Archive for the ‘TechJobs’ Category
Friday, February 17th, 2012
 Twitter is teaming with American Express to launch its new automated system for advertisers – freeing them from the need to deal with Twitter sales reps. Initally, the system will be open only to businesses who accept or use American Express cards.
Amercian Express says it will buy $100 in Twitter ads for the first 10,000 qualified U.S. small businesses that sign up.
Later this year, Twitter will open up the system to other businesses and marketers.
The micro-blogging service, which has 100 million users, made approximately $140 million last year, according to eMarketer. It probably needs to do better than that before launching an anticipated initial public offering of stock. Emarketer predicts it will make about $250 million selling ads this year.
By comparison, Facebook made $3.2 bllion and Google $36.5 billion last year.
Yelp prices IPO stock at $12 to $14 a share
In an amended SEC filing, Yelp, which publishes recommendations and reviews of restaurants, shopping and entertainment and services, says the starting price range on its upcoming initial public offering of stock will be $12 to $14. Yelp filed for the IPO in November.
The company, which disclosed $58.4 million in revenue for the first three quarters of 2011, the bulk of it from advertising.
Rocky Agrawal recently editorialized in VentureBeat that Yelp advertising rips off small businesses by charging 1,000 times more than the industry standard and the ads are poorly targeted.
Flickr co-founder launches another startup
 Caterina Fake Caterina Fake co-founded photo sharing site Flickr with Stewart Butterfield in 2004. Flickr was purchased by Yahoo in 2005. Fake also co-founded Hunch, in 2009. Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr, has launched a new startup called Pinwheel, currently in private beta.
Pinwheel lets users create notes and pin them to locations. Users can follow others – much like Pinterest. It will make money from sponsored notes.
San Francisco-based Pinwheel is backed by Redpoint Ventures, True Ventures, BEtaworks, Founder Collective, SV Angel, Obvious Corp, and angel investors. It is currently hiring iOS developers.
Tags: Betaworks, Caterina Fake, Flickr, Founder Collective, Hunch, Obvious Corp, Pinwheel, Redpoint Ventures, Rocky Agrawal, SV Angel, True Ventures, Twitter ads, Yelp IPO
Posted in entrepreneurship, Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, IT, TechJobs, Twitter | No Comments »
Friday, February 17th, 2012
 Virtualization as the technology foundation of cloud computing has ushered in new challenges, new day-to-day responsibilities and, now, new roles for IT professionals as business leaders within their organizations.
A recent survey by SolarWinds Inc. (NYSE: SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, indicates that IT departments plan to invest in key areas of business in order to play a more competitive role.
“IT’s role of creating and maintaining infrastructure is transforming to act as more of an intermediary or broker in addition to those traditional roles,” said Jonathan Reeve, SolarWinds’ senior director of product management. “IT professionals will need to demonstrate their expertise by identifying and implementing the most appropriate virtualization and cloud tools that fit their company’s needs. Investing in areas such as competitive analysis, marketing and product management will help them on their way to becoming successful business leaders.”
Survey Findings:
SolarWinds recently conducted a survey in December 2011 and received responses from nearly 65 IT professionals. As part of the survey, SolarWinds asked each IT professional a series of questions related to their predictions and organizations’ plans regarding cloud andvirtualization. Survey findings include:
- Nearly 65 percent of respondents plan to invest in competitive analysis vs. external services.
- More than 60 percent plan to invest in marketing IT services back to the business.
- Nearly 60 percent plan to invest in product management for those IT services.
“IT departments looking to stay competitive should ask themselves what direction their company is heading, identify the goals and determine IT’s strategic role,” continued Reeve. “The good news is that IT departments already have the upper-hand in understanding the unique requirements of the businesses they support.”
Three Tips for IT Pros Developing a Competitive, Business Skill Set:
1. Embrace the evolution of virtualization. First and foremost, IT professionals need to be up-to-speed on the evolution of technology and know how to manage a virtual infrastructure, including its performance, availability, capacity and applications. A core understanding of virtualization and cloud technologies has become table stakes for IT leaders.
2. Develop partnerships. IT professionals will need to identify and collaborate with vendors that are making it easier to adopt features that enhance virtualization and facilitate the transition to cloud computing. Start experimenting early and often. This will simplify the process for IT professionals whose companies are looking to move into a cloud infrastructure. Another advantage is that this will demonstrate their ability to develop and manage vital partnerships that provide the right enhancement features for their companies’ needs.
