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HR Managers: How to Assess the Technical Skills of IT Candidates

HR Managers: How to Assess the Technical Skills of IT Candidates
It can be difficult for hiring companies to assess the technical skills of IT candidates.

Undoubtedly, it can be difficult for hiring companies to assess the technical skills of highly specialized IT candidates. Especially when recruitment duties fall more heavily on the HR or Purchasing functions rather than on the more tech-savvy IT managers. 

That is even if you consider yourself to be an industry insider who knows all the ins and out of your company’s market. As a hiring specialist, you probably do not have the level of detail needed to assess a candidate’s skill in any of the technical areas of expertise currently most in demand.  

But that does not mean you are helpless. Not at all. Here is a series of steps that will help you identify top tech performers regardless of their specialty.

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Assess the Technical Skills of IT Candidates

Start with the CV

The first step in the process of recruiting any candidate is CV analysis. Beyond providing an overall idea of a candidate’s profile and trajectory, a careful look at a CV also offers an opportunity to start filtering early on and be more efficient.

Tips on indicators to look for

Look at these indicators to get a first impression of an expert’s technical skills:

  • Real-world experience: someone who has worked on actual AWS migration projects, as opposed to someone with just an educational background, will have a deeper knowledge of this technology stack and related AWS tools (CodeDeploy, CodeBuild, CodePipeline…)
  • The level of that experience. Of course, a consultant with 25 years of experience and major projects on their back will be more skilled than a more junior profile
  • Specific training and certifications on given technologies. Yes. Education is still important. Not as a substitute of experience, but as a complement that demonstrates a candidate’s professional and career-oriented attitude and validates the depth of their expertise.  
  • The level of detail with which a candidate lists all skills and technologies. A truly experienced IT professional will have no problem specifying what programming languages, stacks and platforms. They dominate and to what level. Whereas someone with not as much experience will opt for more general and vague terminology.

Community involvement

Moreover, not all tech and IT professionals get involved with their community and attend events. Being an active member of the community is not a prerequisite for being good at one’s job. But it sure helps.

If you spot a candidate who attends trade conferences, shares their expertise on forums, or leads workshops on their area of ​​expertise, chances are they are the kind of committed and driven professional you are looking for. Then, positive signs here include having an active GitHub profile, which allows users to share original code and have an open debate a variety of issues.

Ask the right interview questions

The interview is the next step. Asking the proper questions about the skills covered in the CV and the job offer will allow you to get a more precise idea of ​​the candidate’s level of expertise.
Do not hesitate to ask for more detail on the candidate’s past experiences, to alternate open-ended questions and very concrete ones, and to propose hypothetical scenarios. Take the time to prepare your questions in advance.

If your level of understanding of the candidate’s area of ​​expertise is very limited, do not hesitate to be accompanied by someone who can help you prepare and conduct the technical part of the interview.

For more advice, particularly on how to approach interviews with independent contractors, you can check out our article on the 5 key questions to ask a tech or IT freelancer.

Put the skills to the test

Nothing beats an old-fashioned test when it comes to demonstrating certain skills. It is very common for companies to have their IT candidates take task-specific practical tests, both to assess their technical capabilities and other parameters such as essential soft skills and cultural fit.

Again, you can enlist the help of a tech-savvy colleague to design the test and interpreted. It is standard practice to develop a range of tests covering the most common positions, but you will need to do some extra work for areas of expertise that are not so ubiquitous or if the candidate needs to fulfil very specific project specifications. Working with an industry-specialized recruiter can also give you an edge here.  

Check the references

Last step: checking a candidate’s references. As it is the case with any other position, this process takes time but is essential to avoid mistakes. Especially when you do not know too much about the skills you are vetting.

Compare the answers that the candidate provided during the interview to what former employers have to say. Ask these employers about the depth of the candidate’s knowledge, as well as their role within the project and overall performance. Here you also have a chance to corroborate your first impressions of the candidates cultural fit and their soft skills.

Find your next assignment on our freelance and permanent IT recruitment platform, or join Mindquest so you don’t miss out on any job opportunity!

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Press review Tech Magazine

Weekly News: Your Phone is an Earthquake Detector

Weekly News: Your Phone is an Earthquake Detector
If you are one of the 2.5 billion Android device users out there, you now have a new conversation topic. Yes, your phone is an Earthquake Detector soon...

