“Me” Time

July 6, 2012

Our days are jam packed with work, traffic, cooking dinner, grocery shopping, kids, oil changes, mowing cleaning, pets….I could go on and on.  There are so many of us who find ourselves caught up in The Rat Race but, there are so many more of us who do not stop and take “me” time.  In order to maintain a healthy mental and physical lifestyle one must be selfish and demand that “me” time.

There is a direct correlation in the amount of “me” time and your productivity in the workplace.  The more sleep you receive, the more proper your nutrition, and the more exercise you receive, will make your eight hours in the workplace so much more enjoyable.

Sleep:
Our bodies NEED sleep.  Most people think that the more they can accomplish in a day the better off they are, even if that means sacrificing valuable sleep time.  Your body and brain depend on sleep time.  This is when your body repairs itself.  If you are cheating your body and brain out of sleep time then, don’t expect to function at 100% during your long eight hour work day.  Try shutting the house down a little early tonight, your body and mind will thank you for the extra sleep and “me” time.

Nutrition:
This is a hard one.  Your coworkers want to go eat at the most un-healthy places every day.  Grabbing fast food on the way home from work is so much easier than planning and cooking a meal.  Remember, you are what you eat.  If you stuff yourself full of fatty foods two out of three meals a day, you are going to feel bloated, tired and unproductive!  Our bodies NEED good food.  By good I mean from the proper food groups.  Try packing your meals for work.  On Sunday night throw some protein, veggies, fruits and good fat into a bag and take it to work.  Instead of eating with your coworkers every day, find a good book and enjoy your healthy food.  Your body and mind will thank you for the proper nutrition and “me” time.

Exercise:
DO IT!  Finding time to go and get a good workout is almost impossible for some people.  This is one that we will have to demand.  It is so easy to make excuses but we cannot.  Get up a little early in the morning and go for a quick jog.  Leave work and go straight to the gym to grab a quick workout.  After dinner is done and the family is occupied, go for a run.  Three days out of the week we should be getting some sort of exercise.  You will feel so much better and will feel so much more productive both inside and outside of the workplace.  Your body and mind will thank you for the exercise and “me” time.

We cannot continue to cheat our bodies and minds out of sleep, nutrition and exercise.  In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle inside the workplace and in our personal lives, it is mandatory that we take some “me” time.  Remember, your body and mind will thank you!

By: Jessica Farr, Recruiting Coordinator at BravoTECH

As the Recruiting Coordinator at BravoTECH, Jessica has over 3 years of experience working in the IT industry with a focus on both recruiting and sales development. Her organization, dedication, and thoroughness makes her the “go-to-person” for any project. Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Texas and enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her family. To contact Jessica, email jfarr@bravotech.com.

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

Celebrate Freedom By Giving Back

June 28, 2012

BravoTECH is a proud supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project, and we are an avid believer in giving back to our community and our nation.

This week as we celebrate our freedom through family gatherings, picnics and fireworks, please join us in donating to the Wounded Warrior Project. Let’s help those who have given so much for our country…

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

 

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

Vote for BravoTECH

June 18, 2012

BravoTECH was recently nominated to participate in the Social Madness Challenge. A competition that measures a company’s social media footprint.

Competition scores are based on a proprietary scoring algorithm which measures companies’ social media influence. The algorithm will gauge votes on bizjournals.com, LinkedIn Connections, Facebook activity and Twitter Followers during the challenge.

We are currently competing for the Top 8 spots in the Dallas Small Business category. Help BravoTECH win the Social Madness Challenge!

To vote for BravoTECH:

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

Candidates Have a Shelf Life

June 18, 2012

Do applicants for your technical positions have a shelf- life? You bet they do, and right now the shelf lives of top candidates are getting shorter as demand for skilled technical professionals increases. An unemployed or under-employed technology worker can find three to five viable career options in just a few days.

Many employers are finding that qualified candidates who had expressed an interest in their firm are gone by the time they finish their old-school, exhaustive, redundant and slow-paced hiring processes.

