Re: Nasty Surprise: The Story of High-Tech Jobs

[Sharon Burton-Hardin <sharonburton -at- EMAIL -dot- MSN -dot- COM>]

I can't speak to your area and the 6 months to wait for the phone to ring.
But I can speak to my area - So Cal - and tell you about what is up out
here.

We are busy. But - and it is a big one - the end of year is always slow. New
clients don't appear in January very often. My income has always been lower
for the month of Jan than any other month. Just something to always know is
going to happen.

It picks up at the beginning to mid Feb and should stay very busy through
the end of the year, with a possible slight down turn about July. So the
trick is always to find a client that has a project over the month of Jan
and July. I have one and I have another 2 or 3 in the works. (Notice these
are right after most company end-of-fiscal-year?)

Perhaps the lack of jobs in your area follows the same trend? I suggest
finding the local chapter of the STC and seeing what they have on their job
lists. And get involved doing something for the chapter. It pays off in ways
you can't imagine. I have not looked for a client in years. They know who I
am from working directly with me or someone tells them about me from a
committee I worked on or something. It all pays off.

In the mean time, enjoy the down time. When it picks up, you will be VERY
busy, I am sure.

BTW - in So Cal, the jobs are simply not getting filled. We are having a
boom economy and a shortage of writers. All the local STC jobs lists and
local writers job lists have had the same jobs for weeks or months. It
amazes me.

sharon

Sharon Burton-Hardin
President of the Inland Empire chapter of the STC
www.iestc.org
Anthrobytes Consulting
Home of RoboNEWS(tm), the unofficial RoboHELP newsletter
www.anthrobytes.com
Check out www.WinHelp.net!
See www.sharonburton.com!

-----Original Message-----
From: Maurice King <benadam -at- CYBERDUDE -dot- COM>
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
Date: Thursday, 28 January, 1999 8:03 PM
Subject: Nasty Surprise: The Story of High-Tech Jobs


>Dear members of the List:
>
>On December 30, 1998, I was one of 12 people in my place of work who was
called up to receive the news that a corporate decision was made to downsize
our site. Just one week earlier, I had been told that I would be assuming
the lead position; on this day, the holding company announced that there
would be no further product development and, therefore, no need for
documentation. Thus ended a "permanent" job -- with no prior warning
whatsoever!
>
>In the interim, I went back to job hunting, and despite all the ballyhoo
about too many jobs and not enough persons to fill them, I noted that
consulting firms called me to propose the same jobs over and over. Only one
firm was honest enough to tell me that there were almost no jobs to be had
in the area, that the market was still weak from the year-end slump.
>
>When I started to see job openings appear, I made my applications. Then
again I experienced the Hurry Up and Wait Syndrome; days, weeks went by, and
no sign of anything kicking over. I attended a career fair, in which all the
companies who viewed my résumé said that I was "easily employable", but
nothing else materialized from that fair. Ultimately, I accepted a
short-term contract that admittedly paid well but was a very long commute
from my home. I couldn't wait for the other companies to wake up -- and it
could be that by the time they do, I'll have finished my contract job!
>
>I've heard people on this list speak as if jobs are there for the taking.
What am I missing here? Never have my credentials, ability, or
professionality come into question, but everything moves slowly. It's a
shock to me because when I was freelancing overseas, I never had a moment to
myself; I stopped answering the phone during the day because I couldn't get
my work done. Is this something that is characteristic of the U.S. market? I
find it VERY puzzling.
>
>Don't tell me that "companies have bigger fish to fry." Even if they do,
they have to have people to do the work. I hear over and over how they
"can't find good people," and I'm not surprised; good people aren't going to
sit next to the phone to wait until it finally rings. I've seen respected
companies keep candidates waiting sometimes six months or more, and I just
don't get it.
>
>- Maury
>
>---------------------------------------------------------
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>
>
>From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000==
>
>


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