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!

A happy individual generally becomes a happy employee — and a productive employee. Why? Because happy, optimistic people tend to be problem solvers while pessimists tend to dwell on the fact that the problem exists and do little to try to fix it. Companies hire people to solve problems — happier people are problem solvers.

Here are some tips to help you find and hire the happy among your applicants.

1) Use pre-employment assessment tests. Yes, assessment tests exist that can help you determine how optimistic/happy an individual tends to be.

Tests exist that can measure an individual’s propensity to optimism or pessimism, how well someone reacts/copes when the pressure’s on, an individual’s stick-to-it-ness, etc.. These are all characteristics you will want to consider when searching for happy, productive employees.

2) As you interview job candidates, ask open-ended questions about how an applicant faced and handled problems in his or her work past. Take note of how the candidate focused on finding solutions (optimists tend to do this), or how he or she stayed mired in the problem at hand (signs of a pessimist).

You could ask candidates to tell you about the very worst things that ever happened to them on the job and then listen to how they answer — by looking at the situations as problems to be solved or as challenges beyond their control (blaming others for their circumstances).

3) Walk your own optimistic, happy talk. If managers are dour whiners, can a company really expect its employees to buck the trend? Your firm’s managers, executives and other leaders should aim to be a role model for subordinates. Focus on achieving goals and coming up with solutions when faced with challenges.

When looking for IT problem solvers, contact The Wellspring Group. We will find and place proven skilled and reliable information technology professionals with your firm on a temporary, temp-to-hire or direct-hire basis. We look forward to hearing from you!

If your company doesn’t take the time to write strong job descriptions, you run the risk of hiring employees who really don’t have the skills, backgrounds and other characteristics you need.

Here are some tips to help you create effective job descriptions.

Tip 1: All job descriptions will have basically the same sections: the job title, the department, supervisor’s name and title, required qualifications, the essential functions of the job and anticipated results.

Tip 2: Use action verbs. As you flesh out the different functions of a position, be sure you begin each statement with an action verb (organize, supervise, repair, create, educate, etc.).

Tip 3: Be clear and specific. Stay away from the vague; this only serves to confuse you and job candidates. Aim to create a job description that is as specific as possible regarding what the successful job candidate will do on a day-to-day basis.

For example, instead of “must possess good communications skills,” aim for something along the lines of “must be comfortable communicating with all levels of company personnel, from executives to management to line workers. Or, instead of “heavy lifting,” write that “this position requires lifting up to 40 pounds at a time and maneuver on ladders and tight spaces.”

Tip 4: Make sure the job description includes the full scope of the position, which could include job duties that may have to be performed less frequently than others. The more comprehensive the job description, the better.

Tip 5: The job description must comply with the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act).

Tip 6: Understand that job descriptions change and evolve. Take a look at your job descriptions and review them to make sure they still describe the duties and tasks the people now in them actually do.

Tip 7: Understand the difference between tasks and qualifications. Remember that tasks are the things a person in a certain position does while qualifications are the skills, experience and credentials someone needs in order to be able to perform the tasks well and successfully.

Tip 8: As such, make sure that any licenses, credentials and/or academic degrees that you give as required for a position actually are needed in order to perform the job. In other words, the degrees, etc. you require should be essential to actually doing the job.

Tip 9: be careful to not create a position that no one could fill. Don’t be so strict on qualifications, requirements and tasks that you create a job that would could only be performed by the perfect person — such a job candidate doesn’t exist.

When looking for great IT professionals, look not further than The Wellspring Group. We can deliver customized staffing solutions to help you find the “good guys” in IT when you need them. Contact us today!

Although companies increasingly are relying on personality evaluations in hiring employees, these types of tests are not reliable, according to psychologists. The trend has been for employers to use these tests as part of the hiring procedure. But a group of personnel psychologists who have worked together to evaluate these personality measures came to the conclusion that their validity is so minimal that employers should reconsider even using them.

According to research, general personality evaluations, such as the Big Five Personality Traits and Emotional Intelligence, can explain or predict less than six percent of the differences in peoples’ on-the-job performance. Even though the companies selling these tests tout their value, objective measures show that they have very little value in predicting how a person performs on the job.

What the researchers found is that these tests are very general in what they measure, while the traits or skills required for high performance on the job are much more particular, occupying a much smaller range. According to the researchers, the explicitness and exactness of what the tests measure has to match in exactness the nature of the work and its performance that the test is designed to predict. A broad-based test, one designed to measure only general personality characteristics, cannot get at the targeted behaviors a company needs to know about with nearly the degree of accuracy of a test designed especially to measure just those targeted behaviors. It will not have nearly the predictive power that a more narrow-gauge test would have.

The more general tests, because they measure only wide-ranging personality traits, such as assertiveness, extraversion or persuasiveness, give only an overall description of what a person’s personality is like, not a prediction of how he or she will do in a particular job. The evaluation will work only if it measures the targeted job-related actions that a person needs to perform, such actions as closing skills or presentation skills, for example. In other words, when using a personality test, you need to keep the outcome or goal of the test in mind, which is to predict how a person will perform on the job, not to give an overall description of a person’s personality.

