TRAITS OF GREAT IT LEADERS

Things are always changing in the tech industry, and that includes leadership. Today, being an IT leader means something different than it did even ten years ago. Leaders are no longer controlling, reviewing, and directing every aspect of a project-instead, they’re empowering skilled team members to work both independently and collaboratively, doing what it takes to get the job done with efficiency and excellence.

So what makes a great IT leader? Here are a few of the most common traits shared by successful leaders in the tech industry, and how these traits help them guide and develop the most powerful and complex component of IT-human resources.

They know themselves

The best IT leaders are self-aware. They have high degrees of emotional intelligence-understanding their own strengths and weaknesses, and knowing who to surround themselves with in order to complement those aspects. They’re also aware of their own emotional triggers, which helps them to manage logically.

To be a successful leader, you also need to know your own leadership style. When you’re aware of both how and why you manage as you do, you’re able to project an authenticity that your team can detect in every interaction-making it easier for them to respect you.

They create a team environment where it’s safe to fail

Collaboration is essential in today’s IT landscape. A great leader is able to encourage effective collaboration by knowing who should work together on what projects, along with when and where collaborations should take place. Leaders embrace the idea that “none of us is as smart as all of us.”

Working together can also help to cultivate innovation-and a strong leader is aware that innovation sometimes requires failure. It’s important for an IT leader to encourage team members to take reasonable risks, and not to penalize them or call out individual employees if a risk fails. Team members should know that they’re allowed to make some mistakes along the way.

They’re always learning

Without question, the most successful IT leaders never stop to rest on their laurels. Even those who reach the pinnacle of the company ladder are aware that they don’t know everything-and they’re always looking for ways to grow and improve.

This is especially essential for leaders in the tech industry. With frequent changes and upgrades, and continually emerging technologies, the only thing IT professionals can be sure of is that things will be different tomorrow. Staying up to date with the latest advances that are relevant to your company is crucial for successful leadership.

However, keep in mind that you shouldn’t only strive to improve your industry knowledge. If you’re aware that you struggle with soft skills like decision-making, or communication, or strategic thinking, you can continue to learn more in those areas-take a course, read relevant books, or even network with and learn from other leaders you admire.

Most great leaders aren’t born that way. They learn to improve through awareness and experience-and you can, too.

If you are looking for a staffing partner to help you recruit top IT talent in California, contact us today. The Armada Group has the top IT recruiters in Santa Cruz.

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TIM CHAPMAN JOINS THE ARMADA GROUP AS EVP

The Armada Group is pleased to announce the addition of Tim Chapman to their senior leadership team as an Executive Vice President. Mr. Chapman will be responsible for corporate sales leadership and direct management of Armada's new Silicon Valley offices.
Mr. Chapman has more than 17 years years of information technology staffing and recruiting experience, previously serving in leadership roles for TEKsystems and Volt Information Sciences. In addition, Mr. Chapman is a U.S. Army Veteran with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Houston.
According to Armada CEO, Jeff Tavangar “Tim is a proven IT services leader who thoroughly understands technology staffing in the Bay area.  He will be a great resource for our clients who are looking to develop more effective talent management strategies.”
Mr. Chapman will focus on the delivery of The Armada Group's proprietary talent consultation process to enable companies to more effectively and proactively hire and manage their technical staffing requirements. According to Mr. Chapman, “By joining the Armada Group, I am thrilled to be a member of the team that has been a key solutions provider to an impressive list of who's who in global technology companies with roots in the Bay Area. Armada's expansion is a natural step in our commitment to deliver the best available talent with the companies that require it.”
About The Armada Group
The Armada Group provides on demand talent solutions for the world's most innovative companies. Armada's clients include global technology leaders like Cisco, eBay and Paypal, Fortune 500 companies such as HP and Sony, as well as fast growth VC funded tech firms.
The Armada Group was founded in 1995 to connect extraordinary talent with world class opportunities. Because of the incredibly competitive nature of technical recruiting in the Bay Area, Armada developed a proprietary technical talent evaluation and hiring plan process that enables employers to more effectively source qualified resources and ensure timely access to full-time and contract staff.
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THE “MINNIE” SCOOP ON CISCO’S TELEPRESENCE SYSTEM: A VIDEO TEST ENGINEER’S EXPERIENCE

