IT Employment·20,069 discussions

Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

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I am just wondering if anyone else has noticed the following trend and why it is happening. Starting around 12/05, I noticed more IT jobs began to open up in my area after the “drop off a sheer cliff” back in ’00. Now, companies are begging for IT staff and yet they are taking weeks and months to actually hire people. The jobs are posted and stay posted for as long as 8 months or more.

But why?????????????

There are thousands of highly skilled and talented IT folk in my area, I personally have more work freelance than I can handle and yet companies cannot seem to get off their asses to actually hire someone.
One position I had applied for back in March is STILL up for grabs and it is basic IT stuff. I finally emailed the HR person in frustration just to get a bead on why the position was still open and she said the “interview team” was still gathering itself to start the process after getting hundreds (her words) of qualified applicants.

Anyone got any clues about this trend?

Topic

If the ads are from employment agencies …

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

… then they are really just trying to collect resumes. It is a common practice among employment agencies to try to collect resumes. Then when a job becomes available the agency has a stack of resumes to send to the employer.

I thought of that, but..

In reply to If the ads are from employment agencies …

These are direct hire postings. In many cases they are with local companies who don’t have a headquarters other than here and won’t talk to or accept 3rd party resumes from staffing agencies.
In my area, Robert Half Tech, Diedre Moore and TechSource are the big resume hogs. And now that I think about it, I have seen fewer postings from the big 3 than from the companies themselves.
The one I mentioned in my OP is doing direct hire thru their HR.

Part of the problem

In reply to I thought of that, but..

Just as I saw in 2001, postings that hang for months are indicative of projects and areas that have not committed the funding yet. What I have seen happen is that a project will identify a skill set and post, collect and evaluate resumes (not candidates) and then wait. Once they can validate that the skill set is available, they go back and argue for the funding.

The downside is that folks can’t be out of work forever. And prospective employees aren’t willing to attend multiple interviews.

Another twist- in my area anyway- is that there is a lot more contract to hire work. So if you work with the headhunters, you have to be very careful about what you are being submitted for.

And just in case that isn’t enough fun, I frequently will get calls from multiple recruiters on the same role. This has forced me to use specific recruiters for specific employers.

Bottom line- in my opinion, anyway- is that prospective employers assume that IT folks will wait around forever to take a role.

Another note- there are employers that are trying to force a rise in the H1B visas. One of the ways that they validate doing this is to claim that qualified professionals are simply not available. An 8 month open posting suggests that.

Edit typo

You are right on about H1B visas

In reply to Part of the problem

If companies can’t find the “perfect” candidate, they have the perfect excuse to claim they can’t find qualified professionals. Whatever happened to providing some training to an otherwise well-qualified candidate that has 98% of what they want to make them “perfect?” That concept is gone now that there is off-shore outsourcing.

I think, too, that it looks like there are alot of jobs when in fact you might have many different recruiters posting the same job at the same company but advertising it differently.

How good is the job market in IT really, or is it all puffery?

Well based on recent experience with a similar trend in the UK

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

for coders.

There are lot of people who claim to be highly skilled and talented.

Ask them a few technical questions though and you end up with the impression they have a great deal of talent for prevaricating on their cv.

Expert SQL Developer

What is transaction?

2 answered correctly out of 9. Five of them attempted to BS me, must have thought I was from HR or a pimp.

Bridge the gap between the role, the CV and the person…

In reply to Well based on recent experience with a similar trend in the UK

I have to agree with Tony, this happens a lot in the UK. BUT, it’s not just the fault of the people with the CV.

I’ve worked in IT for over 20 years, and I’m currently looking. I’ve taken loads of things off my CV – Cobol, LanManager, Novell, frame relay, BOS, etc. etc. Yet I get calls from agencies asking about things I’ve not touched for years; yet, for more recent work I’ve done I can’t even get them to return my calls.

I’d say the majority of HR and Agency staff don’t know a lot about technical IT requirements, so they resort to picking out key words and phrases which IT staff gave them in the spec for a new person.

CV or curriculum vitae: “a summary of your academic and work history”. Not these days. It’s being treated more like a personal advert for people. With HR and agencies looking for staff with ‘shopping lists’ when it comes to skills, it’s not surprising there is a little ’embellishment’ on some CV’s.

I had one agency ask about my Lotus Notes server experience. Now, I’ve worked with Notes/Domino from R2 up to R8 since ’92. Yet, on my CV I had Domino server (after all that’s the name these days for the server and has been since 4.5/5, that’s over 10 years ago) listed. No problem, updated my CV to they way they wanted it. Applied for another job and hadn’t changed it back, so it was rejected since I didn’t show any ‘Domino’ experience !

Ask the average Joe in 3rd line support on say e-mail systems, what’s the difference between Notes at company A, and company B, or Exchange at company x and company y, and you’ll get technical answer – after all if it’s the same core product they used in both companies. So, pray tell WHY state in a job ad, you need experience in ‘health care’ or ‘insurance’. If your supporting/building/maintaining a 24×7 system the end user can be a dealer on a trading desk, a print artist in an advertising company or a sales person. It’s just a way of ‘narrowing the field down’ when 200 CVs all say they can support Exchange.

Oh, and the SQL thing, I’ve worked with DB2, Informix (pre IBM days), Oracle and mysql over the years, even programmed Microfocus COBOL under OS/2 with DB2 backend on an AS/400. So, are you asking about (T-SQL) or about wrapping a transaction around multiple SQL statements? I’m no ‘sql’ expert it’s not even on my CV. But if I was still a manager and asking for an SQL developer, I would expect them to be a generic SQL developer; if I wanted a Microsoft SQL expert then I’d ask for that instead.

probably, they’re having trouble

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

trying to work out how to tell a competent tech over an incompetent one, because all their competent ones have retired or moved on.

Having been on selection panels, the hardest thing is wading through the applications. If the panel are checking for a tech position and don’t have a highly skilled tech doing any of the intitial checks, then it’s going to take some time.

