In one of my recent blog posts I addressed the fact that Dallas / Fort Worth is a Hot Market for IT candidates and, hopefully, by now you have started to convince your clients of the same.

I have spoken to a number of staffing companies and hiring managers over the last few months and I am hearing things like “Best month we’ve had in two years”, “I can’t remember the last time we’ve made so many offers”. As a blogger who actually works in the IT Staffing and Services business, I can personally tell you that I haven’t seen this many job orders in a couple of years and the candidates are getting multiple offers and quickly taking new positions. Which brings me to my new philosophy…………”It only takes one!”

My philosophy on covering jobs has always and continues to be at least 3 qualified candidates per open job requirement; however, with this sudden influx of opportunities my new thought is it only takes one qualified candidate to get the job. If you are an IT Account Manager or Recruiter, you understand the value in expediting or shortening the sales cycle. It’s time to start pressing our buyers (Clients, Hiring Managers, HR, Procurement, etc) to do the same. If we can collectively push our clients to make a decision once they’ve seen a great candidate, we’ll all be better for it.

It only takes one great candidate to get the deal. I know that some of your clients like to compare candidates, but as soon as our clients start in on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th candidate, they could lose the “one” to another company willing to make the move. Remember that the clients are always the last to know that the market is hot and it is our duty as IT Service Professionals to educate them.

Let’s collectively take the first step by letting our clients know that it only takes one great candidate and that the days of interviewing 8 people for 1 position are coming to an end.

We also need to move the “It only takes one!” philosophy to the interview process itself. I actually like clients that have the phone screen – face to face – offer process. We need to get past the 4/5 different interviews for the same candidate. I know that some clients like to believe that they are being thorough and that it adds value but as a 17 year veteran of recruiting (wildly successful I might add) it doesn’t. Too many client interviews waste valuable time in production for existing staff and personal time for the candidate. If a client wants to do 4 or 5 different interviews, knock them out in 1 day. Good candidates don’t like waiting, especially the good ones that are currently working (Taking time out of work to interview can be stressful). It’s OK if you don’t agree with me – I’ll show you my numbers if you show me yours.

Even if you don’t agree with the “It only takes one!” philosophy, at least educate your clients that the market is hot. We IT Staffing and Service professionals are the first to know. I mean, we do this for a living don’t we? Our clients usually can be a 6 month lag if we leave them unchecked. Let’s not let that happen.

I sincerely hope that we can collectively build an “It only takes one!” mindset and hopefully get it to catch on.

The following article was written by Sam Smith. You can view other postings and Sam Smith’s blog by clicking on the Gravity Icon.

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a blog post about the recovery of the technology job market, referencing positive indicators found on Indeed.com. Well, the trend continues and it’s now evident that we’ve undergone a shift
from an employer’s market to a candidate’s market.

As few as 4 months ago, employers were at the helm. But the recovery has created a sharp spike in demand for tech talent and caused a noticeable shift giving job seekers the upper hand. More jobs and higher quality opportunities are
great for Bay Area job seekers. People that have been out of work are finding
it easier to get interviews and there plenty of exciting opportunities for
those passive job seekers that are considering an upgrade.

But this is not rosy news from everyone. The increased activity spells trouble specifically for unprepared employers. Increased demand creates competition and requires employers to, among other things, streamline
interview processes in order to make decisions faster. Salaries are up too. The average starting salary for a software
engineer in the Bay Area has increased nearly 3% since January. Businesses need
to make subtle adjustments to how they interview and must be willing to be flexible
when approaching compensation conversations.

Here’s evidence of a shift to a candidate’s market from the technical recruiters at GravityPeople.

1. Simply, there are more jobs available. This is creating demand for technical
professionals in major tech centers across the US.

2. Candidates are receiving multiple offers. Other than the sheer number of new jobs that we are trying to fill, the fact that
many candidates are receiving multiple offers is a tell-tale sign that job
seekers are in the driver’s seat.

3. Smart companies have responded to competition in the employment markets by shortening interview cycles. At the beginning of
2010, we were seeing average interview cycles taking nearly 4 weeks. Today, aggressive employers are moving
applicants through processes that are designed to take less than 14 days.

4. Candidates, presented with multitudes of viable opportunities, are increasingly more selective. In December 2009, very few
active job seekers would decline the opportunity to interview for regional
jobs. Today, job seekers are much more sensitive
to title, commute and compensation.