• Use social media. A recent Adler Group study revealed that 83% of LinkedIn users are passive job seekers. With 225 million registered users, you’ve got an impressively large pool of candidates to consider. Facebook and Twitter also offer opportunities to reach out to passive job seekers.
• Dangle the right carrot. Over time, many organizations tend to take even their top talent for granted. Boredom can also set in. So rather than focusing on money, lure passive job seekers with how much their work will be valued, or the new, exciting projects and technology that await them.
• Don’t come on too strong. Passive candidates tend to be skittish – after all, they already have a job that they are presumably happy with, and they don’t want to jeopardize that. A low-key approach during a networking event, or having a mutual professional acquaintance reach out, are great ways to gently initiate contact.
• Expect to do some hand-holding. “People who are comfortable in their current jobs have a deep-seated worry that they could be giving up something that makes them happy if they move to a new company,” says Bridget Frey, VP of engineering at Redfin. In this case, information is the answer, and the more, the better. Reassure passive prospects by giving them plenty of opportunities to get familiar with the people, the culture and the corporate mission.
• Be patient. It takes a lot longer to recruit a passive job seeker. Even if your initial efforts fail, keep the prospect apprised of great happenings in your organization. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of the right bit of news reaching the right candidate at the right time.

While passive recruits are often seen as the most desirable, it’s important not to get tunnel vision when hiring. Don’t ignore potentially great candidates just because they are currently out of work. Perhaps the best hiring strategy, espoused by Go Daddy talent acquisition manager Tara Lee, is this: “We don’t ask who is looking for a job — we ask who would be great at the job, and reach out to them — whether they’re working or not.”

With more than 15 years of specialized recruiting experience, Triumph Services can deliver the best IT candidates for the job regardless of their current employment status. For more information on how we can bring top technical talent to your organization, contact us today!

1) The type of job. Obviously, entry-level applicants are not going to have a lot of experience, so a degree can help open doors. The complexity of the job matters as well. IT manager Ramon Padilla sums up his philosophy thusly, “If I am looking at a highly technical position (DBA, network engineer, etc.) then I lean more heavily toward certification . . . however, if I’m looking at a managerial, administrative, or analyst type position, the degree is more valuable.”

2) The type of degree. An IT degree of some kind is a must, unless you are applying for a business-related job such as a data analyst, whose insights must relate back to practical business applications. But in those limited cases, it’s imperative that a non-technical degree be backed up by demonstrable experience in the technology being used.

3) The person hiring. In some companies, HR managers do all the hiring. In others, IT managers handle technical candidates. As Tech Republic blogger Toni Bowers says, “Unless specifically instructed otherwise, the chances are that an HR person is going to respond to the presence of a degree before a jumble of Microsoft acronyms.” When technical people vet resumes, however, certifications are a language that they speak. They are also much more likely to believe that experience means more than a piece of paper from a college when it comes to doing the job.

4) Your career goals. Oftentimes – and this is especially true in larger organizations – there is either a formal or unspoken policy that a degree is required for management positions. If your company is one of these, and you find after several years that your path to promotion is blocked, then obtaining a degree might be a good idea. Another option is to take your now-valuable experience, add a couple of key certifications, which take less time and money than a degree, and look for a position with a company that does not have such a policy.

The general consensus, however (with the exception of entry-level jobs) is that experience trumps both degrees and certifications. Degrees can become dated, and while many certifications require renewal, they vary in hiring value. As we’ve mentioned before, you should choose carefully which certifications to pursue to maximize your investment of time and money. Experience, however, proves that you not only have the knowledge to do the job, but that you can actually perform the work.

The technical staffing specialists at Triumph Services work closely with top IT employers, so they are familiar with hiring manager preferences and current industry trends. Contact us today to see how we can help you maximize your appeal to prospective IT employers.

1) Be there for them. Now, more than ever, is the time to be an effective manager. You may be busy sorting resumes and interviewing candidates, but you still need to be available to support, guide and cheerlead your existing employees.

2) Consider cross-training. Training current employees on each other’s jobs opens up a lot of options when staff is stretched thin; you can easily shift workers around depending on need. It also helps staffers understand what it takes to do the other’s work, increasing empathy and efficiency.

3) Keep communicating. Don’t keep your staff in the dark about your hiring efforts. Stressed-out employees are more likely to hang in there without despair if they know you are working hard to find them qualified help, so provide regular updates on the process.

4) Use technology. This is a great time to see if there’s any software or hardware available that can lighten your staff’s load. Any increases in streamlining or efficiency can help improve both morale and productivity.

5) Do some outsourcing. If there’s no technology that can help ease the burden, consider bringing in a short-term contractor or two. The easiest way to do this is to find a specialized IT staffing agency, who will have an up-to-date list of pre-screened talent readily available.