Might also be because…

In reply to probably, they’re having trouble

And apologies if this has already been pointed out, but…

If you wade through the requirements for a lot of those postings, you’ll find top-level skillsets being required for entry to mid-level positions.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t seem to convince my family to live in a homeless shelter so that I can accept a $40K/year job – particularly not with advanced degrees and programming skills plus a solid work history behind me.

The same can be said of postings “requiring” salary history. Table an offer and then we can discuss past salaries – if that’s warranted by the offer itself.

Freaking hate this corporate mindset, if I haven’t made that readily apparent.

DJ

competition

In reply to Might also be because…

This is only because they are benchmarking you against what they can get from Indian hires with a green card

On postings “requiring” salary history

In reply to Might also be because…

Just once, I’d like to have the upper hand in that.
Of late, it’s “send us your salary history” or “what are you expecting.” I think it is unfair and cowardice in that it puts the candidate at a huge disadvantage.
I’ve even tried those interview tricks where you say “when the time comes…fair offer…blah blah blah”. Employers here won’t even talk to you without you stating salary upfront.

Then just say NO

In reply to On postings “requiring” salary history

If they insist on you disclosing salary history and expectations before they will even talk to you, just walk away. I’m serious. You’re very unlikely to get a satisfactory offer anyway.

If it means walking away from IT employment altogether, so be it. You would be very forward thinking to do so.

You are right and have done in the last 2 weeks…

In reply to Then just say NO

Twice. You are right, I am not going to get what is fair anyway.

One who asked that I disclose and I did then emailed me back that they were only looking at canidates that wanted $50K and less – preferably less.

Job description? Move an entire hospital to voIP, migrate servers NT–>2003, desktops–>terminals, wifi in the halls, blackberrys, laptops, vpn, you name it. Oh and did I mention they wanted an extensive EMR systems setup/migration?

Yeah, I don’t think so.

This List…

In reply to You are right and have done in the last 2 weeks…

Move an entire hospital to voIP, migrate servers NT–>2003, desktops–>terminals, wifi in the halls, blackberrys, laptops, vpn

is Technically not that hard you know….
Takes more than just one person however!!!!!!

How’d ya guess they only wanted one person ;) eom

In reply to This List…

nm

Companies want way too much for way too little

In reply to Might also be because…

1) Yup, job descriptions want senior people for junior or even entry level money.

2) I do believe it’s majorly caused by offshore firms who send in people at rates not compatible with the US lifestyle. I’ve been accused of being greedy by more than one Indian firm because I wouldn’t take a 35% pay cut, and as a DBA with 2 college degrees and 20 years IT experience I was pulling in $35 an hour as it was!! Sorry, but here we don’t share a car, live 4 to a room in a residence hotel and go back after 6 months. Mortgages, college funds, retirement planning and etc. aren’t unreasonable expectations after putting in years of education and working our way up through the ranks, at least I don’t think they are, and neither do my friends and colleagues who moved here permanently from India years ago and now hear the same thing.

3) In the last 2 weeks, I’ve gotten calls for “we want someone to gather the business requirements, analyze the data, create data models, prepare the source-to-target maps, write the ETL code and create the physical databases.” Well, if you can find one person who can do all that, they’re either lying, not deeply experienced in any of them, or want way more than $30/hour with no benefits.

I love the current job postings

In reply to Companies want way too much for way too little

Recently, in the newspaper there was a “Senior Sys Admin” position. They wanted a db admin, net admin, security admin, sys admin, and help desk all in one position.

It boiled down to:
1) Support Oracle and SQL dbs
2) Support routers, switches, and install networking to new site
3) Write policy and implement with various security appliances
4) Maintain servers and desktops
5) Support 500 users

Ya, one person is gonna do that…for 40k/year no less.

Ooo, sounds like my kinda job – wait, it IS :) eom

In reply to I love the current job postings

nm

Another Possibility

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

They may get a job opening when somebody leaves. Then they post the job to find a replacement. In the meantime they see how they get along without anybody in that position. If they get along just fine, then they will eliminate that postition. I’ve seen a few jobs in your area, that were open for over a year. They just never filled the position and eliminated it from their staffing chart they had on the web.

Nail on head

In reply to Another Possibility

I think this may also be more the case than not. For instance the one vacant for 8 months. They need an IT Director AND a Sys Admin. They MUST be outsourcing.

Contradictions mean there is more to understand

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

.
[b][i]”I am just wondering if anyone else has noticed the following trend and why it is happening. Starting around 12/05, I noticed more IT jobs began to open up in my area after the “drop off a sheer cliff” back in ’00.”[/i][/b]

Can you cite examples? Specifically which job boards? I could offer better comments if I could see what you are referring to. Personally, I do not pay much attention to job postings for a bunch of different reasons.

[b][i]”Now, companies are begging for IT staff and yet they are taking weeks and months to actually hire people. The jobs are posted and stay posted for as long as 8 months or more.”[/i][/b]

If a company [i]REALLY[/i] has a need and wants to hire someone, they do it. Any “job” that is posted for 8 months is not a “real” job. Examples:

1. The job is posted but hiring is on hold for various reasons (this nonsense happens all the time).

2. The offered pay is so low that qualified applicants seek other positions first, second, and third, before even considering the one listed for 8 months. They clearly don’t need this position filled very badly. Or…

3. The job is listed only to compare skills/rates with the outsourcing vendor they are considering or using.

4. The job is being listed simply to justify getting an H-1B visa allocation from Uncle Sam.

[b][i]”One position I had applied for back in March is STILL up for grabs and it is basic IT stuff. I finally emailed the HR person in frustration just to get a bead on why the position was still open and she said the “interview team” was still gathering itself to start the process after getting hundreds (her words) of qualified applicants.”[/i][/b]

Of course, she told you a lie. Something else is going on.

[b]H-1B visa workers are very attractive[/b]

I think a lot of this is to justify more H-1B visas from Congress. More lies about “jobs Americans won’t do”. Too outlandish to be true? Anyone who thinks so is very naive.

Even the “pro-labor” Democrats are not going to “fix” this. You are part of their constituency, but so are the corporations who want to pay less, and CAN with the H-1B. Also, your fellow citizens who want to pay less for goods and services want the corporations to pay you less. The same mechanism works against medical doctors where everyone wants great medical care for less.

