The Recruiter

Can you land a job during the holiday season?

A lot of job seekers feel that the last two months of the year are a difficult time to land a job because of the holidays.  Really, this time of year is perfect for the career hunt. 

Because of this general discouraged feeling on job searching during November and December, fewer candidates are looking at open positions.  Also, it is more difficult to get schedules to mesh with limited calendar availability.  As we all know, landing a job is purely a numbers game and fewer candidates means less competition.  So keep your schedule wide open and see if you can squeeze in a few last minute interviews. 

Also, the executives and decision makers that are in the office during this time are more available than usual since they’re not stuck in meeting with their peers.  This opens the door up for you to reach out to them directly (their assistants may be out, too).

With the end of the year drawing near, many companies are up against the wall to meet 2006 goals.  This may be the perfect opportunity for you to consult with a company that you admire. 

Budgeting season typically lands at this time.  Once you’ve gotten your foot in the door and proven yourself, the perfect career opportunity may open up.  And the boss can budget some money in 2007 to fund your position. 

Check out this article, Holiday Job Searching - Don’t Believe the Myths for more ideas on propelling your career search as the year winds down. 

Posted by Christy H.

In God We Trust: All Others Bring Data

While our friends at Robert Half think wages will move along between 2 and 4 percent, our analysis may portend something else.

Actual hourly wages for highly-skilled technology grew in the third quarter of 2006, when compared to the same period in 2005.

Wages reported a slight .1% increase in July, followed by a 1.4% uptick in August, and then ended with a 2.4% improvement in September, when compared to the same months in 2005.

The Yoh Index of Technology Wages ended the third quarter of 2006 at 104.80, when indexed to January 2001 (1/2001 = 100), indicating a 1.2% in wage growth since the end of 2005, as well as a strong and steady increase in wages since 2003.

So, actual wages are increasing a little faster than Half's prediction. I'm a bigger fan of actual data (see our methods) than predictions, so let's see where this ends up.

Posted by Jim L.

eMail Etiquette

eMail has become one of the fastest and most cost-effective channels of communication in today’s busy workplace. I find it much easier to send an eMail than to pick up the phone and dial those 11 digits in order to reach one person.

It is so much easier to reach many people with just one eMail. Because eMail has become the norm, there are a few things that we all can be reminded of that holds true in communicating in a corporate environment.

Here are a few tips for eMailing that I found:

DON’T
eMail Inappropriate & Sensitive Material

Some harmful materials for workplace eMails are personal problems or amorous activities.  Also, confidential information or anything that could compromise clients or relationships.

Distort Information
Changing someone else's words while forwarding a message or taking credit for content you didn't write is misrepresentation and must be avoided.

DO
Double-Check Your Information

Include Contact Information and Signatures

Unless you're adamant about being contacted only by eMail, include other ways people can contact you (address, phone and/or fax).

Quote Original Messages in eMails

In your responses, always give recipients a sense of context by referencing old eMails. This is especially important for members of mailing lists and forums. Click here to learn about other suggestions for proper eMail etiquette.

Posted by Stacey A.

2007 Crystal Ball

Believe it or not, it's time to start thinking about the demand for talent in 2007.

I know it feels like looking at Christmas displays before Halloween -- but it makes sense in this case. Companies are thinking about staffing levels and the smart ones are already developing their 07 plans.

We still believe wages will stay strong, not spectacular, but strong. That's a good sign, given the whole irrational exuberance thing that goes along with skyrocketing wages.

What else do we see:

-- A continued strength for anyone who works in an ERP environment. Simple story: not enough talent, too many customer needs. Add in NetWeaver or Oracle Fusion and you're sitting pretty.

-- A strong focus on product development. In hardware, software, engineering biotech or Big Pharma -- anyone who's involved in bringing things to market or expanding a company's presence. And not biz dev jobs. We're talking about the folks who conceive of, build or shepherd products and services to the customer.

-- Anything around security. Network, internet, Blackberry. Too many bad guys. Not enough protection.

The key for companies: build an employer brand that helps attract people to your firm. We're not all GE or Pfizer. Not everyone knows who are companies are. Or what we stand for. You've got to let folks know what'll it be like to work for your firm. And why they should change direction and work with you.

Stay tuned for more.

-- Posted by Jim L.

Manage Your Time

Are you using the same techniques that you used last year and four years ago to manage your phone calls, your eMail, and your long-term projects? This could be adding to your daily stress levels. An increased pace at work along with new technology demands that you have a method for integrating changes. Denise Landers gives clear-cut advice on how to get organized in Time Management: Defining Stupidity.

