Certified Business Analyst - IT Position (Tampa, Valrico: fit in, headhunters, employment)

[MortonR]

The spouse and I are former residents who are currently in the process of returning to the Tampa area. I already have a position, but the spouse does not.

They are a CBAP (certified business analyst) with over 30 years of experience in the IT field. Their former employer, who has indicated they would like to rehire them, does not have any positions at this time, so they are actively looking, and using all the usual resources.

I fear that they will have a tough time with all the IT people on the street down here, but figured that it wouldn't hurt to ask around, as I know there are a number of IT folks on the board.

Given the choice, we want to be back in the Valrico area, so Tampa is the ideal place for employment. In a pinch Pinellas Co. could work...

Thanks in advance for any leads or direction.

RM

[Keeper]

Well there are going to be a lot of IT ppl on the street starting this month with a layoff of approx 500 IT ppl in Tampa.
Don't like to be Debbie Downer here but that is a lot of competition.

Might try going to a head hunter or doing temp work for a while. Honestly if you need her income to survive you may be in trouble

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Keeper

Well there are going to be a lot of IT ppl on the street starting this month with a layoff of approx 500 IT ppl in Tampa.
Don't like to be Debbie Downer here but that is a lot of competition.

Might try going to a head hunter or doing temp work for a while. Honestly if you need her income to survive you may be in trouble

Yes, we are aware of the glut of IT people, but not all of them are in her functional area. She is not in the area yet, but when she gets ready to head this way she'll be making the rounds of headhunters and such.

Fortunately, we will not need her income to survive, so she'll have time to find something.

RM

[annaegel]

I would also suggest using a recruiter. My husband is a mainframe programmer. The last few weeks he has gotten a lot of calls from various recruiters. Things seem to be picking up. He starts a new job tomorrow as a consultant.

[Keeper]

Glad to hear that annaegel.. I have several friends who looked for a year after being layed off. Of course, most want to stay in Tampa.

I feel really bad for all my friends who are loosing their jobs due to outsourcing out of the country.

[tilli]

IT is one of those fields where not too long ago, positions were plentiful and it was one of the best-paying fields in town. Now positions are few and far between, competition is immense, and the pay rates that are being offered are often what used to be entry-level rates with little to no benefits, even for advanced positions with a string of must-have qualifications. Because companies are inundated with resumes and can afford to be super picky. So best of luck to you, but I certainly would not expect it to be easy for her to find employment in her field at this time. You never know of course, maybe her timing will be fortuitous and it will all work out. If you don't want to rely on luck, now would be the time for a head hunter unless she is one of those people who is a natural "networker" who can fit into the Tampa business culture, or has previous connections that she can try.

She might want to consider freelancing as well, although it has tax implications that must be considered. Really, it all depends on her area of expertise and you haven't really told us that.

[seain dublin]

Age is also going to be a factor. Someone with over 30 yrs experience who may be the best candidate is going to run into age discrimination.

It is illegal but very hard to prove.