Contributed by Staff Writer

This week’s Employment Index has been formulated in order to show a complete comparison between Job Trend Analysis of the previous two weeks. This week we will focus entirely on the first two weeks of August 2010, i.e.

Week 1- 9th August to 15th August 2010.

Week 2- 16th August to 22nd August 2010.

On the other hand, we came across a very interesting fact. the job trends of the previous two months we have come to the conclusion that every once in a month there is one week in which the number of job openings available rise to double the amount of those available during the other three weeks.

Focusing on the number of jobs available we saw how the numbers went up high during Week 1(9^th August to 15^th August 2010). Lahore was on the top of the list with 127 job openings in the IT sector. But during Week 2 (16^th August to 22^nd August 2010) the numbers dropped down to 65.  Similar was the case with Islamabad. There the numbers dropped down to 36 from 65.

JOBS BY AREA

Week-1

9th August to 15th August

Week- 2

16th August to 22nd August 2010

Jobs by Employers

If you have a dream of working in Netsol and still are unemployed then you definitely need to consider the job vacancies available there this month. From the past three consecutive weeks Netsol remains on the top of the list. This week their demand went up high to 27. While logicose stood right behind with 20 job openings.

Week- 2

16th August to 22nd August 2010

JOBS BY TECHNOLOGY

Similar to all the previous weeks the demand for PHP Software Engineers remained high throughout the previous months. Same was the case with the previous two weeks as well. So those who are still not sure which area to jump in, we advise you to go for the PHP world.

On the other hand, .NET engineers are also high in demand. Week 1 provided us with 13 job openings while Week2 took us towards 57 job openings. Number of SQA engineers and graphic designers also remained high in demand.

Week-1

9th August to 15th August

Week- 2

16th August to 22nd August 2010

Tell us how  can we make this section even better than before. Write to us if you find anything that bewilders you, because from this week onwards we will be right here.

Contributed by Sohail Ashraf

This week we have for you a short tutorial of how to install Mozilla Thunderbird on Ubuntu.

Installing Mozilla Thunderbird

Terminal based installations

•             Go to Terminal Applications → Accessories → Terminal

•             sudo su -

•             Enter the password

•             echo sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird

Where it resides

Applications → Internet → Mozilla Thunderbird

We hope this short tutorial was useful. Please provide us with your queries in the comment box below.

by Sara Waqar Khan

Khurram Rana (former Human Resource Manager at The Resource Group) is known among his peers as an individual with exceptional intelligence. He is an outstanding Human Resource professional who has the ability to bring creativity and uniqueness together in his work. Khurram Rana holds a diverse academic background. He entered University of Windsor, Canada, for B.Sc. (Hons) in Software Engineering in 2000. But later, in 2001, he went off to York University in order to complete his degree in the same field. Recently, in 2009, he completed his MBA (Executive) in Human Resource Management from the University of Central Punjab. Despite being a Certified Human Resource Professional, he also holds great interest in art and anthropology.

CodeWeek: What is your opinion on the talent we have in Pakistan? And how far recruitment firms have been successful in reaching out to them?

Khurram: Pakistan has extreme amount of talent which needs to be channelized. One thing I believe we need is to canvass human psyche. If you are from United Sates of America and watch their television programs you will always observe them airing Somalia’s famine, Pakistan’s political and Afghanistan’s terrorism. Social welfare programs of other countries are hardly broadcasted. Why? Because they want to show to the world, cultures of countries which are way behind theirs. The main reason for such an attitude is that they want their people to be thankful for the system they have.

As a result, our responsibility as a nation is to show the world the extensive talent which exists here. People should come back home after completing their studies and settle here.  It is also the responsibility of recruitment department to make employees realize the importance of his fact. Many professionals from TRG are offered employment opportunities from foreign organizations.  Yes they do offer good payments but it is a fact that foreigners do not permit Asians on higher positions, thus we lack opportunities outside Pakistan.

When it comes to reaching out to that talent Software professionals are really well connected. Before we advertise jobs, we have 100 CVs already in our inbox. People are always on the lookout for applying at high profile companies. We hold a very strong place in the market and advertising is quite extensive. But when it comes to networking and references, advertising takes a back seat. We go through at least 1000 to 1500 candidates per month. Out of which 90 per cent are referred through our own employees.

CodeWeek: Is there any difference between MBA and Human Resource professional course?

Khurram: There is a major of difference between the two. The courses which are taught remain mainly a guide line. At the end of the day it depends entirely on the individual on how he applies and utilizes these guidelines in his work. There practical application is the responsibility of a professional.

