Located in the Western 'burbs inside the 494 loop, our client is actively involved in the evolution of a major e-commerce initiative and has added Websphere technologies to the environment. They own the administration & portal products and are looking a for consultant to train an internal resource and/or bring an external resource on as a perm addition to the team.
The client is interested in speaking with anyone that has Websphere Administration or Websphere Portal exp. be it as a contractor or perm resource.
In addition to being engaged in some major projects with cutting edge technologies, the company is also a firm that's stable, rock solid, and been in business for over 50 yrs. The average employee has been with the company for approx. 10 yrs. This is an attractive contract opportunity and quite likely perm opportunity for anyone with strong Websphere skills.
Please contact me ASAP for further information or to be considered for submission.
-Mike
952-465-0157
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Resume Revision- The Basics
Probably the most unpleasant reality of the advent of technology as it pertains to job hunting is that the human element has been removed. The ability to state your case for you has been completely replaced by an online form and the cutting and pasting of your resume. You can be arbitrarily accepted or rejected based not on what you could bring to the table in reality but based on the superficiality of what your resume says (or doesn't say).
Because reqs. are ambiguous at best if existent at all, sending your resume to a company "blind" is not advisable. As a general rule I like to have the power to control outcomes. Submitting your resume blindly takes the ability to control outcomes out of your hands and puts it in the hands of those that may not even have a full understanding of what it is they're looking for. We have a term for submitting resumes blind in the recruiting industry, we call it the "Black Hole".
Consider this: the average first level screener is working many reqs simultaneously and is quite often inundated with dozens of resumes. I can assure you based on personal experience that after reading just a few resumes it all starts becoming a blur. Screeners are specifically looking for key technologies, industry specific experience., and levels of expertise commensurate with what's desired, i.e. Jr., mid., Sr., etc. etc. There's certain things you can't change such as the industry type experience you've had or the level of expertise you possess but if you're close to the mark in terms of your relevance, there's a whole lot you can do to increase your chances (this of course presumes a knowledge of exactly what's being sought from the employer but we'll tackle that at the end of this post).
-Triangle Point One: Emphasis. Pretty basic huh? Let's say the employer is looking for J2EE development expertise in the Websphere Portal environment. Now let's say that you've got that type of experience as well as experience developing thick client internal apps using base Java. You probably don't want to take up a lot of space talking about the thick client Java since the employer doesn't have an interest in that particular type of experience. Of course there's nothing wrong with sharing the various dimensions of your technical repertoire but make sure that you're expounding upon and EMPHASIZING THE RELEVANT EXPERIENCE in J2EE/Websphere Portal Dev.
-Triangle Point Two: Prioritization. Prioritization pertains to all aspects of the resume- objective statement, technical summary, work experience, etc. etc. If in your technical summary if you've got 10 different UI development technologies notated, you'd better have the ones relevant to the employer listed FIRST. When listing work experience you may have a dozen bullets detailed with your most current employer. The bullets MUST be put in order of importance as it pertains to the req. in question.
-Triangle Point Three: Key Words and Phrases. LEAVE NOTHING TO THE IMAGINATION! Be overt and obvious by repetitively mentioning key words and phrases. Just because you mentioned Linux in your technical summary doesn't mean you don't have to mention it specifically in your work experience. Pepper your resume with key words and phrases. The objective is to get the screener to NOT EVEN HAVE TO READ YOUR RESUME to have an interest. All they should have to do is glance at it to realize interviewing you is a no-brainer.
Employing the resume revision triangle will increase your chances of communicating with a real person (interview) and build value. It's said in the music business that a piece of music doesn't really come alive until it's "taken off the paper", i.e. when it's played by heart instead of being read. Our objective is to get you "taken off the paper" by putting you into direct contact with a real live human being. To accomplish that end we must have something good written on the paper to begin with. The Resume Revision Triangle will help you create "good paper".