BravoTECH has worked with hundreds of clients to help them expedite their hiring and on-boarding processes in order to secure illusive “A Player” candidates. Some areas that should be evaluated and can often be improved are:

1.    Number of interviews for a single position. Consider condensing the interview process by using group interviews. If numerous people are needed for a hiring decision, schedule multiple interviews on the same day.
2.    Background investigations. It’s wise to perform a basic background check before making an offer, but unwise to delay a hiring decision while waiting days or weeks for results.  An option is to make offers contingent on receiving positive background check results.
3.    Departmental inefficiencies. If other departments are involved in your screening and interviewing process, make sure they have the same sense of urgency as your team. Make sure they are aware of how soon you’d like the new position filled and how the new hire will contribute to helping your department meet its goals.
4.    Process and Quality Control. Believe it or not, some firms have totally automated or outsourced the applicant screening and selection process or they have empowered low level administrators to do the work. As a result, some very good applicants never make it to an interview. Make sure you know how your firm is screening and identifying potential candidates and if you do use an automated, external or non-technical person to screen applicants, allow for an exception policy so that candidates or services can protest an unreasonable deletion from the process.
5.    Drop Unproductive, Old School Beliefs. One such belief is that you must interview three applicants for each position before making an offer.  Instead, when you find the right candidate, make a decision. Don’t fall prey to analysis paralysis. By the time you look at the third applicant the first may be off the shelf!

Finally, remember that applicants are individuals who have expressed an interest in, not made a commitment to your firm.  Their career options will grow with the passage of time. Don’t let processes keep you from hiring your share of the “A Players” who will likely not stay on the shelf for long.

By: Andrew Jackson, President

Andrew is the co-founder and President of BravoTECH, an information technology professional staffing firm.  He has served on the Board of the American Electronics Association, SIM (Society for Information Management), Texas Association of Business, and National Kidney Foundation.  Andrew received a BSBA in 1980 from Illinois State University and has more than 30 years of experience in the technical employment services industry.

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

The Importance of Professionalism

May 24, 2012

The job market is a rollercoaster. Corporate America sits on their pedestal at the peak of the hierarchy and they control who gets hired, who gets fired, and even down to what kind of shoes employees can wear to work. Then with a switch of the light, their power is lost. The economy shifts, and now it’s the candidates, the interviewers, the everyday people that hold the upper hand. Instead of spending months looking for a way to put food on the table, they are flooded with calls from recruiters which result in multiple interviews and often multiple offers. Although this sounds like a wonderful ‘problem’ to have, this flux in the market changes demeanor for the worse.

Professionalism comes from both the Employer and the Employee, and this should never be compromised. Unfortunately, professionalism is often affected depending on who has the current ‘power’ in the market. When the Employer holds all the cards, they push down wages, benefits, and instill an uncertainty in their employees with the “no one is irreplaceable” mentality.  When the Employees, or more importantly job seekers, hold the market’s edge, they use other offers or potential offers to nickel and dime companies in order to receive higher salaries. They negotiate in extra time off, working from home, company allowances, etc.

The issue that we are seeing with both circumstances comes back to the lack of professionalism. Employers are firing employees without notice, throwing them back to their families with no severance or often even knowledge of what went wrong. Employees are quitting without any notice. Leaving in the middle of projects, expecting their coworkers to pick up their slack, or even worse, scramble to find someone that has similar experience. The lack of courtesy, the absence of professionalism is negligent on both parties and results in negative circumstances for all.

Every industry, be it IT or Healthcare or Education, is comprised of a small group of individuals. By abusing ones’ stance, or ‘power’, and making unprofessional decisions, both Employers and Employees are merely harming their reputations and futures. Instead of battling and trying to abuse their stance granted to them by the every changing job market, both parties need to realize that karma always wins, and professionalism should never be substituted

By: Greg Denman – IT Recruiter at BravoTECH

As an IT Recruiter at BravoTECH, Greg has an experienced background in the areas of PM, BA and Infrastructure. Greg is passionate about helping people start a new career and takes the time to develop relationships through communication with his associates and clients. Prior to working for BravoTECH, Greg worked for GE and Colgate-Palmolive, and has lived in the states of Ohio, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas. Greg has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology from Kansas State University and enjoys traveling, concerts, and golf. To contact Greg, email gdenman@bravotech.com.

