Seattle Job Market Outlook

We’re two weeks into the New Year, so I asked our brilliant Director of Talent, Lanny Love, for his predictions about the upcoming year in recruiting, job seeking, and overall Seattle job market (in our specialty, tech). It’s a great time to live in Seattle, but especially for those seeking a job at a tech company. I wanted to know about the top tech trends in Seattle and how you can rise above in a sea of talent and profitable businesses. His answers are below.

How does the Seattle job market look in 2016?

The Greater Seattle technology job market will continue to be highly competitive, in particular for talented software developers with in-demand skillsets.

Job Seekers Market

It’s a job seeker's market, and employers will need to think critically about their employment brand, how this translates to the job market, and how it affects their ability to attract the talent they need to grow their business.  There are more resources than ever to find a job with the increase in social networks (LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed), the abundance of job boards, and “tap to apply” hiring apps like Jobr, Indeed Jobs, LinkedIn Job Search, and Switch.

How Can Employers Attract the Best Talent?

Compensation will continue to be a motivator and companies should be ready to flex and adjust their compensation standards for heavily sought-after talent.  But equally as important is the work itself.  As companies are seeking to remain competitive for the top talent they’re seeking, they must find ways to ensure that they’re quickly highlighting the ‘sizzle’ of the projects the technical talent will be working on and the immediate impact they’ll have. Many companies also boast creative benefits, culture and perks to attract talent; a few Seattle companies have been known to openly invite pets, host in-office happy hours, and even putt a few on a rooftop deck.

Relocation

Increasingly, Seattle based companies will need to supplement their attraction strategies by relocating talent from other geographies domestically or internationally.  This does come at a cost, so companies should also take a critical look at their relocation budgets and plan for increased costs for the year.

Top Technology Trends?

Technical talent should remain focused on their own professional development and stay abreast of technology trends and changing demand for skills.  A few key areas that I see remaining hot in 2016 include:

• Mobile Development (iOS/Android)
• DevOps
• Agile development practices and associated roles (Scrum Masters, Agile coaches)

Develop Lasting Relationships

Technical Recruiters should remain committed to long term relationship development with technical talent.  The job market is hot enough that the ‘quick and easy’ email to engage with talent for an immediate need won’t be as effective as genuine intent to develop a lasting relationship and partner with talent as they build their career.

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About Lanny Love

‍Lanny Love is the Director, Talent at Wimmer Solutions.  Lanny and his dedicated team of technical recruiters are charged with identifying top technical talent for clients across the Pacific Northwest and beyond, for both consultant and direct hire positions.   Lanny is a results driven talent acquisition leader with over 19 years of progressive experience across multiple geographies in the technology, retail and travel industries.  Prior to Wimmer Solutions, he was based in London, UK as Expedia’s Director, Talent Acquisition, where he led a global team responsible for hiring top talent for Expedia’s Global Lodging Group.  Lanny has also held Talent Acquisition leadership positions at Starbucks Coffee Company and Captaris (now OpenText).  He began his career at a technical staffing agency and also gained valuable experience as a recruiter at Microsoft and Seattle based technology start-ups.