Many IT and technology-related jobs must be done on-site, such as your company’s network maintenance, hardware installation and technical support. However, just as many IT jobs can be done anywhere, especially those that involve programming or other software activities. Working remotely is often called “teleworking,” and it can be a major benefit for you and your employees.

Teleworking benefits the worker, obviously. Anyone who lives in a high-traffic area (like… all of Hampton Roads) or who has a long commute would likely jump at the chance to reduce the distance to the office to mere feet. They save on gas and wear-and-tear on their car, plus they can begin work in a relaxed state instead of the tension and anxiety that often accompany morning rush hour.

Teleworking also benefits your company. For starters, you don’t have to pay for lighting, heating, air conditioning or cleaning their office or cubicle, and if you have enough teleworkers, you can even downsize your office space and save money. Plus, as noted above, workers are in a much better mental state, which leads to better work results, and they’re grateful to you for letting them work at home.

Teleworking even benefits the community at large. Every car off the road in the morning is less gas being consumed, fewer emissions into the atmosphere, less wear-and-tear on the roads and lower traffic overall. In fact, Virginia recognizes the benefits of teleworking so much that the state offers a tax credit for teleworking expenses of up to $1,200 per employee.

To make teleworking genuinely work and not turn into some pajama-pant slacker nightmare, it’s important to have some systems in place and agreed upon by you and your employee. Here are some suggestions:

• Have at least 2 ways to get in touch immediately. Since you can’t walk down the hall to your employee’s office, there should be at least 2 other ways to get ahold of him or her for on-the-fly discussions. Phone, email, instant messaging—all are totally acceptable. As long as it works for both of you, that’s all that matters.
• Make sure your technology is compatible. If the employee is taking his or her office computer home, make sure they’ve got the space and electrical sockets to accommodate it. If they’re accessing the network from their home computer, make sure that’s possible and that there’s a backup plan if that technology fails (cloud storage could come in really handy here).
• Establish a schedule for regular check-ins. You won’t be able to pop in and ask “Hey, how are we doing on the SQL database compatibility?” So the onus is on them to let you know, on a regular basis, where they are on their projects. This can be a real benefit for both of you, as it can keep them on track and prove to you that they’re producing good work regularly.
• Have them come into the office from time to time. If they’re not working truly remotely (like another state or time zone), try to have them come in to the office, say, 2 to 4 times a month. This will keep them connected with the rest of the team and it will give you both a chance to discuss any sensitive issues face to face.

If you and your employee(s) can make teleworking work, not only will you have benefits immediately, it also increases your company’s attraction as a place of employment. Teleworking truly is the gift that keeps on giving. (Says your blogger, who’s writing this from home.)

What experiences have you had teleworking, whether from the manager side or the teleworker side? Let us know in the comments!

Generally, when someone says “IT types,” they mean people who are really, really into computers and technology. In fact, they can be so into technology that their socialization suffers a bit and they might have a hard time talking about other topics with people who don’t know as much about technology. In a word, geeks.

Managing geeks can seem intimidating at first, especially to managers who don’t think of themselves as particularly techno-savvy. But as with managing creative people, managing geeks comes down to a simple truth: just as there’s a spark of creativity in just about everyone, everybody’s a little bit geeky about something.

If, for instance, you’re really into sports, you might have a hard time explaining what makes the designated hitter rule such a big deal to someone who doesn’t really follow baseball. You might even get a little exasperated if that person doesn’t have a very firm grasp on how baseball is played, and you might come off badly as a result.

That’s what it’s like for geeks, except that their sports change in minor ways every few months to a year, and the entire field undergoes a major change every few years. Technology isn’t just complicated, it’s constantly shifting, and it’s a lot to keep track of.

Geeks also have a bit of a reputation as being distant, cold or aloof. And it’s true that some of them might prefer the firm foundations of technology to the shifting sands of human interaction; plus in any population, a certain percentage of people are just going to be jerks. But sometimes it might simply be a problem of not having much of a common language. If you were the only German speaker in a room filled with people who didn’t speak German, you might be perceived as aloof, too. So give geeks the benefit of the doubt when you can.

Also, that perception of coldness can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The less people interact with geeks (and vice versa), the more the geeks are perceived as distant, the less people want to interact with them, etc. So don’t treat the geekier folks on your team as oddballs or “them.” Remember, you’re geeky about something, too.

