Can IT be true?

Posted by Geoff Zodda, Managing Director at Glenmont Group

With another firm relocating their IT Operations to less costly locations, the question is whether this is a flash in the pan or a trend that is worth keeping an eye on? Wilmer Hale (Dayton, OH), Orrick (Wheeling, WV) and Shearman & Sterling (Melville, NY) have been very successful with their relocations. Now Pillsbury Winthrop LLP is the latest firm to relocate their IT group to Nashville. Who will be next?

We’ve helped those employees that have drawn the short straw as well as firms in need of bulking up their new center of IT Operations. I have to say from personal experience, that it’s a very strategic move, with pros and cons. Do you trade in what you’ve established over the years to tread into new waters?

The Top 5 Dumb Things Candidates Do to Sabotage Offers and Opportunities

Posted by Adam Weissman, Director, IT and Legal Technology at Glenmont Group

Glenmont Group is the largest boutique staffing firm specializing solely in Legal Technology in the country. We place more than 100 professionals every year with AmLaw 200 Firms, Fortune 500 Companies, and top-tier consultancies alike. While we have enjoyed tremendous successes over the last 11 years, we have also endured our fair share of monumental losses in the process. I come to you to gloat, to share, and to bestow glorious wisdom on both the recruiting and the job-seeking communities. For without these failures and missteps, I would not have become as effective in thwarting the pitfalls that lurk very closely to plain site, as they can easily be overlooked by the untrained eye. I offer 5 suggestions how to avoid seemingly simple, but profoundly harmful, mistakes that are almost certain to stop the hiring process in its tracks and send candidates back to square one.

1)      Misrepresenting Your Skills or Experiences

Most employers who hire technology candidates typically seek individuals whose experience and hard skills currently match, either significantly or entirely, a core set of requirements for a particular position within the organization. Fewer employers these days are willing to risk making a bad hire on a candidate who has the potential to grow into the role in the future, but is not currently able to contribute or be impactful to the position and firm from Day One.

Candidates should anticipate being asked to clarify, qualify, or quantify, the majority of the truly most important background requirements during the first 2-3 rounds. A job interview is not the time for excessive exaggeration. Though it is important to represent yourself as “the complete package”, be assured that CIO’s, IT Directors and Managers, and, yes, even HR staff are equipped with enough knowledge to uncover the truth. A candidate’s best bet is to highlight his or her technical expertise and articulate relevant experience, citing specific examples of both, as it pertains to the job for which he or she is being interviewed.

 2)      Lying About Compensation

Many candidates feel they are underpaid for the job they do, based on what they perceive their colleagues or friends earn in the same or similar position. The industry standard for salary increases for individuals moving from current employment to new employment is between 8-12%. However, purposely deceiving a potential employer about how much you currently earn in order to leverage a higher compensation package, regardless of how well-deserved or –earned, will invariably be discovered and will likely cost you that new opportunity, and could potentially damage your credibility with other future potential employers.

I recently placed the Director of E-Discovery at a Fortune 200 company. My client raved about how excited they were to bring this individual aboard and the future they saw for this person within the organization. The compensation package was substantial and my client even went against company hiring practices and allowed my candidate to start before all of their administrative and background checks were completed. This seemed to have worked out perfectly for everyone, me included.

I received a call from my client’s HR Director on the second day after my candidate started. My superstar candidate was being terminated and escorted out of the building. The W-2s my client requested showed a $65,000 discrepancy less than what my candidate stated and wrote on the employment application, which dictated the salary and bonus structure my client offered my candidate.

 3)      Social Media Transparency and Accountability

Personal and professional worlds have long found ways to overlap, but often without the harsh consequences the advent and popularity of social media has brought in the last 10 years. It is ultimately your responsibility to control the information you make available and accessible, and just because you only invite your trusted friends and family to connect on these sites, does not guarantee your information won’t reach unintended eyes. There are too many horror stories to recount here, but headlines are made daily about how an inappropriate or incriminating picture, image, or message was sent to the wrong person via text message or email, or was posted to a social media site profile and was made more public than originally intended, and ultimately somehow made its way back to the person’s employer. Some of these incidents have yielded legal suspensions or, even worse, termination of employment as a result. Be mindful of the information you make available to anyone else. You never know who is looking.

