Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Top 5 IT Skills Silicon Valley Employers Want in 2014

This year, job prospects are holding steady for IT professionals. Modest industry growth is leading to opportunities for tech experts with a range of skills and specialties, and unlike other industries, IT is not expected to stagnate.
The annual Forecast survey from Computer world for 2014 found that 32 percent of U.S. companies plan to increase their IT staff this year. Here’s a look at the most wanted tech skills they’ll be searching for.
Programming and application development
The number one skill on Computerworld’s list for two years running, 49% of survey respondents plan to hire programmers or application developers within the next 12 months. This group of IT professionals actually has one of the lowest employment rates in the country at 1.8%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
The current high demand and low availability for this skill means excellent prospects for IT professionals who specialize in programming. Within this category, the hottest skill subsets for 2014 are expertise in secure applications and mobile development.
Help desk and technical support
Up from No. 3 on last year’s Forecast survey, this skill comes in at second place for 2014 with 37% of employers looking to hire. Tech support skills have always been essential for the IT industry, so the availability of jobs in this area should come as no surprise.
What may be surprising—and encouraging—is the probable reason for the rising demand. After several years of outsourcing these functions to third-party help desk services, companies are returning to in-house tech support due to expanding infrastructures and an increase in company-provided Web and mobile services.
Networking
In one of the biggest rank increases from 2013 to 2014, networking skills moved to third place from No. 8 last year on the list of IT specialties employers want. A total of 31% of survey respondents plan to hire professionals with networking skills in the next 12 months.
The increased need for network administration likely stems from a higher demand for wireless connectivity. Unemployment rates are 1.1% for network and systems administrators, who are required to handle increased network traffic as well as troubleshooting.
Mobile applications and device management
Another big gainer in year-to-year rank, mobile skills are up from No. 9 in 2013 to No. 4 in 2014, with 27% of companies planning to hire mobile specialists this year. It’s almost a requirement—any organization wanting to stay competitive, has to jump on the mobile bandwagon.
In excellent shape regarding job prospects are mobile app developers and device management specialists who can implement and manage workplace personal device programs and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiatives.
Project management
The demand for project managers is high, with 25% of companies hiring for this skill in the next 12 months. Like the increased demand for tech support specialists, this category is a positive sign for the economy overall. More project management positions mean that more companies are willing to invest in strategic projects and technology initiatives.
Project managers with the best prospects are those that have strong organizational and technical skills, as well as excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to explain and champion projects to potential partners, investors, and key collaborators.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Top 5 Coding Interview Questions to Prep For

As an IT candidate, you’ve got more to worry about than the average job seeker. In addition to the resumes, cover letters, and initial interviews, you have to be ready for the technical interview—a real-time test of your skills that will make or break your chances at getting the job.
Fortunately, you can prepare for the tech side of your interview process. Here are five of the most popular types of coding questions you can expect, so you can get ready to ace your technical interview.
Back to the basics
It might surprise you to know that the simplest skills are highly likely to be included as part of a technical interview. Basic data structures and algorithms are typically core questions, and even though they’re simple in comparison to the actual work you’re doing, you will need to prep for them.
You should be intimately familiar with the basics and ready to demonstrate your proficiency with a fundamental understanding of coding. Before you hit the interview trail, take some time to refresh and practice your basic skills—even if you think it’s “too easy” to bother.
Linked lists
You will undoubtedly be asked to write some code that involves a linked list during your interview. This topic is extremely popular with technical interviewers, because it demonstrates your ability to produce simple, clean code at a fast pace.
Potential questions you may be asked regarding linked lists may involved finding specified elements in a single pass, implementing functions (such as Insert or Delete) for different types of linked lists (singly-linked, sorted, circular), or finding solutions without marking nodes.
Hash tables
Technical interviewers love these. Hash tables are versatile data structures with the primary advantage of letting you search for and retrieve information quickly from massive arrays. It’s essential that you have an intimate familiarity with how they work, so you’re ready to tackle any coding question.
Know the difference between Maps and Sets, and understand the typical operations of hash tables as well as the various applications. You should also be familiar with the tradeoffs of using hash tables versus other data structures.
Array programming
Arrays are important elements in programming languages like C# and Java. This topic is frequently part of technical interviews, and the questions range from incredibly simple to extremely complex.
You may be asked to find a missing or duplicate number in an array of 1 through 100. Or, you could be given an array of characters that form a complete sentence, and asked to write an algorithm that reverses the order of the words, but not the characters.
String programming
Another favorite for technical and programming interviews, string is a primary topic that, like array, is common to many programming languages. Coding questions on string programming may be related to length, permutations, finding and replacing values, and more. Questions involving palindromes are also popular.
The best thing you can do for yourself as an IT candidate is to practice coding prior to interviews. Use real code for your practice runs, and after you write it out, compile and run the code to check your answer. With practice, you can go into your technical interviews confident and ready to land the job you want.


