In Praise of Feedback

We firmly believe that we don’t praise people enough. Yet even the smallest positive remark can be genuinely rewarding and act as a powerful motivator. Everyone likes to know if they are doing a good job, and it’s easy to pass on positive information to deserving workers; you just have to recognize the opportunity and take the time to do it.

Providing frequent, truthful and direct feedback helps people understand how their work is being evaluated and what is expected of them and feedback is a key component in motivating and retaining employees. For companies that employ contractors, this can be difficult since the client manager typically supervises the contractors work. Through our years of IT staffing and recruiting, we have developed a simple yet effective system to recognize and provide feedback on performance while it is still timely.

All of our employees’ weekly time sheets have a “Performance Assessment” section that all client managers complete. Simple, yet it is an extremely powerful tool and an effective vehicle for communicating positive performance quickly and efficiently and also highlighting any issues that may have arisen. This capability provides an excellent vehicle for sharing information among all parties. Collecting the information is only part of the process; the real key is evaluating and disseminating the information in a timely manner. Positive feedback is communicated as quickly as possible, and in the rare event that a corrective action needs to be taken, it can be easily identified and managed accordingly.

Client managers develop a level of comfort with specificity in regards to performance related matters knowing that they have a vehicle to use for communication that will be acted on rather than flowing into a black hole. Contractors appreciate the fact that their performance is being honestly evaluated by the people they work for on a daily basis. Our job as the staffing firm is to facilitate communication, for the most part, good news.

Below are a few client comments we have had the privilege to pass on to our contractors:

• “(contractor) continues doing a super job as we transition to final prototype build. He has helped drive the group in task and completion that has supported successful product demonstration. I personally appreciate his flexibility, positive attitude and adaptability when day to day priorities are modified based on near term needs.

• “(contractor) has really been quick to pick up new tasks and is a real self starter. He finds the resources that he needs to get the job done.”

• “(contractor) has excellent customer service skills. He has been the fastest person I have ever seen come up to speed in our very complex environment.”

In these instances we make sure the contractor receives the accolades and feels appreciated. In the few instances where client managers have identified areas of concern, which may have not been communicated otherwise, we address those areas specifically with our consultants to ensure improvement. This has played an important role in The InSource Group maintaining its extremely high level of client satisfaction.

A simple concept enabled by a repeatable process has given us the opportunity to give praise where praise is due. Now that is genuinely rewarding.

Brett Schaefer& Mark Stevenson

Sales Managers

The InSource Group

www.insourcegroup.com

Team Building and the Art of Whirlyball

What happens when you throw a group of seriously competitive, energetic and strong-willed people who work together into a completely different situation; one that involves bumper cars and whiffle balls? Lots of trash-talking, future visits to the chiropractor and a rollicking good time.

Our industry, IT recruiting, is fast-paced, competitive and often requires a high degree of diplomacy. Seeing our staff all compete in a no-holds-barred competition was not just fun, but educational. Each and every team worked hard together and played in a manner that would make any World Cup coach proud. We’re a highly competitive bunch, but this can also result in conflict. As issues arose in the games they were resolved quickly, effectively and amiably. This, in turn, brought about a greater focus on winning. Hmmm…could this somehow translate into a workplace lesson?
Playing Whirlyball gave us the opportunity to let loose, have fun and not worry about our actions impacting our business. In return, everyone gained new insight into those around them. While playing, we all let off a lot of steam and came out of the event happy, sweaty, relaxed and with some great stories to tell.

While such training as the Meyer’s Briggs personality testing is worthwhile, it was good to mix in something completely offbeat. I gathered a great deal of understanding about how a lot of my coworkers deal with things without the strictures of a professional environment. Such fun and educational experiences should be a regular part of any company’s training regimen.

Next time, I’m shooting more and driving into fewer walls!

Jeff Weadock
Information Technology
The InSource Group
www.insourcegroup.com

So, You Want to Hire an “A” Player?

During meetings with our clients, managers often tell us, “We only want to hire an “A” player”.

What does that really mean? And are companies and management really prepared to handle the total package of responsibilities that go hand in hand with hiring a true “A” player? Every company needs its share of “A” players, but frankly not every position can handle the challenges and demands of an “A” player. These employees have greater expectations including:

• Higher Compensation: Not just at the point of initial hire, but also throughout their tenure of employment. They expect larger compensation increases and they will most likely command those increases in order to retain them long term.

• More Responsibility: Be prepared to fast track their careers or lose them to competitors who also vie for their talents. They want responsibility and expect a quick path to get it.

• Higher Work Standards: They expect more of their immediate superiors and expect to be managed differently. The “one size fits all” approach is a recipe for disaster with them. They also expect high performance standards from their co-workers and seldom settle for less. This can make exceptional employees more challenging to work with.

As an IT recruiting company, we have found that there is an additional aspect of attracting and hiring good employees that is almost universally over looked; you have to court and interview them differently than the rest of the talent pool. If you really need and want to hire that “A” player, then you need to show it. These candidates expect to be “sold” on why a particular job or company is a good move for their career. Typically, “A” players interview very well. As a suitor for their talents, you need to do a better job than they do.

