Stories about: Spherion

Now more than ever American IT workers fear the weakening US economy will impact their ability to find and keep jobs in high-tech, according to research released Wednesday.

The truth is out there ... and so is your data. And just because there are no virtual black helicopters following you doesn't mean somebody somewhere doesn't have a bead on who you are and what you are doing.

Dreaming of ringing in the New Year with a new job under your belt -- either at your present company or with an entirely new employer? Don't forget that a successful career change takes time, sometimes lots of time. If you want to bust a move in 2008, the time to start laying the foundation is now.

Have you spoken with a high-tech recruiter or professor of computer science lately? According to observers across the country, the technology skills shortage that pundits were talking about a year ago is real.

Stop us if this story sounds familiar. You've been asked to a) keep your infrastructure humming and b) come up with innovative ways to use technology to boost the bottom line. Meanwhile, your resources are stretched tighter than a US$2 string on a banjo and you spend so much time putting out fires you should be wearing a helmet and carrying a hose.

Golf balls run amok and ping around a warehouse in an amusing new DHL commercial. A distraught warehouse manager phones the shipping giant to reroute correspondence and packages, while a booming voice pledges that DHL has adopted a renewed focus on customer service -- a promise that will extend clear down to IT personnel manning help desks and scrambling to provide technical support.

Pity the poor, ambitious IT professional. With technology more important to the bottom line than ever, you'd think there'd be career opportunities up the wazoo. But the suits don't really understand what you do for a living. And they hold the keys to the executive washroom. So, while you're down in the server closet saving the company's bacon on a daily basis, these guys are upstairs in the corner offices with the nice view.

Applicants over the age of 50 beating the streets in today's IT job market bear resumes that are commonly stigmatized as pricey and outdated, given recent leaps in technology and sweeping operational changes at many companies. Yet this crowd may prove to be the IT profession's salvation, especially over the next four years as baby boomers retire from the workforce in droves.

The New Zealand arm of IT training provider Computer Power has been put on the market along with its Australian counterpart, despite not being affected by the woes facing Computer Power Australia.

I've got to admit it, whenever I hear the word "wholesale" in a business discussion, I tune out. Wholesale to me conjures up unseen middlemen hauling bulk quantities of undifferentiated stuff -- no innovation, all commodity. The Internet will cut them out eventually, I figure.

The interview went smoothly, your resume was impeccable and your skills match the job requirements line for line. You sent along clever thank you notes and, with a glimmer in his eye, the hiring manager said you were a top candidate for the job. So, what happened? Why haven't you heard from the potential employer for weeks?