3. Become a successful business leader. This is the defining piece. IT professionals need to become prominent leaders and advise their companies on the right infrastructure needs to drive the business forward. Skills such as marketing and product management are not only for vendors, they are becoming increasingly important for IT departments whose delivery of IT services is inevitably going to be compared to outside service providers.
For the complete survey results and explanation, please read 2012 Cloud and Virtualization Predictions: The Emergence of the Competitive IT Department.
Tags: IT business skill set, IT skill sets, Solarwinds, tips for IT pros
Posted in best practices, Business advice, Cloud, IT, TechJobs | No Comments »
Friday, February 17th, 2012
 The imminent reformatting of Facebook looks set to further expose the private lives of its users.
The standard layout will be transformed into a timeline of events, a collated year by year account of user’s movements on Facebook since their birth, or Facebook sign-up date.
It has, understandably, caused a stir amongst employers and employees, because of the backlog of history now so readily available to browse and click.
In short, if nothing is tailored, made private or deleted, employers have immediate access to a potential candidate’s ‘social’ history – warts and all.
Guardian Jobs acknowledges it is an interesting issue and a subject of great debate. It raises questions around the relationship between employers, jobs, candidates and networking sites whether professional or social.
Social sites offer their users a powerful connection tools, based on interest, or personal data matching like where users live, or like to shop. But the line between social networking and socialising can be a thin one.
While Facebook has arguably moved things forward within the recruitment process – opening doors of networking and opportunities for many – it has also enabled employers to shut down potential candidates based on their online profiles – including photographs of people socialising.
Employers using Facebook & other social networks as a filter
In the UK 76% of all Facebook profile photos are of people in an inebriated state, the highest figure globally. And numerous surveys have shown that employers and recruiters use Facebook and other networking sites to filter and check the profile and background of potential candidates.
On one hand, this can work very well for the employee by showcasing an involved informed candidate able to discuss industry trends, and taking an interest perhaps in raising money for charity.
But the threat to a candidate’s privacy, ability to let off steam and have fun whilst not at work is also present, and we all need boundaries between work and play. Prospective employers will have – if settings remain public – access to Facebook footage in all its glory: whether drunk and vulgar abandonment or informed engaged professional.
Guardian Jobs advises users of social platforms whether social or professional to consider their online footprint. This means typing their name into a search engine and checking what comes up. They also advise that candidates may want to consider having professional accounts, and that they must check privacy settings.
Guardian Jobs’ Facebook page is full of news, articles and ideas to help candidates and professionals progress cyber careers. Knowing how to network without jeopardising reputation is a challenge but there is plenty of credible, free advice available to internet users.
Tags: Facebook advice, Facebook Timeline, Guardian, job seeking, social media & job recruiters
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, TechJobs, TechLife | No Comments »
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
 Are workers really retiring anymore? A new study shows 57 percent of workers age 60 plus surveyed said they would look for a new job after retiring from their current company, showing that retirement no longer means the end of one’s career.
The nationwide survey was conducted by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder and PrimeCB.com, CareerBuilder’s job site for mature workers and retirees.
It included more than 800 U.S. workers age 60 and older and more than 3,000 hiring managers and human resources professionals between November 9 and December 5, 2011.
When asked how soon they think they can retire from their current job, one-in-ten (11 percent) respondents said they don’t think they’ll ever be able to retire.
Other responses included:
- 1-2 years – 26 percent
- 3-4 years – 23 percent
- 5-6 years – 22 percent
- 7-8 years – 7 percent
- 9-10 years – 7 percent
- More than 10 years – 4 percent
While an increasing number of mature workers are putting off retirement, the good news is that more employers are looking to hire more seasoned staff.
More than 40 percent plan to hire workers over 50
According to the survey, 43 percent of employers plan to hire workers age 50 plus this year, while 41 percent said they hired workers age 50 plus in 2011.
Seventy-five percent of the employers surveyed would consider an application from an overqualified worker who is 50 plus, with 59 percent of those employers saying it’s because mature candidates bring a wealth of knowledge to an organization and can mentor others.
“Whether mature workers are motivated by financial concerns or simply enjoy going to work every day, we’re seeing more people move away from the traditional definition of retirement and seek ‘rehirement,’” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.
