Infrastructure and Service Management Expert

Rate Cards can offer resourcing savings for canny businesses

2010-11-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

There surely cannot be a single organisation that has not been affected by our changing economy over the past two or three years....

Through our extensive research we have found that when budgets need to be reduced the functions that are most likely to be affected are the back office departments and this obviously includes IT, HR and Finance teams.

So, other than canning business critical programmes of work (which would ultimately be damaging the efficiency and long-term well being of your company), what options do you have when it comes to staffing up projects when you need additional resources?

Well, we have advised a number of our clients, from charitable organisations through to global consultancies, to work to rate card solutions. These can be short, medium or long-term and they can be tailored to each client's needs. In a nutshell, we work to a charge rate so that the client knows exactly what they are paying. We can then work against a margin to minimise costs, maximise cash flows and enhance budgetary control.

Here at Sanderson, we have proved that when our clients use these rate card solutions they have made considerable savings compared to a fixed margin approach.

So...if you would like more information on rate card solutions and how they can benefit your organisation then please feel free to contact me.

Charlie

What Will You Do When The Money Goes?

2010-08-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I've noticed that several of the consultant Project & Programme Managers I've dealt with in the Infrastructure and Service Management space have decided to go it alone, setting up their own consultancies to deliver specialist pieces of work to clients.

But what happens when the initial work you have successfully won needs more resource on it but all the consultants you know have already picked up other assignments? You can't hire a permanent resource because you don’t know how the business pipeline will look in six months (and we know that hiring contractors can be a substantial initial cost and cash flow can be quite tight to begin with!).

So what are the other options available to you? - We do credit checks on companies who we would like to trade with just like every other business and I am led to believe that if you have been trading less than 12 months then it is unlikely that you will be given favourable terms! However, we have recently started dealing with a couple of start-up consultancies who were on a challenging payment cycle with their clients. We decided to help them get over this difficult period by amending their payment terms and I believe this may be the way forward for other startup consultancies in similar predicaments.

I would welcome any thoughts on this topic from those of you who operate in the start up/consultancy space. How have you managed to get hold of resource in difficult and challenging situations and what advice would you give to others looking to do the same?

Listen Up - Communication is the Key!

2010-06-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a three day break in Cornwall for my wife’s cousin’s wedding... with a bit of a burnt head! It is always a good source of amusement in the office when I say I am taking a few days off – because I always go M5 South. If I am honest with you all, I don’t need to be asked twice about a cheeky little trip to go to a wedding in Cornwall – but I wonder if I would have been so enthusiastic to go to a weekday wedding and lose some holiday time if it was anywhere else – I doubt it – but don’t tell my wife that!

I know the market is particularly buoyant at the moment, especially in the financial services arena and many consultants who are now available or becoming available will be looking at a number of options (and quite rightly so) – but what I really wanted to talk about is communication (or lack of) between agencies, consultants or permanent staff. In my opinion I think it is really important that all parties adopt an honest and frank approach so that everyone knows where they stand. I have been specialising for a long time now, (at least 10 years!) and I have placed a fair few people over the years in both contract and permanent positions across a very wide variety of industry sectors – many of them more than once – many have become clients and many have become friends – and I have even been invited to the occasional wedding!

Candidates

I accept and respect people’s decisions in turning down roles for whatever reason – and I genuinely mean for whatever reason – although having said that I might not fully understand some of them. I would say that in my personal experience, 99.9% of people who have declined roles have always kept me in the loop as to what is going on and have called me and said why they are declining and I have certainly never given anyone a hard time over their reasons, whatever they might have been!

However, a very recent situation came completely out of left field and really threw me. We had an offer for a consultant to work through a consultancy on a client site – the consultant was very keen to accept the role – but had other offers pending (which wasn’t surprising at all because he was very good at his job.) But he told me that he wanted this role and could we get the paperwork raised as soon as possible, which we did – however – he dropped me a mail on the Friday before he was due to start, saying that he wouldn’t be able to accept the role and wouldn’t be contactable by phone. I guess the added complication to this was that it put the consultancy in an extremely awkward position because it was a Senior Role on a new account that they had just won!

Fortunately as mentioned earlier, this sort of thing has only happened maybe once or twice over the past 10 years or so and 99.9% of you who have turned down roles have rung me up and said “Thanks Charlie, but no thanks and these are the reasons why!” and that has been much appreciated.

Recruiters

On the flip-side it's also really important for recruiters to make sure their communication is tip top too. Some recruiter, whether in-house or agency based, will usually view the short-term impact of an application. However, they need to remember that a candidate is often a customer or has the potential to be, and that the way they are treated will play a significant role in brand perception and brand marketing. The candidate and applicant journey is a crucial part of the employer brand, its employer reputation and potentially its corporate reputation too. It should be the recruiter’s responsibility to act as ambassadors for their client to protect and enhance that reputation and by doing so, improve their own reputation.

Recruiters - be honest with candidates

Transparency is valued highly by candidates. Recruiters should be honest about who is handling the recruitment and how long the process will take.