I'd mentioned earlier that employing the Resume Revision Triangle presumes knowledge of what a req. entails. For those seeking new opportunities and those seeking resources, please consider the following advantages of utilizing Target IT Resources, LLC as your recruiter:
On the Candidate side: Target IT spends considerable time researching the type of skills and personality desired by employers. We understand what's being sought technically as well as the employer culture. The reality of what an employer seeks in a resource is more often than not DIFFERENT than what's stated in an official req. Implicit in Target IT submitting resources to an employer is that there's a personal relationship with the decision makers. This includes HR and the technical leaders that need and will lead the resources in question. Because of these personal relationships and intimate knowledge of the technical and cultural environment, you can be assured that your resume will be revised with the intent of hitting the bullseye and that you'll be "taken off the paper" and given thorough and careful consideration.
On the Employer side: I've placed many a candidate with organizations that already possessed a resource's resume; the resume was glanced over because it just didn't read or look right. Unfortunately the average IT resource isn't a master of the written word nor particularly knowledgeable about putting together a great resume. Equally unfortunate is the fact that the average hiring authority doesn't have time to look beyond the one-dimensional confines of what they read on paper to understand what a candidate can truly bring to the table. Because resources often work with dozens of different technologies, it's almost impossible to extract their true "sweet spot" from a technology perspective without spending a lot of time pre-interviewing them. Target IT will communicate with you and your team members to fully define exactly what it is you're in search of and will take the time to develop a deeper understanding of candidate skill sets and cultural attributes beyond the limited vantage point of a resume. Many times resources aren't as scarce as you'd think; quite often the "perfect fit" is hidden right in front of you and that's why Target IT Resources, LLC can be a valuable partner in your search.
Please visit Mike Reitz's Recruiting Blog in the coming weeks for more nuanced suggestions on building and revising your resume.
-Mike
Because reqs. are ambiguous at best if existent at all, sending your resume to a company "blind" is not advisable. As a general rule I like to have the power to control outcomes. Submitting your resume blindly takes the ability to control outcomes out of your hands and puts it in the hands of those that may not even have a full understanding of what it is they're looking for. We have a term for submitting resumes blind in the recruiting industry, we call it the "Black Hole".
Consider this: the average first level screener is working many reqs simultaneously and is quite often inundated with dozens of resumes. I can assure you based on personal experience that after reading just a few resumes it all starts becoming a blur. Screeners are specifically looking for key technologies, industry specific experience., and levels of expertise commensurate with what's desired, i.e. Jr., mid., Sr., etc. etc. There's certain things you can't change such as the industry type experience you've had or the level of expertise you possess but if you're close to the mark in terms of your relevance, there's a whole lot you can do to increase your chances (this of course presumes a knowledge of exactly what's being sought from the employer but we'll tackle that at the end of this post).
To increase your chances of success I suggest utilizing the
"Resume Revision Triangle"
-Triangle Point One: Emphasis. Pretty basic huh? Let's say the employer is looking for J2EE development expertise in the Websphere Portal environment. Now let's say that you've got that type of experience as well as experience developing thick client internal apps using base Java. You probably don't want to take up a lot of space talking about the thick client Java since the employer doesn't have an interest in that particular type of experience. Of course there's nothing wrong with sharing the various dimensions of your technical repertoire but make sure that you're expounding upon and EMPHASIZING THE RELEVANT EXPERIENCE in J2EE/Websphere Portal Dev.
-Triangle Point Two: Prioritization. Prioritization pertains to all aspects of the resume- objective statement, technical summary, work experience, etc. etc. If in your technical summary if you've got 10 different UI development technologies notated, you'd better have the ones relevant to the employer listed FIRST. When listing work experience you may have a dozen bullets detailed with your most current employer. The bullets MUST be put in order of importance as it pertains to the req. in question.
-Triangle Point Three: Key Words and Phrases. LEAVE NOTHING TO THE IMAGINATION! Be overt and obvious by repetitively mentioning key words and phrases. Just because you mentioned Linux in your technical summary doesn't mean you don't have to mention it specifically in your work experience. Pepper your resume with key words and phrases. The objective is to get the screener to NOT EVEN HAVE TO READ YOUR RESUME to have an interest. All they should have to do is glance at it to realize interviewing you is a no-brainer.
Employing the resume revision triangle will increase your chances of communicating with a real person (interview) and build value. It's said in the music business that a piece of music doesn't really come alive until it's "taken off the paper", i.e. when it's played by heart instead of being read. Our objective is to get you "taken off the paper" by putting you into direct contact with a real live human being. To accomplish that end we must have something good written on the paper to begin with. The Resume Revision Triangle will help you create "good paper".
