Why Wait?

You have an IT project to get done. You know it has to get done. It can’t wait any longer…or can it? You’ll need to figure out who in the department can get it done and still do the regular day-to-day tasks. You’ll have to figure out the time line for completing the project. Will your current staff have the expertise it takes to get ‘er done while adhering to the aforementioned time line? Upper management might tell you to hold off. Times are tough, right? Sales is down and money is not easy to come by. How do you justify getting the project done now? Let the boss know that you can get well-qualified help and save money on bill rates if you get it done now versus waiting.

Variable cost is one solution to the problem. You spend money now and make up the savings over time.

Example:
a contractor costs $65/hr x 3months (480hrs) = $31200.00 (total burden).
vs.
permanent hire, same qualifications – $77k plus benefits per year, don’t forget unemployment insurance, taxes, cost of posting ad, sifting through 25-50 resumes, 10-15 phone screens, 5-10 first interviews, 3-5 second interviews and the cost of the staff, from HR to the IT Team, taking time out to do that screening.

All you’re trying to do is get a project done, will you need the person long-term? How do you justify that to the boss? Contract-to-hire may be a good way to assess the need.

Another cost-saving consideration is the economy. Consider the scenario above. A 3month project, and people are willing to take less pay. Does that mean the person has depreciated or lost skills? No way.

Example:
a contractor costs $65 60/hr (saving $5/hr) x 3months (480hrs) = $31200.00 $28800.00(total burden). That’s almost $3000.00, and they’re better qualified because not everyone is hiring great people right now!

That’s almost 10% savings if you do it now rather than wait, AND the better qualified person is available now. In one year that person may not only be at a higher cost, but they may not even be available for project/contract work. In a year you’ll end up settling for someone at a higher rate and less experience. That’s no good.

Yes, it’s tough. Everyone knows it, but save the money now when it comes to IT projects. It will benefit you and your organization. We’re in business to earn money, and sometimes we don’t know how to take advantage in a down economy. This is just one way.

Show Your Enthusiasm

I have actually had job interviews and the manager said they passed on hiring me because I didn’t seem interested in the job. Can you believe that? Well, that’s what they told me. So what are you supposed to do? How about performing a cart wheel when you enter the room. Holy cow, look out, here comes the legs, BAM! That won’t work.

You go out on the Internet, do a search for interview questions, and all that comes up are examples of what questions you should be aware of when being the interviewee. Helpful? Yes. Why do I bring this up? Well, one way to show your interest in a job is to ask questions! How many times have you left an interview, gone home and had your spouse or friend ask, “how did the interview go”? Shouldn’t you be able to tell them a lot of details? Shouldn’t you be aware of the details so you can be sure that you are not only qualified for the position, but also want the position?

I tell people to have at least 10 questions prepared for the interview. Many line managers will summarize many things about the company and the position so at the end of the interview, when they ask if you have any questions, you’ll actually have some questions that have not already been answered.

Here are some example questions you can use when you go in to an interview. Some are 101 level. Some may be answered by viewing the company website, but it’s ok to elaborate. So if you notice on the corporate website that there are 3 addresses/locations for the company, you may want to ask what departments are at each location or how it’s dispersed.

How long has the position been open?
Why is the position open?
What is a normal day like?
How big is the department or team of people I’d be working with on a daily basis?
What has been the year over year growth of the company?
Who are the two biggest competitors of the company?
Who would I be answering to on a daily basis?
What type of training is involved for the role?
How many locations does the company have?
How many employees does the company have?
What is the day to day dress code?
What is the daily start and end times for work?
How is the department organized?
What is the biggest challenge within the department? ie meeting goals, things change so maybe its adaptability, etc
What is the biggest challenge that will be or has been encountered for this role?
Who has been there the longest in the department?
Who has been there the shortest amount of time in the department?
Who is the all-star in the department and what makes them stand out? This will tell you who you should seek out as a mentor.
Does the company have any company staff events? Bowling team, etc.
How often is feedback given, ie reviews, performance evals, etc?
What initiatives would you like to accomplish within the department in the next year, 5 years, etc?
Are any new department-level initiatives underway?
How many applicants have you had for the position?
How many applicants have you interviewed for the position?
When do you hope to have someone actually working in the position?
Based on our interaction, do you find me a viable candidate for the role?

Mileage may vary. Feel free to share questions you have found valuable, add it via a comment!

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Craigslist Job Postings

Many companies are taking their job postings to Craigslist. I can only speculate and say that they’re going this route to save money. Monster and other services can be pricey, and newspaper…well we won’t go there. Not too many people do. Some job postings are done as blind ads. There is little information about the company and almost no contact information is listed. The big reason for this is that it will keep firms from calling on the ad. If there’s no phone number to call you can filter the emailed inquiries pretty efficiently. It has probably worked for many companies, but how long will it continue to be a positive experience?

I bring this up because I came across an ad on craigslist. Yes, I was inquiring about a job posting. I found out it was a person that was not looking for additional help at all, but was merely collecting resumes from would-be applicants in order to compare his own resume to theirs. Effective? Probably, especially in today’s market. Ethical? I don’t think so.

So how do you know if you’re submitting a resume, with your own contact information at the top, to a legitimate employer? You might not ever know. Many employers that post legitimate roles, right on their own website, will rarely give you a response unless they’re interested in your background. Now imagine it’s not a job posting at all and the chances of a follow up are nil.

Be careful out there folks.

Information Technology – Its a Lifestyle

I often run in to people that are on the prowl for a new career, or maybe they’re just entering the job market for the first time since they worked at the local grocery store as a teenager. They do some research, talk to their friends and family, and eventually hear the buzz that IT is the way to go. Computers, that’s where it’s at. According to some institutions you can earn up to 70k a year as a starting salary after a few months of classes. Hell! It must be the way to go. Right? Yo, don’t believe the hype. Moving forward.

