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Blog Post: 11 Key HR Metrics: How to Measure & Use Them Intelligently: At some point, most business leaders have looked at their Human Resources department and wondered, “It would be really great for budgeting, planning, or defining our business strategy if we could…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 3:57am on October 21, 2022

Blog Post: 18 Employee Incentive Ideas To Motivate Your Team

In the modern workplace, keeping employees motivated is essential to maintaining and growing organizational performance.

As a manager, what are your options to keep employee morale and…

Added by Phil Strazzulla at 9:42am on May 28, 2023

Topic: Meet Jerry Albright, RBC Regular & Staffing Software Innovator: roup.com Jerry is one of those people you instantly like and feel a camaraderie much akin to someone who has sat on a lawn chair on your deck with a beer in hand for many a summer night. From a chat discussion to live at RecruitFest, RecruitingBlogs.com keeps bringing people from across the country and the world together, learning, singing and laughing. With Jerry we get all three. A practicing recruiter with a high grossing contracting firm who also happened to submit his talents on guitar with vocals for the RecruitingBlogs video contest and, not least, his ability to have us laughing throughout dinner in Toronto at Recruitfest on the first night at an RBC feast. Avid Outdoorsman, Familyman, Recruiter, contracting firm owner, singer, musician, and staffing software innovator, he still finds time each and every day to contribute at RecruitingBlogs be in a forum or a chatroom discussion. My friends, - we have ourselves a Renaissance man and a familiar face in Jerry Albright, a family member within a tight knit community. Meet my good friend, Jerry Albright ... Q&A with Jerry Albright, RBC Regular & Founder of Verbal Summary Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world, Jerry. Jerry: Nikole and I married in 1994 and have been enjoying our lives together for nearly 15 years! We have 3 children – boys Reagan (7) and Reed (5) and our little girl Hannah (3). Our home is in rural Northeast Indiana where we enjoy gardening, swimming in the pond on hot summer days and being actively involved with our kids! Nikole works at Oak Farm Montessori School where our children attend. In the summer we really love getting away in our camper. Venturing to new places and seeing how much the kids love exploring is a perfect way to get away from the desk. I’m an avid outdoorsman – so our family enjoys a varied menu depending on the season! Walleye, morel mushrooms, venison and pheasant are some of our favorite meals together. Six Degrees: How many years have you been a recruiter? Jerry: My recruiting career began in June of 1987. I remember seeing an ad in the Fort Wayne paper with the following headline: Human Resource Consultant. Are you enthusiastic? Motivated? Influential? It then listed the phone number to call. I was certainly motivated, as at that point in my life I hadn’t decided on a particular direction. Enthusiasm has also been a part of anything I do. So all I needed to learn was how to be influential which sounded great to me! I called the number and have stuck with it ever since! Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Jerry: I haven’t thought about that before…..It would most likely have to be the impact of my first few placements. The “big picture” of recruiting really sunk in. I remember feeling like I had really accomplished something. . I had been in sales roles before recruiting but something just felt completely different. I fell in love with it! Since then I have never taken any placement for granted. I can remember the names and companies of nearly everyone I have placed. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? Jerry: I have been fortunate in my career to have several mentors – each of whom gave me invaluable insight into the fine art of staffing. Richard Pulse is the one who hired me and gave me my start in 1987. His training and guidance was fantastic. It’s really hard to quantify just how much impact he had on my career because if it weren’t for him I’m quite certain I would be doing something entirely different with my life. My other mentor in the recruiting world was Bruce A. Bone. He was the one who showed me the absolute necessity to personally visit each client your represent. That is one of the things that have stuck with me over the years. If you are going to invest your time and effort with someone (clients) – you simply MUST meet them and build that relationship in a way that only face to face meetings can do. Six Degrees: Tell us about your Day Job, Jerry: Jerry: I am the owner of Professional Search Group as well as Verbal Summary. Professional Search Group was founded in 1998. Since that time I have developed clients throughout the Midwest. We are a small group of independent recruiters working together to fill our client need within the I.T. and Engineering community. We have a focus in I.T. and Technology and also recruit within the Engineering world for several key clients. Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why? Jerry: It would be foolish to not recognize the economic landscape we are all dealing with. It is refreshing for us all to be reminded of the true nature of our work and the focus and discipline success requires in the staffing world. Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? Jerry: Next for me is to continue developing the presence of Verbal Summary in the marketplace. Having been a successful recruiter for many years is allowing me to shift gears just a bit and follow an idea all the way through. Six Degrees: What recruitment software tools do you use in your day to day recruitment activities & do they translate effectively within all of the different countries where you recruit? Jerry: I really can’t say enough about Verbal Summary. If you can just picture how many times each day recruiters make marketing call into every company in the marketplace. They have absolutely nothing NEW to present to the clients. Faster? I doubt it. Better? Really. Lower Fee? Please….. When all is said and done there is nothing new taking place for our clients. They are getting resumes in Word format the same way they always have. So it all gets down to providing a truly different (absolutely unique) service to them. Verbal Summary is a tool which allows you to add targeted audio right on top of the resume. So when your client reviews a candidate you have introduced they just click the play button and LISTEN to the candidate describe their particular background for that position. Clients love this. Six Degrees: What tools (technology or old school file folder, for example) did you first encounter early in your recruitment career? Jerry: About the only tool we had was the telephone. What I learned during those days was the importance of listening. It seems that with the overload of internet tools we use now – there isn’t much “listening” going on. In fact there is more silence that anything. The process has shifted from “conversation” based recruiting to a more question/answer/email format. I don’t see as much investment in getting to know your clients and candidates as much as we use to. So the tool that has stuck with me is the good old telephone. (Rumor has it the phone is making a comeback!) Six Degrees: How did your expectations of being a recruiter compare to the actual, first time you got on the phone or in the cubicle? In your opinion, how do people's assumptions about our vocation differ from reality? Jerry: Well – for me I had never heard of such a thing. It was all brand new for me and it felt quite natural. Six Degrees: Worst mistake, biggest goof, lousiest practice you thought would fly but didn’t…and how that was a learning experience? Jerry: I’m all about learning from mistakes! Luckily I haven’t made too many big ones. After deciding to “do my own thing” in 1998 I did make the mistake of hiring people based on reasons other than what I knew from my previous 10 years in the business it takes to be a success. I made the mistake of assuming the people I hired had the same desire for success that I did. It cost my some real money and lost opportunities to figure that out! Six Degrees: How do you personally expect to facilitate change within our industry, and/or at your place of work? If you started that process, outline the problem, your solutions, and the vision. Jerry: It has been quite apparent to many of us “old school” recruiters that the general level of service provided my many agencies has become stagnant. Find a candidate. Send the resume. Start again. Our clients are getting resume after resume in the same boring fashion they have for years! I am personally committed to changing the way recruiters make presentations to their customers. As mentioned I have developed a tool for very easily combining audio with resumes. This tool is saving clients considerable time by being able to hear highlighted parts of their interview with the recruiter. The benefits of using it are endless. It is also used to capture your discussion with the client and add that to a written job requirement to be sent to your candidates. They love it. They get to hear the CLIENT describe the job – not just the recruiter’s interpretation. Candidates can very easily refer jobs to their associates just by forwarding the link you send. It’s amazing. Six Degrees: What are some of the frustrating aspects/obstacles to your day to day as a staffing professional and in general? Jerry: Clients now hide behind a wall of voicemail and email. It had been getting harder and harder to reach out to potential clients that had not worked with me before. Up until developing Verbal Summary I had nothing new to offer them. Six Degrees: Considering all of the frustrations you have experienced in your career as a recruiter, -- what inspires you as you continue in your career? Jerry: What inspires me are the goals and dreams we have as a family. My lovely wife Nikole inspires me! My children inspire me! Recruiting has always been a gift I feel lucky to have received. I am inspired when I drive down the highway and see names of our clients on the trucks. It makes me feel in some small way a part of the big picture. There is not a single profession I can think of which offers such a balance between life and work. Recruiting for me is simply a way of life! The flexibility is something which few careers offer. I can take my work with me – leave it at the office – let it consume me for whatever time it may – or anywhere in between. The choice is up to me! Six Degrees: What one thing do you ideally hope to accomplish in 2009? Jerry: I will continue to get the word out on Verbal Summary while maintaining the level of placement activity I expect from myself. Should be a very busy year! Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug? Jerry: Everyone should really check out Verbal Summary. If you want to offer your clients something absolutely revolutionary…..this is it! It’s one of the few tools I have ever seen which actually give you something that will open client doors for you. It really does! Six Degrees: How Are You Going To Change The Recruitment Industry? Jerry: In a small (but growing) way I already have! Find more videos like this on RecruitingBlogs.com Six Degrees: Tell us about Your Company Jerry: Verbal Summary - www.verbalsummary.com - is the first of its kind. It’s a "Presentation Tool" designed for every desk in the staffing world. It allows the recruiter to easily combine audio with a resume for effective and powerful presentations to their clients. They simply record a conversation with their candidate creating an MP3 file. This audio is then easily uploaded along with the resume to the website. This profile is then turned into a friendly link for sending to their client. All activity taking place from that point forward is tracked instantaneously on their “dashboard”. You will now know immediately when your client has reviewed your presentation. That alone is worth the price! Take a look at this example candidate profile! http://www.verbalsummary.com/ViewCandidate.aspx?p1=23cfc27e-2654-46ad-a4ef-59abcbf732a2 Six Degrees: How was Your Company Founded? Jerry: Our industry has been fixated on candidate sourcing, social networking and storing candidate profiles. There has been very little (if any) thought put into how we’re presenting these individuals to our customer base. In searching for a way to make our candidates stand out from the crowd we found nothing available. I’m an old school recruiter. My success comes from having conversations – REAL conversations - with candidates and clients. Lately many of my clients have begun to rely more and more on email for communication. This frustrates me. After developing an excellent understanding of my candidate’s background and qualifications – I then have to throw it out the window and just send a plain old email with resume attached! I had to change that. Often times during the initial part of the process the client begins with a phone call to the candidate. This is usually a few days in the making and the end result is in essence covering the very same ground your client is paying you for! So this tool simply had to be built. I now take specific parts of my interview audio with the candidate and stick it right on top of the resume. There are hundreds of products to help us keep track of our candidates, but nothing to move them forward once a match has been identified. With that in mind we built the industry’s only tool geared toward our client’s first impression of the candidate that requires NOTHING NEW from the client or candidate. We have significantly changed the way our customers expect to be served by reconstructing the entire ‘resume sending’ process. We’re now introducing the “person” to our clients, not just their resume. Six Degrees: Where did you go and find investors? Jerry: This was done in-house. This project was done with a team of outside software developers. They helped me put my idea into a workable design and then took it from there. Being the first software product I had experienced it was a fascinating and rewarding process…..expensive…but rewarding! From the initial concept to product launch took just under 1 year. Six Degrees: Your Company’s Value Proposition Jerry: With a world gone crazy with all kinds of technology to find candidates – there is simply not a single, straight-forward tool to help you “brand” your “product” once you’ve identified a solid candidate for your client. I find it amazing just how much money is spent in the recruiting world just to make sure everyone has access to all the same resumes their competitors do – but nothing is being invested (yet) to set that resume apart from the crowd for your client. Using Verbal Summary is a way for you to CLEARLY provide an incrementally better service to your client. Without a doubt clients absolutely love the ability to LISTEN to the candidate speak directly about their experience for the job. All the client does is click the link you send. Your email is a sharply branded message sent from Verbal Summary. The customer just follows the link. No downloads, passwords or additional software is required on their end. Your client can review YOUR INTERVIEW AUDIO at any time that fits into their schedule. Six Degrees: What is the pricing structure for your services/products? Jerry: $50/month for the first account with discounts for additional users in the same company. Six Degrees: What is the future for Your Company? Jerry: The future is great! Being the first tool of its kind I have noticed it taking a bit for the idea to catch on with the recruiting public. Once a recruiter sits down and really looks at it the advantage in using it becomes absolutely clear. I know most recruiters think in terms of placements so I’ll put it this way – if you make just ONE additional placement in 30 years due to VS – then it has paid for itself! Why WOULDN’T someone use it?! Six Degrees: Do you blog? Jerry: I’m a recruiter – not a journalist or reporter - so I really haven’t felt the need to blog much. I’ve never thought the general public needed to know my every thought – but to each his own. I am a regular on RecruitingBlogs.com though. Sometimes I’ll put something together over there. I have had the pleasure of hosting Talent Talk Cafe several times and have really enjoyed it. It is a chat every Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm EST on the front page. I strongly believe every recruiter in the world should be a member there. Each day is a learning opportunity. The volume of information there is mind boggling! Six Degrees: Tell me something others may not know about you. Jerry: My home is heated by burning corn which heats water in a boiler. That water is then pumped through my homes original gas/forced air system. The fan blows across the radiator and sends the heat throughout the duct system. It’s very quiet.…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 9:41pm on November 23, 2008

Topic: Fifteen (15) Open Positions | Open to Splits: jwallace@bearITstaff.com | Joseph Wallace, VP of Technology / Principal Engineer |: ong Windows 2000/2003/XP system administration skills; experience with Active Directory and security hardening of Windows systems • Additional experience with RedHat Linux EN4 & EN5 and/or Solaris 8 & 10 desired. • Knowledge of server virtualization technologies desired. • Knowledge of Centrify Direct Control or Vintela VAS, and VMware desired. • Knowledge of advanced application server configuration including performance tuning, clustering, etc. • Basic knowledge of relational databases desired (Sybase, MySQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL). • Basic knowledge of networking concepts and protocols (SNMP, TCP/IP, ftp, NFS/Samba, etc.) • Experience with Symantec/McAfee Antivirus Corporate benefits include: • 401K; • Family medical and dental with minimal employee contribution; • AFLAC; • 20 Paid Time Off Days; and • 10 paid holidays. Interested candidates MUST possess an active TS/SCI clearance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. Title: Software Integrator (Active TS/SCI Needed) Skills: SW integration, Systems Integration Location: Baltimore, MD Position Type: Full-time / Permanent Job Description: Experienced SW integration and test, ability to write and modify Unix scripts (Bourne, C, Korn, others) and Windows scripts; excellent troubleshooting skills; familiarity with Unix and Windows; additional familiarity and understanding of Web Services, Oracle, and Sybase a plus. Knowledge of the SIGINT domain and SIGINT COTS/GOTS is a plus (GALE, SOAP, CETS, NCCT, S3B, and ONEROOF). Responsibilities include the integration of software products and applications. Preparing COTS/GOTS packaging for builds, coordination of the builds with the partner and answering the partner's questions. This person must also provide build, integration and partner status to IPT leads as well as work with the other IPTs/Working Groups as necessary. This is a hands-on position with integration and lead responsibilities and also includes maintaining integration documentation. Compensation is commensurate with experience. Corporate benefits include: • 401K; • Family medical and dental with minimal employee contribution; • AFLAC; • 20 Paid Time Off Days; and • 10 paid holidays. Interested candidates MUST possess an active TS/SCI clearance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3. Title: Database Engineer (Active TS/SCI Needed) Location: Baltimore, MD