Stafflink Solutions Blogger

www.linkedin.com/in/ryandayres

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Why is it so difficult to unplug from the world?

Funny enough I sleep with my Blackberry on my pillow beside my head. Constantly bombarded by media and current events. Why do I do this? Is it the need to be “just in time” or do I truly enjoy being plugged into the rest of the world?

Recently I took a trip to Jamaica for my honey moon. I made a deal with my wife that I was only allowed to check my BB at night. The first few days I went through withdrawal. It was odd not carrying the extra weight on my hip and not constantly checking emails. I was forced to interact with the rest on the world face to face. I could not pull my BB out to check emails while waiting for lunch or in an elevator or any instance where I was not stimulated for 30 sec.

Don`t get me wrong. I truly value and love my BB and the ease and profitability it has brought me over the years....I guess my challenge is that I feel so dependant on a device that it supersedes being a convenience and a business tool and becomes a necessity/dependency. I don`t know how many times my friends have told me I would die without my BB or iPhone! What did people do before smart phones!?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that technology is a fantastic and wonderful thing that makes our lives easier and more convenient. But there has to be a balance. You need to unplug your brain from the barrage of media and social networking. Every once and a while we should leave our Palms, iPhones and Blackberrys in the safe in our hotel room, lay on a beach and watch the sunrise.

Ryan Ayres, Technical Recruiter

Stafflink Solutions Ltd

http://www.stafflink.ca/

ryan@stafflink.ca

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Top 10 IT Skills in Demand 2010

The technology job market is indeed recovering. I'm happy to report that many of the companies that reduced their staff over the past 18 months are now hiring. In the last quarter we've seen a significant increase in job orders. Why? I see two major factors: the stability of Canadian banks and the rise of the mobile industry. The trend during the recession was to cut new development and merely maintain systems. But we're seeing a turn around. Opportunities with mCommerce and the mobile industry are driving new product development. This drives the demand for people with the skills to push the new technologies forward. Here are the top 10 skills we're recruiting for today:

J2ME - Mobile Developers with Java API's - Many Blackberry apps are written with J2ME. Demand for this skill set is stronger than supply. Schools are only beginning to offer it in their curriculum.
Android Developers - The Google muscle along with the rapid rise of the Adroid phone market share is creating a strong demand for Android developers.
C# programmer analysts - Many companies are adopting complete Microsoft solutions with the Visual Studio of products. This is due to the strength of Microsoft's sales team and a lower price point than most competitors.
Objective C programming language used for iPhones and iPads. Many people are developing iPhone apps in their basement but our clients want people who've developed large scale apps for major corporations.
Data Warehouse Specialists - Demand for this skill is increasing as companies learn that they can cross correlate data about customers. That's why all the stores want to put you in their database.
COBIT - security specialists
QA Testers with QTP and LoadRunner
Mobile Business Analysts
J2EE/Weblogic specialists
Project Manager/Project Coordinators

Tim Collins, President and Founder,

Stafflink Solutions Ltd

http://www.stafflink.ca/

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

More Sourcing Secrets: 3 Tips to Get More Out of Your LinkedIn SITE Searches

In my last post, Sourcing Secrets: Getting the Goods out of Google with “SITE” Search, I showed how to use "SITE" searches with LinkedIn.
Now I’d like to share three very valuable Google search strings that can help you get more out your LinkedIn searches. These tips will help you expand your network and even reveal private profiles.

Tip One: Use - (minus sign) to Eliminate Unwanted Results
The - (minus sign) character acts as the command "not" which helps to focus your search results. For example, you can use the - symbol to identify specific keywords you do not want to see in the results. Perhaps you’re looking for a mid level manager but you don’t want to see senior level individuals. You could add the syntax -director to help eliminate individuals at the Director level. Also, when searching LinkedIn with Google be sure to add the syntax -inurl:dir and -inurl:directory to your searches. This eliminates directory pages from your search results. Directory pages are essentially lists of links and provide no valuable information.

Tip Two: Search Outside of Your Expanded LinkedIn Network
If you conduct an advanced search on LinkedIn and discover a candidate with a private profile, note the revealed information. Generally, they will reveal the company the individual works for and their title. Use this information to conduct a LinkedIn SITE search on Google. For example, if you come across a profile that shows the individual worked at "Company ABC" and they were a "Business Analyst", go to Google and type in the syntax site:linkedin.com "Company ABC" "Business Analyst". The search results will reveal people with public profiles on LinkedIn who have worked at "Company ABC" and were a "Business Analyst". With a little luck, you just might discover the name of the individual you are hoping to contact.

Tip Three: Join groups!
Joining groups on LinkedIn will help expand your network and give you access to valuable candidates. However, as most recruiters are aware, some groups are closed or have criteria based membership. Conducting a group search on Google can help you gain access to candidates in these exclusive groups. To reveal candidates with public profiles who are members of a group use the syntax site:linkedin.com (inurl:in OR inurl:pub) followed by the group you would like to find. For example: site:linkedin.com (inurl:in OR inurl:pub) “HRPA”.

Related Post: Sourcing Secrets: Getting the Goods out of Google with “SITE” Search

By: Michelle De Rubeis, Technical Recruiter, StaffLink Solutions Ltd.
Website: http://www.stafflink.ca/
Email: michelle@stafflink.ca
Twitter: Twitter.com/stafflink1
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/mmderubeis

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Sourcing Secrets: Getting the Goods out of Google with “SITE” Search

Most recruiters spend endless amounts of time with various search engines seeking out the perfect candidate for a specific role. Learning creative ways to find those “hidden candidates” can be very useful, especially for those hard to fill roles.

