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Blog Post: Meet Tiffany Peery, Senior Technical Recruiter at Intel, Part 1: By Dave Mendoza, Master Cybersleuth, Affiliate Partner, JobMachine Inc.

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Blog Post: Best Practices For The Next Tech-Driven Graduate Student Recruitment: Where Should New-Age Recruiters Focus On First?

How is big data changing your campus recruiting strategy?

Big data changing your campus recruiting strategy?

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Topic: Talent Talk Cafe - Chat Transcript: Recruiter to Recruiter - Exploring High Performance Relationships: as an interesting look into a variety of tools. As a side note - I'd really like to see more corporate recruiters join in the discussion. The relationship between these two groups is an important one. In the end, regardless of approach, it always came back to relationships. Are any of these tools industry disruptors? Probably not, but for some at least another tool in the toolbox. Thanks to Erica from BountyJobs for diving in mid-stream and providing some interesting stats about their results. Susan Burns Hi everyone! Welcome to Talent Talk Cafe! 3:00pm Slouch Hi Jim 3:00pm Susan Burns Hi Jim - lurk about and thanks for stopping by! 3:01pm Susan Burns I thought it would be interesting to look at the relationship between corporate and 3rd party recruiters since we have such a great mix on RB.com 3:01pm Slouch what is your take on it? 3:01pm Susan Burns Do corporate and 3rd party recruiters share the same values and priorities? 3:02pm SlouchI don;t think so 3:02pm Sean Rehderme neither. 3:02pm Susan Burns What do you see as the major differences? 3:02pm Sean Rehder drivers/personalities 3:03pm Susan Burns Hi Sean! Can you elaborate a bit more on those two traits 3:03pm Sean Rehder 3rd party...usually paid on commission...so $ is the driver... 3:04pm Sean Rehder corp recruiters...lifestyle...company values...more socical aspects are the drivers 3:04pm Slouch I think 3rd party recruiters want to close deals 3:04pm Susan Burns Commission is def a big differnece. I know a lot of corp recruiters who believe they should get commission 3:04pm Sean Rehder agree with slouch 3:04pm Slouch I don;t see anything wrong with it either 3:04pm Sean Rehder close deals to get the commish 3:05pm Susan Burns Corp recruiters want to close deals too but have a lot more to manager with hiring manager relationships 3:05pm Sean Rehder i think they also take more of "I'm a consultant" approach rather then I'm here to support you 3:05pm Susan Burns Does anyone know of corp recruiters who get commission or incentive for results? 3:06pm Susan Burns Sean - is the consultant approach directed towards corp or 3rd party? 3:06pm Sean Rehder 3rd party does it...I'm sure some corp rec do it..but I don't think that many... 3:06pm Sean Rehder that starts from the top down... 3:07pm Susan Burns Do you think that the commission is the main reason why corp recruiters go 3rd party? 3:07pm Sean Rehder corp structure doesn't exactly allow for it. 3:07pm Sean Rehder more than that...can control their workload...only work with responsise HM's if they want 3:07pm Sean Rehder corp recruiters don't get to choose their reqs/hiring managers. 3rd part does. 3:08pm Susan Burns I've seen the hiring manager workload alone lead to stress and burnout so the independence is attractive 3:08pm Sean Rehder but you need to kill to eat...there in lies the risk. 3:08pm Sean Rehder no security in third part or independent. 3:08pm Susan Burns Re consultative approach. I always developed my recruiters to also play the role of consultants. 3:08pm Sean Rehder you better be good at what you do. :) 3:09pm Sean Rehder how so? 3:09pm Susan Burns Interestingly, I don't see as many 3rd party recruiters play the role of consultant. 3:09pm Slouch most consultants I would think get paid for the process 3:10pm Slouch non retained recruiters get paid when they make a placement 3:10pm Susan Burns When I think of a recruiter as a consultant its helping companies to expand their thinking around talent. 3:10pm Slouch and they probably get paid for the work they do 3:10pm Sean Rehder let me clairfy, by consultant I mean come in as an expert...full of direction and information. 3:10pm Susan Burns Specifically, its working to position the best candidate that may not be the exact fit but have even more potential 3:11pm Sean Rehder not the way you are paid (1099) 3:11pm Susan Burns I agree Sean! And would like to think that's an area to add more value 3:11pm Susan Burns Tell me about the market? Identify talent with transferrable skills when trying to fill roles that require unique skill sets. 3:12pm Sean Rehder goes to the recruiting animals queston that he seems to always ask...do you specialize? 3:12pm Susan Burns Can you "specialize" but also address talent adjencies to broaden your talent reach? 