Better Software - December 2007 - (Page 17)

Management Chronicles STORY LINES • As a manager, develop a working relationship with members of human resources and learn to appreciate the professional knowledge they bring to the table. Part of their job is to protect organizations from legal pitfalls. • Avoid the skill-list shotgun approach when recruiting. It confuses potential applicants at all skill levels. • For entry-level skills, be flexible and look for trainability more than vendor-specific technology. This gives you an opportunity to nurture talent and loyalty. “Do you realize I’m just hiring for entryto mid-level positions?” “Yes,” Kirsten replied. “I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Tom said. “But as long as you’re aware of that and if your references pan out, I’ll hire you immediately. Do you have your references available?” Matt, Kirsten, and Andrew began to rise from their chairs. Wow, Tom thought, they’re tall, too. But they kept rising—six, seven, eight feet—then they began to cackle wildly. “Of course we don’t have references, Tom!” came Matt’s reply through the hypnotic ululations of the others. “We’re only a dream. Wake up!” Tom snapped to a sitting position in his bed. He looked at his alarm clock and thought, “5:00 a.m.— I can get in a few more winks. But first . . . ” Tom grabbed his cell phone and waddled to a nearby room. He dialed the human resources department, and when the voice mail kicked in, he said, “Hi, Kathy, it’s Tom. I’m calling so I can meet with you sometime this morning. You know those ads I had you run? I think you were right. Maybe I need to revise them and stick closer to the job descriptions instead of giving you a laundry list of technologies. Thanks for all your help. See you later.” Tom folded his cell phone and returned to bed for an additional ten minutes of shut eye. Before he dozed off Tom had one more thought: “Hmm. Maybe I’ll have a bowl of fruit for breakfast, too.” {end} Patrick Bailey (patbly@comcast.net) has more than twenty years of team leadership and software development experience. He now teaches software engineering at Calvin College in Michigan. What have been your positive and negative experiences with human resources? M Follow the link on the StickyMinds.com homepage to join the conversation. www.StickyMinds.com DECEMBER 2007 BETTER SOFTWARE 17 http://StickyMinds.com http://www.sqe.com/emtd http://www.sqe.com/emtd http://www.StickyMinds.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Better Software - December 2007

Better Software - December 2007 Contents Mark Your Calendar What's Happening @ StickyMinds.com Technically Speaking Code Craft Test Connection Management Chronicles Man and Machine Let Your Values be Your Guide A Story About User Stories and Test-driven Development Product Announcements The Last Word Ad Index

Better Software - December 2007

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