If you are one of the 2.5 billion Android device users out there, you now have a brand new conversation topic. Soon your phone will be part of a worldwide earthquake detection network. Yes, your phone is an Earthquake Detector soon…

Also discover our article: Weekly News: Robot Butlers and Virtual Influencers

Your Phone is an Earthquake Detector

While using smartphone sensors to build an okay seismometer app is nothing new, Google has a better idea: integrating it into the phone’s operating system directly. 

All devices running Android 5.0 and up will get the new feature through a Google Play Services update, essentially becoming decentralised tremor-monitoring stations that one day will help detect earthquakes early on and warn users. 

For now, Google plans on collecting data for a while to fine-tune the system before rolling out proactive alerts. But don’t worry. You can opt-out of the service via your phone’s settings. Although most people won’t even know it is there.

Toshiba-bye

Thirty-five years after debuting its first laptop, the Japanese conglomerate Toshiba announced it is abandoning the portable PC market. 

The entire PC hardware market, in fact. In 2018, Toshiba had already sold most of its PC business to Sharp, the same buyer this time around. 

The decision comes as the company announced its first quarterly losses in 4 years and officially marks the end of an era in laptop history. 

Toshiba laptops reached their heyday in the 1990s, when they came to dominate the global market. They started losing ground in the late 2000s after an industry shift towards more attractive designs and more powerful machines   

A good reminder of how important it is to adapt and keep innovating.

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IT Decision-makers Tips & errors to avoid

Strengthening the IT support team: the top back-to-school challenge for CIOs?

Strengthening the IT support team: the top back-to-school challenge for CIOs?
Strengthening the IT support team ? Many companies have been hit hard by the Covid-19 epidemic.Their new mantra: adapt, anticipate, and reassure internally.

Many companies have been hit hard by the Covid-19 epidemic. Disruption was inescapable, from decline and suspension of activity to forced restructuring of teams and processes. IT teams were among the most impacted by these upheavals, as IT decision-makers had to take on a new role to help their organizations navigate the crisis. Therefore their new mantra: adapt, anticipate, and reassure internally. Is then strengthening the IT support team the top back-to-school challenge for CIOs?

As we approach the start of the new school year, the challenges for CIOs and other IT managers are increasing. Like who awaits impending doom, they are faced with the threat of a new lockdown at any minute. Adapting to a new way of working and conducting business won’t be easy either.

It is now more strategic than ever to strengthen their IT support team, guaranteeing operational continuity and completing the digital and organizational transformation of the company. Yet budget and organisational constraint make this a challenging endeavour.

Strengthening the IT support – A front-line service

IT support has always been a vital service within the company. Operating as an internal customer service, it helps solve end-user problems, responds to all their requests related to the work environment, and improves productivity.

In just months, the pandemic has strengthened the role of IT within organizations and propelled the IT service to the front line. While some companies had to completely shut down activity during lockdown, many were able to remain active thanks to telework.

But managing such a sudden and massive transition has required significant technical and organizational adaptation. Setting up collaboration tools, remote troubleshooting and technical assistance, rapid resolution of incidents, training of employees regarding cybersecurity risks… IT support teams had to put in long hours to ensure the proper functioning of remote work.

Moreover, to complicate things, cybercrime has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic and continues to rise.  Hackers are taking advantage of the human and organizational weaknesses of companies, targeting remote access points and employee email. Finding the right security experts has become a big challenge for businesses in recent months.

In short, IT support teams have made themselves more essential than ever.

Facing new challenges

The challenges related to the Covid-19 crisis add to a multitude of already existing challenges within IT support teams. Issues such as cost reduction, process optimization and quality of service have only acquired more importance.

The notion of the internal customer is leading many companies to redefine their structure and put the user at the heart of the process to improve employee experience. This perspective, which brings benefits like satisfaction and fluidity, often requires support teams to unify points of contact, collect feedback and proactively participate in improving the image of the overall IT department.

Another challenge: reducing tasks with low added value and exploiting technologies such as AI to automate as many operations as possible. The idea here is to allow support teams to focus on more strategic tasks like provide guidance to users.

IT support managers have also one more major new challenge: communication. They need to be transparent and reassuring with their team and play an important role in raising employee awareness about increased security threats.

Set up an adapted Talent Strategy for strengthening the IT support team

To have a good IT support, you need to start by having a suitable team. Having the right people in place is an essential condition for success, as it is often the skills and motivation that make the difference between an efficient support service and an insufficient one.

