Who is hiring in this economy?

I am. No, it’s not hard to believe and I promise I have not gone mad. During these difficult times that are affecting local and global economies in general, we I.T. leaders are repeatedly asked to do more with less (I know we always did, but now it’s become brutal). By succumbing to this new-fangled pressure, most of my CIO roller deck has decided to halt the hiring process ipso-facto. Not me. I see opportunity in chaos. I recognize that talent search has become a one-way street. But, what are the good news about hiring during a recession? …There's an awful lot of talent looking for a “home”. And I mean that literally. Most of my recent hires are showing far-fetched levels of loyalty and startling performances from the get-go. They are grabbing onto their day-to-day life jackets as if the Titanic was sinking again and they were on board. These days, there is no time for a prolonged learning curve, and I have to confess I’m actually enjoying this new wave of talent very much. Someone asked me recently how I felt about in-recession-hired individuals. I feel awesome!!!. My take on this is that these newly-hired resources consider themselves so fortunate that are giving me not only their very best, but way beyond that. The simple thought of underperforming makes them uneasy. They need very little coaching and their attitudes are way more creative than those of my “old timers” (don’t worry, I still love you all!). Let’s talk about what I like to call the “Recession Crash Model”. We all have to consider that layoffs in this recession are mostly permanent, not temporary. That is one of the big differences between previously experienced collapses. In addition, workforce survivors are on average working less hours per week than before. That means I.T. leaders (and others as well), pressured by belligerent bottom lines, are giving more hours to existing employees instead of hiring additional help. That’s a big no-no. We all know that overworked resources, in the short-run, might produce a slight ghost increase in profitable line-items but this situation changes dramatically in long-terms scenarios. Don’t get me started about the sweeping economic effect that we will impose on our future generations if we continue in that direction. The solution?...It’s pretty straightforward. Let’s take advantage of this situation (in a good way of course) and maintain symmetry on the work-force. Hire! Hire! Hire!. QUALITY vs. MASS HIRING. That’s the new jingle we need to promote and encourage. I tell my troops every day that I’m enjoying, for the first time in my life, being fully involved in the jam-packed hiring process of a new employee. On that note, please support and assist your H.R. and recruiting forces as much as you can. I recently had a chance to speak with some of our international recruiters during a private rendezvous in New York. They looked overworked, tired and directionless. They all agree that even though they are seeing more high-quality applicants, the incumbents’ new resume guerilla tactics (and associated extreme anxiety) makes the simple task of browsing through new submissions a frightening experience, and it is enough for them to think about a career change (ironic, I know). After speaking to that cluster of zombie-like recruiters and taking the gun away from some of them (yes…it was that bad) without more ado I adjusted the job descriptions of my VPs, Directors and Managers to reflect more exposure to new-hiring in general. It’s working very well. There is nothing like being part of someone’s career from the very beginning. A superb and rewarding experience. OK, let’s go back to the positives. Another good element is that right now, high-quality talent costs less. Most candidates' salary expectations are a great deal lower. I remember the days when I’d look at a Résumé and immediately said to myself: “Too bad, we can’t afford this person”. Not anymore. I'm even seeing overqualified candidates applying for internships and entry-level jobs. Don’t hesitate to ask for a realistic compensation picture right away (legal issues aside, of course). Remember that CTO you always wanted to hire?...he/she is now cost-effective. What about that trainer you had in the back of your mind but you could only hire on a temp basis?...hire him/her full time!... We have a bounty in front of us, and in my humble opinion it is now or never. Now, my advice for the other side of the coin (our brilliant candidates) is: DO NOT GIVE UP!...NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK!...A little secret: 75% of my current executive openings are NOT being advertised. Come out of your shell and initiate new bold job search strategies that will differentiate you from the rest in this global pandemonium. Web 2.0 was created in part for this purpose!...

Here are a couple of good sources:

Mark Cummuta’s Blog
Jobangels
emurse
Liz Lynch's Blog

As always, I wish you all the best of luck in your career quests. Remember what Milton Berle said: "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."