Taking Your Startup Global

Taking your startup company into a foreign market can add growth, profits and excitement to your business. You just have to be sure that your business is prepared for the extra volume, additional costs and intensity of effort that can involve.

Startup Nation has a list of questions to ask yourself before going global. They are:

• Why are you considering expanding your business abroad?
• Are you ready for the complexities of a foreign market?
• Do you have the business down pat?
• Are you ready for the extra costs?

Six Ways to Invest in Your Career

In some cases, the old adage, “it takes money to make money” couldn’t be more spot on. Though most people, especially in today’s uncertain times, might be hesitant to put their hard earned money into their career, Yahoo! has laid out in simple terms a few ways that investing in your career will help you in the long run. They are:

1. Get a degree
2. Become certified
3. Learn cross-cultural communication skills
4. Build your brand online
5. Find coaches and mentors
6. Raise your professional profile

Boosting Your Career With Technical Know-How

It goes without saying that a broad range of technical knowledge is an invaluable resource for helping your career. To drive the point home, Monster has a very good article on how learning new skills can make you either an invaluable resource at your current job, or help you climb the employment ladder down the road.

Maximizing Your Long-Term Salary Growth

Even if you are happy with your current salary, that doesn't mean you can just sit back and enjoy it (unless we’re talking about an “owning-a-few-yachts salary.” Then by all means, sit back and enjoy it). However, the experts advise that if you want to get keep your earnings rising over the long term, you need a strategy to protect against salary plateaus and unemployment.

Here a few tips to follow:

• Watch industry trends carefully.
• If you reach a salary plateau, understand the reason.
• Make yourself marketable outside your company as well as inside.
• Consider multiple income streams.
• Don’t focus too narrowly on money.

Why Fun at Work Matters

Recent studies have shown that workplace productivity actually increases when employees are given free time to just have fun and play. While this might seem counterproductive, and even ridiculous in today’s gloomy economy, a great article on Monster makes a wonderful case for fun. Check it out, and then get off the computer and go goof off for a while.

The Tenets of Social Entrepreneurship

There are many perks of becoming an entrepreneur. Being your own boss, controlling your destiny, or watching your ideas come to fruition are a few examples. However, if you have ever thought that it would be great to help the world while at the same time helping your bottom line, I have found an article that you might find interesting.

The article goes into a lot of detail of social entrepreneurship, but here are the basic tenets that are presented:

• Figure out what you mean.
• Have confidence that you can do it.
• Follow your values to unoccupied niches.
• Build it on values, and people will come.
• Prosper first, and then start to give back.
• Don’t worry about generating hostility.

Small Things That Can Break an Interview

Interviews can be stressful enough with all the researching, practicing, and preparing that happens beforehand. So the last thing you need is to fall victim to a minor mistake that can ruin your chances of being hired.

Yahoo! has highlighted a few pitfalls that you might overlook:

• Make sure you have your “interview gear” ready the night before. You don’t want to look like you got dressed in the dark because you were rushing around the morning of the interview.
• Make sure you eat before hand, so that you have the mental energy to answer the tough questions. However, don’t forget mouthwash and a piece of gum.
• Know where you’re going. You don’t want to be late to the interview because you forgot to mapquest directions the night before.
• Be paranoid. When waiting for your interview, be aware that anyone in the room might be your interviewer. Watch what you do and what you say.

Five Questions to Answer When Building Your Website

We all know that it’s hard for a business to succeed in today’s world without an effective website. However, many startups might not know where to start when it comes to building a digital presence.

Well, Startup Nation has a few tips that will get you on the road to cyberspace success. They suggest answering a few questions before getting started:

• How are you going to measure success?
• How will your website help your prospective customers achieve their objectives?
• What are the competition’s strengths and weaknesses?
• What is your differentiation?
• How do you ignite your customer’s “wow factor”?

Finding a Job in Troubling Times

If you watch the talking heads on the television, you would think that the apocalypse is on the horizon. If you’re looking for a job, current events might persuade you to give up before you start.

Well, nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Monster has a few tips that will help you land that job even in these uncertain times. They suggest the following:

• Expand your search
• Be a Problem Solver
• Keep Up with Business Trends
• Volunteer and Expand Your Network

Here at MetaTech, we are here to help. Give us a call today and let us assist you in finding your dream job.

