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!