• Sport – it is very competitive.
• Art – there are as many different styles as there are people.
•   Craft – you have to do it to get it done.
• Often neglected – some just don’t care about the means.

The title of this article is not to imply that corporate HR professionals have had a crisis thrown onto them, but rather that some, or many, have consciously made decisions to operate in such a way to ensure chaos and confusion and inefficiency in their workings.

Recently Mark Sheldon of Dallas shared about his experience in dealing with a recruiter who sources for several airlines, and in this case, Southwest Air…

  Long story short, I have been submitted to Southwest Airlines for various BA and PM positions over the past 8 years.  Sometimes through small independents, as well as big agencies such as K-Force.  I have even been selected for interview a time or two.  But invariably, the result is always the same: “The client has not provided any feedback, but since they have closed the position, we conclude that they have filled it.”  And my responding thoughts are always the same: “What did they think of me?  What did they feel were my strengths, my weaknesses?  Am I blacklisted for some reason unbeknownst to me from years ago?”

The recruiter I dealt with most recently told me that SWA does not give feedback about any candidates, ever – unless they request an interview – and then that itself is the feedback.

OK, fine, whatever.  So far, I have continued to respond to recruiters’ requests to submit me as a candidate.  But, that might change as Southwest continues to disrespect me and my valuable time.

This latest go-round I was submitted for the position that was titled “Analyst”.  The recruiter read it to me, and we both agreed that it was a “Business Analyst” position.  Days later he called back and said that SWA had responded to all the submitting recruiters about the position and instructed them to withdraw any and all candidates who were Business Analysts.  “It is a Quality Analyst and not a BA position” they said. The recruiter explained to me that it was the hiring manager who issued the req.

Frankly, I don’t care whether it was the hiring manager or the HR Catbert who issued the requisition.  The result is the same; their process is “messed up”, to put it nicely.

As a consultant (that is, an ever-jobseeking professional), I can empathize with Sheldon.  In my own case, the State Of Texas is the bane of my recruitment.  The independent recruiters are required to submit about 4 pages of paperwork for each candidate for every req.   Though the paperwork is basically the same each time, the titles and particulars are unique for each req.  So, you can just send in the same one you sent last time.  You have to take time and fill it out every time.

Post from: Internet Jobs

HR Departments Operating In Emergency Mode

The particulars include the standard hourly rate, weekly hours cap if any, and how overtime work shall be billed (whether time and a half, straight time, etc…).  And the type of relationship carries with it implications for obligation and taxation.  W2 means that the worker is an employee, and that the employer is required to pay employment taxes on that person.  Whereas 1099 means that the worker is an independent contractor, and merely provides a service in exchange for the agreed-upon pay schema.

Many companies using consultants these days will opt for a 1099 type of relationship because it allows them greater flexibility in their staffing – they can “hire” and fire much more quickly and easily.  Also, it eliminates tons of paperwork and tax responsibilities.  (An experienced consultant will consider the ~8.2% tax implication into their rate).

Independent contractors do not receive any benefits, and therefore the integrator does not have to worry about the associated cost, time, expense, or overhead.  No vacation time, no holiday pay, no health/dental/vision insurance, no supplemental life insurance, no 401k or matching funds, no company stock for employees.  No employment anniversary, no EEOC reporting, no employee performance reviews.  No workforce relocation/distribution for those workers.  No company family picnics or Christmas parties.  Administering employees is a business of its own, so hiring contractors alleviates a lot of burden from businesses.  And that is fine and dandy with me.  We both know the rules going in, and we stick to them.

One problem that I have experienced with several of my integrator clients is that they negotiate a fixed-price deal with their client (the end client such as an online retailer), and they use contractors at an hourly rate, which can also be referred to as “time and materials”.  This can be good if there is very little uncertainty and their bid was adequately higher than their need for the time and materials service so that they could make a profit.

The integrator, also known as the solutions provider, quoted a fixed price in order to be competitive and get selected over their competition.  Unfortunately they do not account for the fact that there is great uncertainty in projects and project management, and that cost overruns are generally the norm and rarely the exception.  The expedient thing to do would be to add a contingency clause to their contract with the end client to address how certain overruns would be handled and to share some of the risk with the end client.  This makes for a win-win situation.

To add to the difficulties, project scope is often not identified at the contracting stage other than in vague terms.  And then once the engagement has begun, both the integrator and the end client continue to develop different ideas in their mind about what the scope is.  There is, and will always be, friction.

Often this friction gets pushed to the consultant.  The integrator begins to realize that they have not adequately defined the scope with the client and that they are spending more time and money than they had planned (using the word “planned” loosely).

Things will usually come to a head and there will be scoping meetings – things that should have occurred months earlier.

On one project, the engagement manager was asking the junior workers who were here in the States on H1 visas and green cards to put in lots of overtime without any overtime pay – basically saying, “You will work for free, or we revoke sponsoring your work visa”.

