Hiring Report: Ipswitch Looking To Shore Up Development Staff

Company Name: Ipswitch, Inc. Company Focus: World leader in network monitoring, network management, secure file transfer, and corporate messaging software Headquarters: Lexington, Massachusetts Office Locations: Lexington MA, Augusta GA, Atlanta GA, and the European sales and support office is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands Web site: www.ipswitch.com Founded: 1991 Hiring Plans: Staffing needs in the development area, specifically software engineers and quality assurance engineers. Number Of IT Employees: Approximately 30, almost all are located at headquarters in Lexington. The Company: Ipswitch is the world leader in network monitoring, network management, secure file transfer, and corporate messaging. More than 100 million people monitor their networks with Ipswitch WhatsUp', securely transfer files over the Internet using the market-leading Ipswitch WS_FTP' and communicate via IMail Server. WhatsUp Gold, its network monitoring software, was given the CRN Test Center Recommendation and awarded PC News Weekly's Editor's Choice, while our network management software, WS_FTP earned IT Week Magazine's Editor's Choice award. Ipswitch was named in CRN's Top 75 Vendors list for 2006.

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Hiring Leaders: Azmi Jafarey, VP of IT, M.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Massachusetts; more than 26 years of industry experience. Given all the news about the talent crunch, have you or are you finding it more difficult to find qualified IT professionals? Finding equally adept IT professionals with the IT knowledge, project management skills, and business understanding is definitely a challenge. However, we've done a terrific job of seeking out great candidates with these qualifications and making them a part of the Ipswitch family. What are your primary recruiting strategies? Our recruiting strategy consists of many avenues simultaneously. The most successful search techniques are employee referrals, where we offer a bonus to employees for referring candidates that we hire, and the job boards have been equally as successful. What is the hiring process? Typically, we have two rounds of interviews at Ipswitch. The standard interview process involves meeting an HR representative, IT managers, other department members such as sales or product management and myself. We do require developers be given careful testing to ensure only the brightest and most skilled candidates make it through the door. What should candidates know before they interview at Ipswitch? When applying for any job, you should always research the company before speaking with an interviewer. By knowing the company's background, product information, and competition, you will become a more appealing candidate for the job and it shows the prospective employer that you will take your job seriously. What makes for an outstanding potential hire? At Ipswitch, we want workers who have depth; they should be fun to work with, enthusiastic and a team player. However it's also imperative that each member of our team consistently deliver and remain company-focused in order to continue to a successful future. What red flags do you look for when reviewing resumes, doing interviews? Again, not researching the company is a downfall. You may be a very bright and talented person, but without the company knowledge you'll be easily upstaged by someone who took the time to do the research. What kind of non-IT skills do your IT team members need, if any? I believe communication is the key to success, therefore I expect our IT staff to have excellent communication skills. It is also essential that they be involved in all aspects and departments of the business. How important is the cover letter in job queries? Keep it simple and brevity is key. When reviewing candidate cover letters I look for well-written letters that greater detail important awards, skills, or qualifications mentioned in the resume. Is the IT organization looking for certified skills, is that a must have or is there any other qualification that is a must have? We are looking for certified skills. However we also require that a candidate be highly energetic and have an excellent track record in the industry. Does the organization hire 'newbies' and invest in training and how well does that work, and if not, why not? We do, in fact, hire 'newbies.' We also invest in "Year Up," a one-year, training program that provides young urban adults with the opportunity to gain a combination of technical and professional skills, college credits, and an educational stipend through a corporate apprenticeship. This program is a great opportunity for these young adults as well as for Ipswitch. What characteristics or personality traits do you want in a hire, and don't want? Someone who desires to contribute will always be a good fit at Ipswitch. And again, candidates should be a team player, fun loving and enthusiastic. What does your company offer IT specialists as an employer? Candidates are offered the chance to grow, individually as well as part of our team. Ipswitch offers a generous training and development program that allows IT professionals access to the training they need to keep current with technology. We also offer great benefits, and provide a productive and enjoyable work environment, that stresses honesty, integrity and open-mindedness. Ipswitch is an exceptional environment with a bright future and we pride ourselves on being among, what I believe to be, the top 10 percent of companies to work for in the United States. Other recent articles from TechCareers Career Profile: IT Director/NYC Board of Education Retirement System Hiring Report: Pension Fund Hiring On Oracle, Java Specialists

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