But how do you make sure you have a strong team? You can start by following these few tips:

  • Perform an audit of current skills within your support teams: look at what skills are missing, see if key skills are concentrated in too few employees, etc.
  • Adapt your team’s organization to be able to call on the right people at the right time: in an emergency, you need to be ready to activate a reorganization plan to mobilize key skills
  • Identify the most efficient resources and secure your existing talent
  • Set up training mechanisms to re-skill certain employees whose area of ​​expertise is no longer suited to the current situation
  • Establish a recruitment plan to cover the missing skills and be able to quickly find the right candidates when needed
  • Focus on communication and transparency

Strengthening the IT support : Is calling on external resources an effective strategy for your IT support?

On top of operational challenges, the current economic crisis is having a heavy impact on corporate budgets. Many organizations have had to drastically cut down their expenses, especially their IT costs.

So how, as an IT decision-maker, can you strengthen your support teams without taking significant budgetary risks? Outsourcing or calling on IT freelancers can be a winning strategy in this time of crisis.

In addition to fewer administrative constraints and the positive effects that freelancers can have on your internal teams, the recruitment of an independent consultant can allow you to mobilize very specific skills to accelerate projects or resolve incidents in key business areas.

The flexibility of working with contractors allows you to limit risks during this unstable period, as well as access highly coveted expertise such as cloud and certain collaborative tools.

Regardless, the start of the school year promises to be pretty intense. Whether you choose to strengthen your support teams through hiring or by occasionally calling on external staff, do not neglect the importance of having a strong support team to face the coming months with confidence.

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Horizon 2050

Nadia – Chapter III

Nadia
The story of Nadia, a quantum security expert in 2050 London. Follow the chapter I of the story of Nadia on Mission Control Center.

Follow the story of Nadia, a quantum security expert in 2050 London

Nadia, a story by Miquel Morales.

—

Jumping in now? Catch up with previous chapters.

Chapter III

Finding the Blue Dragon hadn’t been precisely easy. It turns out speakeasies, those hidden bars that had been so popular at the beginning of the century, were back in fashion. Exclusive cocktail lounges, disguised as laundromats or hidden in the basement of a regular restaurant. Secret meeting places for those who like to feel special and mingle with the ‘different’ people. Although you can’t really call them secret when they are all listed online. But this one wasn’t.

Nadia had wandered around the apartment building at 4 Chance St for quite some time before finally finding the right door. She had mistakenly knocked on at least four flats, their inhabitants greeting her with caution before closing the door again. At the fifth doorbell she rang, a nice old lady with an evident passion for spying on her neighbours had pointed Nadia the way.

“I believe you want to go to the end of that hallway, my dear. Third door on the left. People have been up and down making a fuss all afternoon. Odd-looking bunch, if you ask me.”  

Nadia was now sited on an expensive leather couch, sipping on some unpronounceable drink that tasted like mouldy oranges and leftover coke. Tom hadn’t arrived yet. Thought real leather had been banned years ago. A self-described staunch defender of animal rights, Nadia decided she couldn’t afford to enjoy that blood-stained comfort any longer and headed for the bar.

The place didn’t look like a cocktail lounge. The layout was all off, as if was someone had squeezed a bar and a few tables into a regular apartment. The walls were covered in red, velvet-like material, with dark curtains separating the main hall from the smaller private rooms. At the front door, the security guard who had taken Nadia’s invite card was welcoming a young couple in fancy attires. Here and there, small groups of people engaged in quiet conversation. Their soft chatter made for a good accompanying tune to the synthetic jazz playing through the speakers.      

“There you are!” Nadia jumped up startled as Tom’s arm hugged her from behind.  “See, love. I told you she’d come.”

Tom’s breath smelled of alcohol and smoke. Clearly, he had had a head start. His boyfriend Hao was standing behind him with an apologetic grin. He seemed colder than usual.  

“I thought you prided yourself in never being late,” said Nadia while poking Tom’s arm with one of those tiny cocktail umbrellas.

“And I wasn’t!” responded Tom triumphantly as he signalled the bartender to bring another round for three. “We were closing a deal in one of the backrooms,” he said patting Hao’s shoulder. “You didn’t think you’re the only one who knows how to do business, right?”

“Oh, great. Another one of your crazy ventures,” said Nadia. “What was the last one, again? A virtual bar for AI assistants to go on dates?”     

“Please: more like a soulmate bazar,” corrected her Tom. Nadia spilt her drink as she burst out laughing. “Say what you want, girl, but it was a brilliant idea. Why bother wasting time on dates when we could simply send our AI assistants to figure it out for us? I still don’t get why people weren’t that into it.”  

“Yeah, quite the mystery, huh?” All this talk of AI assistants had taken Nadia’s mind back to EVE. Thankfully she had been quiet so far. Hopefully, she would remain like that for the rest of the night. “So, these are your friends, Hao?”