For W2 employees, there is a certain amount of overtime work that is expected and reasonable (remember all the benefits listed earlier?).  However, I have seen it abused many times – especially among Indian-owned companies and their workers.

In reality, regardless of the nationality of the solution provider giving the fixed-price bid without having clearly defined the scope, integrators will continue to get themselves into trouble and will continue to wonder how and why it happened.  And they will continue to look for ways to share the pain with their workers as they try to stop the bleeding.

Personally, I made it a policy long ago to clearly declare that I bill for each and every hour worked on behalf of my client and/or their client.  I do this well before I sign a contract or begin work for that client.

Recently, after the first stage of a project that was full of confusion about what was to be delivered and when (and was not defined in writing by the integrator and the client, and was stated differently verbally between the start of the project and several weeks into it), the integrator’s engagement manager said to me that he wanted to push the risk down to me.

At first it irritated me, but then as time passed, it bothered me more and more.  I responded politely but firmly that what was needed was for him to negotiate more decisively about what was in scope, and how and when it would be delivered; that I was not an employee and that I billed for each and every hour worked.  His reply was that they did not want to rock the boat with them since they (the integrator) were in there (at the client) doing another/bigger project that was going well.

So, in retail terms, my project was operating as a loss leader – when something is strategically sold at a loss to get people in the door so they will buy other stuff that contributes to profitability.

Now, if they want to do that, then that is their business. However, my contact is and has been not with the integrator directly, but with a sourcing firm that provides me to them; and it is and has been that my time is billed for each and every hour worked – time and materials – and without regard to any contractual arrangements that may be between the integrator and the client.

Two things I thought interesting:

1. A) That the integrator did not mention sharing the up-side profit potential when he said he wanted me to share the risk in their providing a fixed-price solution;  B) he did not seem to remember that he originally told me the engagement was budgeted to go through June, but instead the client regegged after two weeks and instead declared a stage 1 to end at the beginning of June – leaving me disemployed 50% earlier than agreed-upon and without him having taken on that risk for me, and
2. That even if I were willing to waive what few rights I have as an independent, I could not legally do so directly with him because my contractual agreement is with the sourcing firm that provides me to the integrator, as is his with that sourcing firm also.

In closing, my advice to you is that there will always be challenges  in the compensation areas of contracting, and for you to be like the experienced consultant who lays down the rules in the beginning, and not like the [experienced] solutions provider that realizes late in the game that scope definition is needed.

Post from: Internet Jobs

A Fair Wage, Or Working For Free?

For years I considered job hunting as an activity - and a bothersome one at that.  …something that I have to do for a little while until I get a job and then don’t need to do it any more until I need another job.

That was then, but this is now.

As with many IT professionals I have encountered, I typically have both a full-time day job as well as whatever other freelance projects I might be working on. You will get used to me talking about my adventures in job hunting all the time – because I am always job hunting, even when gainfully employed (which is usually a consulting contract).

That is not to say that I don’t like the job I’m in at the time or that I can’t wait to get into something else (most of the time those reasons couldn’t be further from the truth).  Instead, with most of my engagements being finitely-funded short-term contracts, I am compelled to always be on my toes so as to transition as gracefully as possible when the time may come – because, the time will come.

My current state of employment – or “engagement” is a better descriptor – is that I am on a gig that I landed about a month ago.  It is a wonderful gig in fact.  I have already gotten to travel to Canada twice, and I work from home the rest of the time.  Plus, I get paid – which is the real reason I do it.  Nothing to complain about.

Nevertheless, I am working to actively market myself.  Originally I was told this job would last through June.  But last week the end client’s executive sponsor – the one whose words matter the most – stated clearly that the project is officially funded through “Phase 1″, which is the first week in May.  Maybe they will sign on for Phase 2 or maybe they won’t.  But “maybe’s” won’t pay my mortgage or buy my groceries.  So, I continue job hunting with May 9 as my availability date.  If my current client wants me to commit to sticking around for the next project phase, then they better give me their commitment before I give mine to someone else.

There is no animosity or attitudinosity about it, simply realisticosity (as a seasoned senior BA, I invoke the BA Commando’s right to make up words as may be necessary for the betterment of project management everywhere and mankind in general). But regardless of whether it is a 1 month contract or a perm position of 5 years, the prudent Internet Jobs professional understands these days that job hunting is no longer merely an inconvenience, and is instead a way of life.

Receiving from the horse’s mouth that my 4 month term might be cut in half was a little bit unexpected.  However, it was by no means a shock; and hardly a surprise as I have learned to not be surprised by surprises.

A colleague of mine was recently downsized by surprise after 10 years of dedicated service in providing excellent value to one of the BIG consulting firms.  Fortunately I was able to help him find a nice position doing independent consulting (working with me in fact).  Now he is having to relearn how to walk though his career – like remedial therapy.  Just like him, you can learn it to do it do.  It might be hard, but then again, life is not for the faint of heart.

Best!