There is a quiet effort to get the H-1B limit completely removed. Legislation has even been written (rejected so far). If that ever happens, it will be very bad for American IT people.

H-1B workers:

– They are highly educated.

– They work cheap compared to Americans.

– They work in modern day indentured servitude. Can’t quit or shop for a better job easily. An ideal worker, and more desirable than you.

– They don’t get to compete in the job market vs. the real American workers. They only compete with each other to get selected to be paid at the [i][u]company-specified[/u][/i] rate once the company qualifies for the H-1B visa.

– Their mere presence in the workforce lowers pay rates for [i]everyone[/i], even though they don’t compete for the jobs. Nice, if you are an employer.

Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

Corollary: Anything that can happen…[I]DOES[/I]. (think about it)

Job boards…

In reply to Contradictions mean there is more to understand

Can you cite examples? Specifically which job boards?

Sure, if you go to America’s Job Bank website, take a look at the positions going back over the last few months. I think they archive back 6 months. In particular, you will see postings that reappear again and again. The others places I have seen it are with the individual companies, and for that I’d have to make a list the length of my arm :).

I agree with your number 2 reason as a great possibility. One position I applied for would always ask for salary and you would never hear from them. Finally, I submitted their online app with zero in the salary field and they emailed me. I gave the standard “fair compensation” line so as not to pidgeon hole myself and they responded back with the range and it was $20,000 less than it should have been for what they needed. No IT person in FL worth a damn would have done that job for that pay, so I realized why that posting stayed online.

All of your reasons are valid and give me some insight that I don’t have from this end, thank you!

duplicate post

In reply to Contradictions mean there is more to understand

dupe

Lots’s of them on Job Boards as well :D

In reply to duplicate post

One per pimp it seems.

Ha! Good one :) eom

In reply to Lots’s of them on Job Boards as well :D

eom

Citizenship Franchise

In reply to Contradictions mean there is more to understand

I don’t mind qualified people coming to this country, going through the guantlet to become citizens, and then getting jobs. They earned their way the same as our parents. If people were really worried about illegal immigrants, then make it mandatory that everyone have proof of citizenship before being hired.

You come to this country to work, you’d better be also training to become a citizen. Otherwise, it’s back to where you came from, and don’t come back.

H1Bs don’t level the playing field by raising people up, they lower everything except the companies’ profits.

The H1B problem

In reply to Contradictions mean there is more to understand

For ‘permanent’ jobs, a lot of companies do not want H1B guys. There is a lot of issues to be taken care of in hiring H1B. My employer for example, does not entertain and candidate requiring sponsorship for full time employee positions.

The H1B guys are not paid less than US citizens or permanent residents. INS has strict rules about the minimum salaries paid to H1B employees. Believe me they make more than most of us not H1B guys.

Consulting companies prefer H1Bs. They are usually cheaper in the first year of 2 of coming to the USA. These guys have many years of exp but come here and work on programmer level positions for the miniumum or near min that INS specifies.

The real low cost workers are those working offshore. Companies like TCS, Infosys and many others get projects with say 50 people at 25/Hr. But of these 48 may be working in India. And there they get paid maybe 10/Hr.
But the 2 who are on site get paid 50-60 per hour or a salary like 75-100K. These 2 are usually team leads or project managers. I dont think they lower the wages for everyone. All the H1B guys I know (been here a few years) make more than me although they are on contract positions and I am on a full time employee position.

H1B workers in the usa can quit as easily as you and I. The portability laws allows this and makes it pretty easy. Most such workers do change jobs in the first year and move on to higher wages.

They do compete with us for the same jobs, but it is well known that such guys work long hours and put their jobs before their personal and family life. This is typical of all immigrants. And I appreciate their dedication to the job and their careers.

Partly right, partly [I]VERY WRONG[/i]

In reply to The H1B problem

.
Your post is partly right, and partly very wrong.

I notice that you are in NYC. Know that things in NYC are not as adversely affected as in most other places in the USA. Try living and working in Detroit for the next year and you’ll know what I mean.

[b][i]”The H1B guys are not paid less than US citizens or permanent residents. INS has strict rules about the minimum salaries paid to H1B employees. Believe me they make more than most of us not H1B guys.”[/i][/b]

This is simply false. You can believe what you want to believe. There is a lot of cheating on the INS rules. And, if an H-1B worker is making more than you, the corresponding American worker who would have had his job would have been making even more than that.

[b][i]”They are usually cheaper in the first year of 2 of coming to the USA. These guys have many years of exp but come here and work on programmer level positions for the miniumum or near min that INS specifies.”[/i][/b]

That was my point. These are the guys that lower all wages by decreasing the upward pressure on wages that is caused by supply vs. demand. When the supply of cheap workers is inserted into the job market by the government, it lowers the price. This is Economics 101. To understand this, deport all 500,000 H-1B workers from the USA today. What would happen to pay rates tomorrow? I cannot make this point any clearer than that.

Obviously, pay rates will vary for the hundreds of thousands of H-1Bs now living and working in the USA. There isn’t a single rate. But, by law, the specified minimum rate is just $60K for people with a master’s degree. That is way too low and far below what the prevailing wage for such talent used to be.

It never ceases to amaze me that U.S. lawmakers who promote “free trade” and “market-based economies” choose to interfere with the market whenever things do not break on the side of U.S. corporations. Labor too expensive? Do a “free trade” agreement with a foreign country that enables work to go offshore. And, pass a law that allows cheap foreign workers to legally work INSIDE the USA and call it “jobs Americans won’t do”. Problem solved.

[b][i]”But of these 48 may be working in India. And there they get paid maybe 10/Hr. But the 2 who are on site get paid 50-60 per hour or a salary like 75-100K. These 2 are usually team leads or project managers.”[/i][/b]

Technical managers and senior engineers always make a lot more. American technical managers and senior engineers running/leading a team of 48 engineers would typically make a lot more than $75K or $100K. And, what about those 48 American jobs that are now making $10/hour in India? Both of these are the whole point of my post. Your post is supporting my position. Thanks.

