Try to remain calm

Economic crisis, swine flu, Lily Allen constantly having a pop at other ‘celeb’s. It’s a cruel old world out there at the moment and it’s easy to get a little down because of it. There was an article in the Metro this morning reporting that there had been an increase in sick days due to psychological disorders since the credit cruch started to kick in.

Despite the tough times, there are joys to be had. Enjoy your evenings and weekends with your friends and your families. Try to ensure that you take the time that you need to refocus on what is truly important and switch off from work (at the appropriate times of course!).

Talk to your friends and family, have the odd indulgent lie-in/cream cake/night out, make time for your hobbies and interests. Sure, it’s important to show your employer that you are committed to your job but don’t get committed because of it!

 

Don’t curb your enthusiasm

I just spoke with a very experienced and very sharp candidate regarding one of our Java vacancies. Whilst he did well in terms of demonstrating his considerable technical skills, I was seriously put off by his blase approach to the interview. When I speak with candidates, I work hard to convey enthusiasm, interest and energy. It’s a terrible shame when a candidate can’t reciprocate.
Don’t forget that we are not only looking for people with good technical skills. Excellent interpersonal skills are vital in the kind of work that we do. You must be able to interact with a variety of people and demonstrate knowledge, enthusiasm and interest to end users. Interviews are an opportunity to shine; make the most of them!!!

 

I tweet!

Not very well. I’m certainly not as interesting as Stephen Fry or say, John Mayer but still, I tweet! You can follow me as: Lab49Marie.

Twitter have just launched twitterjobsearch which aggregates the jobs postings on Twitter. I like the interactivity and immediacy of Twitter and so being able to tweet with those interested in your vacancies/company is pretty cool. We use gtalk for that too (Lab49Careers) but given that many work places block instant messaging tools, it might not work for all. Feel free to contact me on Twitter instead and I’ll do my best to respond to your message.

 

Want to cross-train into Flex?

Here’s the deal. Lab49 are offering VERY talented Java, C++ and XAML specialists the opportunity to cross-train into Flex. We employ on a full-time and permanent basis and will ensure that you get to use your existing skills in addition to your new Flex skills. You will be working with some of the smartest and most talented Flex specialists in the business so the training will be simply excellent.

I must stress that your existing technical skills must be absolutely top rate; the Flex training will be intensive so you’ve got to have solidity in what you’ve already got rather than risk losing that skill.

So, if you’re looking to work with an emergent technology and want to be a technical pioneer, you’ve found the right company. Contact me at: marie.downes@lab49.com.

 

Jobs jobs jobs jobs jobs!!!

We are on a serious recruitment drive here in the London office. If you have strong Java, C++ or Flex skills, I want to hear from you. We’re working on some fantastic projects (see the career defining project alert at the top of this page) and want you to be a part of our team. Contact me to find out more: marie.downes@lab49.com

 

Movember…

Nope, that’s not a spelling error. Our London colleague, Jakub is participating in Movember (or ‘tache for cash’ as he calls it). Jakub will be growing a tache during November and based upon our donations, we get to choose the style of the aforementioned tache. I’m personally hoping he goes for the Tom Selleck look (Tom Selleck, always cool) but depending upon his tache growing prowess, he could end up with a Johnny Depp, or if he’s really good at this, perhaps Brian Blessed?

 

Flex gurus of the world – UNITE!!

Well, unite at Lab49 anyway! We’re looking for really strong Flex Engineers to work on some really exciting and ground-breaking projects here at Lab49. We genuinely are looking for the absolute best Flex specialists to work with us. Whilst you will be working on some amazing projects, you will need to apply your Flex knowledge like never before. The work will be hard, the environment will be pressurised and you will probably doubt your abilities at some point. However, you will be working with a truly fantastic Lab49 team who will support you, work closely with you and bring you into the fold from the off. You’ll gain lots of exposure to complex and challenging investment banking systems too. If you’d like to learn more, please feel free to get in touch: marie.downes@lab49.com.

 

Relationship Recruiting

What is relationship recruiting? It’s a term often bandied about in the recruiting industry but I’m not so sure that it’s fully understood or implemented. Relationship recruiting is about networking, connecting and conversing with candidates with the purpose of bringing them into your organisation. Recruiters, however ugly we are, are the face/voice of a company for candidates. We have to build a rapport with candidates, understand where they are coming from and not “process” them. This business is about people and so we should treat everyone as an individual; we need to give them our time, honesty and answer all of the questions that they have about our company.

Sure, we need tools such as recruitment databases in order to keep track of our progress with recruiting staff BUT such tools should not be used to replace talking, humour and warmth. Despite the downturn, there are still many companies recruiting, Lab49 being one of them; we are still in competition for those great candidates so have to work hard to differentiate ourselves from the moment candidates apply. If a candidate looks really good, call him/her and have a chat rather than just sending them an email. I appreciate that it can’t be done for every candidate when recruiters have an influx of applications but remember that we should treat the candidate with respect and let them know that we value them and their interest in our company.

When we build a good rapport with a candidate, we make a good impression and differentiate ourselves from the “processing recruiters”. By doing that, they are more likely to recommend us to a friend or remember us when they are next looking; “Hey, I think I’ll contact that recruiter I spoke with last year. She gave me a really good impression of the company and kept in touch. I’m looking again so I’ll see if she is still recruiting”. Job done.

 

Keep on running

A big shout out to my colleagues for the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge this evening. 6 of us (including me), are participating in this charity event. It starts at 6:30pm this evening at Battersea Park. I was initially worrying that it might be a really warm evening but given that this is the UK and it’s summer, it’s absolutely bucketing it down Wish us all luck!

 

London Calling

We’ve a new telephone number for the London office: +44 (0)20 7096 4274. Our fax number remains the same +44 (0)20 7248 8555.