Part of the WTIA’s mission is to grow a strong and sustainable workforce, which means we’re passionate about keeping local talent plugged into our state’s technology industry. In addition to our job board, every Wednesday we’ll be keeping you connected to Washington’s job market with the latest in local hiring news.

Menlo Ventures leads $14.5M round for Usermind, an enterprise business operations startup

Geekwire | Taylor Soper | March 16

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/menlo-ventures-leads-14-5m-round-usermind-enterprise-business-operations-startup/

“[Seattle-based] Usermind is bringing on another top-tier investor as the Seattle startup continues to develop its enterprise business operations platform.”

Jobs link: http://usermind.com/careers#OpenPositions

We need a startup for that: Healthcare companies pitch their problems to entrepreneurs

Geekwire | Madeline Vuong | March 15

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/cambia-health-solutions-hosts-reverse-shark-tank-businesses-seeking-startups/

“Yesterday, Cambia hosted a “reverse pitch” for established healthcare companies seeking startups at Cambia Grove, the company’s collaborative workspace for healthcare innovation in Seattle. Rather than startups pitching to investors, the idea behind a reverse pitch is for companies to pitch their challenges for startups to solve.”

Xerox plans to lay off 325 employees in Redmond

Puget Sound Business Journal | Ashley Stewart | March 15

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2016/03/xerox-plans-to-layoff-325-employees-in-redmond.html

“Xerox (NYSE: XRX) notified employees of the staffing cuts on March 7, but the company filed a notice with the Washington Employment Security Department on Tuesday. Layoffs will be effective May 6.”

Sales outlook up at big businesses, but hiring plans down

Puget Sound Business Journal | Kent Hoover | March 15

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/news-wire/2016/03/15/sales-outlook-up-at-big-businesses-but-hiring.html

“Two-thirds of big businesses expect their sales to increase in the next six months, and 34 percent plan to increase capital spending.

“That’s according to the Business Roundtable’s quarterly survey of its members, who are CEOs of the nation’s largest corporations. But while their outlook for sales and capital spending improved, their hiring plans weakened.”

Don’t Even Bother Looking for Funding If You’ve Not Yet Assembled the Right Team

Entrepreneur | Martin Zwilling | March 11

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/272017

“The reality is that entrepreneurs usually don’t have the money or time for executive recruiters to do the filtering and selection for them. If your primary source of candidates is friends, family and Craigslist, is it possible to get any high-quality team members?

Tech Workers Get Choosy About Changing Jobs

Wall Street Journal | Rachel Feintzeig | March 15

(WSJ subscription required to read)

http://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-workers-get-choosy-about-changing-jobs-1458086282