7 out of 10 IT job openings go unfilled

techfiend

Woohoo! One less job that went unfulfilled as I just accepted a job during an interview after being out of a job for 3 days! That was a very unique experience and looks like a great challenge to advance my skillset in windows, linux and networks. I didn't negotiate well but I really just wanted the job, still a nice jump in salary and ecstatic to start the next step in my career.

Mike7

Glad to know that. Give that man a beer. 😊

Congrats!

UnixGuy

Mike7 wrote: »

Maybe you should ask why the last person left.

The pay is probably what the previous person was drawing. He could have started his job just doing Solaris, but went on to pick up AIX, RedHat, SAN storage skills and eventually left for another job that pays much better.

Oh it gets better, apparently it's a new position, they wanted a security specialist for their unix and storage environment, with a person who can also do administration and engineering for the environment. They're picky because the candidates they interview weren't good cultural fits

joelsfood

Congrats, Techfiend!

LeisureSuitLarry

It's a shame if that statistic is true. I've been out of IT for a while and haven't been able to find entry level in anything yet. All I can really do is study and try to build up certs, which I've been doing since the summer. Nevertheless, it hasn't seemed to be worth anything yet. At least I enjoy it, so there's that.

techfiend

Thanks guys! I've cracked a few already! Shocked twice within a week.

Remedymp

LeisureSuitLarry wrote: »

It's a shame if that statistic is true. I've been out of IT for a while and haven't been able to find entry level in anything yet. All I can really do is study and try to build up certs, which I've been doing since the summer. Nevertheless, it hasn't seemed to be worth anything yet. At least I enjoy it, so there's that.

if you're in Atlanta, Secureworks is doing a mass hiring now.

blargoe

In my market, the number is nowhere near 70%. I could see a few of the hotter IT cities having a pretty high unfilled ratio overall, and certain niche roles that in in vogue currently could be very very high no matter the location, but there is NO WAY IN !@$# the real number is 70% on average for all IT positions.

Makes me wonder who is backing this study and where their interests lie.

Iristheangel

I don't think it's 7 out of 10 of all positions out there. Just 70% of openings. I can say that we do have a huge issue with it here in Los Angeles for mid and senior engineers

OctalDump

blargoe wrote: »

Makes me wonder who is backing this study and where their interests lie.

It hardly qualifies as a study. It's a job website that's paid someone to do some very superficial analysis with their data, and the conclusion of "7/10 IT jobs unfilled" isn't actually supported in the slightest.

It's disappointing to see it taken so seriously, when it is not much better than an average high school attempt at statistical analysis.

devils_haircut

My own personal experience is that many companies are asking for everything under the sun, and that's when they aren't running job ads with misleading titles ("senior network engineer" who is actually a VMware/Microsoft specialist...ummm...okay).

Then again, IT has been very much an employee's market for some time now, at least at the mid- and senior-tiers. It's tough to find good technical people with communication skills because not everyone can do it. And with the "cloud", the need for tech workers has exploded.

I'm sure there are a lot of people like me who managed to land a job with a great company and are simply not interested in entertaining other job offers right now. I may be making a little below market rate (~$42k) for my skills, but I look forward to going to work every day and have quite a bit of freedom to make changes to the environments I control without having to play politics or explain my decisions. For example, I decided last week to create a new wireless SSID for one of our clients, build a RADIUS server to connect to their AD environment and use LDAP queries to determine group membership and permit/deny access to this BYOD network. I did it in a day without asking anyone, and so far, it's been very well received. I know most large corporations wouldn't give me that kind of exposure and freedom, and I really enjoy how much I'm able to learn here.

If an employer can't find a good candidate for the position they have open, then either A) it's a very technical, very specialized role, or their offer isn't attractive.

impelse

devils_haircut wrote: »

I decided last week to create a new wireless SSID for one of our clients, build a RADIUS server to connect to their AD environment and use LDAP queries to determine group membership and permit/deny access to this BYOD network. I did it in a day without asking anyone, and so far, it's been very well received. I know most large corporations wouldn't give me that kind of exposure and freedom, and I really enjoy how much I'm able to learn here.

If an employer can't find a good candidate for the position they have open, then either A) it's a very technical, very specialized role, or their offer isn't attractive.

I used to have a similar job until the small company I used to work required for me to work 50 to 70 hours a week and not over time with the same excuse you will not get the same freedom in the big companies.

Probably I do not have the fully freedom I used to have but the reward in what I do and 20% salary increase with more vacation days and not working more than 40 hours and training the pay off is good.

JustFred

UnixGuy wrote: »

A recruiter contacted me for a job last week, and according to him the job was open for 3 months because they're 'selective' for 'cultural fit'. They asked for security experience couple with solaris and aix and red hat experience, and SAN storage. (a niche within a niche within a niche)...phone interview went fine until the recruiter asked me what I was making, then he said the range of money they were offering.....25K LESS than what I make now, and I'm not on the high end of market rate. I told him I'm not interested and ended there.

