Where the Jobs Are Now—And How to Get Them

Fortune ^ | Unknown | Anne Fisher

[Mini-14]

As hiring finally begins to pick up, one expert tells where he sees the most opportunities, how to take advantage of them, and why offshoring of IT jobs may not last.

Ever so slowly, some sectors of the U.S. economy are starting to bring more people aboard. In many cases, the ones doing the most hiring are relatively small, nimble, fast-growing outfits—and the skills they're looking for reflect that. "There's a real shift in what the most successful companies now want," says Lin Stiles, head of executive-search firm Linford Stiles & Associates (http://www.leanexecs.com). "We're not hearing as much about traditional credentials like MBAs and CPAs. Instead, they're looking for agility, innovation, and a nontraditional approach to problem-solving. So job seekers need to emphasize those skills now more than ever." In our recent conversation, Stiles offered some other tips on getting hired:

What are the "hot" industries these days?
One is computer chips. A new generation of chips will inspire a fresh round of new consumer products and advances. Cisco, Intel, and Solectron are among the leaders in this field, and they need developers. Microsoft, Apple, Dell—all the innovative companies—are looking for chip designers, electronic engineers, and marketing people. Consumer products generally are "hot," too. The leaders have suffered less from the recession than almost anyone else. I don't mean just food and cosmetics, but furniture, upscale clothing, appliances. Companies like Nike and Victoria's Secret are growing and doing very well by getting more efficient, with low inventories, fast turns, and great customer service. It's paying off. And those companies need designers, and talent in marketing and manufacturing.

Construction equipment is picking up fast, too. For a while there was not much activity in commercial construction, so there's a lot of old equipment out there ready to be replaced. The top companies in the business are Caterpillar, Genie, Terex, and Ingersoll-Rand. Like the "hot" consumer-goods makers, these companies have slimmed down and speeded up and, as the recovery goes on, they are going to need people.

No doubt some tech companies are "hot," but isn't outsourcing an issue? Are these companies doing much hiring here in the U.S.?
A couple of things come into play. First, product design and marketing really have to stay in the U.S. Those functions aren't getting outsourced. Then, if you look at smaller tech companies, some of which have been growing at 30% a year right through the recession, they tend to outsource less than the giants do. So again, techies should focus their job hunts on the leaner, nimbler players. But, you know, outsourcing may turn out to be a temporary phenomenon anyway, especially in (high-tech) customer service, where there is already a backlash brewing because of language differences and other problems. One thing outsourcing does is, it distances you from your customer, and that is never smart in the long run. There have also been problems with piracy by overseas contractors. And the current vast wage differential (between the U.S. and other countries such as India) is likely to be short-lived. When you add all this together, my view is that more companies are going to realize, "Hey, we don't have to ship operations overseas. We can get a lot more efficient at doing the work here in the U.S., and keep our customers happy, too."

Let's hope you're right. One last question: How can job hunters find the "leaner, nimbler" companies you've mentioned—the ones in the best position to be hiring right now?
There is no single definitive source, although the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (http://www.ame.org) is a good place to start, because their members really get this. Another source is the "fastest-growing companies" lists that magazines do. Notice that, although "leaner and nimbler" often means "smaller," it doesn't always. No. 1 on FORTUNE's list of fastest-growing automotive companies, for example, is Toyota. Now that is not a small company! But the point is, it acts like one. And that is the kind of employer that anyone who's job hunting now would be smart to look for.

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Tee 03/21 01:20
If this is such good advice, why is it not working for the people that use it ?

Bill 03/21 20:33
This was a thinly disguised press release to draw attention to Linford Stiles. They said nothing new. We have been used. YOU'RE BUSTED!

KJ2027@aol.com 03/22 07:42
I'm disabled with a Masters degree In Criminal Justice were can I find a job. I have friends that are also disable we have gone back to school and now can not find employement. Can you help.

valerie fedun 03/22 09:17
thank you for a fresh and optimistic perspective on the job front!

Ken Taddei 03/26 10:09
I'm 53 years old have hjave for the past 30 years run 3 different small Business's this last one was really hit very hard and I have lost just about everything, Now would like to get a job for a company where I can it's operation, my experince is been all in the service industries and have done very well except for this past couple of years. Where do I go to find that right job at my age?

