Post Election Post

Hello again and welcome to a lively Picture More blog.

It’s been an exciting couple of months with a new style of political leadership emerging from the ashes of the old administration and a new style of ash emerging from an unpronounceable volcano in Iceland.

New Faces

Meanwhile the Picture More offices have been expanding to accommodate new recruitment professionals…

Mark Irwin gained recruitment experience prior to stints in HR at Linklaters and Baker Tilly. He has now joined the Picture More team as a recruitment consultant. He is looking forward to working with our expanding portfolio of professional services clients and will focus on the legal sector.

Simon Bristow has previous experience of legal sector IT recruitment. He has been brought into the team to strengthen our IT Infrastructure expertise in professional services industries.

Events

Picture More was proud to sponsor a hole at the KnowList Golf Day on the 29th April – a charity day in aid of the Martha Trust. £3000 was raised in a well attended event at Woldingham Golf Course.

On the subject of social responsibility we were also delighted to successfully deliver on a pro bono recruitment project for the charity See The Difference.

Ash cloud permitting, we will be sending two delegates to Legal Week’s Strategic Technology Forum being held at the Ritz-Carlton Villa Padierna in Andalucia, Spain. This yearly event is attended by many IT Director level delegates and a select number of specialist suppliers to the legal industry.

Success

In amongst recruiting for our own team you will be pleased to hear that we have also been filling roles. We’d like to thank our candidates for representing Picture More so professionally and wish them all the best in the next stage of their careers and, by the same tenet, thank our clients for continuing to place their confidence in us. It was particularly satisfying to place 3 excellent candidates in America which just shows what can be achieved in the information age.

The New Politics

Whatever your point of view that was an interesting election and we seem to have come out of it with a genuine coalition. Austerity measures are less than 50 days away by which time we hope some of the European turmoil has started to settle down. A £6B proposed saving in the public sector is a huge number but in terms of jobs the impact may well be limited to an admittedly large number of senior civil servants and quango members.

Picture More doesn’t expect the announcements to have a huge effect on the recovery in its specialist sector of professional services IT. Maybe you have a different opinion and although we don’t want to turn this into a political forum, we’d be delighted to hear your views on the market.

Be Agile

Hello Again


The Latest
In the last blog we tentatively forecast some improvement in the market during the first quarter and, despite the lingering political and economic uncertainty, things are definitely getting busier. Not just here at Picture More but, we’re delighted to say, across the market.

Agile
We are always keen to inform you of new trends we notice in the market and recently one such trend has been the requirement for Agile methodology in project management. This may seem like bad news to you if you’ve just completed your Prince2 certification or if the idea of iterative development flies in the face of your tried and tested planning and documentation policies. Let’s take a step back for a second.

Leadership
How has Agile come into existence? For years, professors on the world’s leading MBA programmes have told us that companies are complex adaptive systems and that in an environment that is changing exponentially they need to be reactive. Getting away from the scientific reasoning they have identified what effective leadership looks like and guess what, on an individual level it’s what we in the real world always knew.

Vision
Great leaders sell a vision. They empower others to achieve it and hold them accountable whilst removing obstacles from their path. They manage with a light touch whilst making sure everyone understands the guiding practices that will achieve success. They collaborate with their customers (internal and external), share information and respond to change.

Qualifications
Hopefully that doesn’t sound so bad. Your technical knowledge and experience is still vital and prioritising working software over comprehensive documentation can’t be so bad. Even the most dedicated long term planners know that tweaks have to be made along the way and Agile simply embraces that and the extra responsiveness it brings. If you have an XP (eXtreme Programming) or SCRUM qualification that’s great. If you have Prince2, especially the latest version, you should see that this can be compatible with Agile. Away from qualifications think about the personal “soft” skills that confirm your ability to work in an Agile environment and what it means to be a leader rather than simply a manager.

CV
Whether you are working or between roles think about the iterations of change that you could bring to your skill set (and CV) to match the requirements of your next role and keep abreast of the latest developments to make sure you can talk the talk. Put simply, the best project managers from the old world will be the best in the new world and it’s a question of being able to demonstrate that. In a market that is just starting to flourish again you should soon get the chance to do just that.


