Memorial Day Ramblings

Ok, so I was traveling last week and started this post.  It’s less structured than what I normally write and is really a bunch of random advice, thoughts, tips and ramblings of a recruiter who started writing on the road...and finished writing on his couch.

Your resume gets you in the door, that's it…..you've got to ace the interview or that pretty resume is just a waste of paper.

Company culture and team culture are probably more important than your actual role.  Give me a fun job with cool people every day of the week.

99% of the time I travel, I don't talk to anyone……but every now and again you meet someone cool and faith in humanity is restored.

I accept a TON of LinkedIn connections…..every now and again I reach out to people for networking or a favor for another connection….and I expect people to reply to the message.  Pay it forward people.

I used to love the show Cheers, it's probably my second favorite show behind Seinfeld.  Why do you care?  Because there is HUGE value for your career to having a place where everybody knows your name.  Just sayin…

Autocorrect is a pain in my ass…..I love it most of the time, but when I type "just saying…" stop trying to correct me, it's slang…..

Always have a question ready for me if I ask you "Do you have any questions for me?"…..I'm trying to see if you've done your homework…if not, fail.

An interview is a conversation, not a grilling.  If you're getting grilled….do you really want to work there?

Getting my Masters Degree at night while working full time, was the second hardest and second most rewarding thing I've done in my career.  It takes determination and grit…do it.

You know this, but I'm inspired by music.  It took me about 35 years to recognize it….but it's true.  What motivates you? Do you embrace it or avoid it?

If we ever speak, I'm Jeff.  Mr. Moore is my dad and Jeffery my Twitter handle because @jeffmoore was taken…..are we good?

Unless you're a software engineer or some kind of creative person….you probably don't want to wear a dirty t-shirt to your interview.

There is a remote chance that my wife and I start a joint blog about the challenges of relocating cross country....as well as the fun...I wonder if anyone would read it?

I’m constantly awed at the experiences I've had in life…..seriously, I'm one lucky dude.

Professional references matter, I've seen people lose jobs because of a bad reference.  Do you have 3-5 good references handy?  You should.

I'm always looking for stuff to write about…if you have a recommendation, email me.  If you can't find my email address….DM me…if you can't do either…..well, ok then

I'm really sarcastic and if given the opportunity to crack a joke……I will always crake the joke regardless of who's in the room.

I started my career in politics, what a mistake that was……the lesson?  What you "think" you are evolves quite a bit over the course of your career.

You're only as great as your team….they will either push you to great things or drag you into the gutter of mediocrity

When hiring someone, don't judge a book by it's cover.  It's probably illegal but even worse….you'll miss out on great talent.

This blog post is inspired by @sportsguy33 who was a local Boston blogger who's now the most powerful man in sports media who responded to an email I sent him many years ago, proving you can blog and still be cool.

Every time I see Mike Tyson do a cameo in a movie, I'm reminded of how he was probably the single most exciting athlete I'll ever see when he was in his prime……although Bo Jackson is a VERY close 2nd

How many people do you have that you consider mentors?  You should probably have at least four or five as they won't all be available when you need them.  And you WILL need them.

Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.  

This is a really long post……..I wonder if anyone is still reading?

One thing I recommend is having a "current" resume because you never know when you might need it.  I update mine every January just to make sure I have it, even when I'm happy in my job.

Someday, I'm going to write a book…..I have an idea for a book about recruiting that I’ve already started but I really want to write a history book (and have a topic picked out already too)

No one ever aspires to be a recruiter….if you meet someone in college who wants to recruit…….run.

I'm really looking forward to watching "The Internship"… I'm sure it will be hysterical

That's it for this post, hopefully you learned something that will help your career or job search…..if nothing else, hopefully you learned a little about me.  More soon, hope you had a great long weekend.