Software Engineering Salaries in Silicon Valley
Posted by: Rivi Team
We took a look at the placement data that we gathered from the third quarter of 2011 and compared it to data we previously ran from the quarter before. While our findings weren’t surprising, it was interesting to compare them side by side. We summarized our findings in the graphic below, and the data suggests that Silicon Valley is still firing on all cylinders. We looked at several different categories including:
1. Average salary of an engineer in relation to a startup’s current company funding stage
2. Average salary differences between placements from Q2 and Q3
3. Average salary of an engineer in relation to where they received their degree
4. Average salary of an engineer in comparison to their years of engineering experience
5. Average salary increase of an engineer after joining a startup
6. Average number of companies competing for each qualified candidate
7. Average time elapsed between a candidate’s application and their hiring
8. Breakdown of where in the Bay Area Riviera’s placements were occurring
Stay tuned as we will be compiling more data very soon!
To learn more about Riviera, visit us online! Riviera Partners | Twitter | Facebook
Riviera Partners Welcomes John Simonelli and Jim Lambert
Posted by: Rivi Team
2011 was a great year for us here at Riviera Partners. We grew our headcount by 300+%, expanded into a new office, and most importantly, changed the lives of more than 200 engineers and executives! We watched our business evolve to serve an expanding client base and are continuing to make significant traction in the market. Riviera Partners grew in every aspect last year and we are anticipating even bigger things in 2012.
Today, Riviera Partners is pleased to announce that we have added two key additions to our team! We welcome John Simonelli into his new role as Riviera’s new Chief Operating Officer, and Jim Lambert as a Director for our growing Retained search practice.
Managing Partner Michael Morell shared his thoughts on what these strategic hires mean for the company: “We’re very excited to welcome the two of them. John and Jim bring a wealth of experience to our business and share a deep understanding of what it takes to scale a growing firm like ours. With John stepping into an executive role, his leadership and strategic vision will help us enhance our current processes and expand our focus into new strategic areas. Jim is also an excellent addition to the Rivi Team – his HR experience and understanding of effective employee management will help him make an immediate impact among our clients and candidates.”
John carries with him an impressive history of executive leadership functions within growing tech companies as well as significant leadership experience from a variety of operating companies. Prior to joining Riviera, John was a managing director at the financial consulting firm TechCFO, providing strategic, financial and operating advice to emerging growth companies. Prior to that, John held leadership positions at several companies, including; COO/CFO of Looksmart, a publicly traded online advertising company, CFO of Gap Inc. Direct, The Gap’s ecommerce division, and COO/CFO of Business.com, an online business directory and advertising firm. John also held financial roles at The Walt Disney Company and Citicorp Securities. As COO, John will assist in developing the environment and infrastructure necessary to sustain Riviera’s significant growth. Under his leadership, we will seek to expand our presence across the major tech hubs of the nation and deliver the industry-leading service and experience that our clients have come to appreciate. He will undoubtedly play an integral role in the future growth of the firm.
Jim is no stranger to the startup realm and has held several executive roles within some very well-known technology companies. Jim’s tenured experience is comprised of a variety of roles held across the human resources and operations spectrum. Prior to Riviera Partners, Jim served as the VP of Human Resources at online dating service, eHarmony. In his earlier career, Jim held executive level positions with various high-tech organizations including: RealNetworks, Interland, and MicronPC. As a Director, Jim will be responsible for leading executive searches for many of our retained clients. He will be focusing much of his attention on the development of Riviera’s growing client base. Leveraging his insight of personnel management, Jim will further build upon the personal recruiting experience that Riviera offers.
Hiring veterans of John’s and Jim’s caliber speaks to the opportunity that lies ahead for Riviera Partners. Our numbers from 2011 confirm that we are positioned as leader in the search market and foresee great things in the coming years. Please help us kickoff 2012 and join us in welcoming John and Jim to Riviera Partners.
To learn more about Riviera, visit us online! Riviera Partners | Twitter | Facebook
The Anatomy of A New Hire
Posted by: Ali Behnam
It’s no secret: Silicon Valley is one of, if not the most, competitive places to find talent. Tech companies are always looking to hire, but finding the right person for the job is a challenge. In our business, it’s up to us to help our clients make the right moves when seeking new leadership. Everyone wants to secure a marquee player, but the reality is that timing, in most cases, dictates success.