For over a year now, Minnie Yuan has been a team member of The Armada Group working as a Video Endpoint Test Engineer for Cisco Systems, Inc.  Prior to working for Cisco, Minnie attended the University of Massachusetts and graduated with a M.S. in Computer Engineering where she began working for High Tech company in Massachusetts.  In 2000, Minnie relocated to California to explore her opportunities in the world-renowned Silicon Valley.  When she reflects on the advantages of the West Coast, she comments, “With so many companies in [the] Silicon Valley, we [engineers] definitely have an advantage with working for different companies with software testing experience and expertise.”  Through Minnie and Armada’s team effort, she was connected to such an experience, and has since enjoyed working with Cisco’s TelePresence System.

From her previous years of working experiences, Minnie had learned much about the processes and structures of working for a large company.  As she explains in her own words, “…the process is the most important thing.  We all come from different backgrounds, and if there is no process to follow, [then] everyone does their own thing and no one works together.”  As part of Cisco’s process, test engineers are required to become familiar with a project before they begin working on it.  To gather information about the product, test engineers must first conduct their research by looking at relevant in-house documentations.  Since in-house documentations are not always up-to-date, Minnie relies on her co-workers for information on new or unfamiliar projects.  From her personal discovery she states, “The fastest way [of researching] is talking to people who have worked on the same project… [because] each of their answers will point me to one area.”  If her co-workers help is still not enough, Minnie resorts to the Internet.  As she recollects the past, she notes, “Before Google, we only searched for information in-house.  Now we have it [available] worldwide for common knowledge, and if you want more information on something you can Google it.”

As a video test engineer, Minnie is also responsible for setting up software and ensuring product quality.  When the products have been ordered and shipped from in-house manufactures, the test engineers must assemble the different cables and wires.  Once the hardware pieces are positioned in place, the engineers go online to attain the product’s source code to set up the network.  According to Minnie, getting the hardware and the network running can be tedious and take up to a couple of days.  As soon as both systems are set up, the test engineers can finally test the video product itself. 

Testing the product and making video calls to other test engineers is Minnie’s favorite part of the job.  Minnie said the hands-on experience of using the product is both fun and vital to the overall quality of the TelePresence System.  As she points out, “…for video products you still have to have a human experience.  It’s not like you can just let the machine run automatically overnight [for] 24 hours per day to get pass or fail results.”  Engaging and interacting with the product is also important in gaining insight and knowledge on how the customers will be using the TelePresence System.  During testing, Minnie explains, “…you definitely need to hear it and see it… because that’s what the customer is going to use every minute when they turn on the TelePresence.  They are going to talk, see, and share information.” After the engineers finish their initial examination of the product, they begin focusing on testing assigned features of the system.

When testing the system’s specific functions, the engineers are required to examine many defined feature cases to find and correct product errors.  With new hardware or software, test engineers treat each of these cases as important, but if they are working with a newer version of software, they focus on prioritizing the importance of each case.  In order to accomplish looking over 300 test cases, Minnie makes 15 cases a priority and executes those first.  If she finds anything wrong with the products from her test results, she is quick to inform the developers so that they can immediately fix the problem.  Once the higher priority cases are looked over and the errors are fixed, the remaining cases are considered medium to less important because of their low impact on the entire project.

The experience Minnie has gained as a video test engineer for Cisco has been most valuable and educational.  She enthusiastically says, “I am very happy to have the opportunity to work on a very high-end product with such a great company.  After a year of working on the job, I really see a lot.”  Also proud of her success is the Armada team who helped connect Minnie with her worldwide experience at Cisco’s Telepresence.  We are inspired by her accomplishments and hope to connect our future consultants with similarly successful and innovative opportunities.