So, let’s summarize. We have two pseudo-Americans making $75K-$100K that should be making $150K. And, we have 48 unemployed Americans. Check.

[b][i]”They do compete with us for the same jobs”[/i][/b]

No, they don’t. Once a company has been allocated an H-1B visa, it will hire an H-1B visa worker for that job. There is never an interview process where Americans and H-1B visa holders both apply for the same job and the company makes their choice.

[b][i]”And I appreciate their dedication to the job and their careers.”[/i][/b]

I do also. That is not the point.

What I [u]really[/u] appreciate is the same dedication of the American engineer who has the $500,000 mortgage on an average home in the Silicon Valley, and the wife and children. Or, should I say [i]HAD THE $500,000 MORTGAGE[/i]??

post an official request for an H1B request – take a look

In reply to Partly right, partly [I]VERY WRONG[/i]

you will see it is for a major firm GE’s NBC/universal unit at 90,000

granted their orinal posting that may of stayed unfilled was only on Monster, and their web site.

And your point is???

In reply to post an official request for an H1B request – take a look

???

More on H1B

In reply to Partly right, partly [I]VERY WRONG[/i]

Try living and working in Detroit for the next year and you’ll know what I mean”
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I would not try to market my skills where it is not in demand or where the returns are poor. Why should I work in Detroit when NY offers so much more. This is economics 101, like you say.
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“The H1B guys are not paid less than US citizens or permanent residents. INS has strict rules about the minimum salaries paid to H1B employees. Believe me they make more than most of us not H1B guys.”

This is simply false. You can believe what you want to believe. There is a lot of cheating on the INS rules. And, if an H-1B worker is making more than you, the corresponding American worker who would have had his job would have been making even more than that.
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Unfortunately statistics are on my side of the argument regarding the numbers. ?would have had..? is wishful thinking and does not go with economics. What you are asking for is protectionism. More like what a protected former USSR market was, or what asian countries like India were before they opened up their economies.
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“They are usually cheaper in the first year of 2 of coming to the USA. These guys have many years of exp but come here and work on programmer level positions for the miniumum or near min that INS specifies.”

That was my point. These are the guys that lower all wages by decreasing the upward pressure on wages that is caused by supply vs. demand. When the supply of cheap workers is inserted into the job market by the government, it lowers the price. This is Economics 101. To understand this, deport all 500,000 H-1B workers from the USA today. What would happen to pay rates tomorrow? I cannot make this point any clearer than that.
————–
The rise in wages for these H1Bs are phenomenal and more than compensate the first 6 months of what you say are lower wages. I started at 56K, 6 months later 71K, 12 months – 85K, 18 Months – 99K. What low wages are you talking about? I know many H1B workers ? all of them have similar rise in wages.
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Obviously, pay rates will vary for the hundreds of thousands of H-1Bs now living and working in the USA. There isn’t a single rate. But, by law, the specified minimum rate is just $60K for people with a master’s degree. That is way too low and far below what the prevailing wage for such talent used to be.
————–

I don?t know what prevailing ware you are talking about or imagining. Department of labor has the numbers for each job classification. You may do well to check them. A classmate of mine had a PHd from CMU and a permanent resident of the USA and then a citizen. And he worked for Dupont for years making 40K even after working many years.
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It never ceases to amaze me that U.S. lawmakers who promote “free trade” and “market-based economies” choose to interfere with the market whenever things do not break on the side of U.S. corporations. Labor too expensive? Do a “free trade” agreement with a foreign country that enables work to go offshore. And, pass a law that allows cheap foreign workers to legally work INSIDE the USA and call it “jobs Americans won’t do”. Problem solved.
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Unfortunately it is true in many jobs ? recent problems in farm labor and Mexican labor ? illegal, yes, but they make more than min wage and there are no US citizens willing to do the job even though the farmer is willing to pay more. (his quote ?how many US workers would want a job that requires waking at 3 AM to milk the cows). While I don?t support illegal immigration, I do want my milk to be $3 a gallon and not $10.
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“But of these 48 may be working in India. And there they get paid maybe 10/Hr. But the 2 who are on site get paid 50-60 per hour or a salary like 75-100K. These 2 are usually team leads or project managers.”

Technical managers and senior engineers always make a lot more. American technical managers and senior engineers running/leading a team of 48 engineers would typically make a lot more than $75K or $100K. And, what about those 48 American jobs that are now making $10/hour in India? Both of these are the whole point of my post. Your post is supporting my position. Thanks.
————–

The numbers are just an example. I am open to valid and logical, scientific arguments.
48 jobs were sent to India at $25 an hour. The worker may make $10 an hour but the cost to the American company is $25/Hr. Companies/corporations are not here to give you a job so that you can afford the life of a king. The last time I read something about corporations was that they are there to make money/profit. Economics?
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So, let’s summarize. We have two pseudo-Americans making $75K-$100K that should be making $150K. And, we have 48 unemployed Americans. Check.
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Both hypothetical. 150 is a dreamers number and 48 americans were not available (I agree that the downturn in economy may have made 24 available)

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“They do compete with us for the same jobs”

No, they don’t. Once a company has been allocated an H-1B visa, it will hire an H-1B visa worker for that job. There is never an interview process where Americans and H-1B visa holders both apply for the same job and the company makes their choice.
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That is not correct. You need to study the H1B program process and rules. The position has to be advertised (and advertised well) publicly. If US citizens respond and have the qualifications, they MUST be interviewed and the position must be filled using such candidates. Extensice documentation is required of the interview process. If a candidate is rejected the reasons are to be documented and made available to INS if the INS wishes to verify that the company did try to fill with local candidates. There is a period typically months, when no suitable candidate is found, only then can the company hire or attempt to hire an H1B candidate.
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“And I appreciate their dedication to the job and their careers.”

I do also. That is not the point.
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Really? I have seen US citizens leave work at 5.00 PM because his son has a football game even though project deadlines are looming. And they do it because it is their right. (is it?) You think a for-profit company would want to pay 150K for such employees?