I'd mentioned earlier that employing the Resume Revision Triangle presumes knowledge of what a req. entails. For those seeking new opportunities and those seeking resources, please consider the following advantages of utilizing Target IT Resources, LLC as your recruiter:
On the Candidate side: Target IT spends considerable time researching the type of skills and personality desired by employers. We understand what's being sought technically as well as the employer culture. The reality of what an employer seeks in a resource is more often than not DIFFERENT than what's stated in an official req. Implicit in Target IT submitting resources to an employer is that there's a personal relationship with the decision makers. This includes HR and the technical leaders that need and will lead the resources in question. Because of these personal relationships and intimate knowledge of the technical and cultural environment, you can be assured that your resume will be revised with the intent of hitting the bullseye and that you'll be "taken off the paper" and given thorough and careful consideration.
On the Employer side: I've placed many a candidate with organizations that already possessed a resource's resume; the resume was glanced over because it just didn't read or look right. Unfortunately the average IT resource isn't a master of the written word nor particularly knowledgeable about putting together a great resume. Equally unfortunate is the fact that the average hiring authority doesn't have time to look beyond the one-dimensional confines of what they read on paper to understand what a candidate can truly bring to the table. Because resources often work with dozens of different technologies, it's almost impossible to extract their true "sweet spot" from a technology perspective without spending a lot of time pre-interviewing them. Target IT will communicate with you and your team members to fully define exactly what it is you're in search of and will take the time to develop a deeper understanding of candidate skill sets and cultural attributes beyond the limited vantage point of a resume. Many times resources aren't as scarce as you'd think; quite often the "perfect fit" is hidden right in front of you and that's why Target IT Resources, LLC can be a valuable partner in your search.
Please visit Mike Reitz's Recruiting Blog in the coming weeks for more nuanced suggestions on building and revising your resume.
-Mike
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
OPPORTUNITY/perm: Lead DBA/Analyst
A couple exciting points before we get into the technical specs:
The company located in the Northern 'burbs and is looking for a "buck stops here" Lead DBA/Analyst. They're primarily a SQL Server shop but also have UDB/DB2, iSeries, Sybase, and DTI as ancillary technologies. They plan to phase out all but the SQL Server and DTI and replace it with technologies yet to be determined. The resource that will be hired for this opportunity will play a major role in deciding where the organization goes from a technology perspective on the back end! Also, if you've read my June posting "Job Security, pt. 3- The Leverage Niche" you'd find that this is precisely the type of opportunity which puts you in a position of being incredibly leveraged in terms of your value to the organization. This is a smaller shop looking for an individual that will have ownership over the systems. Talk about job security!
On to the specs:
1. Create and maintain documentation on enterprise database schemas, data dictionaries, physical database configs and daily database functions/custom apps. Overall monitoring of standards and procedures.
2. Design/develop/implement/maintain the use of database infrastructure and related apps (they have a home grown data warehouse based on SAP technologies, so this bullet pertains to the evolution and maintenance of this particular system).
3. Work with staff, identify workflow process weaknesses and develop solutions to automate office procedures and functions.
4. Design and manage data import/export processes and procedures.
5. Assign work to programmer and supervise as needed.
6. Coor. dev. of adhoc queries/reports, forms and datasets.
7. Develop and monitor standards, procedures, and methodologies for effective operation, access, and control of backup and recovery of all database systems.
8. Work closely with IT staff on performance, sys support, software upgrades/updates, and patches; unified database user/security admin practices.
9. Database Administration.
10. Provide status to immediate supervisor, collaborate with team members.
11. Minor app dev. and web integration.
Now for the wish-list (if you don't have everything don't worry; SQL Server and Crystal Reports are the biggies)
-SQL Server, UDB/DB2, MySQL or Oracle
-Linux, Solaris, OS400, Windows Structured Query Prog. Language
-Crystal Reports, PHP, Java, Javascript, VB, CGI-Perl, or ASP ODBC.
-Exp. supervising others.
-Comp Sci degree.
For more information or to be considered for the position, send your resume and contact me ASAP.