If you put them through a poorly thought out interview process or just run them through your standard interview process, don’t be surprised if they are not overly interested in your opportunity. “A” players have options, regardless of the state of any economy. Sometimes more options, sometimes less; but they always have more options than others and will not hesitate to exercise them.

One of our recent experiences during an SVP search illustrates the need to treat “A” players differently. Our client’s first choice had an existing offer, and had to respond to that offer soon. The candidate had just started a typically lengthy interview process with our client. Our client recognized the need to speed up the process, but without sacrificing thoroughness. They rearranged their president’s schedule and included many senior level executives in the interview process on a compressed timeline. The final decision has yet to be made, but this is an example of changes that may need to be made to accommodate the legitimate needs of top talent.

It is critical to fully understand the responsibilities of managing and challenging “A” players to retain them over the long term. Be prepared to clearly illustrate the benefits of joining your firm, both in terms of career opportunities as well as the impact on the social fabric of your organization. “A” players like to associate with “A” players. During the interview process, involve some of your top performing employees even if they are not in the same department or at the same job level. This lends credibility to your claim of being able to attract, challenge, and keep top talent.

Wayne Rampey
Vice President
The InSource Group
http://www.insourcegroup.com/

Dress Codes Don’t Take a Vacation

At the last company I worked for, the receptionist’s official title was “Director of First Impressions.” Well, I recently visited an insurance services company, where a young, attractive woman, dressed in a hot pink, terry-cloth sundress, greeted me. As she walked away from the receptionist area, I further noticed she was wearing very cute and fancy flip-flops. Although she looked quite lovely (for a day at the beach), I thought, “Really? This is the 'first impression' this company wants to present?”

Unfortunately, this insurance company is not alone. It’s almost universal that as the summer temperatures rise, the adherence to a company’s dress code policy drops! Workers adopt a "vacation view" of dress codes. Females, especially, start to wear less; we see more cleavage, more leg, and less in foot coverage. We see everything from spaghetti-straps and halter-tops, to mini, mini-skirts and flip-flops. True, styles change with every season change, however, I believe, when conducting business, it is very important to exude professionalism always, and these clothing items fail to do that.

The majority of companies now practice the “business casual” dress code policy, which can leave much to self-interpretation, if not outlined with specifics. Employees must realize that all “casual” clothing is not suitable in the workplace. Clothing that you would wear on the beach, in a nightclub or for exercising and yard-work is not professional or appropriate in the workplace. Clothing that reveals the chest, cleavage, back, stomach or underwear is also inappropriate. These items can actually be distracting and/or offensive to co-workers, clients and customers.

To remain professional, wear a jacket or sweater to cover low-cut blouses and spaghetti-straps. If you are the slightest bit concerned about the length of your skirt or split in your skirt, you probably should not wear it work. And those strappy sandals with the 5-inch spiked heels, that looked “hot” at the club Saturday night, are probably not professional in the office; and neither are the fancy flip-flops, even though you paid nearly $100 bucks for them.

When the temperatures heat up, don’t let your clothing style “heat up.” Remain professional and present strength and stability when representing your company in front of your clients, customers and even co-workers. Be cognizant of your company dress code policy and abide by it, even when the temperatures rise above 90 degrees. And save the flip-flops, no matter how fancy or expensive, for the mall or the beach.

Lisa Pettigrew
Human Resource Manager
The InSource Group
www.insourcegroup.com

Current DFW IT Job Market

In 2009, most of the country experienced layoffs and a depressed job market. Fortunately for those of us in Texas, and in particular the IT job market, we were one of the least affected nationwide.

In the winter of 2009, the economy started showing signs of recovery and, as a DFW IT recruiting company, our hopes were high that 2010 was going to be a much better year. Several of our clients told us in annual client reviews that they expected to begin hiring again and restart project plans that were put on hold, but the vast majority told us they were still concerned about the economy and were in a “wait and see” mode. We expected an anemic recovery with slow growth, but we were cautiously optimistic for 2010.

What have we seen this year?

The Federal Reserve’s June 9th Beige Book report for the Eleventh District (Dallas) stated, “Business conditions continued to improve,” and, “Employment levels held steady (with) reports of hiring activity.” Reports from staffing industry contacts indicate, “…demand remains strong and widespread across sectors. Orders are mostly for contract work but assignments are becoming longer in length and temp-to-hire placements continue to pick up pace.”

What we have experienced in the first half of 2010, as a staffing agency, is in line with this report. We have had a significant increase in activity with more open job requests than during the same time frame in 2009. Job offers to our candidates have gone up, several of our candidates are receiving multiple offers, and job offers are coming more quickly. In one case, a software developer was hired sight unseen and without an interview by one of our clients. He was only on the market for 3 hours!

What does this tell us?

The IT job market in North Texas is definitely becoming more active as regional economic activity improves. Companies are gradually spending and hiring again, indicating an optimistic outlook. Competition for candidates is increasing, making securing top candidates more challenging.

What does this mean to our clients?

