Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : INSS - International Network Services -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joel who wrote (348)	4/3/1998 2:06:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 446

I am bullish on the stock but I don't have alot of reason to believe it will go much higher in the next six months. I'd be interested in any insights anyone else on this list has, but right now I don't know why it would go much higher. I have noticed it is pretty stable stock (as services companies tend to be) so when the market starts to turn south a little, volume tends to increase and the price goes up. Given that, maybe it'll go up a point or two (average) in the next 6 months. What are your thoughts? Joel, INSS has good company. CPQ and CSCO. Valuation is high but so is growth. I expect stability for the next two quarters until earnings catch up. Then another up move. Like a somewhat "safehavn" during a market correction too. Glenn

To: Joel who wrote (348)	4/4/1998 3:19:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 446

Is there a serious shortage of IT professionals in the U.S. or is there just a ploy by some companies to bring in cheap foreign programmers? In a column, Ted Young argues the issue is not a shortage of workers, but a shortage of good training programs. What do you think? What have your hiring experiences been like recently? Click the To top button to read the thread from the beginning (63 previous messages) Tom Acklen - 05:15pm Apr 3, 1998 EST (#64 of 70) The issue is that there are real shortages in certain locations and certain parts of the IT field. Another issue is the quality of available talent and then the third is that the Y2K issue will continue to eat up resources as the real facts are discovered. Jon Christensen - 05:52pm Apr 3, 1998 EST (#65 of 70) I think the answer to this question lies in which side of the interview table you are on. I see many IT jobs posted, but most seem to be lower-level positions. Employers want younger employees they can get on the cheap, while many very qualified potential workers look for work for months and months. I have over 14 years networking experience and over 18 years in the computer industry. After being laid off from a high-tech company I was lucky enough to do some consulting while I looked for work, but could not find anyone that was not scared by my salary history. I eventually took a 30% pay cut to go back to full-time employment. I have several friends and relatives in similar situations. Michael Ralls - 06:45pm Apr 3, 1998 EST (#66 of 70) The approval of foreign workers to fill IT and computer tech positions is outlandish! One cannot help but see the corporate undermining of the American economy and workforce by such actions. There is no question that the computer industry is looking for cheap labor to lower overhead and keep the quarterly earnings impressive. Granted, technology is expensive, but it comes from hard work and competent, dedicated employees. As a technician and designer in numerous fields, including computers, I have spent the last 6 months trying to find an opportunity in a network environment. Being unemployed, I can't afford the $8000 to obtain my CNE or MCSE certification, but I'm eager to train. I live in the Bay Area, and am willing to re-locate anywhere in Northern California, but the opportunities just don't seem to exist. If there was TRULY a shortage, I would have had multiple opportunities by now. My technical aptitude and knowledge are not in question. I'm not just out of college, and I'm not foreign. WHERE IS THIS GREAT DEMAND? Ron Cooper - 06:49pm Apr 3, 1998 EST (#67 of 70) I have recently finished a tour in the U.S. Army. I found a job in the telecommunications industry (the field I wanted). I found this through an employment agency (Aerotek - Maxim Group). The company that I am contracted to is Brooks/Worldcom. My problem is that I am making less than half of what is being paid out for my services. Why do these larger companies insist on going through 3rd parties? I would be much happier making the $30+/hour they spend on me (without overtime) versus approx. half of which I see -- even less minus taxes. This in itself is discouraging to myself and I am sure to others as well. I have proven my worth to the company, but now with all the mergers going on, who knows when I will see benefits or what my wages will be when they finally decide to bring me on board. John Barnitz - 11:17pm Apr 3, 1998 EST (#68 of 70) My experience with the job market today is that many of the job opportunities are with "job shops" or "headhunters". Companies seem reluctant to hire on their own. The problem with these jobshop firms is that many times their recruiters are not technical, and it is a chore trying to explain to them what kind of positions you are looking for, and they rarely tell you the companies they send your resume to. Bill Hanks - 11:30pm Apr 3, 1998 EST (#69 of 70) I'm a consultant for a midwest integration company. We could do twice the work we currently have, IF we had the staff. Anyone with high end networking and/or messaging skills (both design and implementation) could write their own ticket here. Charles Kelly - 10:53am Apr 4, 1998 EST (#70 of 70) As a Sr. Recruiter for one of the world's leading IT solutions companies (Wang Global) I'd like to chime in with my two cents worth. Since do I have a technical background and have only been a recruiter for 4 months I feel that I have very recent experience on both sides of the fence. I understand the technology and I understand what companies look for. I only recruit senior systems engineers, senior systems architects, and senior VB/SQL/ASP developers. I've been active technically in both the systems and dev arenas--advisory board member COMDEX/Enterprise, advisory board member of Microsoft TechEd last 2 yrs, editorial review board of Windows NT mag, www.ntpro.org, regional director for Microsoft Developer Days, etc., etc. Since we (at Wang Global Network Integration and Consulting) only do enterprise level solutions with only Microsoft and Cisco bases, I look for people with large-scale network or developemnt experience (hopefully MS/Cisco experience). Certifications are important but we can get anyone certified fairly quickly as a level 2 ATEC. What you can't get quickly is experience--it still takes 5 years to get 5 years experience. LEARN TO WRITE A RESUME! The biggest single failure for people not getting an interview is their resume. Most recruiters are NOT technical--you have to make it very easy for them to find what they are looking for. They are looking for an "exact match" of skills and experience as specified in the job announcement/posting/ad. The only reason you write a resume is to get an interview. Period. If your resume isn't getting you interviews you MUST re-write it so that it will. Unfortunately, experience as a network administrator or as a second- or third-level help desk position won't get you a job as a systems engineer or better, especially on the enterprise level. Don't over-reach, be realistic. Nothing turns off a recruiter faster than a resume that is noticeably over-puffed. in closing, I would submit that there are a lot of qualified people out there--I ahve no trouble finding as many as I need. The real problems are that people looking for jobs don't know how to properly sell theirselves (through their resume) and that most recruiters (and especially HR people) lack the necessary technical skills and knowledge to be able to read thruogh poorly written resumes. If this kind of dialog seems useful to people I'll continue to check this forum and post additional stuff. I am working on a set of web pages that tell people how to get a job, more precisely how to get the job you want. Later...