If you are looking for technology jobs in Silicon Valley CA, contact The Armada Group.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

How Culture Attracts Tech Talent

Every organization wants to attract and retain top talent. Not too long ago, throwing around big salaries and benefits packages might have been enough—but today’s talent isn’t motivated by money alone. In fact, many skilled professionals are willing to work for less, if the company has a great culture.
What is culture?
Workplace culture is more than a buzzword. There is no precise definition—instead, “culture” is a catch-all term for all the things that affect your organization’s perceived environment.
You might look at culture as a set of unspoken guidelines that your team follows not because they’re written in an employee handbook, but because they’ve arose through collective observations of what goes on in the workplace—such as whether new ideas are welcome or frowned on, and who actually gets credited for accomplishments.
Why culture matters
A poor culture can have a seriously adverse effect on your business, including your bottom line. If your employees dread coming to work every day, their satisfaction and their productivity is going to plummet. Your current top talent is likely to seek friendlier, more open pastures, which will bring down the remaining team even more.
On the other hand, a thriving workplace culture makes for happy, productive employees and a business that’s moving faster than the competition. Workplace environments with great culture experience lowered stress and increased creativity across the board.
Culture and talent
When you have a positive culture at your organization, it’s easy to recognize, even from an outsider’s point of view. No one wants to work in a cubicle farm—but a workplace with lots of open space, interesting conversation, and happy employees makes an instant good impression.
You can use your workplace culture as a recruiting tool to attract top talent. Highlight the strong points of your culture in your job descriptions and recruiting material, and be sure to show interviewing candidates around when they come in, so they can experience the culture firsthand.
If your organization is struggling with culture issues, or you’re not sure how to get started, here are some things you can do to reinforce a positive workplace environment:
  • Make sure everyone on your team understands your company’s values and mission, and (hopefully) agrees with them
  • Encourage openness and transparency: ask for and pay attention to feedback, and discuss things like policy changes prior to implementation, instead of announcing them after the fact
  • Ensure that achievements are recognized and rewarded, and demonstrate your appreciation on a regular basis—a simple “thanks for the great work” can go a long way
  • Have clear goals for individuals, departments, and companies, and offer regular training to avoid the perception of a dead-end workplace
An organization with excellent culture is one that will naturally attract and retain the best talent. Don’t overlook this important aspect of your business—make culture a priority, and the results will speak for themselves. If you are looking for employment agencies in Silicon Valley, contact us today.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