“Oh, no. They already left,” he said quietly. Something was off between the two; Tom’s uncharacteristic early drunkness and Hao’s unusual gloomy mood. Nadia wondered what had happened during their meeting. Somehow she got the impression that Hao wasn’t okay with the whole thing.

“Trust me, Nadia. This time it’s something big,” said Tom in a serious tone.

The bartender arrived with a sumptuous, pyramid-shaped ensemble of fresh fruit and laurel leaves. Three cubic glasses sat at different levels of the pyramid, holding a golden liquid with no observable bubbles. Whatever. Better enjoy before she’s back. They each grabbed a drink and let the night take its course. Things ended up picking up the pace when the music changed to something more upbeat. Hao loosened up a bit and accepted Nadia’s invitation to dance. At least until Tom came back to steal her dancing partner as a knight in shining armour. Jokes and office gossip were exchanged in between several more pyramids. Tom decided to move on from virtual matchmaking and devoted perhaps too many efforts to find a suitable someone for Nadia among the attendees. A fun yet embarrassing pursuit. It wasn’t a bad night.

The retina-tracing lasers of the holovisor cabins were clearly not designed for hungover eyes. Nadia stepped out of the egg-shaped enclosure and poured a few eye drops after a long yawn. Unbeknown to Nadia, a red alert popped up on the system’s main dashboard.

“How about a little walk, stretch your legs?” suggested EVE.

“So, you care about me all of a sudden?” said Nadia as she exited the RayStar security room and made it down the hallway.

“Oh, Nadia. I have always cared about you and your loved ones, tried to keep you all safe.”  

The security wing was at the very top of the building, so at least employees could compensate for the long hours inside a holopod with 360 views of the City. A corridor went around the whole floor along the window. It took about two minutes to complete a whole round. Nadia knew because she had timed it before.

“I still don’t see what you are hoping to get out of this,” said Nadia.   

“You will soon.”

Dark clouds were gathering beyond the city skyline. A group of tiny people could be seen doing yoga in the park across the street. A cargo drone flew by, carrying a debris container from the construction site next door.

“You know I only have access to the RayStar servers. The encrypted attachments you are making me…” Nadia interrupted herself as she crossed paths with a group of technicians engaged on a heated debate. Something about a game?

“The encrypted attachments you are making me hide in my messages to colleagues. Whatever they are, they are not going to get you anywhere. Our system is designed in a way that all accounts are independent of one another and from the central system itself. When I send them a message, they only get a representation, an image of the message, not the message itself. Whatever is in the attachment will never make it out of my account.”

“Let me worry about that.”

Nadia had completed a full circle around the building and was back in front of the holovisor room. It had taken her longer than usual. She should better get back to work. Plenty to do before lunch. Nadia rested her chin on the biometric scan. But the system made a beep and marked and error. Weird. Nadia tried again. Access restricted.

“Nadia?” said EVE

“What now…”

“Thank you.”

And just like that, EVE’s voice disappeared. But someone was still calling her name. Coming down the hallway were a couple of security guards. A police officer accompanied them.

“Nadia? Nadia Zabeen?”     

“Run,” whispered Ziza’s familiar voice.

To be continued…

Read the next chapter: Nadia — Chapter IV

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Press review Tech Magazine

Weekly News: The Two-Faced Approach to Regulating Big Tech

Weekly News: The Two-Faced Approach to Regulating Big Tech
Regulating Big Tech. The popular video app TikTok has been making headlines.The reasons behind its quick ascend to fame are a no-brainer.

The Two-Faced Approach to Regulating Big Tech; why ransomware attacks keep on happening ; and how VR could change real estate.

The Two-Faced Approach to Regulating Big Tech

Regulating Big Tech. Big The popular Chinese short-form video app TikTok has been making headlines since its origins back in 2018. The reasons behind its quick ascend to fame are a no-brainer. 

TikTok lets anyone produce and edit videos effortlessly, and is powered by an incredibly effective recommendations algorithm that makes scrolling down its feed highly addictive. 

The platform has also become a meeting place for younger generations that had so far eluded traditional social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. And brands love that.

Given its huge monetization potential, then, it’s no surprise that TikTok’s has also attracted the attention of powerful interests. For good and for ill.

After threatening to ban the app under suspicions of Chinese-sponsored espionage, the U.S. government –and Trump– had a new message: 

It’s okay as long as Microsoft buys TikTok’s U.S. business before mid-September. Oh, and the government should get a cut of the benefits. 

