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It has been said that today's IT/IS job turnover rate is somewhere in the neighborhood of the fast food industry's. While this comparison may be an exaggeration, the figure is around 15-20% per year for many firms. This means either you searching for a new job, or having to hire someone to replace an employee who has recently left your company.

The job market, especially with today's economic conditions, can be both exhilarating and frightening. With the economy finally bottoming out (hopefully) and beginning its cyclical upswing, it's time for many workers to begin looking for new opportunities. As an IT Manager, you may be looking for a new challenge, or looking to replace someone who has left to seek that challenge.

So how do you go about finding the right employee (or job)? If you think about it, it's really the same situation, whichever side of the fence you are on. You are looking for the right person for the right position. So lets look at the factors that bring someone to an organization:

1) Promotion- To begin the search, the company needs to be accessible. It is a given that technology types will search through job communities and search engines to find specific jobs, or go to the web sites of specific companies they have interest in. So make sure your company is in communities that fit your needs and goals. Don't just haphazardly apply to communities to get applicants or applications, because this will just waste your time and energy. Instead, pick specific sites that fit your needs.

As for the web sites, these are the places to find out about companies and their offerings. If you are looking for employees, scan your web site to see what kinds of benefits, compensations, and work conditions are listed there. Even if you are not a technical firm and don't display your needs for IT personnel, the ambiance described can turn away potential applicants. Also, check to see who is listed as partners with the company, so that applicants will have an idea not only what field the company is in, but also who they do business with.

Most important, however, are word of mouth and experience with a company. Many potential applicants' interests are piqued by companies they have direct contact with, whether at other jobs or in the media. While you have no control over this, don't be afraid to look at the companies yours is currently partnered with, and check to see how people within your organization feel about the company.

For example, if Joe Poloocka works for ABC Software, and your organization can't shake the bugs out of ABC's projects for you, and their employee's customer service was terrible, this could devalue Mr. Poloocka's experience if he applies with you. At the same time, however, if you work at ABC, and XYZ corporation's employees seemed disgruntled every time you were there helping to install a new program, you will probably mark them off your list of potential employees.

2) Process- For applicants, it is best to exhaust all of your research first, and then begin the application process. This way, you can systematically apply for positions and add those you find along the way. If you are hiring, you will post the job under your careers section, look through saved resumes in your database, or ideally do both. Therein lies a major dilemma, especially for organizations that are not technology-based; you will be the one to analyze all the incoming resumes, not the HR department.

For applicants or managers, examining the resume is the first selection process of hiring, so it has to be accurate, correct, and most of all, sell the person. First, don't be lax on grammatical errors; to be professional, you must have professional mannerisms. Also, just because applicants have awesome technical skills, they might not have "people skills"; unless you plan to hide such people in a corner, programming all day, they will have to interact with non-technical people. They must possess adequate communications skills. The cover letter is usually a good indication whether or not the person is competent in this area.

Personally, I am in the pre-graduation job hunt, and I include a cover letter whenever possible. Also, when I send in applications, I make sure to use 25-pound 100% cotton paper, plus a folder and a nice envelope when snail-mailing employees; appearances are the best way to grab attention and say "Hey, look at me, I really want this job, and I know how to operate on a professional level."

Next comes the actual reading of the resume; it's always important to have the right experience with hardware and software, but other qualifications are equally important. Also, remember experience with specific equipment can often be transferred to similar equipment. Basically, MS Server is Oracle is DB2 is plain SQL; the learning curve is substantially shortened when you know the underlying logic of the system. The same ist true of programming; anyone who knows C++ knows Java's and VB's logic, and they will be able to pick up SQL or other high level language, if they have been schooled in the fundamentals and theories that underlay all systems. However, if someone only has knowledge of one system, that person may not be able to make the transition to a disparate system. Even worse, they will constantly complain "How much better Linux is than Windows," or something to that effect. A variety of experiences with different languages and hardware demonstrates that an applicant can make the transition. This doesn't mean a programmer can walk in and reconfigure your server farm, but that a C++ programmer probably can become a VB software engineer.

Also, check out what other skills they have listed. While it may seem frivolous to list people, writing, and communications skills, remember, these can separate an employee from the pack, and as a manager, it is imperative to have someone who can communicate effectively to take some of the burden off you. This extra responsibility also provides the worker with a sense of purpose and duty.

3) Selection- For applicants, it is a necessity to apply to many different places. For managers, you must select several applicants, for no other reason than the sentence before.

John Mark Kennedy is currently a Senior at the University of Kentucky pursuing a degree in Descision Sciences and Information Systems. His e commerce interests include eCRM and supply chain management infrastructure.