Mike Hanes“The” Mike Hanes

I was in IT for several years before being laid off a few years ago.  I was laid off right before September 11, 2001 and was working on my MBA in eCommerce at the time.  I found myself in a very difficult situation as many other people did during that time.  Because I was working on my MBA and was almost finished, companies I interviewed with considered me ‘over-qualified’ for most positions I applied and interviewed for.

I stumbled into IT Consulting sales and account management mostly because I wanted to continue to use my IT background for something and what a better way than to find the best people for Dallas IT Client departments and at the same time put people to work.  It seemed to me like the best of both worlds.   Having been a Dallas IT project leader, programmer, and production support engineer, I knew what Dallas IT clients were looking for and the type of people they needed.  Also, having been out of work myself, I loved putting Dallas IT candidates and consultants to work.

My first position was with a company that had provided consultants for the last Dallas IT project team I was on.  The company only had one client and it was my past employer!  When they set up my phone voice mail, the pass code they used was 911.  I was appalled that they would use that pass code considering what had just happen with September 11.  The owner would never tell me what nationality he was, but told me to tell everyone they were an Indian company. 

I also later found out that they had consultants that programmed the code of one of the systems I had supported at my former company and had stolen it.  They were selling the system to other companies in the same industry!  I spoke to the IT Development Manager who was over the systems I had supported and she said that although upper IT management knew this company had stolen their code, they were still doing business with them!

Anyway, there is more.  When I started working for this company they only had one client; my past employer!  The CEO gave me a list of clients to "show off" to potential clients.  I mentioned that they only had one client and he said "I know, but this is what I want you to tell the potential clients."  I told him I would not lie for him or anyone else.  I found that he lied to clients, consultants, candidates, and his own employees all the time.  He lied to his VP of Marketing, and the VP of Marketing would lie to him and ask me to cover his lies.  I told him no way!

I was there for two months before the final straw.  Having never been in a sales role in my life, and in a horrible economy, I made my first placement as an account manager.  I placed a consultant with a Downtown Dallas company.  In violation to our contract, they hired our consultant away.  The CEO of our company became so enraged that he threatened to kill the CEO of the new client company for violating the contract!  The CEO of the client company was totally blind sided because he was not even aware that his manager had hired our consultant away.

I immediately went to the parking lot, called the client CEO and apologized then went back to my office and packed all my stuff.  I decided that I could not work at a company that operated without honesty and integrity and especially a company headed by someone that threatened people’s lives!

Although my first experience with IT Consulting/Recruiting firms was a pretty bad one, I felt like I really found something that I loved to do - find the right fit between Dallas IT Clients and Dallas IT candidates and consultants.  I decided that I would find a company to work for that operated with honesty and integrity.

I will share more about what I have found on that search later….

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
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I was recently asked about the difference between a resume and an online career profile. Is there a difference? Should there be a difference? Are they considered in different ways? What should be included or avoided?

Good question… short answer… YES! They are different.

There are a number of things to consider when creating a professional profile online vs. creating a resume to email or present to a company, or when applying for a specific role.

Here are some thoughts that can help…

When creating a resume for a specific company or position you are pursuing, it’s critical that you tailor it for the specific recipient. Emphasize the experience you’ve had that would be most important to that particular company or position. Although your experience may be very broad, if they don’t very quickly see the direct related experience for the role, it’s unlikely you will be considered further. Using words from their job description, their terminology, and giving special attention to the skills you have that are directly applicable to their requirements is key. The extra effort involved in customizing your resume for each individual application will pay off in a greater chance at a response.

When creating an online profile, whether it be a LinkedIn profile, your personal professional website, a Visual CV, a job board, or any number of other venues online to post your information… it has to appeal to a broader audience. You won’t know who will see it, or what kind of role they have in mind when they’re looking.

Although you may be interested in a variety of opportunities when you are applying, the viewer generally only has one role they are looking to fill. Your online profile should help them understand all your experience and see the fit for multiple roles. 

~ An online profile isn’t limited to two printed pages! While it’s usually not a good idea to create a submitted resume that’s more than 2 pages long, you don’t have that kind of restriction with an online profile. You can include much more information, more detail, more accomplishments, more strengths, and more keywords. Keywords are important, as that’s the most likely way they will find you. Include as many keywords as you can think of that someone might use to find someone with your background. With more detail, the likelihood of being found in a search rises, and it gives the viewer a greater chance of finding what they are looking for.

In an online profile, just as in a resume, it’s important that your information is written in short, substantive, sentences and/or bullet points. When someone is scanning your information, short lines will get read, paragraphs will not. It’s important that they grasp your experience quickly and easily, in order to gain their further interest.

