Well, the last week was a bit eventful. I have a new job! Just joined Continuity Partners . I'm very excited as I'm working with some really terrific recruiters (we've already started swapping stories, it is amazing how small the world of finance IT is).
Anyways, it was a really tough decision to move, I can totally empathize with candidates who feel torn in a couple of different directions -- I know I did. I really liked working with the people at OSI overall, but what attracted me to Continuity was more opportunities for my candidates which I think leads someone to being a better recruiter.
I'll write more as I will be better to reflect back on everything.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Frustration regarding great beer
Ugh. So we went out to Long Island a week ago and I had some sort of allergy attack -- I didn't think it very severe. But then my ears filled up and I woke up with vertigo and I went to the doctor and she said it wasn't an infection, just a fluid buildup and to take Claritin D (well, actually allegra D, but my companies cheap ass plan doesn't do prescription benefit so I'm doing Claritin D instead b/c it has the same amount of Psuedo Epherine) and most importantly no caffeine or alcohol and the worst part is, I went to Fairway a week ago and bought a Flying Dog Sampler and it's been sitting in my house for a week and I haven't been able to drink any of it.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Open letter to Barack Obama
Dear Barack --
I want to write to you as our country is making a dramatic mistake that future historians will point to as a reason for our decline. No, not the war in Iraq, something much closer to home. Our policy on accepting and welcoming well educated immigrants into our country, the backbone of our financial success as a nation is appalling.
I just got off the phone with a highly skilled trading systems developer who has been working in the US legally for the last 8 years on an H1B visa. He's looking to return to his native country not because he has a yearning to return home or because he dislikes living in America. Rather it is because he is tired of waiting for his Green Card. Eight years of following all the rules, working hard, saving money and the immigration office tells him that it might be another 2 or 3 years before he will see his Green Card -- that is, if the US doesn't change the law in the meantime.
Many believe that we can supply the needs of our financial and IT industry strictly with people born in the US. This is simply untrue. America does not produce enough graduates each year to supply these firms. As such, firms are offshoring jobs not only to lower cost nations such as India, but also to well developed areas such as the United Kingdom.
The H1B program not only is ineffective in supplying all the needs to America business, it is also vastly unfair. Workers on the H1B program have a myriad of restrictions placed on them which dramatically lowers their labor mobility. Moreover, once the Green Card process has begun, it can take years -- more than 3 years -- to obtain a green card. I know of numerous people who have been legally working in the United States for 9 years who still do not have a green card.
In addition to the H1B program, there are numerous other visa categories that are designed simply to allow employers to keep employees hostage -- the J1 visa, popular among European companies, allows workers to work in the US for a set period of time (generally 1 year) and then not be able to work again for 2 years.
We should be a nation that actively seeks to attract these individuals -- people with Master's and PhD degrees who want to work hard and achieve the American dream.
I suggest a fairer, more efficient process. Why don't we allow anyone with a Master's level degree or higher qualify for a green card. No other restrictions, not on language, on income, no other bureaucratic issues that will further complicate people being able to work in the US. The only catch would be that applicants would have to pay a significant fee for the ability to work in the US -- I would suggest somewhere around $5,000. This would allow people to work for any company thereby eliminating one of the biggest complaints against the H1 program. It would also make the US a vastly more attractive place to work for foreign nationals.
I want to write to you as our country is making a dramatic mistake that future historians will point to as a reason for our decline. No, not the war in Iraq, something much closer to home. Our policy on accepting and welcoming well educated immigrants into our country, the backbone of our financial success as a nation is appalling.
I just got off the phone with a highly skilled trading systems developer who has been working in the US legally for the last 8 years on an H1B visa. He's looking to return to his native country not because he has a yearning to return home or because he dislikes living in America. Rather it is because he is tired of waiting for his Green Card. Eight years of following all the rules, working hard, saving money and the immigration office tells him that it might be another 2 or 3 years before he will see his Green Card -- that is, if the US doesn't change the law in the meantime.
