[thelist] Requests for interviews Re: Has it come to that? (fwd)

[Ben Henick]

Apologies in advance to those on webdesign-l and/or css-d who have already
seen this...


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 04:18:12 -0600 (CST)
From: Ben Henick <persist1 at io.com>
To: list at webdesign-l.com
Subject: Requests for interviews Re: [WD]: Has it come to that?

Regarding the subject line of this message - the journalism I'm doing is
described below.  If you are:

- presently on the roster of an agency/boutique regardless of specialty;
- have several quarters' experience in such an environment but are
  presently freelancing;
- and/or have client contacts who have had both good and bad experiences
  with outsourcing Web projects;

I would like to start a dialogue with you.  Lurkers are especially
welcome.

On Mon, 2 Dec 2002, Simon St.Laurent wrote:

> george.anten at rcn.com (George Anten) writes:
> >The recruitment process in large companies via HR is really broken. On
> >the other hand, you need to have a particular mindset (and something
> >beyond mere tolerance for certs) to entertain a career in a large
> >organization
> >:-)
>
> Fortunately I have plenty of other reasons not to entertain such a
> career.  I just wish their organizational nonsense didn't drive large
> portions of my profession into studying for the SATs when they really
> need to read a few good novels.

*nod*   But now, to play Devil's Advocate...

...Beyond a certain point I have to wonder if the "brokenness" (if you
will) of the typical HR department's approach to matters is truly broken.

Whilst outlining a  series of articles I'm going to be writing for
sitepoint.com, it occurred to me that all of the technical and/or design
savvy in the world makes precious little difference unless that skill can
be made part of a functioning team that is willing to work within the
constraints of the sponsoring organization.

The objective of the article originally was to explain how to integrate
content and design, and make that a formal part of the project process...

But as I went through the outline, I became increasingly convinced that:

[a] Effective teamwork is vital to timely completion of projects;
[b] Web teams tend to be self-selecting, and the industry by large more
    incestuous than most;
[c] That there has to be a union between the team's professional values
    and the culture of the company for which they work;
[d] That it is these subjective considerations, not the obbjective
    consideration of "can she do {x}" that ultimately bring projects to
    completion, because the most successful teams are built on trust (and
    the confidence of their sponsor) far more than on technical acuity.

In other words, the hurdles in my mind are more social and political, than
technical.

Thus goes the thesis, and the path to achieving the objective that the
editor originally assigned to me.  'Tis a challenging project.  :-)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

While HR may not be able to screen requirements worth a damn, they do know
more often than not how to assess an aspirant's likely "team fit" and
respond appropriately.

When one considers the "toe-the-line, climb-the-ladder, play-the-game"
mindset that we in the English speaking world are encouraged to adopt (or
at least comprehend) from a very young age... it stands to reason that
screening along those lines will get these companies the folks they want.

[I am reminded at this point of a common Midwestern saying that marks the
completion of work done barely-adequately:  "Close enough for government
work."]

We on this list, css-d, evolt, WDVL, and others are considerably closer to
the cutting edge; we do the work that the org hounds crib from down the
line.  Each of us is a different kinda cat, so to speak.

What's wrong with that, exactly?

More to the point - why haven't more of us collectively made a keener
effort to leverage that state of being out on a limb, so that we get the
best and  most challenging PAID projects, or can make them happen?

Why aren't more of us using the desire for teams that work well together
and "telegraph the ball" (to borrow some of my fave roundball jargon) to
our advantage?

That those of us freelancing very much like the lifestyle, is the easy
answer to my questions.  But IMO that answwer sucks.


--
Ben Henick                     "In the long run, men hit only what they aim
Web Author At-Large             at.  Therefore, though they should fail
http://www.io.com/persist1/     immediately, they had better aim high."
persist1 at io.com                 -- Henry David Thoreau