By guest writer Lara Green.  Lara possesses a B.A. degree in Psychology and English from the University of South Africa.  She joined the recruitment industry 7 years ago whilst living in the UK.  Upon her return to South Africa, she worked for one of the country’s largest resourcing brands.  She joined Network Recruitment in 2009 as an IT Recruitment Consultant and was promoted to Team Leader in Dec 2011.

As recruiters we often work with young IT graduates. As such, we are often faced with similar questions each year at roundabout the same time, when all the 3^rd year students are busy with their last exams and, with stars in their eyes, enter the big scary job market. Mostly, they have absolutely no idea what kind of salary they should expect or ask for. From time to time we also meet some who have seriously unrealistic expectations.

Strange enough – there is little or no guideline online. If I type a search into Google the general consensus is that there is none! Mostly, you’ll find forums of young graduates asking questions and debating amongst themselves. You don’t want to get your advice from another graduate with an equally clueless idea – or, heaven forbid, one of the few lucky individuals who landed a very high starting salary.

There are a couple of things that will affect your starting salary, two of which are geographical area and type of qualification. Other factors such as who is actually hiring and the title of the role will also come into play.

Firstly, the starting salaries for IT Graduates will differ when you are studying for an MCSE / MCITP or alternatively a BSc Computer Science.

If you enter the working world with the hopes of landing a “Network Administrator” or “IT Technician” position because you studied an MCITP or MCSE, I would say the ball-park figure can be a range between R6000 and R8000.  We have seen cases where graduates with these backgrounds settle for as little as R4000 per month for a starting salary.  This market is relatively flooded and candidates are easy to find. Landing a good position here is challenging. My advice is to persevere. All of the candidates with 5+ years of experience were standing in your exact position a few years ago.

A BSc Graduate from a reputable university, who’ve earned solid marks, aiming for a Software Development position can expect anything ranging between R10,000 – R14,000 per month. There has been standout cases where we place one at R16,000 per month but it’s not common. The good news here is that, within a few years, you’ll see good salary growth. Obtaining an honours degree will give you some leverage and can push the expectation up by R3000 per month,(R13,000 -  R17,000) It’s important to note that with these positions there are often technical tests/ assessments and if you do not perform well in them it may affect the offer you receive.

There is also a common misunderstanding amongst graduates that, if they require for instance “R8000 per month”, they will in fact have a take home of “R8000”. There is a definite trend where we have to explain the concept of cost-to company-to them and why the “take-home” will be less.

The salaries mentioned above refer to Johannesburg and they may be slightly lower in other cities and provinces.

You’ve bought the newspapers and applied online, but the invitation to that job interview just keeps evading you.  Approaching a specialised recruitment consultant could be the ideal solution to your job search headaches.

What does a recruitment consultant do?

Recruitment consultants facilitate the entire hiring process – from receiving the job spec from the hiring company to supporting the newly-placed candidate in the new position.  Niche agencies, like Network Recruitment, specialise in a particular area of staffing.  Consultants in these agencies are often highly trained and have in-depth knowledge about the specific industry’s background, market and jargon.

What you need to know…

• Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening and selecting qualified candidates to fill a vacant position.
• Organisations often outsource this process to professional recruitment agencies, where recruitment consultants are briefed to act as coordinator between the candidate and employer.
• In reputable agencies, consultants are highly skilled and experienced to match candidates to specific positions, according to the employers’ expectations and corporate culture fit.

What are the benefits of using a recruitment consultant?

One of the main advantages of using a recruitment consultant is access to job offers that you as a job seeker won’t come across in your typical search.  Specialist agencies should also be able to offer advice about their industry trends.

What you need to know…

• Agencies maximise your efficiency as a job seeker, as you’re in effect getting someone else to help you look for a job, giving you more time to pursue other leads.
• Consultants have connections to various companies and hiring managers in your industry – an advantage that often leads to placements.

What can you expect from a recruitment consultant?

Possibly the most distinguishable skill between a successful and unsuccessful agent is the ability to listen to the candidate (and sometimes, to read between the lines).  A reputable recruitment consultant will keep the candidate’s wishes top-of-mind, treat their CV as confidential and provide honest advice to the candidate.

What you need to know…

• The consultant should schedule a face-to-face meeting with you to discuss your aspirations, skills and needs.
• During this meeting, the consultant will also get a feel for your personality and temperament, which play a role in corporate culture fit.
• Remember that consultants can’t guarantee a placement or job interview.

