I'm Back and I've Brought a New Article!

Well, the two people who actually follow my blog are really ticked that I haven't been keeping up with it, so...I'm back...not exactly from outerspace, but close. It was a wild summer here at The Force, but with the onset of Fall, I'm ready to get back to the business of blogging.

With that in mind, I want to share an article that is particularly relevant given the 2009 IT Salary Guide meetings that are occupying the bulk of my time this quarter. In case you haven't received one yet, the industry trend that we focused on in this year's guide is the role that social networks, ala LinkedIn and FaceBook, are playing in our recruiting efforts.

In addition to using these tools for more effectively recruiting that 'holy grail' of candidates -- the passive candidate (you know, the ones who are already gainfully employed and doing a great job), we are also educating all of our candidates on the role that the internet plays in managing one's professional image. Many candidates, and even some of my clients, would do well to remember that the line between 'business' and 'personal' is extremely blurry in the today's MySpace age.

All in all, I thought that the article to follow is an excellent read, particularly if you're planning to interview any time soon. Long story short: In hiring, if you can Google it, it's fair game.

One in five employers research job applicants on the Web
Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:04PM EDT

As the social-networking scene continues to explode, the who, what, where, and when of what you post on your profile becomes even more critical. Case in point: A new study reveals that one in five hiring managers utilize the Web and social networks to screen new potential applicants.
The study, reported by Reuters, found that out of 3,169 hiring managers, 22 percent of them (about 698 managers) used social networking sites to find out information regarding potential candidates. This is up from 11 percent, or 349 managers, since 2006.

Even though 22 percent may not seem like a huge number now, one can only expect that number to continue to rise. The study revealed that 9 percent surveyed were currently not using social networking sites for screening purposes but plan to in the future.
Here's the kicker: About one third of the applicants screened online were dropped from contention after inappropriate content was found on their profile. Yikes.

So, who should be wary of these statistics? Those that are currently undergoing the transition from school to professional career. Social networking in college is a completely different animal than in the professional world. Pictures posted of last week's mixer are totally commonplace if not universally accepted in college. However, the second that these two worlds collide, what you and, more importantly, your friends say about you becomes a liability in the workplace.
I'll be completely honest—I have actually been doing a little housecleaning on my Internet profiles. Are you applying for a new job? Make sure you follow these tips:

First, privacy settings are your friend. Sites like Facebook and MySpace have tools to ensure that only you and your friends can view those scandalous pictures you took at your best friend's New Year's Eve party. Blogs are also a huge potential risk (there are cited instances of people getting fired from blogging), so make sure you set up privacy settings to keep tabs of who is exactly reading what you're writing.

Second, use search engines to keep tabs of what is posted online about you. You can start by using major search engines, such as Yahoo! and Google, or you can give Pipl.com, a "people search engine," a try. What you see in these search engine results will most likely be the same thing that your future hiring manager will be seeing.

Third, don't "friend" anyone unless you're absolutely confident that it won't have any negative repercussions (even then, it can be a risk). I generally try to keep my personal and professional social networks completely separated (Facebook and LinkedIn), but it can be very difficult.
Fourth, keep tabs of what people are posting about you. Facebook's photo tagging system can be particularly dangerous, as it can label you in the image and link them directly to your profile. I know it can be difficult to manage, but this is particularly important.

Will All of the Bobble Heads Please Stand Up?

As do most sales organizations, Kforce frequently motivates its employees with exciting incentives and opportunities to shine. As a Kforce 'rookie,' I have been part of one of our most recent contests, The Rookie Rally, which rewards the top rookies in each business line with one of the most unique prizes ever heard of- a custom bobble head of our CEO.

Well, if they hadn't sent me my very own Dave Dunkel bobble head, I wouldn't have believed it, but, I won The Rookie Rally for Kforce's Technology Division, and now I have my very own minature Dave Dunkel! He arrived last week, and although Ethan (my two-year-old) almost decapitated him on the car ride home, Dave did make it safely back to Kforce Orlando. As you'll see in the picture below, I am now proudly displaying my tiny CEO prominently on my desk. He is perched high atop my cube walls, keeping an eye on all I do.

The Tiniest CEO Ever

And, oh are my fellow cubies jealous. Rob Reading, my colleague on the Finance and Accounting team, won the rally fourth quarter last year, but his little CEO failed to arrive. I had to pry Dave away from him after this picture was snapped.

Rob Reading Coveting The Tiniest CEO Ever

So, if you're interested in meeting my CEO when I come out to visit just let me know. I may not be able to get him there in person, but I can certainly bring a life-like representation. And, naturally, if you've ever won a crazy corporate prize, I'd love to hear about it!

Central Florida Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) Chapter Meeting

Just in case you're looking for a great new techie group to join, I thought I'd throw this one out there. Dan LoPresto of Brighthouse Networks recently introduced me to the Central Florida Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association. I attended the July meeting and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. If any of you plan to attend, let me know, and I'll see you there! You can register via the links below.

__________________

The following are details for our next Central Florida Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) Chapter Meeting.

Date: Tuesday August 12, 2008

Location: National Center for Forensic Science, Room 102, 12354 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826. Near University of Central Florida (UCF) NAVAIR station.

Drawing Prizes: Norton 360 (3-user license) and others!

