.NET Software Developer Rahway, NJ

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.NET Software Developer Contract-to-Hire

For a logistics client located in Rahway, NJ area  is seeking a strong software programmer to join the information technology team to develop and maintain data processing applications and integrate with a 3rd party TMS package. Our primary application platforms utilize MS SQL Server 2008 R2, C#, ASP.net MVC, MSMQ, web services, and VBA for legacy applications.

Requirements:

– Minimum 5+ years of experience in the analysis, design, implementation and support of large complex applications (Winforms, WPF, or ASP.net MVC applications in C#).

– Strong knowledge of programming in T-SQL and LINQ.

– Ability to work independently and in conjunction with a team of developers.

– Ability to handle multiple projects and tasks, prioritize and organize effectively while paying attention to detail and accuracy.

– Preference will be shown toward candidates with experience developing applications using MSMQ and web services.

– Excellent analytical and communication skills (verbal and written).

– Relevant masters level degree preferred; B.S. in Computer Science

– Prior experience with transportation and logistics applications a plus

We welcome applicants seeking either a consultant role or full time employment.

forward resumes to: jobs@jobsbl.com along with salary expectations.

 

 

 

 

 

Quality Assurance Analyst Piscataway, NJ

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Quality Assurance Analyst

 Job Summary: 

The overall purpose of this position is to ensure that quality software products are delivered. The incumbent in this position is primarily responsible for certification. on supported applications. He/She is expected to ensure all inadequacies in software, processes, or standards are brought to management attention for remediation. The role typically reports to a Manager, Quality Assurance.

Essential Functions:
Specific duties include but are not limited to:

  • Provide guidance and direction to project team, ensuring that proper QA procedures and practices are implemented.
  • Participate in requirements review; release planning, elaboration and sprint planning to understand requirements/user stories.
  • Ensure projects presented for Quality Assurance (QA) review contains properly documented test plans and follows defined methodology.
  • Assist project manager/ScrumMaster in development of project plans/sprint plans including time/cost estimates and deliverable dates.
  • Create test scenarios/test plans for any software and hardware upgrade. Distribute test plan to programmers, project manager/ScrumMaster and business team for their feedback. Update test plan to accommodate team’s suggestions. Ensure that test plans have covered all scenarios and user requirements are met.
  • Prepare QA tasks/test cases and execute them for Quality Assurance certification of projects.
  • Provide testing reports in status meetings.
  • Participate in technical design & code review to ensure that implementation is per requirements.
  • Implement, maintain, and run automated scripts using Ruby for regression testing and LoadRunner for performance testing.
  • Handle defect management using Jira/GreenHopper product.
  • Analyze defects, advice and recommend changes as necessary.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

  • Bachelors or advanced degree in Computer Science, Business Administration, Mathematics or Engineering is required.
  • Minimum 5 years work experience in a software quality assurance field or in a software development related field. Minimum 2-3 years of experience in automation testing tools (QTP, Ruby) is required.

Skills & Other Requirements:

  • He/she must be a technologically savvy knowledge worker who seeks out technology solutions to business challenges.
  • Knowledge of testing techniques and development processes for Web applications.
  • Knowledge of automated testing tools is must.
  • Knowledge of project lifecycle for traditional waterfall and Scrum methodology is essential.
  • Strong knowledge of Ruby Language as well as RubyGems such as bundler, cucumber, headless, nokogiri is needed.
  • Must have experience with Behavior Driven Development (BDD or TDD).
  • Experience translating user stories to cucumber scenarios/features is required. Experience with integration test automation tools with Continuous integration tools such as Jenkins, Bamboo, cruisecontrol, travis CI and webdrivers (selenium/watir-webdriver) is a plus. Jmeter experience will be helpful. Must possess proficiency in English in order to convey technical problems to non-technical personnel.
  • Must be proficient in English reading, writing and presentation skills not only for communication purposes but also to read technical documents and to create test strategies and plans.
  • Must have the ability to deal effectively with people in contentious situations. Daily interaction with development staff and other QA team members is required.