3:13pm Sean Rehder Bountyjobs.com and Dayak.com both gave demo's at OnRec 3:13pm Susan Burns I like their models. Did they share results? 3:13pm Sean Rehder great use of technology to create interaction/relationships 3:14pm Sean Rehder I know of success with bountyjobs..don't know about dayak. 3:14pm Sean Rehder but it also had to do with using the tool as one piece in the relationship...but not the whole relationship 3:14pm Sean Rehder...from what I know of. 3:15pm Susan Burns Do you think they could be a disruptor to executive search like the Internet has been for the travel biz? Remember travel agents - don't see too many any longer 3:15pm Sean Rehder the failures seem to come where the whole relationship is purely the portal 3:15pm Sean Rehder its post in pray in reverse. lol 3:15pm Susan Burns Good to see it still comes back to relationsihps 3:16pm Sean Rehder but overall...its a great tool for companies because of consolidated billing thorugh one portal that can be meaured 3:16pm Sean Rehder always does it seems. 3:16pm Slouch I think the expectations when a company signs up to one of these systems is that it will be wildly successful 3:16pm Slouch and it's not 3:17pm Susan Burns Jason - isn't that often the problem with new technologies? 3:17pm Sean Rehder nope..takes some work.. 3:17pm Slouch it's nt that it does not work, it's just that making placements is not easy 3:17pm Susan Burns Looking for the silver bullet and its one more tool to work into the strategy 3:17pm Slouch and when you take out the relationship part of it, it makes it even harder 3:18pm Susan Burns They could lead to new relationships as well....if its approached with that in mind - yes? 3:18pm Ben Gotkin Susan - Yes! Hey everyone 3:18pm Susan Burns Hi Ben! Thanks for stopping by! 3:18pm Slouch Hi Ben 3:18pm Susan Burns Ben - have you used BountyJobs or Dayak? 3:19pm Ben Gotkin Hey JD 3:19pm Slouchit's Dayak 3:19pm Susan Burns btw - Dayak sounds like an insurance company 3:19pm Sean Rehder and there is talentmaze.com too 3:19pm Ben Gotkin No, familiar with Bounty Jobs, not Dayak 3:19pm Ben Gotkin I haven't seen how something like Bounty Jobs could work in a highly competitive industry like the one I'm in 3:19pm Sean Rehder i think those are the only players so far. 3:19pm Slouch if you look at the home page for BountyJobs, the pictures make it look lik making money is easy 3:20pm Ben Gotkin Talent doesn't come cheap in Public Accounting 3:20pm Sean Rehder slouch...you seem to take my $ pretty easy. 3:20pm Sean Rehder at the poker table. 3:20pm pam claughton Susan, BountyJobs doesn't make sense for more experienced recruiters who value the relationship building aspect. It seems better for newer recruiters who don't have many clients 3:20pm Susan Burns Ben - maybe you could retrain some investment bankers to be accountants ;-( 3:20pm Ben Gotkin I'm more concerned with working with TPRs I can trust anyway. They will earn their fee if they deliver great talent 3:20pm Slouch that is because you are a lousy poker representative for this industry 3:20pm Slouch that was for sean, not you Ben 3:21pm Maren Hogan hey all! 3:21pm Susan Burns Hi Pam! 3:21pm Susan Burns Hi Maren 3:21pm Ben Gotkin Slouch - that's right, I outlasted you last time we played 3:21pm Susan Burns Are you guys getting lost in poker talk ;-) only 72 hours to go! 3:21pm Slouch I know, I know 3:21pm Maren Hogan Are we talking about BJ, Dayak, TalentMaze and TalentHire right now? 3:21pm Susan Burns Pam - agree with you that it could be enticing to someoone new who doesn't have established relationships 3:22pm Susan Burns Hey Maren - yes - it came up while talking about value of relationships between recruiters 3:22pm Ben Gotkin Susan - we've lost alot of talent to the financial services industry over the past few years, we might just be hearing back from them again very soon :-) 3:22pm Susan Burns Maren = have you used any of them 3:22pm Sean Rehder I think if you are thinking, "hey...no relationships" then you will fail at using these. 3:22pm Slouch I was taught that as a recruiter you should be only concerned with positions you can fill, not all of the positions you have access to. this is where these systems put the emphasis 3:22pm Susan Burns Ben - I think you'll be getting some calls soon 3:23pm Sean Rehder slouch..do you think that having access to more JO's lets you do more cherry picking? 3:23pm Slouch it's a distraction 3:23pm Sean Rehder getting to those A type Search assignments? 3:23pm Sean Rehde rhmm... 3:24pm Slouch Sean, you thinking about folding? 3:24pm Sean Rehder lol 3:24pm Sean Rehder all in. 3:24pm Susan Burns That's interesting from a corp perspective. As a 3rd party recruiter would you then set expectations with corp recruiters about results? 