CNN.com

Crowning careers

IT workers still rule

December 26, 2000

By Larry Keller CNN.com/career Senior Writer

(CNN) -- Hardly a week goes by when you don''''''''t read about a dot-com going under, or at least eliminating a chunk of its work force in a bid for tenuous survival. Surely as we move into the new year, bad days lie ahead for information technology workers, right?

Well, no.

"The amount of people being laid off still doesn''''''''t match the massive gap in IT unemployment," says Tom Ferrara, president and CEO of New York''''''''s CareerEngine.com, which builds, hosts and maintains customized career centers for client Web sites. CareerEngine divides the IT universe into categories in an effort to conquer the job-search and recruiting market.

There are about 400,000 IT jobs that went unfilled in 2000, and most analysts expect little change in supply or demand in 2001, Ferrara says.

"What''''''''s happening now is the second wave," Ferrara says.

"In the first wave you had pure Internet companies. Now you''''''''re getting a lot of the brick-and-mortar companies coming to the Internet. They want to protect their revenues, protect their margins. They''''''''ve been traditionally outsourcing this work, but because some of it is becoming part of the vital infrastructure of these old-world companies, they want to have it internal."

Dot-com demand
It can be argued that Ferrara has to hope the IT job market stays hot -- to keep his CareerEngine running. But he''''''''s hardly alone in his assessment about IT jobs.

A survey released in April by the Information Technology Association of America concluded there would be an estimated shortfall of 843,328 skilled workers in the IT industry during the 12 months to follow. The jobs most in demand: technical support representatives, database developers and administrators and programmers, according to the association.

And earlier this month, James Treacy, COO of TMP Worldwide -- which operates the job-hunting Web site Monster.com -- estimated that one in 12 IT jobs are open worldwide. There are nearly 20,000 open dot-com jobs posted at Monster.com, he estimates.

And with their talents in such high demand, workers with tech skills will continue to command good salaries. An application developer fresh out of college -- even with no college -- might start at a base pay of $35,000 and be making $60,000 within a year if he or she turns in good work, Ferrara says.

But, he cautions, don''''''''t expect to continue seeing excesses in pay and perks. "It will be a good year, but I think what you''''''''ll see is an end to some of the ridiculous perks of the past few years," Ferrara says.

"That''''''''s starting to weed out a little bit. Especially in the Internet world, they''''''''re starting to focus on becoming profitable, and those" -- high IT salaries -- "are some of the first things they''''''''re shaving.

"Whereas the jobs may be protected, the perks are not. You''''''''re not going to get as many raises, as many bonuses. You won''''''''t have gobs and gobs of money being thrown around."

That said, salaries have dramatically increased for tech workers in the past five years, Ferrara says.

"What also happened is a lot of bad people were hired simply to fill the positions. Some of them will be weeded out and there will be more pressure on some of the senior producers and s enior developers to perform better."

There may also be a trend among IT companies in the coming year to be less generous in allowing techies to telecommute, Ferrara says.

"They actually want to verify what people are working on. If workers are at home, they miss out on the team-building, the quick grab-you-for-a-second meeting.

"More important, a lot of people ask -- especially for production workers like developers and in graphics -- how do you effectively monitor the project and see when somebody is done with it so that you can give them another one?"

Training deals
The training required for these technical jobs varies.

"It really depends on the position and the potential," Ferrara says. "Usually for management positions, they''''''''d look for an undergraduate degree. However, for other strong positions with salaries of upward of $80-grand, they don''''''''t care as long as you have the working experience and can show them what you''''''''ve done."

There are numerous technical schools that offer certification in computer technology. And some IT companies including Microsoft, offer this training in-house. So too does Ferrara''''''''s firm, with the caveat that an employee must refund the cost of that training if he or she leaves within a year. That can be as much as $10,000 to $12,000, he says.

"It''''''''s always good to have a paper of certification that you''''''''ve taken the courses," he says. "But I used to run an IT consulting firm and I''''''''ve seen so many paper (certifications) that couldn''''''''t hold a candle to somebody who didn''''''''t have a certification doing it for three years.

It''''''''s real-world experience and the ability to learn and the ability to want to learn that counts."