Mike
The company located in the Northern 'burbs and is looking for a "buck stops here" Lead DBA/Analyst. They're primarily a SQL Server shop but also have UDB/DB2, iSeries, Sybase, and DTI as ancillary technologies. They plan to phase out all but the SQL Server and DTI and replace it with technologies yet to be determined. The resource that will be hired for this opportunity will play a major role in deciding where the organization goes from a technology perspective on the back end! Also, if you've read my June posting "Job Security, pt. 3- The Leverage Niche" you'd find that this is precisely the type of opportunity which puts you in a position of being incredibly leveraged in terms of your value to the organization. This is a smaller shop looking for an individual that will have ownership over the systems. Talk about job security!
On to the specs:
1. Create and maintain documentation on enterprise database schemas, data dictionaries, physical database configs and daily database functions/custom apps. Overall monitoring of standards and procedures.
2. Design/develop/implement/maintain the use of database infrastructure and related apps (they have a home grown data warehouse based on SAP technologies, so this bullet pertains to the evolution and maintenance of this particular system).
3. Work with staff, identify workflow process weaknesses and develop solutions to automate office procedures and functions.
4. Design and manage data import/export processes and procedures.
5. Assign work to programmer and supervise as needed.
6. Coor. dev. of adhoc queries/reports, forms and datasets.
7. Develop and monitor standards, procedures, and methodologies for effective operation, access, and control of backup and recovery of all database systems.
8. Work closely with IT staff on performance, sys support, software upgrades/updates, and patches; unified database user/security admin practices.
9. Database Administration.
10. Provide status to immediate supervisor, collaborate with team members.
11. Minor app dev. and web integration.
Now for the wish-list (if you don't have everything don't worry; SQL Server and Crystal Reports are the biggies)
-SQL Server, UDB/DB2, MySQL or Oracle
-Linux, Solaris, OS400, Windows Structured Query Prog. Language
-Crystal Reports, PHP, Java, Javascript, VB, CGI-Perl, or ASP ODBC.
-Exp. supervising others.
-Comp Sci degree.
For more information or to be considered for the position, send your resume and contact me ASAP.
Mike
Friday, July 10, 2009
OPPORTUNITY/contract: combo DBA, Oracle & SQL Server
Demand for DBAs continues to be resilient. Even in a slow economy where new projects may be put on hold businesses must keep pre-existing systems running. This latest opening on the DBA side confirms the value the market continues to place on this skill set.
The client- a major bank located in downtown Minneapolis is undergoing organizational changes resulting in the need for this resource and others. The duration of this req. is approx. 6 months and is in California.
Qualified candidates will have a combo Oracle (9i/10g) & SQL Server (2000/2005) DBA skill set. This resource will be responsible for monitoring, tuning, backups, recovery, and when needed will design, test, implement, maintain, and control the organizations physical, relational, and object oriented databases across multiple platforms and computing environments. Will participate in data architecture, database management policies, and standards for current and future apps. Will participate in the planning, design, and usage of data resources and also support development team. Will provide daily status of application and performance and may develop data models and entity relationship diagrams. Knowledge of PeopleSoft databases a big plus.
Any interested parties should contact me ASAP.
-Mike
952-465-0157
The client- a major bank located in downtown Minneapolis is undergoing organizational changes resulting in the need for this resource and others. The duration of this req. is approx. 6 months and is in California.
Qualified candidates will have a combo Oracle (9i/10g) & SQL Server (2000/2005) DBA skill set. This resource will be responsible for monitoring, tuning, backups, recovery, and when needed will design, test, implement, maintain, and control the organizations physical, relational, and object oriented databases across multiple platforms and computing environments. Will participate in data architecture, database management policies, and standards for current and future apps. Will participate in the planning, design, and usage of data resources and also support development team. Will provide daily status of application and performance and may develop data models and entity relationship diagrams. Knowledge of PeopleSoft databases a big plus.
Any interested parties should contact me ASAP.