Timing
Timing will be the most significant factor that determines the outcome of your next hire. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. You might know the exact candidate you want, why you want them and even have a tailored offer in hand – but if the timing isn’t right for the candidate, they will be reluctant to leave their current employer.
Finite Candidate Pool
Always recognize that the pool of top talent is finite and timing is going to govern the size and the quality of candidates. Think of talented players like satellites in orbit; they were “deployed” with a specific purpose in mind and will not “fall out of the sky” until they have run their course. These people are going to be very difficult to shake free from their current engagements and will most likely be unattainable until they’re ready to make a change.
Market Knowledge
Identifying who the A-Players are and understanding where they’re at in their careers are your starting points. Once you’ve established those, learning how and when they are contemplating their next moves may be the most important determinant in landing that high-profile candidate you desire. In order to increase the odds of landing a candidate that will raise your company’s profile, you need to have insight into their intentions. If your opportunity doesn’t meet their objectives, they aren’t going to make the change.
Relationships
In the end, it all comes down to relationships. There is much to be gained from constantly building relationships and nurturing your professional network. Recruiters and Venture Capitalists know this. We spend time constantly meeting and creating personal relationships with the right people. So when the time comes for these people to make a change, we are hopefully the first to know. From a recruiting stand point, this type of early access to candidates is crucial given the current demand for talent.
Over the last 10 years, we’ve succeeded in formulating our own process which efficiently charts people throughout their careers, emphasizes relationships, attempts to understand the marketplace, and positively capitalizes on our candidates’ timeline – all in hopes of delivering a positive experience and helping our candidates and clients reach their full potential.
To learn more about Riviera, visit us online! Riviera Partners | Twitter | Facebook
Riviera Partners Is Looking For Talent
Posted by: Rivi Team
Riviera Partners is constantly striving to deliver the best recruiting service and experience and we need more rock stars to help us achieve this vision.
Riviera Partners is a fast-growing executive and technical search firm. We are on the lookout for new talent that can make an immediate positive impact on our company. We have grown a ton over the last year and the demand for our services has never been higher.
Why join Riviera? Here’s a visual aide:
The image above paints a pretty good picture of the opportunity that exists as part of the Riviera team. We are strong believers that delivering a great service and experience is the competitive advantage that separates us in the marketplace and we are looking for like-minded individuals who share this same passion. If this sounds like something you want learn more about, please contact us on our Careers page on Facebook!
To learn more about Riviera, visit us online! Riviera Partners | Twitter | Facebook
When Opportunity Knocks
Posted by: Dirk Cleveland
Changing jobs is one of life’s major events. Much like choosing a college, getting married or moving residences, the choices you make regarding your career can change the trajectory of your life. Making this transition is a reality that everyone will face at some point in their career. When properly executed, the experience can serve to be an extremely effective vehicle for both personal and professional growth.
In my experience, the best and the brightest candidates are rarely actively looking to make a professional change. High quality candidates are generally engaged in their current role or project and excited about the challenge at hand. More often than not, a new opportunity finds them.
Keeping this in mind, it is important to remember that an opportunity will not always find you at the most convenient of times. Making the decision to leave a position where you have an established track record of success will most times be a difficult choice to make. However, during these times you must remember that career choices rooted in sound judgment and common sense will prevail.
There is always a leap of faith required when making a change in your career. It is the responsibility of both the candidate and the prospective employer to minimize the distance of the leap as much as possible.
Here are some thoughts to consider before taking your own leap of faith:
Have you accomplished your charter in your current role?
In a startup environment, the average time spent in a role is typically between 2-3 years – much shorter than what people are generally accustomed to in non-startup environments. To be able to say you have accomplished your charter and have made a meaningful impact in your role is important. In my opinion this takes a minimum of 12-18 months’ time. In your current position, consider the following:
- What is your charter in your current role?
- What were the goals you and your employer set out to accomplish at the time you joined?
- Have you accomplished these goals?
- Is there additional growth for you in your current role?
- Does a significant market opportunity continue to exist for your company?
- How do these personal and organizational opportunities stack-up against others in the marketplace?
Is the change worth making?
If you have excelled in your career, it is probably safe to assume you have not gotten this far without well-honed instincts and decision making abilities. First and foremost, I would say trust your gut.