Get personal with your candidates

Although technology lends convenience to the recruitment function, it does not replace the value to be added through personal relationships.. Those recruiters who seek to differentiate themselves by concentrating on enhancing the candidate experience through personalisation will achieve positive, sustainable results.

It's clear that some employers and recruitment agencies aren’t even embracing the basics, given the technology available. It's worth reiterating that recruitment is not just about the process, it's about relationships. Technology has a part to play but it is down to the recruiter to contribute the personal interaction element.

Poor candidate experience will be remembered

Unsuccessful candidates will remember their experience during the recruitment process. An ill-mannered process can lead to the loss of a potential customer or a potential future employee. Think of all the investment in marketing and communications that can go to waste if an applicant’s first experience with an organisation is very disappointing. As talent continues to be a scarce commodity recruiters should be prepared for the backlash from individuals who will remember the manner in which they have been ‘processed’.

What's your view? I'd love to hear about your own recruiting experiences, from both sides of the fence!

Take care,

Charlie

The wait is over – Ten-Broek’s top tips for interviews!

2010-04-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

Please accept my apologies for the lack of recent blog action – I'm sure there have been at least one or two of you waiting with baited breath for my next literary masterpiece!!

My excuse for the severe lack of blogging activity is actually a rather good one, my team and I really have been phenomenally busy over the past month. And the increased activity hasn’t just been limited to Infrastructure and Service Management, it’s been the same story across all our vertical market teams. Volcanic dust may have grounded the planes (and the politicians) but it’s been full steam-ahead at Sanderson HQ!

This is obviously great news, not just for us but for our contractors too, as a variety of roles are now flooding in. In fact, if anyone knows any Project Managers looking for assignments in the South West, please tell them to give me a call!

Pearls of Wisdom…

In my last blog I touched on the importance of scrutinising the job spec and making sure you highlight any relevant skills and experience when submitting your CV. To recap, your primary concern should always be to present evidence of the skills and qualities that the employer is seeking. The key is to match the evidence in your application with what the employer wants. Recruiters want to read about the skills and qualities that are of interest to their selection criteria and a tailored CV will considerably boost your chances of getting an interview.

Be Prepared!

My next pearl of wisdom is on the subject of interview preparation. Very often my clients will comment on how well (or badly!) candidates have prepared for their interview. You would be amazed at how many job seekers actually sabotage their chances of getting hired while being interviewed because they weren't properly prepared.

So here are my top tips for interview preparation:

1.Research the Company Website - If your answer to What Can You Tell Us About This Company? is, “I don’t know that much about you…” the interviewer will in all probability immediately strike your name from the list of candidates. With Internet access and other modern technology, there is no excuse for not having any or very little knowledge of a potential employer except poor planning or laziness.

2.Get Suited and Booted – First impressions count and you can never go wrong with a suit, both men and women. This will ensure you look smart, presentable and professional… three qualities any would-be employer admires.

3.Be on Time – In fact, arrive early. If you arrive about fifteen minutes before the scheduled interview time, you will have time to collect your thoughts, wipe the perspiration from your hands and scan the office for current company information. You will also show your interviewer that you value his or her time.

4.Know Who You are Seeing – Sounds obvious but it’s surprising how many people forget their interviewers name or use the wrong pronunciation. Make sure you know their name and how to pronounce it. A great way to build rapport is to use your interviewer’s name when you answer a question. If it’s a tricky one, practice the pronunciation beforehand so it’ll roll off your tongue during the interview. For extra brownie points, try to dig up one or two things about their accomplishments, history with the organisation, outside interests—anything that will help you break the ice and speak to them about things they are interested in.

5.Take Supporting Documents - Be sure to take copies of your CV, references and other supporting documents such as professional certificates. Make sure you gather them well in advance in case there are hiccups (excuses of forgotten, lost, stolen, eaten and burned don’t really install a lot of confidence in a prospective employee).

6.Understand the Role that You are Going For – When an interviewer asks the question “What kind of experience do you have to benefit this particular job?” this represents a golden opportunity to sell yourself and the interviewer will be looking for an individual who is a problem solver and can 'hit the ground running'. The answer to this lies in understanding the role and responding with suitable skills and experience that show you could accept the role with confidence.

7.Give Examples – Many candidates are rejected because they do not give examples of their experiences - often just saying they can do it without backing it up with evidence. Give specific details about what you did, how you did it, and what the results were. Try to pick accomplishments that relate to the position that you are applying for.

8.Give Clear, Concise Answers - Think about the questions before answering and give clear, concise answers – don’t waffle! While short yes/no responses are a bad idea, rambling on at length and wandering off the topic of the question is even worse. Keep your answer on topic and monitor your response as you go along. If you know you tend to ramble, stop yourself and switch back to the question with a phrase like 'but to return to my main point...'

And finally, make sure you keep your consultant in the loop!

You probably have some other tips or hints that I haven’t included, if this is the case please feel free to comment, I'd love to hear what you think.

