Everyone is has been reading the news that the jobs market is the last to rebound out of any recession and this one is no different. Well, to a certain extent that is true. But the fact is that THERE ARE STILL JOBS OUT THERE!!! My view is fairly myopic as I play in the R&D/DOD space. Most of my clients need the top folks with advanced degrees in CS, Physics, EE, CE, etc. The need for the best is always there as the needs continue to outpace the supply of good candidates in this space. Lately, every client needs folks with a Full Scope Polygraph clearance. This trend will continue due to the heavy needs in our intelligence community. The other busy area is the computer vision space as I’m seeing needs with both DoD and commercial clients. In this market, I can’t stress enough how important it is to NOT be absorbed by the job/economic news. And I direct this statement at both job hunters and hiring managers. Job hunters: You must keep going until you have the signed the offer letter!! Use all avenues available to you including your network, agencies, etc. Make a point of not reading the news and focus on the job hunt. You may need some flexibility in your job requirements. Approach the hunt as your full time job. It motivates you to get out of bed each day and gives you target to shoot for. If you’re looking, you current job is a sales person……selling YOU!! To get helpful hints in sales, invest in one of the many sales books out there and remember…………… network, network, network!! Hiring managers: Hiring folks need to remember to sell!! Just because you have a need, the best will not just line up at your front door!! Recently, I’ve had clients lose very strong people because they took their time making decisions since they “were in control” of the hiring process. You know what happened…. their top candidate(s) got scooped up by other companies who didn’t take the market for granted. On another note…………. I often get asked how I came up with Slide Brook Partners for my firm. Slide Brook typifies how I spend time my valuable family and fun time! Literally it’s an expanse of backcountry terrain between the Lincoln Peak and Mt Ellen at Sugarbush Ski Resort in VT. It’s beautiful conservation land that hopefully will never be developed to disturb the rare bear habitat, etc. It’s not unusual to see some paw prints in the late spring snow when our furry friends have awakened from their winter-long hibernation!
