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Benefits of using Linkedin

Mary Campbell-Cree, 6 May 2010

LinkedIn is a fantastic business networking service.

As the economy plummeted in 2009, LinkedIn's popularity skyrocketed, not only with millions more members but also partnerships with IBM, Microsoft and Twitter. If you're on the hunt for a new job - or just looking to ramp up your activity and connections then these tips help you get more from this great service.

1. Groups. Actively participate in a handful of groups related to you. Find "Groups" on the navigation bar. From here you can search for a group to join, manage your groups or start a new one. Groups will keep you updated and as a forum for you can ask and answer questions.

2. Advanced People Search. Try using this search method instead of the basic search when looking for new connections. The "Advanced People Search" allows you to find contacts based on geographic area, company, keyword, industry and more.

3. Company Buzz. Under "More..." choose "Application Directory". This  brings you to a page with a number of applications that you can add to your homepage and profile. The "Company Buzz" tool aggregates mentions of a company from Twitter, allowing you to discover relevant trends and comments about a company. So you could use this to see what is trending from Twitter.

4. Recommendations. Getting recommendations from colleagues, managers and clients alike that are succinct and relevant help bring more credit and validity to your profile.

5. Events. Under "More..." choose "Events". Here you can view events (including webinars) that your connections are attending, search popular events and find ones to attend.  It's a great way to find and connect with new people.

CIOs don't expect IT recovery from Gartner Survey

Mary Campbell-Cree, 17 February 2010

Gartner's annual CIO survey, in its 11th year, polled 1,600 CIOs worldwide representing US$120 billion in IT spending between September and December 2009.  While many speculate economic conditions will recover, 41 percent of IT leaders globally are planning for "continued business contraction" worldwide, 53 percent expect to see stabilisation in 2010, and 6 percent expect to see growth.

Two things came out of the survey:

• 2009 was the toughest for IT on record
• 2010 would be another tough year

The economic conditions are driving CIOs to reshape their focus from cost efficiencies to productivity. As part of the economic recovery, IT leaders realise they need to produce more services, respond to the business more quickly and deliver more value with significantly less resources.

Another significant find in Gartner's survey is that IT doesn't expect to return to previous operating models following this recession.

Global study finds IT has grown in importance

Mary Campbell-Cree, 3 December 2009

Accenture's Global Survey on IT Investments Reveals Anticipated Spending Boosts in 2010

A majority (72 percent) of business and information technology (IT) executives say their organisations place greater value on the IT function today than they did before the economic crisis. What's more, they view IT as an important part of their economic recovery efforts.

Consequently, executives expect technology spending to increase in their organisation either selectively (47 percent) or across the board (10 percent) in the next 12 months. Further non-IT executives appear even more bullish than those directly responsible for IT, as 61 percent anticipate technology spending boosts.

The survey of more than 550 executives, in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, highlights that cost savings and control remain a key driver when it comes to IT investment decisions. The respondents identified three measures as most effective in reducing the cost of implementing IT projects: Ensuring the stability and business relevance of project requirements; the replacement or rationalisation of existing systems; and movement to open platforms.

The need to invest in technology notwithstanding, the study also shows that companies will keep a close eye on the returns delivered by IT. Accordingly, the vast majority (81 percent) of executives across all geographies say they are under increased pressure to deliver projects that incorporate more flexibility than was previously required.

Unsolicited Electronic Messages

Mary Campbell-Cree, 19 November 2009

I just wanted to share some information on the Unsolicited Electronic Message Act, that I was not aware of.

I just received an email that I considered to be SPAM, under the law. However, in tiny print at the bottom of the email, was this statement - "This electronic message is sent to you under deemed consent. Deemed Consent is where the electronic address is conspicuously published by the person in a business or official capacity (website, brochure or magazine etc), and the publication of the address is not accompanied by a statement to the effect that the relevant electronic address holder does not want to receive unsolicited electronic messages sent to that address. The message however, must be relevant to the business, role, functions or duties of the person in their business or official capacity."

As it happens the email did still break the Act, because there was no UNSUBSCRIBE facility.

As a heads-up, there are 3 steps to compliance:

1. Must have consent, of which there are also 3 types:
   ‘express‘ consent – direct permission such as signing up on a website to receive emails from you
   ‘inferred‘ consent – the nature of the relationship or transaction you have with the recipient infers that they will want to hear from you
   ‘deemed‘ consent – by conspicuously publishing their contact details and electronic address they have deemed to have given their consent to  receive messages from you that are relevant to their expressed interests or business
2. Must identify who you are and how you can be contacted.
3. Must have a working unsubscribe facility, which must be actioned within 5 working days.

