Despite it being one of the most challenging hiring environments in the nation's history, there are still opportunities for job seekers. In fact, recent CareerBuilder research found that half of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last 12 months reported they found a new full-time, permanent position while another 8 percent found part-time work.

A couple of years ago a friend gave me a copy of Seth Godin's Purple Cow. And as is often the case, it took me two years to read it. The good news is that nothing in Seth's book is dated and it is all quite relevant to today. The basic premise of the book is that being remarkable in some way is now necessary to succeed whether it be a service, product, or even you as a job searcher.

There's a good posting over at AngryCoder.com about the problems inherent in fixed bids for project work. Although the author acknowledges that hourly billing can also be full of challenges, he indicates an overall displeasure with fixed bid billing.

As the job market fluctuates, companies and the managers within them pay more or less attention to motivating and rewarding their employees. In the case of IT projects, how well developers are motivated an rewarded has a direct impact on the outcome of the project. A recent research project by Robert C. Mahaney and Albert L. Lederer reveals that intrinsic rewards have a different effect than extrinsic rewards.

One of the mistakes I see with project teams is the notion that power should be shared. This approach is taken in the name of team work, but I think that it harms both the people on the team and the project's outcome. Neal Whitten, in an article for PM Network, described 8 reasons why sharing power is probably a sign of weak or inexperienced leaders rather than a sound idea.

Position Title

Web Project Manager

Location

Pleasantville, New York (Westchester County)

Position Description Overall Goal
Provide a leadership role to our business partners to integrate all Reader's Digest businesses and it's affiliates into the web in a competitive, creative and effective way.

In the "State of the CIO 2006" survey conducted by CIO Magazine, CIO's identified the 10 biggest barriers to job effectiveness. Here's what they said (bolded) and my comments about each one (not bolded).

A recent issue of CIO Magazine addressed the perceptions, often negative, that companies have for their internal IT departments. This is commonly discussed subject and rightly so since many IT projects cost more than was planned and deliver less than what was expected.

ZoomInfo is the latest people finder search engine that I've come across. As with other such people finders, this one requires a fee to access advanced features, but the basic features are free for everyone to use. I don't find the advanced features of value, but I'm also not in the people-finding business.

Bill Vass, CIO of Sun Microsystems took some time to relate 10 essentials for successful IT operations. The list appeared in the October 1, 2005 issue of CIO Magazine. Here they are.

Accountemps, a temporary staffing firm, recently compiled a list of the most annoying workplace cliches. CIO Magazine goes to report that cliche-usage is even rampant among those customer-centric employees who, one would think, would want a paradigm that would get them on the same page with normal humans, or at least achieve some sort of communicative-synergy.

A CIO article relates a story about a young engineer on his way up the ranks in corporate America. One day his boss told him that he'd need to improve his business memo writing skills or else jeopardize his continuing advancement. Since communication skills are often cited as key to one's ability to get things done, it's not much of surprise that memo writing plays a big role. And it's no surprise that an IT worker had problems communicating to his memos' audience i.e. business-minded senior management and executives.

There's no question that PowerPoint is ubiquitous in corporate America. And because it is so widely used (and overused I might add), everyone wants their presentation to be unique. So their first step, after cycling through the templates installed with the program, is to search the internet for free PowerPoint templates or some variation. The search engines don't disappoint.

Gartner has recently re-enforced something I've suspected for quite sometime: technical aptitude is no longer enough to secure a future for IT professionals. That should be a pretty scary statement for a majority of the IT folks out there who generally like to be left alone to do their own thing. Gartner is expecting the "emergence of a new breed of IT professional, the 'versatilist', who will have technical aptitude, local knowledge, knowledge of industry processes and leadership ability."

Sometimes you get really nice letters from people that don't know you, but have happened on to your web site. Here's one that I got that was just too flattering to not post. Please excuse this indulgence.

It's a bit dated, but CIO Magazine reports that "training programs for entry-level IT staff are increasingly rare." That's not too disconcerting since many consider the IT market to be currently focused on cost-cutting and cost-control. However, CIO Magazine goes on to state that, "CIOs rate staff development dead last in terms of ROI." That's an interesting statistic, but one that I'm not too surprised to hear.

Years ago I read Code Complete from Steve McConnell. It is one of my favorite software development books that isn't programming language specific. I think it's such a great piece of work that whenever a client of mine starts to talk about coding standards, I suggest they buy a bunch of copies and distribute them to their software developers. Ten copies of the book will cost less than a single 1 hour team meeting. And having a book means being able to point to and reference things that would otherwise get lost in meeting minutes.

I often get requests from students about technology-related homework and projects they are working on. Usually the questions are short and as far as I can tell the students are just looking for quick answers. The other day I received an e-mail from an IT student that made me laugh. This "short" questionnaire would take longer to answer than I've spent in some interviews. Could it be that he really didn't realize just how much time would be needed and that he can't expect such an effort in return for nothing?

Back in September 2002, Janet Ruhl of the now inactive Computer Consultants BBS wrote the following about project managers bearing the brunt of a downturn in information technology projects.

