Top 5 Hiring Trends of IT Industry in 2014

A new study from CareerBuilder reveals that hiring trends will be similar to 2013, employers will remain cautious with hiring plans in the new year. In fact, 24 percent of companies expect to add full-time, permanent employees in 2014, down 2 percentage points from last year. Small businesses are also staying cautious as only 19 percent with 50 employees or less plan to hire in 2014.

More than one in four employers plan to hire for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs over the next 12 months, while the hiring trends indicate top two positions companies plan to hire for in 2014 are sales and information technology. These two functions are also where employers expect to provide the biggest salary increases. Hiring managers also plan to recruit full-time, permanent employees for customer service, production, administrative, engineering and marketing, among a few others.

“What we saw in our survey was reluctance from some employers to commit to adding jobs until the outcomes of debt negotiations and other issues affecting economic expansion are clearer,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “As these stories play out and employers find their footing in the new year, there is greater potential for the average monthly job creation in 2014 to exceed that of 2013.”

CareerBuilder projects five hiring trends employers and job seekers should watch for in the upcoming year:

Part-time hiring on the rise –

Seventeen percent of employers expect to recruit part-time workers over the next 12 months, up three percentage points over last year. While various factors will influence this trend, 12 percent of all employers stated that they will likely hire more part-time workers in 2014 due to the Affordable Care Act.

More companies “onshoring” jobs –

One of the most popular imports of the New Year just may be previously lost jobs. Twenty-three percent of companies who offshore jobs said they brought some of those jobs back to the U.S. in 2013; 26 percent plan to do so in 2014.

Skills gap widening –

Looking at a subset of human resource managers, half (51 percent) said they currently have positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates. Forty-six percent said these positions go unfilled for three months or longer.

Companies building the perfect employee instead of waiting for one –

In light of the skills gap, nearly half (49 percent) of employers plan to train people who don’t have experience in their industry or field and hire them in 2014, up 10 percentage points over last year. Twenty-six percent of employers are sending current employees back to school to get an advanced degree – and picking up all or part of the cost.

Companies looking for recruits in high schools –

More companies are connecting with future generations of workers to establish a constant pipeline of job candidates. Twenty-seven percent of hiring managers have promoted careers at their firms to high school students or, in some cases, even younger; 25 percent plan to do so in 2014.

As a recruiter or hiring manager, this means you have to adjust your hiring strategy, starting with where you look for potential employees. Specifically focusing on CareerBuilder’s third projection, you will need to spend a great deal of time recruiting for the high-skilled positions open in your company. The skills gap issue means that the people with the right set of skills will be highly recruited and the advantage is in their favor. With this in mind, you must focus on selling your company as the best at more than just compensation and benefits.

As highlighted in previous blog posts, culture is increasingly important to candidates. It’s part of your responsibility to figure out if potential candidates meet the qualifications of job openings, as well as identify if they will seamlessly transitions into successful employees. This can be achieved through pre-employment assessments and targeted interview questions.

You will also need to broaden your recruiting strategy, utilizing every tactic to find employees that fit your needs, including high-skilled candidates and part-time employees, the latter of which is expected to continue to increase in the workforce this year. Recruiters will be responsible for finding part-time employees in a similar manner to full-time: making sure they are the right fit. Even though they may not receive full-time benefits, they will still need to fit in with existing employees to ensure success.

The hiring trends indicate just like in 2013, the talent acquisition field will continue to grow and change in 2014. It’s the responsibility of hiring managers and recruiters to stay on top of the trends and find ways to benefit from them.

*The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive^© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,201 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between November 6 and December 2, 2013.

To Become an Entrepreneur: Things You Really Need

Recent researches shows that there is a decline in the employee’s level of satisfaction from their place of work globally.