4)      Error-Filled Thank You/Follow-Up Notes to Hiring Managers

The “Thank You” or follow-up note is both under-valued and under-estimated by many candidates. A simple gesture of sending an email, or even a hand-written letter, thanking a hiring authority for their time and insights into the position one is interviewing for, says a lot about a candidate’s professional character and integrity. It demonstrates one’s commitment to the opportunity and organization. However, a poorly-written letter, especially one that uses poor grammar or has words misspelled, can do equally as much to undermine a candidate’s credibility and even one’s good standing in an employer’s consideration for hiring that individual. A good, error-free letter may not directly secure a job for an applicant, but a carelessly crafted one could certainly knock an otherwise strong candidate out of consideration. Having someone take a minute to proofread your notes could prove more valuable than you might expect.

 5)      Taking Too Long to Accept an Offer

Every recruiter I have ever spoken with has shared at least one example of an offer being taken off the table because the candidate took too long to accept the offer. As a recruiter, I service my clients by providing the most talented professionals available for a particular open position. I also advocate on behalf of my candidates by leveraging my relationships with client contacts to negotiate the most attractive and complete offer possible for a candidate, taking into consideration what that particular candidate has expressed their needs are when considering whether to accept a job opportunity. If I have done my job right, both my client and my candidate will be happy with the terms of an offer. Many individuals prefer to receive an offer, whether verbally or written, and ask for at least 24 hours to consider the details being presented to them. Most offers, especially written ones, have a deadline for acceptance or rejection.

Earlier this year, I had a candidate receive a written offer on a Friday afternoon that was customized to meet his needs and even some wants. He was excited to receive the offer letter and asked to think about it through the weekend, but gave me verbal acceptance of the offer and committed to sign the letter and return it to my client on Monday. The candidate mistakenly figured his verbal acceptance bought him some time, and decided to take an impromptu vacation to the Bahamas to celebrate… for 10 days. Upon returning, tanned, relaxed, and feeling good about life, I had to inform my candidate that while he was living it up on the beach, due to his lack of communication, my client made the assumption my candidate was no longer interested in the opportunity, and fully rescinded the offer.

There is a saying in Recruiting, as with any sales transaction, “Time kills all deals.” The pinnacle moment of synergy and momentum between my client and my candidate is when the final offer is presented. Every second after that moment points down the road of separation and disconnect between the two parties until the offer agreement is solidified.

When does $82,000 make you a millionaire?

Posted by Michael Potters, CEO/Managing Partner at Glenmont Group

I was thinking of this the other day when hearing a speech about the Millionaire’s Tax on individuals making over $200k a year. (Just the obvious here – when did $200K = $1mm? But that’s another argument.) What is not taken into consideration is that well over 50% of our industry takes place in the most expensive areas of the United States; NYC, Washington DC, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, & Boston. 

I had just finished up a search for Chief eDiscovery Counsel for a Mid-Western Fortune 100 company and the person that took the position came from San Francisco.

The candidate was making just under $190K and this new position paid about $225K plus stock. It didn’t really seem like that much of a difference for a major move across the US until I applied a COLA (cost of living analysis) on the 2 areas.

This is the link from CNN/Money that I used: CNN/Money COLA

When we completed it we discovered that the $225K in SF translated to $417K in this big Midwestern city.

This made me think, if you are making $200k in NYC, what would be the equivalent in other locations that have a strong eDiscovery market??

Here is what I came up with.

$200K in NYC (Manhattan) equals;

 $110K in Baltimore

$102K in Portland

$95K in Denver

$93K in Cleveland

$92K in Phoenix

$88K in Atlanta

$86K in Charlotte

$85K in Houston

$84K in Pittsburgh

$82K in Nashville

 

Flipping the cards, I will now show you what $200K in these same marks translates into NYC (Manhattan) dollars.

$200K in each of these cities equals the following in NYC;

 $362K in comparison to Baltimore

$389K in comparison to Portland

$419K in comparison to Denver

$428K in comparison to Cleveland

$430K in comparison to Phoenix

$453K in comparison to Atlanta

$464K in comparison to Charlotte

$469K in comparison to Houston

$473K in comparison to Pittsburgh

$486k in comparison to Nashville

 

Here is what you should take away from this – If you live in any of these markets, appreciate what you have before you jump into a move toward the really expensive areas.