Looks like I'm not a good cultural fit

I guess this does not only happen on my side of the continent. They seem to take a huge cut out of what the company is originally offering. At least that is what i found out a few months ago after i got a call from a recruiter and decided to check the company page myself. hehehehe

DPG

70% seems reasonable in my experience. I always have trouble filling positions and sometimes have to resort to poaching from other employers. Sometimes that doesn't work and a bidding war ensues even for the lowest level of position.

devils_haircut

impelse wrote: »

I used to have a similar job until the small company I used to work required for me to work 50 to 70 hours a week and not over time with the same excuse you will not get the same freedom in the big companies.

Ah, that sucks. I RARELY put in over 40 hours in a week, but the clients my company works with are unique in that they are never open outside the hours of 0700-1500.

SGIT

devils_haircut wrote: »

My own personal experience is that many companies are asking for everything under the sun, and that's when they aren't running job ads with misleading titles ("senior network engineer" who is actually a VMware/Microsoft specialist...ummm...okay).

Kinda my thoughts too. My background is with a Telecommunications company. I see jobs I feel I could do, the new company uses different systems, Ethernet EVC vs Frame Relay PVC's and ATM, they want a degree (hence why I should be starting WGU soon), and certs... I meet some of the requirements but know from the past I can quickly learn the new systems and the new technology. I often wonder who meets ALL there expectations except someone who already works there in that department? Unless someone worked for their company or one very very similar. There are only a few big names in town, not like a giant pool of people waiting around with all that experience. Anyways, I am waiting on the managers with one company to contact me, I passed the first recruiters interview.

impelse

SGIT wrote: »

Kinda my thoughts too. My background is with a Telecommunications company. I see jobs I feel I could do, the new company uses different systems, Ethernet EVC vs Frame Relay PVC's and ATM, they want a degree (hence why I should be starting WGU soon), and certs... I meet some of the requirements but know from the past I can quickly learn the new systems and the new technology. I often wonder who meets ALL there expectations except someone who already works there in that department? Unless someone worked for their company or one very very similar. There are only a few big names in town, not like a giant pool of people waiting around with all that experience. Anyways, I am waiting on the managers with one company to contact me, I passed the first recruiters interview.

I think the same, looks like that it is somebody working long time there or they lost somebody working long time with them with that qualifications. And now they see the damage and are trying to bring somebody to do damage control.

Russell77

SGIT wrote: »

Kinda my thoughts too. My background is with a Telecommunications company. I see jobs I feel I could do, the new company uses different systems, Ethernet EVC vs Frame Relay PVC's and ATM, they want a degree (hence why I should be starting WGU soon), and certs... I meet some of the requirements but know from the past I can quickly learn the new systems and the new technology. I often wonder who meets ALL there expectations except someone who already works there in that department? Unless someone worked for their company or one very very similar. There are only a few big names in town, not like a giant pool of people waiting around with all that experience. Anyways, I am waiting on the managers with one company to contact me, I passed the first recruiters interview.

I am in Telco and when the company I work for is advertising for positions like mine the requirements are so out of line from what they would take it probably prevents most people from applying, and screws up HR because they are moving up the wrong candidates. Part of the problem is they are using one ad to look for two different positions. Very few people have the listed skills for both positions. One side is router and switch the other side is Voice. So the short story is it never hurts to apply and remember to include your key words in the resume because that is what can get you in for an interview.

twodogs62

What I have seen is jobs get posted at lowest salary first.
if no good candidates, the job may get rebranded and posted at higher salary.
thus the first posting goes unfilled.
i think sometimes the postings are put out to gather resumes.

Remedymp

twodogs62 wrote: »

What I have seen is jobs get posted at lowest salary first.
if no good candidates, the job may get rebranded and posted at higher salary.
thus the first posting goes unfilled.
i think sometimes the postings are put out to gather resumes.

Agreed.

I also have seen desktop support jobs take on end point security responsibilities. Taking away some of the IT security analyst level 1 work. So there will at some point be a blend between desktop/security analyst on the level one side. And a blend between Network Admins and Security Admins, to the point where everyone is involved in security circle of life at some point.

dave330i

Competence is surprisingly hard to find.

OctalDump

twodogs62 wrote: »

What I have seen is jobs get posted at lowest salary first.
if no good candidates, the job may get rebranded and posted at higher salary.
thus the first posting goes unfilled.
i think sometimes the postings are put out to gather resumes.

Yeah, which is the kind of thing which makes it safe to ignore this "study". They don't take account of any possibilities like that. There's no published methodology, or discussion of the limitations or anything. The data and analysis provided does not support the conclusion. It is a load of cobblers.