Skilled Worker Shortage 8

[CTekMedia]

Today's focus: Skilled worker shortage: Fact or fiction?
NW on Technology Executive [TechExec@nwfnews.com]
By Linda Musthaler

A few weeks ago, I wrote an opinion column <

http://www.networkworld.com/nltechexec39341>

for Network World in which I challenged the conventional wisdom that there is a dearth of skilled IT workers <

http://www.networkworld.com/nltechexec39342>.

Hiring managers moan that they can't find qualified candidates to hire.
Researchers <

http://www.networkworld.com/nltechexec39343>

who study social trends throw up the red flags, saying we don't have enough young people going into IT-related college programs and professions. Companies, particularly high tech ones, import foreign workers through the H-1B visa program <

http://www.networkworld.com/nltechexec39344>,

or worse - outsource technical jobs overseas. They do so while claiming there are enough skilled workers in the U.S. to fill the positions.

I called these notions baloney. I said that companies can't find qualified workers because they define the qualifications too narrowly. They use automated resume screeners to weed out candidates who don't have the right acronyms or hot topics on the page. Acronyms like CISSP, MCSE or SAP. Topics like identity management or information life-cycle management.

I thought I would anger people with my bold assertions. I expected to get mail from recruiters and HR people, telling me I'm out of touch with reality.

Oh, I got mail, all right. Dozens of people have written to me, and the notes continue to come in, several a day. Still more reader responses are posted on my blog <

http://www.networkworld.com/nltechexec39345>.

Every single note has come from someone telling me I am spot-on with my assertion. I have heard from so many underemployed IT professionals who can't get a foot back in the door despite years of practical hands-on experience. The reasons? "Lack of certifications." "Not enough experience with XYZ."
"Overqualified for the position." "Outdated skills." Many of the people who wrote to me are middle-aged, and I clearly see a hint of age discrimination in their notes.

Every story is unique, but the overall pattern emerges: many IT professionals are not even being considered for jobs because of trivial or "fixable" reasons. No certification? No problem.
That's nothing that a bit of practical training and hands-on experience can't fix. No experience with the latest programming techniques? Again, that's nothing that can't be remedied with a course or two and a project to tackle.

Hiring managers seem to take a very short-sighted view of potential hirees. The view is that candidates should come in the door already possessing every technical skill and relevant experience that's needed for the job. There is no time to grow into the job anymore; instead, companies want the "perfect fit."
This reader's letter is typical of the feedback I've received:

"I have been working in IT for 8 years. I'm an IT generalist, with a Bachelor's degree in MIS and no certifications. The only jobs I get calls for are entry level, ignoring the fact that I've had experience in managing an IT department and have significant supervisory experience.

"I feel that at some point business will realize the intangibles that people raised in the U.S. with varied experience bring to the table. For example, I served for 8 years on submarines in the Navy. From that I came away with the demonstrated ability to work well under pressure, learned to play well with others, and can follow a job through to completion.

"Others have similar skill sets, being able to bridge the gap between the "techies" and the business units. I don't know a ton about accounting, but my interpersonal skills allow me to meet with the Accounting managers and ascertain their needs, concerns and desires without scaring them away with geek-speak or condescension.

"Can I compete technically with many of the multi-certified people that are either younger than I, or filling a spot with a Visa? Probably not. Will I work as long or hard as them?
Probably not. But will I be able to better contribute to the goals and mission of the company? Definitely."

OK, hiring managers. I've had my say, so what about you? Do you see a dearth in skilled IT people? Are you feeling the pressure to ignore the good possibilities in order to find the "paper perfect" candidate? Are you concerned about where to find your future workforce?

Cheers,

Bluetone

 

[eyeswideclosed]

I know that where I live now (Florida) there is definitely a shortage, we always have a hell of a time finding good people, but in other parts of the country I have lived this was not the case, in Colorado for example there were plenty of qualified candidates. I think it's a regional issue.

If more than 1 goose are geese, why aren't more than 1 moose meese??

 

[lionelhill]

(1) I think IT isn't the only profession that has problems dealing with people who might have the skills but don't have the certificates. The thing is, it's easy to sort out certificates when you're screening 600 replies for 1 job.

(2) There clearly is a skills problem. This site claims to be for professionals, but how often do you see questions along the lines of "I need to write to a file in an application we have that controls our Nuclear Power Station. My background is in web-design and javascript, so I'm just learning C++. Can one of you C++ gurus help?"?

 

[LadySlinger]

The way I see it is that businesses and the users of the business expect the technical person to know EVERYTHING from the instant they step foot in the door to begin the job.
Most people, at least around here, that started in IT in the mid-to-late 90s, who got certs, etc, are having a difficult time finding a job because the companies here want the type of worker claimed in the original post. We have to know everything known to IT, including current and pass events in the IT world, how to program, know the inside outs of linux, windows servers, unix, plus know how to talk to people in an appropriate manner without making them feel stupid.
Many IT people in this area can't do all the above mentioned. Either they lack the people skills, or they just have certs and no degree or vice versa (jobs around here are requiring both).