And if you live in NYC, San Francisco, DC or Boston and one of us call you about an opportunity in Charlotte, don’t be so quick to dismiss it.

Sales Resumes: Making an Impact

Posted by Adam Malanaphy, Project Coordinator at Glenmont Group

Submitting one’s resume to a potential employer can function either as a catalyst pushing a candidate toward the next stage of the interview process or like an anchor keeping that resume on the bottom of the pile. There is a formula which can be applied to most, if not all, hiring processes, but seems most relevant when it comes to hiring sales professionals.

Hiring managers are typically looking for a predetermined set of criteria when they are presented with resumes of sales candidates. Anyone reviewing a resume for a sales position will invariably be drawn to numbers. Quota exceeding performance is very often the most important indicating factor here because it is a testament to one’s work ethic and their sense of pride, two trademarks of a strong sales person.

Highlighting key wins is another topic that should stand out on any well written sales resume. When constructing your resume it is important to outline major accomplishments including large deal closes, major accounts by name or industry (use your discretion), and of course any relevant dollar amounts, percentages, or other significant sales-based numbers. It is important to be as specific as possible here as hiring managers want to know exactly how much of something was sold, who it was sold to and for how much. These factors will demonstrate the success a candidate has achieved in the past, and provide a window into the values and ethics that will contribute to candidate’s performance in the future.

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” – Thanks, Taz

Posted by Joe Alonzo, Director of eDiscovery/Computer Forensics at Glenmont Group

Joel “Taz” DiGrigorio, co-writer of the epiq country hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, was involved in a fatal car crash earlier this week on Interstate 40 in Tennessee.

As with a few of my colleagues at The Glenmont Group, I label myself a music junky.  I enjoy a wide variety of music, just about anything you can imagine.

Country music is what occupies the least amount of space in my iTunes library, but hold a few quintessential country hits close to heart.  Even if you’re not a country music fan, you’ve surely heard these songs at one point:

“One Bourbon, Once Scotch, One Beer”, most popular version by George Thorogood

“Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks

“Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash

“Family Tradition” by Hank Williams Jr

And last but certainly not least, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels Band.

As you head to your local pub this weekend and possibly take a listen to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia:, keep old Taz in your thoughts.  Maybe give him a silent toast and ‘thank you’ for helping create a fiddle-playing song that is still as fun to listen to today as it was in the 80′s.

Catch Me If You Can…On Your Job Search

Posted by Dana Fink, Director of Staffing at Glenmont Group

As  golden rules go– “Thou Shalt Not Lie” -is just one of the Ten Commandments. There was a good reason for this. As it pertains to applying for a job, it should be the only rule.

Most, if not all hiring firms now use third party background check companies that go beyond just calling the three references you have supplied. They will often review salary history, criminal records and employment and have access to public and employment records.

Fabricating any of your past could do more than just cost you the job you are applying for; it can jeopardize all future employment with the company and their subsidiaries.

As it pertains to skills and abilities, your employment tenure will be short lived once any new employer realizes you don’t have what it takes to do the job. Many new hires are subject to a probation period, generally 90 days, where they can release you from employment without much explanation.

The economy will improve, hiring will increase, and employers will understand that all of the American population was somehow impacted by an economic downturn and you will still have your good name to put on top of your resume.

Please enjoy the link below as it relates to this topic.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/02/15/cb.fake.job.reference.help/index.html

Legal Technologies Broken Down

Posted by Susan Beck, Project Coordinator at Glenmont Group

Here is an article examining technology use by lawyers in 2011. Nicole Black, a New York attorney, uses the 2011 ABA Legal Technology Survey results to explore the different technologies used in law firms. She covers the cloud, mobile technology, social media and more.

http://nylawblog.typepad.com/suigeneris/2011/10/a-look-at-lawyers-use-of-technology-in-2011.html

Getting the Job You Want in Computer Forensics

Written by Joe Alonzo, Director of eDiscovery/Computer Forensics  at Glenmont Group

You see the job  advertisements posted on the web everyday, Digital Forensics Analyst, Internet Investigator, Computer Forensic Associate.  You hit the Apply Now button, often never hearing back from said company.