The data show that this is true at all levels up to senior directors. As long as you are an employee – you might suffer from the cubicle-syndrome, where a person feels barred both physically (working in a cubicle) and mentally (working under processes, regulations and limitations). Hardly an encouraging environment for innovation. And when one dares to come up with a novel idea – he/she might hear one of the following:

• “YOU ARE ON THE WRONG TRACK”
• “LET’S PUT THE IDEA ASIDE FOR A WHILE”
• ”IT IS TOO RISKY”
• “WE HAVE ALREADY TOO MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT”
• “WHO SHALL DO IT?”
• “WE TRIED THIS TEN YEARS AGO”
• “YOU WILL NEVER GET IT APPROVED”
• “WE HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS ALREADY”

There are many more, just pick one.

It’s not that companies are trying to block employees from innovating. On the contrary, companies need to innovate now so it will meet next year’s target. Still, if an employee will not go “against the grain”  – the novel idea will be transferred into a profitable reality by a competitor’s employee.

And as much as I would like to point the blame to companies’ top management and owners, it’s a waste of time and effort. There are two sides: ours and theirs. Focus on what you can change. Yourself.

Let’s face it, most people will not quit their jobs to become entrepreneurs. On the other hand, keep working unsatisfied for the rest of our working lives is not an option too. So the only way out of the cubicle-syndrome is to live an entrepreneurial work lifestyle.

Now, what does that mean?! How do I live an entrepreneurial work lifestyle?

First, open your mind to new ways and decide to act on the Blackjack list below. Here are 21 Ways to lead yourself out of the cubicle-syndrome:

 

1. Actively spot ways to improve a service

There is always a way to provide better service. Can you think of one? Is it cheaper than the current service? If yes, will the company be able to increase its revenue with your suggestion? If you are not sure – check.

 

2. Investigate how to save time, money, or make life easier in your department

To be able to investigate how to save time – you need to learn time management. To be able to investigate how to save money – you need to learn how to read financial reports, and to be able to investigate how to make life easier – you need to learn operational management. Not easy but not impossible. You don’t need to be a CPA or an expert – just make sure you are familiar with the basics and get advice when needed.

 

3. Visualize variations of current products or services your department is offering

I just love this one. How many of us are taking the time to visualize anything. Not many if any. But this is a cool exercise. You will amaze yourself with having ideas you never thought you might have. Just take 10 minutes, close your eyes and imagine new / improved products or features. Then write it down. Do 10 ideas at least.

 

4. Look for ways to enhance quality

Customers value quality. And if you manage to enhance quality with no additional or low costs, customers will favor you over your competitors. There is always a way to improve quality. It’s just a matter of costs.

 

5. When you’ve got an idea, test it casually with friends

Practice on your ability to casually test your ideas with others who can point out basic flaws and ask challenging questions. It’s not an easy thing to do, because you need to master the accidently-what-do-you-think-about-this method without making others feel odd.

 

6. Keep ideas from natural enemies as long as possible

Everybody that tries to “rock the boat” will have enemies. You’ll be naive to think otherwise. Novel ideas aimed to improve and increase effectiveness will always make someone else shine less. And the problem is that you’re not always aware of it, when you are exited with your new “baby” idea. So, to avoid opposition my advice would be to keep your ideas to yourself as long as possible.

 

7. Promote ideas modestly and constructively

Promoting an idea is an art. It’s more than just presenting it. It’s more than just meetings with potential stakeholders and talking about it. It’s about prospecting, investigating, planning, learning, testing and executing on your idea. To be honest, this is what differentiate the boys from the men. I struggled for years before I mastered this.

 

8. Test casually on potential customers

Everybody has a customer he/she likes more than the rest. It’s natural. People like to do business with people they like. Use this. Leverage on this. Have a few customers that you can test with them to check the idea is doable and profitable. You don’t need contracts department to draft POCs. Just make sure you are in a safe working environment and in agreement with these customers. The benefit of learning what your customers need is key.