Only that now it appears that Microsoft might want to buy TikTok’s entire global business.

The new episode of this serialised drama comes just a week after Big Tech leaders appeared before U.S. Congress to defend themselves against accusations of monopoly and unfair competition. Now one big tech company might get even larger.    

Whatever it takes to win a trade war and fatten the national coffers.

And that’s why ransomware attacks keep on happening

This past month has been a busy one for cybersecurity. 

First Twitter got hacked by what turned out to be an amateur group of teenagers. Then the smartwatch maker Garmin was knocked out by a ransomware attack that kept its services down for days. 

Well, new information emerged this week suggesting that Garmin paid a multi-million dollar ransom in exchange for a decryption key to recover its files. 

Garmin would have supposedly made the payment through an intermediary, Arete IR, which provides ransomware negotiation services. 

A great ending for EvilCorp, the Russian hacking organisation thought to be behind the attack. Or maybe not? 

In fact, Arete IR claims that WastedLocker, the ransomware strain used in this occasion, is not consistent with the Russian group’s modus operandi. Another player might be responsible.

Whoever is the real culprit,  the fact that a large multinational company like Garmin has opted to pay the ransom sets a dangerous precedent in the fight against cybercrime. 

No wonder these attacks keep on happening.

Also read our Weekly News: A Ransomware Attack, Self-Taught Robots and Online Abuse: The Week in Tech News

How VR could change real estate

Taking a virtual reality tour of a new apartment or office is nothing new. The technology has existed for some time now. They were simply not that many incentives to make it a widespread thing. 

With the pandemic, however, shopping for a home without leaving the sofa has acquired more of an appeal. Especially considering that lockdown has left many hungry for a change of scenery. 

Too much time trapped in between four walls tends to make you want to at least change those for walls. 

Although, as the BBC shows in an article published this week, the number of apartment offerings that incorporate a VR tour option remains marginal, things are quickly picking up pace.

The property listing company Zoopla says the coronavirus crisis has tripled the number of virtual viewings for new properties. 

This goes in line with developers and the broader real estate industry, which for years now have been allocating a part of the construction budget of new buildings to developing a VR experience. 

There’s only one big caveat: visiting an apartment in this manner requires you to have a VR headset at home, and they are expensive. At least for now.

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

How to Advance Your Career as an IT Freelancer

How to Advance Your Career as an IT Freelancer
Freelancing is often spoken of as the future of work, the career prospects are very promising. How to advance your career as in IT freelancer?

Freelancing is often spoken of as the future of work. Many people turn to this way of life to gain more autonomy and freedom and be able to focus on the kind of work they enjoy the most. In the world of IT in particular; where the share of freelance workers keeps on growing, the career prospects are very promising. Freelancers are not limited by that many obligations and can develop professionally as they wish. How to advance your career as an IT freelancer?

When you are an employee in a company, your career development is often planned and monitored by the HR department or by management. When you are a freelancer, you have to put in place a professional development plan by yourself.

Here are a few tips on how to do that.

Technology and IT, a rewarding sector for freelancers

In the digital and technological fields, freelance workers generally have no difficulty finding new assignments, but finding the dream assignment is another story.

With equal experience, a tech or IT consultant such as a full-stack developer will have less difficulty finding interesting opportunities than a freelancer in the creative arts. The technology sector is a one particularly sought after by companies, with the best organisations competing to attract and retain the best talent out there.

Top freelancers performers in tech are in high demand, and that is an advantage for anyone who is qualified and passionate about their area of ​​expertise.

Advance your career as an IT freelancer: specialize to evolve

The top freelance consultants are usually former junior freelancers who have evolved through countless assignments over the years. The choice of your missions, then, is key in the construction of a solid professional progression.

Expert profiles, those that are very specialized in a given technology, are very popular with companies. Think carefully and specialize in a skill or technology that is booming right now or will do so in a couple of years. Consultants specializing in cloud, cybersecurity and data science are very popular right now. For example, as companies wage a war for talent to fulfil their digital transformation goals.

By choosing a promising area of ​​expertise and developing your skills over time, you can achieve a higher average daily rate (ADR). Keeo on re-skilling so that your rate can increase over time. It is about constantly re-evaluating the added value of your work for your clients.

Evolve by taking on managerial functions

Another option to progress in your career when you are an IT consultant is to become a manager. Project managers or team leaders tend to access managerial responsibilities. Which often validate their technical or business skills, and allow them to work on larger projects.