~ An online profile can include testimonials! A submitted resume doesn’t generally have the space, and it’s not the best venue to include third party comments. However, an online profile can be a great place to include reference information and comments to “back up” the assertions you make about yourself in your profile. It’s great to express your strengths and accomplishments, it’s even better when someone else confirms them as well.

~ Consistency is key! It’s critically important that a resume you submit to a company, and your online profile agree with each other! Nothing will torpedo your chances for an opportunity than the appearance of an attempt to deceive. Although the resume you present may not give the entire picture of your full responsibilities in a particular position, it should never contradict the more detailed description. If your role was as an Office Manager of a small business, and your responsibilities included accounting, your resume should never make it appear as if your entire role was as an Accountant.

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: resumes, resume writing, job hunt, online candidate resumes, online candidate profiles, job tips.

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Will job prospects for U.S. IT professionals fare better or worse for the rest of 2010? It’s hard to tell from the latest economic and employment data being released by IT career experts.

Network World — Will job prospects for U.S. IT professionals fare better or worse for the rest of 2010? It’s hard to tell from the latest economic and employment data being released by IT career experts.

Reports issued in the first week of June provide conflicting information about IT hiring, compensation and outsourcing trends. On the plus side, these reports say IT hiring will increase during the second half of 2010, and CIOs are more optimistic about their budgets and staffing levels than they were a year ago. However, IT salaries and benefits are still being squeezed from all sides, and it’s difficult to tell which IT skills are most in demand on a month-to-month basis.

"There’s more volatility in the market than at any point in time since we started tracking IT pay data in 1999," says David Foote, CEO of Foote Partners, a consulting firm.

As evidence of the volatility, Foote points to the May 2010 U.S. Department of Labor National Employment Report, which showed a net loss of 100 IT-related jobs in May, following a gain of 8,800 jobs in April. Foote has been tracking ups and downs in employment in five key job categories – IT services, computer systems design, data processing, computer/peripheral equipment, and communications equipment – for the past six months.

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT professionals, IT career, IT hiring, CIOs, IT salaries, IT skills, IT pay, IT services

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Debunking some common myths about data warehousing to bring the focus back to business

There are several reasons why data warehousing projects are expensive and fail to produce sufficient value for the business. I consider following 10 myths to be the main cause of the problem:

Myth #1 - A data Warehouse can create competitive advantage

Myth #2 - A data Warehouse is required for business intelligence

Myth #3 - Data Warehousing starting point is an enterprise data model

Myth #4 - You need both an Operational Data Store and a Data Warehouse to cover the entire spectrum of business reporting

Myth #5 - Data Warehousing requires an engineering approach

Myth #6 - Data Warehousing fails due to problems with transaction-processing systems

Myth #7 - We can’t predict what questions will be asked from a data warehouse

Myth #8 - Data Warehousing improves decision-making

Myth #9 - Data Warehousing empowers front-line and business staff to do their own analysis

Myth #10 - Data Warehousing reduces overall cost of reporting on business performance and opportunities

I’m sure that this will come as a sacrilege to those who have spent a career building their knowledge and practice of data warehousing. I’ve examined this topic in a lot more detail at A Myth Buster Anthology of Data Warehousing.

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Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT Jobs, data warehousing, Businesss Intelligence, BI, IT departments, CIO, IT leaders

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Your resume has two main purposes:

1. To represent you and your career in a way that keeps you in the running for a job opportunity when you aren’t there in person. Therefore, it’s important that it gets enough attention that it actually gets read.

2. To build enough interest in the mind of the Hiring Manager that he or she invites you for a job interview. Your resume needs to position you as the uniquely qualified job candidate that can be a hero in their job.

Here’s how you grab attention with a first-rate Career Story. Tell a brief, interesting story that links you directly to the Hiring Manager’s needs.

Use descriptive words that show energy, action, and tell a winning story of a successful person. (Describe yourself as the hero!)

Include skills and experiences that match what the job requirements and qualifications.

In other words, present your career in a way that grabs the Hiring Manager’s attention. If you don’t, you’ve lost them for good.

For example, turn this Career Summary…

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: Job Tips, Resumes, Resume writing tips

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After years of penny pinching and putting off key software and hardware implementations, IT executives now say they’re ready to start hiring again.

It was the worst of times these past three, four years and IT workers suffered as much as more as most. While companies across all industries were busy pink-slipping millions of workers, shuttering facilities and abandoning all non-essentially IT projects, it was the networking, software and security specialists who were out of work and largely out of luck.

But as CIO Update found, those days appear to be over as the vast majority of some 1,400 CIOs surveyed say they’re adding headcount and are feeling far more optimistic about their company’s future than they have in years.

According to survey by headhunter Robert Half International, 64 percent of CIOs blamed understaffing in their company’s IT department for impairing their ability to implement innovative or emerging technologies.

