Australian Computer Society

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Australian Computer Society

• Sarah Gawman and Dominic Trewick
• Hudson ITT
• www.hudson.com
• 15 November 2006

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Introduction Hudson ITT NSW

• Sarah Gawman Practice Leader, Hudson ITT
• Dominic Trewick Manager, Hudson ITT
• 35 Consultants Sydney, Newcastle, Parramatta
• Specialists Divisions
• Telco/Vendor
• IT Sales
• Banking Professional Services
• End user (Government, Media, Health,
  Pharmaceutical, FMCG)

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Agenda

• The state of the market Project Management
• How do we attract candidates?
• Interview Skills
• Competency Based Interviewing
• Working with Recruiters
• Resume Preparation (soft copy upon request)
• QA session

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Project Management - the Sydney market

• Banking
• Drive towards perm project managers over the last
  6 months, especially Insurance Sector
• Constant demand for best of industry people in
  the Financial Services Sector and steady flow of
  projects in line with various new product
  initiatives, statutory, governance and reporting
  roles.
• Specialist knowledge in demand, i.e. super
  experience, or skills based around a particular
  financial tool.
• Demand for project managers from large scale, big
  budget and highly regulated businesses qualified
  PMs with a strong methodology focus.
• Rates Very varied! From 90-170K perm.
• From 650 per day - 1500 per day contract.

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Telco/Vendor

• Steady demand a number of new projects i.e. 3G
  Network projects, billing platform consolidation
  and customer care projects (developing an end to
  end solution)
• Some large scale Telco projects have been
  finishing up contractors and moving towards
  taking on permanent staff.
• Increase in Tier 2 companies winning new project
  work, i.e. on government contracts. Large managed
  services projects being broken down and offered
  to smaller vendors.
• Most successful Projects Mangers have strengths
  across multiple domains, e.g. Telco, Finance,
  Government etc
• Rates - From 750 - 1200 per day depending on
  experience.

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End User

• Steady requirement for Project Managers mostly
  development project i.e. upgrade projects, site
  moves and systems integration across Government
  Agencies.
• Clients focussing on more generic skills, i.e.
  established project management methodologies.
  Large enterprise environment experience well
  regarded.
• Demand for SAP, Oracle, and Siebel skills. 50
  of our requirements are SAP focussed.
• More of a demand for highly developed business
  satisfaction skills and ability to tailor systems
  to meet specific business requirements
• Rates approx 650 - 1,000 per day

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Hudson How do we attract candidates?

• Sydney Morning Herald EGN on Saturday
• Senior Sales, Senior Technical and Management
  roles
• Contract Postings
• Seek Premium Seek Executive (80k )
• Project Management
• Business Analyst
• Analyst Programmer
• Network and Systems
• Seek General IT
• Hudson Website www.hudson.com
• Jobserve Database
• Referral Program
• Networking keep in touch with your recruiter!

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Interview Skills

• Objectives
• Understanding the purpose of an Interview and the
  importance of preparation.
• Understanding the Communication process.
• Feeling confident answering questions and knowing
  what questions to ask during the interview
  process.
• Overview of Competency Based Interviewing.

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The purpose of an interview

• Your main purpose in attending an interview is to
  get a job offer!
• In order to get a job offer there are a number of
  goals to achieve during an interview
• To give information.
• To get information.
• To check out the organisation and meet the people
  you will be working with.
• To sell yourself.

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Who is responsible for the success of the
interview?

• Half of what happens in the interview is your
  responsibility and half is the interviewers
  responsibility.
• You have to tell the interviewer what you have
  done, what your capabilities for the job are, and
  that you are the person that can do the job best.
• The interviewer needs to find out as much as they
  can about your ability to do the job. They will
  compare you against other applicants and decide
  who they will hire.

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Competency Based Questions

• More and more employers are using competency
  based interview techniques in their selection
  process. There are two key reasons why
• Competencies allow employers to clearly define
  their position requirements.
• Past performance of employees is such an accurate
  prediction of future performance.
• You should identify your core competencies and
  prepare examples that illustrate how you have
  demonstrated and used these competencies in the
  past.
• Have three different examples for each
  competency (to give you greater flexibility).
  Select examples that demonstrate your use of a
  particular competency in dealing with superiors,
  peers and your subordinates/team.