This type of evolution is often considered the golden road to progress when working in IT. Since it allows you to “climb the ladder” in a consistent way. But managerial roles are not suitable for all profiles and are not an end in themselves for many IT freelancers, who prefer to focus on their area of expertise.

Manage your own skill development in order to advance your career as an IT freelancer

To develop your career as an IT consultant, you obviously need to gain experience. But don’t neglect training! And that’s not only because technologies keep evolving at a rapid pace. But also because you need to devise a solid methodology to speed up your skill development.

But that’s not all. Companies are looking for experts with advanced technical skills, but it is also often interpersonal skills that make the difference. Soft skills, such as communication skills, leadership or creativity are more than ever essential to the success of companies’ digital transformation projects.

Many training courses exist to improve these behavioural skills, including online training. Take advantage of them.

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Press review Tech Magazine

Weekly News: Tracking Down the Untrackable

Weekly News: Tracking Down the Untrackable
Tracking down the untrackable; News Windows virtual desktop features,; How old is an old dev; Confronting the new data reality... Discover the weekly Tech & IT news.

Tracking down the untrackable; News Windows virtual desktop features,; How old is an old dev; Confronting the new data reality… Discover the weekly Tech & IT news.

Tracking Down the Untrackable

What can be worse than crushing your personal record and not being able to brag about it to your friends online? 

Well, how about, for example, a ransomware attack.

If you are a fitness lover or know someone who fits into this category, chances are you have already heard about the Garmin hack. 

The American GPS and smartwatch maker was down for almost three days, its data and services held hostage for a ransom of $10m. As a result, users were unable to sync their devices with Garmin’s ecosystem of apps. 

Evil Corp, a Russian hacking group behind a recent string of attacks on U.S. companies, is thought to be responsible for the incident.

Discover our interview: A Career in Data Science: Unlocking The Power of Data with AI

New Windows Virtual Desktop features

With the current pandemic, being able to deliver a secure Windows 10 desktop experience to remote workers has become a must for many companies. 

First introduced under public preview, the Virtual Desktop updates are now generally available. 

The new, now-polished features include:

  • Azure portal integration and role-based access control (RBAC)
  • Scalable user management via the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)
  • Monitoring logs now stored in Azure, for quicker troubleshooting and analysis
  • A/V redirect for Microsoft Teams
New Windows Virtual Desktop features

How old is an old dev?

Unfortunately, age discrimination remains an issue in most industries and professions. 

Whereas experience was once unanimously revered and treasured, our fast-paced society often tends to see older professionals as necessarily outdated. Rather than being the exception, IT is one of those areas in which the gap is even wider. 

In a short paper published earlier this year, software engineering students went through popular online articles and related discussions on Hacker News to analyze how the media portrays the employability of older developers. 

“Too old to be a developer” seems to be a common theme.

Discover our interview: How To Code Well: Taking Breaks and Other Pieces of Timeless Career Advice

How old is an old dev?

Confronting the new data reality

European data watchdogs aren’t wasting any time. 

Shortly after the European Court of Justice stroke down the Private Shield dataflow agreement between the U.S. and the E.U., the European Data Protection Board warned there will be no regulatory grace period.  

Companies relying on the cross-Atlantic flow of data to conduct operations and sell products and services will have to adapt; and fast.

Confronting the new data reality

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

Should You Become a Freelance S/4HANA Consultant?

Industry Snapshot – IT Staffing
The staffing as a whole is undergoing a profound and rapid transformation. But what about the IT staffing sector? IT staffing enjoys all the benefits...

If you are an S/4HANA expert living the 9-to-5 life, chances are that you have considered going independent at some point. No one would blame you. Becoming a freelance S/4HANA consultant can be a solid career choice  

Proof of this is the resurgence of self-employed workers we have been experiencing since 2018. However, this sweet desire often clashes with the harshness of reality. Plus, this lifestyle is not for everybody.  

Hence the importance of being prepared. It is essential that you ask yourself the right questions at the right time. Focus on these essential questions. 

Here are a few honest questions you should ask yourself before blindly jumping head-first into the unknown. 

The real reasons for your wish to be a freelance S/4HANA consultant

The first question you need to answer bluntly is why you really want to become a freelancer. What are your underlying motivations? Would you like to have more free time or no longer depend on an employer? Or is it because you would like to have a wider variety of projects from which to choose? Is it for financial gain? 

If your main arguments are mostly “anti-wage,” well – that is not always a good sign. There is the danger of opting for independent employment as a means of escape rather than as a set career goal. If it is only a question of no longer being a permanent employee, it is very likely that you will quickly be faced with the harsh reality. Being a freelancer doesn’t mean drinking French press coffee and decorating your table with a succulent plant while strumming a few hours a day on your keyboard. It is a real commitment, a new way of living and organising your day. 