Hitting ''''''''Shift''''''''
With good salaries and plenty of opportunities, some workers are getting the training they need for a mid-career switch to an IT job.

"We have Web editors who want to take classes in HTML or Java," Ferrara says. "We have sales people who are trying to learn that stuff, and they range in age from 26 to 45."

A recent survey conducted by New Horizons Computer Learning Centers found that about half the company''''''''s computer training students were taking certification training courses in the hope of making a career change into the IT field. Three-fourths of these students were working outside the IT industry, according to the survey.

The New Horizons survey of its students also found that most were men, between the ages of 30 and 49. And the survey found that women were more likely to be taking computer training to get a better job with their current employer, while men were more apt to do so to obtain a better position with a new company.

We''''''''ve seen some very successful people who have made mid-career changes into the IT realm," Ferrara says.

"Sometimes part of the problem is that a lot of the traditional straight-out-of-school IT people you see are young and aggressive, but they aren''''''''t seasoned. They aren''''''''t really mature. So they''''''''re the ones you risk losing a lot more than a 40-year-old."

ITRecruiterMag.com

Strike boomerang gold

by Rima Assaker

May - Jun 2000

After eight and a half years working full-time as a sales representative for e-business integrator Broadreach Consulting, Ellen Benzine left her job to have a baby in May. She planned on staying out of the workplace. But three months later, Benzine was willingly yanked back to work for the Raleigh, N.C.-based company.

But not as a sales rep. Thanks to a creative recruiting manager, Benzine was offered a job to come back as a part-time technical recruiter. The job fit in perfectly with Benzine''''''''s new life as a mom. Broadreach needed another person in tech recruiting, but didn''''''''t quite need a full-timer. The deal was struck; papers were signed; everyone was happy.

When I left, the discussion was, Would you consider coming back to us?''''''''" says Benzine. I said absolutely I would." That''''''''s when Faith Bliga, recruiting director at Broadreach, decided she wanted Benzine back on the job.

I stayed in touch with her and continued the dialogue," says Bliga. I had lunch with her and eventually asked her to come back." Bliga offered her different hours and proposed the new position.

The offer was perfect for Benzine. The management team knew I wanted to work part time, so we put our heads together to figure out what would meet our goals. That''''''''s when the technical recruiting opportunity came up."

I''''''''ve personally rehired 15 boomerang employees," says Bliga. The company employs about 550 IT associates  many are boomerang employees like Benzine. And Broadreach''''''''s 1999 turnover rate was only 13 percent  not bad in an arena that suffers from more turnover than most other industries.

Why the replay? There are many good reasons to rehire a boomerang  an employee who just gave his notice, recently left the company, or used to work there in the past.

The learning curve usually shrinks because they''''''''ve been through it before," says Tom Ferrara, president and CEO of CareerEngine in New York City. They''''''''ve already been trained, so you don''''''''t have that cost, and the person can come right back in and start producing or billing." Not only do boomerangs need less time to learn, they also let companies skip the new guy waiting period. Joel Wilkinson, vice president of career technologies at CareerExperience.com in New York City, recently hired back an employee who used to work on the company''''''''s online distance education program.

It was easy because we''''''''d had a good relationship before," says Wilkinson. And she had the skills required for the position. She was also very committed and willing to take on anything we threw at her. I felt quite good about this person in the past, so it worked out very well."

Pre-existing trust is a valued area in all workplaces. So when boomerangs arrive with that already under their belts, hiring them back becomes even more attractive. When you hire a new person, it takes time to trust each other and understand where this person is coming from. It also allows the person to move to high responsibility positions faster," says Wilkinson.

Still more areas are positively affected by bringing back boomerangs. Loyal customers like to deal with associates who have come back," says Broadreach''''''''s Bliga, if they''''''''ve had a former positive relationship with the client."

The boomerang initiative
But to lure back a boomerang  especially an IT boomerang  technical recruiters have to have a plan& however subtle it may be.

It''''''''s important to always have an ongoing relationship with the really sharp people in the industry," says Bliga. We encourage all our recruiters to continue a dialogue. You never know when they may become disenchanted with an employer." She also recommends keeping former employees up to date on new company programs and employee perks.