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What I really appreciate is the same dedication of the American engineer who has the $500,000 mortgage on an average home in the Silicon Valley, and the wife and children. Or, should I say HAD THE $500,000 MORTGAGE??
————–

Yes… HAD… Come down to earth. Millions all over the world don?t have 2 meals a day. No, this is not an argument to support my point. But could not resist this. Sorry.

funny coincidence

In reply to The H1B problem

hi,
I’m also considering, as sw-spec., going to ny to work, and having a look at your email, I noticed, that we have the same name (tappy ,-).
I’m from Switzerland.
Do you think you could give me some advice for the h1b problem ?
Thanks ,-))

Help on H1b – is easily available

In reply to funny coincidence

BTW – H1B is not a problem. It is a workaround/solution to a problem.

You can get information on the web for information and on attorney firms websites for more specific topics.
You can try these:
http://www.immigration.com
http://www.murthy.com

What an official notice of consideration of a H1B candidate – looks like

In reply to Contradictions mean there is more to understand

position is worth 90,000

was posted for months

if you have anything similar – send your resume

——————————-

Digital Media Delivery Engineer
Business Unit: NBC Universal
Function: Information Technology
Location: Universal City, NY
Job #: 556985
Posted: Oct 31, 2006

Job Description:
Responsibilities

The Digital Media Delivery Engineer will:
# Implement and maintain various technical systems in support of centralized streaming media environment
# Deploy and maintain the streaming systems infrastructure; streaming servers, encoders, and media archives; and monitor the systems for performance, reliability, and security utilizing Six Sigma and Stream 2.0
# Oversee and support daily streaming operations, coordinate with the various infrastructure Teams and Network Engineering for scheduling of streaming and network resources using WM9 Series and Digital Dailies
# Develop, maintain, and support of web-based software tools for automation of streaming tasks, encoding tasks, and the archiving/retrieval of stored media while assisting with support of existing Digital Segment Approval, Digital Dailies Plus, Webcasting and Media server infrastructure utilizing Signiant Mobilize and DART
Qualifications

# Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Computer Information Systems
# Two years of experience as a Digital Media Delivery Engineer, Network Administrator, Server Support Analyst, or IT Analyst
# Two years of experience must include some experience with Six Sigma, WM9 Series, Stream 2.0, Digital Dailies, Signiant Mobilize, and DART

40 hrs/wk, 8:00am-5:00pm, M-F, $90,000/yr
General

job # 556985

THIS NOTICE IS BEING POSTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE FILING OF APPLICATIONS FOR PERMANENT ALIEN LABOR CERTIFICATION. ALL APPLICANTS MUST RESPOND DIRECTLY TO THE EMPLOYER. ANY PERSON MAY COMMENT OR PROVIDE DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE BEARING ON THIS APPLICATION TO THE OFFICE LISTED BELOW:

U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
844 N. Rush Street
12th Floor
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 886-8000
Fax: (312) 886-1688

SEND RESUME OR CONTACT:
Tekeita Lodge
HR Manager
NBC Universal
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

GE is an equal opportunity employer, offering a great work environment, challenging career opportunities, professional training and competitive compensation.

——————-
Search the Internet for Six Sigma
(all of windows media) WM9 Series,
Stream 2.0, (piece of equipment)
Digital Dailies,
Signiant Mobilize,
DART
Or similar

I do not work for ge or nbcuni

More foreign software engineers needed in America — U.S. Tech Czar

In reply to Contradictions mean there is more to understand

The effort to increase the number of cheap foreign engineers working on H-1B visas in the USA continues. The U.S. Dept. of Commerce says they want more Americans to study engineering. Yet, they make the field less attractive by injecting cheap foreign workers as much as they possibly can.

Are these people stupid? Or, do they just think American students are?

From (1):

[i]”The IT work force is not skilled enough and almost never can be skilled enough,” said Robert Cresanti, undersecretary of commerce for technology, in an exclusive interview with eWEEK editors. “There are not enough engineers with the appropriate skill sets.”

Cresanti said U.S. colleges and universities are not enrolling enough engineering students, resulting in a dearth of information technology professionals. In addition to boosting engineering enrollment, [b]he urged opening the gates to more foreign workers, including H-1B holders. “Without H-1B visas, we would have economic dislocation,”[/b] Cresanti said.[/i]

(1) U. S. Technology Czar Says More IT Workers Needed
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2060613,00.asp

Huh?

In reply to More foreign software engineers needed in America — U.S. Tech Czar

How is lowering the bar raising it? It just don’t get the double speak coming out of Washington.

It’s because they have unrealistic expectations…

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

They want a graduate who is willing to work for next to nothing, but has 10 years of commercial experience in cutting edge technologies, with impeccable interpersonal skills yet being able to hard-code a mainframe down to the bare metal…

All this for the help-desk supervisor who will compile reports on the deskies…

This is SO very true

In reply to It’s because they have unrealistic expectations…

It is unbelievable what some of these job postings require for experience and what they are willing to pay. I would rather have a self taught Admin with 10 yrs exp vs. a degree with 5 yrs. However that?s not always the case. For some reason that degree always means more than actual work experience (of course with that being said) I would require the 10 yr person start getting some certs.

Bad example!!

In reply to This is SO very true

You correctly value experience over anything else. However to compare a 5 year against a 10 is really not a fair battle. What if the experience score was equal (both had 10 years) – who would you hire now and why?

Not Really

In reply to Bad example!!

a bad example because it happens all the time. But I do see what you are asking. Which would I hire? That is when it would come down to true interview with both parties which ever I felt was more competent would get the job.

Edited to add this:
Now to be fair it is only right to say that I am sure there are 10yr or so type people out there that just try and skate through so it is very possible Mr/Ms. degree and 5 yr exp. would obviously be a better option.

Exp Years.

In reply to Not Really

I guess a question could be: Is there an upper limit of ‘experience years’, where any over and above don’t really make much difference?

Good Question

In reply to Exp Years.