6) Set priorities. When a department is short-staffed, it’s vital that both managers and employees remember the differences between “urgent”, “important” and “can wait”. Learning to give the proper things the proper amount of attention in the proper order can reduce stress and improve output.

7) Work as a team. When resources are scarce, people tend to get protective and territorial. Team-building efforts can reduce this instinct and encourage employees to pull together to get things done.

8) Set specific goals. Determine what things are realistic to accomplish while you are understaffed. Include employees in the discussion – their buy-in is critical to success.

9) Create a plan. Once you have established goals, you need to create a roadmap for achieving them. Determine who is responsible for what items, and how everyone will communicate. Once again, it’s crucial that you include your employees in the process.

10) Stay relaxed. Management sets the tone for the rest of the department. If you are stressed and irritable, you can expect your employees to be the same. A tense atmosphere can also drive away good job candidates. Acknowledge the challenges, but focus on maintaining a positive attitude while you are trying to hire.

Whether you need short-term help, or a long-term hire, Triumph Services can deliver top-notch, qualified IT professionals who can immediately contribute. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

1) Don’t Lie. Reputation is a recruiter’s lifeblood, and if you misrepresent your skills or experience, you’re putting their professional credibility at risk, too. Lies always come to light, and you will have burned bridges with both the employer and recruiter, so stick to the truth no matter how desperate you feel.

2) Don’t apply if you’re not qualified. In theory, the more jobs you apply for, the better your chances of landing one. But that only works if you are actually qualified for the positions. If you are lacking in either skills or years of experience, skip it and wait for the jobs that do match your professional profile.

3) Don’t focus only on the money. Salary is certainly important, but focusing solely on dollars and cents can cause job seekers to overlook a great opportunity. Make sure you listen to the whole package – benefits, perks and more – instead of rejecting an offer on salary alone.

4) Don’t get gimmicky. “Please do not send a resume inside a shoe, saying you’re looking for ‘a foot in the door,’” says New York-based career management expert Barbara Safani. Yes, applicants can stand out – but it needs to be in a professional way. If a recruiter remembers you because she had to clean up the glitter that spilled out with your resume (there are other ways to show your “sparkle”), opportunity will not be knocking.

5) Don’t be lazy or careless. Recruiters hate getting stock cover letters addressed to “dear sir or madam”. Even worse is when a candidate forgets to change the name from the previous recruiter he just contacted. The same thing goes for submissions with typos, poor grammar and sloppy margins or presentation. If you don’t really care, why should they?

6) Don’t be rude. “Some candidates see the recruiter as an antagonist who must be pushed and prodded and bullied to work on their behalf,” says Career Pro president and CEO John O’Connor. “In other cases, they’re frustrated by the job search process and feel the need to take it out on the recruiter.” Neither approach will get you anywhere but ushered off the line or out the door, so be professional and mind your manners.

7) Don’t stalk. A job search can make an applicant understandably anxious. But bombarding a recruiter with daily (or worse) calls, texts and emails won’t help. In fact, it can do the opposite, according to recruiting consultant Abby Kohut. “Calling [them] constantly and demanding to be submitted to a company will just make them think you’re desperate and unhinged and a little scary,” she says.

The technology staffing specialists at Triumph Services are dedicated to helping you find the perfect IT job. Search our available positions, or contact us today to learn more.

Reasons for Reluctance

There are many reasons why managers find it difficult to make decisions. “If a manager is prone to risk-aversion, it will also affect his or her ability to move forward with decisions,” says Susan Steinbrecher, CEO of Steinbrecher & Associates, a management consulting firm. “I also see leaders/bosses/execs that get caught up in analysis paralysis. This type of leader will continue to gather more and more information — stats, figures, surveys, etc. — that ultimately prolong the decision-making process.” In addition to risk-aversion and analysis paralysis, some managers are afraid to take an unpopular stand or rock the boat. But what they don’t realize is that refusing to make a decision actually is a decision – one that can have very negative consequences for their department’s morale and work product.

Deadlock-Defeating Strategies

If decision-making is difficult for you, try these helpful techniques:

• Develop core priorities, and use those to determine which issues require the most immediate action.
• Ask more questions, instead of worrying that you may come across as not knowing enough. More information can lead to a more comfortable decision.
• Choose a devil’s advocate, and have that person be responsible for always offering a countering viewpoint. Not only will this help you see an issue more clearly, but it can often get a person who loves to challenge authority on board with your plan of action, as they will feel like their objections were heard and taken seriously.
• Set a deadline, and stick to it. Sometimes it takes a while to gather enough information, but don’t let that become an excuse for inaction. Choose a reasonable amount of time, and follow through.