After reading her article, we thought we’d share some things that could help you improve your productivity.

• Find ONE system of organization that works for you and run with it.
• Start and finish each day with a clean desk. It will help you have a clear head to tackle the days work.
• Have no more than 6 items on your to do list each day. This has been said to increase productivity by 20%. More than six items in one day is probably not going to all get done. If  a task is missed, place it in one of the first slots for the following day.
• Do not be easily distracted by eMails, coworkers and phone calls. If you are in the middle of a task, complete the task first and then address the other issues in time.

Denise Landers offers more tips and a self evaluation on how you can become better organized in your office.

Posted by Stacey A.

Biz Blogging

The Recruiter is all about the technology workforce, but today, I’m going to blog about blogging.  The whole concept of corporate blogging is still pretty new.  New to companies, and new to me.  Blogs are supposed to be an open exchange between blogger and cyberspace.  Getting corporate America to buy into this concept can be challenging.  Any communication in a company must jump through dozens of hoops to get the seal of approval. 

Blogging rebels against the canned statements that companies are issuing with their publics.  At Yoh, our blog is only thriving because our executives here understand that in order for our blog to have timeliness, the standard communication approval process just doesn’t apply.  Also, we’ve been allowed to inject our personality in our posts.  My posts are written the way I would write an eMail to a friend, not the way I would write copy for an ad.  This free exchange of ideas is a little dangerous but a good thing.  Yes, an employee could blog and potentially create a negative perception of the company but there are many other situations where more damage could be done.  Companies can really make their blog a part of their entire communication plan.

Blogs also are helping companies attract new talent by creating a real brand for that employer.  In our industry, this is key.  Blogging can be important in recruiting potential employees by allowing them to interact with current employees and customers on the site.  They get a snapshot of what are top issues, priorities and concerns for a specific company.  This experience paints a vibrant picture of what it may be like to work for a potential employer. 

With CIOs top concern this year focused on attracting, developing, and retaining IT talent (based on a recent survey by SIM, Society for Information Management), information found on a company blog may sway a candidate to choose your company over the competition.

Blogging holds unlimited opportunities for companies (in my humble opinion), but first corporations must step out of their comfort zone, and let the blog be the living, breathing beast that it is, not just another company website full of corporate blah blah.

Posted by Christy H.

Tech Wages Continue Wedging Upward

The latest Index of Technology Wages shows that hourly rates for pros in IT continue with steady growth.  In fact, this quarter’s growth pattern is very similar to what tech wages did in 2005 with constant escalation.  The hottest gigs with the biggest increases exceeding 5% this fall are in technologies like SAP, ERP and Oracle.  Check out Infoweek’s take on this quarter’s Index of Technology Wage report.  If you want to be the first to know where wages are headed next quarter, this link allows you to sign-up for an instant eMail notification when the Index is released.

Posted by Christy H.                        

IT Pros say Bye-Bye to Bad Behavior

Expectations of IT professionals are changing, and it looks like inconsiderate behavior that was ignored just a few years ago, will no longer be accepted.  Our favorite eWeek writer, Deborah Rothberg, recently gave her thoughts on this topic in Why It's Time to Lose the Snide IT Attitude.

After reading her article, we’ve compiled a hot-list of unacceptable behavior from IT folks:

Making users feel stupid when they ask for help
• There is no need for users to feel compelled to provide some elaborate disclaimer on being “computer illiterate” to just get decent customer service from technology buffs

Referring to customers and colleagues as “users”
• This word sets-up an us/them relationship and allows IT pros to forget there are real people who seeking your expertise in these situations

Having zero business sense or etiquette
• Just because you’re in IT doesn’t mean you can get away with knowing diddly about the business’ direction or wearing rumpled t-shirts and pajama pants to meetings

Being unable to communicate effectively
• Customers need to communicate with IT, and techies must be capable of exchanging their ideas and technical goals so the project is completed without a hitch

Posted by Christy H.

Working Remotely Works

Technology gives professionals the flexibility to work from home, satellite offices and random coffee shops.  Employers are catching on to this popular trend.  Based on a study conducted by our fine marketing team, 67 percent of HR managers see the occurrence of telecommuting increasing over the next two years.

InfoWorld also recognized our study, and their blogger Ted agreed that he finds many benefits from working from home.  Check out Ted's take on our survey.   One point he made that we whole-heartedly agree with is that there is a time and place for telecommuting.  The value of communicating face-to-face and in live meetings is an integral part of the business world.  See our recommendations from this prior blog post for taking it offline.

Posted by Christy H.