I think you are absolutely correct. Now I am just throwing numbers out here so don?t hold me to them. Let?s say you have a 10yr and 15yr there really is not really that much difference. It would again come down to interviewing both. But as I mentioned earlier 10yr vs. 5yr I think the 5yr still has a lot to do (that shouldn?t discount him as a viable option for employment though). I do also have to confess that yesterday when I made the other post I was a little frustrated because I just saw the exact instance happen last week that we discussed. A person JUST out of school got a job over a more experienced person because of a degree. And this person was not qualified for the job at all. But I am over that and thinking more clearly. (No it wasn?t me in the situation ) But at any rate I see you are a department manager. What do you look for when hiring a new person when these decisions have to be made?

Well…

In reply to Good Question

I would say the experience is always a winner to a point (say 10 years +) however there has to be some chance for entry level people. It depends on the job.

Such entry level people include the person with the degree. The degree only (In my opinion) opens doors once it is paired with experience.

Certs such as MCSE are usually worthless if the person has no experience. Anybody can spend a few thousand and get a MCSE in a few weeks. A degree, while similar, takes years and therefore shows some focus and staying power to a goal.

The chances are that the technology in use with anybody with more than 10 years experience may not be valid for the years above (11, 12, ?). Ok, the methods and skills may be relevant but not the application off them in this particular ‘tech time’. That is not to say that the extra experience is completely of waste however.

IF you can set a fair test for somebody of ?any good experience? could solve BUT not (so easily) somebody without experience then you could perhaps gauge a fair evaluation of their skill. Problem is defining such a test!

Personally in the case of 5 / 10 year I would bring both in to sit the above test. Pair this with the interview result and then decide from there. At this point the degree would not really be a defining factor unless both candidates were so similar. If this was the case then the degree would be a factor.

Hope that makes sense?

Re: Well… (techmail)

In reply to Good Question

That makes perfect sense and sounds like a very fair interviewing process. When is your next webex? (no sarcasm meant at all) The are a lot of HR and IT heads that could use that type of thinking.

Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

Seems like the opposite of South Africa. Too much skills & too little work. Can these jobs be applied for from outside the USA?

I assume so…

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

Some are listed on career search sites. Also, since many US companies outsource these days, it should not be too hard to find ones who outsource to your country.

Too many applicants are not qualified

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

I have been interviewing to hire an IT support person for one of my client sites. I can tell you that in one weekend I received over 150 resumes from both Monster and Career builder. By the end of week one, I had over 220 resumes to filter through. By the time I weeded out those who were unqualified for the position, I was left with 70 good candidates.

Next comes telephone interviews and then in-person interviews. By the time that was done and I had 3-5 potential hires, my HR department decided to place a temporary freeze on hiring anyone, anywhere.

It’s now 3 months later and I just got the okay to submit my candidates for background checks, which could take up to another month. All this time, the job opening is still posted….

You have to start over again

In reply to Too many applicants are not qualified

If you only got 5 qualified applicants, then I’m sure by this time they’ve already got other jobs (simply because they’re qualified).

And you have to do it all over again if none of them is available (or the wrong ones are available).

Who has time?

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

1. Hundreds of received resumes per position, many of which are under-qualified.

2. More and more, HR departments are passing the screening buck back to IT managers who are already short-staffed and have precious little time to wade through the mountains of inquiries.

3. In relation to #2…hiring IT managers are already bogged down with daily responsibilities.

4. The interview and hiring process has become convoluted and potential employees are being asked to jump through more and more hoops as managers attempt to hit a ?bull?s eye? on the first try.

The bottom line is that there simply are too many unqualified (or barely qualified) candidates out there and mining through all the rock to find that diamond has become all too time consuming and tiresome.

Catch 22

In reply to Who has time?

I agree with everything you stated here. But I have also seen where HR is not qualified to do the screening hence you may get a respectful well mannered employee but not technically right for the job.

The job I have now was a very good hiring process. The previous one???.. well stunk BIG TIME. HR tried to do an interview with a very outdated job description (IT managers fault) but then really had no clue has to the value of experience and training I had. Which leads back to you?re 4th statement.

?4. The interview and hiring process has become convoluted and potential employees are being asked to jump through more and more hoops as managers attempt to hit a ?bull?s eye? on the first try?

IT departments and HR need to take a step back and re-evaluate what it takes to hire good people in a timely manner.

So True Catch 22

In reply to Catch 22

I took a phone call from a recruiter last week about a job and he told me that there is a 3 test the company requires each candidate to take. I had to tell the recruiter that I cannot justify taking 3 hours off from my present job and then, if I pass the tests!, return for another interview or two. The test I can understand but 3 hours?!?!

Also I have found that many recruiters will call and take up time asking questions and getting references and then you never hear from them again. OR if you do it for another position OR it is the same position with a different recruiting company.

SimpleMusings from a simple girl

Jobs – Myth or Reality

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

I believe there are several reasons why there appears to be more positions available. First it is often “Smoke and Mirrors” designed to give an impression of a growing and tehnology drive organization. Top brass often DO NOT WANT to full positions because they can use SALARY SAVINGS to fund special interst projects which includes giving contracts to friends. This is especially true in the public sector where elected officials GIVE contracts to their friends as favors so they can advance their own political careers in the next election. The second reason is that there are many individuals that may receive an additional bonus by reducing expenses. It does not take a genius to cut cost by not hiring staff and placing the additional workload on existing staff. The third reason is the hiring of H1B consultants who are making the owners rich. I know of examples where they were paid $25 and hour but the owners who were politically connected were charing the governmental agency $125 and hour. A substantial profit if they have 20 or 30 in a job. The government allows and encourages this and in my opinion results in security risks and lack of job security for American workers.

Job Candidates Are Overwhelmed Too

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

I’ve seen several replies about employers being overwhelmed by the number of responses they get. Candidates are being overwhelmed too. If you look at a job board with thousands of posts for the job you want, it’s difficult to find a real posting. By “real posting” I mean an employer who is actually ready to hire.
Back in 2002 I returned to Florida from a 3 month contract in Houston, where I performed a data migration from DB2/400 to a Wintel platform. Within two weeks of returning I received a call from a headhunter for another data migration project; same platforms. A lot of IT people were out of work at that time, so two weeks between contracts was pretty fast. I found out in the interview that this company had somebody working on the project for the last 6 months, but had nothing to show for it. I got a contract offer during that interview for a 6 week project.
It took me exactly 6 weeks to complete the project, so the hiring manager knew exactly what was involved in such a project. During the six months he had some low paid programmer (probably an H-1B that worked for a body shop) try to complete the project, I’m sure he was interviewing people for the job. So there may have been postings for that job for 6 months, with no intention of filling it until there was 6 weeks to go on the project. No doubt, some of the interviewees were capable of doing the job (probably a lot of them) but none may have been available on the needed date.
That contract worked out well for me, but just think how some job boards might have looked with a job posting on it for 6 months and “nobody to fill the job”.