5 Common IT Job Search Mistakes

Looking for employment within the competitive school market are often associate exercise in frustration. If your IT job search doesn’t appear to be obtaining you any nearer to landing employment, it would be the competition, or even your resume. otherwise you might be creating one or additional of those common mistakes that a lot of IT execs stumble into throughout employment hunt.
Read on to find out additional concerning potential IT job search issues, and the way you’ll correct them.
Skipping the design and preparation stage
A lot of IT job seekers push aside their resume and dive right in, while not giving an idea to job search strategy. this error ends up in hours of wasted time and a quicker onset of burnout as you fail to form progress.
Maybe you’re disbursement all of your time winnow through the many listings on job boards, or Googling for brand new leads. perhaps you’re solely dedicating a number of minutes to finding a possible position and firing your resume. no matter you’re doing, if you haven’t planned prior time then it’s in all probability not operating.
Look at your schedule and block out a while to specialise in your job search. to prevent yourself from disbursement most of that point creep through job postings, use your 1st session to line up alerts for the sort of position you want—either through Google or directly on job boards. Then you’ll have opportunities anticipating you to analyze after you sit right down to job hunt in earnest.
Applying the pasta methodology
Throwing your resume everywhere the place and hoping it sticks somewhere isn’t solely a poor strategy. It’s conjointly doubtless to land you employment you won’t like, which implies you’ll need to begin the work search method everywhere once more. With this methodology, you’ll waste time chasing down leads that don’t pan out—and the proof of your indiscriminating job search can dilute the message you’re causing to potential employers.
Make sure you recognize what you’re craving for, and focus your efforts on jobs that match. Also, don’t believe exclusively on job boards and recruiters, which could be the smallest amount effective avenues for real job opportunities. It’s higher to think about increasing your business network and finding leads through the connections you create.
Too much school speak
How long is your resume? naturally, IT resumes typically have additional content than different industries—but if yours could be a sprawling, eight-page document that reads sort of a manual, it’s time to revise. Listing each single detail of your career will backfire if it goes on longer than 2 or 3 pages. At that time, spectacular turns into tedious, and you’ve lost most hiring managers’ interest.
This mistake conjointly applies to interviews. whereas you’ll and will mention your technical skills throughout employment interview, it’s higher to stay that discussion temporary and specialise in your soft skills. You landed the interview on the strength of the technical data in your resume—so the interview itself is that the time to indicate you’re an honest fit the corporate.
Trashing your past (or current) leader
Plenty of IT execs have had miserable work experiences. however if you’re exploitation your interview time to bad-mouth a rotten boss, there’s additional in danger than the possibility your querier is aware of your former leader. You’re conjointly creating yourself a poor candidate. The hiring company solely has your aspect of the story once it involves dangerous employment experiences, and that they could default to thinking you’re a crybaby.
So be honest concerning why the dangerous scenario didn’t compute, however keep respectful. rather than talking trash concerning the leader, specialise in however you met the challenge of a tough work setting.
And if you’re presently utilized, whether or not your boss is sweet or dangerous, don’t use your work email address as your contact data throughout your job search.
Failing to follow up
This may be the quantity one mistake IT execs create during a job search. several employers use somebody trailing Systems (ATS) to gather candidate resumes and scan for keywords before they begin programing interviews—and with many resumes sent this fashion, it’s simple to lose a number of within the shuffle.
During the applying method, hunt for contact data for every company wherever you’ll direct queries. Then, once you’ve uploaded your resume, send a follow-up email that reinforces your interest within the job and asks for verification that your application packet was received.
You should conjointly follow-up any interviews you press on with a thank-you email, together with something you forgot to say throughout the interview. merely following up will assist you stand out from different candidates, and increase your possibilities of being employed.
If you’re craving for technical job opportunities, contact The Armada Group Today.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