...and as the market flourishes our organisation continues to grow. We are looking for high quality candidates with recruitment experience. If you are interested you can find full details in the job advert which is amongst the many professional IT positions on our job board.

Happy New Year from all at Picture More!

We hope you’ve all thawed out from the icy excesses of the winter, and yes, we do know there’s more on the way. What we want to look at today is whether the frozen job market is going to be warming up any time soon.

The Picture More blogger was in London speaking with Business Coach Jan Hildebrand last week and her opinion was that things can be slow in January and February as budgets tend to get signed off at the end of the financial year. We decided to do some quick analysis for you using government statistics which showed that, on average, the best months for new vacancies becoming available were January, February and March. Based on this evidence it looks like channelling that New Year energy into immediate job searching is a very good idea. Coming off the positive employment news today this could be a good quarter.

Statistics generally show that widespread uncertainty of any kind is bad news for the housing market, the stock market and employment. The forthcoming general election is likely to destabilise any recovery we are seeing in the first quarter and could be prolonged if we get the hung parliament that some commentators are predicting. This is another serious motivator for immediate action.

Many of Picture More’s candidates are IT professionals and many of our clients are senior IT managers who have a big say in how their teams are recruited. What profiles of staff will they be looking for in 2010? The best CIOs are business led; they are focused on company performance in terms of growth and profitability. This is a move away from the, sometimes unfair, perception of the IT Department living in its own hi-tech bubble and continually trying to justify its budget to the rest of the business. At one of Picture More’s major clients we have seen the CIO promoted to run the whole company due to his management skills, commercial acumen and knowledge of business and its systems. In 2010 IT leaders will be under increasing pressure to deliver business results for the lowest costs.

This sends a message to the modern IT professional. You need to see your role in terms of how it impacts the bottom line. How does your activity help the business to succeed? How well do you interact with the wider business? How well do you understand business concepts? Don’t be talking about technology for technology’s sake. Actually, let’s get real, of course you’ll talk about technology for technology’s sake, just don’t be doing it in an interview!

What are the 2010 trends to position yourself for? Well, you read the industry press so you probably know as well as us. In the wake of mergers and new regulations and with data centres taking up as much as 70% of IT spend we see convergence of infrastructure solutions being a boom area. Information at www.jobstats.com suggests that Infrastructure Programme Managers could have a lucrative niche in 2010. Legacy system migration, cloud security and iPhone application development will all continue to grow. We expect to see a strong flow of developer, business analyst, project management and security roles this year. Relevant industry expertise is likely to remain important to some recruiters but as things pick up, maybe post election, then we think there may be a move back towards recruiting criteria based on talent and potential, certainly for non-management positions.

We hope this is helpful. It could be an exciting year if you define your goals, define your brand and talk the business talk. Good luck!

Help the Headhunters to Help You

Hello again

It seems like the most widespread effect of the recession is to find yourself stuck. You may be stuck in a house that you own, a flat that you rent or you may be stuck on “staycation.” Today we are looking at people stuck in a job that they want to leave.

Is this you? In these times of lower job security you need to be working to the best of your ability and won't want to get caught hunting for a new position. That makes you what we in the industry call a “passive” job seeker. What’s your strategy?

The passive job seeker’s message to the market is “I’m good, this is what I do and here’s where you can find me” and that needs to be communicated consistently through different channels. Let’s look at some different aspects of that.

Before we talk details let’s make one thing clear. If you’re relying on other people to help you make a move you’d better make sure that you’re someone they will want to help. A head-hunter wants to get the fee for placing the best person but remember that the best person is easy to get on with; someone who deals with partners and directors with the same ease they deal with associates, clients and recruitment consultants.

Headhunters spend a lot of their time speaking to people in your industry. If you are doing conspicuously good work and treating people well you will be on the radar. If you have taken the time to network with your peers the signal will come through much more strongly. Another way to become more visible is by writing an industry blog to demonstrate your expertise; maybe you could do this officially for your firm. This will help you to appear in google searches.

