Seattle recruiting is so tough one company is giving away Teslas to new hires

Ashley Stewart | Puget Sound Business Journal | 5 October 2016

“Seattle-area technology hiring has become so difficult one company is giving away Teslas to new recruits.

Axon, the Seattle-based division of Taser that builds and sells police body cameras and related software, is offering Tesla Model 3 cars to new hires, and not just senior executives. Eligible positions include full-stack engineers and web developers.”

Read more here.

 

Why industry and education must collaborate to solve the tech talent gap, fight sexism and ageism

Clare McGrane | GeekWire | 5 October 2016

“To those in the industry, the tech talent gap and diversity in the workforce are almost becoming tired subjects.

There are many thousands more tech jobs being created each year than there are qualified candidates — in Washington state alone, there are about 3,700 tech jobs created each year, and only 500 candidates who graduate with computer science degrees. At the same time, the workforce is increasingly made up of young, male, white employees.”

Read more here.

 

How to get a job in IT services

Howard Baldwin | Computerworld.com | 4 October 2016

“One of the potential frustrations of working in a corporate IT department is the constant reminder that “IT is not our business; IT is here to serve the business.” There’s an alternative, of course: You can get a job in IT services, where information technology is the business.

Work in IT services is closely related to IT consulting (a field we covered previously), with a few key differences. Although some companies offer both IT consulting and IT services, and both types of businesses are looking to hire highly skilled IT professionals, there’s a distinct difference between the two, sources say. That difference is essentially the difference between strategy and tactics: An IT consulting firm plans new systems, while an IT services provider maintains systems after they’re deployed.”

Read more here.

 

Seattle Genetics expands Bothell campus to accommodate new growth

Casey Coombs | Puget Sound Business Journal | 4 October 2016

“Bothell-based Seattle Genetics is building 100,000 square feet of new office space on its Canyon Park campus to facilitate a steady stream of new hires and expanded operations.

The company started construction on Building 5 in May and expects the space to be complete and occupied in the first half of 2017. Building 6 is still in the design phase.”

Read more here.

 

FullConTech Focuses on Diverse Talent

Karen Miller | 425 Business | 3 October 2016

“The focus of the second annual FullConTech conference, put on by the Washington Technology Industry Association, was all about attracting, growing, and retaining diverse talent.

The morning keynote was the chance of a lifetime for Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Academy student Jackson Patterson. He sat on stage and interviewed Gov. Jay Inslee for the keynote address.

TAF Academy is a program in the Federal Way School District. Patterson is a senior in the program.”

Read more here.

 

Amazon’s Alexa group is on a massive hiring spree

Jason Del Rey | Recode | 1 Oct 2016

“When Jeff Bezos revealed in May that Amazon employed more than 1,000 people working on Echo and Alexa products, he warned: “It’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Here’s some proof. The Echo and Alexa groups are currently looking to fill 400 positions, according to Amazon’s Alexa job page.

The open positions run the gamut from data engineers to product managers to machine learning scientists. And the job locations are as varied: From Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle to other U.S. cities like Tempe, Ariz.; Cambridge, Mass.; and Sunnyvale, Calif. Overseas, Amazon’s voice technology groups are also hiring in places like Gdansk, Poland.”

Read more here.

Amazon’s Alexa job openings.