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05.08.07
Hiring Problems & Corporate Practices
 By Dan Morrill
Computer World is running an article on how hard it is to find people to fill current open or gap positions in companies.
Along with the mixed messages from corporate hiring practices, the computer world article points out that employers are either looking for multiple talents in one person, or experience with software or programs that are harder to fill.
The time to build out multiple skills in one person, for example an information security person with project management skills and
e-commerce skills, as well as knowledge of Atlas/Ajax frameworks and how to hack them takes a lot of time to build out. The person with those skills is going to fit into an ever-narrower job description that not many companies are going to want or going to need. Whereas contracting houses would be more viable for this skill set rather than a large company because of project life cycles and project timelines.
The increased time between posting a job position and the eventual filling of that job position have extended the period it takes for some companies to fill narrowly defined job positions. While specificity is a good thing when dealing with a job description, if the job is too specific it will be harder to find a person to fill it. Some skills are still so new, that there is no real academic basis, or finding someone with "10 years of Ajax skills" is not viable as the technology has not been around that long. Sometimes national or even global searches for employees to fill the position also entail issues with Sponsorship or H1B visa issues that some companies are not big enough to manage effectively.
In addition, there may be more reluctance among IT workers to move to new jobs than there has been in the past, said some technology managers and recruiters. "The market is picking up," said Nate Viall, president of Nate Viall and Associates, a Des Moines-based company that recruits workers for jobs involving IBM's System i server line. But Viall added that some of the IT staffers he has encountered are wary about switching jobs. Source Computer World
The problem with wanting to find a new job and actually taking steps in finding a new job is a matter of weighing the risks and rewards involved with the job search itself. The trust between corporations and employees has been sharply frayed over the last three years, between the concept of permatemps, and nine month job lifecycles setting up shop in a company is difficult, and that is just getting in the door. What happens after that with internal politics, budget issues, co-workers, and support staff as well as managerial practices all set the tone for the person who took the job.
Starting with the initial interview, and on through the entire hiring process, to the eventual offer or thank you for your time letter, finding the perfect job is difficult for the employee as it is finding hard to find talent for the employer. While Computer World points out that many people are staying "with the devil you know" the compelling reason to swap out jobs has not really materialized yet.
There is a lot of hype and news around web 2.0 companies, yet employees and employers are both caught in the firing line when it comes to trust issues in dealing with or working for a company that may not have a future. Many of us in the business remember Web 1.0 and the eventual implosion of the market place, few are willing to or can afford to take the same level of risk. Making employment harder in the longer run, unless there is a compelling reason to take the startup position. Only time will tell how this will all work out, but the good news is that rare skills still command good salaries, and employers are looking for those rare much needed skills.
Comments
About the Author:
Dan Morrill has been in the information security field for 18 years, both
civilian and military, and is currently working on his Doctor of Management.
Dan shares his insights on the important security issues of today through
his blog, Managing
Intellectual Property & IT Security, and is an active participant in the
ITtoolbox blogging community.
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