If you’re in a senior position you may consider higher level profile work. That might mean speaking at industry events or talking regularly to journalists. If your industry has a directory like Chambers and Partners for law or Accountancy Age do what you can to get listed. Take the calls and complete the questionnaires. It may seem trivial and you can outwardly treat it as that but don’t underestimate the value. Professional associations, official or otherwise, are worth joining. Think about where people seeking talent in your industry will look and make sure you’re there.

The researchers and resourcers of the recruitment industry may look for names first and then look for detail to complete their dossiers. They may go straight to places they know they will find the detail, especially for less senior roles. This includes searching CVs on recruitment websites like Jobsite, CWJobs, Jobserve and Monster and perusing profiles on LinkedIn. These sites can be used anonymously whilst still allowing headhunters to find you. Make sure to mention the key attributes that single you out. Use the key words that describe your dream job in your online profile. Take the time to complete as many fields as possible so that targeted searches locate you.

Maybe the most important thing is to form long term relationships with recruitment consultants that you trust. Treat these relationships professionally and keep them two way. This may involve helping other people before you help yourself but no harm will come of it. Avoid the temptation to phone your recruitment contacts repeatedly, their activity is driven by employer vacancies, not available staff. Your aim is to be the first person the consultant wants to talk to when your dream role comes up so don’t put them in a difficult position before that.

Doesn’t sound so hard does it? The market is starting to get more dynamic so believe in yourself, put your brand in the public domain and make sure people can find you. You could find yourself making an exciting move in the new year.

In the mean time we wish you and your families a wonderful festive season from all at Picture More!

Managerial Roles

Hello again, how are you?

Are you an unemployed manager?

You might have put in more than 10 years of loyal service and performed well that whole time. You may have moved into a new management position only to see it disappear soon after you arrived. Now, for the first time, you’re trying to find your next role without the security of being currently employed. It’s a tough new situation and it doesn’t feel fair. Scary isn’t it?

Now that sounds gloomy but you’re not alone and you’re not on the scrap heap. Picture More deal with managers all the time. We find them, we manage their career progression and we get them back into work. The roles are out there and, as James Caan says in The Telegraph, experience counts. You are still a valuable asset and if you tenaciously seek employment you will find it.

As a talented and experienced manager you are also clever enough to know how to market yourself. You’ll tweak your CV each time you apply for a role. You’ll research the company to get a feel for their values. You’ll analyse the job description and make sure your CV highlights how you have demonstrated all the relevant requirements. You’ll look at it from the recruiting manager’s point of view.

When it comes to the CV don’t feel you have to include everything. Recruiting agencies will look at your most recent position first and then work back through your last ten years of experience. They won’t be so interested in your ‘O’ Level grades or your first job unless it was something hugely impressive. If you try and stay down to 2 or 3 sides of A4 starting with the most relevant information first the company can always ask about the rest if it wants to.

You’re a good networker, even if you don’t realise it. Don’t sit at home waiting for the phone to ring. Make sure you talk to people. Form relationships with a handful of recruiters you trust. Go to industry events. Commentate on industry developments online and make sure people know you are available. Networking is the route to topping people’s lists and getting a shot at the vacancies which aren’t advertised yet.

Other things to think about: your talents are transferrable and this is an opportunity to do something new. If you rush straight back in to an identical job this chance may never come around again. If you do decide to change tracks you may have to take a lower salary than you previously enjoyed but you have an established market value so be prepared to get this across.

We wouldn’t advise applying for more junior roles in your current area of expertise. HR professionals are well aware of the pitfalls of this for you and your new employer and it isn’t a dynamic that works. If you are staying in the same industry you need to pitch at the same level. You’re worth it!

Picture More hope you enjoy our blog and find it useful. We’d love to hear your feedback, alternatively, we have been nominated for Best UK Recruitment Blog of 2009 so we’d be delighted if you show you’re appreciating if you follow the link and vote for us.

Bye for now.

Hammer Time! New Job Skills

Hello Again

Have you ever heard this? “If the only tool you have is a hammer you tend to see every problem as a nail” That came from Abraham Maslow a famous humanist psychologist of the 20th century.

What’s your hammer? It may be MS Excel, it may be project management, it maybe a web design package, Object Oriented code, a telephone call, a statistical calculation, a motivational speech....it may of course be a hammer but we don’t see so much of that in professional services recruitment.

