Sunday, July 25, 2010

New Logo, New Office Space...What's Next?

Stafflink has a new logo! We're moving to a new office space on August 1st. It just seemed like the right time to update our logo.

After 8 years at 120 Front Street we're emerging from the recession stronger and more motivated than ever. We're moving to 20 Bay Street (same phone numbers). We love the new location - a three minute walk from Union Station and across the street from Captain John in the Queens Quay.

Naturally a new address means new business cards. We hired Dave Collins who exceeded our expectations in every way. He took our tag line - We link people with opportunities - and created an iconic image with layers of meaning. At first I thought it looked a bit like a chain link. Then I noticed two people meeting, maybe at an interview. Very clever Dave. Thanks!

New logo, new office space, what's next? I think the time has come to redesign our website. I'm planning to merge our website at http://www.stafflink.ca/ with our blog stafflink.blogspot.com and move the whole thing to Wordpress. Another big move. But change is good.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving” - Albert Einstein

Dave Collins designs more than business cards and logos. Here's a 2 minute video showcasing his work. You can find him at DaveCollinsDesign.com.


2010 Reel from Dave Collins on Vimeo.
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Monday, July 19, 2010

Canada’s Summer Job Market is Sizzling

The technology job market is hot this summer. Check out this recent headline in the Huffington Post: Need A Job? Try Canada, Where Hiring Is Booming And Home Prices Are Rising. The article mentions that with a population that’s one tenth the size of the US, Canada created 10,000 more jobs than the USA last month.

Summer is typically a slow time in the job market. Not this year. The Canadian economy created 93,000 jobs in June according to Statistics Canada. The new jobs are primarily in Ontario and Quebec. In June Ontario added 60,000 new jobs and Quebec added 30,000 new jobs

We focus primarily on IT job placements at Stafflink. The majority of new hires we were involved with in June and July came from financial services (primarily banks and insurance companies), software and mobile companies. For hard-to-find skill sets like J2ME, Derivatives or Android our candidates have been receiving multiple job offers. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen this level of competition for candidates.

The new jobs Stafflink has been working to fill are evenly split between permanent-fulltime and contract. Compare that to 12 months ago when 90% of the job orders we received were for short term contract opportunities.

I believe that this strong job market will continue. Why? How can we ensure our continued success?
  • Innovation. Our clients are developing new products and product lines with innovative research and development that is helping to drive the increase in new jobs, mostly in the technology sector.
  • Stable banks create a secure environment for new business development and growth.
  • Education. Schools need to offer the courses people need to develop the skills that the current economy demands.
  • Diverse workforce. Multiculturalism is our strength. Employers who value qualifications from other countries gain access to a larger talent pool. Having people with diverse backgrounds at the table brings more creativity and innovation.
Go Canada! Canada is poised for continued success and strong job creation because of our diverse, well-educated and innovative people.

Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/09/need-a-job-try-canada-whe_n_640555.html
http://www.thestar.com/business/markets/article/834018--tsx-closes-up-on-jobs-data

Related Articles:
Tim Collins, President and Founder,
Stafflink Solutions Ltd
http://www.stafflink.ca/
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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Why is it so difficult to unplug from the world?

Funny enough I sleep with my Blackberry on my pillow beside my head. Constantly bombarded by media and current events. Why do I do this? Is it the need to be “just in time” or do I truly enjoy being plugged into the rest of the world?

Recently I took a trip to Jamaica for my honey moon. I made a deal with my wife that I was only allowed to check my BB at night. The first few days I went through withdrawal. It was odd not carrying the extra weight on my hip and not constantly checking emails. I was forced to interact with the rest on the world face to face. I could not pull my BB out to check emails while waiting for lunch or in an elevator or any instance where I was not stimulated for 30 sec.

Don`t get me wrong. I truly value and love my BB and the ease and profitability it has brought me over the years....I guess my challenge is that I feel so dependant on a device that it supersedes being a convenience and a business tool and becomes a necessity/dependency. I don`t know how many times my friends have told me I would die without my BB or iPhone! What did people do before smart phones!?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that technology is a fantastic and wonderful thing that makes our lives easier and more convenient. But there has to be a balance. You need to unplug your brain from the barrage of media and social networking. Every once and a while we should leave our Palms, iPhones and Blackberrys in the safe in our hotel room, lay on a beach and watch the sunrise.

Ryan Ayres, Technical Recruiter
Stafflink Solutions Ltd
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Thursday, July 8, 2010

Top 10 IT Skills in Demand 2010

The technology job market is indeed recovering. I'm happy to report that many of the companies that reduced their staff over the past 18 months are now hiring. In the last quarter we've seen a significant increase in job orders. Why? I see two major factors: the stability of Canadian banks and the rise of the mobile industry. The trend during the recession was to cut new development  and merely maintain systems. But we're seeing a turn around. Opportunities with mCommerce and the mobile industry are driving new product development. This drives the demand for people with the skills to push the new technologies forward. Here are the top 10 skills we're recruiting for today:
  1. J2ME - Mobile Developers with Java API's - Many Blackberry apps are written with J2ME. Demand for this skill set is stronger than supply. Schools are only beginning to offer it in their curriculum.
  2. Android Developers - The Google muscle along with the rapid rise of the Adroid phone market share is creating a strong demand for Android developers.
  3. C# programmer analysts - Many companies are adopting complete Microsoft solutions with the Visual Studio of products. This is due to the strength of Microsoft's sales team and a lower price point than most competitors.
  4. Objective C programming language used for iPhones and iPads. Many people are developing iPhone apps in their basement but our clients want people who've developed large scale apps for major corporations.
  5. Data Warehouse Specialists - Demand for this skill is increasing as companies learn that they can cross correlate data about customers. That's why all the stores want to put you in their database.
  6. COBIT - security specialists
  7. QA Testers with QTP and LoadRunner
  8. Mobile Business Analysts
  9. J2EE/Weblogic specialists
  10. Project Manager/Project Coordinators

Tim Collins, President and Founder,
Stafflink Solutions Ltd
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