What is it that enables people to have a long lasting impact in their work, an impact that lasts for many years?  Some business researchers looked at these qualities.

To begin with,  those who found long-term career success looked for a job that was important to them, one that really mattered.  And then this pushed their thoughts to find ways to produce results, and then they acted on those thoughts.

Researchers stressed that finding what really mattered to people, finding real meaning in their work, was an essential first step to create and enduring impact.  Without the meaning, people might experience success for a while, but not for the long term.  It is the passion people have for their work, the importance or meaning they find in it, that sustains them when the going gets rough, when they encounter obstacles.

What the researchers learned is that no matter who you are, you are not going to experience lasting success if you are not doing what you really love.  If you don’t love what you do, you soon will be surpassed by those who do.  People who really care about what they do will outrun those whose heart really isn’t in the work.  To be competitive, you need to love what you do.

If you develop your knowledge and skills and love what you do, you are better prepared to take advantage of unexpected opportunities when they come along.  Moreover, having the passion for your job or career helps you overcome adversity.

When people love what they do, they don’t really think about success. When these people begin their jobs, what they focus on is being good at what is important to them.  When the right timing and situation develops, they get success.  But for these people, success does not mean what we usually define it as – power or wealth – but it means having an impact, an impact that will last. They define success as a commitment to something that matters.  And they don’t blame circumstances or anything else for failures they may encounter. They never see themselves as victims.

If you love working in the information technology sector, we want to hear from you! The Wellness Group can help you take your sought-after IT skills to some of the best companies in the country. Contact us today!

Luck. It is something we all would like to have. Most of us look at luck as something like chance, with the attitude that there’s really little we can do about it.

But two business authors have looked at luck, and have determined that there are certain qualities that help people make their own luck. They talked to people who considered themselves fortunate in life and tried to find qualities they had in common. They looked at people who were not only financially and socially well off, but also at people who had made significant contributions to society, people whose lives were characterized by creativity and self-fulfillment.

What they found is something that many already claim to know – we make our own luck.

There were five major qualities that these “lucky” people had in common.

The first was responsibility. Those who seem to have good luck are those who also accept responsibility for their actions. They understand that their actions have consequences and, if something goes wrong, they look at what they themselves have done that might have contributed to the problem, rather than casting about for someone else to blame.

If they have difficulties, they look at what actions they have taken that might have caused the difficulties, and what they can do to overcome them.

The second quality shared by so-called lucky people is a willingness to learn from their mistakes. They see their errors not as failures, but as an opportunities to learn.

Another shared quality of the lucky is perseverance. But it’s a perseverance coupled with an action-oriented mindset. These people get things done.. They don’t put things on a to-do list. They tackle a problem right away. They either solve a problem, delegate it — or forget about it.

Another important quality of people who make their own luck is confidence. They not only have confidence in themselves, but confidence in other people as well. It’s this confidence that helps them to persevere when things get tough. And it’s confidence that helps them to really picture their goals, to visualize their realization.

Finally, another quality of the lucky is the ability to cooperate. They are able to put their trust in others and to form a network of colleagues they can rely on.

Being lucky is a matter of attitude, the researchers said.  It is having an attitude that we create the conditions of our success.

Add The Wellspring Group to your “network of colleagues” on which you may rely. We can help IT professionals and companies needing top-notch IT talent connect with each other. Contact us today!

Yes, it’s true – it’s not what you know, but who you know.  But not in the way you might think.

Research supports the age-old adage, revealing that people who have particular kinds of networks are more successful.  They move up the ranks faster, earn more, find jobs more easily, and are generally thought to be model employees.

But the research also shows that, in this case, size does not matter.  In fact, it may do more harm than good.  Building up a huge network of connections is actually a drag on performance at work, and it negatively impacts health as well.

The secret of an effective network, according to researchers, is making connections to more isolated people.  This allows the person who is connected to get the jump on new ideas that have not yet made it into the mainstream, and to sniff out new opportunities better than others who are connected to the wrong kinds of networks.

This finding about the value not just of networking, but the right kind of networking, holds true for the social media world as well.  Facebook and Twitter have just as great a probability of hindering work as helping it, if they pull the worker into making more “connections” and away from other work.  Employees already are almost drowning in networking at work, with meetings, e-mails, and phone calls.
Recent research also has shown that the social media networks have w the same characteristics as those with personal, “offline” interactions.  Here too, it’s not the size of the network that counts but the isolation of the contacts.  In the study, the researchers looked at the number of website bookmarks and tags workers shared as a way of communicating new ideas and information.

They discovered that innovation was not related at all to the number of bookmarks a person looked at or even the number of people the person was connected to online.  The workers who were more creative didn’t have larger networks.  What they did have were connections to other employees who themselves had fewer contacts.

So, in looking at networks, you need to keep in mind to whom you are linking.  If the links are to people who are themselves busy networking a lot, you are not gaining much.  As in many things in life, it’s the quantity of connections, it’s the quality.

