Our client, a leading commercial software development Canadian success story has an opportunity for a web application developer to take on a strategic business application development position that will have a significant impact on how they support their clients and internal staff.

You will be working directly with our client’s senior staff including project/product managers, business application developers, senior management, etc and take a lead role in defining and delivering web software driven to solve ongoing and ever evolving business needs.

Requirements:

You have a minimum of two years of industry experience developing web applications with some MVC-based OO language such as Python or Ruby or Grails or Java or C++ or C# etc

You must have very solid communication skills and business savvy to wrap your head around and define fairly complex business problems to be solved by software.

You will be reporting to a team lead that our firm placed at this company and he’s a great supportive, smart, and funny guy that you can learn tons from.

The company pays a very competitive base in addition to a highly attractive bonuses/benefits.

If you like a good fit for this role and would like to investigate the nuances of it further please do not hesitate to contact James Zinman at 647-502-4473 x123 OR toll-free at 1-877-852-4267 and/or james@criticalhire(dot)ca

Critical Hire Technology Recruiting Inc. specializes in senior level contributor to management level recruitment within high-tech development/infrastructure, sales, and operations.

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James Zinman
Founder and Managing Director

Critical Hire Recruiting Inc.
4576 Yonge St. Suite 413 (Maverick Solutions Suite)
Toronto, ON M2N 6N4
647-502-4473 x123
Toll-Free: 1-877-852-4267
(during regular office hours *preferred* or after 8:30pm EST) ]]> http://criticalhire.ca/2012/01/calgary-intermediate-web-developer/feed/ 0 http://criticalhire.ca/2011/10/toronto-linux-admin-int-sr/ http://criticalhire.ca/2011/10/toronto-linux-admin-int-sr/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:50:52 +0000 jamesz http://criticalhire.ca/?p=808 Linux Systems Admin (TTC at your doorstep on the Yonge line)

Are you a Linux Admin looking for your next exciting career move? Our client is an innovator in multi-tenant based web communication platforms for some of the leading name firms in the world. This is an opportunity to sink your teeth into a role with more impact and visibility than most linux admin roles offer.
These are innovative solutions that improves the experience of huge communities of users everyday.

We are currently seeking an enthusiastic Linux
Administrator. This is an excellent opportunity for the right person to join a fast-growing company with a track record of success.

This position will report to the Director of Operations and will work closely with multiple team including infrastructure, and applications support.

Responsibilities:
Routine System Admin functions to deploy and maintain customer-facing and infrastructure servers, with a continuous focus on standardization of administration
Design and develop deployment automation tools for software deployments and upgrades.
Configure and manage performance monitoring tools and notification services.
Design, configure and tune high availability Linux systems.
Undertake various housekeeping and reporting functions for the areas of responsibility, including product deployments, upgrades & maintenance.
Compose and edit documentation of process, procedures, and reference information.
Assist in implementing, executing, maintaining, and documenting proper back-up and recovery procedures.
Provide feedback to Product Engineering team on product enhancements for optimized deployment.
Maintain the patch levels of all OS and application patches on all systems.
Support third party applications on products used in support of corporate mission critical systems.

Required Skills:
Excellent communication, organizational, and analytical skills.
Organized approach to individual project planning, documentation, execution, and communication.
Capable of working in a disciplined manner in a relaxed atmosphere.
Ability to work both independently and within a geographically distributed team.
Methodical & disciplined approach to problem solving.

Required Technical Skills:
4+ years system admin experience
BA/BS degree or relevant industry experience required
Thorough knowledge of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)/CentOS administration and tuning

TomKat/Apache experience

SQL experience
Strong scripting/programming skills with experience in Perl, Python, Bash or other scripting languages

If you feel like you are a strong fit for this position please send your resume and/or contact james@criticalhire.ca. please note that we are working directly with the key hiring managers and as such can provide much deeper insight beyond justice job description as well as much faster feedback. Leverage over 15 years of relationships and experience!

