Don't Worry, Be Happy...

… that you selected an analytical career path! Even in the face of daily dire economic news, the quantitative job market continues to hold its own. Many of you may have read this interesting take on how one man has tried to stand out in the job-hunting crowd. News outlets around the world featured the story of Paul Nawrocki, an unemployed Manhattan manager who has been sporting a sandwich board to advertise his job search. While you’ve got to admire Mr. Nawrocki’s originality, you can feel confident that more traditional recruiting and job-hunting tactics are still serving our industry well. Since my last post four weeks ago, many have wondered how our corner of the job market has fared. I am happy to report that, in the analytical groups of the companies I work with, there have been very few layoffs. The managers and directors who head these groups understand how difficult it is to recruit solid quantitative talent and are hesitant to let anyone go.

And believe it or not, there are still plenty of career opportunities for analytical specialists. Job hunters who have kept their skills current and worked to broaden their expertise across a few industries will likely have a few options to consider. It’s important to be flexible on location and be willing to roll up your sleeves to work with data and SAS. And in this market, there is not a lot of room to negotiate compensation. My best advice for everyone is to keep your professional network current, so you are able to tap into those connections when and if you need them.

(By the way, are we connected on LinkedIn? If not, click here!)

Stay tuned for updates. And as for Mr. Nawrocki, I bet he has started a new job by now!

I welcome your comments and observations.

Linda Burtch
Burtch Works
Email: lburtch@burtchworks.com
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