Years ago, when I first joined the KC IT Community, there were a handful of "special interest" user groups that met on a regular basis and discussed the latest and greatest in Microsoft, Oracle, Java, Access, and a handful of other technologies. One of the longest running groups I know is the Heartland User Group. I thought it would be fun to look at their archived site from 2000. My how far we've come in 14 years.
In those 14 years the number of local special interest groups has morphed into a community dedicated to advancing technology in the community. Groups like Adam Arredando' Start Up Village, Ryan Weber's KC Next, and Mike Gelphman's KCITP have done some amazing things promoting the Kansas City IT community. If you're not familiar with these groups you need to check them out.
One site that seems to have accelerated the growth of special interest groups in KC is MeetUp.com. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Meetup, but every week I run into someone who hasn't heard of it so it's worth a mention. MeetUp is a mash-up of social media and good old fashioned "get together" networking.
RiverPoint has been a key sponsor for two of the technology related Meet-Ups:
KC Java User Group
Upfront
Those two groups are just the tip of the Meet-Up Iceberg. Here's a sampling of groups on MeetUp that meet on a regular basis here in KC.
Wordpress
Node
Drupal
AdobeAdobe Visual Design
Adobe WebCore
PHP
.NET
Big Data
Mobile App Developers
Ruby
Python
Just for the Girls
There's also groups that aren't on Meet-Up
KC Oracle User Group
Kansas City Quality Assurance Association
KC International Institute of Business Analysts
If nothing is grabbing your attention there are still many other groups you can find on this list. I'd also like to say if you are in any of these groups and would like to have RiverPoint get involved as a sponsor feel free to reach out - we're always happy to help.
If you are interested in these events, we keep an up-to-date list at our LinkedIn Group so please join us and sign up for the daily or weekly digests to stay on top of these events.
Speaking of events - there's two events next week you should consider attending.
Mobile Midwest Conference The latest conference set up by KCITP will feature thought leaders from across the US including Ben Milne (Founder - Dwolla), Steve Huffman Co-Founder of Reddit), and Matt Galligan (Co-Founder - Circa) among others. Mobile is where technology is heading and this is a great chance to learn from some of the best and brightest in the business.
Digital Consumer Workshop KCNext hosts Accenture as they share the results of their latest consumer research where you'll hear from senior thought leaders on the latest strategies to better engage customers. They'll also demonstrate some of the latest technologies to keep the non-stop digital consumer satisfied.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
First Come, First Served Recruiting
In this hot market, one can only guess how many recruiters are hitting the phones, sending emails, and texting IT professionals. There are at least 150-200 local IT recruiters here in Kansas City, and likely double that working KC opportunities from locations as far away as India. It all adds up to a constant barrage of requests to consider your "next career move" or work at "the best company in Kansas City."
Sound familiar?
If you're not considering a move you probably ignore the messages however, if you are considering a move, what's "fair" when it comes to multiple recruiters contacting you about the same job at the same client? If your answer is "First Come, First Served" please consider the following and ask some questions before you give your permission to be submitted to a client.
Your relationship with the recruiter.
Is this the first time you've ever connected to this person, or is it someone you've dealt with in the past that you trust? If you don't know the person on the other end of the line from Adam is there a recruiter you do know and trust that may be able to represent you for the position? When you have an ongoing relationship with a recruiter they are going to be much more effective representing your interests at the client than a "newbie." If they're new to you, find out what you can about the job & call the recruiter you know before agreeing to be submitted.
The recruiter's relationship with the client.
Sometimes the "newbie" has a heads-up & that gives them a leg up on the person you know. Sometimes the "newbie" is recruiting off a job posting they saw on CareerBuilder and is fishing for candidates they can sub-contract to the primary agency. Then there's everything in between. The recruiter that has the stronger relationship with the decision makers (generally not the HR folks) is going to have better odds of getting you a meeting.
The recruiter's knowledge of the market.
Obvious question - who is going to be better connected, and have a better handle on the IT market in KC - a 1st year recruiter working a call center in Denver or a recruiter who has been in market for 10+ years? New recruiters working for local firms are going to be somewhat immune to this because they have other staff members with good local knowledge to support them, but they are still new recruiters and require a little more information from you than a veteran.
Compensation, Benefits & Employment Terms
If there are six agencies recruiting a job at a client there are going to be at least six different options for you to consider. Is this going to be a salaried position with full benefits, paid time off & paid bench time when the assignment comes to an end? Do you even WANT a salaried position with those types of benefits? Speaking of benefits - cost of benefits varies wildly between agencies. If one agency offers $40 an hour, but benefits are $500 more a month than the agency offering $37 an hour, the $40/hr rate actually pays you less.
There are other less critical things you may want to consider such as mileage reimbursements & 401k vesting schedules but until you can answer questions related to the four above topics you should not be giving your permission to send your resume to a client to any agency.
First Come, First Served is a disservice to you.
Sound familiar?
If you're not considering a move you probably ignore the messages however, if you are considering a move, what's "fair" when it comes to multiple recruiters contacting you about the same job at the same client? If your answer is "First Come, First Served" please consider the following and ask some questions before you give your permission to be submitted to a client.
Your relationship with the recruiter.
Is this the first time you've ever connected to this person, or is it someone you've dealt with in the past that you trust? If you don't know the person on the other end of the line from Adam is there a recruiter you do know and trust that may be able to represent you for the position? When you have an ongoing relationship with a recruiter they are going to be much more effective representing your interests at the client than a "newbie." If they're new to you, find out what you can about the job & call the recruiter you know before agreeing to be submitted.
The recruiter's relationship with the client.
Sometimes the "newbie" has a heads-up & that gives them a leg up on the person you know. Sometimes the "newbie" is recruiting off a job posting they saw on CareerBuilder and is fishing for candidates they can sub-contract to the primary agency. Then there's everything in between. The recruiter that has the stronger relationship with the decision makers (generally not the HR folks) is going to have better odds of getting you a meeting.
The recruiter's knowledge of the market.
Obvious question - who is going to be better connected, and have a better handle on the IT market in KC - a 1st year recruiter working a call center in Denver or a recruiter who has been in market for 10+ years? New recruiters working for local firms are going to be somewhat immune to this because they have other staff members with good local knowledge to support them, but they are still new recruiters and require a little more information from you than a veteran.
Compensation, Benefits & Employment Terms
If there are six agencies recruiting a job at a client there are going to be at least six different options for you to consider. Is this going to be a salaried position with full benefits, paid time off & paid bench time when the assignment comes to an end? Do you even WANT a salaried position with those types of benefits? Speaking of benefits - cost of benefits varies wildly between agencies. If one agency offers $40 an hour, but benefits are $500 more a month than the agency offering $37 an hour, the $40/hr rate actually pays you less.
There are other less critical things you may want to consider such as mileage reimbursements & 401k vesting schedules but until you can answer questions related to the four above topics you should not be giving your permission to send your resume to a client to any agency.
First Come, First Served is a disservice to you.
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