Re: Hiring Publications Managers

Subject: Re: Hiring Publications Managers
From: Kelley <kwalker2 -at- gte -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2002 12:14:50 -0500

At 10:39 AM 2/5/02 -0500, CHRISTINE ANAMEIER wrote:

> People who chose to forego the benefits of contracting should
> be rewarded with the jobs I have to offer: full-time positions
> with an employer who will reward that commitment because
> they've demonstrated that commitment in the past. People who
> chose to contract shouldn't be rewarded because they haven't
> demonstrated that commitment.

This illustrates one of the reasons I prefer contracting: the
relationship between employer and contractor is about the work and how
well you can do it--not how long your butt's been in the chair or how
rah-rah your attitude is. I'd rather not work for a company that
regarded a job offer as a gift it magnanimously bestowed upon the
deserving.


Two points: First, place my statement in the context within which it was written. I'm looking at a market, as are all of you, where, recently some people chose to contract and make considerably more money than the captives. They made more money because that money was a slush fund to tide them over when times are tough. Captives chose greater security--they hoped--over greater earnings.

Now I look at a lot of candidates and think, they are all equally excellent prospects. They have much to offer us, what can I do for them? I see people who've been laid off from FT work as having been screwed over by a new economy that both the CEO and I reject. We want to work with people who share those values and who want to build a company that is organized according to the principles that supposedly undergird this new economy, but do so the way they were intended to work. The managerial ideology that emerged in 1980ish and supplanted itself as the predominant ethos was not intended to work as Elna described it. (See Jane Carnall's complaints of last week, also.)

I also know that the CEO will react negatively (and severely so) to a candidate's contracting history--especially if they are self-identified contractors who freely chose that work. He (and I agree) know where our firm's at and what we need. For him, that means he wants people he can say this to: "I've got the capital, you've got your labor power. I've got the connections, you've got creativity. We're in this together. I'll give you autonomy. If your ideas are good, and you give me an argument as to why they are, let's do it. I'm backing it with my capital and my name. You back it with your commitment, that means sticking around for the consequences of what you built. I trust you. I don't want to micromanage; I've got the vision thing."

I know that he wants stability. I need to bring him applicants who we think _might_ meet this high priority criterion: commitment to a job well done and sticking around to see it through. (As I noted, however, I've brought him otherwise, and argued against his concern that people with seemingly erratic work histories were "flighty".)

Equally important are creativity, enthusiasm, and a strong work ethic.

Neither one of us believe, as you and others do, that captivity necessarily produces deadwood.

Second, if you believe what you believe about people who don't contract, as well as what you believe about the employment relationship, then you would be unhappy working for us. We disagree that a history of captive employment and a preference for captive employment precludes creativity, a strong work ethic, intelligence, intensity, innovation, etc. We don't think captives gravitate toward that work or prefer it because they are lazy. We think that it is the organizational infrustructure that encourages people to be lazy, etc.

We think, perhaps mistakenly, that we can create something different.

Why should I try to lure you into a position that would make you miserable?


kelley


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Re: Hiring Publications Managers: From: CHRISTINE ANAMEIER

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