Position Type: Full-Time / Permanent Position Description: The DCGS-A program is developing a Service Oriented Architecture bringing together over 15 Oracle, Sybase, MS SQL Server and MySQL databases running on Linux and Windows. DCGS-A needs talented, experienced database engineers who can take an idea, run with it, and see it all the way through to completion. Our database engineers support the following activities: • Support data integration efforts • Develop security hardening, auditing, and maintenance scripts • Analyze performance at the OS, database, and SQL level, including trace file analysis • Assist application developers with database problems • Upgrade and apply patches to databases • Minimum of 6 years of experience developing, administering and troubleshooting Oracle or MS SQL Server databases Minimum of 2 years of experience working with Oracle in a Linux or Unix environment, including shell scripting and analysis of CPU, memory, and disk bottlenecks. Corporate benefits include: • 401K; • Family medical and dental with minimal employee contribution; • AFLAC; • 20 Paid Time Off Days; and • 10 paid holidays. Interested candidates MUST possess an active TS/SCI clearance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 4. Title: Software / Systems Integrator (Active TS/SCI Needed) Location: Baltimore, MD Position Type: Full-Time / Permanent Position Description: • System administration knowledge of Unix, Linux and/or PC based platforms; knowledge of server virtualization technologies • Integration and Troubleshooting of COTS/GOTS packages and custom designed software on a variety of workstations, networks and communications equipment. Experience with the integration and troubleshooting of large-scale systems including: o Integration of J2EE/Web Services applications in the following web technologies: BEA Web Logic, WebSphere, JBoss, HTML, JSP, JavaScript, and Web services. o Troubleshooting applications involving a wide variety of programming & scripting languages (C, C++, Java, Perl, UNIX shell scripting and Visual Basic). o Integration of automated solutions for packaging and deploying software (InstallShield, Altiris, Wise, WLST, etc.). • Basic knowledge of relational databases desired (Oracle, Sybase, MySQL and/or Microsoft SQL). • Basic knowledge of networking concepts and protocols (SNMP, TCP/IP, ftp, NFS/Samba, etc.) • Knowledge of advanced application server configuration desirable, including performance tuning, clustering, etc. • Experience with collaboration tools (IBM Sametime, InfoWorkSpace, NetMeeting, Psi Jabber, Wildfire EIM server, Trillian IRC client, Outlook) • Attention to detail and excellent troubleshooting techniques • Ability to support short-term travel (1-2 weeks) is a plus (not necessarily a requirement). Corporate benefits include: • 401K; • Family medical and dental with minimal employee contribution; • AFLAC; • 20 Paid Time Off Days; and • 10 paid holidays. Interested candidates MUST possess an active TS/SCI clearance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 5. Title: Software Security Engineer (Active TS/SCI Needed) Location: Baltimore, MD Position Type: Full-Time / Permanent Position Description: The candidate will be responsible for: 1. Evaluating the system impact of all security related vulnerability analysis for the creation of Software Change Requests & Software Problem Reports (SCRs/SPRs) for all product lines across the Windows, Solaris, and Linux operating systems. 2. Ensuring the SCRs/SPRs are implemented as scheduled. 3. Ensuring applicable documentation is updated and/or applicable information is disseminated to the Information Assurance group. 4. Providing weekly status reports, as applicable, to various managers. Other responsibilities will include: • Maintain database of security assessment information (working with Information Assurance group) • Assist in identification of test bench needs to facilitate security development and verification • Assist in the mentoring of engineering personnel on security awareness in software design, implementation and testing Technologies involved (willingness to learn): • Networking and operating systems security (Windows 2003, XP, and Vista, Solaris 8 and 10, RHEL 4 and RHEL5, VMWare, Group Policies, Firewall/DMZ, Intrusion Detection Systems, JEDI, system auditing and collection tools (Event Tracker), anti-virus products, file integrity tools (tripwire/aide/WhatChanged), etc…) • Application Security (Java/J2EE, C++, .Net, Database, Web Services, etc…) • Scripting languages used for implementing security settings and tools: (Unix Shells, Perl, VBScript, etc…) • Security assessment tools (CIS, DISA Gold, Retina, SECSCAN, nmap, etc…) • Others (PKI, LDAP, DNS, Active Directory, Authentication & Authorization, Single Sign-on, Security Patch Management, etc…) Corporate benefits include: • 401K; • Family medical and dental with minimal employee contribution; • AFLAC; • 20 Paid Time Off Days; and • 10 paid holidays. Interested candidates MUST possess an active TS/SCI clearance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 5. Title: Senior Technology Professionals (Active TS/SCI Needed) Location: Baltimore, MD Position Type: Full-time / Permanent Job Description: We have a number of opportunities for senior technologists at one of our client sites in Baltimore, Maryland. We are looking for mature, seasoned, senior technology professionals who are able to work within a large, mature organization. Candidates must have software or systems engineering background, and be familiar with service oriented architecture (SOA) and/or large scale systems integration principles. The candidate must be familiar with working with developed software, and integrating commercial off-the-shelf software packages. Experience with traditional system / software development life cycles as well as Agile development methodologies is vital. Exposure to and understanding of all aspects or specific aspects of the development life cycle (e.g., engineering, design/development, test/integration) is important. Use of automated design, development, and test tools is also desired. The candidate must be able to work across all parts of the organization, develop a strategy and plan for the adoption and integration of the new test methodology, and coordinate the implementation with senior management and organizational leaders. Critical Skills: (Any or all) • Requirements Analysis and Design, data mapping, etc.; • Design Tools (e.g., Rational RSM, ALER, etc.); • DODAF Artifacts development; • Service Oriented Architecture and familiarity with Java implementations; • Familiarity with heterogeneous data environments, data adaptors, and working external content providers; • Architecture experience with distributed systems; • Java development experience; • Various Java Frameworks (e.g., J2EE, JBoss, etc.); • Web services, portals / portlets, SOA integration experience; • Automated test tool experience (planning and execution) at both the user keystroke and interface/WSDL levels; • Test execution; • Test script development; and • Systems / architecture design of large scale distributed systems. Specific Opportunities: • Integration & Test Lead • Software Development Lead • Software Architect • ILS Deputy / SI ILS Lead • Integration & Test Engineers • Systems Engineers • Proposal Team Support. • Technical Volume Team Support Corporate benefits include: • 401K; • Family medical and dental with minimal employee contribution; • AFLAC; • 20 Paid Time Off Days; and • 10 paid holidays. Interested candidates MUST possess an active TS/SCI clearance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 6. Title: Senior System Architect/Engineer (Ability to obtain TS/SCI Clearance) Location: Conshohocken, PA (zip code 19428) Job Description: THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED. 6/29/09 Joseph Wallace We have an immediate need for a Senior System Architect/Engineer to work at our Conshohocken, PA customer facility. In this position, you will be responsible for providing system architecture and engineering support to the GCCS-I3 program, and directly to the GCCS-I3 Lead Engineer. Your duties will include researching current and future technologies to advise on GCCS-I3 future architecture decisions, and be able to brief government agencies (including DISA, DIA, JDISS) on technical aspects of GCCS-I3. Your duties will also include system architecture, design and development of prototypes, translation of functional requirements into technical requirements, peer reviews of design/code, and general assistance to developers with design, development, testing, delivery, and support. The following are the Basic Qualifications for this position: Candidates must be US Citizens who are eligible to obtain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance. A Bachelor Degree and a minimum of 8-11 years experience in design and architecture, as well as Java, JavaScript, JSP, XML/XSLT, JMS, J2EE, EJB, web service, and relational databases is required. Candidates must have extensive knowledge in software design and development concepts, practices, and procedures utilizing Java/Web/Web Service Technologies, and excellent personal interaction and communication skills. Semantic Web technologies (RDF/RDFS++/OWL-Lite), RESTful web services, and WebLogic is a plus. Experience with automated test frameworks and JUnit are also a plus. U.S. Citizenship is required. Clearance Level: Ability to obtain and retain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance. Travel Requirements: 25% of time, to locations such as Washington, DC, and San Diego Corporate benefits include medical and dental with minimal employee subsidies, 401k, AFLAC, 20 Paid Time Off days in addition to 10 holidays. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 7. Title: Software / Systems Architect (Active Secret Clearance Needed, TS/TSCI Desirable) Location: Baltimore, MD Position Type: Full-time / Permanent Position Description: We have a number of opportunities for senior technologists at one of our client sites in Baltimore, Maryland. We are looking for mature, seasoned, senior technology professionals who are able to work within a large, dynamic organization. Candidates must have a software or systems engineering background, and be familiar with service oriented architecture (SOA) and/or large scale systems integration principles. The candidate must be familiar with working with developed software, and integrating commercial off-the-shelf software packages. Experience with traditional system / software development life cycles as well as Agile development methodologies is vital. Exposure to and understanding of all aspects or specific aspects of the development life cycle (e.g., engineering, design/development, test/integration) is important. Use of automated design, development, and test tools is also desired. The candidate must be able to work across all parts of the organization, develop a strategy and plan for the adoption and integration of the new technologies, processes, and tools, and coordinate the implementation with senior management and organizational leaders. Interested candidates MUST possess an active Secret clearance, TS/SCI desirable Critical Skills: (Any or all) • Requirements Analysis and Design, data mapping, etc. • Design Tools (e.g., Rational RSM, ALER, etc.) • DODAF Artifacts • Service Oriented Architecture and familiarity with Java implementations • Familiarity with heterogeneous data environments, data adaptors, and working with external content providers • Architecture experience with distributed systems • Java development experience • Various Java Frameworks (e.g., J2EE, JBoss, etc.) • Web services, portals / portlets, SOA integration experience • Systems architecture and design of large scale, distributed systems Corporate benefits include: 401K, Family medical and dental with minimal employee contribution, AFLAC, 20 Paid Time Off Days in addition to 10 holidays. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 8. Debugger Developer Enhance, test and debug GDB-based debugger for an advanced, highly dense multi-core architecture. Qualifications • 1-3 years experience with GDB internals, especially with the server side of the GNU debugger • BS or MS in Computer Science/Engineering • C/C++ and Linux/Unix experience • Computer architecture oriented • Strong analytical and problem solving skills • Good written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work in a fast-paced, schedule-driven environment • Flexibility and willingness to adapt easily to evolving requirements • Ability to work independently to solve difficult problems and implement solutions +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 9. Cluster Management Software Developer Design, implement, test and debug a highly reliable, distributed system. Qualifications • 3-5 years experience developing applications with a background on system software and/or distributed systems • Familiarity with BSD sockets API or distributed systems • Proven experience designing scalable and reliable software, and with parallel file systems • BS or MS in Computer Science/Engineering • C/C++ and Linux/Unix experience • Computer architecture oriented • Strong analytical and problem solving skills • Good written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work in a fast-paced, schedule-driven environment • Flexibility and willingness to adapt easily to evolving requirements • Ability to work independently to solve difficult problems and implement solutions ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 10. Control and Monitoring Software Developer - Contractor Design and implement a comprehensive suite of control and analysis tools whose aim is to monitor and maintain the proper health of a large-scale computing system. Qualifications • Proven full software development life cycle experience • 3-5 years experience developing complete applications in C/C++ • Proven experience developing C/C++ database applications using a major DB API: MySQL, PostgreSQL, dBase, DB2, SQLite, eSQL, etc. • Proven experience developing GUI interfaces in C/C++ with a major GUI package: wxWidgets, Qt, GTK+, MFC, etc. • Proven experience writing applications from algorithms and/or numerical recipes • BS or MS in Computer Science/Engineering • Computer architecture oriented • Strong analytical and problem solving skills • Good written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work in a fast-paced, schedule-driven environment • Flexibility and willingness to adapt easily to evolving requirements • Ability to work independently to solve difficult problems and implement solutions ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 11. Software Technical Support Engineer In this position you will focus on diagnosing, reproducing and fixing software issues. Additionally, you will be responsible for developing tools as needed to improve software development process. Responsibilities You will: • Serve as the first level of customer interaction for software bugs • Create reproducible test cases, file bug reports, and initiate delivery of fixes • Design and develop software tools (applications and scripts) to improve software development process Qualifications • Background in programming using C/C++ programming languages • Background in script languages: BASH, Python, Perl, etc. • BS or MS in Computer Science/Engineering • Computer architecture oriented • Strong analytical and problem solving skills • Good written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work in a fast-paced, schedule-driven environment • Flexibility and willingness to adapt easily to evolving requirements • Ability to work independently to solve difficult problems and implement solutions +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 12. Software Integration Engineer In this position you will integrate system software with a unique large-scale supercomputer hardware at customer sites. This includes installing system software stack, being principal point of contact with the customer, assisting the customer with programming techniques, performance enhancements, problem identification and resolution. Qualifications • System software installation experience • Extensive experience with scripting languages • Background in programming using C/C++ programming languages • Understanding of very low-level interactions between hardware and software • 1-3 years of operating system or numerical analysis experience • Ability to respond to changing customer priorities • Experience maintaining clear and detailed logs of system status, errors and hardware/software changes • Ability to travel to customer sites • BS or MS in Computer Science/Engineering • Computer architecture oriented • Strong analytical and problem solving skills • Good written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work in a fast-paced, schedule-driven environment • Ability to work independently to solve difficult problems and implement solutions ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 13. Software Testing Software Tester Design, implement and execute test plans for various components of system software. Qualifications • 1-3 years experience with white and/or gray box testing. Additional experience in other areas of software testing is considered a plus. • Proven experience understanding product requirements and functionality, in order to design appropriate test plans and test cases to verify features and functionalities • Proven experience reading, understanding and analyzing other developers' code (primarily C/C++) • Ability to identify bugs through systematic testing • Proven experience with scripting languages and other automation tools • BS or MS in Computer Science/Engineering • C/C++ and Linux/Unix experience • Computer architecture oriented • Strong analytical and problem solving skills • Good written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work in a fast-paced, schedule-driven environment • Flexibility and willingness to adapt easily to evolving requirements • Ability to work independently to solve difficult problems and implement solutions ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 14. System Administration Junior System Administrator Manage Linux, servers, multi-user compute notes, and Windows on personal workstations. Primary duties • Install and update hardware and software, perform routine maintenance • Evaluate, test and install hardware and software updates. Write or modify simple shell scripts. • Coordinate procedures with software engineers to minimize impact on their work environment. Maintain current knowledge of system administration best practices. Under supervision from Senior System Administrator, implement and maintain best practices in backup, user administration and security. • Monitor availability of external resource and act as first contact for outages. As time permits, assist Senior System Administrator in upgrading systems, system performance and procedures. • Other duties as assigned Required skills • 3-5 years experience in Linux/Windows administration, preferably on multi-user systems • 2-3 years experience with/knowledge of RPM-based package management • Bachelor's degree in Data Processing or equivalent, plus experience in a business/commercial environment • Background in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, preferably system administration • Familiarity with shell scripting and at least one other scripting language • Experience with installing and updating anti-virus software • Hardware knowledge sufficient to do first-level troubleshooting, installation of new devices, memory