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Competency Based Interviewing

• Major Components of past behaviour
• Specific situation or task.
• Action or reaction.
• Known result.
• Hence - S Situation
• T Task
• A Action
• R Result
• Competency based interviews seek to elicit STARs
• False STARs - Feelings or opinions
• - Theorectical or future oriented statements
• - Vague statements

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Competency Based Interviewing Cont

• Advantage of using past behaviour as a
  predication
• Bridges the gap between current capability and
  requirements of the role.
• Elicits critical and factual information relating
  to skills, knowledge and attributes.
• Eliminates misunderstandings.
• Prevents personal impressions from affecting
  evaluation.

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Examples of Competency Based Interview Questions

• Results Orientation
• Q. Describe a time when you achieved what others
  thought was close to impossible? How did you
  achieve it and what did you physically have to do
  to achieve the goal?
• Q. Can you tell me about a time when you were
  responsible for developing a strategic or
  operational plan and putting this into practice?
  How did you go about developing the plan and
  measuring the results?

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Suggested Questions You Might Ask

• Why is the position open?
• What are the key requirements for the position?
• How would you measure the performance of this
  position?
• I would be interested to know the culture of
  the company, e.g. management style/attitudes
  towards personal development.
• Could you tell me the growth plans of the
  company?
• Where do we go from here?

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After The Job Interview

• After each interview write down all the
  information you have gained about the job, think
  about how you went and write down your thoughts.
  This will help you to prepare for future
  interviews.
• After each interview answer these questions
• ? What questions did they ask me in the
  interview?
• ? What information did I gain about the job and
  the company?
• ? What did I ask them?
• ? What did I do well?
• ? What else do I want to know?
• ? Do I want the job?

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Working effectively with Recruitment Agencies

• The recruitment industry has grown steadily in
  recent years. There has been a major increase in
  the number of players in the industry.
• We strongly suggest that you take a balanced
  approach to job search and not just rely on
  recruiters. Devote time to networking, cold
  calling, direct marketing and responding to ads
  placed by employers.
• In dealing with recruiters and agencies it is
  critical to establish and maintain the right sort
  of relationship.

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Working Effectively with Recruitment Agencies
Cont

• Initial Introduction Always make a qualified
  call.
• Do your research Many recruiters specialise in
  specific market sectors, technologies, and even
  salary ranges.
• Identify which recruiters have best relationships
  in your market be choosey!!
• Control the process Insist recruiters ask
  permission before doing anything with your resume
• Be honest Maximise your exposure to the market.

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Tips

• Persevere
• - recruiters can receive up to 100 calls per day
• - Sell yourself in a message
• i.e. My name is Joe Smith and I have a strong
  background in Project Management in the Telco
  space with Vodafone.
• Make friends with their PA!
• Send your resume immediately

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Responding to Recruiters Ads

• Always respond by phone first be prepared for
  blunt questioning to ascertain your fit
• Always send a tailored resume through (even if
  you are on their database)
• Put a succinct cover letter together, but
  remember most recruiters will jump straight to
  your resume
• Follow up within a week, but not every hour!

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The Recruiter or Agency Interview

• An initial interview with a recruiter is an
  extremely important meeting as it basically forms
  their opinion of you for life!
• Be firm about why you are looking for a job, your
  job preferences, career aspirations and salary
  expectation.
• Have your examples well prepared. Stick to
  facts, figures and specifics. Avoid
  generalisations (think competencies!).

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The Recruiter or Agency Interview Cont

• If the interview is in relation to a specific
  job, prepare your examples carefully against the
  selection criteria. Obviously they will be
  evaluating you against these.
• Be yourself, dont fake it! Recruiters will only
  deal with people they can get to know and trust.
  
• It is your responsibility to provide the
  recruiter with all the information they need.
• At the end of the interview ask if any further
  information is required and what the next step
  should be.

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Client Interview Stage

• If a recruiter organises a client interview for
  you, ask them everything you need to know to
  perform. What is the background of the
  interviewer? Who else will be there? What
  issues will they will be focusing on, etc, etc
• Always provide the recruiter with feedback
  following an interview with their clients.
  Remember, recruiters are trying to facilitate
  things at their end as well.

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Client Interview Stage Cont

• Referees - organise good times to call and ensure
  that your referees are prepared and expecting the
  call.
• Be honest during the recruitment process. If you
  have other opportunities on the go let the
  recruiter know.
• It is important that if you do take a job
  elsewhere that you have nurtured a good
  relationship with the recruiters that didnt
  place you. You may need them again in the future!

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Client Interview Stage Cont

• Work with and focus on recruiters who are
  interested in you. When you make a recruiters
  shortlist they obviously think youre a worthy
  candidate. Stick with them.
• Dont waste time and energy on recruiters who
  never get back to you or never seem to have an
  appropriate role.

