“MARKET WATCH” – What’s happening in your IT world?...By Darren Saul

While there are definite signs of improvement IT Recruitment spending still seems to be a little suppressed. To quote a good friend of mine management is holding on to the "more from less and faster" mentality and only spending on recruitment where it’s absolutely necessary. As a consequence quality individuals are more hesitant to move on (for now). Being a positive person that always looks to find the treasure within I can see many opportunities (for organisations, employees and recruiters) to implement strategies NOW that will ensure their position at the head of the food chain when things change in the near future…

“Don’t keep us in the dark any longer Darren, please go on” you say.

OK OK – I will.

Organisations can strive to ensure that they retain their most productive employees:

• Treat your people better than you treat your customers
• Delegate wherever possible and thus empower your employees to take ownership, build confidence and develop pride
• Acknowledge them as much as possible without being fake (too much of anything can ruin your appetite)
• Implement a staff mentoring/buddy system to train new staff with experienced members
• Conduct frequent two-way reviews to build the lines of communication and confirm expectations (including career path management)
• Create a friendly, approachable and fun atmosphere where people are happy (even better: proud) to work
• Invest in training and development
• Seek help with employee recruitment – recruiters are the specialists!
• Pay employees well!

Employees can invest more time and effort now to be rewarded in the future:

• Establish your reputation as a first class individual
• Volunteer to take on those responsibilities that no one else wants
• Work smarter and harder which may mean longer hours
• Differentiate yourself as a valuable leader/mentor to your peers, not just a participant
• Establish yourself as a positive, enthusiastic and “can do” team member than can always be counted on in times of pressure
• Being that trusted and trustworthy advisor to others in your circle of influence
• Take personal and professional development more seriously – if your organisation can’t fund it right now, fund it yourself – it’s an investment in YOUR future! There are plenty of low-cost and no-cost resources available – books, cds, the web…
• Strive to “thrive” and not just “exist”!

Recruiters can concentrate on developing quality relationships based on value and trust rather than only looking to collect that “next fee”:

• Take the time to slowly develop mature relationships with your clients and candidates. The days of the “traditional” cold call to hunt for current vacancies is WAY OVER!
• Aim to provide your clients and candidates with VALUE (which can take many forms) during every interaction – phone, email, face to face
• Always put yourself in the shoes of your clients and candidates
• Position yourself in front of more quality individuals that you can work with in the future and do it on a regular basis
• Specialise in a niche rather than be a generalist
• More quality, less quantity!
• Talk less, listen more!
• Return ALL phone calls
• Strive to give the BEST service FASTER and ALWAYS be available
• REMEMBER: Slow and steady wins the race!

What are you doing in your IT world?...