upgrades, etc. • Familiarity with networking hardware and terminology • Ability to work with end users of varying skill levels • Customer service skills • Organizational capability • Detail oriented and good at executing tasks on schedule despite distractions Desired skills • C, C++, and/or Python programming skills • Ability to create spec files and source rpms • Knowledge of additional Linux distributions • Experience providing reliable services to demanding clientele • Experience with imaging and image distribution • Database administration +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 15. Technical Writing Technical Writer - Contractor The primary deliverable for the position is technical manuals based on oral and written content from systems software engineers. The programming manuals will be used as the primary reference manual for our customers who are also very technical high-performance application programmers. These manuals are also intended to be used by the administrators of the system software, and therefore will also address ordinary day to day tasks and troubleshooting methods. Responsibilities In this position, you will be delivering a variety of documents such as application notes, user guides, and developer manuals ranging in size from 1-100+ pages. Your responsibilities will include but not be limited to: • Interacting with engineers, managers and teams working on advanced system software development under challenging release schedules • Responsible for the technical writing on a user-focused documentation of software products • Defining and applying required styles correctly and editing for clarity • Defining and following guidelines and formatting instructions • Participating in document reviews and inspections • Making revisions and edits as needed • Other related technical writing functions Qualifications • Demonstrable experience (+3 years) as a technical writer • Evidence of technical writing education credentials • Ability to write clearly and concisely, and create manuals from engineering specifications • Proficiency with computer and/or publishing tools • Be able to generate and modify text, tables and illustrations • Having experience with software end-users is a plus ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++…; Added by Joseph Wallace, VP of Technology at 1:20am on June 30, 2009

Topic: Meet Richard Kenny, Talent Acquisition Consultant: "When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Recruiter": In college I knew I wanted to be in Recruiting. I went to the local bank and asked if ... I could work for free as long as they will allow me to learn about recruiting. Since I had a compelling argument why they should hire me, they said sure. "I attended a two day training session that was put on by David Szary, founder of The Recruiter Academy. I still keep in contact with David today. He is one of the early influencers that energized me around recruiting and thankfully I still have that passion today" • Richard (Rich) Kenny) • Talent Acquisition Consultant • Minneapolis, MN • Recruitingblogs.com • Linkedin • Facebook • Twitter • Community Volunteering: Habitat for Humanity • Personal Causes: United Way • Cell: 612-860-1116 • Email • Business Website: www.talentacquisitionconsulting.com • Personal Website: www.richardakenny.com I had the pleasure of meeting Rich at ERE and shook his hand at the reception. It so happened that Rich sat behind me during several of the speaker events and we got to know one another and his passion for our industry expressed itself in earnest. As an accomplished talent acquisition professional with experience across multiple industries. we shared a deep appreciation for sourcing passive candidates, but as a modest individual, you dig deeper and you find that Rich merged the recruiting programs of two of the world’s largest airlines; not a small feat. He has earned a diverse resume of certifications: • SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resources) • AIRS (Advanced Internet Recruiting Strategy) • CSSR (Certified Social Sourcing Recruiter) • CIR (Certified Internet Recruiter), 2008 • CDR (Certified Diversity Recruiter), 2008 • ACIR (Advanced Certified Internet Recruiter), 2008 • DDI (Development Dimensions International) • Targeted Selection: Interviewer, 2008 His experience has substance, his desire to enrich his capabilities to a worthy recruitment methodology is endless. The question remains, what makes Rich interesting aside from his resume credentials? My friends, this is one of the few people I have ever met in my career who KNEW they wanted to be a recruiter when they grew up. How he became a recruiter and what he offered to enter the industry says as much about his tenacity then as it does for his future success. He lays it on the line. Q&A with Richard (Rich) Kenny Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world. Richard: I am very close to my family. My parents have been married for 40 years. I have two older sisters, two nephews and two nieces. What I do have is a wonderful group of friends all around the country that I enjoy spending time with. For the last 10 years, I have been in talent acquisition roles where I traveled a majority of the time, allowing me the opportunity to meet great people around the country. I currently live in Minneapolis, MN, but previously lived in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Toledo. I am a passionate football fan. Specifically, I have been a Michigan football fan my entire life. I have traveled several times to watch them in bowl games and attended many games while living in Michigan. Reading is something I do avidly; I read on average a book a week. I try to rotate in a fun book, industry book and professional development books. Currently, I am reading Dan Brown’s book “The Lost Symbol”, while also reading a book by Clay Shirky, called of “Here Comes Everybody”. There is one TV show that I watch every week either on TV or on the internet and that is 24. I have been addicted to it since the very first episode. If I seriously think about it, I think I have watched the entire series at least two times. Philanthropically, I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and I am a supporter of the United Way. While working on a Habitat for Humanity home I realized that I could give back to the community in so many ways. I still want to remain active with Habitat builds, but I also realized that I could gain and give others value by helping people in their career search. Recently, I started a networking group in Minneapolis for HR professionals that are in transition that meets every Tuesday. Also, I speak to college student groups on networking, dinner etiquette and the transition from college to corporate. Additionally, I developed and delivered a presentation in Orlando, FL to The Institute of Internal Auditors local chapter and at Right Management in Minneapolis, MN on how to use social media in the job search for candidates. Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? Richard: I recently consulted for C&S Wholesale Grocers and Compass Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. I am actively looking for my next role in talent acquisition or to continue consulting for companies. I have been in the staffing industry for 12+ years, most recently with Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines. I was recruited by Northwest Airlines after speaking at a client conference for Peoplescout in Chicago. Northwest offer me an opportunity to design their recruiting program and after the merger with Delta, I merged the two recruiting programs of two of the world’s largest airlines. Prior to Delta and Northwest, I lead the field recruiting program at 7-Eleven. We hired over 20,000 people every year for our stores, management and district management roles. My first role out of college ended up being with Comerica Bank thanks to that experience. I started as a Sourcing Specialist and I had to source candidates for our operations center without a budget. I actually was very successful finding candidates; it was an awesome role. After that I was involved in college recruiting with Comerica. In college I knew I wanted to be in Recruiting. I went to the local bank and asked if I could work for the summer. They told me that they were not hiring. Since I am determined, I asked if I could work for free as long as they will allow me to learn about recruiting. Since I had a compelling argument why they should hire me, they said sure. After all, I was a very low cost employee. A few days after starting, the only recruiter they had resigned, this allowed me to jump in and learn about recruiting. I was still an unpaid intern but a great experience. Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter? Richard: As a kid, I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps. He was in sales as a buyer and seller of metals—always building relationships, traveling occasionally and loving what he did. I see recruiting as the best sales job; you get to match people with companies and great opportunities. While I was in college, I knew I wanted to be in human resources, and while I looked at the other disciplines in HR, recruiting seemed to be the perfect fit for my personality and passion. After starting my first job out of college I attended a two day training session that was put on by David Szary, founder of The Recruiter Academy. I still keep in contact with David today. He is one of the early influencers that energized me around recruiting and thankfully I still have that passion today. His training, thought process, as well as his energy around this industry inspired me to make my mark in recruiting as well. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Richard: I think it was that I loved to learn new things and be involved and provide input to the recruiting processes within the companies I worked at. At 7-Eleven, I truly had my big break in the industry. I was involved with our corporate office on many projects and initiatives, so when the staffing leader in our headquarters made the decision to leave, it opened up an opportunity for me to move into that role. Since I was heavily involved in all the projects, contributing content, it made me an ideal candidate for that role. It also helped that I was willing to pack up my life and start over in a new city. If you are willing to relocate and start over, you will be presented with greater opportunities. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? Richard: My father is my true mentor and the person that I look up to every day in my life. Aside from him, I have a couple mentors in my live. My first Mentor would be James Nyhan III. He was the first person to hire me at 14 - well actually the second. For my first job, I worked at a golf course picking up golf balls on the driving range. The owner gave me a bucket and a hard hat and asked me to pick up golf balls while all the golfers where trying to hit the kid with their best shot. I decided I needed a new job, so I ended up working for Jim at his family owned sports complex. It was a bowling center, volleyball facility and miniature golf course all in one. Jim inspired me to work hard and be the best that I could be and he definitely was the person that inspired me to have the work ethic that I have today. I consider the entire Nyhan family an extension of my own family and I still consult for the company today. Beyond that, in the recruiting profession, there are so many people that have inspired me, guided me, supported me and made me who I am today. It would be difficult to identify all of them now. So many people have given me the opportunity to succeed. I have gained knowledge, insight, and inspiration from so many people and I continue to build new relationships and grow existing ones. There are a lot of talented people in this industry, so I feel that having one mentor is not enough. You need to model your career off of everyone you come in contact with, because everyone has something to contribute; good, bad or indifferent. The key is that you have to take those learning and figure out how to apply them. Six Degrees: Tell us about your latest gig Richard: I recently consulted for C&S Wholesale Grocers, I implemented iCIMS – iRecruiter Talent Management Platform and worked on some process improvement for their volume hiring program. I also consulted for Compass Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. I worked on re-implementing Taleo Talent Management Platform, sourcing strategy and redesigned their recruitment process for the entire organization. Six Degrees: (A) What other companies' recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples? Richard: I spent most of my time in the high volume hiring side of recruiting. I led efforts to hire hourly employees across multiple industries, retail managers and district managers. There are several companies that have great recruiting programs. For inspiration, I look at company like AT&T with Chris Hoyt, who built an application for mobile devices. I also look at companies like Sodexo that are trying the social media route and making a significant commitment to this avenue. There are so many other great companies and talent acquisition professionals out there. Too many to individually identify. (B) In what aspects are they superior? Richard: Everyone is saying that recruiting has changed and social media and mobile devices are the future and in some cases have already taken over. I agree that they are the future but what they really are is an extension of what recruiting was and is today. It is still about relationships, networking, picking up the phone and talking to someone, meeting someone for coffee, shaking someone’s hand. Social media just allows us to do it more efficiently. I think these companies are superior because they are embracing social media and mobile recruiting. There is no manual on how to do it, they are trying, retooling, rethinking, and making it work. If you are not willing to try new things, and old things that maybe did not even work the last time, you will not expand your recruiting toolkit. Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why? Richard: While I think social media and mobile devices are important, you really need to have a great employment brand, career website, applicant tracking system and the ability to manage your candidate pool through a talent community. Without these things, nothing else matters. You have to have the basics right first. Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry: Richard: I attended several conferences a year. I normally attend the Staffing Management conference, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) conference and ERE Expo. I have also attended NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) and some of the regional conferences as well. I have spoken at several conferences around the country, as well as client conferences, organizations, and on college campuses. My focus is typically on social media in the job search, high volume hiring strategies, technology in recruiting, successful college recruiting programs and relationships with student groups, including networking topics, dinner etiquette and transition from college to corporate. I personally have received several awards for my efforts in college recruiting. In addition, my recruiting teams have received several awards for our contributions to the organizations successes related to recruiting efforts. Six Degrees: How has the recession effected your particular industry niche? Richard: The recession has impacted so many great people. I have many colleagues in the airline industry that have been impacted by the recession, fuel prices and mergers. Recently, I decided not to move to Atlanta after the merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, but I did spend nine months in Atlanta leading the program and merging the two processes. Several members of my team that followed me to Atlanta had their positions recently eliminated due to the economy. Due to this recession so many great people will change industries, some will change functions, some may retire and others may do other things. I think that all professionals need to pay it forward and try to help all of our colleagues find that next great thing. If we all just help one person, think of the difference we can make. Six Degrees: Aside from simply the generic term “Networking” what specific efforts have you made on your own behalf, or on behalf of colleagues to broaden your opportunities. Are there specific groups, both online and in-person that have proved fruitful in extending your personal brand and job seeking prospects? Richard: Networking is important, but there are so many other things that are important too. Be a sponge. Read as much as you can (online, print, books, blogs, etc.) and not just about your industry, but world events and leadership too. Share your knowledge with others and listen to others, because they have great things to say. If you are not employed, attend conferences, renew your memberships, gain certifications, be active. There are so many things you can do to stay connected. I recently attended the ERE Expo in Hollywood, FL. At this event, I connected with so many great people, thought leaders and people passionate about recruiting. I also landed an opportunity for a short term consulting project, which I recently finished. It is also important to attend vendor presentations. Not only to stay up on what is going on, but also to network. People that have jobs in our profession are attending these types of events. I have spent a considerable amount of time working on my personal online brand, website, and I am also planning on starting blogging as well. Six Degrees: Given your own Trial and Error experiences as a Networker, what advice do you have for your peers on what NOT to do? Richard: The biggest thing you can do would be pick up the phone and call someone, meet for coffee and communicate regularly. As your network grows, it gets harder and harder to keep up with people. If you could just send an email on someone’s birthday, if you know that someone is getting married, etc. Try to find reasons to connect with people. Personalize everything! Make sure that you respond to every message, follow-up on what you say you will do. Take virtual connections to real life when possible. If someone sends you an invitation to connect, you should also thank them for the connection and offer to help them in some way. Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? Richard: I am looking at a couple career options. I am looking for that next leadership role in talent acquisition or to continue to be an independent consultant. Most of my background has been in high volume hourly and salary hiring. I also have significant background in system implementations (Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), applicant tracking systems (ATS), etc.). I have been heavily involved in sourcing, internet strategy, website design, branding, process management and improvement. I am also looking at some opportunities on the vendor side with ATS and RPO providers. I am doing so many things to find my next opportunity but also the right opportunity. I have been attending conferences, vendor meetings, speaking on recruiting, helping others with their search, reading, networking and applying for opportunities. This profile is one in a series titled Monday Member Showcase. It was originally published on RecruitingBlogs.com, a recruiting and HR community, where I am a featured contributor. To read the whole series please click here.…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 11:31pm on January 10, 2010