Another factor that might affect geeks’ perception as cold is their tendency to say, flat out, “That won’t work.”  But try to remember that they’re not saying it just to be jerks. Most of the rules of technology are pretty hard and fast. If X isn’t compatible with Y, there’s often not a lot that can be done about it. Perhaps a J adapter running off of a K hub and translating the signal into L might work, but you’d lose a lot of bandwidth in the process, and they know you’d find that level of bandwidth unacceptable, so the short answer is “That won’t work.”

If you find yourself encountering “that won’t work” repeatedly, try to use it as a learning experience. Acknowledge that they know better than others what will and won’t work, then ask them why it won’t work. Don’t say it in a challenging tone; try something like “I seem to make difficult requests from your department a lot. Maybe if I knew a bit more about the technology, I could make better requests. Could you explain to me why this won’t work?” And then enjoy the chance to hear something explained by someone who knows it inside and out.

What experiences have you had managing geeks? Are techno-geeks tougher to manage than sports geeks? And what about food geeks; where do they fit on the spectrum? Let us know in the comments!

We’ve already talked about the value of experience in job candidates, and how much experience is reasonable to request. But unfortunately, you can’t always count on experience to demonstrate a candidate’s expertise. They might have worked on a particular technology for 5 years, but did they know it inside and out, or just enough to keep it running?

Certification is one way to gauge the depth of knowledge a candidate has on a particular technology. But testing them on it can work even better. Most certification programs have a test component, true, but when you select the test, you have much more control over what questions are on it and what an acceptable score is.

Reliance Staffing & Recruiting offers an extensive testing program through Kenexa Prove It! that covers all areas of employment, but the technology section is truly impressive. Just about every aspect of technology is covered by at least one Prove It! test, including:

• Programming
• Network hardware and software
• Data mining
• Maintenance
• Ecommerce
• Web design and programming
• Windows, Mac OS, Linux
• Specialized software such as PeopleSoft, Oracle DB and Crystal Reports

Even the more theoretical aspects of technology, such as Technical Support Procedures and Logical Reasoning – Deduction have their own test. So no matter what mix of skills you’re looking for, you can find a set of tests that will ensure that only qualified job candidates make it through the process.

If you’d like to learn more about how Reliance Staffing & Recruiting can help you design the perfect test package for your high-tech hiring, contact us today.

Have you ever hired someone with plenty of experience that didn’t have the actual skills you needed? Let us know in the comments!

Writing a job posting for any type of position involves drawing up a list of need-to-have qualities and nice-to-have qualities for the ideal candidate. But high-tech job postings have an additional parameter: the length of time that a particular technology has existed.

Many job candidates who specialize in IT have noted that in recent years, the required qualifications in job postings have gotten much more stringent, some to the point of impossibility. Requiring 10+ years of experience in web programming is perfectly reasonable, but requiring 10 years of experience in social media programming, not so much.

Why? Because social media didn’t exist 10 years ago! Similarly, Ruby on Rails didn’t exist until late 2005 and .NET Framework version 3.5 didn’t exist until late 2007. Asking for 8 years of experience in either of them would not only be the equivalent of saying “only unicorns need apply,” it shows the actual experts in that technology—the people you want to apply for the job—that the people who placed the job posting don’t know what they’re talking about.

To avoid looking like a clueless n00b in your job listings, do a little research first. Talk to the IT people the prospective hire would be working with, and ask what software or hardware expertise a new hire would need. Then research the technology to make sure your desired levels of experience don’t violate the laws of time.

It’s understandable that you want a certain level of proficiency, especially for higher-level positions. However, that proficiency can be expressed by overall years of hardware or software experience, plus a reasonable amount of time in the specific technologies you need. And remember that a mix of skills and an eagerness to learn can sometimes be far more valuable than clearing a hurdle of a certain number of years.

What questions do you have when it comes to high-tech hiring? Let us know in the comments!

One of the constant controversies surrounding high-tech hiring is: which is better, certification in a particular technology or experience working with it? As with so many other questions in life, the answer to this one is: Yes, but it depends.

It’s generally understood that the best way to maximize the skills of a prospective worker is by seeking a balance of experience and certification. A candidate with 10 years of experience but no certification would be considered more favorably than a candidate with plenty of certifications but almost no practical experience. However, a candidate with 5 years of experience and a fairly recent certification would be considered most favorably.

