Certification Magazine - November 2007 - (Page 30) INTERFACE Aquent IT Solutions: Character Counts BRIAN SUMMERFIELD The emphasis on people skills in the IT profession is a relatively new phenomenon, although perhaps not an unpredictable one, given techies’ increasing exposure to high-level job responsibilities. For IT personnel at Aquent, a provider of marketing and creative staffing solutions, these interpersonal qualities help them interact frequently with customers and co-workers not focused on technology, as well as cultivate an overall culture of performance. “We have created a corporate culture here that respects excellence,” said Dan Neff, division president of IT Solutions. “There’s a lot of peer feedback about how people are doing. When the problem is solved, and the customer’s thrilled, it’s not just management that makes you feel good about it — it’s all of your peers too. The culture that we have here inspires people to be top performers.” Aquent maintains a database of 400,000 freelancers in a variety of creative fields for contract and full-time work (more than 3,000 of whom are billing at any given time) and also provides technology support to marketing organizations. Within the company, the IT Solutions Group has 70 full-time employees. Although this unit is involved in a range of technical spheres, the main areas of focus are Web development and business intelligence. Specifically, the staff regularly deals with Web servers and database solutions. In spite of their deep technical knowledge and experience, it would be a mistake to think of these employees as mere technology pros, Neff said. “It’s a more holistic view,” he explained. “To get an effective solution, you often have to impact the business processes and the technology and work on the 30 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE November 2007
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification Magazine - November 2007 Certification Magazine - November 2007 Contents Editor's Letter Data Stream Tech Careers Academic Connection Dear Techie Virtual Village Certification Outside Technology Inside Certification The Webmaster: Online Everyman Interface Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule Ad Index Endtag Certification Magazine - November 2007 Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Magazine - November 2007 (Page Cover1) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Magazine - November 2007 (Page Cover2) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Editor's Letter (Page 3) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Contents (Page 4) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Contents (Page 5) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Data Stream (Page 6) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Data Stream (Page 7) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Tech Careers (Page 8) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Tech Careers (Page 9) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Academic Connection (Page 10) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Academic Connection (Page 11) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Dear Techie (Page 12) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Dear Techie (Page 15) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Virtual Village (Page 16) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Virtual Village (Page 17) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Outside Technology (Page 18) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Outside Technology (Page 19) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Outside Technology (Page 20) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Outside Technology (Page 21) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Outside Technology (Page 22) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Certification Outside Technology (Page 23) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Inside Certification (Page 24) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Inside Certification (Page 25) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - The Webmaster: Online Everyman (Page 26) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - The Webmaster: Online Everyman (Page 27) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - The Webmaster: Online Everyman (Page 28) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - The Webmaster: Online Everyman (Page 29) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Interface (Page 30) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Interface (Page 33) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule (Page 34) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule (Page 35) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule (Page 36) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule (Page 37) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule (Page 38) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule (Page 39) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Time Tips: How to Fit Certification into Your Schedule (Page 40) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Ad Index (Page 41) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Endtag (Page 42) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Endtag (Page Cover3) Certification Magazine - November 2007 - Endtag (Page Cover4)
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