Contributed by: Renee Gonzalez, The Armada Group(LIfe @TheArmadaGroup)

TOP 5 CHROME EXTENSIONS OF 2013

In just five years, Google Chrome has become the most widely used desktop browser, surpassing both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Chrome is pretty impressive right out of the box, with the latest update (Version 27) featuring excellent security, fast response time, superior HTML5 support, cross-device bookmark and preference syncing, and a built-in PDF reader and flash player.

However, extensions and add-ons can make Chrome even better. There are now almost as many Chrome extras—more than 50,000 of them—as there are in the extensive Firefox library of add-ons. Here are five of the best for 2013.

Security extension: Click&Clean

Maximize your browsing privacy and security with this full-featured extension. Click&Clean features a drop-down menu with 1-click actions like clearing your cache, deleting cookies, and erasing your download and browser history. You can also delete temporary files, Flash Cookies, and client-side Web SQL databases.

This extension offers more than a fast way to erase your browsing activity. Click&Clean gives you a one-click link to external security applications, like Bitdefender to scan for malware and CCCleaner or Wise Disk Cleaner to securely delete files. You can also use this add-on to watch flash videos offline.

Interface extension: AdBlock and AdBlock Plus

Both of these Chrome add-ons serve the same basic purpose: they keep ads from ruining your online experience. The community-driven AdBlock Plus blocks banners, pop-ups, and video ads, including on Facebook and YouTube.

AdBlock (without the “plus”), which is unrelated to the extension of nearly the same name, takes things a step further by blocking banners, pop-ups, and all video and Flash ads, including those in Flash-based games. The latest version, 2.6, also includes a counter that shows you how many ads have been blocked.

Productivity extension: RescueTime

Ever wonder where the time goes when you’re online? Now you can figure out which sites are your biggest time drains with this handy add-on. The RescueTime Chrome Productivity Meter keeps track of which sites you’re using online. An automatic pause feature stops the timer when your keyboard and mouse go untouched for two minutes, and you get a report letting you know exactly where you spend the most time.

Bonus extension: Can’t seem to pry yourself off Facebook or YouTube? Pair RescueTime with StayFocusd, an add-on that limits the amount of time per day Chrome will let you spend on certain websites before the browser blocks them. You can set StayFocusd to monitor your time on entire sites, specific pages, or even apps and Flash games.

Sharing and bookmarking extension: AddThis

A faster way to bookmark pages, share content on your social networks, and more, AddThis makes it easy to save your favorite things online. You can bookmark or share anything with a tool bar drop-down menu, or by right-clicking anywhere on a page. AddThis supports more than 300 services, including the big social media networks, blogging platforms, and email services.

Tab extension: Awesome New Tab Page

The default new tab in Chrome shows you shortcut options based on recently visited pages or most-used bookmarks. With the Awesome New Tab Page add-on, you get a customizable Windows 8-esque tile menu that lets you arrange your favorite bookmarks and custom shortcuts, add dynamic widgets, launch apps, and more. You can move, resize, and delete your shortcuts and widgets at will with a drag-n-drop interface.

If you are looking for software developer jobs in Santa Cruz CA, contact The Armada Gorup today. We would love to hear from you.

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The Armada Group Makes Inavero’s 2012 “Best of Staffing” Talent List for a Third Year in a Row

The Armada Group recently announced that it has been named to Inavero’s 2012 Best of Staffing™ Talent list. Best of Staffing, presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, is the nation’s first award that recognizes staffing firms that receive remarkable reviews from the people they find jobs (employed talent). Fewer than 1% of North American staffing firms have been named to the 2012 Best of Staffing Talent List.

“We are thrilled to have been recognized for our efforts by Inavero. Over 90 percent of Armada’s business comes from repeat customers or by referral and we believe Armada’s commitment to connecting extraordinary talent with world class opportunities, is the reason.” Armada’s CEO, Lisa Sullivan said. “It is an honor to see Armada recognized and validated a third time by an independent survey and to be in the top one percent of all staffing companies nationwide.” 