Seattle's Startup Community is Booming!

There is no better time than the present to begin an exciting new career at a startup company in the Seattle area. Not convinced? Take a look at these facts:

• Startup companies continue to grow in the Seattle area, well above the national average.
• MetaTech’s low cost program helps startups afford top-notch recruiting services.
• Salaries at startups are generally very good – high-end with stock options
• There are a variety of startup companies in the area ranging from gaming to real estate to education.

MetaTech strives to keep our finger on the pulse of the local startup community. Whether you’re interested in beginning a career at a Seattle startup or you’re a company looking for fantastic employees, make your first call to us.

HotJobs for October

We have seen a number of new job openings around the area including some contract positions.

Washington State

• Senior Level .Net Lead in Woodinville. Must have senior C# coding, SQL, Web technologies, OOP. Mathematics experience a plus.
• Senior TPM in Woodinville. Requirements include extensive technical and hands-on software development expertise. .Net, C#, SQL
• Mid level C# developer with media experience in Seattle - C#, ASP.Net, Media, Silverlight, Web development
• Mid C# ASP.Net developers at Perkins Coie in Seattle - 2 contractor openings and 2 full time
• CCNA Position in Seattle
• Senior Software Development Manager at Pemco
• Senior .Net Lead at Pemco

Call us at 1.877.439.5499 for more details on these and other positions!

How To Be a Successful Employee at a Startup

Through our work with startup companies, we hear all the time the traits that these companies are looking for in their employees. Being the generous type, we thought it would be helpful to you and your job hunt to pass these hints along.

So with no further adieu...

1. You need to be able to wear many hats. At a young company, you might have to work in roles that are not as well-defined as those at more established companies.
2. You have to be a team player, a highly desirable quality when working with a smaller team.
3. You need a broad range of skills that are often of interest to startups.
4. A "can do attitude" is absolutely essential. You can’t wait to have information come to you, rather you have to be willing to go out there and get it
5. You need a "can do attitude's" best friend - the ever coveted "roll up your sleeves and dig in attitude."
6. Skills in an agile software development environment is very commonly desired.
7. A career at a startup is excellent for some of the risk takers out there – equity in the company could be a big payoff
8. And lastly, you have to be comfortable in a work environment that is much more flexible than the traditional workplace.

The Career Performance Portfolio

We all know that it’s a crapshoot to whether or not our resume will even be pulled from the mountain of paper and read by a prospective employer. With more and more qualified candidates for fewer jobs, it sometimes takes more than just a resume to land your dream job.

That’s where the career performance portfolio comes into play. A portfolio simply collects classroom, work, internship or volunteer materials in a nice three-ring binder to bring to interviews. During each interview, you can then show your portfolio to the interviewer and back up what you're saying about your education, skills and experience.

A career performance portfolio doesn’t take the place of a well-written resume, but it can be the deciding enhancement needed to get you what you want.

Use the Holidays to Spread Cheer More Effectively

I know that the holidays are still a ways away, but like every year, they will be here before you know it.

So I thought it would be a good time to pre-prep you on the “naughty and nice” ways to treat your network during the season of giving.

Naughty: You send out pre-engraved, homogenous company holiday cards with nary a signature.
Nice: You write a personal note to each recipient, even if it's just a few words.

Naughty: Giving everyone a generic gift that your clients may not be interested in - or able to enjoy.
Nice: Recognizing that not everyone likes chocolate or drinks wine, and instead giving people something that reflects their tastes. Stumped? Try giving out potted plants, personalized gifts (e.g., mugs, caps), or gift baskets of spices. Or make a donation to a charitable organization in which a client has expressed interest.

Naughty: Throwing a holiday party and not allowing folks to bring a guest.
Nice: Forget the party! Most people are busy enough around the holidays. Why not throw a post-New Year's brainstorming session for friends and clients wherein you all help each other set professional goals and offer up advice and support?

Naughty: Your holiday card is the only time you reach out to your network each year.
Nice: Call everyone personally, apologize for being out of touch, and schedule a time to grab lunch or a drink in January.

Naughty: You call in favors at the eleventh hour, stressing out vendors and well-connected friends who are very busy during the holidays.
Nice: Plan ahead for business and don't pull any strings during the holidays -- unless, of course, your job is on the line.