IT Jobs in and around Denver? (Boulder, Craig: house, job openings, buying)

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Hi everyone,
I was curious if anyone could give me a general idea as to how the IT field is in Denver.

Our background - my husband was actually promoted at his IT job in MI shortly after we were married (last Fall) so we moved to a new area and bought our first house! But then...the economy got the best of us and he was laid off at the very begining of March with no hopes of going back. (His company was steel company that made auto parts so they are going down).

Since we just bought a house we were hesitant to look for work out of state but we've been talking more and more about it and it seems that looking outside of MI may be our only option. MI is NOT doing so hot right now with the auto industry mess.

So, in talking about relocating CO is one of the states we would like to consider. I won't get into what we know/don't know about the area and what not b/c for now I'm just doing research as to the overall economy there. I KNOW it's bad everywhere but it can't be as bad as MI can it?

More specifically - does anyone have an idea as to how tough it might be for him to find work in IT (he was a network admin if that helps). We will not move unless he secures a job but is it worth our time to apply to jobs and research the area?

Thanks so much in advance!

Oh, don't mind the screen name - thought we'd move south but not so much anymore...unless that's where the jobs are!

[Currency Pair Crocodile]

I was speaking to a techie recruiter this week who allegedly claimed to have a handful of openings in and around Denver. They deal mostly with IT software and data warehousing. But they might have an opening for a hardware admin now or in the future.

DM me if you wish and I'll link you in to the appropriate persons.

[denver_hacker]

IT can mean all kinds of things. What exactly is he looking to do?

In general, it's not as bad as it was in 2001/2002, but it's not great. Craigslist used to be the place to find jobs, but they started charging and now it's not so good. I think everyone's gone over to the RMIUG (Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group) - stupid name, but it has a fair amount of traffic. Indeed.com seems to also have a good list. Also look at Monster.com, Dice.com, etc.

Some general stuff...Denver has several areas with concentrations of jobs: The DTC, downtown Denver, along 36, and Boulder. The jobs tend to be more startup-up like in Boulder and then get more corporate as you go south. Also, Denver/Colorado is considered a lifestyle state, which means people move here for the lifestyle first and the job second.

One thing I can tell you is that if you have out of state contact information on your resume, you will not get any responses. The pool of qualified in-state candidates is large now and people look for any reason to throw a resume out. So get a PO Box in CO and/or get a local phone number (via VOIP or something). Then when someone contacts you, one of the first things you need to tell them is that you're out of state and what your plans are for getting to CO. If you're expecting relocation assistance, you need be an A++ player and be extraordinarily good at your job.

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Originally Posted by denver_hacker

IT can mean all kinds of things. What exactly is he looking to do?

In general, it's not as bad as it was in 2001/2002, but it's not great. Craigslist used to be the place to find jobs, but they started charging and now it's not so good. I think everyone's gone over to the RMIUG (Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group) - stupid name, but it has a fair amount of traffic. Indeed.com seems to also have a good list. Also look at Monster.com, Dice.com, etc.

Some general stuff...Denver has several areas with concentrations of jobs: The DTC, downtown Denver, along 36, and Boulder. The jobs tend to be more startup-up like in Boulder and then get more corporate as you go south. Also, Denver/Colorado is considered a lifestyle state, which means people move here for the lifestyle first and the job second.

One thing I can tell you is that if you have out of state contact information on your resume, you will not get any responses. The pool of qualified in-state candidates is large now and people look for any reason to throw a resume out. So get a PO Box in CO and/or get a local phone number (via VOIP or something). Then when someone contacts you, one of the first things you need to tell them is that you're out of state and what your plans are for getting to CO. If you're expecting relocation assistance, you need be an A++ player and be extraordinarily good at your job.

Thanks for the advice. He is most qualified as a network administrator.

I thought about the address on the resume begin from MI could cause a problem. I know in MI there is a push to only hire people from MI. Maybe we could use a friends address? I hate being so deceptive right from the get go. We do not expect anyone to pay to relocate us, I can't imagine anyone would in this economy.

Lifestyle is one of the reasons we are looking in CO. We like 4 seasons although MI has a looong cold winter! From what I gather CO still has a cold,snowy winter but it appears to be a little shorter. We like the outdoors and especially the mountains. My husband has never lived anywhere but MI (I lived in CA but only until I was 10) and we think that if we need to move for him to get a job now is as good a time as any (Well, before buying our house would have been better . I guess from what I see about CO, and I have been there a handful of times, if we are going to move out of state we'd rather it be to a climate and culture like that rather than TX or FL - too hot ! - but we will go where a job takes us I guess even if that is right where we are now!

[parafly]

I am a software engineer and relocating to Denver on Aug 1.

There are plenty of IT job openings and postings from various sites. I am a qualified candidate, but I have not had any luck getting responses from companies.

I have read many times that companies do not respond to out-of-state inquiries, and it appears to be true in my case. I am hoping that things change after I move and have a local address.

[Currency Pair Crocodile]

Originally Posted by parafly

I am a software engineer and relocating to Denver on Aug 1.

There are plenty of IT job openings and postings from various sites. I am a qualified candidate, but I have not had any luck getting responses from companies.

I have read many times that companies do not respond to out-of-state inquiries, and it appears to be true in my case. I am hoping that things change after I move and have a local address.

Why do you even tell them you are out of state?

You can attend the interview and move. Problem sets in only when you expect relocation $$$. No company wants to sponsor that at this time

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Originally Posted by Colossus_Antonis

Why do you even tell them you are out of state?

You can attend the interview and move. Problem sets in only when you expect relocation $$$. No company wants to sponsor that at this time

Right - I heard that you should indicate on your cover letter (first line) that you live out of state but plan to relocate at your own expense.

[parafly]

Originally Posted by Colossus_Antonis

Why do you even tell them you are out of state?

You can attend the interview and move. Problem sets in only when you expect relocation $$$. No company wants to sponsor that at this time

The typical resume has an address on it, which is out of state in my case.

My cover letter states the exact date I will be moving as well as covering relocation expenses myself.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by parafly

I am a software engineer and relocating to Denver on Aug 1.

There are plenty of IT job openings and postings from various sites. I am a qualified candidate, but I have not had any luck getting responses from companies.

I have read many times that companies do not respond to out-of-state inquiries, and it appears to be true in my case. I am hoping that things change after I move and have a local address.

It is the states that already have a large talent pool that operate this way. California is the same way, it actually gets even more specific, in that they want you to be already in Silicon Valley and have worked here before.

If you omit the address, they can tell by your area code.

I think it is sort of silly, as they might be passing on a really good candidate just based on the state(area) they currently live in, even though they will move themselves. Recruiters just see it as a hassle I guess, since they can go down the street and find a .NET or J2EE developer, Network or DBA etc...

[Currency Pair Crocodile]

I agree about the hassle, but it also depends on what comes out of your first phone call with the recruiter.

My covering letter generally reads like:

"Hello, I am a perfect fit for that job description. Please place me a call or let me know as to how I can reach you"

Then they call me and I use my snake charming skills. That's how I got to Denver, all the way from NYC so far away. I even managed to have backup jobs in Cali and Arkansas.

Good luck, guys. Word is that the econ is looking up.