Some people that will read this, or stumble upon it, will realize that this will not apply to everyone within the IT field. I don’t want to insult anyone. Hear me out.

You can certainly attend a college, and I’d encourage it. You need to have the formal background. It’s the society we live in; and our society, sometimes, has standards. Formal education is one of them. However, as stated in the title of this article, IT is a lifestyle.

You can go to college and learn how to do accounting. *rolls eyes* 🙂 You get a job doing Accounts Receivables or Bookkeeping and earn a decent living. If you enjoy it, great! Most people don’t go home and do more accounting or learn how to do accounting better. Their industry may change, specifically around guidelines and new policies such as Sarbanes Oxley, certain practices, etc, but the principles really stay the same. (I may be off the mark, this is my interpretation and I’m not an accountant. Thank Buddha.) Not in IT. It’s the fastest moving industry out there. The speed in which the industry moves defines the word technology. To be on top of that, you have to not only embrace it, but you also have to plug in and immerse yourself in to it.

It is not always the case, but the best programmers out there are ones that do it all the time. The only time they’re not thinking of code is when they’re sleeping, and that’s debatable. It would not surprise me if some actually dream in code. They go to groups, attend seminars and conferences, read books, and code. The programmers that are ‘good’ do it as a job and have an analytical mind. But to be exceptional…you breathe it. The same holds true, in my opinion, for sys admins and support individuals. Sure, the help desk is what it is; but you can still go home, read digg.com, manage your own super-cool home network, and be far above the rest of your peers at work because you’re living it.

Again, I post this topic because I often go to job fairs and come across all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds. Some get it and some don’t. In the end, to be an exceptional IT professional you have to have a passion for it. You have to really be fascinated about the different technologies out there and how they work. You will progress in your field. Those that love what they do, and have passion for doing it, will excel. The money will come.

Accelerate Madison Job Fair

I’ll be attending the Accelerate Madison Job Fair as an attendee, not an exhibitor. Feel free to hail me down if you see me. If you’re an IT person or someone looking to network, it looks like a promising event. Check it out for your self.

Click here for event details

AGENDA: 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FAIR and NETWORKING SOCIAL (open house format)
VENUE: Metro Innovation Center
LOCATED AT: 1245 East Washington Ave., Madison, WI
ADMISSION: Free!

What does ASAP mean to you?

Staffing firms can have a different concept of time than clients. We typically interview 10 to 20 IT candidates a week with all different types of skills and experience. That doesn’t necessarily mean we interview 10-20 .NET developers or 10-20 help desk analysts. Each person is different. Ten percent of those candidates are exceptional. Exceptional is having a great, marketable, skill set, good experience, and someone that can be of value to a company. They can actually save time or money for a client. These people do not hang around on the market forever. Many can be registered with multiple staffing firms to ensure they’re covering ground. These folks may not be as networked as some of the heavy hitters. A ‘heavy hitter’ could have offers in one day from multiple sources and usually doesn’t need a firm to help them find something. Many candidates have many irons in the fire. They are continuing their search even after they’ve registered with a firm, most encourage this. Why? Putting the burden on one firm can weigh heavy on a recruiter that doesn’t deliver. After all, firms are just an additional resource, not a be all end all. I have seen people get jobs because a client drags feet on making a decision. It happens, and it sets the whole process that lead up to the ‘yes, we’d like jane/john to start’ backwards.

We typically ask ‘how soon do you need someone in the role?’ This gives us a sense of urgency. You can’t imagine how many IT managers will say ASAP. ASAP has meant as soon as possible to me for as long as I can remember. It’s not until I ask if we have the right person can they start at 8am tomorrow morning do I find out what ASAP means.

Yammer

I was listening to the Web2.0 podcast that featured an interview with Yammer founder, David Sacks. I had heard of Yammer as a buzz word, but after listening to the podcast it really intrigues me.

In brief, Yammer is very similar to twitter. Some may argue that it is a direct rip off of the microblogging web app. It’s a microblogging app. You can post up to a certain amount of characters. Twitter is geared towards anyone talking about anything. Yammer is trying to appeal to the business side of the world. The model is to register with your business email. You then become part of that domain’s group. This allows you to set up groups, and ultimately share corporate ideas and communique.

As mentioned in the podcast episode, had Yammer come before email I think it would have been more accepted. And lets keep in mind that Yammer is not to replace email, but compliment it by reducing mass forwards/replies and uncertain group emails because you’re not sure who would cover the subject at hand. It can also be administered with better control. Email can be sent to anyone. Have that corporate secret in the body? Guess what, that can be sent right out the door with very little knowledge from executives. How’s that for scary? Yammer is for the corporate users and is not ‘sent’ anywhere. It’s almost like a bulletin board system with groups. More static, without the message being flown all over the web-o-sphere. Liability itself would be more controlled. Something inappropriate gets posted and you can delete it. Try recovering that email and you’ll see the benefit.

Rumor Mill-MATC iPhone Curriculum

It’s not official, and I asked my contact if it was ok to spread the word, but he never gave me a direct no. So I took it upon myself to say that they are attempting to implement a Developement for Mobile Platforms class. Excuse the title, but it will be something similar. Basically they’re wanting to put an iPhone Development class together. This will teach folks how to develop, share, and deploy iPhone apps. The title of the class will be mobile platform development of some kind which will allow them to change the curriculum of the class to other platforms of mobile computing.

This is not in place…yet. My source is reliable and I’m not making this up. Timeline is for fall of 09.