managers. Very few were in the mood to talk, the first sign things were not good. The companies that did seem to be hiring were so picky that the job openings they did have had been open for many months. We also would be running ads on job boards for the few positions we were trying to fill and getting an average of 200 resumes per posting. In a normal market the number is closer to 70. While these numbers might not be enough to tell the whole story, it certainly was enough information to know the job market was BAD.

2009- A Good Fall

After Labor Day we saw things starting to change. Hiring managers were returning our calls and emails. Many had had multiple job openings. We also were talking to job candidates who were telling us about other job openings they were hearing about. Things were looking up. We could be seeing a real recovery. Believe it or not this type of “street data” has always been a very good indicator of how the job market was doing, good or bad.
As I write this, it’s the first week of December and we are busy! The trend we saw from the fall is continuing. Companies are hiring and many are talking about aggressive hiring plans for the first quarter of 2010.


2010- Looking Strong

So what does all this mean? 2010 is going to start off good and get better as the year progresses. Granted there are still a ton of unemployed people that need to get hired before the media will say things are looking better, but trust me on this, things are looking better. As always every region is different and certain backgrounds are in higher demand than others. A proven sales or presales professional in New York or San Jose with a networking, storage or enterprise software background is going to be hearing about more jobs than a programmer in Ohio. But that is typically the case in any market.

Is A Startup Right for You?

By Nick D'Ambrosio

While most everyone dreams of finding the next Google, few people understand what it means to go from an industry leader to a startup.
We have placed hundreds of people at early stage companies and find those who do the most homework upfront , typically have the best luck picking winners. In this economy, startups provide an even greater challenge and are not for everyone. Before making a move ask yourself:

1. Has my ten years at Oracle (industry leader) really prepared me for this next venture?
2. Am I the type of person who wants to work in an environment with little infrastructure?
3. Do I have the stomach to handle the inherent stress that comes with an early stage company?
4. Can I survive making less money for a year or two?
5. Have I considered what this move will mean to my overall market value?

During the interview-
The savviest job seekers tend to excel at the interview process and have a higher degree of success picking winning companies. They know how to interview the company prior to joining. In a sense they are turning the tables and getting the company to sell them on why they should take the job.

You need to ask tough questions without coming across as too skeptical. If a hiring manager senses you are being too skeptical, they will probably assume you’re not right for the job and move to someone else. Here are some basic questions you should be asking:

1. Why is there an opening? (turnover or new head-count)
2. What is the burn rate and how much cash does the company have?
3. Who are their paying customers? There is a big difference between a paying customer and a beta customer. If possible get revenue numbers.
4. What are the biggest challenges the company faces ?
5. Who are the biggest competitors?
6. How big is the market? Having a great story and cool technology is exciting but if the market is small or yet to develop you need to know this.
7. If you are interviewing for a sales role, find out if they have existing reps that are making good money? Ask to speak with them.

Even if you do a great job during the interview process, you never really know if you’ve picked a winner until you have been at the company for many months and sometimes even years.
With the startup market finally showing signs of life again, you will most likely be hearing about new “deals” in the months ahead. Do your homework, interview the company and you just might find the next Google! Good luck.