David Prince, a boomerang recruited back by Bliga''''''''s team at Broadreach, recommends that tech workers  along with tech recruiters  continue friendly relationships with former employers. You should keep in touch and let them know how you''''''''re doing," says the company''''''''s manager of application development. It''''''''s nothing personal when you leave. You''''''''re doing this to grow and make yourself a better person."

Quitter''''''''s remorse
At CareerEngine, Ferrara and his staff take staying in touch to a higher level. The company treats former employees like alumni at college," he says. CareerEngine has made a recruiting practice out of keeping in touch: It has created e-mail lists using former employees'''''''' online addresses. Using this tool, CareerEngine sends former workers quarterly updates to keep them informed about the company''''''''s latest accomplishments.

Ferrara and his recruiters also take advantage of quitter''''''''s remorse. It''''''''s like if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend you dated a long time and you''''''''re dying to get out. When you finally break up with the person, three or four months later you think you were crazy to have done it," he says. Sometimes when they think the grass is greener, they''''''''re wrong."

Broadreach''''''''s Prince, who returned to the company 15 months after leaving his job to gain more supervisory experience, had also continued lunching with his former supervisor. His quitter''''''''s remorse set in when he heard about all the positive changes going on at Broadreach.

Famous last words
Crafty tech recruiters and IT managers also use exit interviews to gain added insight about how exiting employees view their companies. [During the exit interview], we talk about maintaining a positive, ongoing relationship with our associates. We encourage them to continue to refer other employees for employment, and feel they sometimes will become our customers or business partners because they trust us," says Bliga.

CareerEngine''''''''s Ferrara goes one step further, conducting a delayed" exit interview. Let''''''''s say somebody left and it''''''''s a little hazy and cloudy as to why," he says. We follow up three to six months later by calling to see how they''''''''re doing. We ask them what they liked or disliked about the job and why they left. Sometimes, when they''''''''re not out the door yet, they won''''''''t be as honest or relaxed. But when somebody''''''''s more comfortable in a new position, they will give you that feedback."

Put yourself on the market Now that we''''''''ve put together a plan for the recruiter, how about the recruitee? There are a number of ways to market yourself back into a company. I sold myself with the fact that I''''''''d been in the industry, I knew the history of the company, and during my eight and a half years with Broadreach, I had done a variety of things," says Benzine. I recruited, did staffing, sold projects, and I was able to transfer that knowledge to a recruiting situation."

Prince, who also was hired back to Broadreach, says, It''''''''s important when you leave not to burn any bridges," he says. You have to maintain a positive relationship with everyone in the office. You have to make sure you''''''''ve tied up any loose ends and given plenty of notice. That you don''''''''t leave any projects in the lurch and have no outstanding deliverables."

ITRecruiterMag.com

Techies want tools instead of tap dancing lessons

by Stefan Dubowski

Nov 08, 2000

Joseph Ariola''''s resume seems impressive. On this document the programmer boasts experience in C++, Visual Basic, Novell Netware and HTML.

Hailing from Syracuse, N.Y. Ariola says he seeks an understanding employer, flexible hours and a sustainable balance between his home life and work.

Note: Ariola makes no mention of leather couches, big screen TV sets, foozball or ping-pong tables in the office.

"I think people want things that are tangible, that help with everyday existence," Ariola said during a telephone interview. "A cell phone, an extra laptop - time." .

Ariola isn''''t alone. On Oct. 31 Techies.com, an online meeting place for Web programmers, network specialists et cetera, released its survey, "what fringe benefits do techies really want?"

Games were one of the least popular perks, according to the 987 full-time tech employees surveyed. In fact, technology types seek few of the clichéd dot-com workplace accoutrements, Techies.com discovered.

"Technologists have a reputation for wanting very frivolous things," said Cynthia Morgan, Techies.com''''s content manager. "What they really want are tools to do their jobs."

At the top of the list you''''ll find discounted, free home PCs and equipment (36 per cent) and discounted or free Internet access (21 per cent).

Games came last, garnering one per cent of the vote.