Forward Resumes to: larson@jobsbl.com

 

Lead, Technical Process Operations, Montvale New Jersey

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Lead, Technical Process Operations

Essential Job Function: This position carries the responsibility for the direct client interface during the development; scale-up, transfer, and /or commercialization of products. This includes batch record creation, review, generation of DOE and sampling protocols, validation documents, authorship of final reports and technical project guidance to the client.

Expertise in fluid bed processing is highly sought as well as high shear granulation, drying, milling/sizing, compression, encapsulation, coating and packaging operations are fundamental requirements for the position.

This position is also accountable for the training and mentorship for junior personnel within the R&D, Technical Process Operations and Manufacturing Operations.  This position may require overnight travel accounting for 20% of your time.

This position is classified as a “safety sensitive” position especially in light of our formulation and development work with controlled substances and is therefore subject to random drug testing.

 General Information: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Industry Standard Certification and +10 years related pharmaceutical experience. Position requires a demonstrated skill for scientific report writing, excellent verbal communication skills, and a customer oriented behaviors.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Direct client interface during the development, scale-up, transfer, and /or commercialization of products. This position has the oblicliention to meet or exceed the Client’s expectations set forth in the Statement of Work. This includes both the delivery of “hard” documents (DOE protocols, interim/final Product reports, validation documents, etc.) and driving major activities to meet project milestones and goals as stipulated in the Statement of Work.

  • Identification of critical scale-up and process validation parameters for each project, in close association with Technical Process Operations and Commercial manufacturing.
  •  Liaise with Business Development, Planning, QA, Contract Manufacturing, and Development on behalf of external client projects.
  •  Liaise with Business Development, Planning, QA, Contract Manufacturing, and Development on behalf of external client projects.
  • Provide guidance and mentoring to junior scientists and Technicians. Specific activities would include, 1) review of data summaries, 2) mechanical set-up, maintenance, and running of equipment, 3) cGMP and OSHA operating standards, 4) review of lab notebooks and process reports for completeness and accuracy.
  • Technical and process training to CM personnel as part of product transfers or new product introductions.
  • Ability to carry out complex work assignments in a high quality work environment.
  • Liaise with Project Manager for guidance and coordination of Development and Tech. Process supported activities.

 

  • Serve as a process technology expert for new unit operations installed in CLIENT’s laboratory as assigned. Activities include gaining an intimate scientific, mechanical, systems knowledge of these new processing systems.
  • Support Product Development/Formulations, Technical Services, and Business Development with client and CLIENT affiliated process transfers.
  • Assimilate R&D and Process Development product data to devise commercial scale processes which are validatable and cost effective.

Resumes to Larson@jobsbl.com

 

 

Sending Right Signals in Interviews

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Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

When hiring managers are asked about boneheaded mistakes they have seen job-seekers make during an interview, the most common, they say, are the subtle mistakes or omissions that can cause one candidate to lose out to another, according to an article in The New York Times. But if one person is sending out the right signals and behaving in the right way through each step of the process, the article noted, he or she has a much better chance to land the job.

Keep in mind, though, that there is no single set of rules in the hiring process. While certain standards of courtesy always apply (be punctual, treat everyone you meet with respect), your success may indeed depend on the company’s culture and the preferences of the people doing the hiring. Your ability to sense, and to act on, these factors could make a big difference, the article pointed out.

When Susan L. Hodas, director of talent management at NERA Economic Consulting, is hiring, for example, she looks for the right cultural fit as much as the right experience. To some degree she goes with her instincts, but she can also identify certain preferences. Here is one: “They should come in a suit,” she said.

Body language is also important, Hodas told the newspaper. She looks for an assured but not overly casual demeanor, along with good eye contact. She also looks for people who can enunciate their words (mumblers beware) and who can communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly. Overall, she said, she looks for people who are “confident, but not cocky.”