-Mike
952-465-0157
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Job Security, Pt. 3- The Leverage Niche
A few weeks ago I was catching up with an apps developer I hadn't spoken with in quite some time (we'll call her Mary). In years past I'd submitted Mary for consideration to many clients due to her sr. level experience developing middle tier apps written in a cutting edge and widely used coding language. As our conversation progressed she mentioned that she'd accepted a position with a new employer. With pride she informed me that she was no longer "just" an apps developer. Her new employer utilized a system where resources where rotated into different roles every so often. I came to find that in the short 18 months with this new employer she had worked in the capacity of systems engineer and most recently was in a business analyst role. While she was happy to be learning new skills and becoming a Jill-of-all-trades, I couldn't share her enthusiasm. I knew that Mary's in-demand skills where quickly becoming diluted and that her employer was minimizing her value to the organization. If everyone on a team can do everyone else's job it's a lot easier to be replaced isn't it? Mary or anyone else on the team could resign or be fired and the employer's operations wouldn't skip a beat. Not much leverage for a salary increase is there? Great for the employer, not so great for the employee. Very diplomatically I offered congratulations on her new position and made a note to call her in a few weeks so I could gently share my perspective on some of the positives and negatives concerning her new career path.
Decisions like Mary's are never made in a vacuum but a thoughtful analysis of where we fit in the marketplace regarding our skill sets is necessary to ensure that we make right decisions about our career paths and not emotional decisions. There are some very basic questions you can ask yourself to achieve a greater awareness of your leverage within the marketplace.
1. Define Your Niche
The first step in achieving leverage is to learn how to view your skill sets in the same way that hiring authorities will view you. The following is a general format I've used in presenting resources to clients over the years:
-Primary Skill, e.g. J2EE dev., Oracle DBA, Project Manager, Quality Assurance, etc. etc.
-Secondary Skill, e.g. Weblogic dev., Data Warehousing, Infrastructure Projects, White Box Testing, etc. etc.
-Contextual Experience, e.g. Portal env., Clustered/High Availability env., Small/Fast Moving Projects, Web Apps env., etc. etc.
-Type of Business, e.g. Consulting, Health Care, Technology, Ad Agency, etc. etc.
A typical resource summary may read something like this: J2EE dev. with Weblogic exp. in the Portal env. from a consulting background. Understanding how you fit into this matrix is crucial because it enables you to see yourself from a skill set perspective in the same way others do allowing internal (current employer) and external (marketplace) comparative analysis of your value equation.
How would Mary define herself based on this format? It would be pretty tough wouldn't it? She's all over the board and unless there's an employer out there that's interested in her unique amalgam of skills she's probably out of luck.
2. Assessment & Comparison of Internal & External Demand
The second step in achieving leverage is to understand your value equation from your employer's perspective and also from the perspective of potential employers. You may be surprised to find a big difference.
Internal- Ask yourself some of the following questions to assess your internal value equation:
-How easily could you be replaced by an internal resource? What about an external resource?
-How is the technical environment changing? Are you where the "puck" was or will be?
-How critical are the technologies you work with to the functioning of the business?
-Is your team hiring or laying off resources? How about the company as a whole?
-Has there been a change of management or ownership? How could that affect you?
-How's your companies industry doing as a whole?
-Are competitors outsourcing? What kind of resources are they outsourcing?
External- Ask yourself some of the following questions to assess your external value equation:
-What types of skills are in high demand on job boards? How do your skill sets match up?
-What kind of secondary skills are employers looking for? What about contextual exp.?
-Are you skilled in technologies that are growing or fading away?
-Are salaries for resources with similar skill sets trending higher or lower?
-How often does your phone ring regarding new opportunities?
-What part of the economic cycle are we in?
-What part of the technology/project implementation cycle are we in?
Reflect on your answers to the internal and external questions independently and then comparatively. You may find that you're considerably more valuable than you realized to your current employer or you may find that you're less valuable to your current employer than you would be to prospective employers. The importance of this evaluation is that it gives you an understanding of your value in the context of the marketplace as a whole.
Not enough information was conveyed regarding my story about Mary for use as an example in step 2. but I can tell you since she's been put on a skill set merry-go-round she's easily replaceable and as a recruiter, I'll unfortunately have a lot less to talk to her about from an opportunity perspective in the future.
Be Proactive in Attaining Your Leverage Niche.