What is expected of you?

It is important to remember that it is YOUR job search!

What you need to know…

• Follow-up with the consultant on a regular basis via email or telephone.
• Be honest with your consultant and disclose possible sensitive information, such as a criminal record or if you were fired from a previous position.
• Supply the consultant with a CV which is targeted towards a particular industry.
• Tell the consultant if you don’t want them to send your CV to particular companies, such as your present employer!
• Mention any important factors or constraints that they should keep in mind, such as a disability or special needs.

Before deciding on a recruitment agency, do your homework and also ask for references.  It’s a good idea to narrow down your choice of agency to only one or two – you might find yourself bombarded with phone calls and your CV might be sent to the same company twice.

Many an employer of finance professionals see a sizable chunk of their human investment walk out the door each year due to resignations.  Employee retention programs contribute to limiting the damage, but competition to hire top finance talent is fierce and they are often lured away by the promise of greener pastures.   It’s quite tempting to pull out all the stops and put a counteroffer on the table.

According to a leading accountancy recruiter in the UK, a lot of companies are worried about losing key finance employees and are making counteroffers to those who are considering resigning.  In some cases, these employees are offered up to 20% more than their current salary.  Accountants in particular are highly valued: it is estimated that 50% receive a counteroffer when they hand in their resignations.

It’s clear why employers consider counteroffers: the company invested in this key finance person in various ways, including monetary and strategically.  But a successful counteroffer may simply buy you time – research shows that most employees who accept a counteroffer leave the company within twelve months of accepting.

The number and size of counteroffers to financial professionals around the world is a growing trend, but employers should be aware that successful counteroffers require groundwork and careful handling.  Here’s what to consider:

• Approach the situation strategically

First of all, talk to specialist recruiters to ensure that you’re up to speed with market conditions and industry rates.  Then calculate the prospective long-term path of the mentioned employee.  Review the employee’s performance records, career movement and potential.  If she has been earmarked to become the next CFO, it might be worth scheduling a meeting to discuss possibilities.

• Determine the cause of the satisfaction

The success of the counteroffer depends on the ability to determine the root cause of the dissatisfaction.  Don’t just assume that it’s salary-related.  Do some research about the company and/or the position that the employee intends to move to.  Compare this information to the current situation in your company to get an idea of what her reasons might be for wanting to leave.

• Consider the psyche of the other finance professionals

A monetary counter-offer could reinforce the resignation behaviour as employees in the department starts associating it with reward. If this kind of talk becomes a water-cooler conversation, it could demoralise those employees who are loyal to the company.

• Explore alternatives to money

The most important part of the counteroffer is considering what you have to offer – in realistic and practical terms – for the benefit of the employee as well as the company.  Explore alternatives to an increase in salary, as research shows that it’s often not the number one cause of dissatisfaction.  Consider options such as career development programs, extended vacations and flexi-time alternatives.

Make space, baby boomers and Generation X!  Generation Y is the new kid on the block (but don’t refer to them as kids!) in the engineering field, bringing along a new attitude and high workplace expectations.

Who is Generation Y?

Born between the mid-1970s and late-1990s, Generation Y is techno-savvy, blunt and fast-moving.  They are a force of millions around the world, the first wave already embarked on their careers.  And they are going to be the fastest-growing segment of the workforce.  Are you sitting up?  If you employ engineers, you’d better take that iPod out of your ears (if you don’t need to, you can be sure that you belong to another generation).

Generation Y engineers will be hard to find

Michael R. Kannisto, manager of staffing, university relations and employment branding at BASF, gives a stern warning:  “Even though Generation Y is a big group, when you begin to look at how few of these people actually go into science and engineering, it gets very frightening very quickly.  For a technology-based company like ours, it’s going to be really tough because it has very serious implications moving forward.”

A disconcerting warning, especially if you take the current situation in South Africa into account.  Engineering news reported in January that the school system is consistently producing only a handful of matriculants with adequate results in maths, physical science and English, which are the requisite subjects for admission to engineering programmes.

Approach Generation Y engineers differently

Attracting Generation Y engineering superstars is going to ask for different techniques than were used to entice those of previous generations.  As the elder members of this generation are slowly being integrated into meaningful positions within the engineering workforce, it’s imperative to understand what it is that defines them and what to expect from them.

It’s also important to understand that, with three or even four generations working side-by-side, generational conflicts should be expected – and managed well.  Inter-generational misunderstandings within the engineering team can occur over a variety of situations, but usually centers around four essential themes: choosing where and when to work, communication methods, management approach and how to learn new information.