Interview - top 10 do’s

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 13 August 2009

The signs are encouraging with shoots of optimism sprouting slowly. So now having made it to the interview, make the time to be ready!  In today’s market, there is much more competition.

Here are our top 10 must “DO’s”:

   . Research as much as you can about them; the organisation and the role
   . Be an expert on YOU! 
   . Have examples ready that match the job competencies and skills required
   . Keep your answers to the point and don’t waffle. If you’re unsure whether you gave enough evidence, ask!
   . If applicable, bring a professional portfolio or work sample
5. Check your attire before leaving home and do polish your shoes
6. Turn off your mobile
7. Pay attention to your body language
8. Look interested and be positive
9. Do not initiate the money discussion at the first interview
10. At the end of the interview, if you are keen, let them know that!

By giving adequate thought and consideration to the above points, you will take a closer step to securing the job...  Good Luck!

It’s Your Time to Shine

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 7 May 2009

Let’s get the following out of the way immediately: 

• Yes, it’s a competitive job market
• Yes, you might even have to kiss a few more frogs than usual
• Yes, you too can succeed!

How do you succeed though?  What are the magical ingredients that will make you stand out?  While there are a number of points that every candidate will want to consider when entering the job search arena, I would like to focus on one particular point: When every advertised job can now receive well in excess of 100 applicants, how do you motivate a recruiter or a potential employer to carefully consider your CV? 

The answer is remarkably simple!  Make yourself stand out with a well crafted Cover Letter or email! Think of it as the tantalising packaging for that perfect gift.   Make the recipient eager to open the package.

When writing this, consider the following points:

• Write it very well – check your grammar, check your syntax
• Do bother to personally address the letter, including company name and address
• Do target the letter to this particular employer and position – generic will not tantalise
• Draw attention to elements in your background that are relevant to this position
• Be very specific and where applicable use examples including information that may not be identifiable in your CV
• Give the reader an insight into your motivation and enthusiasm
• Keep it brief – highlight your strong communication skills by addressing all of the above in one page

In the words of Oscar Wilde:
“Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.”

Section 92A – Commonsense Prevails

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 24 March 2009

It has been successfully argued on occasion that our law makers inhabit an alternative reality, a reality devoid of commonsense.  This was certainly the case in regards to Section 92A of the Copyright Amendment (New Technologies) Act.  Pat Pilcher, writing in the New Zealand Herald gets to the heart of this naïve and asinine amendment:

“Anyone with half an ounce of common sense and a small amount of grey matter was aware that combining tech ignorant law makers, a twitchy movie and music industry plus the internet was always going to be a messy affair and, worse still, a complete lose-lose situation.”

Fortunately for all - artists, individuals, ISPs, law enforcement agencies, for that matter anyone and anything that is even remotely touched by the internet – commonsense has prevailed.  John Key announced yesterday that Cabinet has decided to scrap this poorly drafted bit of legislative nightmare and to embark on a rewrite. 

It is generally accepted that artists and non-artists, individuals and corporations, all agree that the Copyright Act must be brought in line with 21st century technology.  One can only hope that the rewrite process will take into consideration principles of justice, will embark on an informed consultation process with both the public and stakeholders, and remain firmly grounded in the reality of commonsense.

Guilt upon Accusation

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 9 March 2009

Section 92A of the amended copyright law is due to come into effect on the 27th March 2009.  Under this amendment, accusations of copyright infringement would allow for the immediate internet disconnection of a business/organisation or individual without a trial: guilt by accusation! 

As written, the amendment forces ISP’s to become judge, jury and executioner. The amendment allows for “practically anyone with a shared connection or website” to be classified as an ISP. 

Ultimately this amendment will impact legally, morally and financially on artists, businesses, academic institutions and individuals.  Anyone who uses the internet is at risk of being declared guilty without the need for careful consideration of any evidence.  The inevitable financial burden this will place on the ISPs will rapidly filter to each user.

The original intent of this amendment, to protect the rights of artists in a digitised modern world, is having the opposite effect.  The Creative Freedom Foundation, http://www.creativefreedom.org.nz, offers a comprehensive analysis of the issues and potential consequences on their website.  The Foundation’s aim is to “speak out against injustices like Guilt Upon Accusation being done in the name of artists and protecting creativity”. 