Many believe that we can supply the needs of our financial and IT industry strictly with people born in the US. This is simply untrue. America does not produce enough graduates each year to supply these firms. As such, firms are offshoring jobs not only to lower cost nations such as India, but also to well developed areas such as the United Kingdom.
The H1B program not only is ineffective in supplying all the needs to America business, it is also vastly unfair. Workers on the H1B program have a myriad of restrictions placed on them which dramatically lowers their labor mobility. Moreover, once the Green Card process has begun, it can take years -- more than 3 years -- to obtain a green card. I know of numerous people who have been legally working in the United States for 9 years who still do not have a green card.
In addition to the H1B program, there are numerous other visa categories that are designed simply to allow employers to keep employees hostage -- the J1 visa, popular among European companies, allows workers to work in the US for a set period of time (generally 1 year) and then not be able to work again for 2 years.
We should be a nation that actively seeks to attract these individuals -- people with Master's and PhD degrees who want to work hard and achieve the American dream.
I suggest a fairer, more efficient process. Why don't we allow anyone with a Master's level degree or higher qualify for a green card. No other restrictions, not on language, on income, no other bureaucratic issues that will further complicate people being able to work in the US. The only catch would be that applicants would have to pay a significant fee for the ability to work in the US -- I would suggest somewhere around $5,000. This would allow people to work for any company thereby eliminating one of the biggest complaints against the H1 program. It would also make the US a vastly more attractive place to work for foreign nationals.
Booted off of Doostang
For some unknown reason, I was booted off of Doostang today! Ironically, I probably do the least amount of work on that of any social networking site. I still have no idea what obscure policy I broke -- will keep you posted
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Dealing with irrationality
So, one of the things I really like about my job is working through people's irrationality. The job search process is obviously very stressful and it is interesting to see how it impacts people -- one would think that developers and Quants would somehow be immune (given the logical nature of their work) but one would be wrong.
What kind of irrational things do people do? Canceling final interviews where they are expected to be given an offer. Choosing lesser groups at lesser firms. Falling prey to unethical recruiter's manipulations.
For example, we were working with an individual who had been out of work for a couple of months. He had done several rounds with our client, a well known bank in NYC. We scheduled a final interview for him to meet with HR.
On the day of the interview, he calls at 7:30 a.m. and leaves a message to cancel the interview. Of course, when I call him back he doesn't answer his phone. I call at least 10 times that day, no response. E-mail, no response.
I postponed the interview with the client and started to think. I reexamined my notes -- he didn't have any other opportunities that sounded really promising, just an opportunity at a software company that had been in the news for some of it's executives being indicted. Why would he cancel the interview at the last moment?
I tried his number for the next 2 weeks (we never give up here :) and still no answer. Hmmm. Maybe he really did start at the other company. Well, I guess I can all the switchboard at the company and ask for him.
Me: Is Vlad K available?
Software company: One minute while I transfer you.
NO WAY! My mind is racing. what am I going to say? don't get angry, anger produces nothing. Don't jump. Walk...
Vlad: Hello, this is Vlad
Me: (trying to sound really chipper) Hey Vlad, this is John Keenan .
Silence
Vlad: How did you get this number?
Me: I know a lot of people at XYZ software (small lie, I "know" the operator)
Vlad: Oh.
Me: I just wanted to touch base b/c I wanted to exit from the Ibank interview process gracefully and I wanted to make sure they did not look at the cancellation of the interview in a negative light, which could stop you from working there in the future.
Vlad: Ok.
Me: Yeah, so, I'm not angry or anything, I just need to give them a good reason for why we canceled the interview. So, the way we left it, you were going in Thursday for the interview and then you called and left me a message to cancel.
Vlad: That was because I decided to take this job.
Me: Right, so here's the thing, the purpose of the meeting was to give you an offer.
Vlad: I know, but I was going to take this job.
Me: I understand, but wouldn't it make sense to have two offers, b/c that way you could evaluate them. Maybe the banks offer would pay more. Maybe a lot more.
