Higher Ed Utah

The Wall Street Journal (4/16, Tuna, Vascellaro, Tam) reports that based on recent profit increases for companies such as Google and Intel, the tech industry is said to be recovering more quickly from the recession. As a result, companies, including smaller Silicon Valley companies such as Twitter and LinkedIn, are hiring more, in what the Journal calls a turnabout for the industry.

        The San Jose Mercury News (4/16) reports, “Silicon Valley’s corporate leaders are bullish on the economy, saying they expect to hire this year and that their business will pick up.” The Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s most recent assessment of the business climate, a survey of its CEO members, “found 58 percent expect to hire in the coming year, with 7 percent anticipate declines. Just over half expect their industry sector to add jobs in that period.” In addition, “the group also released a separate Startup Outlook Survey of 304 emerging and early-stage technology and life science companies across the US” which found “71 percent of the executives of those companies have a brightening outlook for 2010, and almost 90 percent expect to hire.”

        Google “Gobbling Up” Engineers, Tech Companies. AFP (4/16) reports, “Another stellar financial quarter has left Internet giant Google with money to burn on gobbling up top engineers and technology firms.” According to executives, the company “hired 800 people during the quarter and remains hungry for new talent, especially for sales or engineering teams.” They added that “Google is eying bringing in new talent through acquiring technology firms as well as by hiring.” CFO Patrick Pichette noted, “We are trying to ramp up our machine particularly in the area of engineers and sales.”

        Tech Recruiting Expert Sees Uptick In Hiring, Offers Advice For Jobseekers. In an article titled “Where Tech Hiring Is Hottest,” the Wall Street Journal (4/16, Light) reports an interview with David White of the technology recruiting firm SC Palo Alto, which focuses on Silicon Valley companies. White said that there has been an uptick in hiring, particularly from social networking, gaming, clean technology and medical technology companies. He added that companies are frequently rushing to bring products to market, and therefore seek engineers that require no additional training. He also discussed strategies for distinguishing oneself from among other candidates, urging jobseekers to tailor their background qualifications and resumes to each particular job description. White advises undergraduates to seek internships and higher degrees from brand-name companies and universities.