If you live in the Southern region, the employment picture may improve slightly over the last quarter of 2009 — though there seems to be a flood of people moving to follow the job market (look at license plates when next you’re out). Other parts of the country are not yet ready to see an increase in hiring. Most are facing another round of layoffs, or are looking to replace those who have recently retired. Most companies are now in the budgeting process, and are looking at a brighter time in Q2 and Q3 with funds available for salaries.
There are some great opportunities available for those willing to drop their salary expectations and wear multiple hats. At the moment, project managers are also lead engineers, trainers and QA. There are also opportunities available for experienced professionals willing to travel. New graduates are having a more difficult time finding companies willing to pay premium prices for non experienced staff. There are a large number of new graduates looking to garner experience through internships and entry level positions, some paying as little as minimum wage.
According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey:
In the South, 12% of employers surveyed expect to take on more staff, and 10% plan to decrease employee levels, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +2%. When seasonal variations are removed from the data, the Quarter 1 2010 employment forecast is slightly weaker compared to one year ago at this time but moderately stronger than Quarter 4 2009. Employers in the South have the strongest Outlook among the four U.S. regions for Quarter 1 2010.
Employers in all 12 industry sectors surveyed in the South anticipate stable or strengthening job prospects for Quarter 1 2010 when compared to Quarter 4 2009.
In Austin specifically, there are a number of start up companies, smaller companies expanding into our market, and industry leaders beginning to look at new engineering needs, as new products are coming to market requiring expertise in multiple areas. Again, companies seem to be looking for candidates with less than 2 years of specific experience or candidates with 7 or more years of hands on engineering expertise. There are few opportunities for those who have moved away from hands on technical skills.
As always, most positions are found through networking. We recommend that you update your resume, highlight your skills, success stories (especially those that show quantifiable money savings) and leadership abilities. Be open to new “non-traditional” proposals of work, such as part time, remote, contract, travel and possible relocation. As always, prepare for your interview, brush up and stay current with your technical and communication skills. Consider practice interviews within your networking groups.
Make sure your resume contains current contact information, both email and phone, and use spell check!
