The Silicon Valley is a different place, an exciting place, and a place with valuable resources.  And, fortunes turn quickly.  Just a few months ago I was skeptical of any real employment turn around in the Valley.  Now, I am quite bullish.  Technology companies are increasing their optimism for hiring this year and are starting to hire at a faster rate.  Just today there were several reports of hiring growth from major companies including Google and others and major surveys show CEOs projecting more hiring. 

I have several thoughts on this for the hiring manager:

1.  If you believe you will be hiring technology people (be it engineers, support, marketing, sales, executives, whatever) in the next 3 to 6 months - DO IT NOW and hire early.  As a search firm we are increasingly seeing top candidates entertaining 3 or 4 potential offers and have many recruiters calling on them.  In 3 months the top movable talent will have found new homes and will no longer be available.

2.  If you are going to have multiple roles to fill come up with a master recruiting plan.  Your most effective recruiting is programmatic, measurable, and in your control - just like how you run all areas of your business.  Work with recruiting partners that want a relationship and have an attitude of service first.  The more your recruiting partner works "for" you the more they can represent you and pull the right candidates in.  Arms-length recruiting relationships are no longer your best recruiting approach.  Partnerships are now what it is about.

3.  This is the time to make sure you have your recruiting "story" down pat.  Just as candidates must have a 30 second elevator pitch and a solid story behind that, your company must have this as well.  What would you say to a top candidate in 30 seconds that makes them want to work for you and not your competition?

4.  This is a great time to hire right out of college.  The job market for new graduates is not an easy one and many are open to good opportunities.  Yes, they take more time and effort to bring up to speed, but if you hire a few months before your need is critical you may be able to develop these good people into great employees.


I wish all of you the best success in your growth and in your hiring.  Neither comes easily and, as markets recover, hiring the very best talent becomes even more critical and difficult.  These will be exciting times for all of us.

Dave White


 

So, the job market lingers and lingers and lingers.  A day of hopeful news on the job front followed by a day of bad news.  And, it has been so long.  I wish I could tell you we see an upward turn in the near future, but this is ot something we can predict.  So, what do you do?  A few thoughts that may help:

1.  Find the markets that are growing, and yes, there are markets that are growing -- gaming, green technology, and healthcare all have growth sectors.  High growth sectors have to look outside of their own niche to grow fast enough.

2.  Look at your core skills, accomplishments in life, and interests, not your career history.  Are your skills transferable?  If you can sell then you may be able to sell something you have not sold before.  If you can market look at marketing something new to you.  The skills may transfer to a new market quite well.  If you design you might be able to design something in a new market.

3.  Sit down an document your skill set and determine how you would transfer your skills to new markets.  Then write down how you would describe and demonstrate this to new potential employers.

4.  Be persistent.  Come back a second time with a better pitch, a better way to show how what you have done transfers for the potential employer.  They may not see it the first time.

5.  Be passionate about new markets. 

6.  Be flexible!  Perhaps you can get into an exciting high growth market by taking a step down, a small reduction in pay, or an entirely different job.  You may see that there is an excellent career path for you once you are in.

7.  Build a network within these high growth markets that appeal to you.  Use LinkedIn, join local groups within these markets.

8.  Always, always have your resume ready to present - and taylored to the markets you want to join.  Be confident in yourself as difficult as that may be at times.


Changing markets can be done.  I would say the #1 thing you need to show is true passion for the market and the company. 

You are five minutes into an interview and you know this is NOT the right candidate!  You have scheduled an hour with this candidate and you know it is fruitless.  You have scheduled three more people to talk with this candidate after you.  What do you do?  What are your options? 

This is familiar to many hiring managers and it is a terrible feeling.  So many thoughts go through your mind - you do not want to be rude, are there legal issues if you end it too soon, you have so much to do and a Board meeting tomorrow and now you are going to waste the next hour! 