Today I was lucky enough to participate in Bill Radin’s webinar “Google Search Strings for Social Networks” led by Mark E. Berger. During this session, I learned the value of conducting “SITE” search techniques on Google, specifically for social network websites such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

What is a “SITE” search? Simply put, it is a Google search which allows you to search inside one website at a time.

How to conduct a "SITE" search?
To conduct your own “SITE” search, simply go to http://www.google.com/ and type in the syntax site: followed by the site you want to search. For example, site:linkedin.com. Once you have written this syntax you can add other specific keywords and criteria you are looking for such as site:linkedin.com “quality analyst” “greater Toronto”.

What are the benefits of a "SITE" search? You can reveal candidates that may not be accessible directly through the site’s built in search features. If you are to conduct a search on LinkedIn through the advanced search option, you are limited to profiles in your expanded network. By conducting “SITE” searches on LinkedIn through the Google search engine, you have access to all public LinkedIn profiles. Most people have public profiles therefore SITE searches on Google can substantially increase the amount of candidates you have access to, especially as a free member.

See Also: More Sourcing Secrets: 3 Tips to Get More Out of Your LinkedIn Site Searches

By: Michelle De Rubeis, Technical Recruiter, StaffLink Solutions Ltd.
Website: http://www.stafflink.ca/
Email: michelle@stafflink.ca
Twitter: Twitter.com/stafflink1
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/mmderubeis

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Balance Thursdays: Does Less Stress Equal More Productivity?

Work/life balance. We all want it but how do we acheive it? Let me tell you about a little experiment we're trying in our office this month called Balance Thursdays.

I've been commuting to Toronto from Mississauga for longer than I care to mention. On a good day I can make the commute in 25 minutes. But the good days only happen about once a month. Normally the commute takes two to three times that long. And its not just me. Several people on my team have even worse commutes. Sound familiar? Something's gotta give.

I decided to try a little experiment to lighten the load. It started with an email:

Hi Team, We're going to implement a trial flextime day on Thursdays for the next few weeks. After a month we'll meet to evaluate how it's working. The goal is to free us up from the commute for one day a week. We'll communicate via IM, telephone and email as usual but we can choose to work remotely. This will create a little more time for work-life balance. You're an excellent team. I know you'll thrive in whatever environment you work from. Keep up the great work!

How's it working out so far? It's a smashing success! So far anyways. We acheived more placements this month than we've ever acheived in a one-month period in the eight year history of our company. I'm sure that our flexday experiment is not the only reason we just had our best month ever. But the flexday hasn't hurt our productivity. I've noticed a big improvement in team morale. Having a flexday near the end of the week creates some breathing space while we still remain fully engaged in our work (ideally). Does this make us more successful? Maybe. At least it puts me in better mood.

Am I writing this blog wearing Florida Gator boxers and a full-on beard? I'll never tell.

What are your work-life balance secrets? Do you think our experiment will work over the longterm?

Tim Collins, President and Founder,
Stafflink Solutions Ltd

Stafflink.ca

Thursday, June 3, 2010

To Incorporate or Not to Incorporate, That Is the Question

As an independent contractor is it worth the $1000 or more that it costs to incorporate your business? To help you decide here's a comparison of the two most common types of businesses adopted by our contractors: Sole Proprietorship and Incorporation. Before you make your final decision about getting incorporated it's very important to discuss your options with an accountant.

Tip: You can change the legal structure of your business as it grows. Many small businesses start out as a sole proprietors or partnerships and become incorporated as the business grows.

1/ Liability
One of the main advantages of incorporation is limited liability. A sole proprietor assumes all of the liability for the company. As a sole proprietor your personal assets such as your house and car can be seized. As a shareholder in a corporation, you are not responsible for the debts of the corporation unless you have given a personal guarantee.

2/ Corporations Carry On
Unlike a sole proprietorship a corporation has an unlimited life span. The corporation will continue to exist even if the shareholders die or leave the business.

3/ Tax Credits
Income tax rates are lower for Corporations than for personal income. Using tax planning, the tax burden can be reduced by earning income through a Corporation, due to the lower corporate tax rates.

4/ Income Control and Tax Deferral
If you are incorporated, you have options to determine when you personally receive income from your corporation. Being incorporated allows you to report your income at a time when you will pay less tax. You may be able to realize tax savings if you receive your income at a time when you are in a lower tax bracket or if taxes have fallen.

5/ Income Splitting
With a Corporation, there exists the opportunity to pay shareholders salary, dividends or a combination of the two. Your spouse and/or children could be shareholders in your corporation giving you the opportunity to redistribute corporate income to family members with the lower incomes taxed at a lower rate.

6/ Perception
Some people perceive corporations as being more stable. Having Ltd., Inc., or Corp. as part of the company’s name may help you attract business.

7/ Paperwork
Incorporation brings with it extra accounting and paperwork. Corporations must maintain minute books, corporate bylaws. Other required corporate documents are register of directors, the share register and the transfer register.

8/ Non-Calendar Year Ends
Corporations have the ability to choose their year end, and not be restricted to a calendar year-end as with a Sole Proprietorship. This opens up the possibility of bonus deferrals. Choosing a year-end may also be better for year-end paperwork filing should your business be busy at the end of the calendar year. By incorporating, you can choose to have your year-end fall during a slow period.

Conclusion
I‘ve outlined some of the advantages and disadvantages of incorporation versus sole proprietorship but what’s the bottom line? Is getting incorporated worth the expense or not? Make sure to discuss your personal situation with your accountant before you decide.

Tim Collins

Stafflink.ca