To turn things around and build out computing environments in the cloud or to update ancient installed hardware and software platforms, CIOs will have to not only begin hiring more networking and cloud-computing specialists, but pay them handsomely to keep competitors from luring them away.

It’s not the exactly 1999 again, but CIOs are starting to see some blue sky on the horizon and that means good things for IT workers across the board.

Read More Here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT Jobs, IT Hiring, IT departments, IT Budgets, IT Workers, IT Talent, IT departments, CIO, IT leaders

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A top research firm predicts that IT security spending will remain steady through 2011 with identity management as the top focus, but also suggests that CIOs still don’t rank security projects among their high-priority initiatives.

Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc. will announce Thursday that during the next 12 months, it expects that enterprises will spend approximately 5% of their total IT budgets on information security technology. While that percentage is down slightly from 6% last year, Gartner forecasts that overall IT budgets will increase by nearly 2%, meaning security spending will largely hold its ground.

My concern is this treading water… spending the same amount as last year, and hoping they attack someone else.
Mark Kadrich
President and CEO, The Security Consortium

Gartner this week is previewing its latest security spending data — compiled via a host of recent research efforts — in advance of its Security and Risk Management Summit, which takes place near Washington D.C. June 21-23.

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT Security, Information Technology Security, IT Spending, IT Budgets

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An essential question for all IT leaders to ponder is whether their IT organization is exothermic — one that releases positive energy) or endothermic — one that sucks energy out of the enterprise)

Word association time: When I say "IT energy," what do you think of? After everything that’s been written in the past couple of years about green IT and the amount of electricity that’s needed to power data centers, you probably think first about the cost of our profligate energy consumption.

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT department, Information Technology, IT workers

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By Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder Writer

In a tough job market, landing an interview is a major accomplishment. When such opportunity knocks, be ready to show why you’re the candidate to hire. Here are five tips that can help job seekers make a great impression.

Do your homework

Erika Milonas, director of campus recruitment for The McTigue Financial Group (part of Northwestern Mutual) in Chicago reviews more than 1,000 résumés a year and interviews about 400 candidates to choose 40 for the company’s internship program. With such competition, it would seem that interviewees would be incredibly prepared, but that isn’t always the case.

Milonas finds some candidates unable to answer the simple question, "What do you know about The McTigue Financial Group and Northwestern Mutual?" She calls failure to be able to discuss the company at this basic level a "deal breaker," regardless of how the rest of the interview went.

Since most businesses have websites, learning about a potential employer is relatively easy. Find out what the company does and its main products/services, and be familiar with recent developments in the industry.

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: Job Tips, Interviewing, job market

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Contributed By:
Jorge Mieres

Organizations are increasingly dependent on their computer networks and a problem affecting them, no matter how small, can compromise the continuity of operations, a situation which inevitably results in economic loss.

An increasing number and complexity of new computer attacks, becoming more specialized skills whose goals are an economic nature for the benefit of the attackers also in the midst of this variety, have been increasing disrespectful actions of privacy.

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: Information Security, IT Security, IT Departments, CIO, IT Workers

Posted via email from ptg’s posterous

The first practical guide to building IT-business alignment.

Year after year, IT survey results inevitably state that one of the top priorities for the coming year will be to align IT with the business. It is as if alignment is some unattainable and mysterious process and IT leaders prefer to avoid it in fear of failure - or perhaps in fear of receiving more work as a result. The topic certainly gets a lot of attention and is often the source of many articles - such as this one, as well as presentations at IT conferences. After requisite googling task, I found 3,300,000 results on the topic!

To make this article standout and ascend above the rest of the chatter, I will describe what alignment is and precisely how to build it for your organization. That’s right, the first practical guide to achieving in your business!

Read more here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT Jobs, IT Business Alignment, IT departments, CIO, IT leaders

Posted via email from ptg’s posterous

Applicant,

My name is Mike and I’m a recruiter at ProVisionTech Group. Our records show that you are a senior level experienced professional with experience with CNC Administration. This experience is relevant to one of my current openings.

We pay for referrals, so if this opportunity is not a good match for your skills or you are not available but know someone who is, please forward this link to them.

Perm JD Edwards Enterprise One Senior CNC Administrator - Richmond, VA

Create medical supply solutions so well thought out, they give our customers time to focus on what matters - their patients.

At this client company, you have the power to integrate customized supply management solutions that enable healthcare professionals to deliver exceptional care. Solutions that optimize supply purchasing and materials management. Giving doctors more time to manage lives, instead of supplies. Join our supportive, collaborative team and make a real difference in your future. That’s the power to build your future. 

