Research shows that the top 25 highest paying companies for interns are dominated by tech companies, including Facebook, Blackrock, Palantir and Amazon. It’s easy to see why: From 2010 to 2020, computer-related occupations are expected to grow 22%, compared to the 14% projected growth of all other occupations.

If you’re a young professional interested in tech, it may be wise to turn to the startup world in lieu of more traditional jobs. New startups add an average of 3 million jobs in their first year, and one-year-old tech startup firms create about 1 million jobs, while 10-year-old firms generate around 300,000 positions.

An internship at a hot tech startup can be the ultimate resume builder — and may be the key to eventually landing a full-time position. Below are a few tips for getting your foot in the door.

1. Go beyond the classroom

Landing an internship in the tech industry can be difficult, especially with the level of talent you may be up against; but if you have the right skills and tools in your arsenal, you may be able to stand out among the sea of coders, developers and website administrators.

Studies show that knowledge and mastery of JavaScript, Java/J2EE, Ruby and PHP (among other programming languages) are highly coveted skills in the tech industry. Even if you have to learn these skills on your own time, your efforts will ultimately make you more attractive to an internship employer.

2. Remember it’s not always about Facebook and LinkedIn

You probably have a presence on LinkedIn or Facebook — but now is a good time to expand your social presence to the platforms on which tech professionals spend a great deal of time. As you begin exploring tech internship opportunities, think about creating a profile on GitHub or engaging in the community on Stack Overflow. These “non-traditional” and niche social networking tools will help you get a better feel for the tech community, and you’ll learn about new products, obtain software details and source advice from leading tech professionals.

3. Showcase your talents by participating in hackathons

Hackathons allow internship employers to see students and young professionals pitch, program and present certain ideas or solutions to a problem. Think of these events as places where you can impress a tech leader with your critical thinking skills and industry knowledge. Companies like Microsoft are known for their involvement with hackathons, and events like Startup Weekend or StartupBus can help you garner meaningful experiences and forge lucrative connections.

4. Nab the industry lowdown

Joining a professional club or organization can sometimes be your ticket to a coveted tech internship. Not only can you learn which courses to take, with whom to network and how to pitch your experience, but you can also speak directly with alumni and learn an immense amount about a company’s application and interview process. Great organizations to look into include the Association for Women in Computing (AWC), Association for Computer Machinery (ACM), or your Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduate/Graduate Student Association.

In addition, many companies send recruiters specifically to meet students in university clubs. For example, New York University’s WinC chapter has worked with companies such as IBM, Google, Morgan Stanley and Microsoft to organize recruiting and internship events, academic panels, technical workshops, company visits, programming contests and scholarships.

5. Get in front of influencers

An ideal time to meet recruiters, learn about application processes and begin building relationships is at career fairs, which can either be in-person or virtual. While many career fairs are seasonal, they almost always correlate with a specific application period, so be sure to check company websites for attendance information. Keep this schedule in mind as a guide:

Another great strategy is to apply just before or after the career fair, and follow-up with the recruiter using LinkedIn or GitHub. This allows you to stand out in a recruiter’s mind and keep the conversation going after the event itself.

6. Go to the epicenter of the industry

Although many tech companies may offer virtual internships, the majority are still located in areas like Silicon Valley or New York City. While it may seem intimidating, try to be open to relocation while searching or interviewing for an internship. Not only will you have an easier time landing an internship at a hot tech startup, being at the epicenter of the tech industry will allow you to meet influencers and build your credibility. Further, some companies will take on relocation and housing costs (or at least offer a stipend), which can take the burden off moving.

7. Realize that being an expert isn’t enough

It’s not enough to be a great coder or an expert in Java; your competition is just as smart as you are. It’s not enough to be a great coder or an expert in Java; your competition is just as smart as you are. While there are plenty of students and young professionals who are tech wizards, not everyone can speak to interesting projects they completed while in school or the range of classes they have under their belt.

For instance, taking courses in behavioral psychology or mobile development not only make you more well-rounded, they allow you to offer transferrable skills to an organization. These courses could make you into a mobile UX expert, help you to understand the buying cycle or give you some insight into consumer behavior. You can also join clubs like Toastmasters to improve your public speaking and leadership skills. Ultimately, these experiences and a variety of skills in different areas of expertise make you more valuable and will take you further than technical knowledge alone.
photo credit: CJS*64 via photopin cc

The post How To Get Your Foot In The Door At A Hot Tech Startup appeared first on Seed Talent.

1. RIP Flash: Why HTML5 will finally take over video and the web this year

The HTML5 versus Flash debate has been a hot topic among Web developers for years – and even more so since Steve Jobs published his now infamous 2010 letter touting HTML5 as the future and Flash as “no longer necessary.” But whether you side with Flash or HTML5, there’s no denying that the implications of HTML5 on video and the Web are real.

2. End of an era: Nokia phone division to be renamed Microsoft Mobile

Ahead of the closure of Nokia-Microsoft deal before the end of April, a leaked letter in Finland shows that Nokia Oyj will be soon renamed as Microsoft Mobile Oy.