You have options.  You can ride the interview through and let them know later that it did not work.  This is a viable option.  But, if you are sure this is not the right person you can end the interview.  Quickly regroup and determine what it is that is eliminating this candidate.  Deviate from your planned interview and form a question or two that addresses this issue right away.  Maybe the candidate can correct this.  If there is no satisfactory response end the interview early, end it right away.  Be honest with the candidate and tell them this is not the right fit.  Explain your concern and, if possible, point to the job description to show how it applies.  Tell them you do not want to waste their time or mislead them.  Thank them for coming in and for their time.  Be warm, genuine and friendly.  

If you are working with a professional recruiter call them right away and explain what has happened.  Ask them to call the candidate right away and provide additional information.  The recruiter can allow them to vent a little if they want and make sure the candidate understands. 

Now, one word before you do this.  If you have an HR manager or HR legal counsel talk with them about this approach in general, before you conduct interviews.  Develop an approach for this they can agree with to make sure potential legal issues are taken care of.

For the times this happens you will be glad you ended it quickly and, to tell you the truth, in the most truthful manner with the candidate.  Many candidates we work with would rather know the truth right away and move on.

So, how much should you weigh your company culture and the culture you are looking to build as you make hiring decisions?  There is the obvious answer that each hire should build on your culture or at least be in line with your culture.  But, so many times the pressure is on and it is so high.  You have got to build your support team right away because the calls are more than you could have expected.  Or, you have got to build your international team right away.  Or, the VP role has been open way too long and you have to move soon.  All of these pressures can lead a hiring manager to minimize the role of culture in hiring the right person.  But, this can be more programmatic, more thoughtful.

In these high pressure times perhaps it makes sense to break your thoughts on your culture into its components.  There may be several aspects to your culture and you should know how each aspect applies to each open position you are looking to fill.  Let me give a few examples.  There is a level of culture that addresses honesty, high integrity, never lying or misleading employees and customers.  Rarely will someone hire a person they see as dishonest.  And, this applies to everyone throughout the company at all levels.  But, what about another area of culture?  Perhaps a culture of "innovative leadership".  If you are hiring a VP of Marketing or your VP of Development or a VP of HR this is an area of culture you cannot sacrifice.  But, what if you are hiring a shipping clerk or a phone operator or a person in these types of roles?  Can you hire an otherwise qualified person that does not display this "innovator leadership"? 

I do not know this answer because it is your call in your specific situation.  My point is that you can look at the elements of your culture and determine upfront which elements are most important for each role versus the job skills you need.  This is a good thing to put in writing in your own internal hiring guidelines as you develop job descriptions and hiring criteria.  Thinking through this up front will expedite your search and keep you from wasting time in the wrong interviews and even hiring the wrong person.

And, one more note if I may -- do you need the candidate to fit a specific area of your culture on the first day or can you teach them this skill once they are there?  Do they have the ability to learn?  It is one thing to look for someone that is innovative and another that they embody innovative leadership.  If a candidate is innovative, can they be taught the leadership part of your culture. 

My bottom line is this - without forethought if you sacrifice your culture to hire an otherwise seemingly qualified candidate and this was not the right decision you have created a major long term problem to address a short term issue.  Thinking about this ahead of time will ensure you hire the right person and make the decision you can live with. 

You just received the words that take hours, even days to sink in.  You have been laid off.  The classic "reduction in force".  Many times you know it is coming, but you may not know you are one of the people to be let go.  It is chilling.  It is unfair.  It is a life changing moment.  I have been there and I know the feelings. 

So, what do you do?  Where do you start?  How do you recover?  Let me start with the 4 first steps I believe everyone should take when this first happens.  There are many steps to be taken, but these 4 are critical:

1.  Tell everyone you know - everyone - that you are now a "free agent", you are open for a new job, a new career opportunity.  I know the feeling inside, the stigma that you feel goes with not having your job any longer.  But, let me assure you, that is old thinking.  In today's world people understand.  You are in good company and people want to help if they can.  The stigma is truly gone in today's market.  By telling everyone you know you will recover more rapidly and you never know, one of these people may have just the lead you need to get started in your job search.