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

Reference Checking

March 30, 2012

An important aspect of the recruiting process that needs additional attention is candidate reference checking.  Some employment agencies and hiring managers do not put adequate thought into the reference checking process and it is extremely important in identifying quality candidates.

First, ask candidates to provide a list of who they want to be contacted rather than only asking for their last 2-3 managers.  By not directly asking for managers, you’ll notice it’s more often on a reference call where they will rave about the candidate.

Second, does the reference call really change the outcome of a hiring decision?  I asked around to get some thoughts from my colleagues with other firms and out of 10 conversations, only one said it had changed their decision on whether to hire or not to hire.  Very few of the colleagues I spoke with could provide me with a real world example of how a reference check changed the outcome of their decision.

Lastly, most companies do not have the same reference check policy.  Some companies operate under a very strict policy, which prohibits their employees from giving a former employee a reference or restricts the types of answers to be given during reference checks.  However, in the staffing community, these policies have never stopped a good recruiter from getting a reference when one is needed.  A lot of companies have strict policies, but they are unaware of their employees activities and really don’t have a good way of enforcing the policy.

So, what’s my opinion on references?

I think professional references are very important, but only if you talk with the right person.  Should you base your hiring decision on what his/her friend or close colleague says and ignore your initial concerns during the candidate’s interview?  No, I don’t think you should.  I also believe that candidates need to be more prepared to share professional references and to understand how important it is to provide reference information during the hiring process.  If you know your previous company’s policy is that your manager is not allowed to provide you with a reference, make sure you have accurate contact information for the HR Dept so your new employer can call and at least verify dates of employment and your eligibility for re-hire.  Also, keep in mind… just because you decide to take your dream job or you are separated from a position, this doesn’t mean that you aren’t eligible for re-hire (and I’m speaking from personal experience).

I believe that references should be solicited by the interviewer. This way you can identify concerns in the interview process.  It’s important to ask about colleagues and managers that the candidate has worked with and have them tell you about current situations.  If it sounds like they worked with this person on a daily basis, it’s relevant for you to ask them if you can call him/her and if they would provide the candidate with a good reference.

References should be a key factor in any company’s hiring process, so it makes sense for any hiring manager to want to personally check references.  I know most companies don’t operate under this type of policy, and normally a thirdparty checks references, but when the candidate is working directly for you and is someone you will be managing, it’s important for you to communicate with the reference so you can address any concerns.  Plus, you get to talk with the actual person that previously managed the candidate you are thinking about hiring as part of your team.

How do you check references at your company?  Is it a streamlined process, do you allow your managers to check them themselves, or do you even check them at all?  When do you ask for references, and do you do this at the interview stage or at the end when you already know you want the person on your team?

By: Mindy Brockman - Senior Technical Recruiter at BravoTECH

With over ten years of experience, Mindy brings a deep understanding of the technical industry to her role as Senior Technical Recruiter. Mindy’s area of focus is based on a variety of IT specialties and positions that include: Network Administrator, Engineer, Architect, Manager, System Administrator, Engineer, QA Analyst, Engineer, Manager, Business Analyst, Database Developer, Project Manager, Technical Writer, .NET Developer, Java Developer, Technical Recruiter, Help Desk & Desktop Support Technical Professionals. Prior to her role at BravoTECH, Mindy was an onsite recruiter for Adecco Employment Services. What makes her stand out as a recruiter is her dedication, integrity, responsiveness, and commitment to delivering qualified candidates. Outside of work Mindy enjoys scrap-booking, spending time with her family, and is a very competitive Fantasy Football player. To contact Mindy, email mbrockman@bravotech.com.