3:24pm Maren Hogan Susan, sorry got booted off wifi. Th answer is yes, I have 3:24pm Slouch you should 3:25pm Slouch and that is if I may, plug one of the tracks that Scott Love will be talking about 3:25pm Susan Burns I've seen a mixed bag - think it depends on how hungry they are for biz 3:25pm Susan Burns Maren - do u want to share anything about using BountyJobs - or, whichever one you used 3:26pm Susan Burns Guess we lost her 3:26pm Sean Rehder what about all the companies that don't have "recruiters"...hiring managers are left to do it them selves...interesting to see how these app's work for them. 3:26pm Slouch it's exposure 3:27pm Slouch and that is not a bad thing 3:27pm Maren Hogan the ones that have worked have people who emerge from behind the technology 3:27pm Ben Gotkin Good point Sean, could be very useful in those situations 3:27pm Maren Hogan to interact with recruiters who specialize in those fields 3:27pm Vincent Baasa and many of the Hiring Managers are getting into Self Recruiting these days 3:27pm Susan Burns Hi Vincent - thanks for joining 3:27pm Vincent Baasa My Pleasure 3:28pm Maren Hogan I also have often thought that it would be more effective to have these boards "niche" themselves but I don't think that's going to happen 3:28pm Susan Burns Vincent - do you see hiring managers using any specific tools 3:28pm Julia Stone hey guys, I hear talk about poker & bounty jobs 3:28pm Susan Burns Hi Julia - thanks for stopping by 3:28pm Ben Gotkin Hey, it's the SourceCon poker champ! Hey Julia! 3:28pm Slouch ma little bit Julia? 3:28pm Slouch Julia, you won? 3:28pm Maren Hogan TH and TM both have smart people behind them who reach out to specific shops and point out appropriate reqs 3:28pm Vincent BaasaYes - I know lot of the Managers that I work with use Associations and local yellow pages to get the job done 3:29pm Julia Stone yes I won 3:29pm Julia Stone took down the big 4 on my way 3:29pm Slouch well, for sure the field will be much tougher in Toronto 3:29pm Susan Burns So HMs are using netowrking groups more so than newer technologies 3:29pm Vincent Baasa yup 3:29pm Sean Rehder do hm's use any technolgogy? besides email/phone? 3:30pm Susan Burns I always thought H3 would do better than it did. BTW - is it still around? 3:30pm Vincent Baasa I myself used many in the process in my early days to fill internal positions 3:30pm Maren Hogan I have not heard of H3 3:30pm Sean Rehder dead in the water 3:30pm Susan Burns HMs use LinkedIn, Facebook, and other SNS that they associate with 3:30pm Slouch are they finished? 3:30pm Susan Burns SEan - for real - they folded? 3:30pm Maren Hogan But I think the ones that insist on the cloak and dagger business or no communication quickly scare off recruiters 3:30pm Sean Rehderwell...not sure...but c'mon 3:31pm Susan Burns Hey Maren - lost the flow of your comments. What was the last comment directed to? 3:31pm Sean Rehder their major flaw was it was hard to find the jobs to work....my 2 cents 3:31pm Ben Gotkin Never liked H3 (the concept) much, paying people outside of your organization for referrals typically doesn't work well 3:31pm Sean Rehder had to be in someone's network who was a customer..and they had to invite you...etc...too much work 3:31pm Susan Burns H3 also changed the rules and made it cost prohibitive for most jobs 3:31pm Maren Hogan These recruiter marketplaces. If they won't let you speak with the HMs, it's doomed 3:32pm Sean Rehderthey won't let you? I thought it was the HM's choice? 3:32pm Susan Burns I was always at odds with the Ben. If asking someone to do some footwork and they know you are saving lots of $$ by not using a recruiter - why not pay them? 3:32pm Maren Hogan No IF. Some do, some don't 3:32pm Slouch I think Maren, it is more some of the hiring managers using the systems think that this is great now that I don;t have to talk to the recruiters 3:32pm Dean Lockett Mutual of Omaha used to use something called RecruitersAlliance or RecruitAlliance. You had to pay 150/mth or something to belong, but you did get hiring managers calling to talk to candidates, don't know if that is still out there or not 3:32pm Maren Hogan yeah well that won't work 3:33pm Maren Hogan it is 3:33pm Julia Stone I think 2 things as an agency recruiter 3:33pm Susan Burns Hi Dean 3:33pm Dean Lockett Hello 3:33pm Maren Hogan I think the only way for it to be equitable is if there is some sort of rating system on both sides 3:33pm Julia Stone amen, maren 3:33pm Julia Stone you beat me to point #2 3:33pm Susan Burns I remember Recruiters Alliance but haven't seen them lately 3:33pm Ben Gotkin Susan - It's an interesting concept, but I have yet to see it work in a sustained manner, that's all. People make referrals primarily because they want to help someone. 