Now that we've examined where our leverage lies and how our value equation is seen by both internal and external clients, we now must analyze the results. Analysis will point our career compass in one of two general directions: redefine & modify skills and/or seek a new opportunity. As simple an exercise in logic as this sounds, you'd be surprised at how little most individuals utilize this or similar processes when thinking through career moves. As I mentioned earlier in this post, it's imperative to make right decisions and not just emotional ones. If gaining more leverage and job security requires redefining & modifying your skill set, you may have to consider moving on to a new opportunity to fulfill that end. If gaining more leverage and job security requires working for a different employer, you may have to redefine & modify your skills to achieve that goal. Acquiring that certification you've been meaning to get, finishing your degree, or simply becoming proactive in keeping your eyes open to new opportunities (which is something everyone should do always) may become necessary. Whichever approach is right for you, if you understand your niche and compare your value both internally and externally, you'll know what your next best move will be in maximizing leverage, job security, and earning potential. Best of all, you'll be able to take comfort in the fact that you'll be moving in the right direction.
Never stop moving forward. Our complacency is our own worst enemy.
For further information, feel free to contact me directly.
Decisions like Mary's are never made in a vacuum but a thoughtful analysis of where we fit in the marketplace regarding our skill sets is necessary to ensure that we make right decisions about our career paths and not emotional decisions. There are some very basic questions you can ask yourself to achieve a greater awareness of your leverage within the marketplace.
1. Define Your Niche
The first step in achieving leverage is to learn how to view your skill sets in the same way that hiring authorities will view you. The following is a general format I've used in presenting resources to clients over the years:
-Primary Skill, e.g. J2EE dev., Oracle DBA, Project Manager, Quality Assurance, etc. etc.
-Secondary Skill, e.g. Weblogic dev., Data Warehousing, Infrastructure Projects, White Box Testing, etc. etc.
-Contextual Experience, e.g. Portal env., Clustered/High Availability env., Small/Fast Moving Projects, Web Apps env., etc. etc.
-Type of Business, e.g. Consulting, Health Care, Technology, Ad Agency, etc. etc.
A typical resource summary may read something like this: J2EE dev. with Weblogic exp. in the Portal env. from a consulting background. Understanding how you fit into this matrix is crucial because it enables you to see yourself from a skill set perspective in the same way others do allowing internal (current employer) and external (marketplace) comparative analysis of your value equation.
How would Mary define herself based on this format? It would be pretty tough wouldn't it? She's all over the board and unless there's an employer out there that's interested in her unique amalgam of skills she's probably out of luck.
2. Assessment & Comparison of Internal & External Demand
The second step in achieving leverage is to understand your value equation from your employer's perspective and also from the perspective of potential employers. You may be surprised to find a big difference.
Internal- Ask yourself some of the following questions to assess your internal value equation:
-How easily could you be replaced by an internal resource? What about an external resource?
-How is the technical environment changing? Are you where the "puck" was or will be?
-How critical are the technologies you work with to the functioning of the business?
-Is your team hiring or laying off resources? How about the company as a whole?
-Has there been a change of management or ownership? How could that affect you?
-How's your companies industry doing as a whole?
-Are competitors outsourcing? What kind of resources are they outsourcing?
External- Ask yourself some of the following questions to assess your external value equation:
-What types of skills are in high demand on job boards? How do your skill sets match up?
-What kind of secondary skills are employers looking for? What about contextual exp.?
-Are you skilled in technologies that are growing or fading away?
-Are salaries for resources with similar skill sets trending higher or lower?
-How often does your phone ring regarding new opportunities?
-What part of the economic cycle are we in?
-What part of the technology/project implementation cycle are we in?
Reflect on your answers to the internal and external questions independently and then comparatively. You may find that you're considerably more valuable than you realized to your current employer or you may find that you're less valuable to your current employer than you would be to prospective employers. The importance of this evaluation is that it gives you an understanding of your value in the context of the marketplace as a whole.
Not enough information was conveyed regarding my story about Mary for use as an example in step 2. but I can tell you since she's been put on a skill set merry-go-round she's easily replaceable and as a recruiter, I'll unfortunately have a lot less to talk to her about from an opportunity perspective in the future.
Be Proactive in Attaining Your Leverage Niche.