If you’re looking for great IT talent, contact The Wellspring Group. We will source, interview, reference check and place dependable and highly skilled IT professionals for your temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire needs. Contact us today!

Information technology companies need to be aware of the tremendous diversity of motives and attitudes of female workers when dealing with these employees, according to researchers, who based their conclusions on interviews with women from three countries.

The way women approach their careers, home life and motherhood (if applicable) can vary tremendously, according to researchers who looked at this issue. It would be a mistake to assume that in general all women look at work and home life the same way.  The career paths women take are influenced by a wide variety of factors, including gender stereotypes, other messages that society sends and family relationships.

Researchers at Penn State University’s School of Information Technology interviewed almost 200 women in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The woman came from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Researchers said company managers should not simply assume a young woman will, as a matter of course marry, have children and drop out of the workforce. Human resource policies based on these assumptions may not apply to many women, who are motivated by different factors, such as salary, job security and work environment.

The researchers said women in the IT industry have developed many ways to handle their work and home life duties. Some rely more on work-oriented programs, such as flexible schedules, while others rely more on home-based support, such as spouses or parents. Because each woman may use different support systems and approach her responsibilities in a different way, it would be a mistake for companies to develop a one-size-fits all kind of program.

The researchers gave several examples of how different cultural influences could affect women in information technology. For example, in China, calling a woman a “geek” is seen as a compliment. In Ireland, people characterize information technology careers as “clean” work. And in India, exam scores determine whether a woman will be able to work in information technology or not. The researchers said cultural stereotypes may be part of the reason why there is a relative paucity of women in information technology in the United States.

When you’re looking for exceptional IT professionals, contact The Wellspring Group. We can source, vet and place skilled and reliable workers for your short-term, long-term and direct-hire assignments. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you’re a woman, follow this mantra when being offered a new job: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.

Oh, and one more thing: Negotiate!

Most people believe women are more reluctant to negotiate when offered new jobs — or even at any time during their working careers. But a recent survey of about 500 businesswomen show that many do negotiate when considering a new project at work, new job or promotion.

What’s more, those negotiations ultimately led to greater success to these savvy women. They earned better performance reviews, had greater job satisfaction, and were provided more leadership opportunities.

The study found that women with considerable experience as leaders tendto take the time to look a new job over carefully before deciding to accept the position or not. They will check with people within the firm (they usually know at least one due to their good networking skills), and others whose advice and knowledge they respect regarding ideas about what issues they should negotiate.

Experts who study women and negotiation recommend that firms should work to encourage women to negotiate. If a woman can learn at the beginning what it will take to be successful in a new position from the get go, it will lessen the chances the woman will leave the job.

The study found that of those women considering a new position, 84 percent said they dickered for a higher salary or other perks, 62 percent negotiated a meeting to make their case for a new position, and 50 percent had negotiated for a different job description, title or to whom the position reported.

Most of the female negotiators said they were pleased with their jobs, compared to less than a third of those women who took whatever was offered to them. Most of the women who negotiated reported they subsequently were given more opportunities to take on leadership roles and that they also had outstanding performance reviews.

Our takeaway for female job seekers? Never be afraid to ask for more. Never be shy to negotiate. Done with panache and consideration, your future boss will respect you all the more, even if you don’t get all that you request. In fact, when you negotiate, don’t be surprised if you get at least something that you ask for. It’s rare indeed to receive nothing (and, if you’ve a hiring manager who won’t budge, you may want to think twice, three or even four times before accepting a position).

When you’re looking for a great IT position, contact The Wellspring Group. We partner with some of the nation’s most recognized and preferred firms, offering you access to sought-after positions. We look forward to hearing from you.

A survey conducted a short while back found that, of the 330 companies surveyed, more than half (53 percent) had a “high” or “somewhat high” degree of unease about their employees’ time management skills. In addition, 46 percent also were concerned about their staff members’ delegation skills.

Yet, for all the concern, only 28 percent offered delegation training. Companies apparently were more willing to put their money where their worries were, with 49 percent reporting that they offer time management seminars, courses, or other training.

Of those who provide time management training, slightly more than half (52 percent) do so in house, with 71 percent opting for a classroom setting. As for delegation training, 59 percent of those who do so, do so in house, with 65 percent of that training held in a classroom-like setting.

In addition, a 2006 survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide found what sales managers the world over have long known: it’s not how many hours a sales force works, it’s what they do while they’re working that counts. That is, it’s all in how a sales representative allocates his or her time.

The survey found that sales teams at financially high-performing firms spend up to 40 percent more time with their best potential customers than did sales people at low-performing firms. In addition, these high performers also spent an additional three-four hours a week in what were deemed “high-value” sales activities.
Of note, sales teams a high performing firms spend 30 percent less time on administrative tasks.