It comes as no surprise to Ariola.

"Myself and people I network with are interested in employers that let us be ourselves," he said. "We''''re not necessarily nine-to-five people. We tend to be creative."

But not so long ago, couches, games and parties seemed to be must-haves for technology employees. How did these perks fall out of favour so quickly?

Tom Ferrara was the CEO of CareerEngine Inc., a career Web site application service provider. Ferrara figures techies'''' tastes migrate as quickly as the industry. That''''s Internet speed.

Besides, he said, "Dot-coms are trying to prove that they''''re serious, that they''''re not willing to spend money on frivolous things," he said.

But notebooks and Internet hook-ups don''''t count as "frivolous things" to technology workers, if Morgan and her team are correct. And Ferrara understands why techies would like to have them - to a point.

"If you think about it, these are technical employees... They probably already have those tools at home. It''''s hard to find a technical person who doesn''''t surf the Internet everyday. It''''s hard to find one that doesn''''t have a cell phone. Some of them have two."

Still, Ferrara notes, employers run the risk of ruining retention and attraction among the digerati if they completely ignore what techies want.

But if techies want to use their employer-paid-for toys to telecommute, they might be out of luck. In August CareerEngine surveyed employers across the U.S. Most of the respondents said they did not plan to add more telecommuters to their rosters. "Some (employers) still wonder how you measure whether or not you''''re getting a full day''''s work out of a person," Ferrara said. Meetings prove difficult. Teamwork is a write-off. "You don''''t get that face-to-face interaction. You don''''t get the emotions." And telecommuters could pose a social nightmare among staffers. If new employees can connect to the office via phone and Internet, why can''''t current cubicle gnomes do the same? "What it comes down to is securing processes," Ferrara said. Morgan agreed. "It''''s something you have to do differently," she said. "You can''''t just send people home and expect them to work." Oddly, Techies.com''''s survey respondents didn''''t care for telecommuting. In fact, this perk ranked at one per cent, the same as games and recreational facilities. Although the respondents were mostly American, here they display a truly Canadian trait: telecommuting if necessary, but not necessarily telecommuting. Given a nasty snowstorm, Morgan suggests, employees should be able to work at home. Ferrara said one CareerEngine employee who is weeks away from giving birth stays abreast of company business and contributes to the workplace, all from the (relative) comfort of her pad. Nora Spinks says employees demand balance between work and life these days. Spinks is the president of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises, a Toronto-based research and consulting firm. "I think the pace we''''re working at today makes it necessary to have some counterbalance in our lives," she said. "To be more grounded." "Fifteen years ago people saw it as a nice, laudable goal, but not an essential element for health and well-being and career goals." Spinks said employees can''''t solve problems well when work and life are out of whack. Stress brings on physical illness and injuries. Social networks collapse and the employee''''s mental health suffers, too. "We''''ve gone from seeing work as a series of project-based sprints to seeing it as an ongoing triathlon... It begins to cost us." Spinks is no fan of foozball for its implications. She worries that games, nap rooms and indoor beaches under sunlamps are designed to keep employees in the office 24/7. After all, why go home when everything you need is but an elevator ride away? But she''''s not down on games per se. Foozball, ping-pong and pinball help break workday monotony. But for some employees, games act as further incentive to stay in the race. Ferrara, on the other hand, said he has only seen one company with a foozball table. Morgan said Techies.com has a games room. She has only entered it once in the last seven months. Sadly, Morgan said, respondents to Techies.com''''s survey often said they wanted better healthcare plans. Tech-heads also said they appreciated spa and health club memberships (21 per cent), company cars (17 per cent), free vacations (17 per cent) and sabbaticals (12 per cent). Less popular were Friday afternoon parties (four per cent), office swimming pools (two per cent) and free hair cuts (one per cent). "One really hard hitting comment was from one guy who said, ''''I''''d like more money so I can get the perks you''''re talking about,''''" Morgan said. For Ariola, the computer programmer seeking employment, it''''s very simple. Eventually, everyone needs time away from the office - even if it doesn''''t mean time away from work. "I''''ve... found a lot of people who are into the job and career thing. But just as many are interested in quality of life."