3:34pm Slouch I really think a rating system will not work in this industry 3:34pm Sean Rehder i've seen numbers backing Ben 3:34pm Julia Stone point #1 is that they are easy to use for both recruiters (who don't like calling new clients) and for clients from a billing perspective 3:34pm Maren Hogan I also think frankly, that the bar is so low on a lot of these sites that HMs really get excited when you produce someone quality and reach out and try to bring a consultant view to the table 3:35pm Susan Burns RE H3 & sutainability - it tested the limits of your network. The point of over tapping arrived too quickly if not managed well 3:36pm Sean Rehder slouch...why not? 3:36pm Vincent BaasaI totally agree with you Maren...Quality always strikes !!!! 3:36pm Slouch you may get rated on things you have no control over 3:36pm Sean Rehder like... 3:37pm Slouch I don;t see any self respecting high biller putting themselves out there to be rated by an unhappy client, candidate or other recruiter 3:37pm Slouch it's not ebay where you sell something and ship it 3:37pm Dean Lockett Sean - how would u rate whether it's client abililty to respond, recruiter ability, software, candidates too many variables 3:37pm Maren Hogan I actually was thinking of a two sided system like on eBay. Of, course, people get screwed there as well. ardon my language 3:37pm Sean Rehderi keep "my rating" simple...response time and feedback. 3:38pm Susan BurnsDo you all think that relationships between 3rd party and corporate recruiters are the same, better, or worse than they were 5 years ago 3:38pm Sean Rehder that's from a recruiter's perspecttive on candidates and HM's 3:38pm Maren Hogan Yeah and maybe there could simply be checkboxes, sat or unsat in categories like Sean's and some others 3:38pm Dean Lockett With you there, test the order, see if it's real, look at response time 3:39pm Sean Rehder Dean..yes. And then I want a timely answer returned with feedback..either way..don't always get it..but want it 3:39pm Maren Hogan I think with an adequate rating systems, boards like this could be a lot more equitable. Right now, it's too ambiguous to be profitable, unless you have nothing better to do. 3:40pm Dean Lockett I think it's spaghetti at the wall concept mostly on these sites 3:40pm Sean Rehder the basic rating..I think all 3rd party recruiters do is some variance of the A, B, and C req. 3:40pm Dean Lockettor A B C candidate 3:40pm Erica Jayne Walshhey 3:40pm Maren Hogan Did Susan give up on us? :) 3:40pm Sean Rehder Dean..in the beginning..but I'm "hoping" that once you find the sticky spagehtti...the tools will work. 3:40pm Slouch Hey Erica 3:40pm Katie Tierney I agree with Jason D - there are too many variables to control to make a rating system feasible. 3:41pm Sean Rehder and you'll go old school and work the A reqs. 3:41pm Susan Burns I'm just letting you guys roll with it....... 3:41pm Katie Tierney(hi everyone, by the way - I'm late!) 3:41pm Susan BurnsHi Erica and Katie - thanks for stopping by. 3:41pm Slouch Erica works with BountyJobs 3:41pm Sean Rehder pushing off the C's and then the B's off your desk. I guess that's a ratting system too 3:41pm Sean Rehderlol 3:41pm Erica Jayne Walsh thanks for the note Jason 3:41pm Julia Stone hey erica, your ears rining? 3:41pm Sean Rehder dang it...a fly just landed on my sandwich. 3:41pm Maren Hogan Well, I'm an idealist I guess. I know TH has a rating system but it's not explained right off the bat 3:42pm Dean Lockett keep the shredder nearby 3:42pm Slouch I let her know this was going on 3:42pm Erica Jayne Walshhey Julia! 3:42pm Susan BurnsErica - can you share any stats about how effective BountyJobs has been with making hires 3:42pm Katie TierneySome advice for 3rd party recruiters - play nice with the internal recruiters. They're not your competition. By the time a company has decided to go to an external vendor, they know that the internal folks can't fill the req. 3:42pm Dean Lockett< waiting with baited breath ;-) 3:42pm Slouch Dean, if a client looks at your candidates, interviews them and makes offers, you are bound to make placements. a dialogue is necessary to make it work ( 3:42pm Erica Jayne Walshwell... we are going to surpass a thousand hires in 2008 alone 3:43pm Susan Burns Can you share how many corp clients you have and how many active recruiters? 3:43pm Dean Lockett Slouch, agreed, that's why I think a lot of these sites are not set up for that 3:43pm Slouch Erica, are you able to tell us how many candidates were submitted in order to get that number 3:44pm Katie Tierney I'm also curious about the engagement/disegnagements and how those affect recruiter ratings on BountyJobs... 3:44pm Erica Jayne Walshwe have thousands of employers... most of whom are small and medium sized. About 100 of the Fortune 500. And more than 10,000 recruiters. But these numbers include the Canadian market 3:44pm Erica Jayne Walsh engagements and disengagements don't affect the ratings on bountyjobs at all 3:44pm Erica Jayne Walsh only fills and candidates that make it into interview 3:45pm Susan Burns So, about 10% of recruiters are making hires - is that about accurate? 