Human Resource as profession and is professional degrees do not give experience and exposure. They are merely guidelines for a newbie. In a profession where there are individuals involved everything boils down to practicality. There are many tests where you can judge an individual but at the same time these tests do not hold much weight. Because it is extremely easy to dodge a psychometric test and thus it is not exactly a reliable tool. At the end of the day it boils down to an individual’s understanding and experience.

Thus, when I hire someone, I go for a person who is honest, sincere and empathetic. One who is understanding, and who can easily realize what the others issue is. One who can easily perceive reality from an entirely different and unique perspective.

CodeWeek: What makes TRG an attractive employer for job seekers?

Khurram: There is the strong bond which exists between the employees. It is the culture of The Resource Group, TRG, which transforms it into an extremely attractive employer. The organization works on two sides. We have a very strong presence in the Call Centre industry and a Dominating presence in the Software Industry as well. Whether they are in Pakistan, or anywhere in the world it is the professional bond which sets us apart from other such organizations.

CodeWeek: Is there any concept of Employer branding in TRG?

Khurram: The Resource Group actively follows employer branding. We do not believe in advertisement. We have a very innovative Marketing and a Sales Department. HR does internal branding, team activities. When we hire people we try to hire those who are fit for this culture and environment. Many qualified individuals unfortunately do not make it, as many cannot fit here. We generally want people who are tolerant upon people. It all in the end depends upon the human resource department. The way they hire the way they judge despite cast and creed.

CodeWeek: Do you think HR is still being confused with personal/admin dept. in Pakistan? Why have they been unable to overcome this change?

Khurram: Human Resource has a very large scope. Universities are churning large number of Human Resource graduates every year, but even then it is not making any profound difference on the mindset. The main problem here is that mind set needs to be changed, we need to leave old habits far behind and move forward with time. Here people still think that only admin has authority. They believe that only admin is responsible for hiring and firing employees.

Companies are hiring consultants and professionals in order to introduce Human Resource in their companies. But on the other hand, some people at excellent seats and positions condemn and criticize the existence of such a department.  Reluctance to accept change is what keeping Human Resource from rapid growth. There are hurdles; there are very successful professionals who are persistent in making positive change in attitudes. This, Human Resource has a long way towards maturity in our country. We cannot change mindset in a fortnight, it takes time.

CodeWeek: In your opinion what is the scope of Strategic HR in Pakistan?

Khurram: A company cannot achieve anything until and unless the people who are working in the company are not on board with company’s philosophy. We do include a lot of things in our strategy. Two years ago we made a plan at TRG.  We were 5 percent strategic in HR, while 95% of the work we did was mostly clerical and administrative. By now we are 35% strategic and in the next 4 years our aim is to go for 50 per cent. Considering current market dynamic 50 percent strategic is the best number. It is considered as a fantastical dream, but we will achieve it.

Most of the call centers in Pakistan have based their entire system on what TRG is doing. We train people, we groom them. We have had individuals at junior posts that moved off to smaller startups and were promoted to managers overnight. And that is mainly because we trained them well.

CodeWeek: Tell us about different corporate social activities carried out by TRG?

Khurram: TRG is always very active as far as its corporate social responsibility is concerned. At the moment we are working for Indonesian flood victims. In the past we also participated in various such relief programs. The TRG volunteers went with food and required goods along with financial support. This time we are working with the Red Crescent and Edhi foundation in Karachi. On the other hand, we also organize blood banks. Every couple of months we also work with Thalassemia foundation for the younger ones. Thalassemia foundation in Lahore and Karachi also works with Fatimid foundation

CodeWeek: Any Parting Words

Khurram: Choose your words and steps wisely; you never know who will quote you later.

RoRs in Pakistan are not easy to find. But here today we have with us young, talented Ruby on Rails developer Shahroon Ali Khan, who belongs to this community of rare RoRs living in Peshawar.

Yes, you heard it right Peshawar. CodeWeek started its journey from Lahore then off to Karachi, back to Islamabad and then again back to Peshawar.

“It is impossible not to notice Ruby on Rails. It has had a huge effect both in and outside the Ruby community… Rails has become a standard to which even well-established tools are comparing themselves to.”
-Martin Fowler, Author of Refactoring, PoEAA, XP Explained

You brief intro?

