Category Archives: Technology

How Technology is Changing Recruitment

Today’s graduates and school-leavers looking at how their parents used to go about getting a job would be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled into some kind of Victorian fantasy. For a start, everything happened so slowly, letters and CVs trundling through the Royal Mail – and some companies actually taking the trouble to send out formal rejection letters. Let’s have a look at how things have changed.

The Internet

The first change barely qualifies as new technology any more because it’s been in the mainstream for approaching 20 years. But if you’ve been in the same job since the mid-1990s, you’re in for a shock when you come to make your next application. You’ll be expected to be a fully signed-up, switched-on member of the online community. You’ll be submitting your CV online and communicating via email or other instant messaging techniques.

Social Media

If the internet is a confusing territory for you, the phenomenon of social media is going to blow you away. But if you’re reading this article, we’ll assume you know your LinkedIn from your Pinterest.
First of all, recruiters will be using social media to make contact with potential candidates – sometimes actively, sometimes passively. People make contact with companies they are targeting, and will look out for advertised openings, which they’ll no doubt duplicate on social media for maximum exposure. You need to be one of them if you want to get the inside track.
But it works both ways. Your entire social media history (or at least the parts that aren’t set as private) is there for them to see. Candidates from the generation that has grown up barely knowing a world without social media have their entire lives online – from their professional lives to their hobbies, relationships, nights out and family lives – for all the world to see.
While no employer is expecting candidates to have no life outside work, some recruitment experts warn against making the more colourful aspects of one’s social life public. But there’s a balance to be struck – many employers do value people with active social lives. In some industries sociable candidates tend to make better colleagues.

LinkedIn

The business social network LinkedIn deserves a section of its own because it’s the only mainstream channel whose stated purpose is to assist business. It works via multiple streams:
• Users have professional profiles, which can augment your CV (although it’s still a good idea to edit your CV to emphasise aspects relevant to the role you’re applying for and to keep you LinkedIn profile as more of a permanent record of skills and qualifications).
• Other users can give endorsements and recommendations – a modern-day reference.
• The number of connections you have gives some indication as to the strength of your connections. Unlike some social media, LinkedIn connections are necessarily mutual.
• You can use the “degrees of separation” on LinkedIn to discover mutual friends, colleagues or ex-colleagues and approach them for a personal reference.
• The network is a place for employers to post jobs.

Your Portfolio

It’s normal nowadays for people to display their wares on an online portfolio. Whether you’re a writer, a painter, a carpenter or a computer programmer, you can put your produce online in a gallery or it could be a self-serving demonstration (in the case of a programmer or web designer). A demo says much more than words alone ever could.

Application Analysis

Not all job applications take the traditional advert–CV–interview path. For many jobs, especially in the middle or lower echelons of a company, the application form will be completed online. But this isn’t only for speed and cost reductions. The data that candidates input might be sent straight to a database to be analysed to produce a shortlist based on the stats you put in. It might seem like a brutal filter – and no doubt some good candidates will be rejected – but when even low-grade jobs can expect hundreds of applications, it’s the only way employers can efficiently do it.

It’s Not All Electronic

While it might seem that the whole process of candidate selection is managed electronically, some things will never change. So expect to be grilled at an interview … although it might well be in a local cafe or over Skype.

Samuel-James McLoughlin is Press and Communications Officer at hronline and has over 15 years’ experience in the field. He has worked in HR for the last 5 years and has been with hronline since its launch in 2013.

The Top Five Benefits Of Risk Management Software

Managing risk is a vital part of any business operation today, just as it has always been, since merchants opened their first businesses untold years ago. Nowadays, though, business owners and managers have many more powerful tools at their fingertips to help manage risks, whether they are a small business or a multinational corporation. There are many benefits that these modern tools provide, some of which will be explained in the list below. First, it’s important to discuss what risk management is, and what tools we use to accomplish this today.

What is Risk Management?

There are many ways of going about risk management, but in general, we can define it as a process that ensures the achievement of objectives, reduces the likelihood of any negative consequences of the actions taken to achieve those objectives, decreases the risks involved with the processes of achieving those objectives and increases the likelihood of a beneficial end result. Basically, the risk management process makes good things happen while preventing bad things from happening. This could mean many different things to different businesses, though. Something that one business views as a negative result could in fact be a positive result for another business in a different industry. The specific objectives of a risk management system may change, but the general idea remains the same – managing risks to help assure the least negative impact of any action taken by the business.

How Do Businesses Manage Risk Today?

Most businesses turn to software in this day and age, which has made it much easier to manage risks for businesses of all sizes and in all industries. A software program can be used to manage risks, report risks and decrease risks – all with minimal effort once the system is securely in place. This can mean a safer environment for employees when the system is used to manage workplace accidents, injuries, spills and other internal hazards. For a company that works with harmful substances, it can mean a safer environment for people in the community with reduced likelihood for harmful emissions, meltdowns, leakages and other dangers. It can also mean a reduced possibility of inefficiency. A good software system can help boost profits, employee morale and customer satisfaction, all while reducing expenses, excess waste and dangers of all sorts.

What are the Top Benefits of Risk Management?