 

9. Accept suggestions gratefully

As much as you think you are open to different points of view – you’re not. Trust me. Especially when you have a new “baby” idea. You will find yourself protecting it and pushing back on any offer without noticing. To overcome this you can ask a team member to point out to you when you are not open in real-time. It takes time to get used to this. But It works

 

10. Always look to network the idea so it can be thought about from many aspects

Your network is powerful even if you don’t see it now. Social networks are about spreading ideas and getting feedback. So use your network and look for all kinds of feedback: positive, negative or indifferent. And try to learn what does this mean for you? And how can you implement on it? Easier said than done.

 

11. Don’t give up at the first sign of disappointment

Not at the second, nor at the third time. Keep going at it. An entrepreneur will succeed once for every 4 trials. Why should you be any different?!

 

12. Come to work each day willing to give up your job for the innovation

Wait. Don’t act on this before you fully understand the meaning. You and your idea are the main focus here. Not the company’s. You will not carry out your idea being gentile and asking for permissions. So, get ready to be intimidated and even threatened to be fired. Get it?

 

13. Circumvent any bureaucratic orders aimed at stopping your innovation

Be careful and smart here. What you need to do is to find a breach in the current processes to squeeze your idea. Don’t break any rules. If you can’t find breaches, maybe it’s time to pack and move to a new place of work where there are breaches that will allow you to innovate.

 

14. Ignore your job description, do any job needed to make your innovation work

This one is key to success. Entrepreneurs are people that do stuff they never learned to do (e.g. read financial reports, recruit funds, etc). Intrapreneurs are no different – you have to work outside your comfort zone. And most of the time do other people’s work, as it’s not their responsibility – it’s yours. Don’t wait for others, simply take action. Don’t worry, they will say they helped you if you succeed.

 

15. Build a spirited innovation team

There in no NBA player that can win a game by himself. He needs the team. On the other hand, if there are no stars in the team – the team will lose. So, it takes a team of stars to win. Get close to stars in the company. Socialize with them. Get their interest in working with you. And most important – don’t try to rush and overload your friendship with them before you earned their trust.

 

16. Keep your innovation “underground” until it is prepared for demonstration to the corporate management

This is a tricky one. One one side you need to use your network to get information, check feasibility and to decide if to go ahead. And on the other hand, you need to keep your idea close so it will not get “shot” before you present it. There is no metogology other than to choose your unofficial team members well.

 

17. Find a key upper level manager who believes in you

You need to find a person that also believes in your ideas and will serve as a sponsor to your innovation. It’s not easy to find one without being considered a bootlicker. This means that you need to find what is it that senior manager needs and be the one that provides it. Exchanging value with support.

 

18. Permission is rarely granted in organizations, better seek for forgiveness

I got 3 boys. Two ask for permission, the 3rd one ask for forgiveness. And he is the first to step on unfamiliar grounds. Same here, if you focus on getting approval and permissions you will not get far nor you will be the first. So, practice with asking for forgiveness and then permission to carry on. You will get it.

 

19. Always be realistic about the ways to achieve the innovation goals

I believe that everything is doable. It’s only a question of how much and how long. So, be realistic and even skeptical about how to achieve your goals. Maybe there are other ways you overlooked. If you are offering a new way to provide a service – You have a list of actions to carry out to change the service. Examine your actions well.

 

20. Share the glory of the accomplishments with everyone on the team

Success has many fathers while failure is an orphan. Don’t forget to share the success with your team. You wouldn’t have done it without them. Trust me.

 

21. Convey the innovation’s vision through a strong venture plan

Plan your work and work your plan. If you don’t have a plan, you will not know what is the next step or to monitor your progress. Learning to plan is key to succeed as an entrepreneur. You don’t need to be a professional planner – just put into writing your steps and keep track on it.

To summarize this post, the work environment is changing. In 10 years from now, there will be new job descriptions that we never heard of, and worst – we are not equipped with the knowledge to be hired for those job positions. So, if you are ~45 years old, you will need to change your point of view on what it takes to stay employed. I suggest an entrepreneurial work lifestyle as a way out of the cubicle-syndrome.