Re: Now we’re getting somewhere (Jan. 4)
It’s not the addiction to achievement that leads to greater vulnerability but the arrogance to believe that the achievement is final. A good
reference is Charles Perrow’s “Normal Accidents.” The other one is “High Performance Organizations” (can’t remember the author right now). In both references the authors point out that the primary root cause to failure in organizations is the misplaced belief by the people responsible for the governances of systems that telltale indicators of imminent failures are anomalies and are summarily dismissed.
Robert Garigue
CISO
Bank of Montreal
Re: Now we’re getting somewhere (Jan. 4)
IT has become a secondary career choice for many, as people look at outsourcing of the work, the diminishment of the service channel and other evidence that people are no more than chattel that can be disposed of at will.
As this perception grows it will become harder to find capable people and all of the money saved via short term solutions will be insignificant compared to the difficulties in sustaining the business and processes.
Tom Walker
Toronto
Re: Thanks for all the phish (Dec. 15)
While you are at it, you might wish to take advantage of that mortgage at 3.5 per cent you never applied for, or go online and correct all that medical information that you left lying around.
Oh sorry, you requested my name and address:
Name: Mickey Mouse
DOB: November 18, 1928
Birthplace: Colony Theater, New York City
Mother: Walt Disney
Current Address: I am afraid I travel a fair bit between Florida, California, and France.
Thank you for your kind attention an concern.
Farokh Monajem
Toronto
P.S. Please don’t tell Minnie I wrote you. She can be very touchy about these things.
Re: Thanks for all the phish (Dec. 15)
Neat piece. Douglas Adams would be proud.
Brian W. Oliver
Re: Gatineau to dial 311 for municipal services (Dec. 6)
I read this article with interest and I was wondering if any considerations have been made for VoIP providers on this new service since Bell will be the provider.
Fred Onorato
Business Solutions Consultant
Inter.net Canada
Re:Help Wanted and the helpless (Nov. 4)
As an experienced IT professional currently seeking (or still seeking!) employment, I found two articles published recently in two different periodicals very insightful.
Reading Shane Schick’s article concerning frustrated, unemployed IT workers venting their frustration with the Software Human Resource Council struck me as quite interesting. Further, an article in the Dec. 4 Toronto Star addressing the sea of employees seeking work versus the shortage of jobs actually posted online on job boards caused me to pause in thought.
Holding these thoughts, I called my friendly headhunter to ask what was currently happening in the IT market concerning new opportunities. What he told me helped to frame the frustration mentioned in Shane’s article and helped to fill in the gaps the Star omitted in its article.
My friendly headhunter, (I use the term “friendly” to describe a well balanced and trusted relationship) succinctly told me that the biggest hurdle he faces is getting good candidates to interview. He explained that HR recruiters are very sticky concerning requirements and insist that candidates meet ALL the stated requirements before they will be considered.
In one instance, he mentioned his own frustration with a requirement for 18 years of Java experience in a lead developer’s role. He pointed out to the HR recruiter that Java had only been around since the mid 1990s and not prevalent within most enterprises until sometime later. The likelihood of finding someone that matched this requirement was therefore, next to nil.
My conclusion, as an individual now seeking work, carefully researching requirements too many times now (as outline in Shane’s article), is that either HR staff have little experience in determining a suitable candidate, or that hiring managers do not understand their own requirements any better than the HR people! In either case, this leaves a whole raft of frustrated and remarkably qualified IT workers ignored through ignorance.
My hope is that more companies will follow this lead. In which case, many more experienced IT job seekers will soon find a workplace they very much deserve.
Robert Pilkey
Courtice, Ont.
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