September 11, 2009

WTIA, F5 offer support to tech job market

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One of the few bright spots in Seattle's dark 2009 job market has been the relatively active technology sector. Just last week, recruiter Matthew Allen of Vertical Move told me he has seen a significant rise in hiring activity among his high-tech software firm clients. In mid-August, the Employment Security Department reported that, for the first seven months of 2009, the state's information sector had a net gain of 900 jobs, representing a modest 1.8 percent growth compared to last year.

In hopes that this trend will continue and accelerate, the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) is holding a Back to Work event next week, on Tues., Sept. 15, featuring job-search advice for those in the technology field. Hosted at the F5 Networks headquarters on Elliott Ave., the all-day free event will include a series of presentations by employment consultants, plus mock one-on-one interviews with members of the WTIA board, including Brian Bershad, site director for Google R&D, Bruce Burns, senior director, strategic relations, at Microsoft, and Jennifer Shettleroe, vice president of engineering at Attachmate. (Click here for a full list of expected mock interviewers.)

Speakers at the Back to Work event will include:

• Christy Miller of SeattleJobs.org, who will discuss how to remain adaptable, diversify your skills sets and act on opportunities that are best suited to you.
• Debbie Faulkner of Sound Inpatient Physicians, who will hold a "Job Search 101 - Basics Boot Camp" to show attendees how they can customize their resumes, write targeted cover letters, take advantage of online resources, and set up a weekly job-search strategy.
• Matt Youngquist of Career Horizons, who will describe the three best job-lead websites to follow, the best ways to work with recruiters and staffing firms, and other successful self-marketing tips.
• Kathi Jones of Swift HR Solutions, who will share real-life stories of interviewing successes and analyze some notable failures to give attendees an idea of what not to do.

The WTIA Back to Work event will be divided into two sections: Session 1 will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Session 2 will run from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Sign-ups for the mock interviews will be done on-site on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to arrive early. To take part, see the WTIA's event registration page.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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