Despite a 9.7% unemployment rate, securing the “A+” candidates still requires companies to do all the right things to streamline the hiring process and make their open positions as attractive as possible. Smart hiring managers shouldn’t hesitate in reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews, and making hiring decisions. Besides a competitive salary, hiring managers need to ensure their companies offer stimulating jobs and positive work environments. They also need to have a formidable benefits package that includes health care and a 401K. With business improving, companies can’t afford to keep critical projects on hold and expect to remain competitive.

Brett Schaefer & Mark Stevenson
Sales Managers
The InSource Group
http://www.insourcegroup.com/

Common Hiring Mistakes

As an IT staffing agency, we see a lot of the “best” and “worst” hiring practices in the industry. Below are some mistakes we have seen that can be easily avoided:

Overlooking the Over Qualified

Employers shy away from over qualified candidates for fear that they will be gone as soon as another, higher-paying position comes along. Though this does happen, it doesn’t happen as frequently as one might expect. In this job market, there is a lot to be said for non-monetary benefits a company has to offer. If an employee feels valued in a secure position, or if they have a positive work environment that offers room for professional growth, they are not as likely to leave just because they can earn a little more money elsewhere. With the amount of cutbacks companies are doing, there is an unprecedented glut of talent in the market. Hiring managers should not filter out candidates just because they seem to be over-qualified for the position.

Having Human Resources Do the Recruiting

Even the most talented human resources representative is not going to have the depth of knowledge required to fill a job in a technical department. He or she can read a job description without fully understanding what is needed in the job. A lack of ability on the part of HR is only part of the problem. Forcing a technical candidate to walk through bureaucracy might deter them from pursuing the position further.

Letting Crisis Control the Job Description

Managers often face a hiring situation as the result of a project crisis. They need to get someone with a specific skill set to help them immediately. These circumstances tend to generate very specific job descriptions that are harder to fill. Often, someone with strong fundamental problem solving abilities can learn the needed skill and be a better long term employee. By hiring purely based on a specific skill set, managers can end up with a candidate that doesn’t have the broader capabilities that would allow them to adapt to future project needs.

Relying Too Much on “Gut” Feel

One of the worst mistakes is writing off a candidate too quickly. Managers will make up their mind about a candidate in the first part of the interview, and then spend the rest of the interview looking for something to support their feelings. Most people think they are pretty good at conducting interviews, but by and large, they have not had the proper training or experience in selecting the right people. Relying on this “gut” feel short changes the company and the candidate, when it is not backed by solid interviewing skills and techniques.

(From Dallas IT recruiters at the InSource Group.)

The Brain Drain From Texas

On the surface, it might sound contradictory. Almost everyone agrees Texas
was the place to be during the recent financial market turmoil. Businesses in
Texas fared much better than almost every other state. There are many reasons
for this, most of which were established years if not decades ago. But will
that favored status continue to last?

Dr. David Daniel, President of UTD gave an interesting and important presentation
to the Metroplex Technology Business Council luncheon on June 4th. Dr. Daniel
emphasized why it is critically important several Texas Universities achieve
Tier One Research University status.

From my viewpoint, I think you should really call it the "brain drain
from Texas". The positive economic impact great research universities have
on local economies can be staggering. Without it, Texas and DFW will struggle
in this highly competitive race for talent.

Consider the following as detailed by Dr. Daniel:

• DFW is the only one of the top 10 most economically productive cities
in the U.S. without a major academic research university.

• Texas exports a net total of 7,800+ top high school students per year
to doctorial granting universities. We give our best and brightest up to universities
in other states. In 2010, of the three valedictorians from the Plano high schools,
two are going to Harvard the other to MIT. The valedictorian from Pierce High
School is going to Stanford.

• Texas has 8% of the U.S. population, yet we receive only 5% Federal R&D
funds (about $3 billion / year), and about 5% of U.S. based venture capital
investments. If we just received our population based share, that would increase
by another $3.7 billion / year. By the way, V.C. started companies generate
over 18% of all U.S. business revenues.

• Consider MIT's economic impact. In 1994, Bank Boston estimated MIT alumni
founded more than 4,000 companies that employed 1.1 million people and had annual
gross revenues of $232 billion. In 2005, the entire DFW Metroplex (which produces
one-third of the state's economic output) had a gross domestic product of $285
billion. Stated differently, one world class university can have an economic
impact equal to one of America's largest cities.

• I could keep going.

So what's a state to do? Texas is making some progress.

We passed Proposition Four in 2009. That provided $500 million of matching
state funds to be used by 7 Texas Universities towards R&D activities. But
more must be done at the local community and private donation level.

Below are two links with information presented to the State of Texas by Dr.
David Daniel, President of UTD regarding pursuit of tier one research university
status. I encourage you to read these. Both written in 2008, they are a great
blueprint for the focus and progress being made.

http://www.utdallas.edu/president/documents/executive-summary.pdf

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/commit/c535/20080723/David_Daniel_Tier_One_Universities_Report.pdf

Posted by Wayne Rampey, Vice President, The InSource Group