3:45pm Dean Lockett Erica, what is the breakdown of 10% fees vs 25% fees or better 3:45pm Katie Tierney But, if you interview someone who is terrible, how do you relate that back to the Recruiter's rating? Or can you? 3:45pm Sean Rehderslouch... what would create value? 3:46pm Katie Tierney(good question Dean - what's the avg. placement fee?) 3:46pm Susan Burns Erica - your being a VERY good sport about this - jumping right into the frey! 3:46pm Maren Hogan Well I think that depends on why they were terrible. Poor pre-screen or BO? One is controllable by the 3PR, the other not so much 3:46pm Erica Jayne Walsh Katie, you can't. We don't allow subjective ratings for that very reason. We believe that the fills speak for themselves... and the candidates that are horrible won't make it into interview 3:47pm Katie Tierney Just playing a bit of devil's advocate - they might make it to the interview based on a really stellar resume (or at least a phone screen) and then blow it royally. 3:47pm Julia Stone erica, what speaks to the "bad" clients? 3:47pm Erica Jayne Walshour average placement fee is around 23K... 3:47pm Erica Jayne Walshlol... we do 3:47pm Sean Rehdererica... and hiring managers can block recruiters, correct 3:47pm Katie Tierney So, I would love to see disengagements included. 3:47pm Erica Jayne Walsh we harrass non responsible employers 3:47pm Susan Burns Erica - can you share that as a percent? 3:47pm Erica Jayne Walsh then we kick them off 3:48pm Erica Jayne Walsh 21% of base salary 3:48pm Slouch I would still be interested in knowing how many candidates have been submitted to get the 1000 hires. That will say a lot 3:48pm Susan Burns So, in the end its about the same as a retained fee. 3:48pm Erica Jayne Walsh my research shows most retained fees are 1/3 3:48pm Dean Lockett Erica - how do you track whether a client is trying to fill their database or not with quality candidates by not responding 3:48pm Susan Burns I've worked more with 25% 3:49pm Susan BurnsErica - do you track average days to fill a role once its posted 3:49pm Dean Lockett Recruiter should stay in contact on those to make sure there aren't discrepencies 3:49pm Susan Burns Or, from candidate presented to hired 3:50pm Erica Jayne Walsh Dean... we are just a technology platform. Our terms of use give the headhunter ownership of that candidate for 6 months. If a recruiter ever discovers that their candidate was hired, we go after the employer to get the fee. 3:50pm Katie Tierney One of the things BountyJobs (or any recruiter/company matching service, for that matter) can't protect against completely is bad people working the system. 3:50pm Katie Tierney BountyJobs does a good job of kicking off abusers, though. 3:50pm Erica Jayne Walsh Susan... we do track it... and its about industry average. We belive thats because of corporations internal processes. As on average.. when companies make a fill.. they get the resume in less than 10 business days 3:51pm Erica Jayne Walsh Slouch... trying to figure out that resume number 3:51pm Slouch thanks 3:51pm Susan Burns JD - thanks for reaching out to Erica - I think we'll have to send her flowers for being such a good sport! 3:51pm Dean Lockett i'm guessing 6 to 1 - 6000 3:52pm Slouch I bet it is way more than that 3:52pm Katie Tierney Send an Edible Arrangement. I got two after my surgery, and they were really good. :) 3:52pm Susan Burns 6:1 would be incredible! 3:52pm Susan Burns 6:1 would be closer to presented to hired. 3:52pm Katie Tierney 6:1 would be amazing. The one position I used BountyJobs for received about 25 resumes, but none were the right fit. 3:52pm Jeff Ingman Hi all... Can I make a short off topic comment without offending? 3:53pm Susan Burns Hi Jeff - yes dive in! 3:53pm Jeff Ingman I'd like to ask if anyone knows Avature? 3:53pm Dean Lockett I'm trying to be kind here to Erica, she's in the hotseat ;-) 3:53pm Jeff Ingman They bill it as a CRM for recruiters 3:53pm Jeff Ingman but it's basically an ATS 3:54pm Dean Lockett It might move my rating up in BJ 3:54pm Susan Burns Their google descripts sounds like its an RPO for offshore sourcing 3:54pm Ben Gotkin I always thought that Avature's main product was Offshored Sourcing. the technology comes with their sourcing services. 3:54pm Slouch Jeff, Michael who works there is on this network http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/MikeJohnson 3:55pm Susan Burns Jason - I still can't copy/paste the chat - can you grab todays? 