Unemployment in Texas hits five-year low (Dallas, San Antonio: how much, headhunters, find a job)

[socketz]

San Antonio Business Journal - 11:07 AM CST Friday

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sa...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

[onrway2clt]

I think Texas was ranked as the # 2 state for job opportunities, right behind behind CA.

[momof2dfw]

And growing everyday. If you have not been to downtown Dallas in awhile you would be SHOCKED at the amount of construction going on. I have not seen construction like this in decades. Several large buildings going up, more slated to start.

[socketz]

And this growth is organic and partially attributed to the influx of execs/outsiders that feel there is a balance between wages/corp cost/talent avail/family life and central location.

And the weather, well....it's not awful and better than most places in the central US.

Then you throw in lower housing costs, eliminating goofy ammendments like the Wright Ammendment that restrict competition in air travel, etc, and you have a nice formula for growth.

I personally think what really helps pull companies in here is the amount of technical talent available in DFW and Austin. It's just incredible how many great engineers were laid off during the telecom downturn - alot of them stuck around. This same exact thing happened to San Diego in the late 80s. General Dynamics laid them off in droves, they stuck around and low and behold were there to participate in the defense/celluar upswings in the mid 90s.

What this creates is an incubator environment for new ideas/growth. Then, the minute capex spending goes up and economic factors remain stable, the catalyst is there for new small companies that employ people from an existing pool of talent.

Seriously, this looks alot like what happened in CA years ago. And, you can almost hear the sucking sound of people moving here from the east/west. This combination of talent and ideas from all over the US (and world) really creates a nice environment for growth.

[jxu66]

I truly hope that's case. I got a master degree part time from UTD (2002-2003) while I was working in Dallas. It was not fun place for many in those 2 years.

[Panam]

hmmm so maybe now this corporate finance guy with 10 yrs experience (domestic & intl) and an MBA & CIA can find a job after searching for 4-5 months. I'll believe it when i experience it.

[socketz]

As you go into the higher experience/salary positions, what I've found is that the hunt itself is entirely different.

Online resume posting, low value add headhunters, searching websites for postings...all useless once you move into higher qual/income jobs.

You really need to 'pick' where you want to work, then start calling people and asking them to lunch to talk about how you can mutually benefit one another. Even if there are no openings, middle management like to be taken to lunch and courted - and often they refer you to others they know in the field. Think of it as "you have a product to sell, so where do you start knocking on doors/calling". If you are already in an industry in a resident where you've lived for years, then all this is easier of course because you have an existing sphere of influence.

Again, the older/more experienced you get the more you need to network, especially for someone like yourself that has alot of heavy hitting credentials. Have you tried alumni lists of online groups for CIA ? That is a red hot area, so I find it hard to believe your not getting any bites. What about the big companies here in town like Texas Instruments, Frito Lay, EDS, Interphase, Raytheon, etc. ? Or maybe a branch of one of the Big 5 consulting companies (KPMG, AA, etc.)

Most jobs in this space are filled by people that know someone else and are referred by an internal source.

[jacob]

socketz : what is considered higher salary / positions ? how many years, what title/role/responsibilities and how much compensation package.

also, do you know of any career forums like this one - informative, helpful, sensible real people and not plagued by scams and porn.

[Panam]

To Socketz:
deep down inside i know you are right. this is a first for me at this level now and hence a new way to learn to network. I've ried cold calling mangers of finance depts, follow-ed at their request only to be given the v-mail once to often. These folks are unreachable. I've gotten interviews but just one offer hich wasnt satisfactory in the slightest so i rejected it. that was early on and looking back anything is better than what i have now (nothing). Then again, the new year is fresh and companies are once again planning to hire for 2007. i'll give it two more months here, then i have no choice but to return where i came from due to my past success there.

thanks for the advice.

[socketz]

"also, do you know of any career forums like this one - informative, helpful, sensible real people and not plagued by scams and porn."

Not really, but I'm sure your specific industry has some. Call the certifying bodies and see if they have websites with forums.

One word of advice, stay away from Monster's boards.Full of kids looking for six figure jobs out of college and over qual'd unemployables that couldn't find work if it bumped into them in the driveway.