PLEASE NOTE WE HAVE MUTIPLE QA POSITIONS WITH THIS CLIENT RANGING FROM INTERMEDIATE TO PRINCIPAL LEVEL. MUS HAVE SOLID SCRIPTING EXPERIENCE WITHIN A COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

Seeking a Quality Assurance Lead to ensure  company technology platform and content are enhancing the learning experience. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in QA for Web applications, specifically Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and will possess an exceptional combination of scripting and automation skills and attention to detail. Great high-impact role to focus mainly n the new generation platform development that will provide for a high-impact very visible role with great growth opportunity.

***Note we are working close with  the Director of Software for this company so you can expect us to have darn good insight into the role and be able to provide quick turnaround***

Required Skills

*        Demonstrable experience managing QA projects in an Agile development organization.

*        Implement, maintain and enhance scripts using automated testing frameworks such as Selenium

*        Load and stress testing, specifically cloud-based solutions.

*        QA framework and process development. The QA Lead will be responsible for championing and improving existing QA processes.

*        Issue tracking and prioritization.

*        Familiarity with Web application development languages and processes, specifically:

o   ASP.NET

o   C#

o   MVC Frameworks

*        Resource management – The QA Lead will have the ability to draw on a network of internal resources for surge support.

Preferred Skills

*        Experience with Build and Release Management tools such as Automated Build Studio.

*        Experience with shell scripting for batch automation.

If this opportunity sounds like a good fit for you, please send your resume to james@criticalhire.ca. Or, if you feel as though you would be an outstanding candidate for this role and would like to learn more about the nuances of the job call James at 647.502.4473 ext.123

Company Overview

Our client is an industry leader in providing multichannel communication solutions based on consumer insight and brand feedback. They offer a full array of services from customer acquisition tactics to interactive web design.

The Opportunity

This is a great opportunity for a talented, drive, and creative User Interface (UI) developer looking to join an innovative and fast paced team. You will have the opportunity to work with a dedicated team to develop a next-generation platform from the ground up using the latest technologies and frameworks.  As the senior developer, you will be taking a lead position on web development projects, which will include developing new features as well as enhancements to existing products in a 24x&7 uptime environment. As well, you will be working closely with the development manager to coordinate development initiatives with other technical and non-technical teams. This is a hands-on developer role and you will be actively participating in all phases of the development process, including: analyzing and translating business and product requirements into technical specifications, designing and implementing software support modules, and providing supporting documentation.

Key Responsibilities:

-          Design and implement mission-critical web/UI applications that are highly scalable, usable, extensible, and maintainable 

-          Produce web pages with clean, standards-compliant HTML, CSS and JavaScript 

-          Collaborate with the UI/Graphics Designer, UX Designer, and Product Management on feature prioritization, design, and implementation

-          Write unit tests and work collaboratively with QA on their UI test plans

-          Mentor junior-level software engineers

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate must have demonstrated experience with software development practices and techniques. Any experience in an agile development environment is a plus. You will be working in a collaborative environment with local and remote teams. Therefore, the ability to work well within a team is essential. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal are required, as is the ability to solve complex problems and bring new, innovative ideas to the table.

We are looking with an individual with the following key skills:

-          Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent. Masters degree is preferred.

-          3+ years scripting experience with JavaSAcript, JSON-based asynchronous APIs

-          3+ years experience with one or more JavaScript library (YUI, Dojo, Ext JS, jQuery, etc.)

-          3+ years of web programming experience using C#/ASP.NET

If this opportunity sounds like a good fit for you, please send your resume to Tamar at: tamart@criticalhire.ca.

 Company Overview

Our client is an up and coming company in cloud-based software for a rapidly expanding community of users.

The Opportunity

Do you have a proven track record of building software that people love?

Are you interested in developing scalable, high-performance multi-tenant web applications in a fast-paced environment?

Do you want to place yourself in a rapidly growing company in a booming field in which the visibility and impact you can make is significant?

If so, we want to hear from you!