Dave

Another View Point!

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

I have been working in IT since 1992. I have also worked at several places in my area in Florida. The trend around my area is Post the Job, Interview Applicants, Hire the least experienced, thereby paying as little as possible, THEN OUTSOURCING to correct the problems the inexperienced has created. Precisely why I have opened my own business and become the one they outsource to. My son and I own an, “On Site Computer Repair Business”. We repair, upgrade, give lessons, network offices and homes, troubleshoot software errors, repair printers, and all at your place. Now we don’t have the stress of a Big Boss hanging over us and people are incredible kind and thankful when we finish a job instead of being taken for granted. We can also take time off when WE WANT to not when a Company says we can.

I can identify

In reply to Another View Point!

I am in the same general area of Florida, so this is a reality for me too in addition to my orginal posting.
I cannot count how many botched jobs I have cleaned up in the last 5 years since I started freelancing IT work part time. I rely on WOM and don’t advertise my services too broadly to avoid barter deals.

Outsourcing is a huge issue here as well because you will see postings for two week projects to clean up problems. I’ve literally been back to the same companies time and again who “make do” without a regular tech.

Vacant Jobs for Months

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

I whole-heartedly agree..I have received over 50 email/voice-mail combination of messages stating that they are very interested in my skills for the ‘perfect’ fit. Then go on interviews and either they take weeks to make a decision and some don’t even have enough work, so I asked them, then why are u posting a job description and conducting interviews without enough work and the reply is; they are gearing uo personnel…

A couple of things to add..

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

I see all of the responses about the candidates not having enough experience fo the job..well on the other side of the coin..how many job advertisements are actually true to the job functions v’s
something that HR put together. I have personally been told by “headhunters” and others to apply for positions even though my skill set does not match up across the board with the job description because the job description may not be a true indication of the actual job functions. And how many of you have gone on interviews and fount out after talking to the people who actually do the job that what was “required” most of them have never even done…A little truth in advertising on both sides would greatly help the problem I think.
And where do people get the experience if nobody is willing to hire them in the first place…yes I know..home labs, voluntering etc…but home labs if done right are not cheap..and there are not that many postions open to volunteer for that wont have a ton of other probably better qualified applicants applying for..As for hiring the cheapest guy..the one I love best from a personal perspective..I had applied to a job and was told I was a perfect fit from the IT manager..his only concern was my salary request..I did not get the job..but in a year and a half the postion came open 4 more times…people “usually” ask what the ask because the have the experience to make that salary worthwile..

getting act together

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

If the company in question is hiring directly, rather than using a recruiting firm, they are just plain disorganized.

If there is a recruiting firm involved, well …. that’s another thing. (My recruiter is pretty diligent …. YEAH!!! I finally found one that actually listens and follows up)

Unrealistic Expectations vs Salary

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

I’ve personally applied for a position described as ‘network administrator’ that required a MCSE, programming skills (to assist their developers where and when needed) nix and win systems management skills, Cisco lan,wan,wifi and voip, plus be willing to travel for customer support/systems integration, all for a 200+ node campus facility with only 1 other IT staffer.

This position has been open for over a year and I know of 3 other highly skilled individuals that have applied in the course of that year. All of us are currently employed and meet all of their requirements. None of us were ever called back after the interview.

The person who had the position previously was a ‘gung ho’ single young guy with little practical experience and was highly skilled in skimming the surface. (I know this because HE interviewed me! and went into great detail about how things should be run) All for ~30k. He burned out and has moved back to Iowa to work on the family farm (no I’m not making that up) He still works on some of the customer integration/support projects, and the rest they outsource locally.

The city that this company is located in, listed and filled a similar position within three weeks. Since I don’t live there, by the time I found out about it, it was filled. (dang it all) But the pay was much more reasonable for the job requirements.

Point is, they posted for a network administrator, required senior level experience, but were actually looking for an “entry level person that they could train”. (Quote from the IT Manager) But after reading our resumes, called to set up interviews anyway.

Decision Making has become a team concept.

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

As a recruiter I have seen the changes through the years of the hiring process going from the manager who needed the job filled pronto, to the advisors dedicated to covering their own “you know what”
It is the management mentality taking over from the more productive entepreneur mentality, the latter not being afraid to make the neccasary decisions.

The problem is…

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

The hiring managers are looking for that 1 in a million applicant who just might possess all the arcane “requirements” like 15 years experience programming in .NET (Yep, I actually saw that in a posting – how long has .NET been around? Hmmm, makes you wonder don’t it!) I have 24 years experience but since I’ve not written a killer app in .NET I don’t know squat. Guess again, hiring mangler! I’ve learned so many languages and techniques over the years that becoming proficient in another one takes a couple of weeks. Notice nit pickers, I said PROFICIENT, not EXPERT before you jump on me. Anyway, until HR and hiring managers get over this insane quest for the “perfect” candidate, many of us extremely qualified tech types and developers are freelancing and having a ball. As one of my business admin profs said, “When you can’t seem to get a job, start your own business.” That’s exactly what I did. My best wishes to all who’ve posted here in your search for the right job.
Tom

You are soooo dead on here

In reply to The problem is…

I saw a posting recently that wanted 10+ years of Wifi – ummm hello? 10 what? They also wanted the person to have managed a construction site for 10+ years. And to top it off, they wanted them to have had at least 7 years of Marketing. Yeah, this person exists.

I also agree with you about the languages. I started out with CDML – how arcane is that – but it gave me a basis by which I was able to learn others in a days.