Kathy Price 03/31 04:47
Hi Annie,

Can you give me any advice on work at home business? Thanks, Kathy

Antony 04/02 11:39
Iam a recent graduate from State University of Stony Brook NY. I graduated with a major in computer engineering. I have been to many job fairs and they all seem to ask me for experiece, its seems to me like even for an entry level positions these day uneed a certain level of experience. Iam in a point where Iam willing to work for free just for the experience factor. Will this concept ever change and what do suggest is best route for me to take in order to land a job in a engineering field? Just toadd to the note Iam only 21 years of age as well..

Sunny 04/09 05:46
This is rediculus Annie to talk about every time indians are taking job out of your hand,YOU KNOW WHY? because ur people lag in certain area.Thats the bottom line not the low Wage

Anonymous 04/09 13:43
Sunny - it is the low wage. I assure you. Whether it is outsourcing or not, many companies look at the bottom line more often than not. How can anyone say that skills overseas are much better than here when some college graduates don't even get a chance to show what they got? I have worked in some of the largest corporations in America, and I can assure you, money is a big driver - not just skills. It will always be a combination of both. I believe the skills are here - we just don't want to pay for them.

Michael 04/10 12:15
Although Cisco needs developers, they are not hiring externally, and most new development is headed offshore to India. Thy hire a few contractors here and there, but don't expect to get hired here.

[BrooklynGOP]

Then, if you look at smaller tech companies, some of which have been growing at 30% a year right through the recession

The small tech company I work for, pretty much grew 30% a year right through the recession, but the salaries still suck :(

[JoeSchem]

An interesting article, with what looks like some good job-search advice. Thanks.

However, I wonder if some of the comments about outsourcing aren't a little rosy. It'll be a couple decades, at the most optimistic, before living standards and salaries in India match those in the United States. Of course, I'm assuming that it'll be a game of catch up, and our living standards won't fall to their level!

[eno_]

If you know J2ME look for my job postings on dice. I have three positions to fill.

[proxy_user]

This is depends on the exchange rate as well as the underlying economy.

If Japan, Taiwan, and other countries with big piles of cash started to sell US Treasury obligations and invest in India, the rupee could strengthen very rapidly. It's very strong now at 44/1, but it could easily go to 35 in a few years.

If Indian salaries increased 30% during the same time, the 15 lakh bargain technical wizard would become the 20 lakh not-such-a-bargain technical wizard, because his salary in US dollars has gone from $34K to $67K. In the meantime, his brother-in-law, the 5 lakh hack coder, is now the 6 lakh hack coder (competetion from 6-week trade school grads has held down the price of low-level plodders); his salary has gone from $11K to $17K.

By the time you factor in the costs of communication overhead, the guys in Ohio are ready to make a very attractive offer.

[Capriole]

Maybe some of these people could get jobs if they first learned how to speak, read, and write standard English. I know that email is a somewhat lenient medium, but if you're putting your credentials forward and communicating with someone who is said to be a business expert, in a forum in which your words will appear before thousands or millions of people, isn't it prudent to write correctly? Failure to do so calls into question the poster's basic education and intelligence. It's shoddy. It's careless. It makes me not want to hire anyone who does it.

[Old Professer]

Ken Taddei 03/26 10:09

I'm 53 years old have hjave for the past 30 years run 3 different small Business's this last one was really hit very hard and I have lost just about everything, Now would like to get a job for a company where I can it's operation, my experince is been all in the service industries and have done very well except for this past couple of years. Where do I go to find that right job at my age?

I don't know about Annie, but my advice to this guy is to stay away from Webster's.

[techwench]

From what I see, spelling and grammar/usage does not count any more. Employers are more than willing to hire the 20 something male who can't write a coherent sentence, rather than an experienced older female with credentials far superior than the aforementioned.

[templar]

Of course, I'm assuming that it'll be a game of catch up, and our living standards won't fall to their level!

Everything goes from the higher level toward the lower level unless restrained from doing so by some outside force. In other words; water seeks it's own level.