OPEN SOURCE ALTERNATIVES TO OFFICE

Mention productivity suites, and you’re most likely to think of Microsoft Office. This extremely popular collection of software includes the basic office programs—Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets, Access for databases, and PowerPoint for slideshows—and comes with extras such as Outlook for email, OneNote for freeform note taking and collaboration, Publisher for desktop publishing, and more.
What you may not know is that there are many free, open source alternatives out there that are similar to MS Office in appearance and functionality. Most include only the basic programs, but some include additional applications and features that put them on a par with the software giant’s flagship suite.
If you’re looking to replace Microsoft Office, or just want to investigate the alternatives, here are three of the best Office-style productivity suites out there.
Kingsoft Office Free 2013
Perhaps the closest in appearance to MS Office, Kingsoft Office Free 2013 gives you a choice of three display styles. You can use a ribbon-style interface similar to the latest Office programs in one of two colors—Elegant Black or Water Blue—or you can switch to “Classic Style” if you’re a fan of the old-school, 2003-and-earlier MS Office versions.
This productivity suite includes three applications: Writer (similar to MS Word), Spreadsheets (similar to MS Excel), and Presentations (similar to MS PowerPoint). Office Free 2013 has nearly all the functionality of MS Office, and adds features not found in its Microsoft paid counterparts, including tabbed document display and a click-and-drag paragraph adjustment tool.
While the programs aren’t able to save files in the latest X-extensions (.docx, xlsx, and pptx), these file types can be opened and edited with Office Free 2013, and saved in the earlier standard formats of .doc, .xls, and .ppt.
Apache OpenOffice
One of the most widely known free alternatives to MS Office, Apache Open Office comes with applications for word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, databases, and graphics. The tools included with this suite are:
  • Writer: Comparable to MS Word, this word processing application has a similar look and feel, and includes features like design wizards and desktop publishing tasks
  • Calc: A spreadsheet application in the vein of Excel, this program includes most of the same features as the Microsoft version
  • Impress: The PowerPoint-like tool for slideshows offers multiple view options, diagramming and drawing tools, effects, and animations, and supports multiple monitors
  • Base: OpenOffice includes a database tool that lets you create and modify forms, queries, tables, and reports
  • Draw: This image application offers a complete set of tools for producing graphics that range from simple diagrams to full 3D illustrations
A newer version of this productivity suite, LibreOffice, is available that uses the same underlying source code as OpenOffice, but varies in terms of application features, usability, and available support from the development community.
Google Docs
There isn’t much in the digital world that Google hasn’t attempted (and for the most part, succeeded with), and productivity suites are no exception. Google Docs is a free online productivity suite that can be used by anyone with a Google account, which is just about everyone.
The applications include Google Documents, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Presentations, respectively substituting for MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, there’s the Google Drawings image editor, and Google Forms, which lets you create forms to embed on a website or share through email or a link.
What makes Google Docs different is its focus on collaboration. Because it’s an online suite, users can easily share and collaborate on their creations. These applications are also easy to integrate with other Google services, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google+, and Google Drive.
If you are looking for technical recruiters in Santa Cruz, contact The Armada Group today.
Reviews @thearmadagroup

OPEN SOURCE ALTERNATIVES TO OFFICE

Mention productivity suites, and you’re most likely to think of Microsoft Office. This extremely popular collection of software includes the basic office programs—Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets, Access for databases, and PowerPoint for slideshows—and comes with extras such as Outlook for email, OneNote for freeform note taking and collaboration, Publisher for desktop publishing, and more.
What you may not know is that there are many free, open source alternatives out there that are similar to MS Office in appearance and functionality. Most include only the basic programs, but some include additional applications and features that put them on a par with the software giant’s flagship suite.
If you’re looking to replace Microsoft Office, or just want to investigate the alternatives, here are three of the best Office-style productivity suites out there.
Kingsoft Office Free 2013
Perhaps the closest in appearance to MS Office, Kingsoft Office Free 2013 gives you a choice of three display styles. You can use a ribbon-style interface similar to the latest Office programs in one of two colors—Elegant Black or Water Blue—or you can switch to “Classic Style” if you’re a fan of the old-school, 2003-and-earlier MS Office versions.
This productivity suite includes three applications: Writer (similar to MS Word), Spreadsheets (similar to MS Excel), and Presentations (similar to MS PowerPoint). Office Free 2013 has nearly all the functionality of MS Office, and adds features not found in its Microsoft paid counterparts, including tabbed document display and a click-and-drag paragraph adjustment tool.
While the programs aren’t able to save files in the latest X-extensions (.docx, xlsx, and pptx), these file types can be opened and edited with Office Free 2013, and saved in the earlier standard formats of .doc, .xls, and .ppt.
Apache OpenOffice
One of the most widely known free alternatives to MS Office, Apache Open Office comes with applications for word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, databases, and graphics. The tools included with this suite are:
  • Writer: Comparable to MS Word, this word processing application has a similar look and feel, and includes features like design wizards and desktop publishing tasks
  • Calc: A spreadsheet application in the vein of Excel, this program includes most of the same features as the Microsoft version
  • Impress: The PowerPoint-like tool for slideshows offers multiple view options, diagramming and drawing tools, effects, and animations, and supports multiple monitors
  • Base: OpenOffice includes a database tool that lets you create and modify forms, queries, tables, and reports
  • Draw: This image application offers a complete set of tools for producing graphics that range from simple diagrams to full 3D illustrations
A newer version of this productivity suite, LibreOffice, is available that uses the same underlying source code as OpenOffice, but varies in terms of application features, usability, and available support from the development community.
Google Docs
There isn’t much in the digital world that Google hasn’t attempted (and for the most part, succeeded with), and productivity suites are no exception. Google Docs is a free online productivity suite that can be used by anyone with a Google account, which is just about everyone.
The applications include Google Documents, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Presentations, respectively substituting for MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, there’s the Google Drawings image editor, and Google Forms, which lets you create forms to embed on a website or share through email or a link.
What makes Google Docs different is its focus on collaboration. Because it’s an online suite, users can easily share and collaborate on their creations. These applications are also easy to integrate with other Google services, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google+, and Google Drive.
If you are looking for technical recruiters in Santa Cruz, contact The Armada Group today.
Reviews @thearmadagroup

