Since the July 4^th weekend is upon us, we realize this is an opportune time to relax, catch up with family and friends, enjoy life and be thankful for everything our wonderful country offers.

This holiday weekend is also a good time to reflect about your professional career – where you are, where you want to go, and how you’re going to get there. If you’re an IT professional thinking about a career move, put down that novel you’re  reading on your iPad, Kindle or Nook  and take an hour to read Agile’s ebook: The IT Professional’s No-Nonsense Guide to Getting a Job in the New IT.  It’s a quick read and chock full of tips and advice on everything you need to know before you begin your job search. Download our free ebook now.

If you’re an IT executive or hiring manager wondering where all the top talent is and how you’re going to fill that open position you’ve been looking to fill for what seems like forever, we suggest taking 15 minutes this weekend to read our white paper “Four Winning Talent Strategies for the New IT”.  This paper provides practical approaches to hiring and retaining top IT talent. You can download our free white paper by clicking here.

We thought we’d end this week with these company org charts.  Perhaps they’re a bit exaggerated, but they’ll make you giggle.  If you had to create your company’s org chart, would it look similar to any of these?  Let’s hope not!

This week a few staff members at Agile attended WIT’s monthly forum: “OMG, Can U Succeed with a Social Network Vocabularly? The Impact of Social Media on our Interpersonal Skills.” The panel of experts – Moira Vetter, co-founder of Modo Modo Agency; Jessica Rodbell, Head of Industry at Google; Diana Keough, CEO, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of ShareWIK Media Group; and Elizabeth Mashakas, Director of Recruiting at Orbital Sciences Corporation – provided timely and insightful dialogue about the increasing use of social media within the corporate world and its effect on interpersonal skills in the workplace.

Social media has permeated corporate America, and it’s not going away that’s for sure. That’s both good news and bad news for IT job seekers and companies looking for top talent. It’s good news because the power of social media lies in its ability to connect many people who share something in common.  Social media also provides access to personal information that wasn’t so readily (or publicly) available in the past. For example, social media now gives technical recruiters access to an ocean of new candidates’ professional and personal information. This data enables recruiters to qualify people — and this is where the fine line between good and bad can be drawn – and in many cases, make assumptions about those people (which can be used to further the qualification or disqualification process of potential candidates).

But the overwhelming concern about social media communicated by the speakers at WIT’s forum, is its propensity to diminish interpersonal skills. Social media has a way of enabling people to hide from human interaction. As social media becomes more pervasive in the workplace, people are depending less on their personal skills to communicate and interact with others. Although social media is connecting more and more people, this connection can be (sadly) impersonal. And it’s the personal connection that is key to both finding a job and succeeding in business. Sorry folks, social media may help in the job search, but it will NOT get you the job.

It was either a fluke or somewhat of a coincidence that the same day of the forum, we happened upon an article on CNNMoney.com titled “How to find a job in 2011.”  The gist of the feature is that social media is important in the job search, but face-to-face connections and interactions are required to further a job seeker’s chance of getting hired. Author and career coach, Ford Myers, states “Social media tools should be used to make real connections, not just virtual ones. Tons of people use social media all day long and they are communicating with tons of people but they’re not connecting with anybody. Build the relationship from there so it becomes a real world relationship.”

So how do you build relationships and strengthen your interpersonal skills? It’s not as difficult as you may think – it’s even, dare we say, quite human!  Below are 10 tips for good interpersonal skills. Use them along with social media during your job search (and beyond), and success shouldn’t be too far behind.

1. Listen first.  Communication is a two-way process. Getting your message across depends on understanding the other person.
2. Be interested in the people you are communicating with. Remember, people are more attracted to those who are interested in them, and will pay more attention to what they are saying.
3. Pay close attention to your body language.  This and the tone of your voice have a lot to do with how people feel about you. Think before you speak!
4. Smile and use eye contact. It’s the most positive signal you can give another human being.
5. Ask questions. It’s a great way to show people that you are really interested in them.
6. Communicate clearly.  Pay close attention to both what you say and how you say it. A clear and effective comminicator avoids misunderstands with coworkers, colleagues and associates.
7. Use humor to make other’s laugh. Use your sense of humor as an effective tool to lower barriers and gain people’s affection.
8. Be empathetic.  Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. Try to view situations and responses from another person’s perspective.
9. Practice is everything. Just as with all other things, mastering your interpersonal skills takes time and practice. Try out effective techniques and role play with close friends and family.
10. Learn from your interactions. If you had a really good conversation with someone, try and think why it went well and remember the key points for future interactions. If it didn’t go well – learn from it and move on.

In order for your IT job search to be successful, you must have an effective social media strategy. If you haven’t done so already, or believe your social media strategy could use some help, we suggest you start here. Along with social media, you should have a customized resume that will “wow” the recruiter and hiring manager. This is when your interpersonal skills will be tested. You can get an interview with the right social media strategy and resume, but if your interpersonal skills are lacking during the hiring process, you may have a hard time getting an actual job offer.

