Seattle cloud texting startup Zipwhip raises $9M from Voyager Capital, Microsoft

Ashley Stewart | Puget Sound Business Journal | 17 October 2016

“Zipwhip – a Seattle company that helps businesses text customers using landline phone numbers – on Monday announced it has raised $9 million in a funding round led by Seattle-based venture firm Voyager Capital.

The 100-person company, founded in 2007, builds software to allow businesses to interact with customers through text messages instead of time-consuming phone calls or low-priority emails.”

Read more here.

ZipWhip job openings.

 

Getting the Grad in 2016 [Infographic]

Jennifer Hanford | Business2community.com | 17 October 2016

“If you’re a recent college graduate and still searching for the “perfect” job, you are not alone.

An estimated 2.8 million university graduates entered the United States workforce this past spring. The Wall Street journal published an article in April 2016, about the brighter job outlook for 2016 college grads. This article included data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a group which tracks college hiring. According to their data, employers expect to hire 5.2% more grads than they did in 2015.”

Read more here.

 

Can apprenticeships help diversify the tech industry?

Alison DeNisco | Tech Republic | 14 October 2016

“Apprenticeship programs date back to the Middle Ages, but the tech industry is now giving this model a fresh look to fill talent gaps and diversify workforces.

“Apprenticeships are a great opportunity to help build a well-qualified workforce, whose skills are customized to the exact needs of an employer,” said Angela Hanks, associate director of workforce development policy at the Center for American Progress.”

Read more here.

 

Amazon to Add 120,000 Workers for Holidays

Joshua Jamerson | The Wall Street Journal | 13 October 2016

“Amazon.com Inc. plans to hire 20% more seasonal workers for its U.S. warehouses this holiday season as some competitors have kept hiring steady.

The Seattle retailer plans to add 120,000 seasonal positions, up from 100,000 last year. By comparison, Target Corp. is looking to hire 70,000 additional workers in its stores, the same as last year. However, Target is looking to add 7,500 additional workers for its distribution and fulfillment facilities, up from 6,500 last year, according to a spokeswoman. Macy’s Inc. is planning for 83,000, compared with 85,000 last year. Department stores, specialty shops and big-box retailers have struggled recently, hurt by falling foot traffic as shoppers increasingly turn to Amazon and fast-fashion options such as Hennes & Mauritz AB.”

Read more here.

How to become a CEO? Quickest path is a winding one

Neil Irwin | The New York Times | 13 October 2016

“How does a person get to be the boss? What does it take for an ambitious young person starting a career to reach upper rungs of the corporate world — the CEO’s office, or other jobs that come with words like “chief” or “vice president” on the office door?

The answer has always included hard work, brains, leadership ability and luck. But in the 21st century, another, less understood attribute seems to be particularly important.

To get a job as a top executive, new evidence shows, it helps greatly to have experience in as many of a business’ functional areas as possible. A person who burrows down for years in, say, the finance department stands less of a chance of reaching a top executive job than a corporate finance specialist who has also spent time in, say, marketing. Or engineering. Or both of those, plus others.”

Read more here.