“At the same time, employers are seeing the value these mature workers can bring to an organization, from their intellectual capital to their mentoring and training capabilities. In a highly competitive job market, mature workers can use these skills to their advantage.”
Mature workers can find job-search success by emphasizing the qualities that set them apart from other workers.
PrimeCB.com offers these tips:
Leverage your professional and real-world experience – When updating your resume or interviewing for a job, think about your experience in terms of both work-related and life skills. Whether it’s your strong leadership skills or your wherewithal to weather a tough economy, play up the strengths that come with having more years under your belt.
Bring value to your company in other ways – If you’re looking to stay with your current company beyond retirement, find new ways to contribute to the organization, outside of your day-to-day tasks. Spearhead a mentorship program or offer to train new hires.
Consider part-time or freelance work – For workers who aren’t ready to completely stop working, part-time employment may be a good solution. Forty-nine percent of workers age 60-plus said they will most likely work part-time once retired. Check out job boards, talk to staffing firms and tap into your social and professional networks for part-time, freelance or temporary work.
Tags: Career Builder, older workers not retiring
Posted in Studies, surveys, reports, TechJobs | No Comments »
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
So, just what do social media managers do? Socialcast answers that burning question with this infographic:
Tags: brand ambassadors, day in the life of a social media manager, qualities of social media managers, Skype, social media salaries, Socialcast
Posted in Facebook, Google, infographic, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, TechJobs, Twitter | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
 Think cover letters are passe when applying for a position? Think again, a new OfficeTeam survey suggests. More than nine in 10 (91 percent) executives polled said cover letters are valuable when evaluating job candidates.
In addition, nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) respondents indicated it’s common to receive cover letters even when applicants submit resumes electronically. The results mirror those from a similar survey conducted in 2008.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,000 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees.
Managers were asked, “When evaluating prospective job candidates, how valuable is the cover letter that accompanies the resume?” Their responses:
| Very valuable |
21% |
| Somewhat valuable |
70% |
| Not valuable at all |
9% |
| |
100% |
Managers also were asked, “When you receive a resume electronically from a job candidate, how common is it for that resume to be accompanied by a letter of introduction or cover letter?” Their responses:
| Very common |
21% |
| Somewhat common |
58% |
| Not common at all |
16% |
| Never receive resumes electronically |
5% |
| |
100% |
“Although the job application process has increasingly moved online, the importance of a cover letter shouldn’t be underestimated,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “It often is the first opportunity to make a positive impression on hiring managers. It’s also a chance to provide context for your resume, expand on key accomplishments and explain reasons for employment gaps or career changes.”
Added Hosking, “Professionals can stand out from the crowd by using the cover letter to demonstrate their knowledge of the company and explain why they are the best fit for the role.”
OfficeTeam offers five tips for job seekers when writing and submitting cover letters:
- Follow directions. Before sending your materials, read the job posting carefully. Employers frequently list specific instructions to follow when applying, such as including the job requisition number in the subject line of the email or submitting your cover letter and resume in a certain file format.
- Start smart. Address the letter to the hiring manager by name instead of using “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.” If you don’t know the contact’s name, call the company and ask.
- Create a hook. A strong introduction offers a compelling reason to read on. Indicate which position you’re applying for and if someone referred you, then state how you can help the company meet its business objectives.
- Keep it short and to the point. Limit your cover letter to two or three brief paragraphs. Avoid sharing personal details that don’t relate to the position.
- Get it right. Have a friend or family member proofread your materials for typos. Before submitting, confirm the correct documents are included.
Tags: job seeking advice, Office Team, Robert Half, tips on writing cover letters
Posted in best practices, Business advice, TechJobs | No Comments »
Monday, February 13th, 2012
By Nathan Jamail
 Nathan Jamail There is an old but true saying, “the best candidate doesn’t always get the job.” If you have ever made a bad hiring decision, don’t worry you are in good company. All leaders and managers select bad hires even if they don’t know it.
The difference is, really great leaders recognize their mistake and fire faster. All hiring managers are sure to make bad hiring decisions, because they made a decision based on situational questions, content on a resume and mostly by their emotions or more notably referred to as “their gut feeling.”
Selecting a bad hire is understandable; but accepting it and not doing anything about it will cost an organization greatly.