If you’re looking for a new IT position, one where the quality of your work is appreciated and rewarded, forward your résumé to one of The Wellspring Group’s recruiters. We have deep connections with companies across the country needing reliable and skilled IT professionals. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you’re looking for work, it’s critical that you stay optimistic.

Of course, we know how difficult that is, especially if you’ve been looking for weeks or months. But experts report that keeping an optimistic mindset is vital as you continue searching.

By optimistic we don’t mean constantly sunny and Pollyanna-ish. Rather, job search experts recommend an “intelligent” optimism, one that acknowledges the reality of your situation but which refuses to just give up and find life meaningless. This type of optimism — finding meaning and purpose in a world that seems to be working overtime against you — can be learned.

Here are some tips on how to do so:

1) Concentrate on the things you can control. Disregard those you cannot. For example, quit worrying about the unrest in Egypt, Wall Street corruption or the terrible weather in many parts of the country this winter. You have no control over these things. But you can write a letter to the editor of the New York Times regarding Egypt, you can remember that spring officially is less than seven weeks away and you can go out and do what you need to get a new job (network more, learn new skills, contact The Wellspring Group, for example).

2) Refuse to see yourself as a victim. Don’t start making your life a catastrophe (“No one has given me a job today or last week or last month so I’ll never work again!”). Focus instead on the things that are going right (“I talked with five people last week about my search”) and on what you can do (“I’ll speak with 10 new people this week!”).

3) Don’t whine. Just don’t. Stop if you do. You harm no one but yourself and it doesn’t help your situation one iota. In fact, it makes your situation worse, helping you go down that rabbit hole of negativity ever more quickly. Instead, focus on what you do have. Practice gratitude. Be thankful for whatever is going right with your life. You have a loving spouse, you have great kids and great friends, you’re in good health, a new episode of NCIS is on tonight. Take five minutes once a day and write down a few things for which your grateful, no matter how minor they may be. It’s a known fact that thinking of things for which you’re grateful keeps your mood up.

If you’re looking for a new position, send your résumé to The Wellspring Group. We have many IT positions (some of which aren’t even on our website yet) available with some of this country’s best firms. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you’re gunning for a leadership role in your company, you’re going to have to find the right balance between being too assertive and being perceived as too timid.

A study by researchers at the Columbia Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business found that being seen as having too much or not enough assertiveness may be the most widespread weak spot among those who aspire to leadership roles in their firms. This results in the potential leaders coming across as being less effective than those whom their colleagues believe to have the “optimal” level of the trait.

Researchers studies workers’ feedback about their co-workers’ leadership traits such as charisma, self-discipline and intelligence. Interestingly, colleagues perceived weaknesses as more than just a lack of a trait — many of those studied reported that they looked upon colleagues they perceived as too assertive as being less effective than others who weren’t thought so.

While many people might think a lack of assertiveness might brand someone as weak, many possible leaders were thought too assertive or not assertive enough by their colleagues. In one study of about 1,000 workers, more than half of those who described someone as having a weakness particularly referred to assertiveness. This finding was divided pretty much equally between the two extremes.

Interestingly, when a potential leader got the assertiveness quotient “wrong,” colleagues took instant note. When a potential leader gets the assertiveness level right, it’s not noticed as much. In other words, it’s taken as a given as to the individual’s good leadership qualities.

Your takeaway? If you aspire to leadership but are low in assertiveness (you have a hard time standing up for what’s important to you, for example), you may be ineffective (or at least seen as ineffective) at achieving desired goals and results. However, too much assertiveness can brand you as a blowhard. Which easily could have the unwanted affected of making it difficult for people to want to follow you. Instead, to be effective, it’s necessary to push hard — but not too hard to get results. You still want to be able to “get along” with co-workers and those you supervise.

If you’re ready for a position that will allow your skills and knowledge to shine within the IT field, contact The Wellspring Group. We can help you access some of the most sought-after opportunities in your field. Contact a recruiter today.

If you’ve just landed a new IT job and if the position isn’t what you hoped it would be (or even if it is), you’re likely looking to get a promotion and raise as quickly as possible.

Here are some tips to help you.

The more you can show your value to your employer, the easier it will be to get a promotion. Obviously this means you’ll have to work for it. Not only should you do your job, you’ll want to do more.

Sit with your boss and ask him or her about goals for the coming year. What does your boss want and/or need to accomplish? Ask your supervisor how you can help or, better yet, suggest ideas as to how you can help your manager be more successful. If you help your boss be more successful, you will be more successful.

Document. Document. And document some more. That is, write down all of your accomplishments, no matter how small. You could keep these to yourself and then present them to your boss at your annual review, but since you want a promotion/raise quickly, you’ll need to do…more: send a “projects completed” or “tasks update” to your manager each week. Don’t be shy about pointing out when projects are completed ahead of schedule, under budget or otherwise were finished in a manner better than normal.

After you’ve had at least three major successes under your belt (see above) and you’ve been at your position for at least three to six months (three if your accomplishments truly were major, six if they were just better than average), then ask your supervisor for a meeting.