Blog Post: 29 Best Books on Recruitment (MUST Read Resources for Recruiters): Continuous learning is paramount to your growth as a recruiting specialist. That’s why we have spent hundreds of hours going through lists of must-read books on recruitment, looking at reviews,…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 11:41pm on November 27, 2022

Blog Post: 13 Essential People Management Skills - Your 2023 Guide to Leadership: When I took my first people management job, a mentor told me, “Just remember: everyone is terrible at managing people for at least two years.” While it was reassuring to hear that I had some…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 9:02pm on April 3, 2023

Blog Post: 275 Creative Employee Award Titles for Recognition [2022]: Managers often focus their energy on ensuring employees live up to customer expectations and facilitate movement in the needed direction. But, exceeding their employees’ expectations of…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 10:18pm on November 6, 2022

Topic: Meet Beth Havens, A Corporate Recruiter with a Physics Degree & Love Ancient Architecture: ue. Personal Causes: Saving Edith Wharton’s Home in the Hamptons, it’s a very unique bit of history Office/Cell Number: 805-212-0612 Personal Email: msbhavens1@yahoo.com *** Beth is Available for New Opportunities Beth Havens has been a Full Cycle Contract Technical Recruiter with more than 12 years exempt recruitment experience in high-volume, high profile technical and scientific fields. Beth takes pride in her expertise in areas such as risk reduction, ability to work independently or in teams, vendor negotiation, collecting and defining business requirements, executing strategic searches, workforce planning, strong flexibility to adjust to demanding environments with attention to details and deadlines. Q&A with Beth Havens Six Degrees: Tell us about your home world Beth Beth I am an empty nester with a busy year ahead of me! My youngest Daughter Graduates from the University of Louisville, in Kentucky, on the 9th of May. (Yes that is the week after the Kentucky Derby, for you horse racing fans out there) My Oldest Daughter is getting Married in August, and finishes her Masters at USC in December (her BA is from UCLA, she has a fine sense of humor) otherwise it is just me and the critters at home these days! Have Dog will travel! Hobbies! Oh my! Aside from the obvious hobbies of gardening and hiking, I am known to write poetry, I have a book on lulu dot com that I put together for the friends and family who complained, “Toads Pond”. I’m known to hang out with the Society for Creative Anachronism on occasion. I enjoy medieval engineering, heraldry, textile hobbies and other interesting tidbits to be found within that group. I love ancient architecture. I’m far more likely to be found in the museum or the garden than on the beach. I’m terribly unsocial in my private life for a recruiter. Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? Beth I started recruiting in 1995. My BS is in Physics and Computer Science and finding a job in that market was a bit tough, when I stumbled across a recruiter who thought I’d make a good recruiter. I think a good many recruiters stumbled into the industry via odd roads. I had the pleasure of working for an IT staffing company called XXCAL for a good many years before I went into contract recruiting. Since then I have been doing contract and freelance recruiting. Generally I get called for one of two things, either hard to find Scientific, Engineering, IT or Technical people, OR oddly enough, hard to work with hiring managers. I have worked with both very large companies like Citibank, and Sony electronics, and small companies(less than 100 employees), like Xencor. I find either can be great opportunities as long as there are interesting requirements to work on. Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter? Beth Full Cycle Contract Technical Recruiter with more than 12 years exempt recruitment experience in high-volume, high profile technical and scientific fields. I am dedicated and work to give a high level of professionalism. My abilities include strong written and verbal communication, risk reduction, ability to work independently or in teams, vendor negotiation, collecting and defining business requirements, executing strategic searches, workforce planning, strong flexibility to adjust to demanding environments with attention to details and deadlines. Most recently, Beth serviced at Sony Electronics, Inc. through Integrity Placements, performing full cycle recruiting, mainly for ISSA, Legal, Marketing and Controller groups. Recruiting mainly SAP manufacturing and finance project lead and management for ISSA. Participating in research and development for a strong print ad campaign, as well as searching for and developing stronger presence in recruiting online in niche arena’s for specific job functions, mainly seeking Project experience for large ERP projects. Helped to re-create the in house staffing function at Sony. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Beth Transitioning from Agency Staffing to Contract Recruiting - it allowed me to really do the parts of recruiting I like best! Working directly with hiring managers to fill needs, and working on finding the candidates to fill those needs, while not having to do the part I dislike which is hunting for prospective opportunities. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? Beth I have to say the person I learned the most about recruiting and business in general from, was Marv Hoffman. Marv not only provided a great deal of recruiting training, but encouraged his recruiting teams to participate in groups that they could learn more from. For instance while working with XXCAL I belonged to several users groups that were great souring pools. (NT users group and a VB Testing group for example) We attended recruiting conferences and Marv had his own training sessions as well. It would have been hard to spend any length of time in that group and NOT learn a great deal. Six Degrees: Tell us about your position, (responsibilities, size of your staffing organization) : Beth Currently I am doing freelance work, taking on requirements from staffing firms who need a bit of help, and doing splits while seeking that next contracting opportunity! Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why? Beth I am hoping the Trend in new Energy Development and Deployment will have a great boost in my future opportunities, as I’ve been keenly interested in alternate energy sources since I was a teen. Be it thermal heating systems, Wind turbines, solar (recently read a great white paper from MIT on some solar energy changes that would radically alter the amount of energy you are ABLE to use from solar cells) or even passive energy creation or conservation. (for instance if you don’t lose as much heat from a home, you don’t need to create as much, etc.) But then I’m always interested in engineering and architecture, so this shouldn’t’ be too big a shock for those who’ve been reading along. I am a geek by nature, and no! That is not a negative statement! Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry: (Do you attend conferences? Which ones? List/detail speaking events, awards, publications, where you have you represented your company) Beth I have attended conferences in the past, SHRM, ERE and many conferences that were directly related to my recruiting needs, Like the Optical Electronic Industry conferences, or Computer conferences which were related to industries I was recruiting for. My personal favorite is the OPIE. I have to admit, I have a couple Schott glasses from the Schott glass company. That has to be one of the best give aways ever. Six Degrees: Can you detail how the recession has affected your particular industry niche? Has it effected your job or that of your fellow team members within the organization - If so, to what extent? (If you have been laid off, tell us about the experience, when it happened) Beth My last contract ended at the end of January in 2008. I was very surprised that I didn’t have several opportunities in the wings when it ended, but still, I didn’t think I’d be working freelance as long as I have. I had remarked to some friends in 2007 that some banking transactions I’d had reason to observe worried me as to the state of several banks stability. I really hate to be right some days. It seems to me that the media began paying attention to the recession in Late 2008, but that the recession itself began early 2007. I began seeing a great deal more recruiters looking for work peaking in the winter months of 2008 and finally starting to subside in about March of this year. Of course in times like this, Good Sales Staff are worth their weight in gold, but they aren’t automatically created from thin air, so both staffing agencies and corporate business have found themselves going through sales staff and training at a rather intense rate (good training is far too under rated and under utilized in my opinion) while other business find themselves holding their collective breath, so to speak waiting to see what is happening on the world stage, or even failing in the interim. We will recover, economies do, sometimes more slowly than others, but we will recover. Now, where we will all be at the other end of that recovery, that is the question! I admit to having some Thoughts about the viability of changing direction, but to what purpose? Important questions these! I think one of the best indications that the bleeding of the economy is slowing down is that there are more advertisements for recruiters and a big slowdown in the number of NEWLY unemployed recruiters. If there