Ok, so by now we’ve all gotten started watching the Olympics and it got me thinking...as recruiters, hiring managers or candidates we can all learn a TON from the Olympics. With that...a few thoughts:
Practice is golden - I was reading a thing on Michael Phelps and what really stuck me was how much that dude practices. He works out 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. Holy crap! No wonder he’ll likely go down as the greatest Olympian of all time. So, to be the best you need to practice. Why when it comes to recruiting do we think we can just show up and ace the interview? Or pick the best people with no training? Blows my mind....practice people!
You don’t need to be a powerhouse - Ever heard of Venuste Niyongabo? Probably not. He’s the only gold metal winner from Burundi. Crazy to think about but pretty cool. The moral? You don’t have to be at some powerhouse company (or country) to do amazing things. You can “win gold” at any organization or on any team. Channel your inner Niyongabo and rock it.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - Ok, work with me here....I’ve been fascinated by some random Olympic events...specifically cycling. I mean, really, I could care less about dudes on bikes but it’s been pretty compelling. How does this relate to a job search? Easy. Something that might seem boring to me....might be the greatest job on earth to you. Totally depends on your perspective but really it’s true. Don’t worry about what other folks have to say, if you think a job or projects sounds good....go for it.
Ok, that’s it. I start my new job this week so we’ll see how much time I have for blogging but hopefully I can find time to put something out there.
Good luck this week, the economy seems be to slowing so be extra diligent.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Welcome To My Nightmare
It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of my musical themed posts but this one has been in the plans for a while. I saw “Alice Cooper” live a few weeks ago. Ridiculously good show, the opening act for Iron Maiden but this isn’t a music blog....it’s a recruiting blog.
Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the music it’s pretty good. Even better live where the stage show is kind of like a horror movie set to 70’s metal riffs. This picture really says it all:
With that, here is a little recruiting, job search and career advice from Alice Cooper.
School’s out for EVER! - From the song “Schools Out” - As much as we all hated school when we were younger the fact is...school is never out. You might not get another degree but you’ve got to kepe learning. If you don’t keep learning, you’ll get left behind in todays information economy.
I never lied to you, I've always been cool - From the song “Elected” - I love this song, so good. With the spread of social media and the world getting smaller...you’ve got to be ethical and cool to be successful today. No lying, no shady stuff....be cool so when you are looking for a new job people will recommend you and say good things about you.
I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing...Until they got a hold of me - From the song “No More Mr Nice Guy” - This lyric serves as a cautionary tale. You’ll meet a lot of people in your career, some of them can be pretty curmudgeonly. Be careful. You don’t want people taking you down with them. If you’re in a job, form your own impressions of things and keep it positive. My advice always stands, when find yourself negative too much it’s time to move on.
You're a target just by living - From the song “Desperado” - Now this is my favorite lyric, from my favorite Alice song. It really goes out to all my friends with Computer Science degrees....sorry. A hear from a lot of people that recruiters drive them crazy calling them...well, you’re a target for us recruiting folks because your skillset is so valuable. No getting around it, have a good background and recruiters will call.
What have I got that makes you want to love me is it my body or someone I might be or somethin' inside me - From the song “Is it my body” - Last lyric, and a cautionary tale. Don’t be fooled by fancy clothes or someone looking awesome....when you are hiring focus on their track record and the work they have done. Don’t fall in love with a candidate unless it’s for the right reasons.
Ok, that’s it...recruiting advice from a metal God. I’m on a little staycation this week so I’ll try to blog a little more than usual. No promises though, hoping to enjoy the time off between gigs!
Good luck everyone!
Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the music it’s pretty good. Even better live where the stage show is kind of like a horror movie set to 70’s metal riffs. This picture really says it all:
With that, here is a little recruiting, job search and career advice from Alice Cooper.
School’s out for EVER! - From the song “Schools Out” - As much as we all hated school when we were younger the fact is...school is never out. You might not get another degree but you’ve got to kepe learning. If you don’t keep learning, you’ll get left behind in todays information economy.
I never lied to you, I've always been cool - From the song “Elected” - I love this song, so good. With the spread of social media and the world getting smaller...you’ve got to be ethical and cool to be successful today. No lying, no shady stuff....be cool so when you are looking for a new job people will recommend you and say good things about you.
I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing...Until they got a hold of me - From the song “No More Mr Nice Guy” - This lyric serves as a cautionary tale. You’ll meet a lot of people in your career, some of them can be pretty curmudgeonly. Be careful. You don’t want people taking you down with them. If you’re in a job, form your own impressions of things and keep it positive. My advice always stands, when find yourself negative too much it’s time to move on.