She added that she and her colleagues also typically apply “the airport test” to candidates. They ask themselves: “Would I want to be stuck in the airport for 12 hours with this person if my flight was delayed?”

It seems that just being yourself—albeit a formal, polite, alert and attentive version of yourself—is the best way to behave during interviews. You don’t want to do such a great job of faking it that when the company discovers the real you, it comes to regret ever hiring you. That said, there are certain things you can do—both during the interview and afterward—to give yourself an advantage, according to the article.

First and foremost, you should always research the company thoroughly (easy to do on the Internet), and be prepared to give specific examples of how your experience relates to the job. Also be able to describe as concretely as possible how you made a difference in your previous jobs.

Researching the company will also help when the interviewer asks whether you have any questions, said David Santos, executive director of human resources for Interbrand, a brand management firm. Not having any shows lack of interest and preparation, he added.

You should also make sure your questions show knowledge of the company and your interest in contributing to its success, the article pointed out. You’d be surprised how many people focus on themselves, not the company, by asking right off about things like salary, benefits and bonuses, said Annie Shanklin Jones, who manages United States recruitment for I.B.M.

Try to establish common ground with your interviewer so you stand out, Shanklin Jones added. Maybe you went to the same college or you pull for the same sports team. During the interview, “leverage your referrals,” she said, finding ways to highlight the people you know within the company.

Depending on the job you apply for, you may be called back for an interview several times. How you follow up after each interview is crucial. Not following up at all shows a lack of interest. Following up too much, or in the wrong way, could take you out of the running.

Santos told the newspaper that she looks for prompt follow-up by e-mail that shows the applicant was listening attentively, that mentions names of people the candidate met, and that reaffirms the candidate’s work experience and understanding of the company. Much less impressive is a generic e-mail that could be sent to any company, he said.

Should you use paper or e-mail in correspondence? Santos’ preference shows how tricky this can be. He said that for a company like his, which is more digitally focused, it would show a lack of awareness to send a traditional thank you note through the mail. On the other hand, he does expect candidates to show up for interviews with printed copies of their résumés.

Indeed, given that all companies and hiring managers are different, getting through the interview process can seem like walking a tightrope, the article pointed out. But common courtesy, combined with common sense, plenty of research and a dose of intuition can go along way toward bringing you safely to the other side.

News from BLK

Happy New Year….special thanks to all the job-seekers and hiring clients that added to our 2014 success…we can’t thank you enough.

As we gear-up for 2015 we are confident in continuous improvements for the job market.  Talent shortages in key skill sets will increase as demand will out weigh supply.  We are also predicting 2015  a rising tide of salary increases across all industries.

One of our key initiatives for 2015 is increasing Berman Larson Kane’s  community service programs for job-seekers through a series of free webinars and community out-reach programs.

Thanks to all for allowing us to continue our 35 year of offering the “Best Staffing Options” we so appreciate your support.

 

 

 

Disclosing Pay in the Job Search

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President, Berman Larson Kane
President, Berman Larson Kane

When should you divulge your salary to a prospective employer? According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, many businesses want to know an applicants’ latest pay during the early stages of the hiring process. But that often can present a dilemma with no simple solution. If you dodge premature pay inquiries, you might be taken out of the running for being too secretive; if you divulge every cent you earn, you might risk being viewed as overqualified or inexperienced.

“There’s no way of knowing for sure if disclosing or withholding is the best strategy,” said Jack Chapman, author of Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute, and a Wilmette, Ill, career coach. “You’re dealing with potential rejection either away.”

When weighing what to do, job seekers need to use their best judgment. In doing so, experts say, it helps to take into account the desired job’s level, the duration of the vacancy, the extent of rival contenders, the scarcity of your skills and your insight about the openings’ salary.