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a leading company in the social software space. They are moving quickly and are looking for a Java developer with experience designing multi-tenant, high-performance, scalable systems to join their team. As part of the development team, you will be designing cutting-edge web applications as well as building the underlying infrastructure. The ideal candidate will enjoy working with other team members in a fast-paced environment to apply creative solutions to complex web application problems. You must be highly adaptable, between dealing regularly with users and industry partners, to coming up with new and creating ways to improve upon existing projects. Since you will be working in a fast-paced development environment, it is essential that you possess an entrepreneurial drive as well as an ability to be self-disciplined and get the job done.

We are looking with an individual with the following key skills:

-          Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent

-          Extensive experience developing high-performance web applications using Java/J2EE

-          Solid knowledge of Object-Oriented design patterns

-          Hands on experience with Struts, (those in Java vs under you car!)

-          Experience building online applications from front-end to back-end web development

-          Strong communication skills (both written and verbal)

-          Demonstrated attention to detail

Experience in the following areas will be considered a strong asset:

-          Google Web Toolkit

-          Large web application system architecture

-          Social web application design

-          Web APIs

-          Lean and Agile development techniques

-          Deploying and maintaining web servers

What Is In It For You?

Our client offers a creative, comfortable work environment where the focus is on fast-paced delivery of user products. They offer an opportunity to work in an environment where importance is placed on the outcomes, not the “formal process”. If you are looking for a flexible environment in terms of tools and technology where exciting products are being developed daily, this is the place for you!

This is truly a role where you can make a significant impact!

If this opportunity sounds like a good fit for you, please send your resume to tamart@criticalhire.ca.

About the Company

Critical Hire Recruiting is specialty boutique recruiting firm specializing in the advanced technology space. Our mission is to provide an easy and professional service that creates an opportunity for the best talent and leading Canadian high-tech firms to meet. We work with a bevy of well-respected companies in industries ranging from multimedia, enterprise software, security, to name a few.  At Critical Hire, we establish direct working relationships with key hiring managers to fill their hiring needs. This way, we can pinpoint the exact needs of our clients and find the best candidates to fill those needs.

The Opportunity

Are you ready to re-invent your career in recruitment? If you are looking for an opportunity to learn from the best and work in a booming industry, you should consider a career with Critical Hire.

This is an opportunity to learn from the best and grow into a full-cycle recruiter. You will be able to work closely within a small, close-knit team of recruiters and have the benefit of working alongside the founder and director of Critical Hire. Our Director is a passionate recruiting professional who truly thrives on the inherent challenge of matching the best and most qualified candidates with the most exciting opportunities in the advanced technology marketplace. Over the past 14 years, he has established himself as a heavyweight in the high-tech recruiting and is now looking to groom an up-and-coming recruiter.

Not only will you have the benefit of working with an industry leader, but you will also have the benefit of a support staff to do administration, industry research, and lead generation, so that your efforts can be focused solely on recruiting and generating leads with top talent.

As a member of our recruiting staff, you will be responsible for prospecting new talent for our clients through headhunting, networking, and internet sourcing.

We are offering a GUARANTEED competitive base salary plus commissions on personal billings as well as a gym membership.

What We Are Looking For

If you are a university or College graduate with a minimum of 2 years experience in recruitment or sales, we want to hear from you!

We are looking for an individual who is:

-          Highly motivated

-          Determined and focused on success

-          Self disciplined and organized

-          Comfortable making cold calls to new prospects

-          Professional and an excellent communicator (written and verbal)

-          Computer and internet savvy

To join our winning team, please email your resume to tamar@criticalhire.ca.  Or if you feel as though you would be an outstanding candidate for this role and would like to learn more about the nuances of the job call Tamar at 647-502-4473.

Company Overview

Our client delivers high performance award-winning hardware and software solutions to for high quality media applications. Their highly acclaimed solution provides complete content life cycle management.

The Opportunity

Do you have a strong background in software development with emphasis on distributed architectures?

Are you are a proven self-starter?

