Clearpoint Voices: Getting to know Karl Brunner, General Manager

By Michelle Acosta

Get to know Clearpoint and staff through our Clearpoint Voices Q&A Interview sessions.

Karl Brunner, General Manager

Karl has been the General Manager of Clearpoint for the past 7 years and overall has 20 plus years in the IT Staffing/Consulting industry.

Q: Karl, what is the #1 most important candidate advice you typically give today, given the market conditions?

A: My best advice to candidates is to come across passionate and prepared during an interview. Research and do your homework on the company you are interviewing with. Know your strengths and your weaknesses and be able to clearly communicate those.

Q: What's the #1 most important advice you give to hiring managers today, given the market conditions?

A: Always look to the overall fit for the best of the organization, above and beyond the hard skills, does this person have the right mix of soft skills that fits the team and company overall. Ultimately, it's critical to bring people in with the right attitude along with the hard skills.

Q: What's the current hottest skillset for IT professionals?

A: Without a doubt, Microsoft development skills are a hot commodity here in the Houston, TX market. My advice to any agnostic programmer is to seriously consider picking up MS dev. I've seen JAVA programmers cross over to MS development very successfully.  For those looking to gain this, my advice is to get certified in MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer) and MCAD (Microsoft Certified Applications Developer).

Q: What is something that clients may not know about you?

A: I'm a family man, and 100% committed to my wife of 26 years, and my two beautiful girls, ages 23 and 21. When I'm not spending time with my family, I'm proud to say that I am a Miami Dolphins fanatic, and have NEVER missed watching one single game since 1991, and frequently travel for games.

Q: It's rumored that you are a real prankster at the office. Tell us about that.

A: My entire life I've enjoyed playing pranks. It all started with my father raising us that way and always finding ways to make people laugh. I love to treat people the way I want to be treated and feel that humor and lighthearted pranks just help lessen the day-to-day stress that we face in life.

Q: What is your favorite office prank?

A: I have to admit, I love hearing the reaction of my colleagues who find rubber spiders, rats,  and snakes hidden in their desks!

Q: What industry organizations do you support and participate in?

A: Houston Tech Fest, .NET Users Group, SharePoint Users Group,  JAVA Users Group, Society of Technical Communicators, PM Institute, and various other DBA associations.

Q: What have I not asked, that you'd like people to know?

A: Really, I genuinely love my career. I was fortunate to learn a lot early on from my mentors, and have been fortunate to work for companies that allow me to be successful. I still have a passion for the hands on recruiting work that I do, in addition to the management of my team, and I really enjoy that balance. I enjoy helping people with their careers and likewise enjoy helping clients find the staff that they need.

Clearpoint is the staffing partner of choice for many of Houston's top employers. Companies trust us to fill open technology and creative positions with talented professionals because of our successful track record, years of experience, and extensive network of amazing talent.www.clearpointco.com

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