Hope you have found this helpful, enjoy the Spring weather and speak soon,

Charlie

How do you make sure that your CV gets to the top of the pile?

2010-03-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

I have been sourcing Infrastructure Project Managers for one of the largest programmes of work going on in the UK for the past six months. The Project Managers I’ve been looking for are particularly had to come by, as they needed to have experience of delivering a similar type of project within a specific market sector.

Finding the right people has been difficult and involved lots of advertising and networking to source candidates who had the right experience and skillsets to meet the stringent job spec. I received hundreds of applications for each role and although many of them had the capability to do the job, the client was keen to get someone who had experience working on a similar project.

Recruiters are faced with multiple CVs for every job they advertise. Every time you apply for a job, your CV is compared to hundreds of others and you’ve got the time it takes me to scan the pages to show you are right for the role. So, when there are this many applications, how can you make sure that your CV gets noticed?

I don’t have anywhere near enough time to speak with everyone who applies. I am aware that some applicants who didn’t make the short-list may have the right skills but they just didn’t shape their CV to the job spec. It is essential to make sure you tailor your CV for every job you apply for. By making sure you have covered all of the key skills required for the role you immediately save me a whole lot of time and effort and ensure your CV goes to the top of the pile.

Admittedly, many online job adverts lack enough information for you to tailor your CV accordingly but you need to get as close a match as possible.

For example: If I were advertising for an Infrastructure Project Manager, I would be looking for someone who showed they had recent experience of delivering a wide variety of project with specific examples of what they actually did. Did they control budgets, man management and third-party suppliers? Did they work within a project management framework like Prince 2? Was the project delivered to strict deadlines?

Another point to remember is that CV’s shouldn’t be too long. Your CV should ideally be no longer than three or four pages of A4. I personally like to see clear, concise bullet points as this makes it a lot easier to asses your relevant skills and experience. Often clients will source candidates through a number of different agencies, sometimes up to three or four. If each of these submits three or four CV’s apiece, then the hiring manager will be looking at a dozen CV’s and a detailed five-page history of irrelevant work experience that dates back to Queen Victoria’s reign won't impress!

There are a few thing in this life that I'm pretty certain about…one is that we are all paying too much tax…another is that the best written CV’s will always the interviews.

Are Transition Skills becoming more mainstream?

2010-01-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

Over the last 18 months or so I have noticed an up turn in my clients requiring people with Service Introduction / Transition skills – there is no doubt in my mind that what was a niche skill is becoming more mainstream – is this a direct result of ITIL V3?

As companies focus on surviving the recession, many have seen it as a time to consider adopting industry practices such as ITIL service management to enable better investment analysis and decision-making. The service lifecycle approach and ready-made business model for service management is a great platform to build excellent services that contribute to economic recovery.

The current climate means that it is more important than ever to gain insight into the customers’ business and assess how IT services and their impact may be affected. In order to survive, many businesses have focused on driving their business technology forward and ITIL adoption has had a marked growth during this period. Adopting ITIL practices for service management is enabling companies to gain a competitive edge, helping them grow as we come out of recession.

And as IT Service Management grows in maturity, so too do the requirements for developing and recognizing capable individuals in the industry. IT investments focused on economic recovery and improving financial stability have increased the need for Service Management knowledge and skills and this can be seen in the increasing number of jobs that require experience of implementing the needed services into live production infrastructure.

In simple terms that means that you should be seeking out experience within this space as it makes you more marketable.
c

The Introduction of New Services

2010-01-14T04:17:00.000-08:00

I have been recruiting in the Infrastructure and Service Management space with Sanderson since the early Jurassic period. Within this time I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly and everything else in between! On the basis that I am giving my recruitment advice for free I thought that I would make life easier for everyone by joining the modern world and blagging (sorry, blogging!) about it...

I am hoping that Service Management Professionals out there might be marginally interested in entering into the fray and commenting upon my comments / mutterings / musings et all!

As a starter for ten, here is a common thread I am keen to discuss:

The Introduction of New Services (Service Transition or Service Introduction) into a live production environment - Is this one of the most beneficial services within service management?

Over the last 18 months or so I have noticed an up turn in my clients requiring people with Service Introduction / Transition skills. Service Transition is important because it insures that services are operatically ready to be accepted into the live environment and this phase sets the scene and tone for the rest of a project’s life cycle.

But don’t we do this through Release and Change Management? Well yes, Change Management provides the governance to support the service going live but Service Introduction works to ensure that this governance is accompanied by the delivery of a supportable service that meets business objectives. Service Transition ensures that it is implemented correctly by performing control checks or tests ensuring that IT is able to respond to changes in both the business and IT environments, resulting in a more agile, responsive organisation.
My experience is that a well-executed transition is the key to ensuring a successful project. A poor transition phase means delays, increased costs and a failure to meet company objectives will be inevitable.

Next Blog:– There is no doubt in my mind that Service Introduction / Transition skills are becoming more mainstream – is this a direct result of ITIL V3?