How to Build a Bigger, Better Talent Pool – Idexcel Staffing/Talent Roundup

1. How to Build a Bigger, Better Talent Pool

In an ideal world, when a job order comes in you always have the perfect candidate in mind and ready to go. The reality is that finding and placing quality talent isn’t usually that simple. Fortunately, there are plenty of fish in the sea — you just have to bait and catch them. Read more…

2. The Road More Traveled

Mobility programs have become a key talent management strategy in today’s war for talent, giving companies a way to deploy the best people to the right locations in support of their business goals.

And as more of these organizations expand globally, the need to mobilize their employees has steadily increased — especially as they expand overseas. Company growth and lack of local talent tied for the top factors that affected relocation volumes in 2014, according to Atlas World Group’s 2015 Corporate Relocation Survey. Read more…

3. Trust Me, the Sharing Economy Is Changing Staffing

It’s no secret to the staffing industry that trust is the cornerstone of all good business. Our clients trust us to send them good people. Our employees trust us to find them better jobs.

So what happens when someone else finds a more efficient way to create that trust? Or what if they compete with legit staffing companies unlawfully and without our cost structure? Read more…

4. How To Get Your Career Unstuck

You’re bored out of your mind and can’t see an obvious next step within your current employer. You might be stuck behind an ungrateful boss, or perhaps you’ve just been doing the same job too long. No matter the details, that feeling of “being stuck” saps your energy and makes you feel like there is no hope for your career.

“THBPBPTHPT!” as they say in the cartoons. That’s sheer nonsense. You just need to break out of your rut. Here’s how to get started. Read more…

How To Regain Your Leadership Confidence – Idexcel Leadership Roundup

1. How To Regain Your Leadership Confidence

Business can be tough. Business can be especially hard for the leader of an organization who has lost their confidence in their ability to lead. Leaders have the hard task of setting vision, unifying the team, and building structure. When a leader loses their confidence these tasks and so many more like them can become more difficult and can cause major issues in the organization. Read more…

2. Project Freedom (or: Liberate your Low Performers)

As team leader, you probably are familiar with the following situation: A member of your team is not really at his or her top performance. He may be wicked smart. You might have fought hard to get him. You might like him on a personal level. But for one reason or another, things are not working out. So what should you do? Read more…

3. The 4 Most Creative Kinds of Leaders

In today’s snappy corporate speak, forms of creative leadership are like statement blazers or ultra low-rise jeans: they’re either in or they’re out. Every year, the most popular business magazines claim that a certain type of person is the most innovative of the moment. This month, it might be the triumph of the technological guru. In the fall, it might be the rise of the artistic genius. Pundits treat innovation strategies as if they were fashion trends, hot during one season only to turn pass the next. Read more…

4. What Successful People Know that You Need to Learn!

This might surprise you, but success is all about structure. As a matter of fact, we do not get better, we do not change our behavior, and we do not become successful without it! Yet, most people don’t. Not only is having and utilizing structure a challenge, but you have the added test of incorporating the right structure – meaning a structure that fits the situation and personalities involved, including yours. Read more…

STAREAST 2015 Interview with Andy Glover: Idexcel Testing Roundup

1. STAREAST 2015 Interview with Andy Glover: Problem Solving for Testers

Summary:In this STAREAST interview, Andy Glover explains how testers solve problems. He digs into visual testing and its uses, as well as how we need to innovate in order to move the industry forward. Take a look.

2. The Economics Of Testing

What makes us professional?

I’ve heard many answers. But over the last few years I’ve established my own definition: Professionals understand the impact of the money they are given. Professionals do not waste that money, but invest their skills for maximal customer value. Professionals understand that value in terms of business impact for the customers.

This post explores the different facets of software testing economics and outlines a plan testers can use to become true professionals. Read on…

3. Technical and Non-Technical Testing Skills

One of the sessions at the Romanian testing conference in Cluj last week was a debate on do testers need to be technical or non-technical. It was an interesting debate and one which causes some great discussions. One of the first observations was many of the people present were willing to come forward and present the case that testers need to be technical. The framing of the definitions to me made it difficult to choose which side to present for, since no one had come forward for the non-technical side I put myself forward along with Richard Bradshaw (@friendly tester) and a couple of other people, unfortunately their names have escaped me.

Read on to find out which side was voted the most persuasive.

4. Discussion: Would having a Certificate help?

I have been in the Banking and Finance Industry for almost a year as a Quality Assurance Engineer. I am planning to explore other options and expand my knowledge.Contribute your response here!