I sometimes get e-mails from those in or trying to get in to the field of project management. Here are a couple of the recent ones with the names changed in respect of their privacy. Aside from the kind words, I think it could re-assuring to others that all is not roses in the world of project management and that struggles and challenges are part of the profession.

I'm often asked what skills one needs to be a project manager. My answers often emphasize hard skills which are easy to describe. The truth is that there are also many soft skills or traits which are critical. Alfonso Bucero recently wrote about the results of an informal survey he conducted with many IT project managers in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and Russia. Although the US wasn't included in the mix, the results, I imagine, wouldn't be all that different if he had. Here's his list with my commentary on each trait.

Andres Taylor recently wrote an excellent article about 10 things he learned from being a professional software developer. His list was inspired by Michael Bierut's list of things he wasn't taught in design school. Both lists resonated with me and if you've been in the corporate world for several years I imagine you'll agree with many of their observations. I'm going to highlight the three items I particularly agree with.

If you're an information technology professional, wouldn't you be tempted to check out a blog with a press release that started with this: "The most quoted technology analyst on the Internet has a new Web home, and he invites all IT professionals to stop by for a chat."

Not too long ago I was talking to a friend about the job search process in general and the use of job boards in particular. He had a concern about posting his resume on the job boards because he felt confident that his current employer would find his resume. This of course could result in things going sour with his current employer before he actually found a new position. A reasonable concern, if you ask me.

In the January 2007 issue of PM Network there's an article about project audits. I've never been through an audit probably because I haven't run one of the mega-projects with scopes a mile wide and budgets large enough to buy an island that are the mainstay of auditors. Regardless, I found the article interesting.

In a recent post, I provided details for how people could connect with me on LinkedIn. Since then, I've come across a situation that I hadn't expected as bloggers are prone to do, I'm going to write about it.

I would like to ask you for something. I hope you'll agree to give it to me. It won't take but a minute of your time.

In yesterday's post, I described a few tips for finding a new job. That posting assumed you already knew you wanted a new job. But how to you get to the point of deciding it's time to move on? It's not necessarily an easy thing to do especially if you have a lot of time and effort invested in your current employer or if you particularly like the people you work with. The following describes one way to evaluate your current situation, but be warned that I'm about to get all metaphorical on you.

I recently re-entered the job market. Having been several years since I last looked for work, I wasn't sure what sort of environment I was about to step in to. I had a sense that the market was good, but there was no way to be certain without actually starting the search.

There's an article over at CNet about outsourcers and their attempts at distinguishing themselves from the rest of the pack. Most of the article is of little interest, but there was one part that got me thinking.

A recent entry in Bruce Eckel's web log points to an article that I found interesting. The article gathers the opinions of several software development professionals on How to Interview a Programmer.

Not too long ago I posted an entry titled How to Interview a Programmer. At the time, I wasn't interviewing anyone. Now, 3 interviews later, I'm forced to think about the interview process again. I'm not leading the interviews so my input is somewhat limited, but of course that doesn't prevent me from making suggestions here and there.

Sometimes you find something really good when you're not even looking for it. That was the case with a series of articles called Marketing For Geeks.

There are 5 ways in which a particular action is decided upon. This is pretty obvious stuff, but as with many obvious things, it sometimes bears repeating. And I also think it helps to recognize how things get done around you and perhaps to examine how you make your own decisions.

Meetings are the mainstay of corporate of America. After all, if we actually spent our time doing productive things instead of meeting, we'd run out of things to do which isn't particular good for our job security. All kidding aside, I'm bringing up the topic of meetings because it makes for a good segue in to a discussion about how decisions are made

Yesterday, eWeek joined the on-going debate about whether IT certifications are valuable or not. When the job market worsens, the IT certifications are said to not be worth as much as actual experience. When the job market improves, as it has recently, IT certifications are again said to not be worth as much as actual experience. I guess this is how news publishers continue to find things to write about.

I've written a couple of times about why I believe it is important for people to take control of their online profile to, if nothing else, avoid surprises when engaged in very offline activities such as interviewing. My opinion on this matter hasn't changed, but recently I read an article that proposed some benchmarks for measuring the quality of an online profile.

Sometimes project managers make the assumption that professionals brought together on a project will know how to get along with each other. Sadly, this isn't the case. Conflicts abound and projects can be easily derailed if the project manager doesn't take control and manage team behavior.

If you're an IT professional you probably haven't thought of offshore outsourcing as a particularly funny topic. It certainly hasn't been something I've laughed about. Well I've got to hand it to CIO Magazine (August 1, 2006 issue) for bringing some humor to the issue. If you're from the US or even Canada and don't like satire, you're probably best advised to move on. For those that do like satire, say if you're fans of The Onion, read on... And note the following are meant to be tips to IT workers in far away lands on how to work with their North American counterparts.

George Litwin and Robert Stringer of Harvard Business School studied the behavior of managers as leaders in various settings. They concluded that managers exhibit a variety of patterned behaviors that can be described generally by one or more of 6 fundamental managerial styles.