There are several beliefs and opinions on how to hire the right person or how to better identify the best candidates and they range from interviewing skills, to aptitude tests, as well as situational scenarios. However, at the end of the day nothing can truly ensure success. There are, however, three things a leader can do to help ensure they have the right people on their team.
Interview before you have an opening
Build your bench. This means managers should not wait to hire until they have an opening, rather, they should prepare for an opening. Many bad hiring decisions are made because of the urgent need for a person to fill an open spot and they don’t have the time to properly interview candidates to ensure the best candidate is chosen.
Building the bench is also a great way to allow a leader to hold their current employees accountable to high achievement. Much like in sports where professional athletes must perform every year to keep their jobs (in some cases everyday), due to draft day coming every year and the fact that there are many players looking to get that job.
In business we should hold ourselves to the same standard. A leader owes it to the entire team to always be looking to add higher caliber employees to their teams and employees should expect it.
This is not a loyalty issue; loyalty should not be based on tenure, it should be based on contribution. Everybody wants to be a part of a winning team and leaders of great teams recruit to hire better people, not to replace those that left.
Action item: Regardless of your budget restraints, actual open head count or current success; conduct one interview per month for the rest of 2012-and let your team know you are.
Don’t hire a victim
No skill or experience can outweigh the bad effects of a victim. No matter the track record, years of experience or how well the interview went, under no circumstances should leader who desires to build top teams and hold their people accountable hire a person with ‘victim disease.’ A person with ‘victim disease’ believes it is always someone else’s fault when they fail or run into obstacles.
They often believe they work harder than everybody else and that their former managers and/or co-workers did things wrong. Keep in mind, this means that most likely their future manager and/or co-worker will do everything wrong as well.
This person never takes personal responsibility for failures or when they do, they have an excuse that points to something or someone else. Most importantly, a person with ‘victim disease’ rarely knows they have it.
Ask questions to find it
Leaders need to ask questions during an interview or conversation to find it. There are many such questions out there, but here are a couple of them:
“Have you ever been part of a project that failed but it wasn’t your fault?”
“Tell me about your least favorite and then favorite supervisor.”
“Why were they your favorite or least favorite?”
There is no one answer that will tell the hiring manager that the applicant is a victim, but the feeling and energy they give while answering the questions usually will tell the interviewer.
Side note: a person with ‘victim disease’ gets passed over when they don’t get a job or promotion they wanted, but a person without victim disease understands that at that time a different person was chosen because the hiring manager felt the other person was a better fit and they are working toward becoming the right fit as well and can tell you what specifically they are working on.
Action item: Prior to interviewing, know the attributes and skills you are looking to hire and more importantly what attributes you are looking to avoid.
Fire faster: The only thing worse than a bad hire is keeping one
As stated, all leaders make bad hiring decisions.The key to not letting it destroy the success in your team is not always in the hiring, but in the firing. This does not mean to throw new hires to the wolves and see if they can survive, rather to give new hires the tools necessary to succeed and hold them accountable to the right attitude and activities.
Many companies have probationary periods where the applicant can be terminated without all of red HR tape. Regardless if there is a probationary period or not, it is the leader’s job to work within the rules and laws to make sure all bad hires don’t become long-term bad employees.
What is fast? That is up to the leader and organization to decide, but some would say that 30 days is pretty fast. Once a leader indentifies that a new employee is not doing the right activities or does not have the right attitude, they need to address it with the employee immediately.
Be sure to ask the employee their perspective and give clear expectations as to what it will take in the near future to remain in the organization. Remember a bad hire does not mean they are bad people, sometimes it just means they are not a right fit for the position or organization. Doing the right thing is rarely easy but always right, for all parties.
Action item: Spend time with new employees and pay attention to their activities, attitude and results and take the necessary action.
Final thoughts
Not every hire is the right hire and not every job is the right job, but accepting a bad decision is wrong-for everyone involved. A leader does a disservice to the team, the organization and the “bad hire” by not taking immediate action.
Nathan Jamail, president of the Jamail Development Group and author of “The Sales Leaders Playbook,” is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur and corporate coach. As a former Executive Director for Sprint, and business owner of several small businesses, Nathan travels the country helping individuals and organizations achieve maximum success. His clients include US Army Reserves, Nationwide Insurance, Metro PCS, State Farm Insurance, Century 21, Jackson National Insurance Company and ThyssenKrupp Elevators. To book Nathan, visit www.NathanJamail.com.