In a recent blog, we wrote about salary and benefits requirements for IT job seekers – and why candidates need to know everything they want (compensation) before starting the interview process with potential employers. Salary and benefits are key factors when determining whether a job is the right one for you. But there’s one other component in the decision-making process that is very important, and often overlooked, during the job hunt.  While people tend to fixate on the total compensation package, they sometimes forget to ask “is the company’s culture the right fit for me?”

How many of us have taken a job because we were tantalized with the incredible package the company was offering? I’ve been sucked in before. I remember back in the late 90’s being courted by a large telecom company – the job would certainly fast track my career, and the salary and benefits were unreal. I liked the job and employer I was working for at the time – it was a great company with a culture that I really fit into.  But the title, money and benefits the courting company was throwing at me just seemed too good to pass up.  I accepted their offer. And to this day, I regret that decision.  The day I started the job with my new employer, I knew it wasn’t going to work out.  The work environment was stuffy and stifling. Co-workers were always looking out for number one. I felt isolated. I was there for two years but it seemed like eternity.

You see, I forgot to ask about what the culture at this large corporation was like, and how I was going to fit into it. I interviewed with a fellow I had worked with before – he was my manager at a previous employer.  I figured “it must be cool if he’s here.”  NOT.  Shortly after I came on board with the new employer, the manager who hired me (and who I had worked with before) bolted. He forgot to tell me during the interview process that the company’s culture was hierarchical, bureaucratic, and very political.  Not a good fit for me, as my style is less formal and much more entrepreneurial.  I should have done my due diligence and researched the company’s culture. I should have asked the employees I interviewed with how the culture compared to that of my current employer.  But this was the ‘90s and dollar signs were dancing around in my head. I put culture on the back burner. 

 A hard lesson learned. But I’ll never make the same mistake. Yes, money and benefits matter. But so does a company’s culture. Remember, you’ll be working there 40, 50, 60 hours or more a week. You’ll have new processes to follow, new management styles to contend with, and new co-workers that you’ll have to get along with (or try to anyway). And if you’re not comfortable with any of these, you may be starting a new job on the wrong foot – and most likely, it won’t get any better.

Some can argue, like me for example, that company culture is as equally important as the compensation package. Salary and benefits matter to me. But so do the people I surround myself with five days out of the week. The staff at Agile is a diverse group of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.  They are all professional. They are hard working. Delivering exceptional service to clients is what drives all of us.  Oh, and everyone at Agile is nice, and respectful of others. They are also involved in their communities and give back in many ways.

This past week, I had the pleasure of joining my fellow co-workers at the Komen Atlanta Race for the Cure. Everyone took time out of their busy weekend schedules to support a cause that is so important to our CEO, Tricia Dempsey, an eight year breast cancer survivor.  And everyone participated, not because we had to, but because we wanted to. 

Last evening, our staff celebrated with clients, consultants and partners in honor of their support of our company over the past year. It was one of the nicest corporate events I have attended – and I’ve attended many over the past 20+ years.  Why?  Everyone was personable, friendly and genuine.  And those traits are important to me – both inside and outside of work. The values and culture at Agile fit my personal values and needs.  And that’s why I love working here.

Don’t underestimate the value of a company’s culture.  Money may pay the bills and buy you a deluxe apartment in the sky, but as the old adage goes – it doesn’t guarantee happiness. And who wants to spend half their day (at work) being miserable? Not me!

This blog, the second of a two part series, focuses on candidate salary requirements and how job seekers should handle salary issues before and after an employer makes an offer.

Last week we blogged about candidate salary requirements, and things employers need to consider before extending an offer. We gave an example of a highly qualified candidate who provided her salary requirements to the recruiter before the interview process began.  The IT recruiter submitted the candidate and her salary requirements to the client.

The rest of the scenario goes like this:

However, when the company extended an offer, the salary is less than what she requires.  She declines the offer and accepts another one that is within her salary range.

But what if changed the scenario to the following:

However, when the company extended an offer that met the candidate’s original salary requirements, she realizes that she forgot to account for some of her living expenses. The candidate decides she wants more money, and refuses the client’s offer.

Job seekers – don’t get yourself into this situation. Not only is it unprofessional, but it can damage your reputation within the technology community.  Before you agree to interview with a company, here are five things you need to seriously consider as it relates to salary.