3. How a Sydney tech startup scored a $266 million venture capital investment

Childhood friends and co-founders David Greiner and Ben Richardson started Campaign Monitor in their final year of university in Wollongong and now the business sends 1 billion emails a month. Last week, the Sydney-based startup secured a US$250 million ($266 million) investment by venture capital firm Insight Venture Partners.

4. Why every tech company needs an English major

It’s an increasingly tired meme that we need more STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) graduates. Of course we do. Research shows we need more qualified workers to accommodate an economy that’s increasingly reliant on engineering skills.
But there’s something else we need: English majors. Why? Because as important as the technology is that powers our lives, businesses also depend on humanities-oriented communicators to articulate why the technology matters.

5. Young high octane leader drives Microsoft’s innovation garage

Ask him about hobbies and the 24-year-old will get into his past involvement in theatre and swing choir, and how the hip-hop dance skills he learned came in handy at weddings. But what gets Gilbert most excited is when the talk turns to innovation, problem-solving, startups and new business ideas.

Image credit: Techno Buffalo

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Julie Seletto shares 6 ways to keep great talent without breaking the bank, with StartupSmart.

Recruiting new staff is an expensive exercise costing a business both time and money, not to mention the opportunity costs of delayed projects, overstretching of already limited resources and reduced staff productivity.

It is always a more cost-effective strategy to retain existing talent, and it’s not as hard as many might think.

While it is easy to assume that monetary incentives help to keep great talent, it’s only part of the story.

1. Hire the right people

2. Involve your best talent in important business decisions

3. Be creative with staff development and career progression within the business

4. Time off and holiday benefits

5. Create a fun and flexible work culture

6. Talk often

Read the full article

The post How To Keep Your Best Talent Without Using Financial Incentives appeared first on Seed Talent.

Working as a Senior Engineer you will have a strong background in infrastructure and systems administration as well as experience in IAAS, PAAS and SAAS. You will be responsible for developing and delivering the cloud platform architecture, establishing best practices and guiding the transition process.

Responsibilities:

• Plan and migrate all services to Windows Azure
• Administer and support Windows Azure environment
• Problem analysis and resolution of the Azure environment
• Liaise with hardware and software vendors to assure timely resolution to any issues

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Current exposure to Azure
• Experience supporting a cloud environment
• Experience with IAAS, PAAS, SAAS
• Exposure to Exchange 2013 & SharePoint 2013

This is an excellent opportunity to join an organisation that is making a significant investment in its technology infrastructure to ensure it remains ahead of its competitors. This type of opportunity does not come around too often.

For further details please contact Rob Simpson on 03 8669 0969.

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Without a doubt, people are the most important and expensive investment, and in a cash-strapped, fledgling start-up, it pays to think outside the square when it comes to building a talented team that will help the business grow.

Seed Talent co-founder Julie Seletto talks to StartupSmart about four ways to run a lean startup while driving the business forward.

1. Create and promote a flexible workplace

2. Build a virtual team

3. Don’t measure your success by the size of your team

4. Be creative with your salary packaging

Do you have any other tips?

Read the full article

The post Four Ways To Stay Lean While Starting Up appeared first on Seed Talent.

Key Responsibilities :

• Install, configure, deploy and support SharePoint implementations
• Providing consultancy and pre-sales support on a myriad of projects
• Requirements gathering and analysis
• Produce technical solution designs from business requirements
• Create requirements documentation

Skills required:

• Extensive experience configuring, deploying and managing Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2010
• Proven experience configuring, deploying and managing Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007
• Solid background in administering SQL Server 2005 and / or SQL Server 2008
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• MCTS – Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007, Configuring or Development OR MCTS – Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2010, Configuring or Administration advantageous

On Offer

• Exceptional Work Environment
• Challenging Projects
• pportunity for Career Progression
• Excellent Salary

For more information about this exciting opportunity, contact Rob Simpson on 03 8669 0951.

The post Cool Job: SharePoint Consultant appeared first on Seed Talent.

Key Responsibilities :

The role is responsible for designing, developing, implementing and maintaining a range of systems and technologies from the web, database and information support systems and services.

Skills required :

• .NET Developer with at least 5 years’ experience
• SQL Server
• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript inc AJAX frameworks (jQuery, YUI, ASP.NET AJAX)
• Product software design and development
• Data analysis and TSQL queries
• Testing
• Client interaction, consultations and presentations.

Desirable Skills :

• SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services)
• SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services)
• MVC, MVVM
• WPF
• SharePoint 2010+
• Web Services experience
• SCRUM, Agile, Test Driven Development (TDD), eXtreme Programming
• Mobile development
• Experience with Windows Azure, ideally with development of web applications for the platform

On Offer :

• Exceptional Work Environment
• Challenging Projects
• Opportunity for Career Progression
• Excellent Salary

For more information about this exciting role, contact Rob Simpson on 03 8669 0951.