Shahroon: I did my Initial education from Peshawar and BS(CS) from Allama Iqbal Open University, started my career in January, 2007 as a PHP developer in Haseen Habib Corp & Sul@ta iSoft. In Sul@ta iSoft I learn t several things from my seniors. Then I joined NextBridge in August, 2008 as a PHP Developer but after 2 months or so an accident happens I shifted my technology from PHP to ROR. And this is the most spinning point of my career.

How has your education contributed to your present career?

Shahroon: I know a lot of people would not agree with me on this, but if I consider my personal experience and also of colleagues around me our educational system is not close to our real practical life. Practical/ professional education is highly in need. Although various teachers and Universities quote that they are facilitating students and preparing them for professional life.

I believe non technical subjects should not be included in technical degrees. Lab tasks or some practical kind of work should be included in every degree because this will eventually sharpen the mind of a technical student and will prepare him/her for prrofessional life as well.

Why Ruby on Rails? For programmers in various situations, Why should I invest the time to learn it?

Shahroon: I told you that shifting to RoR was an accident and I should call it a significant accident because it changed the direction of my career and has provided me a better opportunity. My Development Managers Ayaz Ahmad Khan guided me in this process. He asked me to shift my technology  from PHP to ROR. Intially it was a tough task his constant support and encouragement helped me throughout.

Why I shifted is mainly because RoR is very smooth and easy framework, and developer’s community in RoR is growing very rapidly. Investing time in learning anything always, I repeat always beneficial and learning RoR “I am 100% sure will definitely benefit anyone who decides to jump into it”. Often, developers focus on languages and ignore the question of productivity.

For proof, have a look at the endless rants on bulletin boards, forums, and in the hallways of developer conferences about the virtues of language X versus language Y. But a language by itself isn’t everything. The development community has tried to implement object databases and written generic frameworks but these were either not important or were too complicated. But ROR did it.

Would it benefit me to program in Ruby and Rails?

Shahroon: Programming in RoR is fast and easy. In today’s development environment your client wants to build 50 pages web site within 5 days or if possible less. And RoR is the best framework to achieve this. Build, demolish and re-build is the most important part of software engineer’s life and RoR provides you a very clean way for building, demolishing and rebuilding things within minutes.

Ruby on Rails isn’t a code generator. It is a true framework so that everything you need to get started comes out of the box. It is purpose-built for database-driven web applications and includes a no-SQL persistence mechanism (ActiveRecords), model-view-controller (MVC) architecture and embedded code templates.

Ruby on Rails is a very sophisticated, very smart and well planned software development platform for building web applications. It is based on two well-known architectural models: MVC and n-tier design. It takes away much of the grunt work usually necessary in web programming -writing CRUD (create, read, update, delete) SQL statements, linking the graphical user interface, business and database layers and embodying the business logic in concrete objects.

In the lean times, Why should Ruby on Rails be on short list of career-enhancing technologies?

Shahroon: Good question, there are some tremendous features that force you to learn ROR

1> No type declarations and interface declarations needed so it slims down your code.

2> Ajax it in no time. (RJS in Ruby on Rails built-in has support for script.aculo.us, has tons

of flashy Ajax effects to make your application much more user-friendly)

3> In Rails, just follow some naming conventions and you don’t need an O/R Mapper

4> Using Ruby script (Rake) to build/deploy/release is better than using NAnt

So this makes ROR fast than any other framework.

What’s your favorite Rails feature?

Shahroon: AR(Active Record) Associations and Active Resource are two of my favorite features in RoR. Associations saves a lot of time which you spend in writing SQL queries and making JOINS. You can say association is the key feature in RoR. Whereas, Active Resource helps you a lot in writing restful web services. As Ryan (very well known personality in RoR community) quotes,

“ActiveResource provides a large piece of the REST puzzle by basically implementing the client side of a RESTful system –the parts of a decoupled system that /consume/ RESTful services. At its essence, *ActiveResource provides a way to utilize model objects as REST-based client proxies to remote services*.”

Future of Rails in Pakistan?

Shahroon: Future of Rails depends on the future of Software Industry in Pakistan, if Software Industry continues to grow up in Pakistan RoR will definitely take its share and I am quite hopeful that this share will be good enough. But I think we should conduct some seminars and software exhibitions to introduce new technologies. But as an ROR developer I should say “Future is Rails”.

How would you advise youngsters who wish to join and pursue Software Development as a career?

Shahroon: Whosoever wishes to join Software Development should transform himself into a problem solver and a decision maker. Learn as much as you can from your seniors. Respect your seniors; be honest and responsible to your profession.

