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THE CHANNEL AND YOU
Latest views, thoughts and useful IT Channel information.
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Channel Qualifications
Certificate in Channel Management and Certificate in Channel Marketing Launched by the Channel Institute The Channel Institute has launched its Certificate in Channel Management and Certificate in Channel Marketing courses. The certificate courses are the first business training certificates that have been reviewed and accredited by a vendor-independent Industry Advisory Council, comprised of many of the technology industry’s leading employers worldwide. The qualification is seen as a major differentiator for Channel Account Managers and Channel Marketers that are seeking channel manager jobs or looking to progress their careers in the technology channel profession worldwide. Business training in areas such as channel management and channel marketing has traditionally been provided by employers or consulting companies on an ad hoc basis, leaving a major skills and knowledge gap in the industry. This has been particularly true for new entrants to the profession, who typically come from end-user sales or marketing. These professionals are often recent graduates who are “thrown in at the deep end” of channel management and partner marketing, or simply put through an employer’s own training academy that rarely focuses on industry-wide best practices. The goal of the Channel Institute is to bring a more formal, standardized structure to learning for channel business professionals. In particular, the Institute aims to focus on the vastly under-served segment of those that are relatively new to the profession. Thomas Jensen, VP and Head of Worldwide Partner Sales Strategy at HP comments: “The Channel Institute is a compelling approach to developing the channel profession worldwide. I am delighted to lend my knowledge to help the Institute build channel best practices to progress our profession.” Sukhdev Singh, Senior Director, Channel Programs & Partnerships at Microsoft says: “The Channel Institute is a great way to unify channel thought leadership from across the technology industry worldwide, driving best practices in channel management and channel marketing.” A list of senior channel thought leaders at the worlds largest technology employers who are on the Industry Advisory Panel is here: https://www.channelinstitute.com/industry-advisory-council Trials of both certificate courses are also being made available for channel professionals to test their knowledge. The content and examinations can be accessed here: Certificate in Channel Management Certificate in Channel Marketing
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Attracting and retaining staff in the channel
Panel Discussion: We were recently privileged to take part in a panel discussion on the subject of 'Attracting and retaining staff in the channel.' The event at ‘Channel Live’ brought together 5 people from varying channel backgrounds with a blend of expertise from across the industry. David Jones – Chief People Officer - Daisy Group Jessica Hadleigh – Marketing Manager – Thames Distribution Adam Simon – Global Managing Director - CONTEXTworld David Pitts – Founder – Trust Business Partners Leon Conway – Co-Founder – channelpeople.co.uk Our task was to dissect the subject, share experiences and highlight some best practices to help companies in our industry with this very current issue. The topic was initially raised by a senior figure from one of the large IT distributors. They claimed that once their staff are trained up, they often get poached by their suppliers and customers. And that attracting new staff was a challenge. We broke the subject down into 5 key areas, which we'll summarise in separate updates over the next week or so: 1: The importance of an efficient, effective recruitment process. 2. Training / Apprenticeships 3. Employee on-boarding and integration 4. Attracting and retaining millennials 5. Company culture and its impact on retention An efficient, effective recruitment process 'Are you as committed to your recruitment process as you expect your best applicants to be?' If you want to recruit the best candidates, your recruitment process needs to be slick. The recruitment process is very much a 2-way street, with your brand and reputation on the line. The best candidates have plenty of options and can easily be put off. If your process isn’t up to scratch you will lose them. Here are a few essential things you must get right. 1. Professionalism All internal stakeholders must understand and be fully bought into your recruitment process. They must fully understand your business, your industry and how to identify suitable candidates. You’ll be surprised how many don’t. Your job description and job advert need to convey the reality of working for your company and a realistic description of the role. Read it back and consider whether it sounds appealing. If you’re using an agency, make sure the company and consultant you’re working with fully understands these things too. Be as detailed as you can in your brief, to give them every chance of finding you good candidates. 2. Timeliness Don’t keep candidates waiting for weeks because one of the interviewers can’t find time in their schedule. You wouldn’t accept that from a candidate. If recruiting the best staff isn’t very high up your organisation's list of priorities, don't be surprised if you struggle to attract the best people. Block out time for interviews in everyone’s diaries in advance. From first engaging with a candidate, the process should take weeks not months. The longer you take, the greater the chance of losing the candidate. 