Stephen

Post from: Internet Jobs

Job Hunting Today, And For Life

Cascade effect…

• People don’t buy cars (maybe they can’t get credit, or concentrate on paying mortgage)…
• dealers don’t order cars…
• auto makers don’t make cars…
• new parts manufacturers don’t get orders from the car makers…
• auto makers ask for bailouts…
• you and I have bills to pay and might still need a job.

This reference to the auto industry is merely an example of just about everything else everywhere.  When money gets tight, employers scale down their workforces.  This means IT jobs and Internet Jobs.

Well, rest assured that I can relate. This IT professional has experienced many gaps in his income; the most recent since mid-November 2008.

However, there are ways to mitigate the risks.  And, having recently re-established my working status, I am here to encourage you.

BE PREPARED – PLAN FOR IT
It’s happened before, and it will happen again; in fact it is happening right now.  Just like needing to change the oil in your car or sending your mom a Mothers Day card, it will happen, but you might not know exactly when.

Here is what I do…

1. Control spending, and save when I can.  First of all, having a job is usually necessitated by needing to have money.   When without a job, the greater the need for money, the greater the need to get a job.  Been there, done that.  Had to sell an investment house I had just to pay taxes during a time of unemployment.  Then I racked up a lot of credit card debt to pay bills.But after having graduated from Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, I made some changes to my personal financial habits.  Last year after losing my job consulting for an international promotional products company (followed by 6 weeks of disemployment), I spent most of the rest of the year consulting for the world’s largest retailer.  The pay was decent and after paying for my monthly obligations, I was able to sock a little bit away every payday.  One of my goals was to save up and pay cash for a new roof. Thankfully I am in a little better control of my financial situation.  Instead of joining the ranks of the foreclosed-upon, I made it through a monetarily-dry 13 week period and have a little cash left.  Though my roof is leaking at this very moment and I have to start saving all over again, at least what I have is paid for and I have been able to pay down credit card debt instead of increase it.During this dry time I have had many inquiries for low paying jobs I was not interested in.  But instead of being compelled to take one and hate it, I was able to be picky and wait.  Instead, I would rather work fewer days of the year doing work I like and getting paid more, than do low-paying work I hate for idiots I don’t like.
2. The second and very important part of being prepared is branding and marketing myself.  Even when you are gainfully employed, you should be investing energy into getting your next gig.  Keep your resume and online profiles up-to-date, network with others, and see BE EXCELLENT.

BE EXCELLENT
Just like the heading indicates, go the extra mile and do a great job.  In my case, I am careful to define my role at the beginning of every engagement.  Next, I define the project – in writing.  This means that I write my own job description over and over, and that I am usually the one who writes the project charter or mission statement – even after the project has already begun.  Having a target in writing helps you hit that target.  And taking initiative will help you stand out from the crowd (this is usually a good thing, but in certain organizations will put you on the black list).

In being excellent, be sure to toot your own horn.  Mention your accomplishments and the benefits you brought to the project.  As any good salesman will tell you, it is benefits – not features – which sell.  And as a professional, it is accomplishments and contributions as opposed to activities.

BE FLEXIBLE
Sometimes you have to take a job you don’t like, or pay below what you are worth.  Fact of life.  But if you practice being prepared then you can gain the advantage.

While I would prefer to work in my own city and close to home, the truth is that for as many of the dozen or more positions I’ve worked in the past ten years nearby, I’ve worked just as many out of state.  There is Los Angeles, San Francisco, Columbus, OH, Europe, Arkansas, Cupertino, and Canada.  For some I commuted, and for others I temporarily relocated.

But, by being flexible, I was able to get the position that others weren’t – many times during poor economic and hiring conditions, put money in my bank account, and build my resume with some pretty challenging experiences.

By the way, being flexible includes getting away from the mindset of doing only permanent employment.  For some of you this might be a difficult paradigm shift.  But the sooner you make the mental change, the sooner you can get your career path retooled for a successful future.

Some of the assignments I accepted were very short.  Three were presented as “6 or 12 months that will probably be extended” but actually turned out to last 5 weeks or less.  One that took me to Madrid, Amsterdam, and Phoenix was advertised as 9 weeks and did exactly that.

The truth is, in my opinion, that contracting or freelancing or whatever you want to call it is now a requirement in the successful professional’s career mix.  More and more companies are turning to outsourcing/contracting as part of the staffing strategies while at the same time downsizing their permanent workforce.  Many times I have been brought onto a project as a consultant while at the same time the client is firing its own people.

As a side note, something to be aware of is that the more short-term entries you have on your resume, the more you will be identified as a candidate for short-term opportunities.  Just as a coin has two sides, this has its own implications.  On one hand it can increasingly raise questions by permanent employers whether you are a job hopper.  And on the other it can get you a phone call very quickly from a recruiter who needs someone right away.  A word to the wise

CONCLUSION
Sounds simple, right?  Well it is.  But unfortunately, Simple does not always equate to Easy.  Life is not for the faint of heart.

Happy career building from The Professional Job Seeker!

Post from: Internet Jobs

How To Get Work During a Recession