You're a target just by living - From the song “Desperado” - Now this is my favorite lyric, from my favorite Alice song. It really goes out to all my friends with Computer Science degrees....sorry. A hear from a lot of people that recruiters drive them crazy calling them...well, you’re a target for us recruiting folks because your skillset is so valuable. No getting around it, have a good background and recruiters will call.
What have I got that makes you want to love me is it my body or someone I might be or somethin' inside me - From the song “Is it my body” - Last lyric, and a cautionary tale. Don’t be fooled by fancy clothes or someone looking awesome....when you are hiring focus on their track record and the work they have done. Don’t fall in love with a candidate unless it’s for the right reasons.
Ok, that’s it...recruiting advice from a metal God. I’m on a little staycation this week so I’ll try to blog a little more than usual. No promises though, hoping to enjoy the time off between gigs!
Good luck everyone!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
My thoughts on “The 2-Hour Job Search” by Steve Dalton
I don’t know Steve (@Dalton_Steve) but if I’m ever down by Duke University I’m going to look him up because this book rocks. So good. Honestly, this is probably the best book I’ve read for someone who’s looking for a new job. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a job. With that, here are a few of my thoughts on the book:
The Resume Black Hole - On page 3, Steve talks about a student named Becca who’s been applying for tons of jobs....with no luck. I talk about this a lot and this paragraph stresses the point. Applying online is inefficient and unlikely to result in a new job. You have to do it...but don’t get your hopes up in amazing results.
LinkedIn Start-up - There is a great, quick start-up guide to getting your LinkedIn profile working for you on page 14. This page is really all you need to get up and running. Great stuff and as loyal readers know....LinkedIn is critical to your job search.
The LAMP Methodology - The real meat of the book is the LAMP methodology that Steve recommends. It’s FANTASTIC. Very similar to some of the advice I give but broken down into a very easy to understand format. I won’t go into a massive amount of detail (buy the book!) but this is exactly the kind of thing job seekers need to be doing in order to successfully find a job...and a great job at that.
The 99.9% - Great statistic on page 16, there are 27.5 million businesses in the US, only .1% of them have over 500 employees. Think about that for just a minute. 99.9% of businesses in the US have less than 500 people.........that means, for every big company you know is hiring there are literally hundreds of companies you’ve never heard of hiring too......wow!
Quick Start Guide - The last few pages of the book are literally a quick start guide on how to get the LAMP method working for you. It’s great. If you are looking for a job, this is exactly what you need. Check it out.
Ok, that’s it. This is a great book...not good, GREAT. I’m going to recommend this book to anyone I know who’s looking for a job. Great stuff, and Steve if you ever read this and are in Boston...coffee is on me.
Good luck out there this week everyone, enjoy the summer....it won’t last forever.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
It's not you, it's the team
Ok, I’m back from vacation and rested......nothing too crazy this week but a quick thought on how collaboration impacts recruiting.
Here we go. Collaboration is THE key to successful staffing programs. A lot of recruiters talk about what “they” do and how great “they” are...the fact is...yes some recruiters are better than others but without strong collaboration and support from the team they wouldn’t be nearly as successful.
You see, anytime you are recruiting someone it’s the ultimate collaboration. You need recruiting, the team and anyone in the office who interacts with the candidate pulling in the same direction. The person at the front desk needs to be friendly and inviting, your recruiter as to be on their game, the team needs to not only assess the candidate but make sure they are selling the opportunity and finally, the onboarding process needs to be smooth, efficient and make the new employee excited to join.
So, if you really, truly want to hire the BEST talent.....get everyone on the same page and remember that recruiting is the ultimate team sport.
Here we go. Collaboration is THE key to successful staffing programs. A lot of recruiters talk about what “they” do and how great “they” are...the fact is...yes some recruiters are better than others but without strong collaboration and support from the team they wouldn’t be nearly as successful.
You see, anytime you are recruiting someone it’s the ultimate collaboration. You need recruiting, the team and anyone in the office who interacts with the candidate pulling in the same direction. The person at the front desk needs to be friendly and inviting, your recruiter as to be on their game, the team needs to not only assess the candidate but make sure they are selling the opportunity and finally, the onboarding process needs to be smooth, efficient and make the new employee excited to join.
So, if you really, truly want to hire the BEST talent.....get everyone on the same page and remember that recruiting is the ultimate team sport.
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