Are you a creative problem solver with an accent on delivering high quality code?

If so, we want to hear from you!

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a leading company in the digital video industry.

Be instrumental in creating a new generation of cloud-based (SaaS) media processing applications!

You will be working in a collaborative environment. Therefore, proven ability to work well within a team is essential. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal are required. You will need the ability to critically analyze issues in order to debug solutions, prototype them, and document/communicate designs.

We are looking with an individual with the following key skills:

• Extensive Java development experience
• UI development using Swing would be an asset but is not a core focus of the role
• Hands on experience with application connectivity, data transformation, message oriented middleware, transactionality and concurrency
• Exposure to distributed architectures and technologies (EIA, SOA, cloud, etc.)
• C/C++ programming knowledge
• Unit/integration/functional testing libraries/frameworks
• Ability to analyze, debug, and prototype solutions and accurately document and communicate designs
• Bachelor degree in Computer Science or equivalent professional experience
• Java 5, Swing, Spring, Web Services, Hibernate, SQL, GWT, Maven

Experience in the digital video industry, video processing, or exposure to Agile engineering practices will be considered an asset.

What Is In It For You?

Our client offers a casual, comfortable work environment where exciting products are being developed daily. They are global leaders in their field and are looking to push the boundaries of cloud-based solutions for high quality, scalable, multimedia software solutions. They are offering a very competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.

This is truly a role where you can make a significant impact!

If this opportunity sounds like a good fit for you, please send your resume to tamart@criticalhire.ca. Of if you feel as though you would be an outstanding candidate for this role and would like to learn more about the nuances of the job call Tamar at 647.502.4473 ext.125

 As a refresher, Topgrading is defined simply as  filling every position in your organization with an A-player. What is an A-player you ask? An A player is the best of class performers in their particular compensation league. They are the superstars in their field, and constantly strive for excellence and career advancement. Now that we know who they are, how do you integrate these players into your organization?

First things first, when considering Topgrading, it’s important to consider the cost/benefit.  While Topgrading does require a considerable amount of time and energy, the cost of not finding and hiring top talent far outweighs the cost of miss-hires.  Many people believe that hiring A-players is too expensive, so they opt out and hire B’s and C’s. When in reality, there are A-players at every level. So you have to ask yourself, is it worth it to pay the same salary for a B player just because they are easier to find then A-players, when an A-player is much more valuable and costs the same amount? You have to consider the value a high talent person could reasonably bring to your company compared to how large the cost could be in weak performance and eventually having to replace the mistaken hire. The average cost of a miss-hire can be as much as 15 times the base salary. If your organization has $1.5 million to be gambling on any candidate that applies to the job, then by all means take your chances. But we are going to assume that most organizations do not have pockets that deep. This is why Topgrading pays off.

While Topgrading your entire organization may seem fairly daunting at first, if you start at the top and work your way down through the organization you will start to recognize where A players already exist in your company, and where there is need for more. First start with your executive team, make sure your CEO and executive staff are all A players.  This will set the bar and will showcase your expectations of the rest of your organization. Then begin top grading your divisions and departments, until you finally hit your lowest level employees. Even your cleaning staff should be A players. The way to start identifying your A players, is to conduct talent reviews. This process will help you support your A’s, coach your potential A’s, and move around or move out your non-A’s.

When attempting to hire A players the best way to start is to create scorecards that guarantee accountability and fit for the position. This is not a job description; this quantifies the KEY accountabilities that define A-level performance and clarifies the competencies that define a “good fit” between the candidate and that position. Use your internal A-players to set the bar for your expectations of new employee’s. Standard job descriptions might read like the following

• Must be effective at capturing new accounts
• Must have three years of relevant experience
• Must have excellent communication skills
• Must have a college degree

These job descriptions are boring. Nothing about this job description sets a standard for what the employer is expecting from the candidate. In order to retain A players you have to whet their appetite. A-players love being held accountable, they thrive on it. By putting metrics into your job description, you are turning it into a performance profile. Not only will this attract A-players, it will scare off non A’s. Now take the vague job description from before and add specifics on what your organization is looking for in a candidate. Here is an example.