Experience reflects the depth of practical know-how a candidate has, while certification reflects the candidate’s depth of theoretical knowledge. Certification can also reflect a candidate’s desire to keep learning and developing professionally, and some certifications can be useful to promote your company to clients.

And that’s great for general applications. But what about your company; which is more important for you? That depends on what you’re looking for and what matters most to you. Here are some questions to ask to determine how to weight certification vs. experience:

• What kind of technology are you using right now? If your technology is a generation or two removed from the most recent iteration, certification might not help unless you’re planning an upgrade (see below).
• Is your technology proprietary? If so, certification might not even be offered in it, so practical experience would be crucial.
• What changes, if any, do you have planned for your IT setup? If you’re planning to upgrade or update, a recent certification in the appropriate technology means that a candidate can advise you on how best to improve your system and know how to operate it once it’s up.

Because technology changes so quickly, keeping your future needs in mind as much as your present needs can help you determine what balance of certification and experience is the right one for you.

What experiences have you had in hiring IT experts, and do you find that practical experience or certification is more important? Let us know in the comments!

The big news this month was that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released some new enforcement guidance on how to use criminal background checks during the hiring process. Employers are still free to use these checks, but not in any manner that furthers discrimination of any type. The EEOC also specifies that information about factors other than the arrest or conviction (such as race, education, background, etc.) can’t be used for any discriminatory action. The agency included some best practices for applying the ruling, too.

While we’re on the subject of federal agencies, there were several other developments in that area this month: The IRS is increasing its audits of COBRA practices; the EEOC has ruled that transgender discrimination is part of sex discrimination and thus illegal; and the EEOC has also issued new Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) requirements.

Free speech and worker opinions also featured in the news this month. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that First Amendment protections don’t apply to workers in the course of their job duties. The military took an even harder line, discharging a Marine for disparaging President Obama and saying that he would not follow Obama’s orders on a Facebook “fan” page.

On the wage front, several lawsuits from the entertainment industry are alleging that unpaid interns did the work of entry-level workers and not given any of the benefits (such as education and/or course credit) interns are supposed to receive in exchange for their labor. And on the other end of employment, a Virginia appeals court has ruled that the concept of equal pay applies to severance too, so don’t offer one gender a better severance package than the other.

A recent ruling on data theft has many employers worried. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act does not apply to theft of electronic data to which an employee had access as part of their job duties. A strong dissenting opinion was issued on the case, indicating that the court itself was split. Expect more developments on this issue.

In discrimination news, the New Jersey Superior Court recently ruled that an “accidentally hostile” work environment is still a hostile work environment. Employees of a construction company made anti-Jewish slurs against an employee they believed to be Jewish. He wasn’t, but the court held that a hostile work environment was still in play. It should go without saying, but still: any kind of bigotry on the job should be quashed, sharpish.

Elsewhere in the nation, Oregon has barred the use of “no-unemployed” language in job ads and Maryland has banned employers from asking for Facebook passwords.

We conclude, as we often do, with cases that make you shake your head for one reason or another. A federal court charged a company with $35.2 million in fines for investing its employees’ 401(k) money in a fund with higher fees so that the fund company would charge the employer less for other services. And finally, a Manhattan nail salon lost big-time when it tried to claim that its employees weren’t covered by Fair Labor Standards Act rules governing overtime pay… because the employees were illegal aliens. Needless to say, large fines and further investigation ensued.

Knowledge

They must know marketing. Because social media and marketing should be integrated, your SME (social media expert) must understand how social media fits in to marketing, and to your company’s marketing and communications plan.

They must understand sales and conversion. Likes and followers are great, but as a business activity, social media has to earn its keep. Your SME should be able to point to past achievements in social media that resulted in increased revenue for the company.

They must understand the importance of sharing in social media. An “expert” who uses social media only for self-promotion will find their followers dwindling and their comments ignored. Finding interesting content to share with social networks, as well as sharing the content of potential prospects are part of a savvy social media strategy.

They must know the different channels of social media. All social networks are not created equal; some are better for B2B, some for B2C, some for bricks-and-mortar establishments and some for hobbyists. Once they learn about your business and your markets, a true social media expert will select the right mix of channels for your company.

Skills

They must be good at creating and repurposing content. An SME doesn’t have to be the next great American writer, but they do need to be competent (and prolific) enough at writing to produce a fairly consistent stream of content on your blog. Similarly, they don’t have to be Scorsese, but they do need to be able to shoot videos that are interesting, relevant and watchable. Perhaps most importantly, they need to know how to take one piece of content (such as a report or white paper) and get at least half a dozen social-media posts out of it.

