Re: employment discussion

[DAsmussen <DAsmussen@xxxxxxx>]

Lynn,

In a message dated 98-04-29 17:38:50 EDT, you write:

> Recognizing that the mailing list is an unacceptable means of advertising,
>  I was wondering what additional means some of the other managers out there
>  have found for recruiting good AS/400 talent.  After much trial, I've found
>  that no matter how good the opportunity, the traditional meat market
>  methods (newspaper and magazine ads) tend to yeild lower quality
>  candidates.  Thanks in advance for your advice.

The "trades", News/400, MC, and ComputerWorld (or as Wayne Madden calls it,
ConfuserWorld) offer classifieds in both their magazines and web pages.  For
consultants, you can go to www.dice.com.  Frankly, your best bet is to find a
_REPUTABLE_ recruiter or two (either in or out of your area) that can
adequately screen candidates and knows who wishes to relocate to your area.
Reputable recruiters are as hard to come by as AS/400 talent, so _stick with_
them once you find them.  Make sure that your salaries are in line with the
various "Midrange Salary Surveys" for your region, and be prepared (as a
manager) to hire a technician that makes more than you do.  You can also run
classifieds in the papers of nearby towns or areas that have a dearth of
AS/400 talent (such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Chicago, IL area -- why
these areas are overloaded, I don't know).

Locally, you'll get a _TON_ of replys from people that don't have AS/400
experience and whose names you cannot pronounce.  Do not pass them up merely
because of this if you are looking for an entry level person, but also do not
hire a technician that must perform a lot of user interaction that doesn't
speak English passably.

Probably your best bet is to recognize talent in-house.  Per Don's earlier
post and my own response to it, one of the "under 30" people I met at COMMON
was a clerk that self-taught herself on the AS/400 after teaching herself
Visual Basic on the PC.  She knew the business, had worked there for years,
had the desire to do the job, and had the compunction to teach herself new
skills -- how many people can you _HIRE_ that could claim the same?

JMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"I put instant coffee in the microwave and went back in time..." -- Steven
Wright
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