Candidates appear to be divided between several sets of priorities: desire to be in a company with the opportunity for exposure to the latest hot technology, who consider career advancement to be the top priority, compared with candidates who are willing to trade some of the fast track for more stable, well-run companies where they can stay for the long-run.

On Career Advancement: Clearly the top priority for some candidates, the decision involves a number of trade-offs. To be the big fish in a smaller pond may mean a trade-off in that the smaller pond isn't acquiring newer technologies to the same extent as the mega-corporations. By contrast, the mega-corporation with the cutting edge environment may be so big that it's hard to be noticed.

Our advice to candidates: think this through carefully, and talk to us about your options so that you can benefit from our objectivity. Remember, our job is to find what's best on both sides of the desk. Things are not always exactly as they seem ... just as you will present yourself the way you think the employer wants, the employer will represent their situation in response to what they perceive you want.

Candidates are asking more about "goodies" these days. Flex-time, casual dress, work-at-home programs and other policies that have risen out of today's changing corporate environment. There is an unspoken tone of "Hey, if I can do the work, why shouldn't I be comfortable when I'm doing it?" Flex time, some candidates reason, makes a lot of sense both as an alternative to overtime in some cases and especially if there's a lot of contact or work across time zones. Still other candidates simply want the flexibility to adjust to personal factors.

Casual dress in the workplace is a major trend, and certain to continue, what with many businesses in and outside the information systems field adopting "casual day" policies and going to casual dress altogether.