Here they are; the top 5 ARM blogs of 2011!

We've taken a selection of the best articles submitted to the ARM blog over 2011. Hand picked by ARM's marketing team and rated based on a number of factors that include; the number of hits they received, number of social media shares, written quality and value of the article to our audiences:

1. Top 10 IT Skills of 2011

Damian Hicklin on the Top 10 IT Skills for 2012

2. Mobile Gaming Stats for 2011! [infographic]

ARM iGaming on Mobile Gaming Stats for 2011

3. Messi - Would You Bet Against Him? In-Play Betting and the Future

Mark Yates on The Future of In-Play Betting

4. Job Seekers: CV Tips from A Veteran Recruiter

He's seen it all! Sultan Mahmud offers CV tips and advice following years of experience in the recruitment industry.  

5. The Monetisation of Social Media

Mark Yates on The Monetisation of Social Media

Advanced Resource Managers.

Within the IT iGaming sector, International vacancy levels have seen a significant increase, with roles ranging from graduate entry level positions to Senior IT Management. For this article I have decided to focus on the Swedish Gaming Sector which offers excellent career opportunities for IT professionals from all walks of life.

Swedish iGaming specialists including Unibet, Betsson, Net Ent, Entraction, Redbet and Cherryforetagen have demonstrated significant growth, outperforming the Swedish stock market’s advance which has been halted by the economic downturn. While the general market has experienced flat growth, the Gaming sector has advanced some 15%, and despite the strong performance last year many professionals believe there is still plenty more to look forward to in 2012.

As a backdrop to working in Sweden, a country with the world’s lowest levels of poverty and one that consistently appears near the top of the Human Development Index (ranked according to life expectancy, education and standard of living) I have compiled the following information:

Area: 174,000 sq mi (450,000 km²), the third largest country in Western Europe

Capital: Stockholm

Population: 9.4 million inhabitants

Languages: Swedish. Recognized minority languages: Sami (Lapp), Finnish, Menkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish, Romani Chib, English

Religion: In practice, Sweden is very secularized. The Church of Sweden is Evangelical

Life expectancy: Men 79 years, women 83 years

Therefore, if 2012 is the year for you to explore new challenges, now would be a great time to contact myself (or one of my colleagues on the ARM iGaming recruitment team) and discuss the exciting opportunities my clients are currently offering in Sweden and across the European continent.

Stephanie Gibbens

iGaming Recruitment Consultant

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ARM

I have always enjoyed a decent social night, but the nights out in Aberdeen with the Oil & Gas contractors are always guaranteed good fun. Since 2003 I have been involved in inviting and attending Xmas drinks with current contractors in Aberdeen, and 2011 was no exception.

As this was ARM’s first contractor Xmas night out in Aberdeen, we wanted to make sure that we put on a decent show and didn’t want to disappoint. So having invited our contractor list and their guests and armed with an entertainment budget, myself and two ARM colleagues flew up to Aberdeen to host our party and get a couple of client meetings in for good measure!

We hired the back part of the bar at The Soul Bar in Union Street with the festivities starting early in the evening. Good fun was had by all (some more than others I might add!) and with 40 contractors and guests out at the height of the evening it was a very good turn out. The entire entertainment budget was drunk by 11.30ish, by which point a few people were more than ready to head home! Some of the heartier attendees headed onto other establishments but the majority finished up and staggered back to their abodes!

The flight back home the following day was certainly interesting especially with the strong gales that hit Scotland that week – but I think I will save that story for another blog!

We received emails after the drinks evening thanking us for the invitation and some said that they must have had a good night as they couldn’t remember getting home!!

I look forward to the next social night!

David James

Oil & Gas Recruitment Section Manager

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And so that time of year is upon us in the I.T Contract Market.

It is December, and traditionally this is the time of year where opportunities in the contract market are few and far between.

But not everything is doom and gloom! I believe that December is the perfect time to be thinking of your next contract opportunity.

It is a time for reflection. A time to look at that old CV and update it with new skills and experiences that you have developed that will help you secure that new role in the new year.

The market generally picks up the first week in January, and whilst others are busy feasting on that Christmas Turkey and over endulging, if you use this period wisely you can generally get ahead of the game.

We have had a fantastc year here in the I.T Contracts team, with ARM securing a variety of new clients, whilst sucessfully placing quality candidates with our already existing portfolio of clients. We hope that next year will be just as successful, and by our candidates providing us with quality, up to date CV's upon our return to work on the 3rd January, we can all hit the ground running and together have a sucessful 2012.

Have a very merry Christmas.

Jonathan Tranter

IT Contractor Recruitment Consultant

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On behalf of all of us here at ARM, we wish all of you a wonderful break and a prosperous and successful new year.