Now that we've examined where our leverage lies and how our value equation is seen by both internal and external clients, we now must analyze the results. Analysis will point our career compass in one of two general directions: redefine & modify skills and/or seek a new opportunity. As simple an exercise in logic as this sounds, you'd be surprised at how little most individuals utilize this or similar processes when thinking through career moves. As I mentioned earlier in this post, it's imperative to make right decisions and not just emotional ones. If gaining more leverage and job security requires redefining & modifying your skill set, you may have to consider moving on to a new opportunity to fulfill that end. If gaining more leverage and job security requires working for a different employer, you may have to redefine & modify your skills to achieve that goal. Acquiring that certification you've been meaning to get, finishing your degree, or simply becoming proactive in keeping your eyes open to new opportunities (which is something everyone should do always) may become necessary. Whichever approach is right for you, if you understand your niche and compare your value both internally and externally, you'll know what your next best move will be in maximizing leverage, job security, and earning potential. Best of all, you'll be able to take comfort in the fact that you'll be moving in the right direction.
Never stop moving forward. Our complacency is our own worst enemy.
For further information, feel free to contact me directly.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Resource Acquisition- Thinking Outside The Box
I think we can all agree that economic and business environments as we've known them have changed dramatically in the past year right? Because of these changes new winners in business will emerge while others will fade into obscurity. Unless you're one of the smartest and most adaptable, you chance becoming a statistic. Being a winner will partially depend upon the processes your organization has in place to identify, acquire, and retain resources. Traditional recruitment models utilizing contingency fee based approaches (headhunters) on the one hand and internal recruiter/job board approaches on the other certainly have their advantages. Depending on where we're at in the market cycle and the availability of resources, these respective approaches can be both ineffective and costly if implemented incorrectly. The question any thoughtful person must ask is how can inefficiency be ironed out of an existing resource acquisition model? To answer that question, thinking outside the box to discover a "new way" is imperative. Target IT Resources suggests considering a Differential Approach to resource acquisition that is iterative in nature and geared as a flexible solution evolving with market conditions in real time thus maximizing efficiency and ROI.
My father used to say that if you're going into surgery, you need the precise and steady hands of a surgeon, but if your car has broken down, you need the strong and calloused hands of a mechanic to fix your car right so you can drive with confidence. One of the keys to success as we enter this new era in American business will be the partnering with organizations that can effectively act as both surgeon and mechanic depending on what conditions dictate. This unique ability will help to make your business stronger and set you apart from the competition.
For further information on Target IT Resources Differential Approach, please contact us directly at 952-465-0156.
My father used to say that if you're going into surgery, you need the precise and steady hands of a surgeon, but if your car has broken down, you need the strong and calloused hands of a mechanic to fix your car right so you can drive with confidence. One of the keys to success as we enter this new era in American business will be the partnering with organizations that can effectively act as both surgeon and mechanic depending on what conditions dictate. This unique ability will help to make your business stronger and set you apart from the competition.
For further information on Target IT Resources Differential Approach, please contact us directly at 952-465-0156.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The HR Corner- Getting The Most Out Of Recruiters
After years of recruiting I've found that about half the folks on the human resources side like us 3rd party hired guns and the other half don't particularly care to speak with us unless absolutely necessary. No matter which side of the fence you fall on, here's a few suggestions to consider regarding getting better results out of your recruiter (and maybe pay a little less if you play your cards right).
1. Timely Feedback: This is by far the absolute number one determining factor in the level of effort a recruiter will allocate to your search. Remember, the vast majority of recruiters are paid on a commission basis which means if they don't make placements, they don't eat (and their wives and husbands get mad at them). Because of this, recruiters are very cautious and selective when resource planning their time. I can tell you from personal experience that I'd much rather work for a 20% fee where I'm getting feedback and my candidates are being interviewed than to work for a 25% fee where no one's getting interviewed and communication is sparse to non-existent from my counterpart on the client side. Not only will you receive better ROI on your recruiting dollars and time by offering feedback, you'll also increase productivity by getting resources in place sooner rather than later.
