US- IT contract job market situation
Posted by vsuvarna on March 11, 2008
As the US goes into recession, H1 IT job market has started looking a bit gloomy for now(like my font). The job sites are still full of requirements, but one would wonder if all of them are real. Looks like there is a lot of effort from the numerous players to try and play it down so they can keep candidates and companies as confident and positive as ever.
I strongly feel that it is high time one thought of sharpening his existing skills and expanding his base. If job requirements reduce while candidates available increase, it will become a tough competition. We have been seeing some companies fishing for multiple skilled candidates, even combinations like Java-VBA-Oracle, so they can get two jobs done for the cost of one. Of course nobody is to be blamed since that is the present situation. Budgets are lower, hence, the pressure to find the best fit is high.
Prospective/existing candidates must look to widen their skill set, constantly update current skills, take brain bench tests/earn certifications, concentrate on their industry domain of interest and importantly, improve communication skills.
Please check out my latest post on the same topic at -
http://vsuvarna.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/us-it-job-market-situation-%e2%80%93-part-2/
April 5, 2008 at 7:05 am
I would agree with you in certain areas while not so much in other areas. Its quite important for any one and every one to keep their skills updated. Being in the technology space you have to be upto it all the time and throughout your life time. If you are good at programming how does technology matter. Anyways my point is why would employers post unrealistic opportunities. Employers have to sustain in a recedeing market aswell. The IT market has not taken a hit yet with the exception of financial markets. So relax and get upto date with your skills and send me your resume if you have not found a project. If your resume is geniune without any fake and if you have worked for good firms you will get an opportunity or I will land you an opportunity……Good Luck…. looking at the positive spectrum of life is a clear winner……
April 5, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Hi Blogger, thanks for leaving a comment.
Actually, I am into the IT staffing business myself. I market IT consultants and my blog material came out of what i truly felt of how things are going.
The point i was making was not that employers post unrealistic opportunities, but that the other players, if you are familiar, i.e. the vendors who post requirements on jobsites, may be doing so. This is a feeling i share with a few other people working in this industry.
My feeling stems out of the fact that smaller or newer vendors post numerous requirements which seems like those are being marketed only by them and not by anyone else; whereas the logic is that every employer who has requirements will channel it to a minimum of two vendors in the IT contract market. And even on sending numerous responses with excellent resumes, we hardly get a response.
The same resumes were marketed last year, with prompt responses from matching requirements.
So, the opinion here is that the vendors may be posting a few unrealistic requirements too in order to a) show that the market is alive b) get good resumes for other requirements c) add to their consultant list, thereby eliminating a layer.
Another point i mentioned was regarding the skills. Of course, people have to be updated in their domain/technology to keep pace.
But my point was that I have been receiving requirements for combinations of technologies like never before which seems like the employers may be looking at cost reduction by trying to get 1 at the cost of 2. This is legitimate on their behalf but people may not be prepared for that. So in a period of slack, the idea is not only to be update with your own technology but look at diversifying.
Let me know your views.
Thanks a lot again.
April 30, 2008 at 6:33 pm
So you have already pronounced the word ‘Recession’. Lay offs have been increasing and job security decrasing and admist all this the H1B crisis. But yeah If u’re the fittest u’ll survive, be it US, be it anywhere.
April 30, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Very true buddy.
The idea is to be the fittest and prove yourself the best choice cos its not going to be an easy road as everyones’s trying to do the same!
Congratulations for being a lottery winner!
Thanks a lot for dropping a comment
July 14, 2008 at 4:18 am
Thanks a lot of giving us some insight about the US market. Appreciate it if you can update on say fortnightly basis. There are so many people who have a H1 but reluctant to go to US fearing the recession and the likes of not being hired.
July 15, 2008 at 12:28 am
I know that this blog is about the IT contract market but I couldnt resist commenting on the fulltime market. What about the full-time job market which postures as having abundant opportunities inspite of having very few. Job rigging is rife in the US IT market wherein friends and relatives of managers and employees get to jump the jobseekers queue by getting noticed (land an interview) faster. Some job positions are already filled, but for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, still manifest themselves as multiple postings on job sites. Being a fresher, I am seeing it being played over, much to my bewilderment. Yeah, the fittest will only survive. By increasing the number of visible (most nonexistent) opportunities and the number of candidates, lot of people have been given a free ticket to fantasyland. To all folks who got a H1B, please stayback in India till the situation improves. Dont be negative, but please dont be exuberant(unless you love delusions). Take a balanced and critical approach to the IT market. Also realize that all things being equal, you are basically playing a game of chance.
July 16, 2008 at 3:22 pm
@ Ramkumar
you are right, most of my site hits come from google searches about the job market in the US. I am working on more posts based on the kind of info people are looking for.
thanks!
@ Anonymous
thanks for the comment. you certainly seem to have got a very good understanding of the market situation. It really is pretty bad currently.