You should take a look at what kind of relationship you have with work, identify your professional aspirations and define your priorities.  

Assess your strengths and areas for improvement 

Most often, someone embarking on a freelancing life already has years of salaried employment behind their back. They are, hence, well aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Making an honest self-assessment is a must to orient your future moves.

If you are disorganized by nature, for example, it will be good to put an effort into developing your organisational skills. You could use one of the many apps targeted at freelancers or improve your time-management methodology. 

You should also pay attention to your starting point. If you are starting with a non-existent network, this is a disadvantage that you will need to work harder to overcome. If you have a financial safety net, then you have an advantage compared to those who start without any safety net.  

However, don’t turn these disadvantages into barriers. On the contrary, these must be seen as challenges to overcome, to push you to go even further and stay motivated. 

In some cases, it can be a good idea to do a little training before you start, to network a little and save enough money to be able to deal with unforeseen events. Take advantage of this period to clarify and outline your services offer and make a business plan. 

Defining your offer and your target audience 

Freelancing encompasses a large number of roles and services. An S/4HANA consultant must properly market their expertise in order to be successful. Their profile must fit into often-searched categories and nevertheless stand out from competitors. 

There are many questions to ask yourself at this stage: 

  • What services should I offer? Which kinds of jobs do I want to do as a freelance S/4HANA consultant? 
  • What elements should I highlight to stand out from my competition? What are my strengths? 
  • How much is this kind of work worth today? 
  • Who is my offer for? 

Pay attention to state and European regulations 

This step is crucial. Depending on the country you plan to operate in, there will be several legal forms and statutes that you are obliged to comply with. Efficient management of your fiscal and employment status takes knowledge and caution. 

For example, you should find out about the rules governing sick leave and unemployment benefits before you start. The world in which you enter is radically different from the salaried one. 

Creating a personal business entity is a good place to start. Administrative and management procedures are greatly facilitated and you can often benefit from advantageous social contribution rates. Taxation is also interesting here.

Working with industry-savvy recruiters can also help you choose your status and navigate the regulatory landscape.  

Explore our definitive S/4HANA Careers Guide. to gain more insights into S/4HANA careers and how to best approach them.

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IT Decision-makers Tips & errors to avoid

The Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring an IT Contractor

The Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring an IT Contractor
Recruitment: 3 major mistakes to avoid when hiring an IT contractor or freelancer: Hiring the wrong freelancers can quickly derail your project...

What are the top 3 mistakes that you should avoid when hiring an IT contractor? Working with IT contractors keeps getting more and more popular in the world of work. And for good reason: including freelancers in your projects can bring great benefits to your whole team.  

IT contractors are a workforce that is often very qualified and cost-effective. Especially in the context of a one-off increase in company activity or under special circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic. However, hiring the wrong freelancers can quickly derail your project and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.  

Need advice on how to start or develop your freelance consulting business in tech or IT? Need to start a new permanent or freelance assignment? Join Mindquest and get support from our team of experts.

Recruitment: 3 major mistakes to avoid when hiring an IT contractor or freelancer:

1st of top mistakes to avoid when hiring: Not vetting the consultant’s qualifications thoroughly

You need to make sure that a consultant recruited for a particular skill possesses it and in a way that is well-suited to the reality of your project. 

To protect yourself against this difficulty; which can cause harm, both financially and in terms of reputation; it is necessary that you thoroughly vet the veracity of the freelancer’s claims and assess the true depth of their technical skills. Start with these questions: 

  • Has the freelancer provided a list of previous relevant projects? Have you verified their references? 
  • Has the freelancer justified their skills with a document or portfolio of any kind? 

During the interview process, you must ask pointed questions about the candidate’s area of expertise. It will quickly reveal the reality of the situation.  

Also read How to manage the onboarding of IT contractors in 5 steps

2nd mistake : Hiring a Consultant who does not align with your company’s values and culture 

In order to avoid divergences in operating methods, which can lead to confusion and frictions within the teams; it is preferable to choose a freelancer who aligns with the company’s values. Here, you should pay special attention to the candidate’s softer skills. As these are the ones that will determine how well the contractor fits into your existing team. 

The same goes for ensuring that the consultant aligns and complies with legal and confidentiality requirements. Make sure they fully understand your confidentiality policies and non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so that they unknowingly break the contract. 