Lionhill - I agree with your first point...its not just happening in theIT world. Social Services is taking a dive as well...and you can't do much without a masters. Heck even MI is requiring you have a certs for social work.

I do disagree with your 2nd point though. The example you gave is obviously someone that looking to move from the design world to the developer world.
There is so much to know in the IT world, that to me it just gets ridiculous to have to be a guru in everything. Then somehow I'm suppose to come home and cook and clean and have a conversation about something non-IT related. For me, my brain can only hold so much information. So I look to TT for answers that my brain hasn't been introduced to yet.

 

[eyeswideclosed]

I would rather have a person who can figure out new things and can adapt to new situations than somebody who has A, B, and C listed on their resumes. I have been doing this for 10 years and am constantly learning new skills, nobody can know everything when they walk through the door, to expect that is completely absurd, give me somebody who can adapt and learn.

If more than 1 goose are geese, why aren't more than 1 moose meese??

 

[CTekMedia]

This appears to me to be a real issue and I think there are two issue in play: First you have HR departments with no technical background trying to hire IT workers. In the past an engineering degree provided "certification". With the IT revolution weak HR departments are trying to find a similar stamp of qualification - either certifications, which seem to be dying out as far as I am concerned, or by requiring a degree, which I am seeing more and more often.

In many IT disciplines I think a degree is relatively unimportant - one exception being software engineering. While some of the best developers I know don't have a degree I can see the value of formal study of the fundamental principles. Unfortunately, I don't have a degree, I'm looking for a job with more opportunity, and my lack of a degree is hurting me.

The second issue at work is that many companies are advertising for positions in such a way that no one can qualify. This allows them to hire H1B or lobby Congress to raise the visa limits each year. This is a coldblooded effort to drive down the cost of technical labor.

Now I'm politically conservative, a free trade capitalist etc. and while the shift in global wealth to the 3rd world is great for the people there it will bite us big time if it is not intelligently managed. In other words, I used to work for the US State Dept. and I can say from experience that all free trade isn't fair, that many governments and corporations are quite willing to lie, cheat, steal or otherwise hurt anyone to benefit themselves, and that there needs to be a reasonable give and take between businesses and employees (and our trade policies and those of other nations).

As DeTocqueville observed - people will not act morally if given and incentive to do otherwise. The H1B program needs to go.


Cheers,

Bluetone

 

[dilettante]

I've seen hiring situations where an interview panel is handed a list of candidates that HR has "screen for skills" via some casting of the bones. The only legit decision the hiring panel or manager is left with is to pick "the best team player" - typically based on some licensed, patented, and legally defensible (i.e. one that has a track record of surviving lawsuits) personality test.

Aptitude, skills, and experience evaluation is trivialized while HR exports the most murky and dubious part of the process out to operational staff. Thus they make their own jobs easy while turning things into a hell for those who have to get something done.

 

[BJ9]

I have to agree with LadySlinger. I took classes to be certified as a Novell Administrator. As soon as I finished the classes I was called upon to fix a docking station and later to fix the RAM in someone's computer.

They thought I could do this because I'd have two weeks training in Novell.

I believe that for many people if you know anything in IT, they think you know everything in IT.

BJ

 

[eyeswideclosed]

Degrees and certs are meaningless in IT imo, as far as actual talent/performance goes, if someone is talentless they will not help, but they may help you get hired, that is their only value IMHO.

If more than 1 goose are geese, why aren't more than 1 moose meese??

 

[kHz]

Degrees...are meaningless in IT

A college degree is never meaningless. People who usually make statements like that are myopic. Some will have a degree and others won't. Those without a degree will make that assertion possibly because they don't have a degree and try to compensate with that thought that it isn't important. Those with a degree haven't achieved what they wanted or expected and use the degree as an excuse.

As far as a degree making someone talented as wicked is making the context, no, it cannot. Getting a degree in fine art will not make you a talented painter unless you have that innate ability which is bestowed upon a person by God. But I don't think computer work, whether networking or programming is so much talent as requiring a certain abilities like problem solving, etc. I think those are different than innate talent like drawing and can be taught to a degree.

I was an art major in college because I wanted to be a commercial artist. I love to draw and can illustrate a lifelike portrait in pencil but I cannot paint to save my life. Another thing is that I cannot really match colors that well and though you can teach the color wheel, it is more an innate ability.

Whereas with problem solving, take trigonometry, as an example. Some people are born with more math skills than others, but most people if they apply themselves can pass a college class in trig or calculus or organic chemistry.

I guess the point of that is you cannot teach somebody to draw a lifelike portrait of someone in pencil but you can teach them the law of cosines and sines.

 

[Stevehewitt]

Someone on TT has a great signature:

I have no fancy letters to put here.
That means my knowledge comes from experience rather than a text book.

Also another one I saw: I'm certifiable - not certified

I've been in network administration for about 10 years, and I can say that not having any certs haven't hurt me. The company I am working for now is paying for me to get MCSE; however I am a firm believer that hands-on experience is much better than a cert.