If you haven’t been sending weekly missives to your manager about your accomplishments, be sure to do have them handy for this meeting. Even if you have, bring a listing of your best accomplishments (and have a copy for your manager).

Then, you’ll need to point out all the things you’ve done that have gone beyond your job description and say something along the lines of “Boss, I’ve been performing at the level of assistant IT director consistently for X months. In that time, I’ve [list three big accomplishments] while also [mention three of your major day-to-day responsibilities]. Since I’ve been doing the job of an assistant IT director, I’m here today to discuss with you about my being promoted to the position.”

And then be quiet. Say nothing. Let your boss speak first. Chances are, you’ll see something positive come from this meeting. If not an immediate promotion, at the very least you’ll more than likely come to an agreement to discuss the issue again soon.

You’ve nothing to lose and quite a bit to gain by being assertive and asking for a promotion so long as you’ve shown you deserve it. And by showing we mean, doing the work as well as documenting it.

Good luck!

If you’re looking for a terrific new IT position in 2011, contact The Wellspring Group. We have forged strong connections with firms across the country needing top-notch IT workers. Contact us today!

If you’re thinking of approaching an executive recruiting firm in order to be considered for new opportunities, here are some tips to help you.

Remember, the headhunter is not there to find you a job. The recruiter works for the client company and has been engaged to find the right person for a certain position. This doesn’t mean the recruiter can’t act as a sounding board and give you general advice, but if you realize from the get-go that the recruiter does not work for you, your relationship will be all the smoother and more successful.

Be sure you “sell yourself.” That is, be sure you let the recruiter know exactly about your skills, abilities, educational background and education. The more specific you are, the better. The more you tell the recruiter, the easier it will be for the recruiter to then promote your candidacy to a company.

Don’t sit back and wait for the recruiter to do his or her magic, especially if there’s a specific opening to which the recruiter is presenting you. You should research the company’s performance, history, future plans, etc. You’ll need to be well-prepared for your interview.

Be sincere. Be yourself. If you’re trying to fold your personality and experience into something you think the recruiter and the employer want in the person they choose to fill the position, they will sense it.

Tell your recruiter about other opportunities you’re considering. There’s little worse than accepting an offer and then reneging on it because another employer — about whom you kept mum — offers you a better opportunity. You can be sure you’ll never hear from that recruiter again, meaning you could truly lose out on some great opportunity in the future.
Be forthright with the recruiter about any and all issues you feel may impact how you’re perceived by a prospective employer. Better to “‘fess up” to negative information yourself rather than having the recruiter or the company find out on their own.

Learn and accept constructive criticism. This can be especially applicable if you’re a little out of date on either your skills, your certification, etc. If you don’t get the job — or even an interview — because you’re lacking in some area and the recruiter tells you what that lack is, thank the recruiter for his or her candor. And then go out and “fix” whatever it is you lack.

The Wellspring Group partners with some of the country’s most recognized and desired organizations—offering you access to highly sought after IT opportunities. Contact us today so that we may hear more about your background and your career goals.

Social networking sites can be an extremely valuable tool in building your professional career, establishing yourself as a leader in your field and attracting top talent to your organization.

To help get you started, here are a few tips to keep in mind when using sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn:

1. Position yourself (and your company) as an expert. Whatever your area of technical specialization, you can use online networking to showcase your talent and expertise.  Join groups, participate in discussions and offer your expertise and insight. Be a leader, not a follower. Develop thought leadership in your specific practice area by posting articles that are ahead of the curve in your area of technical expertise. Or, establish your own intellectual community within a networking site by creating a group. Your group can offer a discussion forum for hot IT topics relative to your business, publicize upcoming events and share information with customers and job candidates.
2. Share links to helpful content. Keeping current with developments in technology can be a full time job. As a result, timely, relevant information is extremely valuable to your clients, prospects and other contacts, and your social networks allow you to easily share the most relevant technical news.
3. Attract top talent. The best IT professionals stay on top of their game by constantly seeking out new information. Become a trusted source they turn to. Write and post articles about the aspects of technology most important to these professionals, and you’ll attract more top performers to your organization.
4. Answer a question in your field to attain expert status within your network. If you’re selected as having the best answer to a particular problem, it will show up on your LinkedIn profile. Providing answers is also a great way to strike up online conversations with new contacts and expand your network.
5. Put your best foot forward. When it comes to social networking for business, more is not always better. While you may be tempted to get every programmer on staff blogging about your latest upgrade, their chatter may only be perceived as noise (not to mention a huge waste of productive resources). Be selective. Make sure you pick the right people in your organization–talking about the right things–to have the strongest possible presence on LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media.

We hope you find this information helpful.  And on a related note we would love to become your trusted advisor.  Please leave a comment below and let us know what topics you would like us to cover in future blog posts.  Whether you’re looking for job search advice, recruiting and workforce management tips, project management best practices or something more specific we would love to hear from you.