NZ Recruiter

Are you part of a MicroTrend?

We're always looking out for new upcoming trends. Magazines publish Top Ten lists of trends of the past and upcoming year, the decade, the millenium. I'd go so far as to say trendspotting is a trend -- take a look at Forbes which has a whole section on Trendsurfing.

We love numbers too. They validate why we do things, why we should do things or which course of action to take. And so armed with numbers, Mark J. Penn's Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Today's Big Changes identifies some pretty interesting and diverse "microtrends" -- groups that are emerging in all areas of life. Heard of "Extreme Commuters" (people clocking in more than 90 min. each way - even one who does 372-miles round-trip every day!!!), "New Luddites" (young, urban & employed who refuse to use computers, cellphones, etc.), "Neglected Dads", "Archery Moms" (rise in interest and participation in niche sports and decline in the big sports: baseball, basketball, hockey) and "Cougars" (older women dating/marrying men at least a decade younger)?

A polling analyst and strategist for over 30 years, Penn's been consulting with politicians and corporations, specializing in discovering and targeting niche groups (think "Soccer Moms" during the Bill Clinton era). In MicroTrends, he identifies 75 groups who, although relatively small in number (say 1% of a population), will have a large impact on society as a whole (when you consider the US population to be 300 million, that 1% is pretty big). A common trait these groups share is that they are under the radar at the moment and are being under-served in terms of policies, services or products. And while they're mostly in the U.S., there are lots of microtrends emerging in other countries such as Vietnamese entrepreneurs, Chinese artists and the rise of Indian women in politics and business.

These microtrends are somewhat similar to  Chris Anderson's The Long Tail, where there are all these niche market segments of people who have interests that may seem bizarre or so completely off the beaten track. We should all take note of these important untapped markets, especially entrepreneurs, corporate managers, and policy makers.

It's an interesting read - a neat insight into how things will change and kind of a "heads up" for those in the position to take the opportunity to serve these niche groups.

And as many people do at the beginning of the new year, they take stock of where they are in their career and gauge how far they've progressed towards their goals or whether they want to change their direction. By keeping an open mind to opportunities opened up by these microtrends, you could find yourself in a new and exciting position, company, or career that you hadn't planned on.

Getting ready for the talent wars in 2008

The demand for IT talent has made employers up the ante in recruiting and especially retaining the exceptionally talented, creative and productive. ITworld.com lists 8 new weapons to fight the talent wars in '08. Here's a quick recap of their big 8 recruiting tools and strategies in getting the best and brightest:

1. Using social networks.
2. Using wikis, blogs, and forums.
3. Trying before buying, ie. right-to-hire agreements, contractors, temps
4. Global thinking - outsourcing abroad, specifically India, Russia, China
5. The anywhere workplace - providing for telecommuting and flexible work hours
6. Business vision - hiring more for than just strong technical skills; looking for people who are business savvy and have strong people skills to complement their technical strengths, no matter how hot the skill is (such as .net, PHP, J2EE expertise)
7. Pumped up paychecks (no explanation or comment required here!)
8. Imagination and creativity in compensation and perks - see examples of Great Work Perks, like on-site amenities, exotic research trips, gourmet cafes, countless bonus vacation time/sabbaticals, etc.

Now while these tactics are for employers and recruiters to use, potential candidates out there - take note of these "new weapons" and use some of them to your advantage in finding the best opportunity for you.

First in the list is social networks. If you've been keeping current with your online life (as you should be), you'd be strategic (and professional) in all your profiles and links with network sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Xing. According to surveys, more recruiters are using these online networks to filter in quality candidates because they can interact and get to know possible candidates better. Make sure you're easy to find and by the right people.

Second is Wikis, Blogs and Forums. The trend is for companies to "brand" themselves online through company blogs or employee blogs to attract potential talent. As such, online activity and your online personal '"branding" is important too. Work on your personal branding through your own blog and your contributions to forums. Again, elevate your profile for the right things (like expertise) and the right people.

Trying before Buying. If you're thinking of making a move to a new company or industry, it's probably a good idea for you to try it out as well. Consider a temporary assignment or contracting, although - contracting may be harder since the experience required for those roles are at the level where you can just hit the ground running with your expertise in that technical area and industry.

