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Truly Partnering With Your Dallas IT Clients

April 2, 2010/0 Comments/in Dallas IT, Dallas IT Consulting, Dallas IT Managers, Dallas IT Recruiter, Dallas IT Recruiting, Dallas IT Staff Aug, Dallas IT Staff Augmentation, Dallas IT Staffing, Dallas Technical Consulting, Dallas Technical recruiter, Dallas Technical Recruiting, Dallas Technical Staff Aug, Dallas Technical Staff Augmentation, Dallas Technical Staffing/by admin

Truly Partnering With Your Dallas IT Clients

Many Dallas IT Consulting/IT Recruiting firms seem to lack an understanding on what it means to partner with their clients’ in a long-term relationship. It seems that some firms are just concerned with billable hours and one-off placement fees than actually serving their clients true needs. A case in point was a situation I encountered at one such firm in which I was employed. I was the Director of the Dallas branch of a New York IT Consulting firm and was account manager of a financial client where we had placed a programmer. This programmer was not working out well and the client was thinking of replacing him, however, the president of the New York IT consulting firm I was with was determined to keep this programmer there for the 90 day guarantee period just so they could earn their fee. I actually called the programmer and asked if he knew that the client was thinking of letting him go and told him that he really needed to “step up” his learning process and come up to speed or we would have to replace him. The candidate did better for a short period of time. At around 95 days after he was hired, the Dallas IT Development Manager called to say that the candidate was not working out and could we find a replacement. I spoke with the president of our firm and he said “no way, they have to pay us”. I was very uncomfortable with this approach, but really had no say in the final decision. Although I had asked if we could not be flexible on the 90 day guarantee period, he proceeded, in no uncertain terms, to tell me what he wanted me to tell the manager – to pay us immediately. The client paid us all right, and then put us on their “blacklist”.

As a technical account manager/recruiter, do you truly partner with your clients? As a 13 year veteran of Dallas IT Operations and Technical Consulting/Recruiting, I really do desire to partner with my clients in a long-term relationship that adds value. That is why I considered it a “blessing in disguise” when that particular company I was with decided to to close the Dallas office I operated. I launched my own company, ProVisionTech, and now am able to operate my own company with what I feel are sound and honest business practices.

Sincerely,

Mike Hanes

Founder of:

ProVisionTech

Integrity in Recruiting

The Secret of Success.com

Looking For Honesty and Integrity in Dallas IT Consulting Companies

March 29, 2010/0 Comments/in Dallas IT, Dallas IT Candidates, Dallas IT Consultants, Dallas IT Consulting, Dallas IT Contractors, Dallas IT Managers, Dallas IT Recruiter, Dallas IT Recruiting, Dallas IT Staff Aug, Dallas IT Staff Augmentation, Dallas IT Staffing, Dallas Technical Consultants, Dallas Technical Consulting, Dallas Technical Contractors, Dallas Technical Managers, Dallas Technical recruiter, Dallas Technical Recruiting, Dallas Technical Staff Aug, Dallas Technical Staff Augmentation, Dallas Technical Staffing/by admin

I was in IT for several years before being laid off several years ago. I was laid off right before September 11, 2001 and was working on my MBA in eCommerce at the time. I found myself in a very difficult situation as many other people did during that time. Because I was working on my MBA and was almost finished, companies I interviewed with considered me ‘over-qualified’ for most positions I applied and interviewed for.

I stumbled into IT Consulting sales and account management mostly because I wanted to use my IT background for something and what a better way than to find the best people for Dallas IT Clients and at the same time put people to work. It seemed to me like the best of both worlds. Having been a Dallas IT project leader, programmer, and production support engineer, I knew what Dallas IT clients were looking for and the type of people they needed. Also, having been out of work myself, I loved putting Dallas IT candidates and consultants to work.

My first position was with a company that had provided consultants for the last Dallas IT project team I was on. The company only had one client and it was the company from which I had been laid off. When they set up my voice mail, the pass code they used was 911. I was appalled that they would use that pass code considering what had just happen with September 11. The owner would never tell me what nationality he was, but told me to tell everyone they were an Indian company. I later found out that he was from Syria. My wife was worried because she thought I was working for a company that was funneling money to terrorists! Still not sure why they would use that pass code.

I also later found out that they had consultants that built the code of one of the systems I had supported at my former company and had stolen it. They were selling the code to other companies in the same industry! I spoke to the IT Development Manager who was over the systems I had supported and she said that although upper IT management knew this company had stolen their code, they were still doing business with them!

Anyway, there is more. When I started working for this company they only had one client; the company from which I had been laid off. The CEO gave me a list of clients to “show off” potential clients. I mentioned that they only had one client and he said “I know, but this is what I want you to tell the potential clients.” I told him I would not lie for him or anyone else. I found that he lied to clients, consultants, candidates, and his own employees all the time. He lied to his VP of Marketing, and the VP of Marketing would lie to him and ask me to cover his lies. I told him no way!

I was there for two months before the final straw. Having never been in a sales role in my life, and in a horrible economy, I made my first placement as an account manager. I placed a consultant with a downtown Dallas company. In violation to our contract, they hired our consultant away from us. The CEO of our company became so enraged that he threatened to kill the CEO of the new client company for violating the contract! The CEO of the client company was totally blind sided because he was not even aware that his manager had violated the terms of our consulting agreement.

I immediately went to the parking lot, called the client CEO and apologized then went back to my office and packed all my stuff. I decided that I could not work at a company that operated without honesty and integrity and especially a company headed by someone that threatened people’s lives!

Although my first experience with Dallas IT Consulting/Recruiting firms was a pretty bad one, I felt like I really found something that I loved to do – find the right fit between Dallas IT Clients and Dallas IT candidates and consultants. I decided that I would find a Dallas IT Consulting/Recruiting firm to work for that operated with honesty and integrity.

Because of some of the unethical practices I discovered in some IT consulting and recruiting firms I have worked with, I started a Linkedin group, Integrity in Recruiting and website www.integrityinrecruiting.com, in order to start a discussion regarding incorporating sound and honest business practices in the recruiting field in our prospective companies. I invite you to join the group.

I will share more about what I have found in my search later…

Mike Hanes

ProVisionTech