Java Software Engineer – NYC

Whiting Consulting is looking for a Software Engineer for a software company that develops distributed Java applications and real-time infrastructures that support high performance computing applications. Their product address critical needs with monitoring business critical applications associated with high performance computing infrastructures

They are seeking a software engineers to work with their growing engineering team to design and develop new software features to support such distributed application environments.

Responsibilities:
• Work with a seasoned team of software engineers on the development of their application
• Software design and development (coding, testing, and documentation) of Java and web based components within the product.
• Development of collection adapters/gateways and server-side application logic using JMX APIs.
• Collaborate with members following an agile software development methodology to deliver on product features.
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Requirements:
• BS/BA or higher in Computer Science or related field
• 2 to 4 years of hands-on Java software development experience with commercial or enterprise based products
• Must have hands-on design and development of Java applications instrumented with JMX. Therefore knowledge of standard and dynamic MBeans is required.
• Familiar with distributed applications that may utilize high performance computing resources such as data caching technologies or grid computing technologies would be preferable.
• Experience with XML.
• Familiar with agile software development disciplines.

Special Skills:
• Goal oriented and self-motivated.
• Candidate must have the ability to work independently or within a team environment.
• Strong oral and written communications skills with ability to create software design and engineering documents.
• Ability to multi-task and deliver high quality work under tight deadlines is essential.
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment is crucial.
• Ability to learn, excel and deliver at a quick pace is required.

Take The Stress Right Out Of The Room

In speaking with many friends, candidates, and clients lately, I hear and feel the pressure and stress we are all under today.  This market is something we have never experienced before, and it is difficult to prepare ourselves for the unknown. I was reading an interesting article that surveyed 164 companies with over 3000 employees, and the results were staggering.  88 percent of employers are worried about stress in the workplace.  Nine out of 10 companies feel that this tough economy has a negative affect on the stress level of their employees.

How can a company counter this feeling of stress created by fear of the unknown? I was speaking with a person who attended a Quarterly Leadership Meeting. One of the senior executives came into the room, looked around, and could see and feel the stress that everyone was feeling. He then demonstrated a great quality of leadership; instead of ignoring the 500 pound Gorilla in the room, he addressed it straight up. He stated, “Right here, right now, let’s take the stress out the room.” He effectively communicated to the audience that everything with the company was okay; their jobs were stable and he wanted to remove the stress and fear to enable his employees to concentrate on the tasks at hand… therefore enabling them to be successful. My friend left the meeting with a huge weight off his shoulders and a renewed sense of purpose.  He was better-able to concentrate on the projects that needed to be completed.

The “unknown” always generates fear. I, myself, am a worrier by nature, and I dislike the unknown. I am a planner, and I always like to know what is going to happen next. If companies are constantly communicating with their employees the good with the bad, at least the employees have an idea of where things are headed and can make a plan.

By proactively communicating with your staff and having them trust that you will give them the information that they need to know, you will help alleviate the stress in the work environment.

Are you listening?

Interviewing can be stressful for everyone. But one of the most important things to do when you are in an Interview is LISTEN. In feedback that I have been receiving from clients today is that candidates right now are not listening to the questions that are being asked. They are just diving into why they are the right fit for the job.
Make sure you listen to the questions that are being asked and answer the question is a direct way back. Too wordy of an answer or giving too many examples are not recommended as well. I always pick on my husband when I am listening to him on the phone; he is constantly repeating himself and telling the person over and over again the same point. You need to make sure you give people the information they are looking for as directly as possible.
For example:
The job is for an Accounting Manager within the Recruiting field.
Why are you interested in this job?
Well I need a job, and I have 15 years of experience and have had an excellent track record throughout my career and feel that all my skills I could really leverage to the success of this organizations and I really believe that all my skills can be utilized in this role.
What the person is looking for is:
I have been really impressed by the brand that your company has within the Industry and with my 15 years of experience I can leverage my background and help leverage the success of this company through their recruiting efforts.
This answer is short and sweet, lets the person doing the interview know why you want to work for them, how your experience can benefit the role and make them successful.
So make sure you read your audience and listen to what they ask. Verify that your answer is what they are looking for.

Networking: Old AND New

I am a big fan and true believer in social media and Web 2.0 technology, and I feel they are excellent tools for us to leverage.

These tools have brought a new level to the way we do business and communicate with one another.  They make it easier for us to e-mail our contacts or simply “shout out” a comment to someone via Facebook or Twitter. And they have created a fantastic way for me to find new candidates; candidates I would never have had access to before and can now communicate with regarding career opportunities in the marketplace.

However, I truly believe the best way to network is going back to the basics and picking up the phone and calling someone. I might be dating myself, but when I first started in this business we did not have all this great technology; you had to rely on the phone to communicate with people. When I am training recruiters today, I see how easy it is for them to rely on e-mail versus building relationships with people over the phone.

Talking to someone is the only way to take that relationship you have with the person to the next level. It allows you to get to know who this person is, their likes and dislikes, and it enables you to build trust. You can learn about their goals and how you can help them achieve their objectives. With that said, use all the networking tools out there to better-leverage yourself in the market place.

Last week, I posted a comment about a position that I was working on on Linkedin.com.  I received an e-mail regarding the position from a former placement of mine (who I had not spoken with in several months) regarding a potentially-related business lead. So, I picked up the phone and gave her a call. It was a wonderful conversation; it was great to catch-up; and it gave me the opportunity to leverage her network for the opportunity that I was working on.

New technologies that exist are amazing, but when you couple them with good, old-fashioned. relationship-building techniques, you will win.