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Lack of trust sabotages team productivity by enabling interpersonal conflict, apathy, or cynicism. Not only does it make innovation impossible, it makes meeting ordinary expectations difficult.

When low trust exists between team members, there is a tremendous emotional cost, creating doubt, fear, anger, frustration, resentment, and resignation.

Creating a consistent environment of trust is difficult because despite our best intentions, we may be delivering mixed messages. Trust isn’t about truth and facts; it’s about perceptions of authenticity and caring.

These personality traits could be sending mixed messages and sabotaging your team without you realising it.

1. You’re too nice

2. You think about something but don’t say it

The post Four personality traits that can sabotage your team appeared first on Seed Talent.

Here are examples of what a great PowerPoint presentation should look like and below are simple tips that will make a big difference.

1. Tell a story

The most memorable presentations are those that contain the key elements of good story-telling – a beginning, middle and an end. Start by presenting the issue or problem your presentation will solve then present your key findings with compelling data  that ties in with the issue. By the end of your presentation, the audience should feel they’ve learnt something new or have a better understanding of the solution.

2. Create a talking point not a script

Your PowerPoint slide should either act as a teaser that opens up a key topic or communicate your key message.  This can be done with powerful  imagery, graphs or key stats that support rather than distract the audience from what you are saying.

3. Consistency is key

It’s tempting to get overly creative with PowerPoint slides so check your company’s corporate identity manual and stick to the guidelines. That means using company colours, logos and fonts.

4. Less is more

Avoid the urge to use flashy transitions or over explain with too much text. Keep your slides free of clutter; if you use bullet points, stick to three points and don’t exceed one line per bullet. Your presentation will have more impact and keep your audience focused, which leads us to the final point…

5. Be generous with your hand-outs

Leave all the details to your hand-outs so that the audience won’t need to take notes during your talk.

The post What Great PowerPoints Should Look Like appeared first on Seed Talent.

What was your first job?

Unofficially, my first job was on the farm doing the dirtiest work imaginable; working the hose in a dairy. My first “real” job was in marketing for a mid-sized engineering business focusing on lead generation.

Tell us about your journey. How did you get to where you are today?

I started a second degree in web development in the mid 1990’s after meeting some blokes in a bar who had started an online business. It sounded like the birth of something amazing! Anyone could be a publisher and I wanted to be part of it. I soon left left my marketing job and spent a few years as a contractor before running the web development team and then ecommerce at Melbourne IT. I was asked to take over Product Management a few years ago and haven’t looked back. I started in marketing, moved to technology and am now at the intersection of technology and marketing in product management in one of the most fast changing spaces in global business.

What does a typical day look like?

Each day is different. I have a relatively long commute and use this time to consume tech-blogs, clear my inbox, and draft blog posts. At the office, each day starts with a team stand-up to make sure our product development and marketing plans are on track and to learn if there is anything urgent I need to help the team address. I am very data focused so I spend a lot of time making sure everyone in the organisation is focussed on the right numbers to achieve success rather than emotion. This means I spend a lot of time with sales and service teams, and our analysts working out how we can improve our products, make customers happier, and grow the business. I make sure all decisions are based on analysis and facts rather than guesses. Strategy is a vital part of my job, so I make sure that everyone is clear about what the strategy is and that each day we’re executing on that strategy. As a result a typical day will see me meeting with many people across the business in Australia and overseas. I try and finish each day with some exercise or a walk through some nature.

The best part about your job is…

It sounds trite, but helping SMB’s around the world leverage the opportunities offered by digital technologies to grow their businesses, and reduce costs is the best part of my job.

What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on?

Launching the first new hosting product into the partner channel in 5 years was pretty cool. The new gTLD project also promises to fundamentally transform how the world understands domain names.

What major changes do you see happening in your industry over the next 3-5 years?

The release of 1,500 new domain spaces in the next 2 years will fundamentally change the branding choices available for businesses and people from .com to .anything. Cloud computing is changing how businesses do their accounts, go to market, and connect wih their staff and customers. As Internet connectivity improves, this trend will accelerate providing business with better scale, improved insights, and the ability to reach more customers. Security and privacy will also be major trends for the next 5 years with businesses electing to pay more for increased security, and starting to pay more attention to managing the risks of cloud computing. In the last 20 years Internet technologies have changed economies, businesses, and almost every sector of society but we’re only at the start of the digital era. I believe the changes in the next 10 – 15 years will dwarf the changes we’ve seen in the past 20 years.

When you’re not working, you’re…

Using power tools in the garden, writing, reading, and looking after children. Never at the same time!

Your advice to others who are starting out.

Be interested in everything. Read and listen to everything. Soak up all the information you can find about your industry and your interests. Use social media to follow and engage with thought leaders in your industry. Always be open to new ideas and change, and above all, work hard.

How can others connect with you?

www.jonstribling.com
Twitter: @jonstribling
LinkedIn: Jon Stribling 
App.net: Jon Stribling

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