2.  Decide what you want to do next.  Decide what your next job should be.  What motivates you.  What you are passionate about.  Then be realistic and see if these types of positions may become available and if you truly are qualified for them.  Make a list of 3 or more types of jobs you would like to pursue that you also believe you can win in an interview.  Tune this as you pursue your job search and always be realistic.

3.  Get help where ever you can.  Get help writing and proofreading your resume and cover letter.  Get help looking for and applying to jobs.  Talk to someone about your search, you approach, and your worries and concerns.  This can be a friend, a spouse, a business associate, a recruiter, or a relative.

4. Network!  Join groups that are in your field or of others looking for their next job.  Join on line business and social networks and let the network know you are open for your next role.  Many of these sites also post jobs so the more people you network with the more opportunities you will see.


This is not some magical formula.  Opportunities may not come flowing to you right from the start.  But, if you start with these steps you will be more clearly focused and you will have the support and structure you need to move through your job search.  To learn more go to www.scpaloalto.com

In the current economic times there is clearly a trend for candidates to accept positions with compensation lower then what they have made over the past few years.  Some times this differecne can be substancial.  This is good news for employers that are able to hire today.  You can bring in talent at a high level and still be within your budget, perhaps talent you would not have been able to afford otherwise.  And, of course, this is a winning solution for the candidate since they have a job they have earned through their high level of skills and experience. 

However, astute hiring managers, CFOs and CEOs have to be aware of what might happen as the economy turns around.  Now this recovery appears to be some months or more away in general.  But, some industries may pick up before the general market turns around.  When this happens more jobs will become available and these jobs will start to offer compensation moving closer to what your new employee made before joining your company.  This is what happened coming out of the 2000/2001 downturn in Silicon Valley.  New employees started to receive calls from ex-managers, friends, recruiters, and hiring manager about new opportunities with higher compensation as the competition for top talent heated up.  Suddenly companies were losing new employees that seemed happy as people saw opportunities to regain their financial stature.

My recommendation -- keep an eye on the market for the talent you compete for and be prepared to adjust compensartion as the market recovers.  Small adjustments to recognize a recovery will help keep top talent within your company.  You new employees will feel good that you recognize the initial move they made to join your company and their value to you as the market recovers.  Multiple smaller adjustments protect your budgets while keeping top talent with you.  The thing to avoid is realizing after the fact that you are not able to retain the top talent you worked so hard to bring in, train, and mentor.  And, if you need to replace them you will be doing so at the new higher compensation levels of a recovering market.

A final note: The same thinking applies to the length of a commute people are willing to make.  As markets recover opportunities closer to home become more appealing.  If combined with a compensation gap you may face a tougher challenge if you cannot adjust compensation.  These are excellent topics to discuss with each candidate before an offer is extended - get their thougths and commitment upfront if possible.

1. The "A" Players are not always responding to job postings, nor are they always people your friends know
2. The time required to review hundreds of resumes is quite large and you do need to be aware of how EEO rules may apply to you
3. Your website may not be well known to the "A" Players, and even if it is, they may not be going on your careers page very often
4. People that do apply will apply to you directly.  They may send emails and call you adding to your workload. 
5. The ratios are not fun - for every candidate we place we have to tell 10, 20, 30 people they are not the right person for the job.  We all have parts of our jobs that are not fun.  This is our part.

Designing the right recruiting program right form the start will save you time while ensuring you see the top 3 or 4 candidates that are a fit for you. 

We work with small high growth companies and start ups.  Budgets are always on people's minds and rightfully so.  This is the reason you, as the hiring manager, should look for a total solution that takes your budget into account and helps you build your team for the long term.

All of the good news about the growth in health care is good news for Bay Area companies that supply software and technology solutions to the health care and wellness industries.  This is being felt already as local companies are hiring.  No, the numbers of open jobs are not as high as a year ago, and, yes, there are more people applying for these roles.  But, if you can apply your expertise, background, skills,and passion to the health care markets you may find opportunities you have not seen before. 