I could pay a company £10,000 to have a guarentee that I will pass. But I wouldn't have the real-life knowledge that I have now.

It's rather a large con. £200 just to take an exam for Security+? Sorry - there's just no excuse for that.

My 2pence worth!




Steve.

"They have the internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson

 

[johnherman]

I agree with Linda Musthaler that too many candidates are screened out by keyword searches. In fact, I get recruiters calling me for jobs because they hit keywords, even though my experience with that keyword is over 10 years old.

Furthermore, as someone who has been involved in hiring people, both F/T and contractors for project work, I have noticed that many foreign workers list skills for products they have little or no experience with, but confident that they can learn those skills either in the two week period between hiring and start date, or on the job in the first week or so. How do I know this? Simple. We ask very pointed questions regarding the products which someone with basic experience could answer, but might not be prominent in the documentation.

Quite simply, the model has changed. Companies are looking for one of two things (or preferably both):

1 - Contract to hire (try before you buy).
2 - Reduced costs by going with the cheapest hire (lowest bidder) regardless of quality or quantity of work produced.



-------------------------
The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[Welshbird]

I once worked for an IT department that didn't request a CV to apply for a job there.

What they did instead was to send out a technical test. And everyone got the same one regardless of the position they applied for.

This test had several sections:

1. Things about you. This included stuff like 'Favourite Book', 'Your Hero', etc. Anyone who looked like they were just trying to impress on this section didn't get too much furhter.

2. This asked questions about the company - you should have researched where you wanted to work!

The next three or four sections asked odd techie questions like how would you get a directory listing into a file in the following format in Unix.

Obviously, not everyone knows Unix, but this was never a barrier. If they answered "I don't know unix that well - I know DOS, and this is what I would do...." then they scored well.

The final section was logical puzzle type questions like you get in a Mensa test.

We had very few people in that department who had any certifications at all. But we had a team of people who were excellent at learning new things - who just thought in the right way and iit worked incredibly well.

In fact, I often wonder why I left!

So, I'd recommend this as an option.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[RandeKnight]

This asked questions about the company - you should have researched where you wanted to work!"

I keep coming across this hurdle in interviews.
I don't care about the hierarchy of the company.
I don't care about what countries it is in and what their market penetration is in each of them.
These things are not necessary to me being able to do my job and all it proves is that I can or cannot memorise 2 pages of facts for an interview.

What I do care about :
What is the working environment like?
Who will be my manager and can I get along with him/her?
Will I be working in a team or left alone?
Can I do the work to a satisfactory standard?
Will I have access to the resources required to do my work? (Don't laugh, I've worked at places before where I had to buy my own textbooks and go home to access the required information from the internet).

My 2p

 

[kHz]

On the contrary. Knowing the ins-and-outs of a business is vital for most anyone working for any company. If you are developing an A/R and/or A/P program for the finance department, you better know how the business operates.

Same if you are developing a program for marketing. Take General Motors, for example. Years ago they designed and manufactured a new car and they named it 'Nova.' Maybe a good name which could be cut down to meaning luminous. However, in Spanish no va means "it doesn't go."

The marketing department should have cared about the countries it was in when they named the car.

You are being very, very short sighted. View your job differently and you may open new doors of opportunity.

 

[GlenJohnson]

I owned a Nova, and it didn't go. Now, onto the subject matter. Had a job working with Novell and MS. Got certified in MS. Boss only knew Novell, and refused to learn anything about MS. His boss was the one that wanted me certified with MS. Bottom line, even though I was infinitely more qualified than my direct boss, ended up losing the job after 16 years. (No tears, have a much better life now.) Point is, sometimes there are qualified people out there, but the management doesn't know it or doesn't want to admit it.
Step 1)Train management.

Glen A. Johnson
If you like fun and sun, check out Tek-Tips Florida Forum

 

[Welshbird]

THe techie test we sent out was designed to be taken at home and allowed to 'weed out' prior to interview.

That was then the opportunity for potential staff to ask questions for thier benefit. Once we had decided that they could be in our benefit.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[Gooser]

a 'Google-test'?

--Gooser

 

[AlexCuse]

I went to school for economics and I am now working as a programmer/analyst. (I am actually the only one here who knows anything about SQL and as such I need to perform some basic dba functions as well). I admit that I do ask some questions others might find dumb at times, because I am still learning (and oftentimes I don't know the correct function name to search for on google).

Does this make me an unskilled worker? (In your own opinions of course, based just on what I've told you - I happen to think I am fairly skilled...)




It's a magical time of year in Philadelphia. Eagles training camp marks the end of another brutal season of complaining about the Phillies.

 

[Welshbird]

There was a second test that was sat at interview time under test conditions and this was explained when the first test was sent out.

But as I tried to explain, the whole system was more about finding people who thought in the right way. If they googled all the answers to the first test they would have known they would need to take another under exam conditions, so generally we found people didn't do this.

Checking the coperate website etc though gave them a prompt to find out at least a little about the company they were wanting to work for.



Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]