What is your broad perception about the Software Engineering community in Pakistan as it stands today?

Shahroon: Pakistani software engineers are talented and they have performed excellent in world’s leading software companies like Google, Microsoft, Sun etc. But we do not have an interactive community. Magazines especially CodeWeek is doing an excellent job in this respect.

What are your personal professional plans for the immediate future for the next 10 years?

Shahroon: It is always difficult to plan for ’10 years’, Thus I have plans for next 2-3 years. These completely focus on serving Software Industry especially in N.W.F.P. Software Industry in this specific region of Pakistan is not stable reason being; Software Engineers from this region always try to search jobs in Middle East and Europe. So if we can create some opportunities here at their door step they will definitely serve Pakistan.

I am a proud Pakistani and I want Pakistan to be proud of me as well.

Success In Husnain A. Khan’s Words- HR Manager – DatumSquare IT Services (Pvt.) Ltd.

With an intermediate from Aitchison College, Lahore, and an MBA from Coventry University, UK, Husnain Ahmed Khan is on his way towards the ladder of success in the IT Industry of Pakistan. Currently, he is working as a Human Resource Manager at DatumSquare IT Services (Pvt.) Ltd, Rawalpindi. Lets hear about the definition of ‘SUCCESS’ in his own words,

Husnain Ahmad Khan: “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

Husnain: ‘SUCCESS’ cannot be defined in words. It basically depends upon individual’s expectations, plans and achievements.  I still have a lot to move towards to. I believe success is a dead end; a person has to move on and on, as there are no limits to the need of self-actualisation. I believe I have a lot to achieve yet.

I consider myself an ordinary human being who believes in only one formula; whenever you are on to something, you need to follow it till the end. Concentration with hard work is the key. Talent and skills come along with experience.

CodeWeek: How has your education contributed to your present career?

Husnain: Having studied from one of the most prestigious institutions of Lahore “Aitchison College”, I have been fortunate in attaining an early luxurious start of my educational life. It turned out real tough when I entered into my university life. The stories we use to hear in childhood about how some of our great leaders struggled their way up. We need to put value in ourselves and be proud of everything we achieve in life. That was when I started believing in those famous quotes “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try”, so I am going through that ‘trying’ stage for now.

CodeWeek: How did you land in DatumSquare?

Husnain: How I landed in DatumSquare is quite an interesting story. I was interviewed on MSN by an American entrepreneur, who intended to start an IT organisation in Pakistan. It was something very different and amazing for me to get appointed through an online interview. It was more like some sort of a joke for me, but hats off to the World Wide Web. I went to their office for a second interview; impressed with their business structure and finally I made up my mind.

CodeWeek: As an HR Manager what is your opinion on, Scope of Human Resource Management in Pakistan, especially in the Software Industry of our country?

Husnain: In my opinion, Human Resource Management is that pillar of any organisation, which defines its culture. Current IT Industry situation in Pakistan has made the role of  human resource department extremely difficult. IT Industry is booming in South Asia due to global economic downfall. Global Economic downturn has proved fruitful for South Asian IT Industry. During last 4 or 5 years a lot of new Organisations have appeared, producing more jobs and competition although many other sectors have worsened. Our priority has always been quality client services and this fact keeps us is an expansion mode.

CodeWeek: What are the different ways that you use, in finding suitable candidates for jobs?

Husnain: Online community is very active these days. Mostly professional networking sites, blogs and IT publications are the reliable sources to find the finest talent. Whenever I go for hiring a Software Engineer, I usually target their professional circle. Interact with them, study their interests and communicate accordingly. I have my own circle of professional people, so when I need to hire someone; I do so through recommendations and references. Adopting the right advertisement technique is very effective.  This ensures that the resource hired is the best fit for my company’s requirements.

CodeWeek: As you said you target online communities? Has there ever been an incident which you will term as ‘weird’?

Husnain: A weird interview! Of course yes, there are many, but I will only quote one over here.  A highly experienced Website Designer was invited for an interview. Now that individual was not really interested in what I had to offer or ask. He was not willing to switch his job and blatantly denied to answer any interview questions. At the end he said, it was nice meeting you and I had great ‘fun’ interacting. After having a cup of tea he decided it’s time for him to leave.

Since CodeWeek is another amazing forum where I can reach out to people, so here is my request. Please avoid such attitude, it shows lack of professionalism on your part.

CodeWeek: Suggestions for them.

