Since the beginning of the year we’ve been barraged with forecasts and articles predicting anywhere from relatively short-term to a prolonged and a very severe recession in 2008. The experts almost all concur (even Fed Chief Ben Bernanke recently said as much) that the present day Mortgage Crisis is almost certainly going to drag the once robust US economy into a recession that could last as long as two years. The Conference Board just released April’s Consumer Confidence figures and they’re presently at a 30 year low. Heck, other than our President I don’t think there’s a single public figure not willing to go on the record and state that we’re headed for a recession. Yet, curiously there’s been little evidence of a slowdown in the I.T. employment marketplace.

So what gives? Are we living in an episode of the “Twilight Zone” where reality and the laws of gravity or should I say Economics are suspended? Or, is there something else afoot? My personal professional opinion is that while we’re all running around like "Chicken Little" waiting for the sky to fall I actually believe there are two factors that have so far kept us from realizing all the bad news being predicted to come our way. First, I believe the “atmosphere” surrounding our I.T. world is different than the rest of the economy right now and may frankly be spared more than the rest of the economy. Bull you say? Consider these two things:

- I.T. was disproportionately affected in the last recession (2001 – 2003). Due to the lack of issues associated with Y2K, the overselling of ERP, CRM and other solutions as well as the overselling of eBusiness changing everything; Companies laid off I.T. pros in droves. Newbie’s were cut, 20 & 30 years pros were cut, Developers, Managers, and Analysts. You name it and they cut it. The point is that firms cut deep, too deep. The real point is that 5 years later they still haven’t staffed back up to those previous levels. There’s simply less “fat” to trim.

- Moreover, companies have outsourced many of precisely the kind of jobs they can most easily cut in lean economic times. The low hanging fruit has mostly been outsourced. There’s more of course but not a lot and not nearly as much as you’d expect in a recession. What remains in today’s I.T. shops are business focused/ aligned and much more critical to the successful operation of the firm. Simply put, it’s not your Father’s I.T. world.

- Last and this is purely anecdotal, I believe that intelligent companies realize now more than ever before that one of the keys to survival during trying economic times is “productivity.” Productivity is the providence of technology which of course is the coin of the realm of I.T.

This may all be hogwash. If you think that please post a comment and I’ll be happy to provide further information backing up my beliefs. Either way, the fact remains; the Recruitment and Placement business continues to do very well and America’s CFO’s must agree since they simply don’t continue to approve funding for FTE staffing when they are worried about a recession.

We’ve all seen it. Summertime is over and you head back to school and inevitably there is a new girl on that first day. Of course, everyone suddenly wants to date her and is falling all over themselves to do so. Why? It could be any number of reasons, but the real answer is that’s she’s new. That’s it, but in our society, as we all know, new is better. Ok maybe not everyone believes this, but that doesn’t stop every IT professional from pulling the high school equivalent when a new company comes to town.

This has really hit home for me over the last few years as we’ve had several high profile companies show up on the radar (Google, Honda Jet & Dell to name a few) and without fail every time the news breaks I get a stream of calls inquiring if I can “get them a job” with the new company. Unfortunately the answer is usually “no” (for a variety of reasons), but what amazes me most is that these people have done ZERO research about the companies, why they’re coming here, what technologies they use (do they need your skills?), and even if it’s a good place to work. Because the reality is that while they are new they may be the wrong place for you (think mgmt style/corp. culture, career direction, technology, etc.).

So do your homework. Find out the details and then after all that if it’s still something you want to pursue give me a call.

As a Professional Recruiter for the last 25 years I’ve spent much of my time preparing candidates to successfully interview and secure a career opportunity. We cover it all; How to prepare mentally, How to prepare physically (standing up on a telephone interview, etc.) How to ask insightful questions to uncover the true client need and most importantly, how to ensure you communicate at a highly effective level (truly understand what they’re asking and they understand precisely what you’re saying). With that in mind it could be said I’m an “expert” in the art of interviewing. That said it makes it even harder to admit I myself fell into some of the most common interview traps when I was recently interviewed for an article, "IT Labor Shortage or Not, Gaps Remain" in Baseline Magazine.

This was the third interview I’d conducted by I.T. and Employment periodicals in recent weeks where we discussed my thoughts and opinions about the state of the I.T. employment marketplace and the trends and dynamics driving it. Like most professionals I began somewhat tentative but gained confidence as we moved through the interviews. By the second interview I was answering questions with great candor and somewhat “off the cuff.” What I had forgotten are the two golden rules of interviewing. Don’t answer a question until you fully understand what they’re truly asking and more important still; make absolutely sure you qualify your own answers to ensure they understand precisely what you’re saying.

Much to my chagrin I didn’t heed my own advice. The result? Statements like: “There’s a dearth of real talent in the IT management world, and the reason for that is that the best IT pros tend to stay out of management.” What I actually said was that there was a chasm between the present need for talented IT Managers and the existing Management Talent. The cause I explained was that for many years (1989 to 2002/2003 specifically) most IT pros refrained from moving into management because they were concerned they would lose their marketability if they lost their “technical skills.” Were my comments taken out of context? Yes. Was I “misquoted?” Yes. Is this essentially what happens during the debrief and decision making process after you interview with a potential employer? Absolutely yes. Decisions are made about you, your skills, motivations, etc. based not on reality but on assumptions based on perceptions gained through your answers to the Interviewers questions.

The moral of the story is that to succeed in the interview process we must assure we understand and our understood. Best summed up by David Byrne and The Talking Heads; “Same as it ever was, Same as it ever was.”

Not to toot our own horn (OK maybe a little bit) but a short while ago we wrote a blog about the IT Labor shortage, and it drummed up some interest from various sources which eventually led to Dice writing another article and interviewing one of our own (Dan Martineau) on the topic. So give it a read and see what you think.

Most recruiters by nature aren’t trying to offend people as they go about the job of recruiting candidates for their client customers. However our quest to find the perfect person leads us to find many more really talented “close but no cigar” candidates that after showcasing our opportunity to and gaining their sincere interest we must now let them know that they just aren’t a good fit (insert reason here).

Of course, some people take this better than others, but generically speaking I’ve been finding that executives take it worst of all, and I’m beginning to understand why. These are people who are at the top of their respective organizations, have been given challenge and opportunity throughout their career and have succeeded at every turn. So in their mind there aren’t many positions that they aren’t capable of doing.

This is, of course, both a blessing and a curse. As I’ve been recently recruiting for a Director level role my client has expressed many requirements (ranging from size & scope of organization & role to industry, salary and many others) and in my world (Retained Search) the one with the gold makes the rules, and the client has the gold. So I have very little ability to shift the role or function unless it’s just highly unrealistic (prior lunar landing experience is always a toughie).

So understand that when you speak with a recruiter we are just as hopeful that you’re the perfect match as you are and we’ll work in your behalf to make sure your relevant experience is showcased. However, when push comes to shove if the client wants a skill or experience that you don’t possess, no matter how wrongheaded you think they are for requiring it, don’t expect to get the interview.