Job-Hunting in Austin
Job sites Two key resources: Glass Door and LinkedIn. Your online resume should be on LinkedIn, and should be very complete. You should also keep your MS Word resume up-to-date at all times. You can use Dice and Monster if you want, but you will have to manage them more. Monster has a feature where you can block certain people from sending you irrelevant job descriptions. Both will generate "body-shop SPAM" since they sell their listings to staffing companies.
Another, more specialized job site is Stack Overflow, also rather management intensive. I stopped using CareerBuilder years ago. Indeed.com has lots of job listings, but I've always found their search results less than useful, and the listings persist long after the job has been filled or the requisition closed.
Staffing companies can get you in the door, fairly easily, but caution must be exercized. Dealing with staffing companies carries additional risk compared with direct approach to the hiring company, and most workers who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances have little choice but to go right back to looking for another job.
Understand that the relationship between the staffing company and the customer companies is the primary thing the staffing company cares about. That's where they get their money, and they use job candidates to get it. It helps to remember that workers only can exercise those rights that are practically legally actionable. In simple language, if you can successfully sue to enforce a contract term, then you have a good chance of that term being dependable. Otherwise, you really can't depend on it.
Another observation is in order. I've used the phrase "my attorney" in several e-mails with different staffing companies. Never heard from any of them again after that. Think about what that means. Use a staffing company if you have to, avoid them if you can.
Attorneys If you are in a critical money situation (such as post-divorce), you will probably need to consult with an attorney before hiring on through a staffing company. The attorney must be willing to take your potential litigation case on a contingency basis. Be advised that when the time comes, the attorney can refuse to prosecute a case unless he is getting paid by you, and there isn't a thing you can do about it. You may need several back-up attorneys. Good luck. Attorneys are expensive, and you always have to balance risk versus reward.
1099 / C2C contractors must use an attorney, every time. You'll get taken otherwise, and you might get taken even with an attorney. Attorneys are also notorious deal-killers, so you'll need to keep a tight rein on yours, and that means paying the attorney in cash. Think about when to let the staffing company know you have an attorney. I'd wait until they send you a contract to sign. That should come after a job offer, not before.
N.B.: I have been searching for a business (contract) attorney for some time, asked a lot of small businessmen I know for referrals. The most common answer to "Do you know of a good business attorney?" was "Not one that I trust." I got exactly one referral. Your mileage may vary.
Government There are Federal (USA) Government, State of Texas, Travis County and City of Austin jobs available in Austin. Some of these can be pretty stress-free and cushy, but none of them will be well-paid. You'll be looking at a 15-30% differential compared to private industry. The compensation is that government is very reluctant to fire employees. Job security is excellent, hours are usually limited, and there is plenty of time off.
I'll list only the largest of the Texas agencies, HHSC. Job sites are on an agency by agency basis, so you will want to do some serious searching. Be advised that the entire State of Texas is experiencing a budget crunch, and will be for a long time, so the State may not be a great place to look for work right now. It would not surprise me to find out Travis County and the City of Austin are also not doing great with money.
Work-Life Balance If a company brings this topic up when talking with you, it means people have perceived it as a problem for the company in the past. Understand that direct hires for most large companies these days can mean 55 to 60 hours a week, up to 80 hours a week for the higher-paying jobs. This is OK for a young single person, but very troublesome for an older person, especially married with children. Part of the reason government jobs are popular with somewhat older workers is the expectation of a steady 40 hour work week.
Layoffs Make very sure you research the layoff history of any company you are seriously considering for long-term employment. Some companies are noted for layoffs, others at least try to avoid them.
Contracting If you are a contractor, you must never, never stop looking for a job. You can lose your job for any reason, at any time, and you will need rapidly available options. You should also live at no more than 80% of your take-home income. Save the rest, since the more savings you have, the easier it will be for you to tolerate risk. Don't buy anything you don't need. I see the 1099 / C2C market getting thinner recently and for the near future while the W2 market is steady. W2 contracting is a great way to check out companies from the inside.
Climate The job market in Austin is fairly hot right now, especially in the middle of the salary spectrum. I do not expect this to last. If you can, I strongly recommend getting into the cloud computing or managed services sector, since this is a disruptive technology that is eliminating other people's jobs. You'll be on the right side of that particular battle.