Business Vision. Work on your business and communication skills while you can in your current job and company. Get on projects where you're facing customers or clients or where you're playing a role in business strategy or managing relationships with other internal business units. Raise your profile in business relations and communication within your current role.

For everything else listed, it's important that you know exactly what your priorities are. What are the things that you'd forgo in order to have? Flexibility over cash? Vacation time over gym membership? Vice-versa? It's important that you know exactly what you want and can present yourself/negotiate when the time comes.

Job outlook for 2008

First off, I'd just like to wish you all an exciting and adventurous 2008! I think this year will be a challenging one for everyone but there are great opportunities out there and I think it's probably a really good time for those of you considering what you want out of your career to take stock and make some decisions. You might want to try asking yourself the following five questions to start the year:

1. What did I achieve in my career last year? (give yourself a pat on the back).
2. What would I really like to achieve in the next year? (push yourself).
3. How can I achieve that where I am now? (planning for it).
4. What is the long term goal that achieving this will support? (big dreams).
5. How can I achieve my long term goal where I am now? (more planning)

The best thing about planning like this is it will help you keep a weather report on whether or not your current employer is helping you achieve your dreams. If it becomes increasingly difficult to plan to achieve what you want where you are, then you need to start considering new places to work. Don't be overly keen to move though, the ability to creatively develop your job in any workplace can give you some very valuable skills as well. You also need to factor in some other important points that may be just as valuable as you getting the chance to achieve your goals. Good examples of that would be, the quality of mentors you have around you, and also the growth prospects of the company you are with. Both these factors can sometimes out weigh your goals because of the huge opportunities they can provide.

With all this in mind, rest assured you've got plenty of opportunities out there as companies look to increase staff, according to the latest Hudson survey of over 1700 employers. So reflect, take stock, and plan.

How To Create Job Ads Just For Geeks

Here is an example of the perfect job ad for a Geek. GPS Tracking software company Telogis are advertising for Software Developers and use Google Adwords so their ads appear in places where Software Developers can see them (I found it in my Gmail, I'm not a software developer but I work with enough to think their targeting is pretty good). But when you click through you get the following page (pictured below) and you have to work out what the URL is to their jobs page. Too hard for me! Can anyone tell me what it means? If you can then I guess you can apply for their jobs too.

By the way, if you are looking for a Senior Java Developer or Architect role in Auckland or Wellington, we have ongoing opportunities there and throughout New Zealand. Feel free to get in touch in the comments or to email us to inquiry@searchniche.com.

Kiwi Goes to Silicon Valley on MBA scholarship

Link: Computerworld > AXI founder goes to Silicon Valley on MBA scholarship.

Here is a great story for all the other go-getters out there in New Zealand. Alex Dunayev who is the Director of local web solutions company AXI has won a premium scholarship to Stanford University to do an MBA. It will be great to see how Alex does and I really expect that he'll get both a fantastic education but also some great friends to help him in his career. Stanford's success in graduating entrepreneurs who create successful technology businesses (Yahoo, Google, SGI, Cisco, and on and on) really seems to be unmatched and that bodes well for Alex who already has experience in creating his own business. Well done Alex, I'm sure everyone in the NZ IT community would agree with me in that we hope you enjoy great success in your studies.

Australia Tries To Steal Kiwi Workers

Link: Computerworld > Australia will target NZ IT skills as shortages worsen.

I haven't been writing much recently, a real symptom of being insanely busy and the huge candidate shortage. The above article talks about how the candidate shortage is so great in Australia for IT workers that they are trying to target NZ as a recruiting ground. Not a silly idea I would say, although in my experience NZ IT workers who are here actually want to be here for reasons other than just money, if they were ready to move offshore in most cases they have already gone. Interestingly they mention Canberra as a place where they need people. I'm not surprised really, if you've been to Canberra you'd know there are about 300 other places in Australia you'd rather move to first. Wonder if that's got something to do with the "shortage".

Tech Salary Negotiations - IT jobs | Negotiation Experts

Link: Tech Salary Negotiations - IT jobs | Negotiation Experts.

Here's a great article to read and to reread when the time comes for you to negotiate  in your job. Negotiation is such an important skill to have - not just for sales or if your job function is to close deals. It's for everyone who collaborates and works with other people. It's essential for you in managing your own career. It's a skill that definitely takes time and experience to master, and even then, it's something that you just need to prepare for well.