Posted in best practices, Business advice, TechJobs | No Comments »
Friday, February 10th, 2012
 The U.S. economy is beginning to flex its muscle; with the addition of jobs, and the aid of zero interest rates, unprecedented monetary creation and a $1.2 trillion annual budget, according to the Outlook for Financial Markets March 2012 edition.
The report confirms what we’ve have been seeing in other news – companies large and small plan hiring in 2012 and optimism in the business community is definitely on the upswing. Barring unexpected shocks or news that adversely affects it, the U.S. economy seems poised for an accelerating economy. And it’s about time, too.
(See: CEO confidence soars, hiring expected; and Most Private Companies expect growth, uptick in hiring).
Equity markets kicked off 2012 with one of their best Januarys in 18 years as the U.S. economy expanded and fourth quarter earnings reports encourages investors.
The MSCI All-Country World Index surged 5.8%, according to Bloomberg. January’s gain represents the best start of the year since 1994′s 6.5% gain. The S&P 500 was up 4.4%, the best January since 1997. Over the last 102 years, the median annual Dow return was 20% in years when it gained 4-6%.
“If investors just focused on the fundamentals and discounted the daunting headlines, stock market values would be substantially higher,” advised Jack Ablin, Chief Investment Officer, Harris Private Bank, and the author of the monthly report.
Other promising signs are appearing. Zero percent overnight rates have gone a long way toward boosting demand, reducing private debt and improving asset values. Consumers have paid down their household debt to 2000 levels when gauged against GDP. Housing is stabilizing and we suspect a “normal” spring selling season will bloom in 2013.
Additional key factors discussed in the March 2012 Outlook for Financial Markets include:
- While European leaders will eventually navigate their way toward fiscal balance, many of their countries are simply not flexible enough to compete globally.
- Investors clutching bonds for a certainty of return are overlooking the risk that their income will not keep pace with future spending needs.
- Over the last 102 years, the median annual Dow return was 20% in years when it gained 4-6% in January.
- The implications of two Americas are profound. Education is currency in a knowledge economy. The divergence in educational backgrounds has shunted social mobility.
- Remarkably, bonds have outpaced cumulative stock market returns over the last 30 years. The notion that bonds can outperform stocks for such an extended period runs counter to preconceived notions and is a slap in the face to equity investors who have had to endure such financial uncertainty over the last decade.
The monthly report, which can be downloaded by clicking on the following url: http://bit.ly/xqCEdj is created by Jack Ablin, Chief Investment Officer for Harris Private Bank. Ablin is responsible for establishing investment policy and strategy within the Personal Investment Management Group of HPB. He also chairs the HPB Asset Allocation Committee, which determines the strategy for investment portfolios for Harris Private Bank.
Tags: economy shows muscle, equities markets 2012, Outlook for Financial Markets
Posted in Economic Development, Studies, surveys, reports, TechJobs | No Comments »
Thursday, February 9th, 2012
 Employees in the U.S who had employee stock ownership were four times less likely to be laid off during the Great Recession than employees without employee stock ownership, according to the U.S., the General Social Survey (GSS).
Specifically, the 2010 GSS, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation and conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, found that 3% of employees with employee stock ownership, which include the ESOP model and other forms of employee ownership, were laid off in 2009-2010 compared to a 12% rate for employees without employee stock ownership.
In addition, the 2010 GSS data indicated that 13% of the employees with employee stock ownership intended to leave their companies in the coming months whereas the rate was 24% for employees without employee stock ownership. This indicates significantly lower expected turnover for workers with employee stock ownership.
“These numbers confirm what observers of employee stock ownership have been saying for years,” said J. Michael Keeling, president of the Employee Ownership Foundation. “Employees with employee stock ownership, including those with ESOPs, in general, have more sustainable employment. Too bad we had to suffer a Great Recession to have the objective data to shed more light on these claims,” he added.
Additionally, the survey found that employee ownership rates remained stable since 2006 with 17.4% of individuals reporting they owned company stock. About 19 million U.S. citizens own stock in the companies in which they work.
