At the start of each year we take a look back and review the previous year’s job market locally.  It may come as a surprise to many, however the local high tech job market was quite good in 2011.  The overall economy continued to be sluggish and the country was still in recovery mode while many local tech companies added staff and grew their businesses. 

2011 In Review

·         Regionally, the New England job market has been highly active over the past 2 years.  The acquisition activity here has stimulated a market of new emerging companies and technologies looking to get into the action.  Staffing these smaller growth opportunities hasn’t drawn the crowds of the past with fewer candidates to choose from.  Although candidates have been on the move, some people have opted for less risk or they’ve lost their taste for building the business from the ground up.

·         If there was one standout position in high demand this past year, it was Product Marketing/Solutions Marketing.  Companies targeted vertical industries where their technology could have an impact and solve specific problems within a defined market.  Financial Services, Healthcare, Higher Education, Retail and Government are some of the markets companies focused.  Candidates experienced in launching go-to-market strategies with a vertical emphasis found themselves in high demand.

·         We noticed an upward trend in compensation for high tech sales and marketing professionals.  Companies responded to the improving job market and the challenge of attracting top talent by being more competitive and creative.

·         Many of our clients now deliver and sell their software as Cloud based SaaS solutions vs. on-premise.  As this shift continues we’re accepting more inside and hybrid sales assignments and fewer enterprise field sales searches. 

·         Several European clients came to us this past year looking to expand their sales presence in US market.  They’ve had solid success in Europe and are now looking to gain a larger foothold in the U.S. market.

Woodlyn Partners had activity in the following technology areas in Q4:

·         Access Management Solutions

·         Cloud Based Backup

·         Data Loss Management

·         Data Security Software

·         Digital Publishing Solutions

·         Employee Recognition Solutions

·         Healthcare Software

·         Knowledge Solutions

·         Location Positioning Software

·         Penetration Testing Software

·         Web Testing Solutions

In Summary

As the country continues to climb out of one of the worst economic periods since the great depression, tech has been one of the few bright spots in an economy that has impacted all of us.  Early activity so far this year leads us to believe that local high tech companies will grow their organizations and the demand for top talent will continue.  We look forward to helping you as you grow your companies and careers.  Here’s to 2012!

If you would like to receive the Woodlyn Partners Quarterly Market Observations please send an email to marketobservations@woodlynpartners.com. 

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