3. Communication Whether it’s direct or through an agency, you must keep candidates informed. Don’t assume they know what’s going on. Confirm the receipt of every CV, and explain how and when applicants will be notified whether or not they have been selected for the next phase. Let them know how the process will work in advance. How many interviews there will be, the format of each interview and the timescales over which they’ll take place. If anything changes, let them know immediately. They will have a schedule and commitments that they need to manage, don’t make it difficult for them. Unless you have a very good reason, you should be able to give detailed feedback within 48 hours of every interview. If you choose not to progress with a candidate, tell them why. At some point in the future, they may be suitable for a different role in your company. Leaving them with a positive impression will increase the likelihood of them taking the time to apply again. Clear, accurate and timely communication, in conjunction with a professional and efficient recruitment process, demonstrates that you care about the candidate and is a good indication of the reality of your company culture. Watch this space for part 2. Training and Apprenticeships
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The Best Talent
The Importance of a Good Job Description. Taking the time to develop a detailed and accurate description of your vacancy, will help you attract the best candidates. Why is your job description so important and what things should you consider? There’s been a continuous stream of dialogue over the past few years that the IT industry is struggling with a skills shortage, and failing to attract enough new talent to fill all the open vacancies. So, in a time when the candidate appears to be holding the “ace card”, how do you attract new people into your business? It’s been argued that a large proportion of candidates will form an opinion about the suitability of an organisation simply by reading the content in a job description. Therefore, it’s very important that you’re able to convey your wants, needs and company culture via your job description, just as you do when releasing other PR and marketing messages. So, where to start! In advance of placing job ads and speaking with recruitment agencies, it’s advised that you spend time evaluating exactly what you require from a candidate. Take time to develop a detailed description of the role, including all responsibilities, objectives and requirements. Spending the time now to consider exactly what skills and experience is required for your role and the type of person you want will save you time and energy in the future. Before crafting your job description, you may want to consider the following: Try to capture the company’s values and culture in your writing style. Choose words that best reflect the organisation. Be as accurate as possible as the goal is to attract people who are right for the position and the company. Use bullet points where possible. Be as specific as you can be when describing the vacancy. It’ll help candidates identify with the role and picture themselves in it. Be clear about the responsibilities and qualifications necessary for the job. What should I include when writing a job description? The “job title”. Be sure to choose a job title that reflects the position you’re looking to fill. The title should be recognisable in your industry and in the organisation’s culture and structure. Location. Include details on where the position is located. If travel is necessary, note what percentage of time the employee will spend travelling and where he or she will be travelling to. Key responsibilities and accountabilities. List the essential functions of the position. Depending on the seniority of the role, it’s advised to list 5-15 points. Try to avoid any more than 15 points as the job description will begin to look overly fussy. Be as open and honest as you can as it’ll allow candidates to picture themselves in the role. Skills/qualifications. Which are essential and which are desirable. List all qualifications that are mandatory, along with those that are preferred. Such qualifications should include skills, years of experience, certifications, education level and necessary technical proficiencies. Salary and benefits. Listing the salary and benefits will undoubtedly attract more candidates. If you’re not comfortable including a fixed salary you could opt to include a salary range. This will provide the scope to attract candidates with varying levels of education, skills and experience. Don’t forget to include other such benefits, holiday days, medical cover, gym membership, child care facilities etc. Personality traits. What kind of personality would be the ideal fit for your team, and with your organisation’s culture and values? Company Overview. It’s helpful for potential candidates to have an outline of the company, what it does, and why someone would want to join the business. Additional information you may want to consider including; mission statement, impressive stats relating to growth, company values and culture. Contact details. Include contact information so that potential candidates know how you would like them to apply, or, who to contact if they have any questions. A well written and concise job description will provide the reader with a very clear understanding of the position, the company and the skills and experience required to be a success in the role. The more specific and transparent you can make the job description, the more likely it is you’ll find the perfect candidate.
