rnia — April 25, 2014 — In its continuing effort to create better bridges between IT job seekers and clients in search of high technology professionals, Software Management Consultants, Inc., (SMCI), a leading regional IT staffing and solutions services provider, today unveiled its re-imagined and redesigned website, 
"I wanted to let you know the new job is everything I dreamed of, and everything that my previous employer could not provide. I never could have gotten the new job without the experience I gained in working with SMCI, and I am eternally indebted to you for making it happen. Your professionalism and integrity are exemplary."
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:SMCI Launches Redesigned Website3 Things Not to Say at Your Next InterviewIT and Engineering Jobs to Grow by 2020LinkedIn Tips: 6 Steps to a Stronger ProfileAugmented Reality May Be Coming to a Car Windshield Near YouTHE FINAL WORD |
ABOUT SMCIFor more than thirty years, SMCI has been an IT staffing solutions leader in the regional markets we serve. Our staffing services include contract, contract-to-hire and direct-hire opportunities for a broad range of information technology disciplines and platforms. SMCI’s core business values, which include integrity, professionalism, and collaboration, are at the heart of everything we do.Our primary focus is matching the best IT talent with positions in the finest companies in the regions we serve. For top-tier IT consultants, SMCI offers:
Call the SMCI office nearest you and speak to one of our talented recruiters to explore what opportunities may be a good fit with your professional skills and career goals.
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SMCI Launches Redesigned WebsiteGlendale, Califo Based on best design practices, a sophisticated content management system, clear navigation and robust job search functions, the site performs admirably in the device and browser independent manner required by today’s rapidly changing technologies. “The introduction of our redesigned website reflects SMCI’s commitment to understanding and meeting the expectations of job seekers, clients and employees as we develop technology based solutions to better serve them,” said Spencer L. Karpf, SMCI’s President and CEO. |
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3 Things Not to Say at Your Next InterviewYour resume has been designed to perfection. Your cover letter is a work of art. You’re wearing your lucky interview suit and are ready to meet with the hiring manger. But one wrong slip of the tongue can bring the whole thing crumbling down. Here are three things to never say during your job interview: “I can’t stand my current boss”
While it might all be true, painting your current job in a negative light will put a big black mark on your job application. Your potential boss may wonder whether you’ll be a problematic employee should he hire you. Instead, focus on the positive parts of your present position but offer other reasons for your job search. You can mention that you’re interested in working for this particular company, or that you’re looking to advance in your career, which may not be an option at your job now. After all, you never know whether your potential boss is golfing buddies with your current boss and will dish the dirt about you. “I’m not familiar with your company”You may never have heard of the company you have an interview with prior to reading the job ad and being called in for an interview. That shouldn’t stop you, though, from doing your due diligence and finding out all you’ll need to know prior to your job interview. When you walk in to meet with your interviewer, you should know some of the history of the company (including major milestones, such as buy-outs or mergers), what the company really does, how its work benefits society and the key players within the company. Your knowledge on the company’s culture may also be tested, so be prepared to answer any questions confidently. “I’d like to telecommute”Sure, you’d like to work from home at least part of the time but asking for it during an interview is one definite way to not get it. A remote job is still considered a workplace perk, and as such, you may not be told about the job’s flexible schedule (if it even has one) until you’re offered the position. Asking a potential boss for the option to work remotely during the initial interview illustrates to him that you are more concerned about your own needs than those of the job you’re applying for. So sit tight and wait to see if you’re offered the position. If you are (and the job doesn’t come with a flex schedule) you can always ask for it during the negotiations process. It’s easy to let the wrong thing slip out during an interview. If you are careful about what you say—and what you ask for—you will have an interview that will hopefully land you the job of your dreams. |
OUR LOCATIONShttp://www.smci.com SMCI Orange County SMCI San Francisco SMCI Pleasanton SMCI Phoenix |
IT and Engineering Jobs to Grow by 2020
Below are the estimated growth numbers for selected IT and engineering occupations from 2010 to 2020. The average growth for all jobs within this period is 14 percent. |
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LinkedIn Tips: 6 Steps to a Stronger ProfileYou’ve decided you need a new job, but a daunting laundry list holds you back: You have to update your resumé, assemble your portfolio, gather references, and revise your LinkedIn profile, to start. Plus, you’re still employed full time. Overwhelmed yet? That feeling is normal, says LinkedIn career expert Nicole Williams: “Starting a job search is very stressful. You are throwing yourself in a situation that is unknown and scary. You need to make sure what you have to offer is up to par.” LinkedIn, with more than 277 million users worldwide, has become recruiters’ and head-hunters’ go-to resource for finding top talent. The content in your profile and your actions on the social network could influence whether or not you land the job of your dreams. Approach your job search in small chunks, Williams says. “Any time you try to do it all, you tend to do a lousy job at everything. You need to section off your job search and set up goals.” On day one, for example, you may take 10 minutes to upload your best Slideshare presentations to your profile. On day two, you might ask a handful of your closest colleagues and former coworkers for recommendations. On day three, you might upload a blog post — one of LinkedIn’s newest features on the platform — to showcase your industry knowledge and advice. “[These] literally let your work speak for itself,” Williams says. “Having other people vouch for your work ethic and skills are huge pluses in this type of job market. [In publishing a blog post] not only are you leading a conversation, you are becoming an industry leader and influencer.” Starting your job search doesn’t need to be stressful. Here’s a look at 6 things you can do in 10 minutes to ready yourself and your LinkedIn profile for the next opportunity. 