A recent issue of CIO Magazine provided a very good overview of where the latest trends in outsourcing US IT jobs to foreign countries. In some places, the benefit of labor arbitrage is disappearing. And while India remains the leader for outsourcing, other countries are stepping up to the plate.

In the book, A Bias for Action, leadership expert Heike Bruch and management expert Sumantra Ghoshal demonstrate that managers often confuse activity with accomplishments, and motivation with true leadership. Their study reveals that a whopping 90 percent of managers waste their time by procrastinating, becoming emotionally detached, and distracting themselves with busy-work. They point out that only 10 percent of managers truly act purposefully to get the most important work accomplished.

A project manager's primary role is to be a facilitator with the goal being to ensure that a project is completed on time, within budget, and according to the requirements. As you might guess, being a facilitator can mean wearing many hats.

According to Forrester research, the future of technology related careers will include moving in and out of the IT department. Gone are the days where one would start out as a programmer and move up the ladder from there.

As you might expect, a web developer is one who builds web sites. However, a good web site builder has much more to offer than just the technical skills needed to put a web site together.

Today I'm going relate to you the life story of an idea in corporate America. Yes, I'm go to generalize liberally, but my experience tells me that others working in large companies will be able to relate to what I've written. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. The story is presented as a blend of dialog and thoughts. And thus begins the tale...

I recently received a question from a visitor to my site. This person was looking for tips on how to make the transition from a developer to a project manager. Here is the note in its entirety.

If you're part of the nearly 50% of U.S. IT workers planning to change jobs in the next year, you'll want to make sure that your resume is as good as it can be. A recent article from eWeek shows you how.

Mark E. Mullaly has posted a great article over at Gantthead about the obstacles a project manager may face in moving up the corporate ladder. He states that, "The project manager is a role unto itself, with no entry point and no graceful exit."

An article in the June 2006 issue of PM Network discusses the political waters that a project manager must navigate regardless of company, project, or location. A sidebar in the article makes for a good summary.

A recent Forrester Research survey found that IT decision-makers at both small and medium companies think that their IT shops are best at supporting tactical efforts (e.g. improving efficiency). However, when it comes to innovation and other strategic contributions, the IT teams fall short.

The June 1, 2006 issue of CIO Magazine reports that back in 2001 half of A.G. Edwards' IT projects were late and over budget. And they weren't the exception. A report by the Standish Group indicates that even in 2004, 71% of all IT projects were completed late, over budget, or with reduced functionality from the original specs. Similarly, a 2004 global survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers of small and large companies found that half of the projects these companies engaged in failed.

I've written on a few occasions the importance of controlling your online profile. That is, it's worth the effort of first, checking what is out on the web tied to your name and second, taking control of it. And now a New York Times article is covering the same topic.

While I have some experience with giving presentations to fellow co-workers and even to people outside of my team, I haven't been in the situation where I've needed to give the same presentation multiple times to different groups.

The following is the second in a two-part posting on negotiation. This commentary was taken from Nick Jenkins' A Primer on Project Management. In it, Nick does a good job of covering the facets of negotiations. His primer was distributed
under the creative commons license and as such, the following is also subject to the conditions of the creative commons license.

The following is another page or two from Nick Jenkins' A Primer on Project Management. It is a good overview of the concept of negotiation and what it entails when it comes to managing projects. His primer was distributed under the creative commons license and as such, the following is also subject to the conditions of the creative commons license.

Negotiations can be tricky for technical people, we tend to see the world as a black-and-white, binary environment. 'Techies' often believe that there is a right and wrong way to solve a problem, or that one technology or solution is the 'best' available. This is part of their drive for perfection but in truth there are many ways to solve a problem and each technology or solution has its strength and weaknesses.

Recently, during a lunch with co-workers, the LinkedIn site came up as a topic of conversation. And once we got past the usual jokes that people often make about those of us who use such services, I began to think about just what the benefits are of maintaining a professional profile and network online. Here's what I've come up with.

I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Dr. Mehmet Oz. For those not familiar with him, Dr. Oz is a heart surgeon, book author, proponent of preventative medicine, and a repeat guest of the Oprah show.

In the last two weeks I've given a presentation and I've seen a professional presenter, Jack Hidary ply his trade. In a previous post, I went over a few things I did to try and make a recent presentation of mine a success. In this post, I'm going to go over some observations of what made Jack's presentation good.

Presentation skills are important if you have any intention of moving up the corporate ladder. At various points in your career you'll want to present your ideas or successes to your team as well as to other people within your organization. The later is where you need to be particular cognizant of what it takes to present.

Bob Weinstein over at Gantthead.com recently published one of those common sense articles about how to behave as a new hire that resonated with me.

General statistics about jobs are easy to come by. But these sources rarely provide information that is specific to your industry or your location. That's where the Dice.com Job Counter comes in.

Not everyone sees the value in certifications. And I can't argue that both sides of the argument don't have valid points. So, I'm not going to.