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

HOW TO SEARCH FOR TECH TALENT ON GOOGLE+

In today’s connected world, online recruiting has become the norm rather than the exception. Organizations and recruiters use online platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and even specialized social recruiting tools like Jobs2Web to locate and contact skilled candidates for a variety of job openings.
How many are using Google+ to scout for job candidates? Probably not enough—especially when it comes to filling IT positions. Many people view Google+ as the infant of the social world, with a 2011 launch that places it lowest on the totem pole of maturity among popular social networks.
Still, the “infant” is growing fast, with more than 300 million active users and counting. And more importantly, the concentration of potential candidates is higher, with most Google+ users being tech-savvy professionals. If you’re not already using Google+ as part of your job candidate search strategy, you should be.
These tips will help you find the right IT talent on the search engine giant’s tech-friendly social network.
Get active on Google+
The best foundation for successful recruitment through any social network is an active company presence. If you don’t have a Google+ account for your business, you should get one started—and if you’re signed up but have been ignoring your company page, bulk up your profile and start sharing content.
Of course, social activity is a two-way street. At the same time you’re sharing content, you should also “+1” (the Google+ equivalent of a Facebook like) interesting content from industry influences. This helps you grow your network, and puts your organization on the radar of skilled IT pros who are reading the same content. As a bonus, it also increases your SEO and your visibility on Google.
Use Circles to tailor your communications
One of the unique features of Google+ is Circles, which lets you separate your followers into different groups and share content separately. You can create a Circle for job candidates and post relevant content, such as job descriptions or application contact people, and reach a wide pool of candidates quickly.
Google+ also lets you import your email contacts and sort them into Circles, so it’s easy to add current applicants, past employees, and more into your group.
Host a Google+ Hangout
Another tool that’s unique to Google+ is Hangouts. These are real-time video conferencing events that let multiple people connect and communicate through webcams and audio. Hangouts are becoming popular ways to connect top people with followers and fans across multiple industries- earlier this year, NASA even hosted a Hangout with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Holding your own Hangout events is a great way to attract talent and have them interact directly with your organization. During the event, your speaker can encourage participants to look at the career openings on your company website, and have them sent a direct link to your job postings with the chat box.
Google+ is a prime hunting ground for IT talent. Take steps to incorporate this social network into your online recruitment strategy, and you may find your next rock-star developer or engineer there waiting for you.
If you are looking for technical recruiters in Santa Cruz CA, contact The Armada Group today.

Monday, January 6, 2014

MAXIMIZING YOUR MARKETABILITY AS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