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

Staffing Industry Trends

March 20, 2012

The staffing industry tends to be hyper-cyclical in nature.  Its business growth and declines are exaggerated during cycles of economic expansion and contraction.  Employment within staffing industry is widely regarded as a leading employment indicator and a corresponding economic indicator on a national basis.  The staffing industry lost more than a third of its work force during the recession and only about half of those losses were recovered in the subsequent two years of economic recovery. It still has a long way to go before returning to its pre-recession high.

In the few years after the recession, the employment landscape has changed significantly, and staffing firms will have to adjust their business models to compensate. In the coming decade, the employment trends indicate that we are heading towards decrease in permanent employment and an increase in temporary or contract jobs. This is a long-term workforce trend in which employers are making temp workers a more permanent solution in answer to the nature of work today.  This trend will be more pronounced in technology staffing.  Individuals will become more selective in choosing who they want to work for and intermediaries like staffing firms will have to evaluate technical skills, soft skills, and personalities in matching supply and demand.  There will be a greater shift towards specialist staffing services that cater to specific market verticals.

As employers become less tied to local labor, they will be more receptive to hiring workers in other locations. This broadening of work location will also open up new opportunities for staffing firms to provide workers outside their immediate areas.  The location of employment will become irrelevant and the word ‘relocation’ will likely become obsolete in the future.   Though some employers are slow to embrace this trend, which is understandable, it cannot be avoided as the nature of technology and work today make it possible to communicate and complete projects from our own homes as well as in an office.  In fact, in many cases we work more efficiently and are more productive when we work from our home.  Working remotely also allows the right worker to be placed with the right company, without relocation costs, or office overheads and inconveniences.  As technology continues to advance, we can only imagine this trend growing in the coming years.

Social networking will become the great enabler, creating a “community” of specialists, contributors, advisers and contractors. The recruitment industry will play an even greater role in matching supply and demand.  There are so many diverse skills and expectations today, and human resources will become highly individualized in the future.

Source

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

The CIO at 30,000 Feet

March 6, 2012

IT departments are busy places these days. In addition to their traditional role of managing enterprise IT, they are bombarded with multiple external influences that are driving dramatic change and increasing their responsibilities. At a high level, here are some of the key issues that most CIOs must address now.

BYOD Policies
Bring your own device (BYOD) is the talk of the IT community, and many departments are focused on the following issues:

  •     Securing corporate data–what is really being taken home?
  •     Maintaining and supporting personal devices
  •     Developing appropriate use policies, camera considerations
  •     Device standardization

Who would have thought that smart phones and tablets would cause so much chaos for IT departments?

Cloud Everything
Marketers are pushing cloud solutions at all levels of the enterprise. Some business units are buying cloud-based solutions before IT can review and discuss some of the pertinent questions such as:

  •     Security?
  •     How does the application access the data?
  •     Cross-platform collaboration concerns?
  •     Will it really work as expected? What about an exit strategy?

The CIOs we talk to are feverishly working to educate their business units on some of the cloud myths and evaluate services before a buying decision has been made.

Where are the resources?
After a few slow years with limited hiring, CIOs are now faced with significant projects and IT initiatives that exceed the capabilities of staff on hand. Their concerns include:

  •     New hire salary requirements may be higher than previous budgets
  •     Parts of the team have been outsourced. How can I get them (or that capability) back?
  •     Other firms are courting my best technical talent how do I close the gates?
  •     What are we doing to make our work environment attractive to new recruits?

Smart managers are being proactive, making sure they can keep the talent they have and creatively build a base of resources to handle current and future demands. If you need help securing additional resources to augment your full-time staff, or a technical team to orchestrate your next project, please contact us at 972-419-1650.

By: Andrew Jackson, President

Andrew is the co-founder and President of BravoTECH, an information technology professional staffing firm.  He has served on the Board of the American Electronics Association, SIM (Society for Information Management), Texas Association of Business, and National Kidney Foundation.  Andrew received a BSBA in 1980 from Illinois State University and has more than 30 years of experience in the technical employment services industry.

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Posted by Sondra Heffernan, Marketing

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