Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Job-seekers may find many employers are listing positions online, but the required skills are more specific than ever. And many companies are looking to fill high-tech positions.
It’s a frustrating situation for recent graduates who find themselves under-qualified.
Some skills that were very popular a few years ago are no longer in demand, says Paul Villella, chief executive officer of HireStrategy, a Reston-based firm that matches workers with jobs.
Villella says many companies want very specific skills and don’t want to offer any training.
“They can’t jump into a suit and be immediately productive, and that’s what employers are looking for”, says Villella.
Villella says his company will frequently get calls from employers asking to interview a specific number of people with a specific skill that he is not able to satisfy. He says eventually something has to change in the job market.
“What will occur is, more flexibility from companies to hire people perhaps who don’t have a very narrow or specific skill, but are willing to train.”
The shortage of high tech workers is not new in the job market. In past year, many companies would have to find workers proficient in technology, science or mathematics overseas.
But recent changes to federal law, limiting the number of high skilled foreign workers allowed into the United States to 200,000, has increased the demand for technology employees in the job market.
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