And candid money talk with outside recruiters is almost always a good idea, the article pointed out. “Blowing off the compensation question creates bad chemistry with the recruiter,” cautioned Patricia Cook, head of an executive-search firm in Bronxville, N.Y. Thirteen times during her recruiting career, Ms. Cook has encountered qualified prospects that refused to tell her their pay. When she presented the 12 women and one man to corporate clients, none became a finalist.

Before baring your bucks to a recruiter, though, try to persuade him to gauge your worth. You might ask, “What’s the most money that my skills would command in the marketplace? If the number falls short of your latest paycheck, you can provide solid reasons why you’re not being paid more. If you appear relatively underpaid, describe hefty raises and bonuses that you pocketed during boom times. Emphasize that bad business conditions rather than individual performance were to blame.

You can also turn the tables on a nosey hiring manager, according to the article. Inquire about the budgeted salary range for the targeted spot when the salary question comes up. Say whether that range matches your qualifications and personal needs; perhaps indicate your current salary range at this point or the range you are seeking. You could also consider expressing eagerness to negotiate your next package once it’s clear you’re the preferred pick. A good “postponing phrase speaks confidence in being hired,” Chapman’s book suggests.

But this ploy doesn’t always work. A corporate trainer wanted to avoid revealing his pay when he sought employment with a New York area information-services company. “I did try to get around it by saying, ‘I’m hoping for a fair offer,’” the Long Island resident told the newspaper. He also asked about the projected pay range.

Ignoring his query, the head of training insisted on learning his current salary. He said he was paid about $114,000 a year. Offered $118,000, he requested a slightly larger sum. The concern abruptly dropped its offer. “We’re not happy you asked for more money,” one official told him. The trainer now wonders whether he divulged his compensation too soon.

Taking all things into consideration, it can still be very tempting to exaggerate your pay package. Despite the potential pitfalls they can face, numerous job seekers inflate how much they make, typically by including their bonus target and the value of perquisites, the article noted.

On the other hand, during a difficult job market, Bill Davidson actually did the opposite to land job interviews. The former information-technology director applied to be a project manager at Postini in San Carlos, Calif., which was offering $88,000 for the position. He informed the e-mail filtering concern that his last cash compensation totaled about $100,000 when the real number was $140,000.

Davidson accepted the $88,000 post; a month after he joined Postini he said he admitted his deception—without repercussions.

As a rule, though, you should never fib your way into a new workplace, the article pointed out. “People will pull offers for a clear lie about pay,” warned Lee E. Miller, co-host of “Your CareerDoctors.com,” an Internet radio show. And finding a lie about pay is quite easy. Job seekers should always keep in mind that some companies require final pay stubs or income-tax forms to verify salary.

At Work It Pays to be Likeable

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President, Berman Larson Kane
President, Berman Larson Kane

@ Work, it Pays to be Likeable

The time-worn adage that nice guys finish last isn’t exactly true, according to an article in USA Today. In fact, growing research shows that likable employees may have more success on the job and that likability can even trump competence.

A study in the Harvard Business Review found that personal feelings toward an employee play a more important role in forming work relationships than is commonly acknowledged, the article pointed out. The study also indicated that this is even more important than how competent an employee is seen to be.

“We want to work with people that make us feel good to be around them,” said Tom Sanders, author of The Likeability Factor, which explores how having an appealing personality can positively influence life and careers. “Likability is the tiebreaker in almost anything.”

Likability is hard to define, but Sanders said people gravitate toward others who deliver psychological benefits. In other words, likability is the ability to produce a positive emotional experience in someone else, such as making co-workers feel good about themselves.

The Harvard Business Review study also found that employees don’t want to work with someone who is disliked, and it almost doesn’t matter how skilled they are. Indeed, co-workers who work with a likeable colleague are more comfortable with them, so work tends to be more collaborative.

