Posts Tagged ‘IT Workforce’

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How to Work with an Executive Recruiter

January 13th, 2012

Many people in today’s workforce think they know what an executive recruiter is or how to go about attaining a position through such a person. However, there are many misconceptions when it comes to this particular field. Derek Wilkinson, Managing Director at Boyden Global Executive Search, gave a presentation at our last Sr. Executive Meeting that he referred to as “A Candidate’s Guide to Working Successfully with Recruiters.” He spoke about t a recruiter’s dilemma, where the job market is heading, and what individuals can do separate themselves from the pack. Members can download the full report here: IMF Published Reports.

Here is a brief excerpt from the report that points out the importance of a candidate understanding exactly what a recruiter does…

“It is important to understand what an executive recruiter does and does not do because that will help the candidate out immensely. They DO NOT help people find jobs. There are search people out there who will help their friends or install someone in a job. It does happen. Recruiting is not a regulated industry so a lot of “stuff” happens. On the whole though, someone in the executive search field is out there trying to identify opportunities with their potential clients so they will pay They are there to filter out candidates throughout the process, like a funnel. If an executive search person is not working on something that specifically fits your skills there is a good chance they are not going to be able to help you. If you call them at that point that is ok but keep in mind they probably will not return that call every time. Executive search individuals are very introverted by nature because it is perceived they have the “goods.” In other words, you only want to talk to them because they have the jobs. The equation is not that easy. Again, as a candidate, understand what that recruiter does and seek to understand their role. If you start to build a relationship with a search person and you do not understand something about how they operate then ask a question. They will share that information with you, they to just typically do not offer it up very easily.“

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Posted in IT Workforce, Member Identified Trends, Strategy

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Young IT Professionals Making Their Own Rules

December 14th, 2011

As a young professional myself, I find the results of Cisco’s study on Generation Y’s view on IT policies interesting. I’m sure they may cause CIO’s and IT Managers to do a double-take as well. Seven out of ten employees admitted to breaking IT policies with varying regularity. They say their company’s social media policies are outdated. Why are they breaking those polices? Here are a few of the answers:

-          22% cite the need to access unauthorized programs and apps just to get their job done

-          18% admitted the policies are not enforced

-          18% don’t have the time to think about policies when they are working

-          16% said it’s not convenient

-          15% forget

-          14% do it when their bosses aren’t watching them

Now clearly young professionals should be responsible and abide by the rules. However, I think the problem here lies more at the other end of the spectrum, with management. Outdated policies, lack of enforcement, and probably inadequate education on the rules seem to be the major contributors. I don’t think we need babysitters by any means but you have to have some kind of watch dog in place for enforcement purposes. Young people will push the boundaries for better or worse. In their eyes they there trying to be more efficient and there is no malicious intent. If you do not set standards they have no problem setting their own standard and riding that until someone says “no.”

Outdated policies are never a good thing but that is easy to understand because of IT’s rapidly changing landscape. Policies need to be reviewed on a regular basis. If you do not want these young professionals breaking the rules, perhaps give them some input in terms of what to include in the policy. Collaborate and make compromises to cut down on these issues. This also helps the 22% that said they need access to unauthorized programs and apps just to get their job done. I’m sure there are some sites they think they need access to but in truth they are not really necessary. On the other hand, how are they supposed to complete their work in a satisfactory manner if they do not have the proper tools at their disposal? Go ahead and give them the tools they need within reason and you will start to see these numbers drop.

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Posted in IT Executive Management, IT Security, IT Workforce, News, Strategy

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Does Your Compnay Need Help with Innovation

September 30th, 2011

With our Fall Senior Executive Roundtable coming up in a couple of days at the InterContinental Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore, let’s flash back to our last Forum this past June. There Hans Eckman, a VP and Enterprise Business Analyst for SunTrust Bank, gave a presentation to the group on establishing an Enterprise Architecture Innovations Team within their own organizations. The Innovations Team at SunTrust has been a successful venture thus far and Hans discussed why the team was formed, how it was formed, how it functions, his involvement, and some challenges and successes to date.

We published a report based on Hans’ presentation and here is a little bit about “what the Innovations Team is not:”

“When trying to define this group of individuals, it is just as important to determine what the team is not. People may see the Innovations Team as a go-to group for anything so you have to lay this out carefully. The most frequent requests they receive at SunTrust are staff/project team augmentation and unfunded projects. When someone does not have the budget or resources, they may try to push it on the Innovation Team. The rationale behind that thought is the Innovation Team can develop it as a proof of concept and then the individual can push it into production. As a result, the team does not accept these requests. Also, they do not handle production support. If someone needs that kind of support, it is recommended they either go to that particular team or stand up the resources to solve the issue. The Innovations Team does not approve software or new technologies. There is a governance group that performs those reviews and processes. The team may introduce new technologies but they must be submitted to that same review and approval team like everyone else. Finally, this group is not a crisis resolution team. Some may tend to think if there is an emergency that cannot be resolved then just dump it on the Innovations Team. That, however, is not the case. These rules and limits really serve to protect the team more than anything else…”

To read more about the Innovations Team and some of Hans’ thoughts on the matter, download the report: Enterprise Architecture Innovations Team.

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Posted in IT Innovation, IT Workforce, Member Identified Trends

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