3:55pm Ben Gotkin Like Susan said ;-) 3:55pm Jeff Ingman As I understand Avature was founded by the guy who started HotJobs 3:55pm Slouch I can;t either susan 3:55pm Jeff Ingman They've pitched it to us as a replacement for our ATS 3:55pm Erica Jayne Walsh sorry Jason... I can't get the data from here... sitting in the hallway at TaleoWorld. :) 3:55pm Maren Hogan Is that like LegoWorld? Sorry, couldn't resist 3:56pm Ben Gotkin LOL, good one Maren 3:56pm Susan Burns Jeff - may be a good forum question. Would be interesting to see what the feedback is 3:56pm Slouch np Erica, it would be great data to be able to use to promote your service 3:56pm Susan Burns And, yes, there is a HJ connection 3:56pm Jeff IngmanOK... I'll post there 3:56pm Erica Jayne Walsh I'll certainly look into it when i get back to NYC 3:56pm Susan Burns Maren - can you see if you can copy/paste the chat flow from today 3:56pm Slouch there is only about 10 minutes saved here 3:56pm Maren HoganI'll try. 3:56pm Maren Hoganoh, furge 3:57pm Katie Tierney I can get 2:23PM and after. 3:57pm Susan Burns Jason - I can scroll up and see the whole thing 3:57pm Dean Lockett Maren, is that a new dictionary word? 3:57pm Slouch the entire thing? 3:57pm Slouch not me 3:57pm Julia Stone I have 45 min on my screen, no cut & pasting though 3:57pm Susan Burns Erica - THANK you for stopping by and answering the rapid fire questions! 3:57pm Ben Gotkin I can see back to 10:20AM 3:58pm Susan Burns Yes - I can see up to early this am - 7:20 PT 3:58pm Susan Burns Ben and I are in synch!! 3:58pm Maren Hogan whoa i can't back to 1:18 3:58pm Erica Jayne Walsh No problem Susan... sorry I didn't have all the answers. glad to follow up on this conversation 3:58pm Slouchi can see from 3:44 3:58pm Maren Hogan Erica, from what I have seen, you rep BJ very well. Good show! 3:58pm Susan Burns Ben -can you copy/paste the chat? 3:58pm pam claughton I can see from 3:40 3:59pm Ben Gotkin I'll see what I can do 3:59pm Susan Burns JD - weird that everyone sees something different. ANd, yes, I'm accounting for time zones ;-) 3:59pm Susan BurnsThanks Ben. I'd like to post today's if possible - great conversation! 3:59pm Slouch it's all weird 3:59pm Maren Hogan maybe it depends on how long you've been logged in?? 3:59pm Katie Tierney I think what you see is dependent upon when you open the browser page. 4:00pm Susan Burns I think it may be when you first logged in to RB. I haven't been on consistently since 7…; Added by Susan Burns at 8:05pm on September 16, 2008

Topic: Meet Holly Lee, Engineering Staffing Consultant at Google: ld look at recruiters to get the job done with a magic wand, instead of educating us on what type of skill sets/person is needed to fit into their team. The reality is, it takes a recruiter time to earn credibility from any manager/employer. At the end of the day, I still have to compete with fellow recruiters on meeting the numbers---yes, the numbers are still there! • Holly Lee • Front End Engineer Recruiter at Google • RecruitingBlogs Profile • Linkedin • Facebook • Favorite TV Shows: Grey's Anatomy & Food Network • Fan of the following: Lakers! • Admirer of : Shally Steckerl and JobMachine Cheatsheets • Quote: "Never letting the competition define you. Instead, you have to define yourself based on a point of view you care deeply about. –Tom Chappel" • Community Volunteering: SGI Buddhist community in Silicon Valley • Email • Phone: 510-754-2401 ** Currently recruiting top Software Engineers in Test** Q & A with Holly Lee Holly Lee is a Corporate full cycle technical recruiter based in Mountain View, California. Her staffing areas of expertise are in applications (software engineers, developers, database administrator..etc.), network infrastructures (CCIE, network security, systems engineers, windows/linux/unix engineers), cold calling directly into companies for recruitment, in-dept internet search, and building excellent relationship with passive candidates. She has worked at prominent Silicon Valley companies such as TEKsystems, Nokia, Microsoft, and is currently a front end engineer recruiter at Google. Holly inhales adventure, be it as a global traveler or diving from planes. Before joining Google in January of 2010, she took a month off to see her family in Vietnam. Traveling helps rejuvenate her energy from becoming one of the top producers in her industry. She is also involved in the women's basketball league, tennis, an expert hiker, and her next vacation destination is to tour Europe. Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world. Holly: I am lucky enough to still own a nice and quiet place in the Silicon Valley. Aside from being a workaholic, I LOVE food! I have tried all of Google's chefs specialties, as well as venturing out to new restaurants in this beautiful Bay Area, CA. I am a people person inside out of work---I like to host dinner parties just to have an excuse to eat. My family are in the East Coast, which I keep a close relationship with. My new family addition will soon be a cat (calico). If I have spare time, I enjoy reading up on my Nichiren Buddhism practice, meditation, yoga, and hiking to keep my body and mind healthy. I am also doing volunteer work in helping technical and non-technical professionals with their resumes and to be a guidance for them to seek employment opportunities. One of my to-do things is to volunteer in a community kitchen to serve the homeless. The staffing industry has a high caliber and it is a very competitive environment. I have keep a daily workout and eating routine in order to stay ahead of the game. We are still under a recession---no need to stress, just network or I would recommend SKY DIVE---this would really take your mind off your worries! Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? Holly: I started recruiting in an agency back in Portland, OR in 2002. I placed help desk support, CRM, office admins, R&D, and infrastructure positions. I have a combine of 7 years in agency staffing full cycle recruiting and business development, and 5 years of in-house (tehcnical and healthcare). Some of my clients in the technology verticals includes: Siemens, SAP, GM, Tyco Electronic, Juniper Networks, and Otis Spunkmeyer. My passion is to help hiring executive to execute their projects by hiring top engineers for the specific skill sets. I also enjoy putting a recruiting strategy in place and leading a team of sourcers/recruiter to meet hiring demands. As much as I enjoyed working for agency staffing, I have learned that my passion is more towards building great relationships with all the hiring committees. Recruiting for an in-house environment has taught me to become even more detailed, efficient, and still have to be on top of my game. At the end of the day, I still have to compete with fellow recruiters on meeting the numbers---yes, the numbers are still there! My ultimate career goal is to become a staffing executive for a software company, and to learn what it takes to be a good leader. At this point, I was fortunate to have a project at Google and the opportunity to know what it takes for a company to raise to very top, like Google. I am where I should be in my career at this time. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Holly: Every company I've worked for has their own ways of recruiting, and I have learned the different styles throughout each employment. For example, in the agency world, I really like the aggressive cold calling in hitting the numbers, yet finding quality in the middle of the madness. We also attended career fairs and connect with local Universities for to market our open opportunities. The in-house sourcing/recruiting is also affective, as they also have their systematic ways to find the best candidates. What I like most about in-house is that we have more time to focus on the quality hiring vs focusing on hitting our numbers in the agency world. One of my favorite tools to source for engineers would be LinkedIn or LinkedInRecruiter for best results. Six Degrees: Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? Holly: I am currently seeking a mentor---any takers? Most of my jobs has been "pick up and roll with it". Six Degrees: Tell us about your most recent gig as a front end recruiter at Google, Holly. Holly: I am based out of our Mountain View office, but am supporting hiring managers in the Western Region, as well as our New York office. My focus is recruiting for all levels of software engineer in test. Meaning, I am looking for software engineer that is an expert in coding C, C++, Java being the main requirements, and those engineers should have experience in development software test tools: automation Six Degrees: What talent niche groups do you target and are these particular talent areas specialized under your review? Holly: My current niche would be top engineers/scientist. Again, LinkedIn is very user-friendly when it comes to locating any groups in the recruiting arena. I make myself marketable in all the SE groups and keep a closer eye on experience engineers. Six Degrees: What types of training in sourcing/ recruitment are available to you and have you taken advantage of? Holly: In the past I have taken a few of Shally Steckerl and Dave Mendoza’s sourcing tips/training. I have also attended AIRS training classes. 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? Holly: Google and LinkedIn search engines for Boolean searches. I also utilize internal ATS and sourcing systems. 