How can I make my technical resume more marketable?
Resumes are the first impression you make and must be easy to navigate. As a hiring manager for the past ten years, I make the following recommendations:
Have a couple of different versions that are focused on the type of position you seek, ie: if you are flexible to work in desktop support or network administration, create a resume for each summarizing your experience
Summarize the tools you've used at the top of your resume, ie: NT Server, TCP/IP, OO, etc
DO NOT SUMMARIZE EXPERIENCE OVER TEN YEARS! Try to keep your resume to one or two pages
If you are credentialed, put the icon on your resume, ie: "Microsoft Certified Professional", CNE, etc
Invest $50-$250 in having a resume created for you by a resume service
Why does it take so long to hear from a staffing service once my resume has been submitted to a client?
It may take a while for your service to get feedback from their client. This usually occurs for a few reasons:
The resume is filtered through the HR department and may become "bottlenecked"
The position may be open on a somewhat casual basis, the client may not be seriously looking to fulfill the position
The client may be searching on its own as well as using other services and is inundated with resume
Recommendations: Ask how long the position has been open and how anxious the client is to get someone in the position. You may not want your resume submitted. Ask when you might hear back.
What is the outlook for technology positions in the Sacramento area?
Of the 17000 new jobs projected for Sacramento in 1999, 6000 jobs will be fulfilled in the "service" sector, with the majority of those in Information Technology. (EDD at the Earlybird Economic Forecast, 1998) Information Technology and health services are the two fastest growing sectors nationwide.
How do I know my resume will not be submitted to the same company by two services?
So many Technology professionals are concerned about this phenomenon. The services you go through should screen to make sure you haven't been submitted by giving you as much detail about the company without actually sharing who the company is. They should share the location and a broad description of what the company does and detailed job description. If the service doesn't accommodate this way, they are not providing good service to you. It is actually more of a negative on the service than it is for the technology professional. Clients understand that a technology professional may work with more than one service.

"CA State University Sacramento Study reports the forecast 2007 job groth to increase over 2006, 2.5% or 23,000 jobs. This study also reports a GVTECH HIRING reduction in the unemployment rate from 4.46% to 4.39%"