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| Companies are described with either a short or long profile. The long profile requires the cooperation of the company to get the level of in-depth information of most interest to readers. A fee is charged to companies that participate in the development of a long profile. Companies review a draft of the profile before publication to ensure accuracy. Short profiles are taken from information available through public sources, consolidated at this site in a consistent format for ease in research. How Do Techies Figure Out Where the Best Jobs Are? • Talk to friends about where they work • See who responds to their resume at an online site • Contact a company they saw on a Super Bowl ad • Contact a company they saw at a trade show or in a magazine • Check the want ads in the Sunday paper • Talk to recruiters • Talk to their Career Services Center for on-campus interviews • Go to job fairs and pink slip parties Techies do all these things and employers use all these channels to find candidates. But, what candidates and employers agree works best is talking to friends. Companies like referrals from their own employees because they know that someone who understands the company environment already knows the qualifications of this candidate. Techies like this avenue because friends will tell them what it is really like to work at a company. And, their job isn't on the line when they ask tough questions, like: • How many hours do you work? • Is there any room to grow? • Do I get to/have to travel? • Do I get stock options? This is also the advantage of the corporate profiles at 20 Minutes from Home. For techies, it is like talking to a friend who works at the company. For employers, it is like having an employee describe the company from an insider's standpoint. We have talked to insiders at the company - executives and hiring managers - to get an in-depth view. We have asked the questions candidates might ask in an interview: • Describe a sample project • What tools will I be using? • What is the hardware and software environment? And, we have asked the questions candidates can't ask in an interview: • What are the benefits? • What is the career path? • What happens during a layoff? Techies love interesting projects and current tools. These are always at the top of their list in evaluating a new job. The problem is, with most recruiting ads, whether online or print, you get only a small snapshot of a company's technology. And, you get almost nothing about other important aspects of the company. • Is a college degree important? • Can I wear sandals to work? • Do I need to be able to write? • Is the company involved in the community? • Do they hire entry-level people? We ask all these questions, and more. 20 Minutes from Home gives techies the information their friends would tell them if they knew someone at the company, because we have talked to the people who work there. 20 Minutes from Home gives employers the knowledge that candidates are well-prepared for their environment. How Were the Companies Picked? We have always looked for companies that were leaders in their industry, leaders in technology, or leaders in places to work. (Lists) We have recently invited all interested employers to be profiled. Selected employers will be included in companion print editions of 20 Minutes from Home. While the economy determines which companies are hiring on any given day, our profiles say what companies want when they are hiring, who to contact, the average rate at which they hire, and what resources they use to find people. This gives techies the information they need to find the companies that want their skills and it gives employers the assurance that candidates will have the right skills when they apply. Smart candidates have always been told "Research the company before you apply". 20 Minutes from Home gives them the means for doing that research. It gives employers an outlet for identifying the key skills needed in their environment. How Is an In-Depth Profile Developed? • We interview executives from Technology, Human Resources, and Recruiting departments. • We review the company's web site. • We review company-supplied materials handed out to new hires. • We review current news about the company. • We review articles about current customers, products, and services. For more information, check out the section we use to help employers prepare (Employers). You will see the results in our Corporate Profiles. Could Individuals Do the Same Thing? Yes and no. Techies can certainly look at a company's web site on their own. They can certainly do the Internet research. They can certainly contact a company's hiring managers by submitting a resume. They probably can't get a call answered by the CIO or CTO. And, unless they know someone who works there, they cannot get much of this information until they are interviewing with the company themselves. This speeds up that data-gathering process by giving them the information in advance. How is this an advantage? • It helps techies prepare for interviews. • It allows them to focus their resume. • It helps them find the companies looking for their skills. • It helps them target their job search more effectively. Don't Employers Already Have This Information On Their Own Web Sites? Again, yes and no. Some employers have extensive Employment sections, with information about their culture and benefits. Most have current job listings and a way to submit a resume online. Most describe their products and services. However, web sites are not consistent and readers have to have some reason to go there in the first place. Finally, technical openings are typically scattered and buried among all other job postings. 20 Minutes from Home provides: • A normalized view of companies. All companies are asked the same questions. • A standardized approach. The information is presented in the same format. • A historical perspective of job openings, instead of post-today, gone-tomorrow. • A distinctly techie view, instead of a customer's view. • A consolidated view of job opportunities, highlighting the skills needed at various levels. • An aggregated list of top employers that allows techies to find the best match and employers to reach their ideal candidates. |
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