Tips on Professionally Leaving Your Job | Quitting in a Positive Way

by | General IT, News & Events

Moving ahead with your career is cause for celebration. But those left in your wake may feel less jubilant. The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that, on average, a worker will change jobs every four or so years. The contacts and relationships that you have established may prove valuable later in terms of networking, references, or as a source of knowledge for your new role. Protect and nurture your relationships and quit sensibly. The main concern for you and your employer is to find a suitable replacement. Provide plenty of notice and offer to help with the search and recruitment. Doing so will ease employer concerns. Consider if there is an internal candidate who is deserving and who might be quicker and easier to train. Michael Peggs, contributor to Careerealism, offers advice to make your departure a positive one. Prepare a job description and consider the most important aspects of your job and the skills required. Search for suitable candidates, screen them, offer to join the interview panel, and train the incumbent. Much of your knowledge is proprietary to the company and should not leave with you.  Don’t leave unfinished work. If there are any projects that you cannot complete, provide extensive instructions including a handover note. Consider writing “how to” instructions for any habitual tasks that might make an incumbent’s job easier.  Offer to provide constructive feedback to the company if you think it will be useful. However, provide it only if they ask for it. Providing unsolicited feedback could be risky and compromising good will is not advisable. Additionally, secure any references before...

Common Characteristics of Top IT Leaders

by | News & Events

Rich Hein of IT News recently discussed the characteristics of successful IT leaders. Certain challenges are unique to the field of information technology. The IT field is a highly competitive, dynamic industry and leaders are required to navigate unexplored territory such as cutting edge innovation. Excellent listening and communication skills are the core traits of any leader, but IT also requires other elements. Familiarity with business risk and security threats is required, and the balance between investment in security and available resources is a constant dilemma. IT News describes the characteristics that top IT leaders exhibit. IT leaders understand that their personnel are key. No one person has a complete skill set and human resources must be carefully managed to ensure adequate abilities and a team dynamic. Cutting edge coders are as important as purchasing officers. Organizational culture is determined by the leadership style. Few industries experience constant threats in terms of competition, but also cyber and privacy threats. A leader must balance the need to invest in new security technology with a willingness to take risks. There must be room for failure in terms of innovative efforts. Progress requires failure and employees must be provided the opportunity for mistakes to achieve innovation. Adhering to regulations and managing legacy issues can be frustrating but necessary. A leader must be prepared to take on all challenges, be self-aware, be willing to admit mistakes, and to realize personal weaknesses. A leader must be willing to delegate, to be personally accountable, and to hold others accountable.   Emotional intelligence is a leadership requirement and is more important than IQ. It involves being...

Top Pharma Companies on Social Media – And What You Can Learn From Them!

by | ClinLab Staffing

According to Tracy Stanton of Fiercepharmamarketing, pharmaceutical companies have so far shown caution with respect to the use of social media. Engagement with health care professionals and the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is often in response to predictable regulatory-oriented discussions; however, engaging with patients and members of the public is risky and can cause damage to brand reputation. The leading pharmaceutial groups are adept at direct consumer advertising and handling challenges from the medical profession, but patients and the public are another matter. The IMS institute for Healthcare Informatics finds that less than 50 percent of leading drug makers engage in social media, and only ten use established marketing tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. There are good reasons for the reticence in engagement with patients and the public that include the lack of regulation with respect to business and social media use. Until regulations are defined, the risks involved in social media marketing and engagement may be uncertain and substantial. The claims that pharmaceutical companies make are monitored and can quickly cause intervention by the USFDA preventing products from reaching the market, or removing them from it. The FDA is, however, is active on social media. It is expected to provide guidelines in 2014. Until then, patients and the public will continue to derive most of their product information from Wikipedia, but the information can be unreliable. Some pharmaceutical companies are, therefore, using social media to represent more accurate data. Fiercepharmamarketing recommends a “softly, softly” approach. Action is required because impending regulation will cause most pharmaceutical companies to devise social media strategies. One that tests...