While the new government has delayed the implementation of this draconian bit of legislature, it has not repealed it. 

Happy Birthday MCC People

Mary Campbell-Cree, 20 February 2009

MCC People is 4 years old on 23rd February 2009.

How the time has flown! Now happily ensconced in our own office on the Terrace. You'll know which is our building from the striking MCC People House signage and yes, dare I say it, it is purple!

Many thanks to our fantastic clients and candidates who have made our success possible.

I would also personally like to thank my team, Brent Gerrard, Liana Lloyd-Simpson and Duncan Manderson, for their support, hard work and sharing our focus "It's all about relationships".

Get a Grip! Can Your Handshake Get You Hired?

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 11 November 2008

A new study published in the September issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology confirms what most of us have know for some time: your handshake really does matter! 

The study suggests that a firm, confident handshake will give both men and women an edge.  Your experience, CV and presentation can all be undermined by an inappropriate handshake.

The study, conducted by trained assessors, involved both handshaking and personality assessments leading to the conclusion that a person’s handshake is directly related to personality and can predict a person’s behaviour. 

The study also offers gender specific conclusions:  women with a firm handshake are more liberal, intellectual and open to new experiences.  These women made a strong and positive impression on the interviewers.  Men, who were open to new experiences however, had a less firm handshake and consequently made a poor impression on the interviewers.

So what constitutes an appropriate handshake?  The formula is very simple and applies equally to men and women: (more).

A quality handshake can open the door to that dream job. So get a firm grip and smile!

Your Personal Coach

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 17 September 2008

How do you inspire, motivate and retain talent in today’s economic climate?  It is imperative in this candidate short market for leaders to focus on smart investments, increasing productivity and talent retention.  Exceptional leaders know the importance of putting people first, of nurturing valuable employees and of taking action to retain them.

To achieve these objectives, leaders are turning to the art of Corporate Coaching. more...

Your Emage

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 1 August 2008

So you’re ready for that next step in your business career.  You’ve invested in a major CV re-write, you’ve bought the new suit, the shoes are all spiffed up and the haircut is oh, so flawless.  Your whole image screams trustworthy, intelligent and successful.  You meticulously prepare yourself for each interview, you arrive early, you ask the right questions, your answers are thoughtful, prepared and informed.  Your referees sing your praises!  So where are the job offers?  What is holding you back?  more..

Oh, you have Vista on your laptop…that’s a shame!

Brent Gerrard, 2 July 2008

If you who have recently purchased a laptop bundled with Vista you will know what I’m referring to. Once or twice a day, my laptop takes a five to ten minute sleep while I’m in the middle of some basic task. It just sits there in a frozen – ‘I’ll be back when I’m well and good’ kind of state.

My laptop is configured with 1Gb of RAM and I would expect some type of useable performance but this is obviously an expectation so outrageous that I shouldn’t even think about it until I upgrade to something more powerful.

One potential solution is to add copious amounts of extra memory to aid the ‘rubber-band’ inside Vista to make it turn a little faster. At $50 per Gigabyte, it’s not an expensive solution, but I don’t really know if it will make any difference. Suck it and see!

All I can say is that if you need to buy a new laptop with Vista pre-loaded, then save yourself the grief and don’t do it – oh, and by the way, if you do I hope you enjoy loading Vista SP1 – put a roast and movie on before hitting the ‘download’ button.

Playstation 3 game consoles "home" looks cool!

Paul McLaughlin, 24 June 2008

Playstation 3 game consoles “home” is being released in 2008. 

Have a look at this youtube video 

It’s a mixture of functional and an online community. Its free to all PS3 owners.

It allows the user to download and share movies and songs in a virtual world.

You can create your own private rooms and customize them with furniture, stereos and TV, then invite friends into you room to hang out or watch a movie.

It is also used as a meeting spot and once you find someone with the same game interests as you can go with them and join them in online games that you both own.

Eventually you will be able to hang out at an online bowling alley for a few games or even go shopping with friends all over the world.

Looks very cool

Work Life Balance

Liana Lloyd-Simpson, 17 June 2008

A recent mail-out from the Department of Labour starts with the tag line: “ Work is getting flexible.  We all need a bit of balance”.  As previously reported on MCC Live! the  Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007, comes into effect on 1st July 2008.  While some employers may already offer flexible working hours, the Act will impact on how employees and employers manage the statutory rights granted under the Act.