Vlad: Well, I had decided on this job.
Me: Hmm. Let me ask you a couple of questions. did the recruiter for XYZ know you were interviewing at this bank.
Vlad: I might have told him, I'm not sure.
Me: Did he know that you had a final interview for Thursday morning?
Vlad: Uh, maybe.
Me: And did he ask you to cancel the meeting b/c he needed to start a background check or something like that.
Vlad: Well, he said I had to fill out paperwork that day or I would lose the job.
Me: ahh.
Vlad: What?
Me: Do you think it is possible that he knew you were interviewing at the bank and that the bank would offer you a better position with more money than XYZ could offer? And do you think maybe he made up the fact that you had to come in THAT DAY so that you would have to cancel the interview with the bank.
Vlad: Ohhhhh
Me: Don't worry Vlad, I've seen this before.
Vlad: Really?
Me: Yes, but it's OK, I told HR you were out of town the last two weeks. So when can you stop by HR?
What kind of irrational things do people do? Canceling final interviews where they are expected to be given an offer. Choosing lesser groups at lesser firms. Falling prey to unethical recruiter's manipulations.
For example, we were working with an individual who had been out of work for a couple of months. He had done several rounds with our client, a well known bank in NYC. We scheduled a final interview for him to meet with HR.
On the day of the interview, he calls at 7:30 a.m. and leaves a message to cancel the interview. Of course, when I call him back he doesn't answer his phone. I call at least 10 times that day, no response. E-mail, no response.
I postponed the interview with the client and started to think. I reexamined my notes -- he didn't have any other opportunities that sounded really promising, just an opportunity at a software company that had been in the news for some of it's executives being indicted. Why would he cancel the interview at the last moment?
I tried his number for the next 2 weeks (we never give up here :) and still no answer. Hmmm. Maybe he really did start at the other company. Well, I guess I can all the switchboard at the company and ask for him.
Me: Is Vlad K available?
Software company: One minute while I transfer you.
NO WAY! My mind is racing. what am I going to say? don't get angry, anger produces nothing. Don't jump. Walk...
Vlad: Hello, this is Vlad
Me: (trying to sound really chipper) Hey Vlad, this is John Keenan .
Silence
Vlad: How did you get this number?
Me: I know a lot of people at XYZ software (small lie, I "know" the operator)
Vlad: Oh.
Me: I just wanted to touch base b/c I wanted to exit from the Ibank interview process gracefully and I wanted to make sure they did not look at the cancellation of the interview in a negative light, which could stop you from working there in the future.
Vlad: Ok.
Me: Yeah, so, I'm not angry or anything, I just need to give them a good reason for why we canceled the interview. So, the way we left it, you were going in Thursday for the interview and then you called and left me a message to cancel.
Vlad: That was because I decided to take this job.
Me: Right, so here's the thing, the purpose of the meeting was to give you an offer.
Vlad: I know, but I was going to take this job.
Me: I understand, but wouldn't it make sense to have two offers, b/c that way you could evaluate them. Maybe the banks offer would pay more. Maybe a lot more.
Vlad: Well, I had decided on this job.
Me: Hmm. Let me ask you a couple of questions. did the recruiter for XYZ know you were interviewing at this bank.
Vlad: I might have told him, I'm not sure.
Me: Did he know that you had a final interview for Thursday morning?
Vlad: Uh, maybe.
Me: And did he ask you to cancel the meeting b/c he needed to start a background check or something like that.
Vlad: Well, he said I had to fill out paperwork that day or I would lose the job.
Me: ahh.
Vlad: What?
Me: Do you think it is possible that he knew you were interviewing at the bank and that the bank would offer you a better position with more money than XYZ could offer? And do you think maybe he made up the fact that you had to come in THAT DAY so that you would have to cancel the interview with the bank.
Vlad: Ohhhhh
Me: Don't worry Vlad, I've seen this before.
Vlad: Really?
Me: Yes, but it's OK, I told HR you were out of town the last two weeks. So when can you stop by HR?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