Of course, as Gray notes, “There are certainly times when the timing simply isn’t right to make a good decision.” In cases like this, it’s important to keep your team informed as to why you are holding off on making a commitment, the factors that will influence the course of action, and a definitive time frame for revisiting the issue.

One easy decision for IT managers is to work with Triumph Services when staffing needs arise. Whether you need contract, contract-to-hire or direct placement IT professionals, our technology employment specialists will match the right people with the right job. Contact us today to learn more!

To Disclose or Not?

Most experts advise that you avoid answering salary questions if possible, at least initially. However, if you are filling out an online application, some employers make it a required field. Don’t answer, and your application simply won’t be processed. Paper applications give you more leeway – you can write in a range, the level of the position (i.e. entry, contract, etc.) instead of a number, or even leave it blank. Bear in mind that if you do this, though, your application still might not get past the gatekeeper, even if it is a human instead of a computer.

The most difficult time to face this question is in an interview, as it’s harder to stay calm when you’re facing a person instead of a form. That’s why many experts recommend that you plan your response ahead of time, and rehearse it. If vague phrases such as “I’m flexible” or asking the interviewer what the salary range is don’t work, then you may have to reveal your salary history. What you say, however, depends on whether your salary history is too high or low for the job you want.

If Your Salary History is Too High: There are many reasons why an applicant might accept a salary lower than his or her history indicates is appropriate. A prolonged period of unemployment can decrease salary expectations, as can a desire to change career paths. Employers, however, are often hesitant to hire formerly high-priced employees because they fear that those who “settle for less” will continue their job search, be less engaged in their job, and/or more likely to leave after a short time. Try reassuring the hiring manager with responses such as “I understand that the market has changed” or “This is a new direction for me, so the experience is as valuable as salary.”

If Your Salary History is Too Low: “Employers tend to use your past pay as a gauge of your market value,” says Richard Phillips, a career coach and owner of California-based Advantage Career Solutions. So if your salary history makes you undervalued, you need to shift the focus to what the new position entails and what it should pay, along with the skills you are bringing to the table. Research similar jobs on sites such as Salary.com for ballpark salary figures, and be ready to emphasize your abilities.

Job hunting is tough, but the technology employment experts at Triumph Services can make it easier. For more interview advice, or to learn about the great jobs we currently have available for IT professionals, contact us today.

Big Benefits

The smaller the company, the more critical cross-training can be, since there are fewer people likely to have a similar skill set and the ability to just step in. However, even the largest organizations can reap many benefits, including:

• Stronger Teamwork: Cross-training means that employees end up walking in the shoes of colleagues. This promotes an awareness of everyone’s contributions to the company as a whole, reducing misunderstandings, rivalries and territorial issues between co-workers and departments.
• Improved Productivity: “A ‘hot back-up’ is guaranteed with an effective cross-training program,” explains Dan Carrison, a partner with California-based Semper Fi Consulting. Employees can fill in instantly for a missing colleague, and managers also have much more flexibility to reallocate employees in response to a crisis or shifting workload.
• Increased Revenue: If work stops because someone can’t do a job, so does the flow of revenue. With cross-training, management can reduce costly downtime, resulting in a stronger bottom line.
• Happier Employees and Customers: Studies show that employees are more satisfied at work when they have the opportunity to learn additional skills. And since customer service is often one of the first things that falls through the cracks when there is a sudden absence, cross-training will keep your customers happier, too.

Best Practices

In a perfect world, employees could cross-train each other. However, in most organizations, it’s difficult for people to step away from their daily tasks long enough to properly train someone else. That’s where the savvy use of consultants comes into play. By bringing in well-chosen experts on a short-term basis, you can efficiently and effectively cross-train your staff without interrupting workflow or breaking your budget. This is an especially good approach for IT functions, where knowledge is highly specialized and constantly evolving.

If cross-training sounds like too much too trouble, consider the alternative. Jerry Osteryoung, professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at Florida State University in Tallahassee, reminds managers that, “You cannot avoid engaging in cross-training without leaving your company vulnerable to events beyond your control.”

If you’d like to take better control of your organization through cross-training, turn to the IT staffing experts at Triumph Services today. We have top technical talent with the ability to step in short-term to get the job done – ask us how they can help you!

SQL Basics

The role of SQL is to manipulate data in relational database tables. While the types of data it handles have been extended, and updates made to the standard, SQL has remained the dominant way to exchange and integrate data from a variety of sources.

