So in 2002, I remember a fairly consistent theme of hiring freezes, followed closely by layoffs, followed closely by more hiring. This not only frustrated, and rightly so, those who worked for the once prominent and loyal employer, but also caused a lot of turmoil in the market. Making once highly sought after employers or the “darlings” of the market – the ones people could no longer trust and were concerned about. This is not happening this time around….this can’t be good news though. Those companies who are freezing hiring and laying off employees don’t (at least yet) seem to be hiring people to backfill the ones they laid off.
On a full time or contract basis – one has to suspect that the positions will be filled again, even if it there is more time between then in years past.
The tide has turned for us and most of our hires are being made on a contract basis as opposed to full time offers being extended. We have heard and most of us have likely read in the trade journals that this is going to be the case for at least the forseeable future.
So the question is, will this pose a problem. My theory is that, yes, it will. There are a couple of problems from a hiring perspective of the jobs being contract only. First of all, there are not enough people who are willing to jump from their full time jobs to the uncertainty of a contract job. Secondly, a majority of the people who are ready to jump for the first thing that comes along – be it contract or otherwise – are typically not the people a company looks to have as their “hired gun”. Therefore, there is no real easy fix to this challenge.
It is certainly our hope that this will come back into alignment soon, but it is definitely the state of things (for us) today.
It is somewhat surprising to even hear this question today, but yet it is still asked – A LOT! Should I go back to school or get some sort of certification while I am looking for a job.
When you have the time and money – get a certification, any kind, in anything (hopefully technology related if you are reading this post), get a degree, yes, even a few credits is better than none, but a degree, AA or otherwise will help.
Though we are a technology recruiting firm, we aren’t so bias to suggest you focus solely on a tech degree or cert, but we are huge advocates of furthering your education for the simple purpose of growing. Honestly, it makes sense to expand your horizons beyond your “core”. When you have the chance, learn a skillset outside the every day role that you currently have – take more of a business or marketing class, learn networking if you are a developer. The old adage of “jack of all trades” is one that we, as recruiters hear a lot when the economy takes a turn for the worse. If you can be a jack of ‘some’ trades and a master of (at least) one….you surely have a leg up on the competition.
The education sector is one that always does well in an economy like this one. People, for the most part, know that they become more valuable to an employer when they pick up some new skill or knowledge. It is also of the utmost importance to stay active while you are conducting your search.
If you are currently employed and your employer offers some form of training or educational reimbursement program – take advantage of it NOW. It is highly likely that if that program is still in the budget, it will be one of the first to get cut when cuts happen – sign up now, while you can.
Not everyone has the luxury, time or money to invest in specialized training when they are looking for a job. If you can find something that does fit, make it happen -always!
What we are seeing today in technology recruiting is, in my opinion, similar to what we saw in 2002. The good news is that we have a chance to get a few things right this time around.
To hiring managers and HR reps — Yes, there are a lot of people looking for jobs, and, yes, those people are willing to negotiate their salaries, but let’s not forget that those who are willing to sell themselves short to land the job will also be the first to leave when another opportunity comes along. You still have a chance to win in this situation though. First, if you are not able to pay fair market value for that person, make an earnest commitment that as things change, so will the pay. If that conversation happens up-front, it can alleviate uncomfortable situations later. If you are able to pay fair market value for that person, but you are still worried that the candidate is a flight risk due to that person “taking the first thing that is offered”, structure your hiring so that you can address that concern upon hiring them. Either hire them as a contract employee so that you can both test the waters or ask the qualifying questions of “what can we do to make this more attractive to you so that we don’t lose you?” If you have ever made a counter-offer to someone leaving your company, it seems even more logical that you could have a proactive conversation of avoiding such a situation in the first place.
If you are an employee being hired or looking for a job — know your value today versus a year ago and be honest about it. If you are in a position to accept less to get your foot in the door, also have the courtesy to be honest when you are being courted for more money elsewhere — oftentimes your managers have flexibility and are willing to make the needed changes as long as they aren’t in a “counter-offer” situation, by that time, it’s typically too late to salvage the relationship anyway, you might as well leave. As recruiters, we have seen many counter-offers made and accepted and then, typically, the employee is back on the market 6 months later. If you, as an employee or person being hired know that you will face challenges working for or with the company hiring you, try to make things clear, without jeopardizing your livelihood about what it would take to keep you there.
One of the most critical aspects of Interviewing is doing your research on the role, the company, the hiring manager and the ‘process’. A mistake we see too often is when a candidate is either sent by an agency or replies to a job on their own and then they either have very little information regarding the roles/responsibilities or simply did not do the proper research to sound astute about what it is they are interviewing for. Clearly a quick way to shoot yourself in the foot is to not research, at minimum, the company you are interviewing with – people like to know that you have a basic understanding of their company and environment.
Phoenix Staff, Inc. 