“Organizations have traditionally focused on competencies and thinking ability of their staff,” Susan David, a psychologist and researcher at Yale University, told USA Today. “There is growing recognition, however, that job effectiveness can be undone if an employee is not likable. Being proficient at job tasks is of little comfort to the organization if an employee alienates clients or other staff.”

Research has also found that customers’ perceptions of the employees they deal with can influence their overall feelings toward a company. Nearly 60 percent of customers say that, when faced with rudeness, they take their business elsewhere, even if it means going out of their way or paying a higher price, according to a study by Eticon, a Columbia, S.C.-based provider of etiquette consulting for business.

Further, likable employees–especially those with skills in relationship building–are also more likely to get bigger pay raises and promotions, the article pointed out.

Some employees say likable employees are so important that they won’t hire anyone they think may have an attitude. Richard Laemer, chief executive of New York-based RLM Public Relations, said “no matter how experienced someone is, if they’re mean to people, they’re pretty much useless. I can’t work with someone who isn’t nice.”

But there can also be a downside, the article noted. Likable employees who lack skills or are seen as pushovers can lose out on management opportunities or can be seen as a liability, said Alexandra Levit, author of They Don’t Teach Corporate in College: A Twenty-Something’s Guide to the Business World.

For example, managers who are too likable can get too social with their subordinates, blurring the line between boss and friend. And younger Generation X or Generation Y employees can also try so hard to be liked that they come across as overly enthusiastic.

“There’s a tendency of young people, and even midcareer people, to say ‘yes’ all the time. In an effort to please, they do get pushed around. They get assigned too many tasks,” Levitt said. “Likability can be dangerous. Young people can be too enthusiastic, and it can irritate management. You can be too ‘rah rah.”

Overall, though, most employers agree that likability is a very important attribute and that it can clearly help employees when performance is lacking. “You can provide training to compensate for missing skills, but it’s almost impossible to compensate for personality,” added Tory Johnson, CEO of New York-based Women for Hire, which provides career fairs for women. “ It’s never worth hiring someone you dislike, or someone who’s likely to be disliked among staffers.”

     

 

Easing Back to Work After a Vacation

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Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

Easing Back to Work After a Vacation

With summer vacation season in full swing, millions of American workers are taking a break — seeking replenishment from the daily office grind. But while numerous studies show that taking time off can do everything from boosting productivity to reducing heart-attack risks, vacations very often can have side effects that turn workers into inefficient space cadets upon their arrival back to the office.

In fact, according to surveys by a staffing company that does workplace research, it takes the average employee a day and half to resume productivity at work after a break, a Career Journal.com article pointed out. So with e-mails piled up and co-workers anxious to catch up on conversation, how can workers hit the ground running and avoid common blunders that can sabotage their first days back?

One strategy that some people employ, according to the article, is to tell colleagues a return date later than it really is, and getting home a few days early from vacation. Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who teaches time-management workshops, builds in a one-day cushion by setting the return date in his e-mail “out-of-office” replay message a day ahead of his actual return, and telling people he’s coming back later than he actually does. “You want time to process things before the live fire comes through the door,” he said.

Another good idea is not to fritter away your first day regaling co-workers with vacation tales, said Allison Hemming of the free-lance talent agency The Hired Guns. When in her early 20s, Hemming recalled, she was a vacation gabber. “I could go on for days about how blue the water was.” Her first boss offered a quick hint: “Take one really great story about your break, and stick to it.” Now, she offers a quick highlight – like catamaraning through caves in Nepal – then gets back to work.

But pick one story that telegraphs a message, the article pointed out. “If you’re in the 40-plus age group, communicate that you’re an active person. It wouldn’t hurt to say you had a good time going skiing, or mountain-climbing, or snow-shoeing,” said Don Sutaria of CareerQuest, a New Jeresy-based employment coaching firm.

One successful tactic used to avoid wasting time is to start treating yourself like an important colleague. “You schedule business meetings with everyone else – why not schedule time with yourself to work on specific projects?” said Jeffrey Mayer of SucceedingInBusiness.com. “Keep the appointment, turn off the phone, don’t check the e-mail every 45-seconds.” If you work better at certain times of day, schedule the most demanding tasks for those periods.