There’s a relatively recent shift in employment trends that is especially significant in the tech industry, and that is job longevity. The days of starting and ending your career at the same company are long gone—and it’s rare that anyone spends even a decade with the same employer.
In the software development field, this paradigm has come to signify a positive asset. Developers and engineers who change jobs frequently are viewed not as disloyal and unreliable, but as adaptable and improving. Their skills outgrow their job demands, and they move on to better challenges—a process that makes them more desirable to employers.
So as contrary as it might seem, frequent job-changing is one way software developers can increase their employability. Here are some other things you can do to make yourself a hot commodity in the tech world.
Be an expert at one thing (and proficient in others)
Specialists are always in high demand in every field. While it’s important for software engineers to be well-rounded, choosing an area of expertise will help to ensure that there’s always a position for you somewhere. Make sure you specialize in something you enjoy doing, so you don’t get burned out and lose your expert advantage.
Of course, technology is always changing, so you shouldn’t specialize in the flavor of the moment. Instead, opt for foundational specialties in things that tend to last for a decade or more, such as a particular field, programming language, or type of software.
Keep your options open
This tip can be applied in a few different ways. First, it’s essential to continue learning new things and working with new technologies. Employers want to see software developers who are flexible, open-minded, and willing to try new tools, languages, and platforms. The longer you go without learning, the more difficult it will be to find a new position.
Second, experienced developers should be willing to compromise on the hierarchy of positions they’ll accept, especially when entering a new software area. If you’ll only take a senior or supervisory position with a high salary, you’ll find your options extremely limited and your job search extended much longer than you want.
Network—even when you’re not thinking about changing jobs
The saying “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” can often be applied to finding work as a software developer. You don’t necessarily need connections to land a job, but there are a lot of benefits to continual networking—not the least of which is the potential to lower your job search time dramatically.
In addition to maintaining an accurate, active LinkedIn profile, you can network throughout your current employment by:
  • Reaching out to others in your field at different companies. For example, when you hear about a new development you admire, send a quick email or social media mention to congratulate them. The positive impact you make will help you out later.
  • Put yourself out there by attending conferences or industry events, writing industry articles for online circulation or as a guest blogger, or even doing some public speaking. You’ll make connections you may not even be aware of until you start searching for your next job.
Being employable as a software developer is all about keeping things fresh, interesting, and constantly circulating. Resist the urge to bury yourself in code, and make new experiences that will help you enjoy a long and happy career.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

DO YOU HAVE JOBS IN TECHNOLOGY? WE HAVE TOP CANDIDATES FOR YOU.

HOT CANDIDATES:

LAMP Frontend Engineer
•Worked with Google, WD, eBay, Yahoo, Sony, Juniper Systems, HP & Silicon Graphics, and AlikeList Social Networking. 
•Passionate about Object Oriented Programming, Web Development, Software Engineering, PHP Programming, and developing smarter apps with machine learning for a richer, more intuitive User Experience.
•12 years of PHP, MYSQL, Apache Web Server, Linux
•10 years of JAVASCRIPT, CSS, HTML, IIS Web Server, Windows
•8 years of PHP5, and Web Services using SOAP, REST, XML, XSL
•3 years of AJAX, Closure, ExtJS, Jquery, BIRT Reporting, Bugzilla, Eclipse
 
iOS Engineer
•Complete understanding of Object Oriented Features (Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction and Encapsulation)
•Over 4 years of experience with Xcode, Instruments, Cocoa, RDBMS and Objective C
•Knowledge of the latest Xcode and all its features
•Over 3 years of experience in iPad application development and handling different screen orientations
•Knowledge of C and C++ and using pointers
•Familiar with data structures
•Efficient storage of data using File System, Core Data and Database
•Designed and improved application flow using Storyboarding
•Developed both native iPhone application and web based iPhone applications
•Implemented application designs based on MVC architecture
•Working knowledge of MapKit, UIKit, GameKit, EventKit, Addressbook, AddressbookUI, MessageUI and Core Location framework
•Effective Coding style (clear, explicit method names and effective comments)
•Strong experience with iCloud
•Highly motivated and creative individual
 
Sr Project Manager
•10 years of industry experience 
• 5 years of experience working as a Technical Project Manager 
•Confident in managing client’s needs and integrating products with the IT teams having over 7 years of experience
•Currently working on getting Project Management Professional certified
 
DevOps Engineer
•15 years of System Administration experience 
•12 years of DevOps experience
•Most recently worked as a Search Service Engineer and was responsible for deployment, continuous integration, agile development and search operations
•Solid background in Bash and Borne having 20 years of experience, 15 years with Perl, 8 years of Python and 15 years of LAMP development
•5 years of public and private cloud networking experience.
 
More Requirements @thearmadagroup
If you are looking for a staffing partner to help you recruit top IT talent in California, contact us today. The Armada Group has the top IT recruiters in Santa Cruz