Your background may consist of computer programming/IT, network security or possibly even a background in law enforcement.  You ask yourself, “How do I get the attention of this organization and get them to hire me?”

Working for the leader in Computer Forensics and eDiscovery recruiting and seeing all the good and bad candidates have done, I can give you some great insight on how to get your dream job.

Below we will categorize computer forensics jobs in three areas, Big4, next level consultancies and major corporations.   I will highlight some key facts on each industry, and offer great advice on how to get your dream job.

BIG4

A great place to start your career and obtain corporate, consultative experience is within Big4.  In the opinion of The Glenmont Group, Big4 is a better place to work earlier in your career, many recruiters (and candidates) would tend to agree. We cannot say which firm has the best practice, but can tell you what these companies look for in a candidates and ways to get your foot in the door.

Since we are talking about ‘how to get the job you want’, most of what you will apply for will be the junior to mid-level opportunities.  Also referred to as Associate positions, sometimes “Senior” Associate with slight variations throughout.

These are opportunities that require a candidate to have one to five years of working experience, and offer you the ability to “climb the corporate ladder” of Big4 if you wish to do so.  Getting hired within an organization like this requires you to have a Bachelors degree at the very least and at least one year of experience typically a technical environment.

These roles are ideal for the younger professional, usually with an IT background. Rarely am I asked to find someone with a background in law enforcement for positions like this.  There are always exceptions to this, for example if you have commercial readiness experience (read: business savvy, articulate, can present to clients), then you stand a good chance of getting your foot in the door.

We receive calls regularly from retired police officers or detectives wishing to apply for entry level roles.   In most cases junior level roles within the Big4 are not an ideal fit.  Because you are applying for a position at a lower level, expect the pay to be on the lower range of compensation (average 55K-85KUS), expect to work long hours, sleep very little and have little or no time for social life.

The average first year or second year Associate within Big 4 works about seventy hours per week and travels two to three weeks per month.

The good news

The experience you obtain in Big4 is invaluable; most recruiters tell you the same.  Spending two years as a first or second year associate is equivalent to four or five years within a corporation or average consulting firm, not to mention it is fantastic for your resume. You become very appealing to corporations and solutions providers as having a certain level of professionalism about you.  And such, this makes an easier transition into the traditional corporate or boutique setting.

Big4 has what is referred to as “up or out”, which as implied means you either work your way up or you are asked to leave.  There is a well defined career path with salary increases and different levels of responsibilities at each.

Titles can vary depending on the organization, however here is what the career path looks like in one particular organization:

• First year Associate  $50 – 65K
• “Senior” (Associate) $65 – 80K
• Manager  $80 -110K
• Senior Manager $110 – 220K
• Partner $220++

(Salaries vary depending on  region, figures can be +/- approx  $10,000 )

Continuing your career within Big4 is not a terrible thing especially if you are money motivated.  Partners (sometimes Principles) in Big4 earn an average salary of $250,000 and as high as $900,000 in some cases.  Put a bonus on top of that and stock options and you’re well over one million dollars.

Next level consultancies

As a recruiter in the space, some of the most advanced candidates we see come from companies such as FTI Consulting, BDO Seidman, Navigant Consulting and similar organizations. These companies work in a slightly similar fashion to a Big4, however we see a bit more hands on technology expertise as well as the client facing abilities in a candidate like this.

Getting your foot in the door at a technology consultancy can sometimes be an easier route compared to Big4; still a competitive environment but not as cut throat.  A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field as well as a minor background in technology and you are a strong candidate for an entry level role.

Having a technology certification like CISSP, CEH, MCSE or A+ is always a plus and may enhance your chances of getting the job you want.

Starting US salaries at companies like this range from $60-80K plus bonus.

Useful link regarding industry certifications…click HERE

Attention Legal IT Hiring Authorities! Strategies to Master the Art of the Interview

Written by Geoff Zodda, Managing Director of Glenmont Group

Conducting strategic, effective hiring interviews are a challenge for many professionals. At their most basic purpose, job interviews are simply a forum where candidates attempt to impress you with their diverse skills, to articulate their vast array of experience, and explain why, if selected, she or he would be an asset to your company.For the majority of us, the question-holders, the chosen few who decide the fate of so many hopeful individuals, the all-powerful interviewers, this is as great an opportunity to assess the industry’s talent pool, as much as it is an assignment of responsibility to parse out the generic candidate from the stand-out future employee.