Lunch: ISSA of Central FL will order sandwiches from Firehouse Subs, compliments of Protegrity. Meeting registration required, please click the following link to register: http://tinyurl.com/6z7pvb

There is no cost to attend this meeting and you need not be a member of ISSA. If you'd like to learn more about the ISSA and/or join, please click here: http://www.issa.org/Join.html Speaker: Ulf Mattsson, Chief Technology Officer, Protegrity Corporation

Speaker Bio:

Ulf T. Mattsson, Chief Technology Officer, Protegrity Corporation, created the initial architecture of Protegrity’s database security technology, for which the company owns several key patents. His extensive IT and security industry experience includes 20 years with IBM as a manager of software development and a consulting resource to IBM's Research and Development organization. He specializes in the areas of IT Architecture and IT Security. Ulf is the inventor of a number of European and U.S. patents in the areas of Encryption Key Management, Separation of Duties, Policy Driven Data Encryption, Internal Threat Protection, Data Usage Control, Dynamic Access Control, Intrusion Prevention and Cross System Layer Security. He holds a master's degree in physics, a degree in finance and a degree in electrical engineering. Ulf is an IBM Certified IT Architect and a research member of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) WG 11.3 Data and Application Security.

Presentation Title: Enterprise Data Protection - Understanding your Options and Strategies

Presentation Abstract:

The session will review the different options for data protection strategies for PCI DSS and other regulations. We will present case studies on data protection in an enterprise environment. We will position different solutions that can protect the enterprise data against advanced attacks from internal and external sources. We will show how to provide a balanced mix of different approaches to protect sensitive information like credit cards across different systems in the enterprise, including tokenization, encryption and hashing. We will show how to balance performance and security, in real-world scenarios, and recommend when to use encryption at the database level, application level and file level. This session will also present methods to protect the entire data flow across systems in an enterprise while minimizing the need for cryptographic services.
Review of case studies on enterprise data protection
How to prevent internal and external threats
Review solutions for enterprise data encryption and key management
How to prevent data misuse and advanced attacks on data
How to protect the entire enterprise data flow
How to develop a database encryption strategy balancing security, performance and other aspects
Review and position different solution alternatives

About Protegrity:

Protegrity, the leader in Enterprise Data Security Management, delivers centralized data security management solutions that protect sensitive information from acquisition to deletion across the enterprise.

Meeting Agenda:

11:00am
Arrival, Networking & Registration

11:30am
Speaker Presentation & Q&A

12:30pm
Lunch (Sandwiches & soda)

12:45pm
Raffle, Chapter Business and Wrap-up

1:00pm
Conclusion

'Kareforce' at Work

Recently, one of our valued Finance and Accounting consultants on assignment with Charles Schwab tragically lost her home to the lightning storms that passed through Central Florida. Liliana Rodriguez, a working mother of two, was left stranded and homeless as their house burned to the ground. This devastating disaster forced her family to move into a family member's spare bedroom until they figure out what to do next.

When we brought this to the attention of Ray Morganti, VP of Sales Operations at Kforce, he immediately went to the board of Fezzywig (Kforce's Charity Foundation). The Fezzywig board promptly voted YES in favor of assisting Liliana and her family. Because of this, we were able to surprise Liliana at work and give her a helping hand. Liliana and her family were presented with an $800 gift certificate to Wal-Mart, and a trip to Tampa to visit a special warehouse where she can get whatever she needs to start over again (furniture, appliances, and the like).

Tears of joy flowed all over the room as Liliana's co-workers and managers looked on. What an emotional moment!

This is just one of the stories we like to share with our partners and friends about how we work hard to really care for our consultants everyday.

Quote of the Day

“Never judge anyone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. That way, when you judge them, you are a mile away and you have their shoes.”

-Anonymous

Kforce Clinical Research Wins Merck Award

Kris Ellis, President Kforce Clinical Research and Darlene Cassello, Strategic Account Director, accepted the Outstanding Operational Award for Clinical Development at the Merck Supplier Recognition Forum on Thursday, June 12.

Merck invited 75 strategic suppliers from around the world to this recognition event at their corporate headquarters in Whitehouse Station, NJ. The award presented to KCR was in recognition and appreciation for outstanding contributions to Merck’s success and business performance.

“This is very significant and a major accomplishment. For a firm of Merck’s values and history to recognize Kforce suggests a real validation of the business model and alignment of vision and values,” said Dave Dunkel, CEO.

Kforce was one of only thirteen suppliers to win an award. President of Health & Life Sciences, Pete Alonso said that it is an outstanding achievement for Kris Ellis and the KCR team.

Being recognized for its client-centric approach emphasizes KCR’s commitment to Kforce’s mission to be the firm most respected by those we serve.

“Our partners at Merck are wonderful people and our business relationship is both enjoyable and rewarding. It was such a great day,” said Ellis.

Great High-Level Consultants at Great Rates

If your organization is in need of specialized consultants for upcoming projects, we can help. We currently have numerous high-level consultants available at great rates! I have a spreadseet available that outlines skillsets and bill rates.

Some sample skillsets are Oracle Developers, SAS Programmers, .NET Developers, Technical Java Leads, and many more. Bill rates range from $59 to $74 per hour - all inclusive for contract assignments that are six months or longer.

Please let me know if you are interested in learning more about one of our great IT resources.