Different Perspectives

There are various problems in the business space and they need to be solved in different ways. The solutions need to be communicated to people with disparate views of the world. Some people want a solution presented in minute detail and some want the big picture. Some want to stick to the facts some need an analogy. Some want it explained in terms of a diagram and some in terms of numbers. Some want it answered in terms of people and emotions and some in terms of bottom line. Most managers want it answered yesterday!

I was at Henley Business School this weekend studying for my MBA and I saw how a group of 60 hugely intelligent people put up their own filters of experience, expertise and context when answering a single question and understood it in 60 different ways.

So how does this discussion help your job search? How does it affect your career development?

Different Audiences

In modern business we need to think about different ways of seeing the world and understand the different key drivers people have. When someone is looking for a new Business Analyst or Software Developer they aren’t just looking for that core skill. They want to make sure your culture and personality is a good fit, that you are likely to stick around, respect your colleagues and that you are someone they can work with. They want to see that you can empathise and handle different stakeholders and that you can understand what people really mean or are really thinking. Can you see things from the point of view of a banker, an HR manager, an accountant, a marketing manager or a salesman? You may have spotted that most interviews feature more than one of these people...

Expand Your Toolkit

So what I’m trying to say is if you’re going to do some self development work, don’t add to your hammer with another hammer. Why not add some different items to your toolkit of skills? Maybe you’d consider a foundation qualification in HR, or marketing or accounts. You may be surprised at the difference it makes to your effectiveness, your understanding and to your career.

I hope you found this interesting. We’ll probably talk about something simpler next time.

Trust is the New Green

I wonder if this phrase will grow in popularity. It was respectfully plagiarised by Thomas Brown at a CIM seminar I attended last week and appears to originate from Graham Sadd. It resonates in the current climate where trust in various institutions has, rightly or wrongly, been eroded. In this post credit crunch age the successful new entrants to various market places will be those who join the battle with a shiny lustre of trustworthiness.

Trustworthy Brands

Recently we’ve seen Tesco move into banking. Some consumers would never have considered moving from their high street banks before but now the lure of accessibility and savings isn’t hindered by the once comforting authority of the traditional banking brands. Tesco has as much right to consumer trust as many of the banks and, like the other supermarkets, has helped those consumers save money in the hard times.

Trust is what enabled toothpaste manufacturers to move into making toothbrushes. If you think about it in terms of design and manufacturing processes this is a big departure but that history of dental protection helps us make the leap of faith...

...and then there are Land Rover mountain bikes, Duracell torches, Caterpillar boots...

Trustworthy Recruiters

There are always plenty of players in the recruitment market. Some are corporate and some are small specialists. Who are the ones who will come through this downturn strongly?

The ones who:

· Listen to clients and candidates and remember what is important to them.

· Call when they say they will and give feedback even if the news isn’t good.

· Specialise in getting things right and believe in long term relationships.

· Go the extra mile and stay professional when times are tough.

Yes, it’s all about trust, well that’s what we think anyway. Every industry has its own issues but trust has to be right up there just now.

Innovation

Here’s another phrase to ponder: “Recession is the mother of innovation” – I’ll credit that one to Ian Smith, former Senior VP Europe for Oracle who spoke at the CW Jobs seminar in July this year. There is a history of successful companies being born in times of economic downturn because that’s when growth can only be based on a genuine value proposition coupled with excellent service. In most cases this has been backed up with an innovative marketing campaign or way of doing business.

Could it be that this logic applies at the individual level?

Personal Branding

Yes. The people who understand the unique value they can bring to an organisation and are innovative enough to find new ways of communicating that message will eventually prosper provided they have the soft skills to engender the trust that is so vital in today’s market. That may mean applying for a new role at your current employer, starting your own company, publicising yourself through social media, creating a blog or a website or standing on a column in Trafalgar Square. So what are you going to do? The great thing about innovation is that there are no limits.

See you for more soon!

PS. Despite the title of this week’s blog Picture More feel that acting environmentally reflects the kind of responsible attitude that gains trust rather than being something we have moved on from!