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.

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.

Currently we’re in the midst of a complete redesign of our Website and Blog and have been for several weeks (look for it soon) and of course continue to look at differing technologies to assist us in what we do. So it struck me as funny this week after reflecting on an interview I had just done with Bill Vick (www.xtremerecruiting.tv) where he asked me about my belief in technology and the tools out there and what recommendations that I would give to new recruiters. Instead of talking about the great tools and all the ways they can help a recruiter I went on to say (since it’s not posted yet this is my best recollection) that the tools are there to help us do what we do and shouldn’t be our first or only focus, and that most recruiters fail when they don’t learn the basics of selling and working within their industry before sitting at a computer to source names and make those all important phone calls.

So while I like the tools out there and they certainly assist me in doing more work faster (making placements) I guess I still think in a bricks and mortar kind of way that everyone should be grounded in the basics.

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.”

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.

I think that we’ve all heard how email communications are a poor substitute for speaking on the phone, and that most of us believe that since the aspect of understanding someone’s emotions or sense of humor is just so tough.

However, I’m not here to complain about misunderstandings that email creates (deal with people). I’m here to talk about how the one thing that email does well (allow us to put facts & information into other peoples hands quickly) gets completely screwed up by those people who fail to utilize the tool properly (similar to those people who leave voicemails that only say “call me”).

Maybe it’s just me, but as I try to communicate with others I find it imperative to convey the message whether I’m on the phone, leaving them a voicemail or sending them an email. So I’m constantly asking or answering questions during this process and it baffles me how when I receive a reply none of the questions have been answered (much less addressed). Of course in typical insult to injury style this non-message is followed by the request to speak at some unidentified future time and date (since they didn’t bother to provide those details either), and the result is scheduling a meeting to schedule a meeting to discuss the actual topic, when it could have been resolved with a little information exchange days ago.

While I understand some topics need not be shared via voice/email (“you’re fired” comes to mind) remember that by providing some information it allows the other person to act and move forward so that when you do actually connect the process can be resolved more quickly (and easily).

Let’s face it, some managers don’t fully value input from their employees. Part of the issue is that they can feel that if they receive input/feedback then they must do something about it. The good news is that you don’t. Employees are like kids. They don’t always see the big picture, can often be selfish, and sometimes they don’t play well with others.

So listen to what they say on their way out the door, but don’t wait for the autopsy on the exit interview to find a cure for what ails your employees. Ask the tough questions you need to and you’ll find that you may just garner their respect AND make it a place where people want to work.

On many levels the article is spot on about making sure that the actual costs of the move are covered including not only the movement of household goods, but all of the other aspects that go along with turning on the utilities, etc. Additionally, the author makes some great points about cost of living, the current mortgage problems and the resulting housing slump and how it can impact someone’s interest or ability to relocate.

However, I have a problem with one aspect of the article where the author links relocation and compensation by quoting a source that says “ As a broad general rule of thumb, if you're relocating, you'll want to see approximately a 30 percent pay increase”. Not only does the percentage appear to pulled out of the thin air, but under no circumstances does the fact that you relocate for a position impact the salary (companies do not pay more if you move) in which you should get offered. Relocation is offered to cover the costs of your move not the inconvenience of it.

Relocation is a decision of personal and professional choice and if the career opportunity a company provides is worth it then you should definitely require that they cover all of the reasonable relocation expenses. Just don’t expect them to also give you a compensation plan beyond industry norms just because you’re moving.

Understand this isn’t a bias that I have against younger generations as this is about how your actions show the world what’s important to you (quote of the day), and by no means am I saying that these people aren’t responsible human beings in other aspects of their lives. It’s simply that I’m seeing people who have missed the boat on their career and more than likely will have some level of difficulty along their continued career path.

So what does it take to be a career adult? Not much really, but you should have a

• General direction for your career with identified steps along the path
• An understanding of a typical timeline from one step to the next
• The ability to focus on today’s job while understanding how it helps prepare you for tomorrows career
• Enough market awareness to determine if your path is best served by your current employer or potentially at a new one.
• Finally, the ability to make the difficult decisions along the way to stick to your career goal in the face of all the obstacles (RIF’s/downsizing, family needs, relocation, etc.)

IT careers tend to track along pretty typical lines and if your head is in the sand when the opportunity (whether it is internal or external) comes along then you’ve missed it and most likely it’s not coming back.  So remember it doesn’t take long, it doesn’t take a career coach, but it does take some intelligent thought and the willingness to work towards what it is you truly want.