Flexible Working Arrangements Guidelines are available on the Department of Labour website.  The step by step guide provides relevant information for both employers and employees.  Subjects such as the “right to request” and the “duty to consider”, along with information on how to make and how to consider a request, are explained in a direct and straight forward manner. 

DOL have developed additional Resources to help you understand and manage the rights and obligations that arise from this Act.

Warning to Norton users upgrading to XP SP3

Mary Campbell-Cree, 28 May 2008

Symantec has issued a SERIOUS WARNING for users of Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiVirus and Norton 360.

The advice is to disable SymProtect prior to installing the Windows XP SP3 upgrade, to help prevent the problem from occurring.

How serious is the warning? From Symantec disable or risk crippling your computer!

MCC People uses Norton on all our laptops. Many thanks Symantec for the heads up. We will certainly be heeding your advice before upgrading.

MCC People is on the move!

Mary Campbell-Cree, 9 May 2008

Well MCC People is on the move. After 3+ years in the CEO Suites at gen-i house, we are now off to our own premises. Very exciting. 

So from Monday 12th May 2008, you will find us at Level 1, 136 The Terrace, Wellington 6011. We’re in the lovely 4 storey art deco building opposite the Novotel.

Flexible Working Arrangements

Mary Campbell-Cree, 23 April 2008

In November 2007, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007 was passed, it comes into force from 1 July 2008.

The Act will change the way some employees and employers make and respond to requests for flexible working arrangements.

To be eligible for the “right to request” an employee must have the care of any person and have been employed by their employer for 6 months prior to making the request. When making the request, the employee must explain how the variation will help the employee provide better care for the person concerned and employers are required to consider the request for flexible working arrangements. 

The following link give details of the Bill:

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Legislation/Bills/d/5/c/00DBHOH_BILL6638_1-Employment-Relations-Flexible-Working-Arrangements.htm 

The following link to Hughes Direct, gives an informative summary of the changes to the act:

http://www.hughesdirect.com/legislation.asp?pageid=128

Survey of IT roles from Recruiter's perspective

Mary Campbell-Cree, 11 April 2008

MCC People along with about 30 other recruitment companies who recruit in the IT/ICT market were surveyed earlier this year by the Department of Labour and asked how difficult it was to find suitable candidates across the IT sector.

This survey was last completed in 2006 and the change since then is dramatic.

Of the 50 occupations surveyed, 36 were difficult to fill. The most difficult in:

• Business / System analysis and application development
• Systems administrators and DBA's
• Security specialists
• Designers
• Network and support
• Telco - Network planners and engineers

The only broad group surveyed with no occupations difficult to fill was in management.

To view the full survey, go to:

http://dol.govt.nz/publications/jvm/recruit/2008/summary.asp

MS Excel might not compute!

Mary Campbell-Cree, 17 March 2008

Well if you'd told me that we need to check MS Excel results to be accurate, I would have laughed at you. I'm no Excel guru, but am a daily user for MCC People's business, and with spreadsheets I have been using for years, I would never contemplate checking the maths!

However, Microsoft is warning Excel users that a security update can cause maths errors, so if like MCC People you automatically run Microsoft critical updates then beware.....

Microsoft released several critical security patches last week, one of them was the MS08-014 update. It fixed a flaw in Excel that hackers had been exploiting in online attacks since the middle of January.

The word from Microsoft is - "If you have applications that leverage Real Time Data sources in Visual Basic for Applications functions, we recommend that you perform additional testing before initiating a wide deployment of the update."

It's too late for MCC People. Hope it isn't for you..

Vista SP1 is out, but beware your Antivirus

Mary Campbell-Cree, 22 February 2008

MCC People has itself experienced major problems between antivirus and operating system compatibilities in the past.

Beware beware beware that you check your Antivirus Software compatibility before you instal Service Pack 1 of Vista.

Microsoft has posted news on the Microsoft Support site, that warns of a "loss of functionality" for certain programs under SP1, including some that are blocked from running, and others that simply just don't work.

A few popular anti-virus programs are reported to have been blocked including:

• ZoneAlarm Security Suite 7.1
• Trend Micro Internet Security 2008
• BitDefender AV/ Internet Security 10

The shortage continues in IT

Mary Campbell-Cree, 18 February 2008

Staffing problems and a lack of skills in the existing workforce caused the biggest IT headaches last year, according to a worldwide survey of chief executives and chief information officers..
More than a third of those polled claimed that staff with inadequate skills are the biggest problem they face, while 58 percent said that a lack of staff in general has been their biggest headache in the past 12 months.

