================================================ SearchDatabase.com's Career Tip April 26, 2001 ================================================ Welcome to the searchDatabase.com Career Tip! Today's tip, "The Internet: A double-edged sword in the battle for top database talent" can also be viewed online at: http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci547781,00.html ------------------------------------------------ LEARNING ZONE FEATURED BOOK OF THE WEEK ------------------------------------------------ "Sams Teach Yourself Oracle PL/SQL in 21 Days, Second Edition" By Jonathan Gennick This book quickly empowers you to create your own Oracle solutions with PL/SQL. Completely revised to cover Oracles 8i, the book provides guidance and direction, leading you through a progression of topics that begin with the basic building blocks of PL/SQL, and ending with in-depth discussions of the more commonly used advanced features of Oracle's database programming environment. http://www.digitalguru.com/dgstore/product.asp?isbn=0672317982%20&ac_id=58 ================================================ "The Internet: A double-edged sword in the battle for top database talent" By Kevin Kapaun The Internet has been embraced far and wide as the hiring panacea managers and human resource directors in the data management field have been searching for. But while sifting through thousands of candidates with a few keystrokes seems like an easy and cheap way to hire, relying on the Internet actually hurts one's chances of landing top data management talent. The entire practice of hiring candidates found online rests on the assumption that these candidates are good ones. Unfortunately, this assumption is usually false. When was the last time you saw Bill Gates' resume online? Do warehousing guru Bill Inmon or Oracle President Larry Ellison have their r�sum�s on a job board? Not likely. These examples, though extreme, highlight a fundamental truth about Internet hires: The best people typically don't have their r�sum�s online. If they do, they are often sorely out of date. The best data management people are generally not out beating the streets, simply because they don't need to. It's true that employed DBAs, even good ones, surf job sites. But that doesn't mean these casual surfers have their r�sum�s online, they're typically just window shopping. Industry job posting professionals believe many qualified pros do indeed peruse positions on the Web. But finding a great-sounding position and acting on it are two very different matters, indeed. Why don't the best candidates have their r�sum�s online? Simple - they don't need to. People come to them with potential opportunities, especially in the technical world. These techies get used to not making the first move, and thus don't take proactive measures such as keeping an updated resume on hand. General Electric CEO Jack Welch's famous quote rings as true today as it did a decade ago: Companies reward the top 20% of employees, train the middle 70% and fire the bottom 10%. So who is generally out beating the street for new positions? Certainly the bottom 10% and the 70%'s lower rung. The Internet has not changed this paradigm; it's simply allowed mediocre candidates to cast a wider shadow. The millions of resumes online have created an illusion in the minds of HR and hiring managers that an abundance of quality candidates are just a keystroke away. Yes, some resumes online are excellent. The problem is, you're searching for needle in one heck of a large haystack. The high demand for DBA and Data Warehouse talent also contributes to companies lowering their standards. Vacant positions and looming deadlines combined with seeing such a huge pool of resumes tempts hiring authorities to justify subpar hires. Keep in mind that hastily filling a position can stop the leak in your department. But you've just slapped on a band-aid, and the talent pipeline will likely burst again. ------------ Kevin Kapaun is president of Emerging Technology Services (http://www.keepyouroptionsopen.com), a recruiting firm specializing in placing Oracle and data warehousing candidates. Kapaun can be reached at 952.443.4141 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Emerging Technology Services is a member of the Top Echelon Network. Kapaun is a member of Top Echelon, the world's largest network of recruiters. ------------ FOR MORE INFORMATION: The Best Training and Career Web Links: http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/bestWebLinks/0,289521,sid13_tax281572,00.html The Best DBA Web Links: http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/bestWebLinks/0,289521,sid13_tax281570,00.html ** Have a technical or career tip to offer your fellow database administrators and developers? The best tips submitted will receive a cool prize! http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/tipsContest/0,289488,sid13_prz520733_cts520732,00.html ** Ask your technical or career questions--or help out your peers by answering them--in our live discussion forums: http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/forums/0,289802,sid13_fid1,00.html ** Check out our new "Ask the Experts" feature! We have Database Design, SQL, Oracle, DB2, and SQL Server gurus waiting to answer your technical questions: http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/ateExperts/0,289622,sid13,00.html ================================================ Career Editor's Spotlight ================================================ "You gotta have teamwork" Teams are a familiar sight in IT. Did you may know that working well on a team can contribute to your professional success? But what do you really know about working well on teams? We think you will find this spotlight helpful if you're not feeling totally confident about how you can function effectively within their structure. Here are the first three of our top ten picks: 1. Teamwork: Skills for collaborative work This site is the work of the Team Engineering Collaborative at the University of Illinois, which designs teams in engineering and other practical arts and sciences. It contains topical modules, each with background information, self-assessment tools, lesson plans and links. URL: http://www.vta.spcomm.uiuc.edu/ 2. The future of project management: Relationships matter This is an abridgment of a report originally issued by the Gartner Group in August 2000. In it, the Gartner Group's analysts detail what they feel are the core competencies necessary in project management. It comes as no surprise to us that relationships and skill management are two of the core competencies. URL: http://www.techrepublic.com/article.jhtml?id=r00620010319ggp01.htm 3. The human factor This site from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Edinburgh covers the work of Gerald M. Blair, author of "Starting to Manage: the essential skills". This site gives a synopsis of Blair's thoughts on structuring teams and motivating their members. The author expounds on his conviction that paying attention to the human factor is essential to the success of any team. URL: http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art6.html For a full look at our Spotlight, "You gotta have teamwork," go to: http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/weeklySpotlight/0,289679,sid13_cid361112_tax286998,00.html ************* Sponsored by PMD ***************** What do you like? Networks? Computer Games? Downloads? How about Free Stuff? SearchDatabase.com can get you FREE info on the topics that interest you most - and there are so many to choose from! We'll find related news, information and special offers and deliver them directly to your e-mailbox, all at no charge! Sign up here today http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/postmasterDirect/ ************************************************ To Remove your email address from the distribution list for this specific newsletter "Reply" to this message with REMOVE in the subject line. 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