Staffing firms competing to make the Best of Staffing list underwent a rigorous survey process followed by careful analysis of responses to determine satisfaction levels. The Armada Group received satisfaction ratings of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 71.4 percent of their talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 50 percent. Best of Staffing participants secured a place on the list by earning an average Net Promoter Score that was nearly double the national staffing industry benchmark for talent who had been placed in a job. 

“The staffing industry continues to play a key role in helping to revitalize the economy,” said Eric Gregg, Inavero’s Founder and CEO. “Staffing firms give growth-minded organizations a more flexible alternative to recruiting their own employees, letting both the employee and employer determines if the fit is right for a more permanent position. Both sides receive tremendous value in a flexible, yet meaningful working relationship, and as they engage with staffing firms to help achieve those goals, the service experience they have is very important to their success. The Best of Staffing lists are a resource for businesses and talent who are trying to find staffing firms that provide exceptional service.” 

Inavero’s complete Best of Staffing list can be viewed at http://www.bestofstaffing.com. For more information about Inavero, visit www.inavero.com. To learn more about The Armada Group visit www.thearmadagroup.com. 

About The Armada Group Armada provides On Demand Talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies. We connect extraordinary talent with world class opportunities. Founded in 1995, Armada is a leader and trusted partner to many of Silicon Valley’s most influential technology companies. 

About Inavero, Inc. Inavero designs and manages satisfaction surveys for a global list of staffing and recruiting firms in more than 15 countries. Inavero’s proprietary technology platform gathers and reports staffing firm client and talent satisfaction information through online surveys. Inavero’s team analyzes satisfaction feedback from more than 500,000 staffing firm clients and talent each year, and serves at the American Staffing Association’s exclusive research partner. 

Temp Jobs Up 57% Vs. 4% For All Others Since Aug. 09

A boost in temporary employment typically presages strong full-time hiring, but four years after the Great Recession’s end, temp jobs keep growing briskly as skittish businesses avoid permanent hires in a sluggish, uncertain economic environment.
Since bottoming in August 2009 at 1.75 million, the number of workers provided by staffing agencies has been on a steady upward trend to 2.74 million workers last month, a 57% gain, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other nonfarm payroll jobs are up just 4% over that span. Temp jobs as an overall percentage of payrolls is now 2%, near an all-time high.
Staffing industry executives said the increases have come across the board, from secretarial to blue-collar work to professional and technical services.
Sluggish economic growth has made employers reluctant to add full-time staff or step up investment, even though corporations sit on more than $1 trillion in cash. Congress and the Obama administration have lurched from one fiscal crisis to the next, while ObamaCare and other major regulations give employers an incentive to use temporary workers.
Temps Here To Stay
The staffing industry is reaping the benefits.
“The economic policy uncertainty … has undoubtedly played a role” in temp job gains, wrote Steven Berchem in a report for the American Staffing Association. “Uncertainty can be good for the staffing industry.”
Temp jobs comprised one in 10 jobs lost during the Great Recession, “but they have been responsible for more than 16% of net employment gains since the recession ended,” he noted, crediting temping’s growth to “the flexibility factor: employees want it, businesses need it and it’s good for the economy.”
Jonas Prising, president of ManpowerGroup, a Milwaukee-based staffing and consulting company, said although businesses desire the flexibility and “organizational agility” for themselves, that doesn’t always mean all of their temps want such fluidity in their working situations.
“The majority of people would be taking the jobs under whatever contractual conditions,” he said.
Regardless, the employment services industry is expected to grow two-thirds faster than overall employment, according to BLS. It expects 631,000 more temp jobs in 2020 than 2010.
Structural Vs. Sluggish
“All the research that we’ve done (shows) the trends are pointing towards the flexible workforce,” said Jeff Tavangar, CEO at The Armada Group, a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based staffing company.
Yet not everyone sees structural change, just a weak economy.
Alan Gin, an economics professor at University of San Diego, said employers won’t see the need to curtail the hiring of temps until the jobless rate — now 7.3% — gets back to 5%-6%.

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