I have recently heard from many DFW professionals in the IT Staffing and Solutions business that tell me their business is back in a big way and are seeing dramatic increases in Job Requisitions both on a contract and direct hire basis.

Recent articles by Staffing Industry Analysts point to a healthy increase in Direct Hire, IT Executive positions, in the DFW area. I believe it’s time to take advantage of this market by spreading the news to Job Seekers, HR and Hiring Managers. Sometimes they are the last to know that the market is picking up. I’m not saying that they are ignorant or blind to the market. Sometimes they are too busy with their companies and core business and, as IT Staffing Professionals, it is our job to make them aware that the recession is over (at least from an IT Staffing point o view in DFW). While we’re at it, we can also eliminate some misperceptions from IT Talent and people in hiring positions:

I know you’ve got a couple of hundred resumes but……
…how many candidates are a fit. One misconception that we have to overcome as staffing professionals is that a high volume of unqualified resumes from people that answer on-line ads or are sent by agencies do not equate to an abundance of talent in the marketplace. On the contrary, this is one constant in an up or down market and one of the reasons that good recruiters stay in business. This year, I am personally speaking with more candidates that have multiple job offers. Make your HR Contacts and Hiring Managers aware that the good people are interviewing and getting offers (quickly).

Afraid to check out those new opportunities in a tight job market because you need your current job
My answer: Then stay; however, you need to know that the market has picked up and it is time to start looking. Start passively looking at the job boards and call a recruiter that you trust. There are 5 staffing companies that I spoke to for this article, and based upon their feedback, we averaged that Job Requisitions were up over 20% from last year. Now is the time put your “feelers” out. You owe it to your candidates to explain that the market in DFW has, at the very least, improved over the last 2 years.

We have too many vendors on our current list and are trying to shorten the list
I gotta tell ya, I hear this no matter what the economy and hiring trends tell us. DFW IT Staffing speaks with over 15 local VMS Administrators on a weekly basis and, while most of them tell us they would like to shorten their vendor lists, the same people tell us that their current vendors are challenged to find the hiring managers perceived higher end skills and talent that eventually get farmed out or project/outsourced to IT Solution or Consulting Companies. Work with your VMS Administrators and Hiring Managers to determine their hard to find skill sets or projects that are outsourced and determine if you can find a solution.

Personally, I have a philosophy that no matter what the economy, unemployment percentages or staffing analysts tell me, Talented IT Professionals are always hard to find. Maybe that’s using ignorance as an advantage.

One of my favorite characters is Chance the Gardener from the movie Being There. The movie is about a simple-minded gardener (Chance) who ultimately becomes a presidential candidate because of his simple musings and his ignorance to the world around him. In the final scene, as the party elite discuss their choice of Chance as their preferred candidate in the upcoming presidential election, Chance is seen wandering over an estate. He comes to the edge of a lake and then proceeds to seemingly defy gravity by walking on the surface of the water, and not sinking into it. I like to think that Chance did not drown or fall into the water because he developed his own reality or maybe he was just too simple to know that he should sink.

My point is this: Develop your own reality and keep a positive mindset no matter the outside influences and remember that the market is what you make it. The best way to change market perception is to verbalize what’s going on for individuals that aren’t privy to the info.

Good luck and spread the word that IT Staffing is back in a big way in DFW and for some of you, it never left.