Recruiting thoughts from the London Olympics

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.

Job tip of the week - Jan 29th, 2012...Be stupid enough to try

I'm pretty fired up this week so you'll have to just bear with a bit more snark than normal but I really think this blog will do you right.  The advice - Be stupid enough to try....  This might sound like crazy advice but I've been following this advice for ages.  A few examples:

- I moved to Washington DC with "no job and no clue" as I like to say....but knew I wanted to work in politics.  After four months of unpaid internships, crazy night jobs and some excellent connections...I was working on Capitol Hill

- I wanted to work at Google...so badly actually, I applied for a job in Zurich.  After the shortest interview ever (I bombed both questions) the recruiter asked me if I'd prefer a role in Boston....bingo!  Six years later I'm still loving it.

- Just this week....I was looking for Super Bowl tickets.  So, I tweeted out asking if anyone out there had a pair I could buy.  15 minutes later, I'm going to the Super Bowl.  No joke.

See, being a little stupid (or crazy or whatever adjective you'd like) can give you just enough of a push to really try something you'd NEVER try if you were thinking straight...but just might land you the opportunity or job of a lifetime.  Trust me, it's worked for me and it will work for you.

More later this week....

Jeff