1. Make sure you not only have your “ideal number,” but also have a “bottom line” amount.  This is important because in most cases a particular job will have different compensation ranges depending on the size of the company, how your skill set matches the job description/requirements, and your actual work experience. Unless you match the employer’s requirements perfectly, and you’re the only qualified candidate or the employer’s number one choice for the job, getting an offer that meets your “ideal” salary is probably unrealistic – even in this competitive market. 
2. Research the salaries and hourly rates of the job you are interested in.  What is the average pay range in the market/industry? Understanding what the typical going rate is will at least give you a good idea of how realistic your numbers are.
3. Don’t be in denial.  If you come across that “perfect” job, but the recruiter tells you that the employer can only pay $75,000 and you want $85,000 – you need to seriously think if the job really is the “perfect” one.  What you want doesn’t mean you’ll get it – especially if the employer has specified what their absolute amount is.  And don’t fool yourself into thinking that a $10,000 pay cut is acceptable unless there is some substantial trade off that can justify less pay (i.e. stock options, saving money on gas by telecommting, 401K match, etc.) .
4. Include benefits into the equation.  Be sure to take into consideration your existing benefits package versus the potential employer’s package.  How much comes out of your pay check each month?  A lot of times questions regarding benefits don’t come up till AFTER the offer.  For example, if you are paying insurance for your entire family, the cost differences can be huge depending on the company’s benefits package. This amount can more than make up for any salary difference. If you’re at a large company now and thinking about a position with a small company, benefits may not be as attractive and you’ll be paying more out of pocket.  So…do your home work before, and at least be ready to ask the questions. 
5. Be prepared for a counter offer from your current employer.  If you’re top talent, the company you’re at will most likely want to keep you.  And if they know you’re leaving, they’ll try to keep you by making an offer you can’t refuse.  But remember that in most cases, counter offers don’t work out.  Employees who accept counter offers at their existing employers end up leaving within a year (if that long).  Bottom line…if you start your search and begin interviewing, be ready to leave.  Know what it’s going to take for you to accept an offer with a new employer and stick to your guns.  Otherwise, you may end up in a tug of war between your current company and the new company. And if that happens, you may very well end up being the loser.

If you’re an IT professional entering the job market , we’ve got something to tell you that will make you smile – maybe even shout for joy.  Here goes….

You may never have to write another cover letter as long as you stay in the technology profession!

See, we knew you’d smile

If you’re like the majority of job seekers, you’ve probably spent a fair amount of time during your IT job search writing the perfect cover letter. And you’ve spent all that precious time writing this document because…well, because that’s what you’re supposed to do. Right?  We won’t say “wrong” but we will say “not necessarily.” 

Back in the day (before the iPod, iPad or iAnything), it was a golden rule that the cover letter always accompanied the resume. No ands, ifs or buts about it. The cover letter, so we’ve been told, must be engaging, position-specific and well-written. It must describe why you are interested in the position and what qualifications or experience makes you a good fit. It should outline your relevant experience and reflect your willingness to learn. It should also be used as an opportunity to highlight a special skill or quality you possess that would be an asset to any organization.

Cover letter? Fugheddaboudit

But wait. If the cover letter serves such an important purpose, why are we saying “fugheddaboudit?” There are three reasons, but we want to preface that the cover letter is NOT obsolete.  Job seekers (especially outside the technology industry) should be prepared to submit a cover letter when applying directly to HR or the hiring manager because a personalized, tailored letter may help to get their attention. However, when working directly with an IT recruiter, do what the gang from The Jersey Shore would do and fugheddaboudit. Here’s why:

1. For the recruiter, the resume is the cover letter. The resume is what recruiters use to screen candidates. Because recruiters must fill numerous positions for multiple clients in very short timeframes, they don’t have time to sift through information that may or may not be pertinent to the job they’re trying to fill. This is why a customized resume highlighting skills relevant to a particular position/role is vital. If your resume impresses the recruiter, she’ll want to talk to you and that’s when you can provide additional information that isn’t included on the resume.
2. The recruiter will search social media sites to find out more about you. If your resume gets the recruiter’s attention, it’s almost a guarantee that she will turn to social media to do a little investigative work.  For example, the recruiter may go to your LinkedIn page to review and compare work history, read recommendations, and see if there is a network connection to her or anyone she may know.  Social media is an important recruiting tool, so don’t underestimate its influence during the hiring process. We’ve blogged about social media extensively – if you want to know more about how to effectively use social media during your job search a good place to start is here.
3. Believe it or not, 99 percent of the time our clients never request a cover letter. Simply put, they don’t have time. That’s why your resume must clearly communicate the skills, experiences and results that pertain to the position you’re applying to.

With all that said, having a “back up” cover letter is always a good idea. For instance, if the client isn’t totally sold on your skills listed on the resume, the recruiter can use information contained within the cover letter to persuade the client to consider you. The hiring manager may also be interested in viewing the cover letter to show him that you can write a sentence and know how to communicate effectively.

Bottom line, when you’re working with a recruiter don’t spend time writing an eloquent cover letter. Instead, use that time to create a powerful resume and online presence.