By Dayna Romanick
Sr. Recruiting Manager: Silicon Elite
This year remains tough for many job-seekers in the semiconductor industry. Q3 has been marked with leading employers laying off and consolidating work forces in all areas of the semiconductor industry. Although layoffs have declined, salaries of new hires have dropped due to the surplus of labor, and employers are becoming increasingly selective of those who they bring aboard. A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shows that 28% of large companies continued layoffs throughout Q3.
However, it’s also important to remember that any statistics you read may possibly be slanted toward the larger companies simply because of their large operational scales. The same SHRM poll showed that only 13% of companies, regardless of size, conducted layoffs in Q3. Small companies and startups are now where the majority of opportunities currently exist. Because of this, attending networking events and staying in tough with old co-workers have become increasingly more important for job seekers.
New grads, or those with less than 2 years experience continue to find positions more easily than those in mid career, and there is a market for designers with mixed signal / analog experience in the audio area. Researchers and process individuals continue to be in demand by fabs, and sales people should find a good marketplace for their skills as well, especially those who have well documented expertise in developing new clients.
Many engineers prepare their resumes with a heavy emphasis on technical experience. While this is certainly important, it can also be beneficial to mention cost savings or additional profits that can be directly attributed to things that you have done. In this economy, it could be the one thing that sets you apart from other candidates of equal qualification.
