After one of the most difficult years for the U.S. and the world since WWII, everyone is looking for some kind of sign of growth. While slow coming, its seems like the “signs” are starting to signify the worse is behind us – especially in the IT industry. According to the Monster.com job posting index, many industries and work classifications are hiring again and Washington was actually in the top 10 of states in terms of per capita online job availability. Here are Xtreme, we are seeing the increase of activity with already hiring 40 people this year and with over 20 open positions – its clear that times are getting better.  

So what does this mean to folks looking for their next job or career? For starters, get those resumes looking the best. First impressions mean everything since there is still a lot of competition. The first impression is your resume not when you show up for the interview. Second, be realistic in terms of pay rates as hiring managers don’t have budgets like 2007/2008. Finally, which is a no-brainer, but network with everyone. You would be surprised to find that most GREAT jobs are not found on job boards like monster, CareerBuilder, hotjobs, etc - they are found by expanding your network and hearing about a need before it becomes a public position. 

Good luck with your search!