Articles - Page 225 of 258 - The Voice of Job Seekers

Interview with Leigh Branham, Author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave

I feel fortunate to receive a response to some questions I asked Leigh Branham, Author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave. You may remember my review a couple of weeks ago of the book. If not, you can read it here. This book is a good read for job seekers, as it helps to know and pursue the work environment you desire. Branham’s book will also help you understand what employers generally expect.

What ideas were you testing before giving the survey?

I was curious to know if employees were leaving for the same reasons as I previously identified in analyzing 19,700 third-party exit interviews the Saratoga Institute conducted prior to 2005 when the first edition of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave was published (which reported my analysis of the surveys). I also wanted to find out some things Saratoga didn’t ask, such as whether there was a turning point in the employees’ decision to leave, the predominance of push vs. pull factors, how long employees stayed after first thinking of leaving, the avoidability of the reasons, and how their reported productivity was affected.

What was the most surprising about the results?

I was actually surprised how consistent the findings were when compared to the pre-2005 surveys.

The same 7 reasons held true in 2012 as in 2005 with small differences–not feeling valued was still the main reason, but lack of trust and confidence in senior leadership was mentioned far more frequently, probably owing to more consciousness about senior leaders due to all the negative publicity associated with leader behavior and the Wall Street collapse. I also found that nine out of ten root-cause reasons for leaving were avoidable push factors as opposed to pull factors, such as an attractive job offer. There was a triggering event that precipitated the decision to leave in 64% of the turnovers, compared to 66% found by Dr. Thomas Lee at the University of Washington (who has spent his entire academic career studying employee turnover).

Did any of the results tell you anything about job seekers? If so, what did it tell you?

The data indicate that many job seekers experience disillusionment in the first few months on the job but stay, and disengage for several weeks or months before finally beginning to look for a job. Finally, a “last straw” event occurs that moves them off dead center–an “I’m outta here” moment, so to speak.

To avoid disillusionment, job seekers need to have a mindset of “I’m hiring my next employer” and ask more questions about company culture as they network and ask to speak informally with future peers before accepting the position. It’s also advisable to take on a consulting assignment or project before accepting a full-time job so you can have first-hand experience of the company before making the decision.

Did any of the results change what you would advise job seekers?

Not really. I’ve always been a huge advocate of networking in a way that helps you uncover hidden needs in your target companies as well as hidden skeletons.

Can you elaborate a little on the interviewing process of how employers can screen job seekers for a better fit? In what ways do you think that candidates can find out about the culture of the workplace he or she is interested in pursuing?

As I mentioned, ask to speak with your future colleagues without your future manager present so they will feel free to talk openly about the manager’s style, culture, internal career advancement, senior leadership, work-life balance, teamwork, and other issues that are important to you. Recruiters, former employees, suppliers, contractors, consultants,and glassdoor.com are also good sources to check out. And you can always ask the hiring manager directly about his/hermanagement style, priorities, the culture, and the team you’ll be working with.

Two questions I would always ask are:

1. Can you tell me what results you would be looking for me to have completed after six months and one year? and

2.What traits or talents do you consider most important in the person you hire for this job?

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Interview: Careers in Cloud Computing Part 2

Today is part 2 from Monday’s interview with Bob Bunge and Ed Hill.

Q: Should students consider competitions in any computer tech areas, particularly cloud computing, as a way to stand out and test skills?

Bob: Absolutely! There are many good options: CyberPatriot, Imagine Cup, Skills USA, etc. Competitions are highly motivational.

Q: In all jobs there is a certain amount of competition. How does the student who enters computer technology fields prepare for competition?
Bob: Practice, practice, practice! You get good at competing by competing. That’s why our club members get the best jobs – they’ve been performing under stress for years. They know what to do when under pressure.

Q: Does a global perspective play a major part in the computer technology world? What is the best way students or job candidates obtain this kind of outlook?
Bob: The tech world is totally global. In addition to tech, take one or more foreign languages. Study abroad if you can. Be open to other cultures.

Ed: There is no doubt that companies have to think about the larger global market, and employees need to be aware of this. The good news for cloud developers is that there are so many opportunities here in the U.S. Many of the big cloud players such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etc. are here in the U.S. Many U.S.-based companies are taking advantage of the cloud, and hiring developers to migrate applications, create solutions for systems integration, and more.

A well-rounded citizen has broad cultural perspective, so students should always be thinking beyond their neighborhood. The Internet gives us an easy, low-cost way to explore culture, the arts, and history from around the world. Anything students can do to diversify their interests will help them become more comfortable with the global economic environment.

Q: What are other competencies that a student or job seeker in this field should have? How can they increase their value other than coursework and entering competitions?
Bob: The successful job seeker will have a track record of leadership and performance. Volunteer. Give back to the community. Develop worthy projects and deliver results. Document your positive outcomes. Speak in public. Show that you can reach out to others.

Q: What are some of the challenges in finding talent? What skill is missing from the current talent pool?
Bob: In general, the world has become incredibly over-complicated and demanding. We need people who can navigate that complexity. We need students who are street-smart as well as school-smart. Don’t spend all day behind a keyboard or staring at a rectangular screen! Learn how to live in your own skin. Work with your hands and face-to-face as well as online. Intuition and emotional intelligence will take you a long way. The tech industry looks for the right personalities to join high-performance teams. So find your personal voice – and bring it to the interview!