1. Image is everythingUpload a profile picture to increase the chances that others click on your profile. According to the professional social network, people are seven times more likely to view your profile if you include one.To add or update yours, click Edit Profile from the navigation options at the top and click the camera icon to the left of your name. On the following page, browse your files for the photo you want and set the privacy settings for your picture. Everyone can see your picture by default; LinkedIn doesn’t recommend you change this setting. You can also make your profile more engaging by showing off your work: LinkedIn lets you upload images, videos, presentations, and documents. 2. Connected enough?Experts recommend that you shoot for around 350-500 connections on LinkedIn. This enables you to be part of enough industry networks who will include recruiters looking for people with our skillsets. So, get out there and make strategic connections to build up your circle of influence. 3. Publish a blog postLinkedIn’s newest addition to its suite of products and features is a blogging platform that lets users share their expertise and views on industry news.Once you receive publishing capabilities, you can write directly from your LinkedIn homepage. To begin, click the pencil icon in the “Share an update” box. This will take you to the writing tool, which also lets you add images and other media.When you publish a post, anyone can see it. It’s visible to your connections and followers through the newsfeeds on their homepages. Members who are not in your network can follow you from your posts, too, LinkedIn says. People don’t need a LinkedIn account to read your posts, either.LinkedIn gives you access to analytics to gauge the reach of the content you publish. You’ll receive an emailed report on page views, likes, and followers, which you can also access from your profile.
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Augmented Reality May Be Coming to a Car Windshield Near YouImagine your car’s entire windshield working like Google Glass. Instead of peering through dust and grime to see the boring real world of traffic, you would see cars and key road features Does it sound far-fetched to have images and data projected on your windshield and rendered in 3D? Not according to Jules White, assistant professor of electric engineering and computer science at Vanderbilt University. “I think the Minority Report stuff is at least a decade away,” said White. “But we’ll see a lot of useful things in the near term.” White served as guest editor for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ February 2014 Proceedings of the IEEE, focusing on augmented reality on windshields. The project produced a set of eight peer-reviewed papers on the topic, including “Behind the Glass: Driver Challenges and Opportunities for AR Automotive Applications,” an overview of the nascent field. Where The Rubber Meets the WebWhite broadly defines augmented reality as the fusing of virtual information with actual objects in the real world. We’ve already seen the first example in today’s cars, in the form of dashboard monitors used with backup cameras. When the car is in reverse, the driver not only sees a video feed from the level of the rear bumper, but also a transposed set of color-coded lines indicating your distance from the other bumper you are about to dent. In addition, dynamic guidelines show where the vehicle is headed based on the position of the steering wheel. It’s a cheater’s guide to parallel parking. Heads-up displays, available on some luxury vehicles, already use a small part of the windscreen to show basics such as speed and turn-by-turn directions. But that’s just the beginning. In the future, approaching hazards—like a truck broken down in the middle of the road ahead, or a drunk driver weaving between lanes—could be highlighted with colors, or shaded to stand out, directly on the driver’s view through the windshield. The driver’s eyes can stay on the road when getting directions, rather than glancing to the center-mounted navigation system. When driving at night, cameras and sensors working in conjunction with AR could make the road contours, signage and pedestrians more visible. Laser sensors and radars might one day allow drivers to literally look up and see around the corner. Distraction in Overdrive
One of the biggest concerns is over-reach of the new technology. “Anything that gives you the ability to make good decisions while driving should show up,” said White. “Anything that adds distraction is not the best idea.” The authors of “Behind the Glass” anticipate the emergence of what they call “the social car.” In this scenario, layers of digital information about places and people in a city could be transposed on the windshield. While potentially cool, this could lead to driver distraction. “We need to make sure that AR doesn’t become the next texting while driving,” said White. “The social display says that Paris Hilton just drove by. Are you going to have an accident that you otherwise wouldn’t have?” Log Off and DriveAnd there are technology challenges to ensure that drivers of every shape and size see exactly the same imagery, no matter where they are positioned in the driver’s seat. There is zero room for error. One of a myriad of technical decisions is whether to use 3D stereoscopic displays or flat one-level presentations. Adding to the complexity is that various technology and design strategies have to be applied to different types of interactions—from primary tasks such as way finding and control of speed; to secondary tasks such as using turn signals and windshield wipers; and tertiary tasks such as air-conditioning and infotainment. Which tasks should be displayed via Grand Theft Windshield—and which ones should remain analog and integrated on the dashboard or steering wheel? While White and the other researchers see a lot of potential, driver tasks supported by AR will remain simple for some time. “A joint strike fighter aircraft has $250,000 sophisticated display helmets for the pilots. Precise data is required if you are a pilot of a high-performance attack jet,” he said. “That use case just isn’t there for automobiles.” |
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THE FINAL WORD…
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deeply integrated with data—colorfully highlighted and annotated for greater safety, convenience and enjoyment.
Of course, there are major user interface considerations about the best use of colors, gradients and layouts. (The auto industry has traditionally lagged behind consumer electronics and web in sophisticated interface design.) “There are all kinds of challenges,” said White.