Meanwhile, 48 percent said that IT service delivery problems remained their second most common issue.

"Despite recent economic news and employee layoffs, we are seeing an increased demand for qualified IT professionals throughout the industry," said Lynn Lawton, international president of the IT Governance Institute.

The survey of 749 CEOs and CIOs in 23 countries was carried out by the non-profit IT Governance Institute.

Office 2007 - Do you want the old tool bar back?

Mary Campbell-Cree, 25 January 2008

As yet MCC People has not gone to Vista or Office 2007. But when we do, I'm going to be buying this tool.

Software developer Addintools has created the Classic Menu for Office 2007, which overrides the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface. Personally as a long time MS Office user, I would go crazy if I had to use the new Ribbon toolbar. I'm sure it's great for new users, to have it dynamically adjusting itself depending on the context.

The Classic Menu application gives you the familiar menus and toolbars used in Office 2003.

Addintools reckons this could save hours of frustration, particularly for those who use many of the lesser known features of the software.

Classic Menu for Office 2007 runs under Microsoft Windows 2003, XP and Vista and costs very little, Australian just under $30 per user.

Microsoft deadly serious about Virtualisation

Mary Campbell-Cree, 24 January 2008

Well not so long ago Virtualisation was about your servers.

Microsoft has this week announced they are buying Calista Technologies (Virtual desktop technologies). 

Microsoft has also announced simplified licensing for virtualisation that will allow all versions of Windows desktop to be virtualised including MS Office!

Microsoft has also strengthened their alliance with Citrix Systems to include co-marketing and co-sales in virtualisation.

If that was not enough they have lower pricing to run Windows clients remotely in virtualised instances and new deployment tools.

Pretty serious offerings and intentions.

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Battle of the big players - Oracle & Sun buying

Mary Campbell-Cree, 17 January 2008

Oracle and BEA Systems have at last come to an agreement and agreed a price of $US8.5 billion. A very strategic acquisition for Larry Ellison and one he was determined to succeed in winning.

But I feel Sun Microsystem's agreement to acquire MySQL is perhaps the most strategic for both parties. It gives Sun a major entry into the database market and a more complete offering in the open-source web application platform (LAMP). Yes another IT acronym - Linux , Apache, MySQL  and PHP/Perl. MySQL will gain from Sun's expertise at the enterprise level.

Congratulations to Ministry of Transport & Provoke

Mary Campbell-Cree, 10 January 2008

Mary Campbell-Cree has been a raving fan of Provoke Solutions and their extraordinarily talented team for years. At MCC People, we just love the new web site they designed and developed for us and trust you find it easy to use too. Provoke design and develop the best web experience for both external and internal customer's (internet/intranet).

Microsoft NZ awarded Provoke, Microsoft Partner of the year for the Ministry of Transport's intranet  in 2007.

Now an international competition recognised their talent. The San Francisco-based Nielsen Norman Group has listed the Ministry of Transport's intranet as among the best in the world, being listed in the top 10 in an international competition they have been running annually for some time.

The pedigree for the top 10 is extraordinary and includes Bank of America, British Airways and SAP AG.

What a fantastic start to 2008 for Provoke Solutions!

MCC People launches new website

Mary Campbell-Cree, 13 December 2007

Well finally Mary gets MCC People's new web site live. For those of you at Provoke, I can hear you say, not before time!

Lots of thank you's required, but firstly and foremostly to Robert Medcalf from Provoke, your design is absolutely outstanding. I am ever grateful to you for your understanding of what MCC People is and what we stand for and believe in.

I couldn't have a better company to design and develop my new website than Provoke Solutions. Thanks also in particular to Mason Pratt my account manager and Nick Woolf my project manager and the design and development folk who coded and tested the site.

It's been over a year in the making.

Congratulations to Mason Pratt for his win!

Mary Campbell-Cree, 12 December 2007

Capping off a truly amazing year for Mason Pratt and Provoke Solutions.

Will he be able to beat this years effort in 2008.

On Thursday 29th October 2007, Mason won Young Executive of the year award from Eagle Technology NZ Institute of Management.

It was only late September that Provoke won the top award from Microsoft, Partner Solution of the Year for their MOSS implementation for the Ministry of Transport.

Just before that Mason announced Provoke opening an Auckland office, securing Rob Benson to head the Auckland operation. 

I haven't asked him, but his No 1 achievement of 2007, may well still be the birth of his first child, a gorgeous little girl!

Congratulations Mason on a brilliant year from MCC People