• Must capture minimum of 3 new accounts per month
• Must have three years of experience working directly with the communications department
• Must have strong writing skills, and ability to engaged clients over the phone.
• Must have a college degree in Communications or Marketing

(For more information on how to create a compelling performance profile, google Lou Adler.)

Once you are confident in your performance profile and begin qualifying candidates, there are three types of Topgrading interviews that are suggested; screening (usually conducted over the phone as a pre-screen), interviews (allows you to find out more about the candidates background and let them sell themselves to you), and reference checks (you choose the past employers you want to speak to based on information given in the interview). During the interview and screening process, it is important to dig into the candidates work history and ask rich and insightful questions so you can get a better understanding of their professional past.

Some examples of questions that facilitate this are:

• What are your career goals?
• What were you were hired to do in your past positions, key milestones, original challenges that you had to solve?
• What were your key accomplishments in those roles?
• What were some of your failures/mistakes and what did you learn from them?
• What talents did you inherit from those roles?

Top employers today are not just asking for the traditional information when screening candidates anymore. They want to know you are actively involved in your professional community. They want to know what you are bringing to the table, and how you are expanding your toolbox. We’ll use the age old sales saying, ABC, but instead of Always Be Closing, you should Always Be Curious. Look on the web, stay on top of your professional community newsletters and magazines, and subscribe to thought provoking blogs relevant to your industry. Employers want to see that you are always increasing your knowledge of your profession. Here are some examples of questions that top high tech companies in Toronto are using to qualify their candidates. Would you be able to answer these honestly and effectively?

• Please list the last five books, articles, or blog posts you’ve read (provide URL’s if possible
• Please list the 5 blogs you subscribe to
• Do you, in any way, contribute to your professions community? Give examples.
• What software and/or video industry news, trends, happenings are you interested in?
• Please describe some examples of your experience with the current Java technologies/strategies/practices and provide specific details about how you used them to solve business problems.

Finally, one of the most important and crucial factors of Topgrading, is keeping your A-players. A-players are the most sought after and actively recruited employee’s. They will have the most opportunities to leave your organization. In order to keep them from being lured away, you have to keep them challenged, happy and engaged in their position. A’s by definition are always looking to improve themselves and expand their skill set. Facilitate this by offering professional development opportunities. If there is a seminar they might find valuable or a training weekend that could increase their knowledge of a certain program they work with, pay for it. Encourage it. Help them maximize their strength so that they can not only continue to add value to your company, but also so they can see they are a part of an organization that supports and encourages their development and professional growth.

The author starts by challenging us to adopt a new networking schema.  The onus is now on relaxing and telling your story with confidence during your networking meetings versus just landing a job.

The author continues by cautioning us against a self serving attitude.  We are reminded of the simple, yet frequently overlooked fact that learning about others, their skills, their knowledge and life experiences and taking the time to truly listen is not only respectful but will most likely leave them with a favourable impression.

We are then prompted to be professional, positive, proactive, deliberate and appreciative during our interactions.  By focusing on our accomplishments versus what the author refers to as “job-search downers” one enables their best self.  Similarly, showing that you are still a player in the game by asking questions regarding the company and industry trends projects a positive and proactive attitude.  At the same time we are reminded to avoid small talk during discussions.  Instead spend a couple minutes talking about your background, fifteen to twenty minutes providing key details about jobs and employers on your target list and finally spend the remainder of time talking about current trends.

As a rule, be timely and do not forget to thank your networking partner for their time and advice by sending them a note, email or by simple saying thank you immediately after your meeting.  Remember to cultivate your new found relationship by staying in touch and sharing with them how you have utilized their advice.

Last but not least, pay it back; or as I like to say, pay it forward.  Use your resources to help others network and job hunt.  By viewing networking as a professional and business tool, one can truly begin to utilize this practice and begin developing not only business opportunities but deeper friendships.