Rising Demand

Unlike many trends in the IT industry that tend to come and go quickly, SQL has stayed at the top of Computer Weekly’s most sought-after IT skills list year after year. The O’Reilly Radar also reports that while there has been “a popularity fall-off for languages such as C# and .NET [languages], SQL actually improved slightly.” In fact, the demand for SQL skills actually hit an all-time high in March 2012, and at year’s end, there was a 6% increase over 2011 in the demand for those with SQL skills. The explosive growth of mobile is helping keep the demand high, with SQL skills being the 4^th-most popular skill in the mobile marketplace, behind only Java, Android and JavaScript.

Key Jobs and Complementary Skills

So if you have SQL skills, how can you put them to use? According to WANTED Analytics, the top jobs demanding proficiency in SQL include web developers, computer systems analysts, computer software (applications) engineers, computer programmers and database administrators. Additional skills that combine with SQL to make a job-seeker even more valuable include Java, software development, JavaScript, XML, RDBMS, UNIX, .NET and HTML.

SQL skills are wanted all over the world, says Tech Week Europe, which reports that SQL skills are the top demand from IT employers in the UK. If you’d like to put your SQL abilities to work closer to home, consider working with the technical talent specialists at Triumph Services. Based in Richmond, Virginia, Triumph Services maintains a network of clients and jobs that is second to none. Search our available positions today, or contact us to learn more!

1) Hire for skills, not status. If you’re holding out for a big name, you might want to think twice. Not only do superstars come with a higher price tag, but they often bring big egos with them as well. Yes, it can be flattering when a star player is willing to consider your overtures, but don’t necessarily pass up an eager, qualified and less expensive alternative who’s right in front of you for a longer, more expensive pursuit of a “name brand”.

2) Hire for attitude, not exact experience. Experience can be overrated. That’s the opinion of publishing mogul and HR book author Jim Roddy. He says that America’s “biggest hiring mistake” is that “recruiters and hiring managers overemphasize industry experience and immediately dismiss candidates who do not have specific job-related experience.” You can teach candidates industry-specific skills if necessary, but you cannot teach work ethic, humility and loyalty. If an applicant has the skills but not those traits, wise hiring managers will keep looking.

3) Hire for productivity, not pedigree. Many organizations build inflexible, sometimes pretentious requirements into their candidate search. Applicants must have degrees from a prestigious school, or worked only at certain top companies, etc. While these candidates might look great on paper, they can sometimes flop in the real world. While premium education or a big-name former employer is nice, it should not be chosen at the expense of qualified talent with a lesser pedigree – who are often more motivated to prove themselves.

4) Hire a person, not perfection. Recruiters such as Tracie Grant in Denver, CO, are sometimes frustrated by the expectations of hiring managers. “They want the perfect candidate,” she sighs, “when the reality is, there is no perfect candidate.” Organizations that hold out too long for the “perfect candidate” can face high costs in terms of lost productivity and reduced morale of overburdened employees. Yes, it can be costly to make the wrong hire, but sometimes it can be even more costly to make no hire at all.

If you’d like even more great hiring advice, turn to the technology employment specialists at Triumph Services. For more than 15 years, hiring managers have relied on us to handle their IT staffing needs - and we can help you, too. Contact us today!

Risky Business

“Yes, you can be too essential at your job, and you can get pigeonholed at doing one function,” says Angelo Kinicki, professor at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. “Both of these possibilities will limit a person’s career.” It may feel great when everyone at work says, “No one else can do what you do”, but it means that you and you alone are permanently wedded to that task. This can prevent you from taking on new assignments that lead to additional experience, professional growth and promotions. Pigeonholing can be particularly crippling if you have your eye on management some day. According to Stanford labor economist Edward P. Lazear, “People who are most likely to end up in leadership positions are ones who have had many different roles throughout their career.”

Sensible Solutions

If you want change, what are your choices? Experts agree that the first step should be to approach your boss. “I recommend that the essential employee go to their boss with their own plan to address the issue,” says executive coach Elene Camass. “For instance, the essential employee should start by identifying another project in their boss’s area that they’d like to learn more about or help with. For example: 25 percent of the time, the [employee] could work on this new project, 25 percent training someone else on what the [employee] does and 50 percent of the time doing their own essential work.”

If your boss is reluctant, you can point out the reality that if you were to leave, your “essential” work would have to be covered by a new, untrained employee with only 2 weeks’ notice. However, this tactic must be used carefully to avoid being perceived as a threat. Other options include going higher up the chain of command. “If your manager will not do anything to rectify the situation, I suggest talking to your boss’s boss or someone in human resources,” says Kinicki. Be sure to maintain the quality of your work while this dialogue is happening, as a continued strong performance will help your cause – or help you find a new job if you get nowhere with your requests.

Of course, there are times when only a specialist will do – like when you’re searching for the best IT jobs available. With more than 15 years of experience in contract, contract-to-hire and direct placement opportunities, Triumph Services can find the right professional match for you and your career goals. Browse available positions now, or contact us to learn more!