I would then consider the following points and ask the corresponding questions regarding the new role and opportunity:
- Philosophical alignment
- Do you share a core set of beliefs with the team you would be joining? Do these folks think about solving problems related to the business in a similar fashion as you do?
- Chemistry
- Do you get along well with these individuals (i.e. would you have a beer with them?) Is there a cultural match? Can you envision yourself on the battlefield with the team?
- Market Opportunity
- What is the current and future market opportunity? Does this company and its technology possess the ability to be disruptive? Are you able to help get them there?
- Passion
- Do you have a passion for the product and the problem it solves? Will the opportunity allow you to do something meaningful and make a difference?
Taking risks in your career can lead to a multitude of significant rewards. When done well, you will grow both personally and professionally. You will have impacted your business, its customers and the industry for the better. As Spencer Johnson writes in his book Who Moved My Cheese, “Enjoy change! Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese!”
To learn more about Riviera, visit us online! Riviera Partners | Twitter | Facebook
The Great Riviera Flood
Posted by: Rivi Team
Just the other day, we hosted our Quarterly Kickoff meeting – presentations were assembled, all hands from across the country had flown in; we were ready to kickstart the new quarter. And then this happened…office disaster.
It’s a little difficult to tell from the pictures, but one of the tenants upstairs had an epic water leak and we were unlucky enough to wake up to a soggy office. Carpets were soaked, desks were drenched, computers were fried and nerves were undoubtedly rattled. As a result, for the last 3 days, we have been scrambling to adjust to our new aquatic surroundings (a prolonged game of musical desks, juggling computers, sharing offices, you name it). But like the troopers they are, our team has been rolling with the punches and delivering the best service and experience as if nothing happened.
This being said, if it sounds like our recruiters are standing in a wind tunnel while talking to you on the phone, its because they pretty much are. The office is literally humming to the sounds of 7 or 8 industrial fans and a handful of de-humidifiers – a full scale effort to dry out the carpets and walls. So, if you happen to stop by the office, please excuse the temporary mess as we return to normalcy – we typically keep a much cleaner house than this!
After all was said and done, the rest of our kickoff event went swimmingly. We gathered for dinner and drinks at the fabulous Chambers restaurant in the Phoenix Hotel and everyone had a blast. Rest assured, we are pumped and on the path once again to changing lives! We’ve included a few pictures from the event – hope you enjoy!
Silicon Valley Health Check
Posted by: Iain Grant
The High Tech industry is known for its continual state of flux and evolution. For years, people have looked to the Silicon Valley as the mecca of all things digital. However, times are changing and technological advancement is no longer limited solely to the Silicon Valley. New startups like Foursquare and Etsy are making names for themselves in New York City while Zappos, a Riviera client, continues to enjoy success in its Las Vegas home.
There seems to be a growing population of people who believe that the days of Silicon Valley being the#1 hotbed of innovation are numbered. We’ve spoken with some extremely bright people outside of the Valley and have been witnessing great out-of-state companies change the way we use technology. Everyday, arguments from both sides of the issue are made as to which urban cities will be the next hotspots. However, after much thought and reflection upon my experience within the high-tech field, I have reached my own conclusion on the given matter: While other cities strive to be the technology hub of the future, Silicon Valley will always retain the crown. Simply put, there is no place like the Valley – the foundational history of all things tech start and end here. As Mikkel Svane, founder and CEO of Zendesk, said, “Access is easier [in the Silicon Valley] money, talent, the right people.” The Valley’s days are not numbered and here are the main reasons why:
Talent
The Valley ecosystem breeds prime talent pools of people who understand the culture, speed and innovation necessary to create successful products. When Chief Data Officer, Mark Johnson of Groupon, a Riviera client, was looking for mobile developers, he knew to look in the Valley first. “You can find [people with this knowledge] anywhere, but Silicon Valley certainly has a high density population of people with these skills,” said Johnson. The Valley has been attracting tech talent for years and companies are trying to tap into this source by any means necessary. As companies grow quickly, the need to expand rapidly is key and with so much competition for top talent, companies are bolstering their lists of amenities to coax key individuals. Companies are shelling out free meals, shuttle rides to and from work, pet-friendly office spaces and much more all in hopes of enticing great people. Working in the Valley allows talented individuals a unique growth track that has not yet been proven replicable in any other area.