Position Description 

Responsible for translating he client’s business requirements into specific systems, applications or process designs for very large complex IT solutions and integrating architecture.  Acts as an advocate for the client, as the ultimate authority on the architecture designed to address client business problems.  Provides direction for design activities.

Design, install, configure, modify, develop, upgrade, administer, tune and troubleshoot all aspects of MMS’s E1 (EnterpriseOne) ERP System, (one of the largest, most extensively enhanced JD Edwards systems in the world), particularly the complex and proprietary Configurable Network Computing (CNC) middleware layer.

Execute daily tasks around CNC including object package builds and deployments, server installs, and middleware maintenance.   Design new installs, application and middleware upgrades, and the porting of customized code to new releases; then guide the other technical resources implementing the foregoing.    Manage performance of E-1components through proactive tuning and  troubleshooting.    Determine which electronic software updates (ESU) to take to keep system stable and in vendor support range.   Decide how to adjust periodically all system wide settings and parameters to insure reliability of E1.    Maintain close working relationship with Oracle’s JDE support staff and find fixes to issues and best practices at the JDE users web site.    Coordinate CNC work both orally and in writing, with a wide range of staff, from senior IT management to junior developers. 

Minimum Requirements 

·                     8+ years experience in software engineering and/or software architecture.

·                     Seven years as CNC Administrator of E1 system, at least four in a most senior capacity CNC person.

·                     Business analyst level understanding of a wide range of processes, particularly order entry, purchasing, inventory and warehousing. 

Additional Knowledge & Skills 

·                     Installation, setup and configuration of JDE environments, pathcodes, subsystems, Object Management Workbench (OMW) for project promotions, package builds and deployments, Object Configuration Management (OCM) Mappings, and Security Server.

·                     Fluent user of JDE OneWorld Development Tool Set, able to build and modify master business functions, and program in C++.

·                     Hands on experience with logical server installation, configuration, and security workbench.

·                     Expert knowledge of multiple foundations, OMW Transfer rules, roles, subsystems, and E-1 application servers. Can build development utilities and do joint troubleshooting with application developers. 

Education 

A four year degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or physical sciences or equivalent of relevant work experience. 

Client offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. Our client is everywhere in healthcare. They offer a wealth of opportunity for individuals with a desire to make a difference in providing industry-leading, integrated healthcare services and solutions. Individuals with the passion to be a part of our entire continuum of patient-focused care. As an equal opportunity employer, our client unites the talents and contributions of all to advance the power of healthcare. 

If you have this experience, feel you are a fit for this position, and are interested, please answer the questions below:

1) Do you have an updated Word copy of your resume?

2) What is your availability to start?

3) Are you open to direct-hire?

4) What is your current salary or pay rate?

5) Are you currently eligible to work for any employer in the US?

6) When is the best time to contact you and what # can you be reached at for this opportunity?

We pay for referrals, so if this opportunity is not a good match for your skills or you are not available but know someone who is, please forward this link to them.

Regards,

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Is your salary on par with what your peers are making? Use our Smart Salary Tool to compare your pay with IT workers in similar jobs from across the U.S. Our 2010 survey reports on salaries from nearly 6,000 IT professionals.

Check it out here

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT Jobs, IT Workers, IT salaries, IT departments, CIO, IT leaders

Posted via email from ptg’s posterous

The Robert Half Professional Employment Report projects a 3% increase in hiring for the third quarter.  It’s obviously not tremendous growth, but it is movement in the right direction.

Overall, a net 3% (6% increase, 3% decrease) of surveyed executives said they plan to increase the number of full-time employees in professional occupations in the third quarter.

This is down slightly from the prior quarter’s forecast but continues a trend of hiring outpacing staff reductions.  Transportation and business services projected the most growth, while the legal field had the strongest hiring activity projections. New England was the regional leader.

Cross posted from About.com

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Posted via email from ptg’s posterous

Due to organisational position of the IT department, some IT staff can experience higher stress levels

Recently I watched a TV show “Stress – Portrait of a killer” on Australia’s ABC. It explained, based upon research by Robert Sapolsky and others, that people lower in the corporate hierarchy, in general, have a higher level of stress.

Bashir Mamdani reports in “The social hierarchy of health”

Two different models have replaced the old idea that managers at the top of the hierarchy are under more stress than people below them. The demand control model posits that stress at work is not caused by how much demand there is, but how much control there is in relation to demand. The second model suggests that imbalance between efforts and rewards are the determinant of chronic stress.

This made me think. Since IT in most organizations is a service department and does not have a purpose by itself, would that make IT staff feel to be lower in the ‘hierarchy’. And if so, would that induce more stress with IT staff?

Read more

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171
        

    "Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!"

Tags: IT Jobs, cloud computing, IT departments, CIO, IT leaders

Posted via email from ptg’s posterous