Ed: We constantly hear from employers that the big gap is in the soft skills. Managers and team leaders are more than happy to help students develop their technical skills. They are really looking for students that can solve problems and communicate well.

Q: Is it true that the lack of talent/skills in cloud computing can lessen the value in this field? Please explain.

Ed: I don’t think cloud-specific skills are required, as long as the student is willing to keep developing. Fortunately, there are free or low-cost ways for students to pick up cloud computing skills. I always encourage students to explore as much as possible so that they can make themselves attractive to potential employers. Students do not have as much choice with entry-level positions. They may want to move into cloud development, but that may not necessarily be their first job out of school. Students need to have realistic expectations, be flexible, and willing to constantly learn new skills.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Interview: Skill Inventory for Computing Careers

I was offered to interview two experts in the computing field as an opportunity for job seekers and students alike. Job seekers in computing careers need to calculate carefully. It is important to take coursework, but successful careers require fundamental skills. There were some important take-a-ways to focus on Part I of this interview with Ed Hill and Bob Bunge, both DeVry University Professors:

1) The importance of perpetual learning and growing within his or her profession

2) For young people to grasp and remain vigilant of the changing trends occurring from year to year, not just by graduation

3) It is not enough to just have course work. Fundamental skills like Math should be a strength, especially graduates from High School going into his or her freshman year in college

Ed Hill is a professor in the College of Engineering and Information Sciences at DeVry University in Miramar, Fla. Before joining DeVry in 2002, he served as the vice president of information systems at FSD, Inc. in Miami, Fla. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree in computer information systems from the University of Miami.

Robert (Bob) Bunge is an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Information Sciences at DeVry University. He has nearly ten years of teaching experience in computer information systems, network security and simulation development. As a cyber security and cloud computing expert, Bunge has presented on various subjects at numerous events, including the NWSec Conference and the Washington Association for Skilled and Technical Sciences Conference. Careers are growing in the areas of cyber security and cloud computing, learn more at www.devry.edu/knowhow.

Q: How do students approach you as they are interested in cloud computing other than signing up for classes?

Ed: Students are generally aware of the big trends in information technology including the explosion of cloud computing and mobile technology. It’s definitely an area of interest for them. They tend to focus on technologies that they have heard of, and may not be looking at trends that will impact the industry over the next few years while they are in school.

Q: What must a young person be prepared for while training and being educated in 2012?
Bob: Be prepared for everything to change multiple times during your career. Learn how to learn. You will have many jobs. You will probably work in industries that do not even exist yet.

Ed: The important thing about starting school in 2012 is to realize that you will be graduating in 2015-2016. That’s an eternity in “techno-time” as the pace of change accelerates. Students must always look at the big picture and focus on being adaptable. The truth is that no one knows what the next “big thing” will be and they have to be ready to learn throughout their careers. Few of the languages I learned in college are popular now and chances are that technologies that are just in the development stage today will be pushing aside older platforms that students learn in school.

I recently spoke with a prospective student, and he asked about specific languages that have been around since the early days of the Web. He didn’t mention any of the new languages that are being created for the next generation of cloud apps. Students should focus on learning fundamental skills that will translate to new platforms. They shouldn’t get locked into any specific language or technology.

Q: What skills must students master other than computer science?
Bob: Problem solving, team work, good communication and people skills will always be in demand. Get a good general education. Take some electives in arts, humanities, and the sciences.

Ed: Critical thinking and problem solving are critical. Employers want solutions, and users don’t care what underlying technology was used. Students need to be able to approach development as a problem solving exercise, not a coding exercise.

Q: Do you feel that high school students are coming to college with enough skills to build on?
Bob: No. Math, in particular, is a huge weak spot for many high school graduates. Too many students pay college tuition to take basic reading, writing, and math courses they could have passed in K-12. Most educators acknowledge this problem.

Ed: It’s no secret that the U.S. students have fallen behind their peers in much of the developed world. We keep hearing that students are not prepared for careers in the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering, math). Students are not as prepared in critical thinking and problem solving as they need to be.

Q: If you could influence the high school system, what would you do differently?
Bob: High schools are too focused on “one size fits all”. Current technology allows extreme customization. We need to take advantage of that.

Ed: I think our schools have been distracted by standardized testing, and are not necessarily preparing students for STEM-related fields. I speak with students and teachers who are frustrated that they cannot take or teach more programming courses in high-school.

The good news is that we have great models from around the world about how to prepare our young people. It’s not a secret, it’s not complex, and surprisingly fixing schools is not very expensive. The big problems are political, not a lack of resources.

We are having to compete in a global economy where our partners in Europe and Asia generally have a different approach to primary and secondary education. Schools there generally compete to get the best students, and students compete to get into the best schools. It’s really nothing more complicated than that. They’re not spending more than we are (and typically spend less per student). (http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_spe_per_pri_sch_stu-spending-per-primary-school-student).

We have tried a one-size-fits-all approach, where students are generally assigned to schools based on their address. There were very good reasons for having tried this approach in the past, but we now have decades of data showing that it’s expensive and does not prepare students for the needs of our economy in the 21^st Century. In the U.S, higher education is closer to the model of primary and secondary education in other countries, and we are able to attract students from around the world to attend our colleges and universities. We know that this flexibility works in the rest of the world at the primary and secondary level, and we know that it works here in the US at the college level. I think we should consider how we can adopt this approach at our primary and secondary schools.

Part 2 will be published on Wednesday, November 28.