Also read How to Manage the Offboarding of IT Contractors in 7 Steps

3rd mistake: Setting an inappropriate remuneration rate 

DevSecOps Job Description

The third most common mistake made by companies looking to hire a freelancer is to offer a pay rate that is not in line with market standards. Whether it is higher or lower than what is normally charged in that particular field of expertise and for that level of seniority. 

If you set a daily remuneration that is too high; you will end up paying more than what you need to. Plus, your collaboration with the contractor may not be sustainable in the long term. 

On the contrary, if you set a remuneration that is too low; you will have difficulty attracting good candidates with a suitable level of experience. 

Companies not used to working with freelancers are precisely the ones that usually make these mistakes. Keep in mind that collaboration should be seen from a balanced angle and in a “win-win” relationship. Only then will the collaboration be efficient in the long term. 

Embracing AI Trends in IT Recruitment

Lat but not least, the implementation of AI in recruitment practices has the potential to revolutionize how companies identify, engage, and hire IT contractors.

Here’s a closer look at how embracing AI trends can enhance your IT recruitment processes:

  • Streamline candidate vetting processes.
  • Analyze resumes for relevant skills and experience.
  • Predict candidate success based on data analytics.
  • Enhance decision-making during the hiring process.

By embracing these AI trends in IT recruitment, companies can not only stay competitive but also gain a significant edge in identifying and securing the best-fit IT contractors for their projects.

Don’t miss our Top 5 Strategies to Overcome the AI Talent Gap.

Mindquest, with its commitment to staying at the forefront of industry advancements, ensures that your recruitment strategies align with the latest AI innovations, facilitating a smoother and more effective hiring process.

Would you like to find out more about our recruitment service for IT consultants? Post your requirements now, or find out more about our job offers directly on our Mindquest platform!

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Press review Tech Magazine

Weekly News: A Look at Diversity in Tech

Weekly News: A Look at Diversity in Tech
Regarding diversity in IT, there is much work left to be done. Let's start by tracking these numbers more consistently with our weekly news.

As the Black Lives Matter movement swipes through the globe with renewed strength, it’s time for communities and sectors of activity of all sorts to carry out an honest self-assessment. IT is no exception. Let’s talk about diversity in Tech.

Computerworld looked at census and tech-sector data of a few major Western countries to see how they are doing in terms of ethnic diversity in IT. Spoiler alert: not well at all.

Unfortunately, only a handful of countries track industry-specific ethnic diversity, which complicated the analysis. Of those who do (U.K., U.S. and New Zealand), none comes even close to having an equitable ethnic representation in tech.

The Western IT industry remains disproportionately white, particularly at the managerial level. Workers with Asian ancestry come in second place, but way beyond. 

Much work left to be done. Let’s start by tracking these numbers more consistently.

Diversity in Tech: What’s all that AR buzz about?

Rumours and whispers suggest that Apple will soon introduce its own version of the ill-fated Google Glass. 

The company has spent the last few years making several advancements and acquisitions in augmented reality (AR) and supporting technologies like Lidar. 

Yes, the Google Glass failed strepitously, but Apple has a good track record when it comes to making a new product an indispensable part of everyone’s life — remember the first iPhone? 

With AR seemingly about to become more of a real thing, one might wonder what exactly can be done with it. Especially in business. Here are some examples.

diversity in tech

Closing the data tap

Last week, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled to invalidate the E.U.- U.S. Privacy Shield agreement for data sharing over concerns around privacy and extreme surveillance practices.

The court’s decision threatens to interrupt the free flow of data between the two regions, which serves as the basis for much of today’s digital trade an economic activity. 

A myriad of solutions including Gmail, Zoom calls and CRM systems are all enabled by Privacy Shield. Furthermore, many businesses across Europe trust their data and workloads to U.S. cloud services like AWS and Microsoft Azure. 

But tech giants and the enterprise world are not the only ones that stand to lose much. Thanks to Brexit, U.K. players might see access to E.U. data restricted as well. They can, after all, end up shipping it across the Atlantic anyway.

diversity in tech

The impact of COVID-19 on enterprise IT

A new Forrester report has identified 5 trends that outline the effect that the pandemic will have on technology and business in the short, medium and long term.

The biggest shifts will involve: 

  • Safety and convenience influencing future customer expectations
  • Businesses leveraging digital engagement to create hybrid experiences
  • Firms and governments investing in a new workplace model
  • Companies doubling down on digital transformation
  • Business resiliency becoming a key competitive advantage
diversity in tech

Also discover our article: 20 Amazing Women Leading Europe’s Tech Revolution