The Employee Ownership Foundation provided significant funding for the supplemental series of questions on shared capitalism in the survey. Shared capitalism is defined as broad-based employee, current or deferred, stock compensation programs, such as ESOPs (employee stock ownership plans), stock purchases, stock options, gain sharing, profit sharing, and bonus programs.
Job sustaining policies needed
The shared capitalism series of questions were developed and analyzed by well-known employee ownership researchers, Professor Joseph Blasi and Professor Douglas Kruse (School of Management and Labor Relations atRutgers University) who submitted an application for their inclusion in the GSS. The researchers are continuing to analyze these and other related data from the Survey to shed light on the role of employee stock ownership in the U.S. economy.
“We need policies that are job sustainers, not just policies that are job creators,” Keeling said. “Hopefully our national leaders, including the current group of those running for President, of both parties, will take note of this evidence, and understand that national policies to encourage employee stock ownership, and new policies to increase ownership among more working Americans, need to be considered as an effective way to ensure our national employment rate is where we all want it to be.”
The Employee Ownership Foundation is The ESOP Association’s affiliated 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting employee ownership. More information: www.employeeownershipfoundation.org.
Tags: Employee Ownership Foundation, employee stock ownership, job security
Posted in Studies, surveys, reports, TechJobs | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
 More good news on the hiring front: The YPO Global Pulse Index for the United States rebounded sharply in the fourth quarter of 2011, climbing 4.5 points to 62.2, improvihg to the highest level in the history of the survey.
The latest survey results also suggest that a faster pace of hiring may be forthcoming: the YPO Employment Confidence Index for the United States rose 1.5 points to 59.8, the highest reading since YPO began measuring CEO sentiment in July 2009.
After lagging the YPO Global Index in every quarter since the survey began, the United States weighed in above the global reading for the first time.
Sales expectations, headcounts, spending all climb
Expectations about sales, headcounts and capital spending all climbed higher in the fourth quarter, suggesting that U.S. CEOs seem to anticipate a moderate pace of economic expansion during the coming 12 months.
The survey results were announced today by YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), a not-for-profit global network of 19,000 chief executive officers. The YPO Global Pulse is the only CEO economic sentiment survey to span the globe on a quarterly basis, capturing answers from more than 2,000 CEOs representing companies of all sizes around the world.
Key findings
Economy strengthened in the second half of 2011. When asked about their assessment of the economy today versus six months ago, 43% of reporting CEOs said the overall conditions affecting their businesses had improved in the past six months, compared with 27% who held that view in the previous quarter. The reported improvement in economic conditions was widespread, with firms of all sizes in all sectors – production, construction and services – experiencing the upswing.
More than half expect economy to improve. When asked about their assessment of economic conditions six months from now compared with today, respondents’ outlook was even brighter.
In this case, 51% expected the economy to improve over the next six months, compared with 30% who thought so last quarter. Moreover, only 8% thought economic conditions would deteriorate during that period of time, whereas in the prior quarter, 25% thought that would be the case. Once again, firms across all industries and of all sizes had a roughly similar economic outlook.
Sales outlook grows more favorable. Looking ahead 12 months, CEOs anticipated a robust sales pace. The YPO Sales Confidence Index climbed 3 points to the relatively lofty level of 67.8, just short of the 68.9 peak recorded in the first quarter of last year.
Outlook for capital spending improves. The YPO Fixed Investment Confidence Index for the United States followed the same positive pattern, rising 2.3 points to 60.5. This series had declined in each of the two previous quarters but then recovered much of what it lost by the January 2012 survey.
Commentary
“The Index declined in both the third and fourth quarters of 2011, but in recent months, it has become clear that GDP growth accelerated toward the end of the year, softening fears of a double dip and fanning optimism among business leaders,” said Alan Zafran, managing partner of California-based investment adviser Luminous Capital and a member of YPO’s Global One Chapter.
Stephen Slifer, YPO Global Pulse economic adviser and chief economist at NumberNomics, said, “The rising optimism seen in the latest YPO survey is consistent with recent economic reports indicating that the U.S. economy has finally begun to crank out a respectable number of new jobs. In addition, the upswing in optimism was almost certainly bolstered by indicators that the housing sector has finally begun to emerge from the doldrums.”
Tags: faster pace of hiring expected, jobs, US CEO confidence soars, YPO Global Pulse Index
Posted in Studies, surveys, reports, TechJobs | Comments Off
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