Calum Coburn gives an in-depth look at different negotiation rules and tactics for IT professionals when it comes to job offers and annual reviews. Why IT professionals? Because they mostly don't have that skillset or experience as say, sales or marketing people do. Nevertheless, I think these rules apply to everyone. So if you're about to go into a job offer salary negotiation or annual review, have a read of his 32 points. He also gives 4 exercises to complete to prepare for the big event.

Some things I'd like to comment on :

Point 4. His advice: Get all offers in writing. I say: Well, not necessarily. If this is about a job offer through a recruiter or headhunter, most often the negotiations are before the offer is written out. Most employers like to give a formal job offer in writing when the deal is done - that is, the job is accepted at a specific salary. Most involved parties in a job offer (the client, the recruiter, the candidate) want it to happen, so the going back and forth is done verbally before the final job offer is written. If the recruiter has done his or her job right, there should be a pretty close meeting of the minds when it gets close to that salary negotiation stage anyway. Of course, you always have the right to negotiate after the offer has been written, but you most likely would have played all your cards to get to that point. But with this in mind, it's Point number 14 is important - read the contract well.

Points 6 & 7 His advice: Set your sights high & Ask for more. It's true. You never know unless you ask. Have confidence but also be realistic and realize the circumstances of your situation. It's important to you know yourself well - to what levels you can perform and deliver.

Definitely a good checklist to keep and to refer back to when the time comes.

Software by Rob : Personality Traits of the Best Software Developers

Link: Software by Rob : Personality Traits of the Best Software Developers.

Here's a good blog for software developers to add to your RSS feed. Software by Rob is a blog written by a software developer for software developers - from hiring, to managing, motivating and self-development. One article I like is based on his personal observations of the best four personality traits he's seen in developers that he's admired. The kind that make you think - whoa, I'm gonna quit my job and go work for his startup!

In a nutshell, he finds that the best developers are:

1. Pessimistic in the short-term. They anticipate problems and find points of failure before they happen, but are also optimistic in the long-term - they're confident in overall success.
2. Anti-Sloppy Code.  He refers to NASA's software systems that have zero-defects
3. He sees great developers as Long Term Life Planners. With set goals, discipline to get there in their home life carries over to their work life.This third trait I think is applicable to success in anything - not just developing.
4. Very Attentive to Detail

Hopefully I didn't spoil it all. It's a good read - especially the loads of comments with different perspectives on what the common traits are and aren't.

Recruit.net introduces 1-click salary checker for Australia and India

Link: recruit.net » Recruit.net introduces 1-click salary checker for Australia and India.

    
   

If you're interested in knowing how salaries compare in Australia or are actually looking for a job over there, check out Recruit.net. a job search engine primarily in Asia Pacific at the moment covering job opportunities in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and India. They have just partnered with PayScale (see earlier post) adding a 1-click salary checker to each job listing for Australia and India. Good resource to see what the market range is for specific roles in those countries. Hopefully they will be adding the salary checker to more countries.

Here are some of the reasons they give on why it's useful (I'm not sure about third one!):

- Wanting to negotiate a salary with a new employer, or reviewing your pay with your current company.

- Considering career or roles changes and wanting to know what the financial implication of making such a change is

- Wanting to know how much a potential romantic interest of yours makes (hey, the more information the better right?), etc.

Obviously, employers that visit us can also benefit of both the indicative salary information on the recruit.net site, or request a salary benchmark study to ensure your remuneration levels are on market.

 

NZ Start-up Optima makes a name for itself Overseas

Link: Software start-up Optima scores big deals overseas - 27 Mar 2007 - NZ Herald: Technology News from New Zealand and around the World.

I love hearing about Kiwi firms kicking butt overseas. Optima Corporation, developer of resource allocation optimization and management software, has been making a name for itself overseas, primarily in emergency services with their Siren Predict and Siren Live software, and in the aviation industry with their Global Pairing software.

What's great about this company is the history and the niche that it's taken hold of. They started as a group of maths research students and lecturers from the University of Auckland. With the help from venture funding and funding from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, they have been able to commercialize their software to markets overseas.

One thing to think about: their biggest barrier to growth is finding and recruiting good developers. As with all companies, their greatest competitive advantage is its people.