In any case, the more options you line up, the better you will do with job satisfaction, job security and salary. All companies treat people who can just get up and walk out better than people who are desperate to keep their jobs.
Good Luck!
Another, more specialized job site is Stack Overflow, also rather management intensive. I stopped using CareerBuilder years ago. Indeed.com has lots of job listings, but I've always found their search results less than useful, and the listings persist long after the job has been filled or the requisition closed.
Staffing companies can get you in the door, fairly easily, but caution must be exercized. Dealing with staffing companies carries additional risk compared with direct approach to the hiring company, and most workers who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances have little choice but to go right back to looking for another job.
Understand that the relationship between the staffing company and the customer companies is the primary thing the staffing company cares about. That's where they get their money, and they use job candidates to get it. It helps to remember that workers only can exercise those rights that are practically legally actionable. In simple language, if you can successfully sue to enforce a contract term, then you have a good chance of that term being dependable. Otherwise, you really can't depend on it.
Another observation is in order. I've used the phrase "my attorney" in several e-mails with different staffing companies. Never heard from any of them again after that. Think about what that means. Use a staffing company if you have to, avoid them if you can.
Attorneys If you are in a critical money situation (such as post-divorce), you will probably need to consult with an attorney before hiring on through a staffing company. The attorney must be willing to take your potential litigation case on a contingency basis. Be advised that when the time comes, the attorney can refuse to prosecute a case unless he is getting paid by you, and there isn't a thing you can do about it. You may need several back-up attorneys. Good luck. Attorneys are expensive, and you always have to balance risk versus reward.
1099 / C2C contractors must use an attorney, every time. You'll get taken otherwise, and you might get taken even with an attorney. Attorneys are also notorious deal-killers, so you'll need to keep a tight rein on yours, and that means paying the attorney in cash. Think about when to let the staffing company know you have an attorney. I'd wait until they send you a contract to sign. That should come after a job offer, not before.
N.B.: I have been searching for a business (contract) attorney for some time, asked a lot of small businessmen I know for referrals. The most common answer to "Do you know of a good business attorney?" was "Not one that I trust." I got exactly one referral. Your mileage may vary.
Government There are Federal (USA) Government, State of Texas, Travis County and City of Austin jobs available in Austin. Some of these can be pretty stress-free and cushy, but none of them will be well-paid. You'll be looking at a 15-30% differential compared to private industry. The compensation is that government is very reluctant to fire employees. Job security is excellent, hours are usually limited, and there is plenty of time off.
I'll list only the largest of the Texas agencies, HHSC. Job sites are on an agency by agency basis, so you will want to do some serious searching. Be advised that the entire State of Texas is experiencing a budget crunch, and will be for a long time, so the State may not be a great place to look for work right now. It would not surprise me to find out Travis County and the City of Austin are also not doing great with money.
Work-Life Balance If a company brings this topic up when talking with you, it means people have perceived it as a problem for the company in the past. Understand that direct hires for most large companies these days can mean 55 to 60 hours a week, up to 80 hours a week for the higher-paying jobs. This is OK for a young single person, but very troublesome for an older person, especially married with children. Part of the reason government jobs are popular with somewhat older workers is the expectation of a steady 40 hour work week.
Layoffs Make very sure you research the layoff history of any company you are seriously considering for long-term employment. Some companies are noted for layoffs, others at least try to avoid them.
Contracting If you are a contractor, you must never, never stop looking for a job. You can lose your job for any reason, at any time, and you will need rapidly available options. You should also live at no more than 80% of your take-home income. Save the rest, since the more savings you have, the easier it will be for you to tolerate risk. Don't buy anything you don't need. I see the 1099 / C2C market getting thinner recently and for the near future while the W2 market is steady. W2 contracting is a great way to check out companies from the inside.
Climate The job market in Austin is fairly hot right now, especially in the middle of the salary spectrum. I do not expect this to last. If you can, I strongly recommend getting into the cloud computing or managed services sector, since this is a disruptive technology that is eliminating other people's jobs. You'll be on the right side of that particular battle.
In any case, the more options you line up, the better you will do with job satisfaction, job security and salary. All companies treat people who can just get up and walk out better than people who are desperate to keep their jobs.
Good Luck!
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