Outsourcing- Finding the best Business Partner

Across different businesses and functions, organizations are confronted with multiple challenges. Operating in the global environment where the dynamics expand and shift relentlessly, concentrating on all the business processes may lead to compromises in the core competencies. However, some priorities stay constant across different businesses, and one such business choice is Outsourcing. Outsourcing is a major strategic decision which involves weighing the benefits against the consequences and entrusting the business processes to external vendors. It is encompassing functions closer to the core business, offering economic and strategic benefits. Outsourcing is gradually gaining popularity as a critical management lever to improve competitive advantage, business innovation and customer relationships. Cost reduction is usually the most oft-cited reason for outsourcing, and to some extent, service or product improvement as well, however, there are several subtle benefits which are not so easy to quantify.

The benefits of outsourcing are not limited to any particular industry or domain, and outsourcing partners can design and implements systems that best fit any given business, their ambition and their budget. Businesses can dodge expensive overhauls due to scalability of outsourcing. There are several reasons to outsource, and some of the most common benefits are:

  • Cost Advantage
  • Access to state-of-the-art capabilities and skilled resources
  • Improved organization focus
  • Increased Efficiency
  • Access to resources unavailable internally
  • Freed-up available internal resource
  • Accelerated Re-engineering benefits
  • Savings on Infrastructure and technology
  • Time Zone Advantage

What to look for In Outsourcing Partner

Outsourcing is a boon for many enterprises as it enables them to concentrate on what they do best. However, to reap full benefits of outsourcing, consider the following guidelines:

  • The most important step in the decision for outsourcing is to identify whether or not it is something you need. It is tricky, however if you have identified the tasks and processes you need to outsource, you are in the right direction. Once the needs are defined, you need to dig at the specifics of each business function that needs to be outsourced so that the goals and objectives of outsourcing can be clearly identified.
  • An important consideration while choosing the outsourcing partner is to see if their business aims and objective match with yours, and the partner is able to clearly understand your business objectives.
  • Service Level Agreement (SLA) lays out key deliverables in writing and is a good way to compare the offerings of different service providers. Look for hit rates to understand if their targets are the accurate representation of the actual service.
  • While communicating with the potential outsourcing partners, you need to communicate how business functions need to be done, what is the budget, expectations of the results and turnover time.
  • Seek proof of proven skills in the key areas. Ask for references to find more about the service quality, support and deliveries.
  • Ensure the financial stability of the partnering firm. It may be helpful to find out details about directors, managers, their qualifications and their experience. This information will enable you to gauge the worthiness and credentials of the firm. Visit the partner’s workplace to ensure that they have high-end technology and best-of-breed infrastructure that are relevant for your project. This will also help you better understand their methodologies and processes.
  • Outsourcing partner should have good networking with the high-end suppliers that provides easy point of contact for all technical and non-technical requirements. The products recommended by the partners should fit the businesses well, and decision should not be based on maximum commission that the partnering company gets from its suppliers.
  • The outsourcing partner should be able to provide reliable service desk support whether it is a quick advice or an underlying technical problem. Due to economies of scale, it is cheaper to outsource, than to have onsite employees. However, the outsourcing partner should be able to provide complete visibility to the raised tickets, and convenient access to the service desk staff.
  • The staff of the outsourcing partner should be able to communicate in the same language as good communication can assure good long term relationship.
  • Ensure that “24×7” involves around-the-clock help from the trained engineers if required, else the support given will be of the answering machine, or unknowledgeable call center staff.
  • Ensure that the account manager has the essential skill and knowledge, and is willing to have personal face-to-face meetings to cover targets and areas of improvement
  • To boost the relationship between the in-house and service provider’s staff, scheduled visits can help understand key processes and products better.
  • Clarify the inclusions of support package and ensure clear terms for transparent billing.
  • The service provider should be able to give right to jump the queue in case of critical scenarios. The cases should be prioritized based on operational impact.
  • There must be a reliable and proven management platform so that the systems and be analyzed and rectified remotely. In-house tools may not have been tested thoroughly, and resources might be more concentrated on development rather than providing services.
  • The service provider should be able to accurately forecast and anticipate the growth in the business, and be able to scale accordingly, without losing the focus on service.
  • Great workforce can lead to great partnership. For any outsourcing partnership, look for the staff award, workplace accolades and other indications that employees in the company are given competitive environment and tools for professional growth.

Once the research is complete, form a special team to conduct the evaluation of the few finalized outsourcing partners, and prepare a plan for Request for Information (RFI) in order to gather the essential information. Once the shortlisted vendors submit their request for proposal (RFP), you can start the evaluation. After all the details are obtained from the service provider, choose the company that is most closely aligned with your outsourcing objectives. It is also important to keep the internal staff well-informed about the participation of external vendor as their cooperation and support is mandatory for the successful integration and materialization.