2. Communication: Sometimes you just can't push process right? After all if only that darned hiring manager would get back to you on all the resumes you've presented to her or if the "C" level geniuses upstairs could finally make a decision on moving forward with this req. or not, you could get your job done right? Don't keep your recruiter in the dark, let them know what you're up against. What this does is to create an advocate. Knowing what's going on gives them a sense of security about continuing to invest time with you and work on your behalf (so their wives and husbands don't get mad at them for not making any money). Studies have shown that individuals are 70% more likely to respond positively to requests when provided with reasons for doing so rather than when presented with only a request and no reasoning behind it. e.g., No Reason Provided: "yes, please keep sending me resumes for the Purple Squirrel Developer req.... yes, I know you've sent 3 candidates and we haven't gotten any feedback yet, but we're still looking...." e.g., Reason Provided: "yes, please keep sending me resumes for the Purple Squirrel Developer req.... yes, I know you've sent 3 candidates and we haven't gotten any feedback yet, but the hiring manager just got back from her two week vacation and process should get up and running again...." See the difference?
3. The Philosophy Is Velocity: this is a little trick that may give you leverage on fees, let me explain: Recruiter A does 10 placements a year at $10k per placement making $100k, Recruiter B does 15 placements a year at $9k per placement making $135k. The difference is that Recruiter A makes a placement every 5 weeks and Recruiter B makes a placement every 3 weeks. Which recruiter would you rather be? Which fee would you rather pay, $9k or $10k? Let your recruiter know that you're ready to push process and move fast, it may save you some money.
Final word- I've always found it upsetting when I hear recruiters treat candidates, clients, and potential clients with anything less than complete respect and professionalism. Similarly recruiters appreciate being treated in kind. After all, everybody's trying to make a living and we're all in this thing together correct? BE NICE. Remember, to a recruiter, you're one of two things: a client or a source. You can minimize recruiting pressure on your organization by being courteous and open to partnerships whether they be for current needs or needs in the future. Give them a reason to view you as a client and not a source.
1. Timely Feedback: This is by far the absolute number one determining factor in the level of effort a recruiter will allocate to your search. Remember, the vast majority of recruiters are paid on a commission basis which means if they don't make placements, they don't eat (and their wives and husbands get mad at them). Because of this, recruiters are very cautious and selective when resource planning their time. I can tell you from personal experience that I'd much rather work for a 20% fee where I'm getting feedback and my candidates are being interviewed than to work for a 25% fee where no one's getting interviewed and communication is sparse to non-existent from my counterpart on the client side. Not only will you receive better ROI on your recruiting dollars and time by offering feedback, you'll also increase productivity by getting resources in place sooner rather than later.
2. Communication: Sometimes you just can't push process right? After all if only that darned hiring manager would get back to you on all the resumes you've presented to her or if the "C" level geniuses upstairs could finally make a decision on moving forward with this req. or not, you could get your job done right? Don't keep your recruiter in the dark, let them know what you're up against. What this does is to create an advocate. Knowing what's going on gives them a sense of security about continuing to invest time with you and work on your behalf (so their wives and husbands don't get mad at them for not making any money). Studies have shown that individuals are 70% more likely to respond positively to requests when provided with reasons for doing so rather than when presented with only a request and no reasoning behind it. e.g., No Reason Provided: "yes, please keep sending me resumes for the Purple Squirrel Developer req.... yes, I know you've sent 3 candidates and we haven't gotten any feedback yet, but we're still looking...." e.g., Reason Provided: "yes, please keep sending me resumes for the Purple Squirrel Developer req.... yes, I know you've sent 3 candidates and we haven't gotten any feedback yet, but the hiring manager just got back from her two week vacation and process should get up and running again...." See the difference?
3. The Philosophy Is Velocity: this is a little trick that may give you leverage on fees, let me explain: Recruiter A does 10 placements a year at $10k per placement making $100k, Recruiter B does 15 placements a year at $9k per placement making $135k. The difference is that Recruiter A makes a placement every 5 weeks and Recruiter B makes a placement every 3 weeks. Which recruiter would you rather be? Which fee would you rather pay, $9k or $10k? Let your recruiter know that you're ready to push process and move fast, it may save you some money.
Final word- I've always found it upsetting when I hear recruiters treat candidates, clients, and potential clients with anything less than complete respect and professionalism. Similarly recruiters appreciate being treated in kind. After all, everybody's trying to make a living and we're all in this thing together correct? BE NICE. Remember, to a recruiter, you're one of two things: a client or a source. You can minimize recruiting pressure on your organization by being courteous and open to partnerships whether they be for current needs or needs in the future. Give them a reason to view you as a client and not a source.
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