For expert advice on everything engineering, including top engineering candidates, the Network Recruitment specialist consulting team is a phone call away.

Deloitte recently finalised an interesting study, which they adequately (and quite appropriately) named the Insomnia Index.  The Index, designed to capture the experiences and views of a diverse range of CEO’s and business leaders, focussed on different industries and organisations within South Africa.  The aim of the study was to collect their opinions of opportunities and challenges perceived as the most pressing in business at this time, as well as the foreseeable future.

Several market-related themes were identified, with African Expansion and Growth, New technology and Innovation, as well as Mergers and Acquisitions pinpointed as the key opportunities for South Africa.

African Expansion and Growth

The Index explains that South Africa can increase its foothold in other African countries by growing existing trade, business or range of product development in the area.  Even though the global economy is still not strong, higher growth is expected in Africa’s developing markets than in the rest of the world.  China and India also show increasing interest in Africa for a growing consumer base of close to a million people.

New technology and Innovation

According to the Index, the advancement of new technology is seen as a very significant area of opportunity.  This includes keeping up-to-date with technological changes in software, platforms and processes like data analytic abilities.  Innovation of new technological products was also highlighted.  It’s most likely that these opportunities lie in IT operations, such as cloud, social computing and enterprise mobility.  Unfortunately, the level of innovation in the country (including the development of new technology and scientific output) was rated as quite low by the respondents.  It’s indicated that South Africa ranks 59^th out of 125 countries on the innovation scale.

Mergers and Acquisitions

The Index continuous to explain that, due to the need for expansion and growth, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) is seen as a significant area of opportunity by South African business leaders.  M&A is mostly driven by gaining access to geographic markets, supporting new growth platforms and gaining access to resources and capabilities.  The majority of M&A transactions over the past year have been in the resource sector.  When business leaders are considering M&A in Africa, it’s necessary to take care of key risks and challenges that require some form of mitigation.  Risks in gaining market access can include valuation gaps, due diligence complexity and continuity and integration of post-closing.

Ethics is increasingly being acknowledged as an aspect of business practice that cannot be ignored.  Companies that approach ethics as a strategic objective, rather than an add-on, tend to take their reputation, governance, and ultimately their business, seriously.  Several companies have suffered financially because they didn’t understand – or underestimated – the importance of proper ethical risk management.

With this in mind, CIMA states that an increasing number of finance professionals will manage ethical performance as part of their role, and for some it will form a pivotal part of their Key Performing Areas.

Potential contribution of finance professionals overlooked

A study by CIMA, in conjunction with the Institute of Business Ethics, highlighted several ethical issues identified as significant by finance professionals.  These include safety and security, environmental issues, bribery, corruption and security of information, to name but a few.

It seems that finance professionals are well aware of their own ethical responsibilities, both as employees of a company as well as finance experts.  However, research shows that businesses are overlooking the potential contribution of the finance team to manage and measure ethical performance.  The skills of finance professionals can significantly contribute to managing non-financial performance as they are often experts in collecting, analysing and reporting.

Integrated reporting invading finance territory

Of course, the finance function does inherently contribute to business ethics due to the nature of the industry.  This includes upholding the professional codes of ethics, ensuring the integrity of management information, incorporating ethical standards into strategic business decisions and leading by example.  But an ethically conscience company will go a few steps further than merely accepting these behavioural givens that accompany the finance profession by adopting an integrated reporting system.

Integrated reporting is an indication of a total systems thinking by a company that strives to elevate ethical content and issues to the same level of transparency and rigor as financial content.  As the owners of financial reports, the CFO and other financial managers can’t dare ignore this new style of content ‘invading’ their traditional territory.

Mention the concept of management, and we often think of managing team members or subordinates. However, successful business people know that true management spans 360 degrees…which also includes managing your manager.  This could be easier said than done, especially if you don’t agree with his management style.  However, if you keep in mind that this person holds the key to your career success and possibly determines how quickly you can make progress at your current company, it’s worth the effort. It’s arguably one of the most important parts of your job which is never explicitly stated.  Here’s what to do.

• Accept the fact that your manager has been given certain power…

When all is said and done, your manager is still the person you will answer to.  This is a fact you need to deal with, whether you decide to tough it out or move on to another job.  For the immediate future, you need to face this person and deliver as promised.  Becoming rebellious or unpleasant will only make a bad situation worse.  Be professional and work towards increasing your circle of influence (which also includes networking, if you’re making plans to move on to other opportunities).

