15 www.bbj.huBudapest Business Journal | Sept 06 – Sept 19 3

A lthough some companies have downsized their teams in the past year, many software development

companies are expanding and looking for new people to join their organizations. IT companies in Hungary are now start-ing to pay more attention to the impor-tance of salary ranges across all levels. Having acknowledged the primary impor-tance of certain skills sets for long-term business growth, clients are bringing sal-ary offers closer to candidates’ expecta-tions to secure the best talent.

DemAnD for niche technicAl skillsCompanies are also scrutinizing the length of selection processes as well, for fear of losing out on the right talent. To this end, they tend to look for candidates with niche technical skills, who are difficult to attract.

The most sought-after skills in the cur-rent market include Java and .Net. Despite the fact that trends have reversed in recent months, demand is still high for C++ lan-guage and ASP.Net knowledge. We also expect to see growing demand for mobile application development skills, as mobile technology is becoming a thriving platform for content providers.

soft skills As An invAluAble AssetHowever important technical skills and attractive salary ranges are, we have noticed a growing preference on the part of HR managers at IT companies for IT profes-sionals with the desired soft skills who can integrate smoothly into their organizations. Personal competencies cannot be over-looked since IT experts, along with other employees, are the face of a company and inevitably personify the organization during their interactions with stakeholders.

Hard skill expertise alone will simply not satisfy most hiring managers’ expec-tations any longer.

Companies require specific soft skills across the globe due to the importance of diversity and intercultural values in their company culture. This is more evident as numerous Hungarian developer companies are working on global projects.

So what are these much sought after soft skills? In our experience, hiring managers

most crucially look for a team player atti-tude, with both local colleagues and team members scattered around the globe. Sec-ondly, we note an ability to efficiently com-municate complex business needs and specifications within the organization. Natu-rally, there are also additional skills specific to each project, but these remain core.

Obviously for hiring managers there is more than just these two points to staying ahead in the IT game. What is key in IT is the ability to refresh your knowledge by attend-ing relevant seminars and obtaining up to date qualifications; it is not possible to over-state the importance of this in a most rap-idly developing sector.

the hArD nut to crAck: sAlAry levelsFrom our perspective there has been an intensifying demand for both hard and soft skills, and in turn this has resulted in changes regarding salary brackets across all levels. On the candidate side, IT professionals are becoming increas-ingly aware of the value of their specialist skills and are therefore raising their sal-ary requirements by an average of 8-10% compared to last year.

the future for itOverall, there has been a continuous demand for IT experts with specialist skills in the Hungarian market compared to the post-recession years. The future projections for industry expansion look positive throughout the second half of 2013 and in 2014.

For employers out there we would advise that, first and foremost, always find the right person for the right job. Beyond that, make sure you give your IT professionals the opportunity to grow within their own niche as this will always benefit your company and help long-term retention.

To find out more about how Hays Hungary can help your organization with its recruitment needs in the information technology and other sectors, and to request your free copy of our 2013 Salary Guide and Market Overview, visit hays.hu or call +36 1 501 2400.

know your niche in iTInformation technology is one area of the market in which Hungary is steadily moving forward and hiring experts; a trend set to continue for the year ahead. Tímea Tóth, senior consultant in the IT division of Hays Hungary, provides a market roundup and talks about the challenges in sourcing the right skills.

expert opinion

Tímea TÓTH

Senior Consultant, ITHAYS HUnGArY

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AndroidDeveloped by: Open Handset Alliance, led by GoogleLatest version: 4.3 (Jelly Bean) – released on August 23, 2013Android’s share of the global smart-

phone market, led by Samsung products, was 64% in March 2013 according to an article in The Guardian on August 1. In July 2013 there were 11,868 different models of Android device, with several screen sizes and eight OS versions simul-taneously in use.

Android is very customizable, and also features a high level of security due to being built on the Linux platform. The handsets it runs on at the mid-to-lower end of the market tend to retail at a lower cost due to fierce market competition between ven-dors. Android Market’s free apps provide users with more possibilities and there are no restrictions on what types of apps devel-opers can create for other Android users. You can also load it with custom ROMS and firmware, giving business users a flexible and unrestricted platform to work with.

BlAckBerrY oSDeveloped by: Research In MotionLatest version: 7.1.0.923 (Black−Berry Bold 9,900) – released on April 15, 2013BlackBerry’s smart phones are still the big favorite for many businesses

around the world due to their full-size QWERTY keyboards and BES (Black-berry Enterprise Server), which con-nects to messaging software like Micro-soft Exchange in order to synchronize contacts, calendars and more. Also, if a Blackberry is lost or stolen, information stored on them can be wiped remotely.

BBM, Blackberry’s proprietary mes-saging system, allows co-workers to instantly exchange messages discretely and in real time without the need for an IT staff. As they come in a range of models and designs (there are around 17 in total) Blackberries can be delegated depending on the workforce hierarchy — with flashier models going to the big cats up top — and low-end end handsets going to the gen-eral workforce.

WindoWS pHoneDeveloped by: MicrosoftLatest version: Windows Phone 8 (8.0.10327.77/ 8.0.10328.78) – released in July 2013Microsoft is rely-

ing on core services (like Office 365) to sell its Windows Phone 8 smartphones to business users, and the familiarity employees may have with Microsoft’s desktop programs is one reason busi-nesses may choose this OS.

SkyDrive — Microsoft’s Cloud Storage service – can also be used by business to allow others to view and edit shared documents on the move. SkyDrive itself is integrated well with the broader Win-dows Phone and Microsoft cloud ecosys-tem, giving users a high level of cohe-sion between what they carry out on the handset and what goes on the back-ground, meaning that they can be con-fident that important documents, con-tacts, emails and otherwise are backed up when they need to be.

ioSDeveloped by: Apple Inc.Latest version: 6.1.3 (10B329) – released on March 19, 2013Apple’s iPhone OS consumer success hasn’t stopped IT departments from using this operating system in compa-

nies. Since iOS only runs on iPhones, opt-ing for Apple’s OS also means that you’re prepared to go for one of its handsets. It has one of the easiest mobile operating sys-tems for employees to get to grips with, and support for Mobile Device Management enables businesses to wirelessly configure their users’ phones, monitor compliance with business policies, and wipe or lock managed iPhones.

Wireless app distribution also makes it easy on iOS to securely distribute person-alized company apps to employees using Wi-Fi and 3G. Microsoft Exchange support means that accessing email, calendar and contacts is simple as it allows users to setup multi ActiveSync accounts, which are com-patible with Exchange Server 2013. Gergely Herpai

SmArtpHoneS for BUSineSSIt was breaking news as the Budapest Business Journal went to press that Microsoft had bought Finnish mobile phone constructor company Nokia – the latter had been facing serious financial difficulties and plummeting market shares. It’s a big change of standpoint for Microsoft: back in 2007, CEO Steve Balmer believed that the original iPhone would never find favor with business users because it lacked a physical keyboard. The BBJ took the opportunity to look at the existing smartphone operating systems, and how they fare in the business world.