They must have a strong sense of customer service. Because social media is such a powerful listening tool, your SME should be able to get an accurate sense of your customer base and to respond to that base whenever something needs fixing, tweaking or improving.

They must be interested in technology.  A sense of curiosity and eagerness to see what new developments are over the horizon is a crucial quality for an SME. However, this eagerness should be tempered by a few years of wisdom from watching some social media platforms flourish, while others foundered.

Finally, be sure to view your SME’s portfolio of social media successes. Whether it’s screen shots or active URLs, or testimonials from former clients or employers, be sure to have something other than the prospective SME’s word that they’re really good at this social media stuff.

Of course, we do know some people who are really good at this stuff. And if all these hiring criteria are starting to make your head swim, relax. You can just contact us, and we can find a social media expert worthy of the title.

Perhaps back in 2007, we could kid ourselves that this social media thing was just for college students and geeks. But for several years now, social media has become an important part not just of marketing, but of everyday life for many people—which is part of what makes it so vital to marketing.

To keep your social media integrated with your marketing, here are some tips:

• Stay consistent with your marketing messages on social media. If the message you want to stress is one of customer service, but your social media posts all emphasize your product’s convenience, your message gets muddled.
• Make social media part of your marketing plan from the start. In every plan, whether for a year or just one campaign, include specific directives for how social media will be part of the campaign. Don’t think of it as an after-the-fact add-on; integrate it from the planning stages.
• Take advantage of the 2-way nature of social media and listen. Social media is great for getting a message across, sure, but it’s actually better for seeing what other people are saying, about your company, your product, their needs and wants, their interests, etc. If used properly, social media can be an incredible marketing research tool.
• Stick with it. Although comments on social media are spread worldwide in seconds, it can take months for a strong marketing presence on social media to turn into customers.

If you want to make your marketing more social, contact Reliance STaffing & Recruiting today. Our Senior Executive Recruiting team can find you the top professionals in social media and marketing.

What other tips would you recommend for keeping social media integrated in marketing? Let us know in the comments!

Of course, the ideal answer to the “either/or” question is “both.” A comprehensive marketing campaign will include many different means and points of contact: direct mail, email, sales calls, social media outreach and many others. Different recipients will respond to certain means of contact in different ways, so it’s best to have a variety of ways to reach them.

However, if you have to choose just one medium—direct mail or email—here’s a guide to each one:

Regardless of which medium you decide to use (or both!), we can help you find the right people for the job. Our senior executive recruiting team has access to the area’s top graphic designers and email experts, and you can use them for just one campaign, or for years to come. Contact us today to find out how we can help you reach your targets.

Our cultural myths surrounding creativity are partly to blame: we tend to believe that “creative types” are somehow different from “the rest of us,” that creativity is something you’re born with (or without) and that creativity is a fragile flower that cannot be challenged. All of this is nonsense.

Every human being has some measure of creativity within them; what differentiates us is the nature of our creativity (music, architecture, problem-solving) and how big of a creative streak we have. For that matter, the size of our creative streak can be increased when we feel free to experiment and, most importantly, to fail. Plus, creativity is strengthened by gentle resistance: challenging creative thinkers to move beyond their first drafts, examine their ideas critically and push for something better.

So how can you encourage creativity within your team? First, wherever appropriate, reduce the stakes for minor failures. Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity, and it rears its ugly head whenever people believe that they must get everything right every single time. When failure doesn’t mean the possible loss of livelihood, people are much more likely to learn from mistakes.

Also, allow creative people enough time to work alone. While brainstorming sessions are supposedly creativity in action, often the inverse is true, as perceived group norms silence many creative impulses. Trust in the inner motivation that tends to guide creative workers and let them show you what they’ve done when they’re ready to.

Finally, when they do show you what they’ve done, be ready and willing to critique it from a standpoint of making it better. Whenever possible, enlist the help of an expert or mentor in the field in which your employee is working, so you can express your ideas for how to improve their work in a language and a tone your employee can respond positively to.

It also helps if the creative people in your business are a good fit for your culture and goals. By hiring through Reliance Staffing & Recruiting, you can “try before you buy” and make sure your hire will work well with everyone on your team, no matter their degree of creativity.