If implemented and maintained effectively, a risk management software program can provide countless benefits, some of which should already be clear. These are arguably the top five benefits of this type of program:

  1. Reduces the likelihood of unexpected, negative surprises
  2. Allows companies to take advantage of new opportunities more quickly
  3. Helps ensure effective business planning and strategy
  4. Supports ongoing improvements to the company
  5. Makes better use of the company’s resources

Many people find that after they learn a bit more about risk management and the tools that are available to modern businesses, they feel it is a good time to think about implementing such software systems within their companies.

Craig is a risk analyst for a large corporation. He uses this type of invaluable software in his everyday work, and hopes his recommendations help other professionals mitigate risk in their corporate operations.

10 Sharepoint Tips to Help Make Your Project Successful

SharePoint is an excellent tool for site creation, enterprise collaboration, project management, and portal publishing. It is probably one of the best framework for group activity applications out there. Microsoft has put a lot of thought and effort into making sure that businesses have all the tools they need to put projects together without restricting them to a narrow tool specific focus, allowing for infinite possibilities.
This is great for allowing teams to tailor project scope and design to their own specific needs, but it also creates a need for tighter control on the developer and user ends so that projects do not take on a life of its own due to the framework’s open ended nature. Using these ten tips for making your SharePoint project a success may save you time, money, and hassle in the long run.
sharepoint infographic

 

 

 

1. Engage Stubborn Customers
Understanding difficult clients and meeting their needs puts customer service above and beyond the norm. This will usually be noticed, and rewarded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Assign A Project Owner
Give the power to control the projects overall trajectory over to someone who is capable and authorized to make decisions at all levels of your project organization.
3. Provide Proactive Training
Let’s be honest, hardly anyone reads the manual anyway. Getting in there and letting people know how to use offered products and services is a must. The alternative is that they won’t.

 

 

4. Don’t Let IT Run SharePoint
If the SharePoint collaboration system is not being designed for developers, why turn over the creation of your project to the IT department?

 

 

5. I dub Thee … Sir SharePoint … Er Uh I Mean Framework Project
Give the project a name that befits it. Don’t use the word SharePoint.

 

 

6. No end in sight
Make sure that the project is future proof by allowing for an open ended time line. You should always be improving and building upon your success, or the project will soon slip behind or even become obsolete.

 

 

 

7. Go With The Flow
SharePoint projects are made for real users. Save all information they provide and measure everything. Making sure you have this ability from the beginning will allow teams to take the project in the ever changing direction it needs to.

 

 

8. Manage Expectations
Letting management get the idea that it will cost nothing and be ready tomorrow is not realistic and won’t work. They probably want this, but it is very important that projects gauge delivery and cost information so that realistic expectations are the norm, not the exception.

 

 

 

9. Project Steering Group
Project managers are a must to guide broad project progress, but they are not the end all in direction planning. Getting other users who are integral to project success can provide insights on several levels and lend ideas that one person can not.

 

 

 

10. Don’t overdose on rules
Simplicity is the glue that makes project collaboration hold together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rules are important, but an overabundance of restrictions kill creativity and progress.

Making sure that your SharePoint project brings the right information and participants together in a comfortable and productive environment can be a tough task. Hopefully these 10 tips from Evokeit.com may help make the process a lot easier.

Via – EvokeIT

The Importance Of Release Managers In Software Development

How do you know when your software is ready to be released to the public?

Your release manager says so.

What is release management?

Release management is a relatively new, highly specialised job that involves testing new software and software upgrades until they are ready to go into mass production. Release managers oversee the granular processes involved in software development, such as planning, work flow, scheduling and technical support.

According to The Release Guy, release managers identify and devise processes directly related to the release of software. They are in charge of quality control, and they facilitate communication between the different departments involved in software development, testing and deployment.

According to Project Connections, the responsibilities go a little deeper than that. They also need to align software development with customer needs, as well as with the needs of the company, especially in terms of time and cost.

Release Management

Skills

As release managers are involved in every process of software development, they need to have advanced coding skills. They also need project management skills and need to be able to work well with people. This is not a skill traditionally associated with IT specialists, but it is essential to ensure cordial relationships between teams and between teams and upper management.

Release managers might also have to go in to bat for their teams and explain or defend progress to upper management, which means they need to be supportive, tactful and thick-skinned. The thick skin is necessary because they might have to bear the brunt of upper management’s displeasure – and then not take it out on their staff.

Communication skills are a given.

Benefits of release management

  • Proper planning and management ensures that each team is prepared for the changes to come.
  • Teams understand exactly what is required to maintain and even enhance the quality of the product.
  • Proper planning and management reduces the risk of errors and increases the chances of cross-compatibility.
  • Cost savings, which is a natural by-product of reduced errors, teams co-ordination, and time saved.

Software development companies have a lot riding on the successful deployment of their products – reputation and profit-wise. This is why they have a host of professionals working round the clock to ensure that their software packages are compatible with a range of devices and operating systems, not to mention free of bugs and errors. Release managers ensure that those professionals keep their eye on the target and work to the best of their ability to provide the (almost perfect) product on time.

Written by Sandy Cosser on behalf of SAP Careers, which advertises a range of SAP-related jobs in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.