are Jobs, there will be a need for recruiters, so it is, I think, the number one job listing to look for in a recovering economy. Interestingly there seem to be a great deal more ads for the east coast than west coast coming up on my searches. That too may be an indication of what we need to watch in the coming year. Are other economies recovering faster than the California economy? And which industries are recovering fastest. Which seem to be failing completely? I enjoy searching through this information on a regular basis lately. Also I would expect some staffing agencies to do really well when the economy begins to heal because when applicants are abundant, what manager wants to wade through hundreds of resumes to find a few gems? So the pick up in Agency hiring is to me another indication that the recession is beginning to ease just a bit. I am looking forward to a happier year! Six Degrees: Aside from simply the generic term “Networking” what specific efforts have you made on your own behalf, or on behalf of colleagues to broaden your opportunities. Are there specific groups, both online and in-person that have proved fruitful in extending your personal brand and job seeking prospects? Beth You know that is a great question! I have joined a few interesting groups in an effort to get more visibility. I joined the “Ruthie List” and “Carecruit” (California recruiting) groups. I also started receiving other industry communications that I thought might be useful for finding companies that might need my services. I found a few browsers that have been uniquely helpful. Indeed.com is a site that lets you see jobs on several boards and even private company sites at once. Which also just brings to light several possible companies that might be useful. Six Degrees: Given your own Trial and Error experiences as a Networker, what advice do you have for your peers on what NOT to do? Be specific Beth I should advise against sharing too much personal information, there really is (and I believe, should be!) a difference between your personal and public life. Other than that, be interested in others as much as you are interested in promoting your own needs, because if you don’t listen to others, you will miss opportunities for yourself! (or maybe even an opportunity for a friend) Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? Beth There are a couple things I’d like to do. One objective is to work with a small company helping build a solid team from the ground up. Possibly working that effort into an operations Lead position later on. Another thing that I’d be interested in doing is leading a recruiting team for a large company. Either objective is highly dependent upon opportunity. I have my eyes open for just such an occurrence! “HOW DOES BETH IT?” Six Degrees: How many applicants at your present employer do you estimate are hired from your corporate website as compared to how many are hired through referrals? Beth When corporate recruiting, it has been my experience that the overwhelming vast majority of the hiring was the result of sourcing efforts on my part, which included, corporate advertising, searching internal and external databases and networking. I found that a good candidate was just as likely to be found by anyone of these methods as the other, which is why I employ all these methods. . Six Degrees: What is the source of your "LOWEST COST OF HIRES" - (least amount of invested resources for the easiest hires, regardless of quality) at your present employer? Beth Without doubt the lowest cost per hire I have found has been with previously known candidates, or internal transfers. An internal transfer does not always mean another opening. One of the things smart companies do, is to review the personnel they have to let go from One team, for the likelihood they can fill openings in another group. The cost savings can be tremendous there. Six Degrees: What talent niche groups do you target and are these particular talent areas specialized under your review? Beth I generally focus on hard to find IT, Engineering or Scientific candidates, though I’ve been asked to fill legal openings as well. While at Sony my main focus was in hiring High level SAP management and design level candidates and Law candidates. While at Amgen it was chemists and other high level R&D scientists, at Citibank embedded Unix developers, and Oracle programmers. If it is a complex opportunity, I may be the recruiter you need. Six Degrees: What recruitment software tools do you use in your day to day recruitment activities & do they translate effectively within all of the different countries where you recruit? Beth I have probably used just about every ATS system out there, at one time or another, having an ATS is invaluable, which one you have is certainly up to you or your company, my favorite is Bond. The one I’ve used most is Taleo. Secondly I think one should have access to posting on Some job boards, one doesn’t necessarily need every board out there, but one universal board, and a few niche boards that fit your company needs really do make networking easier. Not to mention advertise your company and give you more opportunities to network. And contact with niche groups that support whatever activity you most need in your hiring, be it MBA groups or some users group that services a particular type of prospective candidate, these can be invaluable. My brain, is also known to be a fairly useful tool, though I don’t claim to share all its contents. Six Degrees: What tools (technology or old school file folder, for example) did you first encounter early in your recruitment career? Beth I came into recruiting when databases and search engines were already in use. And being a geek I really don’t think I would have gotten into it otherwise. If I file it, it isn’t likely to be seen again for years. I file things that Might be useful sometime, not things I use on a regular basis. That is why databases are so useful, its filing for things you plan on using regularly. I also think I drove my first bosses crazy because I hired more candidates on email than I ever called, and that drove the metrics crazy. But then a lot of the candidates I deal with don’t like(and occasionally don’t answer) the phone. Six Degrees: How did your expectations of being a recruiter compare to the actual, first time you got on the phone or in the cubicle? In your opinion, how do people's assumptions about our vocation differ from reality? Beth I didn’t have any idea of what to expect when I first started recruiting, since it wasn’t anything I ever imagined I’d be doing! So no expectations to live up to or crush. I think the biggest assumption people have about recruiting is that it in any way is an HR function. Recruiting is a management function, and is diabolically opposed to HR. the sole function of HR is to protect a companies assets. This means if you have someone in HR doing your recruiting, they often will not show resumes to hiring managers that they think are a pain to HR. a recruiter puts the position and the hiring managers needs before HR preferences. Recruiting assumes the responsibilities of a hiring manager to detail, advertise and find suitable candidates for an opening. Some of the odd HR jobs recruiters take on in order to fulfill that duty, are for our own convenience, to get the job done. They aren’t a recruiting function per se’. The most foolish thing any business can do in my opinion, is to put recruiting under the auspices of HR. If they aren’t under their own separate heading altogether, then they should be under operations. Six Degrees: Worst mistake, biggest goof, lousiest practice you thought would fly but didn’t…and how that was a learning experience? Beth I will have to hold a contest to see. Though possibly the one I thought the silliest was parking in boss’ favorite (though unmarked) parking place when I went for an interview. Six Degrees: How do you personally expect to facilitate change within our industry, and/or at your place of work? If you started that process, outline the problem, your solutions, and the vision. Beth I think that the best way to make any industry better is to do your best at what you do. Lead by example and change will occur naturally. Well it’s a theory anyway. Six Degrees: “Best practice” you are most proud of developing (now or in the past) in your recruiting career? Beth The best recruiting practice is to stick to process. Six Degrees: What are some of the frustrating aspects/obstacles to your day to day as a staffing professional and in general? Beth I think the biggest obstacle to recruiting, are hiring managers whose personal hiring goals clash with their companies hiring goals. They most often take up the most time. This time waster is followed closely by un-necessary meetings. Six Degrees: Considering all of the frustrations you have experienced in your career as a recruiter, -- what inspires you as you continue in your career? Beth I’m happiest when working on an interesting opportunity. Finding that one odd placement no one else can find. Six Degrees: What one thing do you ideally hope to accomplish in 2009? (OR) Six Degrees: What one thing do you find most ideal given the opportunity to develop/ implementing/ invent professionally that has yet to be done. Beth Actually I’d like to see an MRP (manufacturing resource planner) that is similar to a job board for investors and communities to use to help manufacturing stay strong. The idea being that resources, inventors and investors really need a place to network to make opportunity happen. The thought comes out of my recruiting experience. Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug? Beth Only the hole in the economic dyke…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 2:54am on May 18, 2009

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