The IT Jobs Market

[iburrows]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for some advice regarding the current IT Jobs Market.

I’m currently in permanent employment but the job isn’t great and the company has asked if anyone would be willing to take voluntary redundancy. They are offering a fairly decent package to leave but I am worried how long it could take to secure a new job.

I’m reading mixed reviews in the press each day; some people are saying that IT Jobs are recession proof whilst others are advising techies to “bed-down” in their current jobs and ride it out.

This is a big dilemma for me and I need to let my bosses know my decision before next Monday so don’t have time to look for, and secure a new position before doing so.

Have any of you been job hunting recently?
How did you find the market place?

Job Sites like CWJobs, JobServe, and Monster all seem to still be full of IT Jobs but sometimes I find it hard to believe that these are all real jobs and not just recruitment agencies looking to fill their databases as even when I apply for a new job that is an exact match for my skills and salary and in a perfect location I normally don’t here anything back.

Maybe it’s just me!!!

Any advice chaps?

Ian

 

[ousoonerjoe]

Depends on your Market area and Skills sets. If you have a couple of weeks to think about the offer before accepting, put your resume together today and send it out to every company you see hiring. Let that be your litmus test to base your decision.

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Bluto: What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? No!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
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[DonQuichote]

It is really hard to tell. Our company does both system maintenance and software development. In a recession, you'd expect system maintenance to be stable and software development to stop. However, we experience that the situation is the other way around...

+++ Despite being wrong in every important aspect, that is a very good analogy +++
Hex (in Darwin's Watch)

 

[tcsbiz]

I don't think any job is recession-proof. Locally, we have truckers losing their jobs. If you have a good to great skillset and are a good to great employee, you may be able to find another job.

The best way to find a new job is to do the leg work and network with family, friends, associates, others in your industry and specialty. Attend user group meetings and meet a lot of people. Be able to tell a stranger what you can do for an organization in about a minute. Some people call this "your elevator speech".

I have not been able to land a job on the internet. It always seems to take the hard work.

One thing to consider is whether you might lose your job because of the economy even if you didn't take their offer. If you feel that that could happen, I'd take the offer and start a job search immediately.

Good luck if you decide to take the offer. I don't know how many people would have the guts to do that in today's economy; especially on short notice.

 

[ousoonerjoe]

I don't know how many people would have the guts to do that in today's economy; especially on short notice.

That's a heck of an understatement.

Here in the states, there is a flood of personnel, but a shortage of positions. Companies that are hiring are taking advantage of it and pulling back on the pay offers.

You might want to start with industries that are less likely to be hit hard by the economy (Electric, government, military, medical, insurance, etc.) Think of something that everyone needs regardless of how much money they have or don't have. It may pay less, but it sure beats the alternative.

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Bluto: What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? No!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
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