The Technology Job Market is Broken! (Alec Satin says so)

If you're looking for work right now, you're not alone. While Todd Thibodeaux, president of the Computing Technology Industry Association claims that there are 300,000 well paying IT jobs available now, LinkedIn groups and online forums are filled with posts from highly skilled project managers, technical leads and database administrators who are struggling to find work. Can both sides of the debate be right? The truth is that the technology job market is broken and desperately in need of repair. You can choose to:

(a) Complain about it
(b) Work to fix it
(c) Roll up our sleeves and do whatever is necessary to find
appropriate work for yourself

This post is about option (c). Let's get to work.

Read More ...

50 Ways to Get Your Employees to Quit

from Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life by DLM Writers

I know some of you are list hounds, so if you'd rather skip the monologue, scroll down a bit.

A month ago I shared some specific ways to get ahead at work. For me it worked, I got promoted within my IT group and was actually bumped up 2 spots. As I mentioned in that post, I was promoted directly by a VP (my boss' boss), which was unusual. Since then my boss was let go basically because anarchy broke out in the group and people were quitting daily. However, it got me thinking. What if I didn't have a VP that recognized my efforts? When does the atmosphere at work get so backstabbing and bureaucratic, that there is no good process to overcome it? What if a star employee wants to grow but management doesn't know what to do or how to take advantage of the enthusiasm and motivation?

Those are all questions that I will address over the next few weeks because they are best answered individually. However, there are several things that mid-level managers can do to keep employees happy and there are even more things they can do to irritate them to the point of quitting or becoming a virus.

I polled the other guys in my group and we built a damn good list of things that our IT manager did that led to him losing his $100K/year job. Note that I left a few specific things out because I don't need anyone getting pinched. If you repeat these things successfully, you too will get your team to hate you. If you are a reporting to someone that does these things, print this and do the old Office Space under the door routine.

• Assign enough projects with tight deadlines so that your team has no choice but to work a 60 hour week while you only work 30 hours


• Cap overtime pay.


• Do not offer project pay.


• Constantly underestimate the time it takes to get things done and then penalize employees' bonuses because they didn't hit the goal.


• Talk more than you listen.


• Tell the team to begin planning for tons of deployments but never obtain the budget to actually implement any of them.


• Don't trust written time cards. Make employees email you when they get to the office so you can see a timestamp when they get in.


• Always take sides in disputes instead of moderating.


• Avoid looking people in the eye.


• Reprimand employees in front of the entire team.


• Hire someone that is very weak to take the place of a veteran and expect the same results from the team.


• Reprimand Mark but don't reprimand Tony when he makes the same error.


• Consistency is good. Never ask you employees if they are challenged enough or want to take on more responsibility.


• Make promises to internal customers but have no idea on the elements involved in getting the task done.


• You know that Tony is a slacker, but he is really cool to hang out with so keep him around and give him good reviews.


• Suzy can take 20 minute breaks instead of 10 because she's a little cuter than Paul.


• Give your employees 2nd tier systems to work with but expect top tier results.


• Never cross train anybody on anything. The skills they walked in with are the skills they are leaving with.


• Mandate a new policy without consulting a single person that will have to live with it.


• Give employees low raises because the more you save, the higher your bonus.


• When talking to an employee on the phone, type away at your email. That's a great time to catch-up!


• When someone comes to you with an issue regarding another employee, use a lot of big words to explain the situation but really take no interest or action.


• Create a desk cleanliness policy.


• When Suzy comes in late and leaves early, and we complain, do nothing about it.


• Instead of offering to help hands-on, watch from a distance and provide support over email.


• Mandate that the entire team use a single to-do list application simply because you think it's best.


• Make your best employees train the newbies for weeks at a time but insist that all deadlines be met.


• Never answer your cell phone.


• Never be the on-call guy to share in the team burden.


• Have a group of employees that you get a long with and go out to lunch with while those that you don't like get left out.


• Send employees lots of chain letters, poems and other crap spam when they are hard at work.


• Constantly give your employees vague project plans and get pissed when the result is not what you wanted.


• Refuse to upgrade a system after the entire team asks for it and then be sure not to give a valid reason.


• Blame everything on your boss because no one will ever call you on it.


• Make all men wear ties.


• Do not let employees expense cell phone use but require a cell phone number for the on-call guy.


• Shut off access to Google and Ebay because it's not "required for work".


• Never let employees hangout and use the corp. network to play games after hours.


• Tell employees to do plan B because you will save $11 even though plan A is the safer, more efficient way to go.


• I don't care what they are working on. No one should get a monitor larger than yours


• Insist employees come to your wife's silly Barbecue.


• Give advice on topics you are only partially educated in.