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Focus on the Future
You’ve decided it’s time to look for a new role, but you’re not sure what your ideal role looks like! You’ve visited lots of job sites, read many job descriptions, spoken with quite a few recruitment agencies, but are still unclear about what you’re really looking for. As every job change in your career is an important step, channelpeople.co.uk has pulled together a few questions and tips that will help you create a more focused approach to your job search. Before considering your next role, it’s important to review your current position, for example. Why are you looking to move job? What is it you like/dislike about your current role? You could be looking for a change for many reasons, career progression, relocation, work/life balance, salary package, etc. Once you’ve built a picture of why you’re looking to change role, and have a clear understanding of what you like or dislike about your current position, it’s time to consider the following: What kind of company culture suits you best? What size of company do you want to work for? Where in the channel do you want to work? E.g Vendor, Distributor, VAR If you’ve already identified a company you’d like to work for. What is it that attracts you to the organisation? Can you identify other similar companies? What type of role suits you best, and plays to your strengthens? Think about the technology you want to be involved with, how it’s evolving and if it interests you. Do you want to manage people or be an individual contributor? How far do you want to travel to work, or, do you want an external role? How do you want your career to develop in the next 2-5 years? What are your salary expectations? This could have a bearing on the dream role! Why not create a list to capture your responses to the above questions? Having your responses all in one place will keep you on track when reading through job ads, or are speaking with recruitment managers or agencies. Changing positions can be good for you for many reasons, but it normally takes plentiful amounts of perseverance and research, plus a small amount of good fortune to land the perfect role! Best of luck!
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8 Essential Job Interview Tips
Whether you embrace or endure the interview process; these helpful tips will go a long way to increasing your chances of coming out on top and landing that dream job. Regardless of the type of interview you're preparing for, doing plenty of research and planning is key. Research the issues, trends and opportunities affecting the organisation and the wider market. Have a clear understanding of the vacancy and be able to explain why you are a great fit for the role. Avoid talking too much, be succinct when responding to questions (consider using the STAR Method to help you stay focused when answering the question). Enthusiasm and a positive attitude will instantly make you a more appealing candidate. Do not complain about your current or previous employers. Try to relax and show off your natural personality. End the interview on a positive note. Find out what the next steps are and when you’re likely to hear feedback.
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CV writing advice & other helpful tips.
A well written, well presented and relevant CV is essential to create a good impression, provoke interest, and ultimately generate interviews for you. Writing your CV is a very important part of job hunting, it’s your 'shop window' to display your skills, experience and achievements. Here is some advice on what to include, and how to layout your CV. Your Address and Contact details Make sure you have the latest contact details on your CV (name, postal address, email address, phone number). Personal Profile Write one or two paragraphs and try to avoid clichés. Especially if you 'work well on your own, and as part of a team'! What sort of person are you? What industry/sector and job roles do you specialise in? What are your strengths, areas of expertise and experience? You should be tailoring your CV to the job you are applying for. Pick out key words and requirements from the job description or advert, and relate them to your experience. Be honest, you will be asked for detail at an interview! Key Achievements/Skills Bullet point your key achievements & skills Summarise you career highlights first If you're in sales, you could highlight significant deals you have delivered If technical, highlight your qualifications and technical accomplishments Summarise any relevant company & industry awards Any relevant life achievements and experiences could also help Keep it brief. You can elaborate in the interview Professional Experience Keep your professional experience relevant to the role. If your CV runs into multiple pages because of a large number of roles and experience gathered, you could summarise or remove the roles that aren’t relevant to the position you’re applying for. Include a quick summary of the company followed by the main focus of your role. Highlight everything you accomplished during your time in the job that made you stand out. What did you achieve over and above the norm? Avoid writing your job description. Continue to include roles that are relevant to your job application. Professional Training/Qualifications A great opportunity to demonstrate that you or your previous/current employers have invested time and money in helping you become more skilled in your field. Including your professional qualifications can be especially important when it’s a minimum requirement of the role. Pre-Sales and Post-Sales support are good examples of this. Education Your education should be listed in reverse chronological order. Include the name of the institutions and the dates you were there, followed by the grades you achieved. Interests You don’t have to list all your interests and hobbies. However, this is your chance to include some of your personality in your CV. Recruiting managers and HR teams will want to know a little about you outside of the working environment. A quick paragraph on the things you are passionate about can go a long way to help you stand out from the crowd, especially if your hobbies relate to the industry/role you’re going into. References Your referees should include your previous employers or your educational tutors. Or, if you’re short on space, simply state, 'References available upon request'. Final note The way your CV is presented is very important, keep it ‘clean and simple’ and free from grammar and spelling mistakes. It’s advisable to have somebody else proofread your CV. Social Media If you’re registered on any professional networking sites, Linkedin for example, remember to keep your profile up to date and professional. Before you begin your job search you might want to consider your 'personal' social media profile. It’s advisable that you take a 'safety first' approach, and become familiar with all the available privacy settings. As your career blossoms, make sure you review your social media presence on a frequent basis.