As you plow through your e-mail, keep an arsenal of sticky notes close by, the article noted. When you open something up that requires follow-up, “slap a Post-it on it saying what’s the next thing that needs to be done with the paper and how long it will take,” said Julie Morgenstern, an author of time-management books. Example: “Fill out form and return to HR.” Then keep a stack of these notes in your inbox, so the next time you’re stuck on hold on the phone you can deal with one or two instead of staring into space.

And don’t just skim your e-mail. You should try not to touch e-mail more than once. Morgenstern’s rule is if a response takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. If it takes longer, add a new item to your “to do” list.

After your initial e-mail sweep, don’t let your in-box run your day. “Your in-box is not your to-do list,” said Pausch. You’re better off setting aside a block of time per hour for e-mail – then give yourself long uninterrupted stretches to get regular work done.

If your boss starts dumping work on you, make it clear you’re busy. “Say, I’ve got these four other things to do, can you help me prioritize?” suggested Sean Covey of Franklin Covey, a productivity consulting firm in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Of course, the best strategy for a smooth re-entry is good planning before you take off, according to the CareerJournal.com article. In the weeks before you leave, train someone exactly how to do your job. “People think that if they hoard information, then they’ll have power,” said William Hubbart of Hubbart & Associates in St. Charles, Ill. That’s a mistake. If you don’t teach someone how to do your job, a lot less gets done while you’re away.

In addition, good back-ups make it less likely you’ll be contacted on your vacation. Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor, has another strategy for avoiding calls on vacation: He gives students and colleagues his wife’s cell phone number, instead of his own. “You have to create social barriers,” he said. “It’s a very strong reminder that they’re interrupting social time.”

Make the Best of Every Meeting

Posted by boblarson on
Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

Make the Best of Every Meeting

If you don’t like attending meetings, you’re not alone. Most workers feel there are simply too many meetings to attend on a daily and weekly basis, and that many of them are entirely unnecessary. But meetings don’t have to be that way, says Richard Carlson, Ph.D, and author of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work, who has two secrets to making virtually any meeting both interesting and productive.

The first is to use the meeting to practice being “present moment-oriented.” In other words, try to absorb yourself in the meeting – and don’t allow your mind to wander. This deliberate attempt to be focused will allow you to get as much value out of the experience as possible.

You can spend your time daydreaming or wishing you were somewhere else, but that doesn’t help you in your job or in your career. Meetings provide an opportunity to show your superiors and coworkers that you are really a good listener. This will help you be highly responsive to whatever is being discussed. That way, if there is something you can contribute, you can make a strong impression with your answer.

Carlson says that by employing the “present moment” technique he has found meetings to be far more interesting. Additional insights come to mind and he feels as though he has more to offer. He has also noticed an increased sense of respect from others. They may not be consciously aware of it, but it seems that when those present in a meeting sense that you are truly paying attention, they want to listen to you as well.

The second secret is to tell yourself that you are going to learn something from each meeting. Listen intently to what is said and try to hear something you don’t already know. Rather than comparing what you’re hearing to what you already believe, search for new wisdom, a new insight, or a new way to do something.

Carlson says he has found that when his intent is to learn, he almost always does learn something. Instead of saying “Yeah, Yeah, I already know this stuff,” try to clear your mind and allow yourself to have a beginner’s mind.

The best-selling author reports that since he has begun doing this, the results have been quite impressive and significant. His learning curve dramatically increased, and meetings became fun again. “I’ve learned to make the best of it. The way I look at it is this: I’m at the meeting anyway. Why not spend the time in a productive, healthy way, practicing valuable emotional skills instead of wishing I were somewhere else,” he says.

Try practicing what Carlson suggests. By doing so, our bet is that you’ll make your work life more interesting and effective.