DOH’

In reply to You are soooo dead on here

10+ years of Wifi
managed a construction site for 10+ years
7 years of Marketing

Sounds to me like they dont know what there own business venture is supposed to be.

But now to be fair…
I am from a family of Electricians and I was one for 20yrs and ran some pretty large jobs (electrical side of course) computers were just a hobby until I decided to get formal schooling and make it a career. So maybe that person does exist. <<< Just kidding. I think its rare to find someone from the construction field get into IT. But although having that electrical exp has helped me land a couple IT jobs.

It’s the same scenario in Mexico…

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

Maybe in Mexico the employment offerts does not stand too long.
When you say “I personally have more work freelance than I can handle…” I belive you because it’s the same case in my job!
I must recognize here in my country this scenario generates a grey IT market with a lot of “kiss the dollar and goodbye” guys who has no expertise or quality and earn the big bucks selling tech or support leaving it in the short time.
It is the price or the low assets in the companies? In my case it’s the first thing.

saw the same thing this summer

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

i was looking for employment recently and saw the same thing. i saw the same job go back up after i was interviewed and declined. i think my current employer did the same thing before hiring me. the project i’m working on is indeed due very soon. in fact, one of the projects being done (not by me thank god) is the same project i applied for at a different company that is guilty of this pattern.

they posted that they needed it done asap, were looking to hire fast, then took their time to get me an interview, got a reply a few days later, i saw the job go back up, and after i’m hired elsewhere i see that first project i applied for outsourced to the company i now work for. i think it’s hilarious. it gets better than that but it would take way too long to explain.

paradigm shift

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

remember the times when companies used to have it departments? management hates it because they are not producing any kind of product they can sell. they only handle information. but oh yes when that server goes down with all the company financials on it, they will sell their soul to satan to get the data back. then the it guy becomes mighty important.

now companies want it help they can call when needed and be gone once the problem is gone. this is what i do everyday. have 35 customers that i drive to when they need help. they do not want to pay it salaries and insurance so instead they buy hours from me and they use them when needed.

the market is flooded with it professionals that have to take temporary jobs at wal mart greeting customers until the next thing happens. the days of the 70k it guy are gone. it is just the way technology goes. i know managers and secretaries that are also in charge of the it problems at their jobs. another sign of the times. people doing multiple jobs. if you can use instant messanger suddenly you are the computer liason person.

it is my experience that americans like variety. everything in 3 styles and 25 different colors. so everytime they are going to recruit they collect thousands of resumes and just browse thru them. if they see someone exceptional but do not like the font on the resume, it gets discarded. the managers do not mind the position is still empty after 8 mmonths, it is not vital to them unless the e mails are not exiting the outbox becasue of smtp problems.

the times have changed and as automatic systems keep on coming out, and programs that write programs keep on showing up on the mainstream, we become less important and hence cheaper. if you can find a job for 50k, just grab it. once your foot is on the door and they get used to have you, you can ask for more since by then you will become super important. specially if you are good. just get your foot on the door. that is the advice. do not sit down waiting for the 70k that may never come. the guys from india come here and start at 40k. then after 2 years they are charging 300 dollars an hour for database work because the database is so cumbersome for the average folk that they must keep him there no matter the cost.

get your foot on the door then make yourself necessary and vital. that is the way to go. it is what the people from india are doing.

Strong Market for Senior Tech in Minneapolis

In reply to Lots of IT jobs but vacant for MONTHS!

The current market in Minneapolis for senior technical people is hot. I am not talking about lead developers, but more along the lines of system architects. There is a definite lack of experienced professionals.
Lead developers are a dime a dozen, intro developers are even cheaper.
If you have the resume and can talk smack about SOA, BPM, Event Based Processing and all the buzzwords, your phone rings off the hook.

You nailed it

In reply to Strong Market for Senior Tech in Minneapolis

Just buzz words now. Find the hot market, buzz word up your resume and send it off.

HR drone typically have NO idea what they are hiring and the hiring manager is never involved.

Gah, what’s gone wrong with HR?

the key is understand how hr & agents are searching

In reply to Strong Market for Senior Tech in Minneapolis

the key is understand how hr & agents they are searching – they punch in keywords of interest and search using software. create a skills section at the bottom of your resume – with all the buzz words you know, and can do

if anything pops i get e-mail (we have this openning) – did they read my resume to see where I used it – no, how – no, they found a few words, emc, ibm and storage

this is my technology:
AAC, AIFF, AMR, ASF, ASX, ATM, AU, AVI (TYPE 1 & 2), Bluetooth, Cable Modems, Cable Plant, CDA, CMS, DAM, DOLBY, DRM, DS1, DS3, DSL, DVD Codecs, Ethernet, FDDI, Fiber Channel, fractional T & E, Frame Relay, H.264, H.3xx, Hosted Systems, ISDN, JIF, JPEG 2000, LAN, Layer 2, Layer 3, MMS, Modems, MOV, MP3, MPA, MPE, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MPG, MPV, Multi drop, OC-3, On2VP6, PSD, PTT, QCLP, RA, RAM, RM, Routers, RPM, RTMP, RTP, RTSP, Single & MM Fiber, SNMP, SWF, Switches, TCP/IP, Telex, TGA, Token Ring, VOB, VOIP, VPN, WAN, WAV, Wireless LANs (802.11), WMA, WMD, WMV, WVX

still not enough:
Over 15 years of TCP/IP, telenet, FTP, HTTP, UDP, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, iSCSI, VPN, IP Tunneling, layer 2/3 switching, OSPF, BGP, Protocols of: Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and SUN. Implemented E0, E1, E3, voice, ATM, DSL, frame relay, ISDN, Internet Internationally, and understand the particulars of foreign PPTs, / common carriers.

i am a networking infrastructure guy

All this…and more….

In reply to the key is understand how hr & agents are searching

in a textbox, white text and borders hidden behind the main resume.

Not visible to the eye but to the text search only. You could have thousands of keywords…

dice,monster, employers and others want to see it all

In reply to All this…and more….

if you can what any aaditional items an employer wants – add them to your resume before submitting it and leave them on

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Replies