Ultimately, whether conducting an interview brings you to your happy place, or makes you sweat like running a marathon at the Equator, our end-goal is the same: get in, get the information you need, and get out. Regardless if you are one of these two extremes, or somewhere in the middle, the reality is many individuals who are called upon to interview candidates do not have the training, expertise, or innate feel to get the most out of their interviews. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching interviewing techniques, nor one simple strategy to implement to yield desired results from conducting your interviews. One of the biggest obstacles interviewers often face is figuring out what they hope to achieve out of the interview before that candidate even steps foot through your door.

Most interviews are designed to capture three critical components: work experience, hard skills, and personality. Since you are not likely hiring a robot, the third component, personality, is often the hardest to gauge, likely because you have failed to establish a level of comfort which allows both you and your candidate to let down their guard a little, and build rapport. So, how do you do this?

Many interviews follow a question-and-answer pattern, which typically requires you, as the interviewer, having to ask more questions to elicit the information you are seeking. However, there are several ways to break away from this format, and instead turn the meeting into a dialogue between two professionals. Consider questions that are “out of the box” that engage your candidates and get them thinking and responding with broader information. These types of questions still allow you to get a sense of an individual’s background and experience, while developing a perception of their personality, which in turn helps you determine how current employees and team members would interact with this person if you hire them. The more thoughtful questions you can incorporate into the conversation, the greater the likelihood a candidate will relax, speak candidly, and convey the depth of their experience and skills, as well as give you at least a glimpse of their personality, with far less effort from you to uncover it. In turn, you will have more meaningful information and insight in determining a candidate’s overall fit for the position, rather than pondering whether this individual is simply telling you what you want to hear.

After years of staffing in the Legal IT industry, I realize that some hiring authorities utilize situational questions as a means to get candidates to open up. Scenario-based questions should reflect real situations someone in this particular position may encounter as a part of your company, or at least relevant to the candidate’s past experience, so you can gauge how prepared they would be from day one or if you would have to provide additional training. Common examples include asking a candidate to describe a work-related crisis situation and how they handled it, or if they have ever had a conflict with their manager and how they achieved a mutual, professional resolution. A candidate’s response can give you an indication of his/her ability to overcome adversity in the workplace, as well as to maintain a professional demeanor to accomplish a positive outcome in a challenging situation.

If part of your mission is to get a sense of potential candidates’ technical abilities, ask them to rate themselves on the specific technologies you are working with on a scale of one to ten. Seems simple enough, but it should give you a baseline of expectations for their ability to hit the ground running with particular job functions. You can follow this ratings assessment up by asking how many years the individual has worked with the technologies that are most critical to your business. Asking a candidate how they have incorporated certain technologies into their daily responsibilities enables them to demonstrate to you the depth of their knowledge, the scope of their past experiences, and how diverse their technical skills truly are, while enabling you to keep a flow and direction to your interview.

There is no doubt, even with these suggestions, establishing a good guideline for questions and a fluid dialogue takes time and repetition. As you continue to develop your interviewing routine, it is equally important to recognize questions that are not beneficial to learning about your candidates, and replacing them with ones that are more provocative. A particular line of questions I always advise hiring authorities to stay away from is asking potential candidates what their strengths and weaknesses are. Most candidates are coached on how to answer these questions, and again, they may tell you what you want to hear, instead of what their true strengths and weaknesses are. In addition, determining an individual’s strong and weak areas is a very subjective practice, and can easily be misrepresented or misunderstood in the context of an interview. You can just as easily make your own assessment based on other information the candidate has provided you throughout the interview, and of course, once they are working for you.

As a hiring authority, the way you approach an interview is important for many reasons, as the rest of your department, peers, and management are often directly impacted by your decision. People will sing your name in the streets when you hire the person who saved the day, or who makes everyone else’s jobs a little easier and less stressful. Of course, this same chorus will turn on you if the wrong hire is made because you never asked the right questions during the interview, and made a decision based on superficial or irrelevant information. By asking the right questions and getting to know your candidates, most of your hiring decisions will be the right ones.