Speed
There is a common mantra of companies working in the Valley: “Get it right, get it fast.” Whether startup or high-tech giant, speed is a crucial component of company success. Successful companies are quick to make decisions, adapt to changes and solve problems – this is especially important for companies trying to differentiate themselves from competitors in saturated markets. The typical Valley company is geared toward speed and has an operating structure where partners and key decision makers are usually close at hand. Today, lunchtime meetings and informal happy hours are effective in accomplishing what video conferencing and short on-site stints struggle to achieve. Since executives aren’t necessarily dispersed around the country, team members can quickly come together when collaboration is needed. This level of access encourages quicker execution, offering companies heightened levels of agility and competitiveness within their market space.
Culture
From San Jose to San Francisco, companies eat, sleep and breathe technology on a daily basis. Some things simply cannot be gleaned from only reading about them in tech blogs and magazines. The Valley has a unique culture which caters to innovation and collaboration. People are willing to do things unconventionally and constantly push the envelope in hopes of creating “the next big thing.” Perhaps most importantly, there is also a wealth of financial support available to help fund such ideas. Venture Capitalists understand the potential that startups posses when motivated by such a culture. According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 40% of VC funding in Q2 2011 came out of the Silicon Valley. It is probably safe to assume that this is one of the most significant reasons why we’ve historically seen a steady flow of East Coast companies migrating out West. Case in point, look at Dropbox circa 2007-2008. The founders had a great idea, but needed more traction – in the end, they moved their company from Cambridge to San Francisco. After successfully pitching a handful of Valley investors they were able to build upon their vision. Fast forward a few years and today Dropbox is a cloud-storage powerhouse.
One can almost tout that given its history and its very design, the Silicon Valley isn’t going anywhere; it will simply keep evolving as the market changes.
To learn more about Riviera, visit us online! Riviera Partners | Twitter | Facebook
Riviera By The Numbers
Posted by: Rivi Team
This post is about a few of the more interesting going-ons at Riviera Partners. Over the past few months, there has been a lot happening here (new faces, events, client and candidate activities, you name it) and we wanted to share a few numbers with you to give you a better sense of what we’ve been up to.
42
What it is: Our current headcount – the Riviera team is 42 people strong and this number is just a temporary measurement as we look to continue our explosive growth.
What it means: People have shown a growing interest in Riviera Partners’ services. Over the past few years, we’ve been witnessing increased demand for our services across the country. Candidates and clients alike appreciate our exhaustive search process, integrated networks and the dedication of our team to their respective searches. Of course, our interest lies in helping as many people as we can, so we have been adding talented people to our team across all lines of our organization to scale up to this demand.
For those of you interested, this number can be broken down into 3 main categories: 12 Retained Search team members, 18 Contingency Search members and 12 folks working in Operations.
24
What it is: The number of employees we had at this time last year; interesting enough, 24 was the highest employee count Riviera had ever had.
What it means: To date, we’ve nearly doubled in size and we aren’t intending to slow down anytime soon. Our company is continually evolving and we are excited about the changes that are taking place. We have big plans for 2012 and are very anxious to see what our numbers will look like at this time next year.
1,050
What it is: The total number of interviews our recruiters (Contingency and Retained) have produced for our clients since July.
What it means: We’ve been hard at work trying to get talented people in front of our clients. Even with talent wars waging, there are still a lot of skilled folks in the marketplace – it’s our goal to present these people with new opportunities that they might not have ever considered on their own. With 1,050 interviews scheduled in roughly two and a half months, we think we’ve been doing a pretty decent job thus far. On average, our team has been scheduling about 14 candidate interviews per day! Keep in mind that we have a healthy client list, so we aren’t just bombarding a few select clients with hundreds of interviews.
89
What it is: Total number of lives that Riviera has changed since July.
What it means: We’ve changed the lives of 89 engineers and executives by aligning them with exciting opportunities where they can learn new skills, work on projects matched to their interests while operating in an environment they enjoy. We’ve worked with each of these individuals throughout the entire hiring process in hopes of providing them with the best experience possible when heading into their new ventures.
