How Many Lists Can Austin Be On?
Quite a few, apparently. Perhaps no other city in the U.S. can boast of so many top rankings. We’ve gathered just a few of these lists to give you a good sense of exactly what makes Austin such a hotbed for employers and workers. If you’re in IT, a millennial, a parent, an entrepreneur, a business owner or just a dreamer, Austin just might be the place for you to reach your highest potential – and have a damned good time doing it.
According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin can be found in the following lists:
- #1 Best Place to Live – US News & World Report 2018
- #1 American Cities of the Future – Forbes 2016
- #1 City for Business Growth in the Next Decade – Kiplinger 2010
- #1 Most Business-Friendly U.S. City – Kauffman Foundation 2013
- #1 Population Growth among the 50 largest U.S. metro areas – Austin Chamber of Commerce 2018
- #1 Population Growth among the 50 largest U.S. metro areas – Chamber of Commerce 2018
- #2 Best-Performing Metro Economy – American City Business Journals 2017
- #2 Startup Activity Index – Kauffman Foundation 2017
- #2 Best-Performing Cities based on job creation and sustainability – Milken Institute 2016
- 2nd Highest Share of Millennials among the 100 largest U.S. metros – Brookings Institute 2018
- #3 Where Tech Salaries Go The Furthest – Indeed 2017
- #3 Best-Performing Metro Area in terms of job growth among the 50 largest U.S. metro areas – Chamber of Commerce
- #5 Best City Where Companies Thrive – American City Business Journals 2017
- #6 Best Cities to Raise a Family – SmartAsset 2018
- #6 per capita concert market in the U.S. – Seatgeek 2018
- #9 Best-Performing City in an annual assessment of Where America’s Jobs are Created & Sustained 2018
- One of top 10 Cities for Recent College Grads – NerdWallet 2017
- Top 20 metro area for 2011-2016 cleantech patent activity – Brookings Institution 2017
- One of the 22 Cities at the Forefront of Global Tech – Savills 2017
These are but a few of the reasons people are flocking to Austin. Austin is beautiful, to put it simply. There’s a ton to do, particularly if you enjoy the outdoors. There are incredible restaurants, eclectic shopping, global music festivals, top-ranked schools and a vibrant social scene. It’s no wonder Austin’s population has grown 34.1 percent in the past decade, compared to Texas population growth at 18.8 percent and U.S. growth of 8 percent.
Related: The Outlook for Strategic IT Staffing in Austin, TX
The Austin Chamber of Commerce says, “Because of its reputation in key industries like technology, digital media, clean energy, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing, Austin has grown a professional climate that attracts new businesses from every part of the globe.”
In just one year, between 2016-2017, Austin metropolitan area grew by 3.2 percent. This growth translated in an additional 32,100 jobs, 5,700 of those going towards technology companies. That’s 130,000 IT jobs added in a single year. IT staffing in Austin has never had it so good.
IT Staffing in Austin
Relocating to Austin may now be at the top of your own list, but finding your next job isn’t as easy as you may think. With so many tech jobs from which to choose, it can be challenging to know where to begin. You want to do this right and set yourself up for the greatest opportunity for success, but how do you know if your choice will be the best fit for you? What if your dream job is one you didn’t know was available?
An IT staffing firm may be your best friend. In normal job markets, you might be able to navigate the job scene yourself, but Austin offers so many options, it’s a good idea to leverage the expertise of pros who have their finger on the pulse of the Austin job market. If they do their job right, they’ll get to know you, your goals, your preferences, your personality, and your passions first. Then, they’ll match what they learn about you with what they know about the hiring companies.
Related: Why You Should Work with an IT Staffing Agency
It’s this alignment that brings you the most value. The best part? This kind of match-up is completely free for you. They get paid by the hiring company, not you. So, you get the benefits of having experts find you the best job for YOU, while saving your time, cash and frustration of pointless job interviews.
What IT Staffing Agencies Will Want to Know about You
If you decide to work with an IT staffing agency in Austin, be sure you find one that wants more from you than a resume. They do more than toss your resume over the fence to any company hiring a position you look like you could fill. Your relocation took courage and you’re likely placing a lot on the line to pack up and move to Austin. You want your efforts to be rewarded with a job that fulfills everything you wanted in a career.
Related: 4 Things Candidates Should Look for besides Their Job Role
In essence, you need to interview your staffing agency. Do they care about your well-being? Are they truly working to find you a job and help reach your career goals? When you find one who will partner with you, they’ll want to get to know you and what’s truly important to you, such as the following:
Location, Location, Location
First, where are you planning on living? What type of commute are you willing to undertake each day? Will you want to work from home, do you prefer an office setting or perhaps a mixture of both? Keep in mind, Austin also tops another list that they don’t always like to boast: it’s among the top 20 cities with the worst traffic congestion.
Work-Life Balance
Next, what is it you want to accomplish in your work-life balance? What kind of hours are you willing to put in and when? Do you want flexibility? What kind of benefits would you like? When looking for a new job, you give yourself the rare opportunity to really choose what’s best for you. Don’t squander this chance to go for what you really want. Unless your desires are completely unattainable, there’s a good chance your IT staffing agency will be able to find you what you’re looking for, even if it seems a bit unorthodox.
Cultural Fit
One of the most overlooked job considerations is office culture. There may be a company that checks all of your boxes, but if their office culture is in contrast to how you operate, you’ll still be miserable. An IT staffing agency worth its hype will know that a cultural fit is just as important as the job description. This means they’ll need to ask you many questions and get to know your personality as well. You can’t get this from a resume. It takes one-on-one time with you and their client companies to actually know each culture. Sadly, few IT staffing agencies take the time to develop relationships with their client companies, so they really don’t understand the culture. When interviewing IT staffing agencies in Austin, ask them how well they know their client companies.
Career Aspirations
Finally, the agency should want to know your career aspirations. This first Austin job may be a building block for what’s to come. Maybe you need specific experience before you can eventually land that dream job. If so, the agency should help you design a career path that will get you there. They’ll also know the companies who foster internal job advancement.
No matter where you come from or why you decide to move to Austin, your future has never looked brighter. Work with an Austin IT staffing agency to help you discern where you should interview. If you play your cards right, you may find yourself among the 150 people per day who call Austin their new home.