I find that passion plays a more critical role when applying for jobs within technology companies that serve the health care and wellness industries.  Unlike more typical b- to- b opportunities, the health care providers are more passionate about what they do and need to see this in their candidates.  Most people can look in their past and see how these companies touched their lives or could have touched their lives in positive ways.  See if this drives passion and a commitment within you that can separate you from the other candidates.  If you have passion for a specific opportunity go for it.  If not, then maybe this is not your opportunity.  Many people have the skills and background on paper, but many do not have passion.  This will come through in your interview.

 

 

 

Posted by David White on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Under: Candidates

Welcome to your new job - except your new job is to find your next job, not what you thought would happen.  Unexpected or not, this is the bad news many people are living with.  The first thing is to realize that you are not alone.  Many people face the same situation.  The next thing to realize is that this is a job.  It does not pay well on a daily basis, but it will pay off when you land your next role.  Approach it like a job. 

• Work a set number of hours a day - make it 8 hours with an hour for lunch
• Set up a work area in your house that does not need to be put away every night, or work in an office if you know someone with extra office space
• Get a shower, get dressed for work
• Some days go out and drive to get a cup of coffee and come back to work
• Set goals for each day
• Have a daily routine and set specific hours to do research, make calls, apply to jobs, send emails
• Talk to people, do not become a hermit - NETWORK!  Go to job fairs, industry and user group meetings, the library to do research
• Get known - use LinkedIn, post your information on job boards, touch base with recruiters you know
• Find people to talk with and things to do that keep you upbeat and motivated.  Avoid people and things that bring you down. 
• Take care of yourself - workout, do mental exercises and puzzles, or expand your hobby.

I have not tried to cover all of the tactics of the job search.  There are many resources for this on the Internet and it would be too long for this blog.  But, you get the idea - this is your new job.  It is not easy, but few jobs are.  Take pride in your work and your approach. 

 

 

Posted by David White on Monday, May 25, 2009 Under: Hiring managers

I was talking with the CEO of a very promising startup just last week and he was wondering out loud why candidates look so good on paper when they are first presented, but fall apart during his interview with them or their interviews with his executive staff.  They have a solid list of accomplishments and present themselves well, but something is not just quite there.  It is hard to put your finger on it at first.  But, as you think through it you start to see the intangable elements arise.  There are always the catch alls of "teamwork", "leadership", "honesty", "perseverence" and the like.  But the intangibles this CEO was speaking of went deeper than this.  They pointed to elements of style, strength of personality, ability to hold one's ground and know when to back off, straighfrowardness, adapability, and cultural fit beyond the confines of the comany's walls but into the customers and investors.  These are harder to figure out before you start a search and some times even harder to determine as you sit across the table from the candidate.

When it comes to recruiting it is important to define these elements and continue to revise them as you meet candidates.  It is important to know what questions you would ask to uncover these elements.  And, it is important to have a partnership, a close relationship, with your search agency that will help you determine what is most important to you and how you will identify it when you see it.  Your outside search agency should get to know you and get to know your company from the perspective of these intangible qualities.  How can they present just the right candidates for you if they do not truly understand the fabric and culture of your company, your long term goals and vision, and the intangibles that allow a candidate to be successful in their new role?  This includes knowing the changes the company is going through or needs to go through and how this candidate will help drive these changes with you.  It includes the nuances of how your executive team relates within itself and how employees work together.  And, it includes the style and strength of personality that works best for this role and for your company.  There are too many things to list here, but the key is that you and your recruiting partner know these well and candidates are fully screened with these intangibles in mind.

The CEO I spoke of is close to hiring his first executive team member and he has met him in formal and very informal settings.  He has looked at the intangible elements of this candidate and several others and feels he is making a well balanced decision.  He feels more confident now in the candidate as does the candidate in this job.