• When the kudos are handed out, you should take the credit because you managed the team. Do not give credit to anyone else.


• Monitor all phone use.


• Charge someone .25 days off for a dentist appointment.


• Lecture the team at least weekly.


• Hold team meetings to provide updates even though the updates only pertain to one-third of team.


• Buy the team lunch and always forget that Vegan in the corner...he'll come around.


• Make the team fill out self evaluations but provide very vague feedback on what they type.


• Sleep with that girl Suzy on the team. No one will suspect she's getting preferential treatment.


• Call the redhead guy on the team Rusty. Everyone will laugh and you are sure to win their hearts.


• Make sure the cubicles are as close to each other as physically possible. The open areas surrounding the group will be used eventually.


• Make the entire team read a book and then set aside 3 hours to discuss it. This is sure to increase productivity.


• Let a couple people work from the house, but provide no reason for it or ways for others to obtain the right.


• Insist that employees complete projects that even you admit are worthless.

Like I mentioned, I had more but it was too close to home. If you have any intention of becoming a manager, don't do these things. I don't care if you are in charge of the frozen foods at the grocery store...don't make people feel worthless and don't undermine their abilities. If you are just starting out as a manager there are 2 books that you should consider reading. One is Becoming a Successful Manager and the other, which is my favorite, is The First Time Manager.

Interview Tips and Techniques

This week I'd like to review the top interview questions that are typically given by recruiters and hiring managers alike. These questions are meant to delve into the psyche of a potential new hire, and reflect the kind of worker and teammate that you are. Getting the hiring manager's perspective on a role is never fully possible, but evaluation of these questions can give you some insight and hopefully push you along to that next interview and, ultimately, being hired!

http://tinyurl.com/dcnp88

From

Cassandra Engle | Lead Technical Recruiter | Direct: 916.978.1783
Strategic IT Staffing, LLC

Beat the 10 second rule - by Warren Simons

Beat the '10-Second Rule'
By Warren Simons

Want to dramatically improve your resume's response rate, while also
creating a document you can quickly and easily customize to apply for
new openings? Focus on two key sections: the Headline and the Summary
of Qualifications.

Located just below your Contact Information, these areas occupy a
resume's most valuable real estate for a reason: Used correctly, they
introduce your name with a tremendous air of professionalism.
Unfortunately, many candidates still continue to utilize a bland
Objective instead of the much stronger, more vigorous Headline.

Read the rest here ...
http://career-resources.dice.com/technical-resume/create_a_resume_that_beats_the_10_second_rule.shtml

100 Most Influential Headhunters according to Business Week.

The 100 Most Influential Headhunters according to Business Week.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/02/0204_headhunters/index_01.htm

8 Ways to Keep Your Career Moving

We all know how stressful and downright scary it can be to be looking for work if you have been or will soon be let-go. This week I wanted to touch on what to do if/when you are out of work. According to leading experts, you should "Take this time to be pro-active in developing your strategies and skills." If you're LOOKING for a job, this is a time when self-confidence and good orderly direction are more important than ever. Be sure to spend a few minutes of true introspection to uncover as much about yourself and your best assets as possible. Although this is sometimes easier said than done, it is important to keep it in perspective. Here are some thoughts on ways to keep your job search, along with your personal development, on track.

http://career-resources.dice.com/technical-resume/eight-things-to-do-while-you-are-laid-off.shtml


We have a couple fantastic positions that have opened up within the past week, namely a Senior Software Engineer, a Sharepoint User Administrator and many others! As always, Strategic IT Staffing is eager to help you to find a new position, so please keep checking our website on a regular basis – it's always up-to-date! www.strategicitstaffing.com We've got some very hot orders, so check them out!

Also, Strategic IT Staffing has initiated a $250-500 Referral Program if you recommend someone and they get placed with us! So feel free to pass our name along to anyone who is actively seeking new employment -- We are always looking for talented people. I would love to be a resource for you and your associates.

Have a Great Week,

Cassandra Engle | Technical Recruiter | Direct: 916.978.1783
Strategic IT Staffing, LLC | 800 Douglas Blvd | Roseville, CA | 95678
www.strategicitstaffing.com | Locations: Sacramento | San Francisco | Seattle

We guarantee you the right expertise and an unrelenting promise to service.

12 tips to get your resume noticed....

12 tips to get your resume noticed

Summary:

* Print out job postings from employeers you like.

* Focus your resume to that job posting by reflecting the keywords and phrases in your updated and focused resume.

* Post the focused resume for the job posting.

* (The author suggests a focused cover letter, but I have not found that cover letters have any effect in 16 years)

* Use your professional network to find a personal connection inside that company (You do have a professional network, right)

* Follow up with phone call 

* Ask "what is the best way to keep in touch"

Read the whole article here