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The only IT Channel Job website
The only online job board dedicated to the IT Channel But how do you benefit? Candidate Benefits Relevant jobs from relevant employers Familiar search filters – Job titles, technology areas and terminology you recognise Regular new jobs – Lots of new jobs added each week Job Alerts – Waiting for the perfect job? Set up custom alerts to suit your expertise Privacy – Want to keep your details private? No problem. Registration is confidential. CV, interview and job hunting advice Employer Benefits Relevant Audience – Get applications direct from IT and tech industry professionals Cost effective - £95+VAT for 1 Job Post or £335/Month for up to 180 posts per year Candidate management – Manage your applications in our easy to use dashboard Unlimited users – Unlimited user accounts to allow hiring managers/recruiters to manage their own vacancies and candidates Reach - 35,000+ page views and 400 applications in our first 7 weeks, and growing fast... Brand promotion – Your our own landing page to tell potential candidates about your business Joint social media campaigns to reach that bit further Job advertising hints and tips
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Channel People Tackles Recruitment in Channel
Channel People Tackles Recruitment in Channel. Published on www.commsbusiness.co.uk on 04/07/2017 A new company called Channel People has sprung up recently which aims to supply Channel companies with the talent they are looking for. The IT Channel is a unique and special place, full of very talented people but it can be a hidden and misunderstood world when it comes to attracting new talent. Gavin O’Shea, Director at Channel People, commented, “It became clear to us after our own extensive time in the IT Channel, that the generalist jobsites did not address the specifics of what we know as the Channel. Jobs were mis-catorgised and valuable time was wasted searching through unsuitable roles. That is why we decided to develop channelpeople.co.uk to be the UK’s first IT Channel only job website. A resource where IT Channel vendors, distributors, value-added resellers and service providers can advertise their vacancies to a targeted audience of industry professionals and new talent.” The site is designed to complement channel organisation’s existing recruitment activities, helping to reduce costs, save time and immediately reach the right audience. At the same time, it gives candidates a very specific and dedicated place to search for their next role. channelpeople.co.uk uses industry specific search filters designed to help IT Channel sales professionals, marketers, commercial and technical specialists, easily find our client’s vacancies that are relevant to them. O’Shea continued “It’s early days but we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from some leading companies who have registered and posted vacancies.”
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Putting candidates in control...
Putting candidates in control.... Whether you are actively looking for a new job or just browsing to see what’s out there, channelpeople.co.uk puts you in charge. Candidate registrations are private and the only companies that can see your CV are the companies whose vacancies you apply for. Your application goes directly to the employer except when the job is advertised by one of our reputable agency partners. The logo alongside the job description is the company you’re applying to. Job alerts – Would you like to be notified when jobs that match your skill set, salary expectations and locale are posted?......No problem, set up job alerts in your candidate dashboard. There are now vacancies from more than 50 IT companies, go to our browse jobs page to take a look.
