Headhunters

After being laid off through a corporate downsizing due to the turndown in the oil and gas industry, I took a leap of faith and made a bold decision to become a technical recruiter aka headhunter or executive search.

Here are some insider secrets:

They make mistakes- all too often the recruiter does not have a thorough knowledge of the candidate’s background and/or the requirements of the job.

Don’t count on them- you may get a call and the recruiter explains what sounds like a great opportunity. It may end there if the recruiter cannot convince the HA to conduct a telephone interview or perhaps decides that they cannot pay the fee.

 Timing is everything- When your laid off you will be wondering why recruiters don’t call you when you need them.  Recruiters don’t focus on placing candidates that are unemployed. In fact, they would prefer placing an employed person which lends credibility to the candidate’s value.

Be prepared for numerous telephone calls- Recruiters use telephones to collect resume information and pitch a job opportunity thus avoiding bringing candidates in for face to face meetings. That saves time and money.

The recruiter is paid by the employer- Obviously the recruiter has to be certain the employer is willing to pay a fee to land a candidate. Further, the recruiter has an incentive to encourage the hiring authority to offer the highest annual salary possible since they will likely be paid on a percentage basis.

Recruiters depend on referrals- When a recruiter calls a candidate, they may not indicate how they received the candidates name and contact information. This creates a slight mystery about the process. Then if the candidate declines to show interest in a proposed position/company, the recruiter will likely ask you if they know someone who might be interested.

Headhunters may be essential to your survival particularly after you have gained years of experience. You never know when you may need one so stay in touch.

Where to find that first technical job?

The obvious

Seek employment with your co-op, internship or summer job employer and let them know about a year in advance of your graduation that you are highly interested. Many companies make provisions in their budgets and headcounts well in advance. Check with your campus placement office to find out what companies may be coming to your campus to interview candidates for degrees. 

The not so obvious

Network through a friend, family member, relative or previous graduate – expect that they can provide you with the name and phone number of the company and the hiring authority. 

On-line or newspaper want ads and job fairs- these tend to be localized so you may have to visit areas or search for the information on-line to determine who is hiring and where. 

Check with employment agencies – they place candidates with employers for a percentage of your hourly rate. Seek out those agencies that specialize in placing technical personnel. This is likely to be a temporary employment opportunity but may lead to eventually being hired full time by the employer at which time the employer will probably pay a finder’s fee to the agency. 

Technical recruiters – also known as "headhunters", they place candidates in full time, long term positions also for a fee but generally prefer to work with experienced technical personnel or those with a unique set of credentials. 

Thinking About Resigning?

Here are some tips to consider before you do.

Don’t presume you can remain in your position for two or more weeks after you submit your resignation. Some companies/supervisors may be generous in that regard and hope you will stay on until you finish a particular assignment and not leave them in a bind. Others may be upset and request you leave immediately. 

 Your employer may consider you a risk if you have access to confidential company information. Therefore you may be terminated immediately upon your resignation whether you like it or not.

 A letter of resignation should be submitted stating a concise reason for resigning but don’t provide a lengthy list of gripes. Additionally you should ask to meet with your boss face to face. Be prepared on how you will respond to a counter offer. It’s best to be cordial and claim you are pursuing a more challenging opportunity etc.

 Do not trash the company or the job thus burning bridges. Be certain to inform your colleagues about the basis for your decision to quit and maintain contact with those whose business relationship you value. You never know when you may need to contact them as a reference or seek their help in your new position. 

Finally, consider requesting a letter of recommendation from your supervisor or perhaps a senior member of the staff that was aware of your contribution. It is always helpful to have someone else’s written assessment of your performance when searching for a new position.

Intern vs. Employee

In chapter 11 of my book I dealt with this subject as it is often misunderstood. I jested by saying 30 years ago if you wanted to find an intern, go to a hospital. Now days they are often found in industry working in technical positions to provide students with practical work experience related to their majors and a look at things in their future.

I reported that due to the controversy over whether they should be paid or not, the government issued a six-part test three years ago to help decide. Now I learned that this past January, they created seven part test to facilitate the process. Briefly, they are:

1.     A promise of compensation implies, suggests an employee position

2.     The internship provides training similar to an educational environment

3.     The internship is tied to the formal education and receives academic credit

4.     The internship accommodates academic commitments according to the academic calendar

5.     The interns duration is limited to the specified period of learning

6.     The extent the interns work compliments the work of paid employees

7.     The intern understands the work is without entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship

So as you can see, this “primary beneficiary test” is flexible and every situation is different. I pointed out in my book that a former coworker of mine interned for a manufacturer while working on his engineering degree but received no compensation nor did he accept a position with the company upon graduation.

If compensation is essential, consider a cooperative (co-op) position. More on that subject in my book.

The Plane That Shrank the World- the 747

I was a bit shocked to see a newspaper article announcing "a sunset" for the famous Boeing 747. In my book I describe the 747 Environmental Control System (air conditioning) that I  helped design for Hamilton Standard Div. of United Technology Corp in Windsor Locks Conn. I was excited to be a part of the jumbo jet industry trend fresh out of college. The 747 was the first twin aisle airplane with double the capacity of any commercial aircraft during its maiden voyage in 1970. 

This ECS package utilized bleed air from the engines or ground cart directed into a primary heat exchanger. Outside ambient air is used as the coolant in this air-to-air heat exchanger. Once the hot bleed air had been cooled, it is then compressed through the compressor impeller. This compression heats the air and it is directed to the secondary heat exchanger, which also uses outside air to reduce the temperature. The temperature of the compressed cooled air is somewhat greater than the ambient temperature of the outside air. The compressed air then passes through the turbine wheel that extracts work from the air as it expands, cooling it to below ambient temperature. The work extracted by the expansion turbine wheel is transmitted by a shaft to rotate both the compressor and fan impellers which draws in the external air for the heat exchangers during ground running; ram air is used in flight. Finally, the fan impeller draws the cooled air through the aircraft cabin to the individual air vents.That approach resulted in the combination turbine, compressor and fan impellers on one shaft thus reducing both weight and manufacturing cost of the system per plane. 

As with any product, sales started to diminish with time due to competition from smaller and more efficient aircraft that could utilize shorter runways. Currently United Parcel Service holds all but three unfilled orders for the 747.  Boeing's corporate historian Michael Lombardi claimed "It was the plane that shrank the world, that's the legacy of the 747.

Newspaper Tackles Myths and Majors

In a recent Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper article, the author Jefferey J. Selingo, writes about six myths behind majors. They are:
1. STEM always delivers- "Always" is a bit specific but for majors: science, technology (computer science), engineering and mathematics generally provide greater lifetime incomes than many other careers such as teaching, history, nursing and liberal arts.
2. Women want it all- This fall 56% of college students are women. However when they graduate, they tend to chose lower paying career/fields than men.
3. Major matters more than choice of college- Data shows that students who graduate from highly rated colleges tend to make more money.
4. Liberal arts majors are unemployable- Contrarily, the author claims that these majors emphasize writing, synthesis, problem solving and are sought by employers.
5. Choose a major early- The author claims 20% of those who choose a major upon entering college change it after their first year.
6. You need a major- There is a tendency now toward eliminating majors that are now considered artificial and restrictive by some colleges.

Do you agree with these myths?

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