• …But don’t accept unacceptable treatment

Today’s complex corporate environment requires interdependence, and many companies are starting to realise the importance of employees’ satisfaction with managers.  You don’t have to agree or even like each other all that much, but you can expect to be treated with dignity and respect.  No matter what the circumstances, it’s never acceptable to be bullied, harassed or discriminated against.

• Write on the same page

Firstly, study your manager’s style of management and communicating.  Have regular, constructive meetings with informal agendas or topics for discussion.  Be very specific about your needs and exactly why you need it.  Also, make sure that your manager knows your personal career objectives.  If you’re aiming for a promotion, you will have different long-term plans and day-to-day goals than if you want to change direction in your career.  Clarify what is expected of you, and make it SMART where possible.

• Find out what makes him tick

Ask about his live, aspirations and career plans, where he’s been and what he’s learned.  This will give you a peak into his mind-set, as well as establish you as a mature employee who sees your manager as a person, not merely a role.

• Make your contribution known

During your agreed-upon meetings, let your boss know when you’ve achieved a major goal or have gone over-and-above the call of duty.  Your manager has more on his plate than managing you, so take subtle steps to ensure that what you’re working on stays top-of-mind.  If your manager played a role in your project, it won’t hurt to make him look good in the process.

• Get to know your manager’s manager

Where appropriate, utilise opportunities to interact with higher-level managers.  The key word here is ‘appropriate’.  This could mean a cocktail party or awards function, where colleagues mingle in an informal setting.  Don’t force it and don’t go over your manager’s head.

• Learn to say no

Don’t push yourself beyond what you can realistically handle. When your boss asks you to do something that you don’t have time to do, ask about his priorities and what he sees as most important.  Agree to do the things that matter most to both of you.  Say no to everything else and your boss will appreciate that you are focused on what’s important. Then aim to exceed expectations.

It’s a new year and if you’re like most of us, that means new goals and objectives.  It also means that, come February, you’re already side-tracked and pulled into the same-old, same-old of your job. Meeting with a mentor could be an effective way to excel at your job and advance your career.

A mentor is a trusted counselor or guide that serves as a beacon of knowledge in your industry.  It’s a person that you identify with and seek to learn from in various ways: they become models for the development of problem solving skills, decisions making techniques and interpersonal abilities.  They often demonstrate technical skills and also provide personal guidance.

The right mentor may assist in developing your career in various ways, including introducing you to networking contacts, helping you to navigate office politics and offering insight which fills in the blanks between theoretical knowledge and practical know-how.

In most cases, mentors are influential senior sponsors, but it’s not necessarily the case – in the IT industry, for instance, a younger mentor meeting with an older mentee is not uncommon.

New or recent graduates especially benefit from a mentor, but it’s just as rewarding for those with years of experience who want to be a cut above.

So, how do you choose this important person?

• Identify your needs and goals and what you’d like your mentor to do for you

Maybe you need an outside expert who can help with a specific business challenges.  Or maybe you want someone inside your workplace to be an advocate for your project or promotion.  It could also be a person who acts as a more general sounding board and big-picture guide.  You may even want your mentor only to listen to you and offer advice when you need to visit with someone neutral.

• Make your wish list

A mentor should have experience in the field or specialty in which you work, or aspire to work. Consider all possibilities: include the obvious names, those you haven’t originally thought of, those you admire and those that will probably stay on your wish-list for most of your life (or until you have a few more years behind your name).

A good starting point could be your circle of friends – and don’t forget family members.  From there, expand your mind to include group leaders, teachers, lectors, managers and even colleagues.

Remember to keep an open mind in matching your needs to a prospective mentor – they may be able to help you grow in ways you could never plan or expect.

• Sell yourself

Do your homework before approaching the person (or people) you have chosen.  The way you approach ‘the chosen one’ will largely depend on your level of comfort and the current relationship you may already have with your potential mentor.

Explain why you’ve chosen them and how your mentor-mentee relationship could also be a (business) benefit to them.  Propose a method for the process: weekly telephone calls, bi-weekly one-on-one meetings or meet-as-needed?  It’s also a good idea to include short, medium and long term objectives of the mentorship.

• It doesn’t have to be a formal affair

Remember that you don’t need to declare someone your mentor, or have them sign some kind of an agreement.  With that said, a mentor should still be a willing participant and conscience of the fact that you have identified them in a certain role.