Study Says: IT Leaders Lack Confidence. Do You Fit the Mold?

by | IT Financial

Despite awareness of the risks that accompany inadequate investment in security tools such as backup and recovery, a study undertaken for EMC shows that 45 percent of IT managers consider their company’s ability to defend against possible IT disruptions inadequate. Moreover, 61 percent of respondents felt that way because they had experienced some IT calamity, such as loss of data, during the past year. The recent economic recession and the need for cost cutting could account for some negligence on the part of senior management. Excessive workload or inadequate resources were cited by 35 percent of respondents as contributing factors, and 33 percent cited poor planning, and insufficient knowledge and skills. Some IT managers claimed that the existing available technologies were insufficient from a trust perspective. However, the study implies that a communication gap is a bigger problem. The study by EMC reveals that IT managers and workers realize the need to provide security, but senior management are less enthusiastic; a communication gaps exists. Seventy percent of IT professionals recognize IT to be a driver of secure infrastructure, whereas only 50 percent of decision makers not involved in IT responded that they thought so. In contrast, senior management in China invest heavily in security measures to ensure complete trust both by employees and consumers. These companies consider that the success of cloud computing, the ethical use of Big Data, and social networking trends all depend on providing trust to the user that their information is safe and usable. A failure by US companies to do the same could affect competitiveness in the global technology market. IT managers and employees...

Why is Your Resume Ending Up in the Trash?

by | HR & Management

Your resume should serve a primary purpose. To communicate to the hiring manager that you are the right person for the job. The two key components of that goal are communicating and selling. Forbes recently interviewed recruiters to discover why a resume might be thrown out. Here are the responses and some tips to ensure that your resume remains at the top of the pile. You fail to meet the job requirements. You cannot convince a hiring manager or recruiter that you are the right person for the job if you don’t understand what skills the employer is seeking. Study the job description and research the firm. Tailor your resume to reflect the key traits that they require and eliminate other non-essential information. Deliver a clear, unequivocal message. Highlight your suitability in the cover letter and eliminate everything else. The interview is the time to elaborate on your additional skills and experience. You fail to connect. Target your resume. To connect, you must show that you understand the company, its culture, and that you will assimilate quickly. Link your experience with company initiatives. This requires a knowledge of the company and tailoring your resume and cover letter. Show that your past experience is relevant to company activities and differentiate yourself from the competition. Add some personality and humor if you think it appropriate for that particular company. No attention to detail. Communicate clearly and without error. Follow the job posting instructions to the letter, and ensure no spelling or grammatical errors. Ensure that you use the same job title that the company advertised including any job numbers. Design your...

Hiring Tips to Consider When Looking for a Top Developer

by | General IT

The hiring manager seeking an expert developer in today’s Google and Facebook-obsessed world faces a challenge. He must compete with established tech companies offering resources designed to exploit the coding talents of the finest programmers, and with compensation packages guaranteed to sign them up. But that might be their weakness. Software developers can expect salaries that only the leading companies can afford, and, currently there are almost five vacant jobs for every developer. But developers are motivated by challenge and the opportunity to collaborate with other tech experts. So, how can a small IT start-up, or even a large conglomerate, attract talented IT programmers? Dan Tynan, contributor for IT News, has some tips: Sell your company. You might not be Google; however, smaller companies offer a bureaucracy-free, dynamic environment. Host a coding competition on your company website; the talented find it hard to resist a challenge. Post articles on social media, blog, and become active in IT networks and chat rooms frequented by developers. Post video profiles of other IT programmers on your website and add a friendly face to your brand. Network. Use social media to develop a reputation as an industry leader. Become active in chat rooms and LinkedIn networks. Initiate Twitter feeds to ask for recommendations for expert programmers. Ask your existing staff for referrals; this is the best source for top developers because experts want to work with experts. Don’t hire quickly, hire quality. To attract quality programmers, a company must offer what top developers want. According to Shane Snow of Fast Company, talented co-workers and challenging work are key. Develop a reputation for only...

Are You Hiring Top Talent?

by | News & Events

The technology industry attracts mathematical and logical thinkers. Cerebral personalities are not always extrovert, people pleasers, able to dizzyingly charm an interviewer and appear the ideal candidate. Professional staffers and recruiters are experts at determining the real coding abilities of a potential programmer, the candidate’s personality and work ethic, and the candidate’s fit for your organization. However, the first step in finding top talent is to attract candidates to your organization. This requires a reputation as a stellar employer and reaching out to potential candidates on their terms. Entrepreneur reported that the reputation earned by Southwest Airlines as a desirable employer recently garnered them over 50,000 resumes in response to 500 available positions. A&A offers some ways to attract talent. Your company website might be the first point of contact with a prospective candidate. Upload short videos that introduce your company and its staff. Use marketing strategies that encourage interaction such as gamification. Showcase a company culture that is welcoming, interesting, and cutting edge. To attract top talent, your company must be a dynamic, industry leader. Passive job seekers are often among the best. Of course they are already working for your competitors; snag them, and you gain valuable experience and competitor insight. Approach them in the places where they like to hang out. For example, many companies such as Google and Microsoft advertise coding competitions in IT chat rooms and on social networks. The individuals who engage in such competitions are your target candidates. Ask your existing employees for referrals. Use LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus, and other social network platforms to initiate conversations about company activity and skills demand;...

