The Pandemic Is Altering Data Privacy Expectations

CIO.com magazine says hiring of executive level tech leaders is “back in high gear.”

The pandemic brought a halt to most CIO and CTO hiring as companies scrambled to meet the needs of employees who began working remotely – many for the first time – in mid-March when all but essential businesses were shuttered.

At the same time, those holding those top IT jobs were hesitant to make a move. With 60% of IT leaders in a recent survey saying they couldn’t forecast conditions beyond three months, one top tech recruiting leader told CIO, “If you have a hard time telling the future, how willing are you going to be to go to a new organization?”

Now, companies have again begun to recruit professionals for their top IT jobs. Recently, CIO noted HP, Okta and Quick Base all hired new CIOs. Retailers Bed, Bath & Beyond and H&M Group announced new CTOs. In September, California utility PG&E brought on a new CTO.

Recruiters tell CIO that much of the initial screening and interviewing is being done remotely.

“Virtual meetings create great flexibility for candidates and hiring managers alike, reducing time spent traveling from across the country or even overseas. It also eliminates the stress that comes with sitting in meetings with one stakeholder after another during a single day,” says CIO.

Final meetings with candidates are still done in person, though the setting has changed. “Hiring managers and candidates might have a final meeting over a coffee outdoors or walk in the park, which can help cement culture fit.”

Online recruiting and interviewing has helped accelerate at least some parts of a hiring process that pre-COVID could take months. Still, each company has its own hiring process, so it’s difficult to tell how much speedier hiring has become.

Though circumstances can change, right now the recruiters interviewed by CIO say senior level hiring is likely to remain strong.

One top recruiting leader says, “We don’t see hiring slowing down at this time. There are a lot of skillsets that are highly sought after.”

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

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Bucking a tech trend to going remote, Amazon announced last week it was expanding its already sizable presence in Boston.

The company said it would be adding 3,000 more in the next few years in a new office tower to be built adjacent to its existing site.

In a statement, Amazon said the new jobs include technology roles in software development, artificial intelligence and machine learning, along with non-tech corporate roles in product management, HR, finance, and more.

“Much of the technology that makes Alexa smarter every day is invented in Boston. Our teams here play a key role in driving Amazon’s innovations – from Alexa to AWS to Amazon Pharmacy,” said Rohit Prasad, vice president & head scientist for Alexa at Amazon.

Amazon already has some 3,700 employees at its Boston Tech Hub, most of whom are working remotely because of the pandemic. The new building, now under construction, will be completed later this year and will accommodate 2,000 Amazon employees. It will be Amazon’s second full-building lease in Boston’s Seaport.

The giant ecommerce company has been on a hiring spree, adding 400,000 new workers in the last year. Most of the jobs have been in logistics, with Amazon bringing on tens of thousands of warehouse workers, delivery drivers and others. In September, Amazon held a one-day virtual career fair to fill 33,000 positions around the country.

After the company’s headquarters in Seattle, where it has 80,000 workers, and a “second headquarters” being developed in Crystal City, VA, Boston will become one of the largest of the company’s tech hubs. Others are in Dallas, Detroit, Denver, New York, Phoenix, and San Diego.

New York City, which the company initially selected as the home of its East Coast headquarters until it ran into opposition from activists and city leaders, has more than 8,000 Amazon workers. Over the summer, the company said it would add 2,000 more jobs there.

Photo by Christian Wiediger

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