Husnain: Do’s

• Be Professional
• Be prepared
• Be active
• Be up-to-date
• Research and planning is the key to every success

CodeWeek: What is your opinion on the talent we have in Pakistan? And how far recruitment firms have been successful in reaching out to them?

Husnain: Pakistan is full of talent; the only mistake we do is relying upon recruitment agencies. In IT industry there is not much margin for errors so hiring the right resource is extremely important. I would recommend an appropriate human resource department rather than reaching a recruitment firm, as only an organisation knows what its human resource needs are. Online recruitment firm could result in huge overheads, risking the required skills. If nothing works out, these firms should be the last resort.

Your Message for CodeWeek

Husnain: As I have already said, CodeWeek is doing a great job. We, the IT professionals, need such platform for promotion of IT industry. I wish CodeWeek all the success. Keep up the excellent work…!!

With this we ended our conversation with Husnain Ahmad Khan. With a remarkable personality he did make his mark on our team members. We do plan to hear more from him in coming future. So join us for more views and people.

On this Eid, CodeWeek has decided to give its subscribers Eidi. But for that you have to give us Eidi as well. Submit your Techtip and Win CodeWeek T-shirt. There are loads of subscribers out there who have already won our Prize. So now it is your turn.

We know that you are a Software Professional and we know that you know the kind of tips Software Professionals require. So jump in for a free ride in the Software world and participate in CodeWeek Micro Quiz.

Submit your TechTip by 29th of September 2009 at

submissions@codeweek.pk or at

techeditor@codeweek.pk

and leave a comment under this post informing that “Yes, I have submitted my entry.” So what are you waiting for.

You know what we want and we know that you have it. On this Eid, CodeWeek awaits your participation.

Lahore Tweetup’09 proved that yes we, Pakistanis, are proud of our country, our existence and the infinite talent which we have. Pakistani bloggers who have been working very hard in order to present Pakistan’s positive image in front of the world met at Hot Fusion in Lahore on 14^th August’09. The Independence Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm and excitement with The Proud discussing and sharing ideas at one platform. The event was covered by Dawn and was sponsored by Google, Wateen, CIO, Intel and bramerz.

We mentioned in our earlier posts that Bloggers have succeeded where print media lacked, so here is one proof right in front of you. Tweetup’09 made sure that Pakistan remains a trending topic on Twitter throughout the Independence Day.

People from all walks of life attended this event. These included students, fashion designers, software engineers and bankers. With proud Pakistanis all across the hall, everyone pledged to tweet in a responsible manner thus keeping in view the current image of our country. They also discussed how the negative image of Pakistan should be transformed into a positive one.

Amongst the discussion, on Social Activism and the role of bloggers in promoting Pakistan’s real/positive image, each participant was requested to actively participate by bringing one fact about Pakistan which they found interesting, the name of one Pakistani somewhere in the world who should be a role model for the youth of this country. The guests were also requested to bring along with them a significant date which remained undocumented till this time. They were also asked to tell everyone about one particular location in Pakistan, again unknown to the population which would be beneficial for everyone.

And thus at the Tweetup’09, Pakistan was termed as the most impressive country in terms of internet usage, with mobile usage growing up to of 140% per year, and being the second largest contributor in the United Nations peace keeping missions.

Pakistan possesses diverse talent which still needs to be discovered. Our country is moving forward at a very fast pace, and we can very proudly declare that we have immeasurable depth of talent inside the country and its people are working very hard to promote it.

Tweetup’09 also presented the idea and suggested that Pakistani websites should be shifted to .pk domain; they should promote Urdu language and place a Pakistani Badge on the website. Well CodeWeek.pk is proud to declare that it started its journey with all the above mentioned ideas.

CodeWeek is proud to present in front of you such participants and organizers who are concerned about the international image of Pakistan, and at the same time encouraging the present talent.

14^thAugust is just around the corner and CodeWeek is all “Green and White”.
Tell us, how do you celebrate 14^th August, and win our exclusive price. All you have to do is complete the sentence below and post your answer in the comment box.
“My 14^th August tradition is…….”
The best answers will be selected from the comments on the 14^th, 2009 and winner will receive confirmation via email. Our first 36 subscribers have already had a chance of acquiring our souvenir. Now it is your turn to subscribe and win. On Independence Day, CodeWeek awaits your participation.

CODEWEEK is proud to announce the winner for “What is your 14th August Tradition?”

The best answer was given by Shahid Javed, and therefore he will be receiving the prize shortly.