How Will Technology Change Banking in 2014 ?

by | IT Financial

Retail banks are currently trying to do it all. Technology innovation is rife, but retail banks are unsure of which business model to follow; should they focus on services for the mobile customer, or improve branch services by expanding core branches and closing smaller, less frequented locations? Treasury professionals are demanding analytic technology for big data, superior mobile architecture, and cloud technology. Advancements in banking technology are fuelling heightened competitiveness. Banking Strategies highlighted an informal survey of 127 treasury professionals. The survey showed that 50 percent of respondents would consider switching banks for better technology. The survey also found that more than 80 percent of  respondents still rely on Microsoft Excel to do in-house analytics and that there is considerable demand for predictive analytic technology. For the retail banking sector: Touchscreen technology is a substantial area of investment, as is video conferencing and high-tech ATMs. Smart ATMS may be used to reduce staffing costs and to improve customer experience. Innovative software will increase cross-selling to customers. Bank online interfaces and ATM screens may soon have the ability to market products that appeal to a specific consumer profile. For example, pre-approved home improvement loans to homeowners. Retirement packages to mid-career professionals. The introduction of fees for online banking channels are imminent. The recent debacle concerning Bank of America’s attempt to charge fees for online services is an example of one market player going it alone. However, it will not be long before other leading banks succeed in providing convenience for a fee. Online banking services and technology will expand. According to William Wiedman, Senior Vice President of Applied Predictive Technologies,...

How to Bring the Best Out of All Employees and Embrace Diversity

by | News & Events

The preferences and working styles of employees are diverse. The Wall Street Journal addressed generational differences in communication styles. Most millennials prefer to communicate via social media and texting, whereas older members of the workforce prefer more traditional channels. Similarly, some workers thrive under pressure and group dynamics, whereas others require time to work through a problem independently. According to the Center for American Progress, businesses with a diverse workforce are more competitive. A manager’s ability to manage and exploit such differences requires effective leadership. Managers and leaders must first understand their own personalities and working styles in order to appreciate those of others. They must model tolerance and understanding because no style is the right one. An effective leader provides an environment that is flexible and accepting of all working styles. Institute cultural sensitivity training in your workplace. Encourage a culture of tolerance and awareness for individual preferences in working styles. Encourage teamwork. Provide teams with autonomy in decision making. Let them organize themselves and have them review the project process once it is completed to identify ways to improve. Seek feedback from employees. As your frontline workers, they are a valuable source of information. Ask for ideas and keep them engaged. Provide regular educational and training opportunities to encourage their career development. Institute open communication forums using social media to encourage cross-functional interaction. Create recognition programs. Encourage staff to take on responsibility and reward them for it. Provide honest feedback to employees and provide a safe forum for them to reciprocate. Offer flexible working options such as telecommuting. Focus on getting the work done according to deadlines...

A New Website for the New Year

by | News & Events

A&A Search LLC is excited to announce the launch of our new A&A Search and ClinLab Staffing website. The site presents the extensive staffing and recruitment services that can satisfy your niche requirements. Our new website features our expertise in three core staffing sectors, generaI IT staffing, financial IT staffing services, and our ClinLab staffing services for the science and research sector. Focus your skills and time where they are most needed, and let our industry professionals manage your staffing and recruitment strategy. Our general IT staffing supports entry to C-level professionals and places them with leading industry clients. An experienced IT account manager will match experienced candidates with the right clients and complete the staffing process from sourcing to background checking with professionalism. We place candidates from content developers to application engineers. Our financial IT staffing services can locate professionals who possess financial acumen and value confidentiality. Our professional staffers are seasoned in finding skilled individuals who understand banking, insurance, venture capital, and consulting. We place consultants and teams who can hit the ground running to complete projects on time and according to budget. Our ClinLab staffing services focus on life sciences recruitment and staffing serving academic and industrial clients. We will ensure capable candidates who will encourage scientific initiatives that are safe, timely, successful, and profitable. Our account managers are seasoned scientific recruiters with proven success rates in finding contractors and full time hires. We place laboratory technicians to director level candidates in positions with industry leaders. A&A Search LLC considers candidates to be more than a “skill set.” Your career lasts a lifetime, and we would...