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Maintaining the relationship

• It is not unusual for the same recruiter (or
  recruitment firm) to place a candidate several
  times in the candidates career. Therefore, if
  you are placed by a recruiter, nurture the
  relationship. Keep in touch every 4 or 5 months,
  tell them how the job is going.
• Even if you werent placed by that recruiter but
  struck up a good rapport, maintain the contact
  for future career management.
• Good Luck!

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Resume Preparation

• There are many ideas about how to put a résumé
  together, what to put in it and what works and
  what doesnt. Listening to friends, colleagues
  and so called specialists can all be helpful,
  but in the final analysis leave you with a sense
  of confusion due to contradictory ideas and
  anecdotal stories in the marketplace.

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Whats the purpose of a résumé?

• From a candidates perceptive
• The résumé is designed predominantly as a door
  opener for you. It should give the reader enough
  information to understand your background and how
  it relates to either a specific position or
  perhaps just potential opportunities. The résumé
  is designed to promote two-way discussion between
  the interviewer and interviewee and foremost it
  should be a selling or marketing document
  rather than simply a clinical record of your
  career history.

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What Works - The Turn Ons

• Structure
• Work in reverse chronological order when
  presenting your career history.
• Use appropriate headings and keep the least
  important details at the back of the résumé.
• Remember, individual résumés are screened by HR
  practitioners, recruiters and line managers
  within 10-30 seconds, so give priority to the
  most important points up front.
• The mark of a well-structured résumé is where the
  decision makers can assess you on the first page
  of your résumé.

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What Works - The Turn Ons Cont

• Presentation
• Use appropriate fonts (Arial and Times New Roman
  are a safe bet).
• Use bolding for headings and generally 14 point.
• Use bullet points to outline responsibilities and
  achievements.
• When emailing your résumé, avoid fancy fonts,
  tables etc and save it as a document with a cover
  letter attached as part of the document.
• Use adjectives and verbs to create energy in
  your résumés.
• Make sure what you write in a résumé is
  supportable and can be validated at both
  interview and reference check stage.
• Industry jargon - speak the same language as the
  industry youre pitching to.
• A 2-4-page résumé is usually commercially
  acceptable to the marketplace.

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What Doesnt Work - The Turn Offs

• Gimmicks like coloured paper and a résumé that
  looks like a power point presentation are usually
  inappropriate.
• Excessive use of I we and our. Keep the
  résumé in the third person.
• Photos - not usually the way to go when pitching
  for jobs in Australia.
• Watch out for spelling errors and poor grammar.
  Guaranteed, in the 20 seconds that someone looks
  at your résumé, they will pick up on these.
• Avoid use of any company specific acronyms they
  usually isolate the reader.

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What Doesnt Work - The Turn Offs Cont

• Gaps in career history. Rather than ignore any
  breaks you had in the workplace, account for them
  in some way.
• Attachments - unless requested, send no
  attachment to your résumé such as references,
  referees names, academic transcripts etc. Save
  them for the face-to-face interview and have them
  on stand-by.
• Avoid clichés how many times have you seen
  excellent interpersonal skills or team player
  in a résumé?
• Unintelligible position titles. Make sure your
  position title is easily understood in the
  general marketplace. It is quite acceptable to
  change your previous role titles as long as they
  accurately reflect the positions(s) you have
  held.

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Content - The Obvious

• Name
• Address
• Contact details
• Employment history (Keep it relevant - usually
  10-20 years maximum).
• Qualifications (Tertiary)
• Education (Secondary schooling, usually no need
  to put this in if completed pre 1990)
• Key responsibilities of relevant roles
• Major achievements (outcome focussed)
• Languages spoken
• Training courses (internal/external) post 1990
• Computer literacy
• Memberships (professional and social)
• Voluntary and community based activities
• Interests/hobbies (be specific we all like music
  and reading)

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Content Not So Obvious

• Capability Statement this usually takes the form
  of up to 4 lines that describe your areas of
  strength, relevant expertise and key skills.
• Career Summary a reverse chronological log of
  key organisations you have worked for, the roles
  you have held and the length of time in each.

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Content The Possibles

• Date of Birth Be aware, you may be screened in
  or out on age.
• Marital Status depends on the role you are
  applying for is it a possible plus or minus to
  have marital status in the résumé.
• Referees only if specifically requested as part
  of the applications/selection process.
• Residency depending on your background it may
  need to be explicitly stated.