Companies come to us with a specific vision of the type of person they need to achieve next-level growth and Riviera has consistently produced the results they’ve sought. Not only does this number speak to the dedication of our team, but it is also representative of the multitude of opportunities available in the marketplace. If you or anyone know has thought about a career change, it might be time to really jump in and explore.
To learn more more about Riviera, visit us online! Riviera Partners | Twitter | Facebook
Riviera Partners Named #2293 To The Inc. 500|5000 List
Posted by: Rivi Team
We are proud to announce that Riviera Partners, Silicon Valley’s premiere Executive and Technical Search firm, has been named to the Inc. 5000 List for the first time! In our first year of application, Inc. magazine has ranked us as the 2293rd fastest-growing company out of the estimated 7 million private, employee based firms in America. We were also recognized as No. 90 in the San Francisco Metro Area; our friends at Demandforce, Location Labs, oDesk and Tagged were also included in these rankings! As an Inc. 5000 honoree, Riviera Partners shares a prestigious place with some of America’s most successful businesses.
Three years ago, Riviera Partners was a team of 13 recruiters working out of a single office. Today, we’re practically bursting at the seams! Our multi-office headquarters is nearly full and our team is quickly approaching 50 people! While our company’s growth is no doubt exciting, what we find ourselves most proud of is our employees and their dedication to Riviera’s company vision. The experience that our team provides is second to none, and our clients and candidates have come to recognize the quality search that we consistently provide.
The 2011 Inc. 500 list measures revenue growth from 2007 through 2010. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit and independent, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies, with at least $2,000,000 in revenues as of December 31, 2010, and have at least $100,000 in net sales in 2007. Our ranking was determined by Inc. based on a three-year trend of positive growth (106 percent) and a 2010-closing revenue exceeding $5.5 million. The recent tech boom has created a huge demand for Riviera’s services in the talent acquisition marketplace and our firm continues to grow to meet our clients’ needs.
Leadership: Your Secret To Startup Success
Posted by: Kevin Buckby
On any given day, you can probably walk into a coffee shop somewhere in Silicon Valley and cross paths with two guys who are certain they have a corner on “the next big thing.” Their ideas are usually thought out and they may even have a semblance of a business plan. However, those ideas rarely go farther than the inception stage.
The challenge for many companies is to thrive beyond a good idea, effective habits and a keen business plan. According to recent statistics, 6 out of 10 startups fail within the first four years of operation. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
At Riviera Partners we “hand-pick” the talent capable of helping such startups surpass the rocky starts. We have witnessed firsthand, companies which have taken good ideas, an understanding of the right infrastructure to effectively execute and shortly after, rise to a position of leadership within their industries.
What have successful Riviera clients, ZenDesk, Zappos, and FanSnap done, that those guys in the coffee shop aren’t doing? How are they outlasting the other 60% of companies that are unable to make it past the 4 year mark? In our observation, the axiom proving most true is that leadership is the number one differentiator. Leadership is not just about being faster, cheaper, or smarter than your competitors – it encompasses a deeper level of understanding about the space and an adamant focus upon resolving the current issues associated therewith.
If you find yourself wondering which leadership traits prove to be most effective in the startup realm, consider the following three aspects of some of our most successful client leaders:
They are uncomfortable with the status quo – It is as if the main question that drives them is “How am I going to rethink the world?” ZenDesk founder Mikkel Zvane, mentions that at ZenDesk’s inception in 2007, “Helpdesk and customer service support, were seen as ‘bottom feeders.’”(Thisweekin). Much of ZenDesk’s success has come from building their product around service, support and customer engagement.
They address what the product means on a human level - As the industry leader in shoe sales, one of the main core values of Riviera Partners client, Zappos is to “deliver Wow through service.” What separates Zappos from other retailers is their focus on the customer experience from start to finish. With free shipping, free returns, a free 365 return policy and 24/7 customer service, it is very clear what Zappos does and who they service. Tony Hsieh has been quoted as saying, “We’re a service company that just happens to sell shoes.” (Inc.com)
They keep it simple – With just their logo and two buttons, Google changed the way we “search” things on the Internet. No ads or other distractions, just confidence in their search engine and what it could “find” for you. The same could be said for Riviera client, FanSnap.com, the self described, “live event ticket search engine.” By simplifying, how and where customers can find tickets to live events as well as sort them by price, FanSnap has become the the largest live event ticket search engine for fans.
