IQ Workforce Blog

Just booked my travel for eMetrics in DC - really looking forward to going. The last one that we went to in San Fran was great, but it is such a haul and I lose a day on each side… DC should be awesome.

They are already calling for the largest web analytics wednesday in history, which at this point is really saying something. I was at the one in San Fran in July and it was ridiculous (in a good way). It kind of seemed like an exclamation point as the industry was reaching a fever pitch.

I am really looking forward to seeing what the mood is like at this conference, with all that is going on in the economy, the election, etc… everyone I talk to is saying that business is going strong in web analytics, but I am predicting a more tempered enthusiasm at this conference - it is just a more sober period (and we will be in Washington!).

I am also being a little bit more organized about how I plan my time there this time around. I am going with a list of people that I want to make sure to meet up with for quick cups of coffee… at the end I will be wired, but at least I will miss fewer people this time.

and I am going with an agenda to sign up new Web Analytics Rock Stars to contribute to our popular “rock stars blog”. Would like to leave the conference with 5 new contributors that each bring a different perspective to the blog.

Other than that I am going to party like it is 1999… I had more energy and more hair in 1999…

Posted in: Web & Marketing Analytics by Corry Prohens
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It seems like there should be a more perfect instrument for bridging the gap between contractors and opportunities around the country. As I have said before in this blog, the fastest growing piece of our business (placement of analytics and search marketing professionals) is the consulting / contracting market.

As the industries mature, more professionals are reaching the point in their careers where they can support themselves and thrive as independent contractors. The lifestyle is compelling for haters of corporate politics and those who value compensation and quality of life more than climbing the corporate ladder.

As most of the financial and some of the marketing worlds are in decline, online advertising spend and share continue to climb (albeit at a slower pace than in the boom years). The call to measure twice before buying once is being sounded in marketing departments everywhere. This is continuing to drive demand for these skills.

When you need the skills but your company is on an “unoffical temporary hiring freeze” you look for contractors. This is creating a perfect storm of activity in the space right now where there is both supply and demand.

But it is not a perfect market… consulting requirements are increasingly specific and narrow in scope and the talent pool is very spread-out geographically.

For now, we spend much of our days talking with folks on both sides and trying to make the best matches possible. Until someone comes to market with a better solution…

any ideas??

Posted in: Recruiting, Web & Marketing Analytics by Corry Prohens
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Our team has dozens of great contacts in the Boston area, so we are really excited about the opportunity to spend an evening with them as sponsors of their November Web Analytics Wednesday.

Corry Prohens will deliver his “Job Hunting & Career Management in Web Analytics” presentation (always a crowd pleaser!) and answer questions.

Beyond that we be drinking beer and enjoying the opportunity to spend time with our colleagues.

If you are in Boston on November 12th, please join us. We will be at Asgard, located at 350 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge from 6-9pm.

Hope to see you in Boston!

Tags: boston, november, web analytics wednesday
Posted in: Recruiting, Web & Marketing Analytics by Corry Prohens
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Our team is always on the lookout for ways to inform and amuse the web analytics community. In this spirit we are happy to announce the launching or our latest survey - the first annual “Best of” Web Analytics:

The survey asks your opinion - Who is the best:
Web Analytics Vendor for Products
Web Analytics Vendor for Service
Web Analytics Consultancy
Interactive Agency for Web Analytics
Personal Brand
Web Analytics Blog
Web Analytics Event
Web Analytics Newsletter
etc

We want your opinion! It will take less than 2 minutes to complete. Please visit: http://app.icontact.com/icp/sub/survey/start?sid=2743&cid=127264

Posted in: Web & Marketing Analytics by Corry Prohens
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When you bring talent into your organization you are opening the door to the outside world and showing everyone how your company operates. It is an opportunity to show your company’s culture, your efficiency, your collective intelligence. Or you can damage your brand.

In general - in VERY general terms - companies that are good at recruiting are usually good at other things, too - like whatever they do to make money. Companies that are bad at recruiting are generally bad at other things, too. Recruiting is just a process that can be broken down into 6 or 8 components and mastered like any other process. It is not rocket science. That is why it is amazing how many companies don’t do it well. It damages their brand.

So just in case you are looking to sabotage your company, here are 10 easy ways to damage your brand during the recruiting process:

1. Have a human resources professional phone screen your candidates. Give them technical questions to ask and do not explain to them what the questions mean. Let them evaluate whether or not the candidates are qualified enough to move on to the next round.

2. Advertise your position all over the place. Really wallpaper the universe with your job openings so that everyone knows exactly how long the positions have been open and how desperate you are to fill them.

3. Don’t give feedback. In fact, don’t communicate at all. Invite people on site for interviews, express interest in them and then never get back to them again. Do not return their calls or their recruiter’s calls. Let them know that you are a real animal.

4. Give a salary range up front and then after interviewing the candidate for weeks, offer them $20,000 less than the bottom of the range. They will really hate you.

5. Interview a candidate from another city and then offer him the position without providing any relocation assistance.

6. Let your human resources department determine the qualifications and appropriate compensation level for your position.

7. Invite a candidate for an on-site interview from across the country and then don’t reimburse him for his travel expenses.

8. Put a candidate through a three month interview process and then demand that they start in one week after you make them the offer. Because you have a tremendous sense of urgency.

9. Have your candidates interview with people that would report to them and with people that are also up for the job.

10. Make sure that a C-level person speak with and/or approve every hire. Make sure that they have no idea what the candidate does for a living and ask them to evaluate his qualification and approve the terms of the offer.

Posted in: Recruiting, Web & Marketing Analytics by Corry Prohens
2 Comments »