In addition, the survey found that salespeople at the financially high-performing companies tend to have a favorable opinion of their firms, as well as of the company’s products and/or services. Eighty-three percent said they believed their firm’s products and services were among the best available, compared to just 57 percent for the sales personnel at the low-performing firms.

Our takeaway? Time management doesn’t come naturally to most of us. And, with today’s technological distractions (Facebook, Twitter, surfing the Web) available so easily (on netbooks or Smartphones), it’s sometimes a wonder any work gets done.

So invest in your IT team (whether your techs or your sales team) in time management training. Time management is a skill that just keeps on giving, and helping your staff by providing even a one-shot training session can pay you ongoing dividends for a long time.

Contact The Wellspring Group when it’s time for your firm to hire the best IT talent available for your company’s particular needs. You specify the skills and background you need in your IT professionals and we’ll find them for you. We look forward to hearing from you!

The Corporate Executive Board surveyed data on 50,000 employees across the world earlier this year and found that “high potential” workers increasingly are disengaged and looking elsewhere for their next career move. In fact, 25 percent said they plan to leave the firm at which they now work; this up from 10 percent in 2006.

This could be very bad news for businesses as the job market improves (however slowly) in 2011.

The high potential employees were identified as such by their employers.

The CEB gave six suggestions as to how to first identify your high potential employees, engage and keep them. They are:

1. Aim to give workers stimulating work. Recognize and develop potential leaders quickly as these individuals can disengage quickly.
2. When interviewing, use assessment tests to gauge candidates’ engagement, abilities and aspirations so that you can get an idea of applicants’  potential for growth and leadership.
3. Make sure to manage high-potential workers at the executive or corporate level to prevent line managers from “hoarding” talent, thereby limiting the high-performing workers  opportunities.
4. Put your top talent in positions that challenge their abilities and where new competencies are needed.
5. Provide salaries and recognition to these top performers as appropriate.
6. Include your top-potential workers in your firm’s strategic planning while emphasizing to them how much their work will positively affect your company’s success now and in the future.

If you’re looking for future IT leaders for your organization, contact The Wellspring Group. We will source, vet and present to you the top three candidates we find, based upon your exact needs and desires for the person who fills your critical positions. We look forward to hearing from you.

As the nation slowly recovers from the recent brutal recession, employee morale is low — very low. In fact, a recent survey of about 200,000 workers showed that employee morale is the lowest it’s ever been.

Employers risk losing workers with low morale as soon as the job market warms. Replacing an employee can cost anywhere from one-half to more than two times his or her annual salary!

So it will behoove you to buck up your current employees, and you may do in two simple ways:  praise and recognition  for their efforts, especially when those efforts go above the usual.

Sixty-five percent of those workers surveyed said they had not been recognized at all for their hard work in the year prior to the survey. Of those who left an employer, about 80 percent said the main reason they left was because they felt unappreciated.

Yet — and here’s where you should sit up and take note — of those companies where employee morale is high, almost all workers said that their managers recognize their employees’ efforts.

What’s more — and really pay attention here – the survey found that those organizations who recognized their employees for their efforts usually were more profitable than those who didn’t recognize workers.

As you work to make your company’s culture one of appreciation and recognition, be sure you praise and acknowledge not only top performers, but “average” and underperforming employees — when they make an extra effort for even the smallest of things. Praise can go a very long way to helping your employees get to a level of performance where you want them to be.

If you’re in the search for exceptional, hard-working, top-notch IT professionals, contact The Wellspring Group. We will source the most talented IT workers possible. We look forward to hearing from you!

In order to select the right search firm for your organization’s next high-level position, you need to have a solid understanding of your company’s or individual department’s primary needs. Establish a hierarchy of skills and/or assets that are most vital to you and your team, then begin the process of “interviewing” search firms to determine if they are a good fit for your company, and can provide you with the type of candidates that are well-suited to your open position.

But why work with an executive search firm? Why not simply go out into the job market yourself and find that perfect candidate? After all, in these challenging times, you should have no trouble finding qualified candidates, right?

Surprisingly, it just doesn’t work that way. When an economic downturn leaves an unusually high number of highly skilled people seeking jobs, the sheer numbers can be overwhelming for most companies. Combine this with the fact that the internet has, over the past five years, completely revolutionized the way potential applicants are located, recruited, screened, and hired, and you will find yourself not only spending far more money on resources to properly handle this information overload but, even more importantly, you will waste time attempting to streamline a process that you must spend valuable time learning before you can even begin to put an effective system in place to handle it.

This is where the expertise of an established, experienced IT search firm is well worth the cost. This is our lifeblood. Our primary focus is to stay on the cutting edge of the latest recruitment and applicant filtering techniques. Our staff has the knowledge and experience to develop an effective plan for finding applicants that not only have the skill set you need, but who also is able to “fit” in your corporate culture, thus creating a synergistic relationship in your department – creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

We know where to find the right people, present them to you in a timely manner, and allow you to select the perfect candidate – all while you focus on your business. Take the guesswork out of finding your next employee. Let The Wellspring Group present you with the highly skilled candidates needed to take your company to the next level. We look forward to hearing from you.