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? Holly: My first impression of being a recruiter was frightening! I was nervous to get on the phone, as it was in a call center type environment back in the agency world. Especially recruiting for technology, which was not as easy as healthcare since my background was a chemistry tech prior to my staffing career. The reality is---if you have done a full cycle recruiting job in an agency setting, you can do any sales or recruiting job! Six Degrees: Have you been involved in broader industry events as of yet? Holly: No, but my favorite event would be the Web 2.0 in San Francisco. Six Degrees: What are the most common themes of strategic and/or tactical mishaps involving past or present HR/Staffing org? Holly: I think hiring executives at times don't give the staffing team enough credit for the work that we do. When a manager needs to meet their project deadlines, they would look at recruiters to get the job done with a magic wand, instead of educating us on what type of skill sets/person is needed to fit into their team. The reality is, it takes a recruiter time to earn credibility from any manager/employer. RECOMMENDATIONS “Holly worked with me on the Microsoft account as a consultant and I can tell you that she is very professional, has a great attitude and a solid grasp on technical recruiting. My team only works virtual and I know it is tough to get folks that you can trust to work from home, but I can tell you that Holly is an incredibly hard worker and very well connected for networking.” Ryan Phillips, former Sr. Research Recruiter (working on Windows positions), Microsoft “Holly's work and personality is a pure example of efficient energy. Holly and I are working together to bring top level expertise to Microsoft and Holly's energy, enthusiasm and ideas are boundless. She is always willing to step up and take on tasks as well as to be there as a mentor for those around her. Holly also has her eye on delivery. Because she is goal oriented all her efforts are pointed in the direction of the end result whether that be cheering up a co-worker or closing a top level recruit. It has been a pleasure working with Holly and I highly recommend you get to know her.” Christine (Crane) Barrow, former Vice President, TalentBridge International “I have worked with Holly Lee for the few months at the Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto, CA. Holly is very personable...able to get along with everyone. I was amazed at how quickly she was able learn all of the Nokia processes. Holly helped with all of our intern recruiting and she always kept me in the loop of everything that was going on. She is very knowledgeable and is always willing to go the extra mile. I would definitely recommend Holly!” Sonia Kim, University Relations Specialist, Nokia About Dave Mendoza Dave Mendoza is an award winning blogger, global speaker and sourcing consultant. He served as an Adjunct Faculty member at JobMachine.net, and is a corporate partner to RecruitingBlogs.com Few in the recruiting business take “networking” more seriously or pursue it more passionately. Dave has been spotlighting the stories of staffing thought leaders and practitioners in the trenches for several years to highlight achievement and innovation. Read more at SixDegreesfromDave.com…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 12:38am on February 22, 2010

Blog Post: 5 Essential Roles in the Modern Recruitment Marketing Team: Talent acquisition strategy is changing, requiring new skills to help attract…; Added by Elyse Schmidt at 12:52pm on May 27, 2015

Blog Post: Recruiting CRM vs ATS: What Are the Differences, and When Do You Need Them Both?: Cutting-edge technologies are breathing new life into the modern recruiting market. The two most favourite systems for leading talent acquisition professionals are…; Added by Ngan Pham at 12:06pm on June 26, 2021

Topic: Recruiter's Delight: Meet Sheila Greco, Traditional Search Expertise with CEO of SGA: com Amsterdam, NY Featured Blog Posts by Sheila: * The Best Advice I Ever Got * Research & Recruiting - Lingo Simply Defined Today is a sourcer's delight. Sheila Greco has always practiced the "pass it forward" doctrine valued at "SixDegreesfromDave". From traditional search, competitive intelligence to research/name generation this petite, soft spoken personality is a well known brand in research product delivery and services to her clients. Sheila has established herself as an industry Thought Leader within the conference circuit as a presenter. Most recently, Sheila spoke at ONREC this past September in Chicago, “Best Practices Combining New Technology with Traditional Sourcing.” Today, Sheila walks us through the process of traditional search as a practitioner, and from the vantage point of her clients - with her recipe for successful value-ads in pursuing and utilizing research in the long term with all the ferver of an evangelist. About Sheila Greco With Sheila’s leadership responsibilities as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sheila Greco Associates, LLC and her active role in the overall growth and success of the company, she places her broad-based skills and experience at the disposal of clients, candidates, and colleagues alike. As an entrepreneur, she has gained extensive experience in human resources to include, research, recruiting, and competitive intelligence. As a strategic results oriented leader, Sheila has a proven track record of building long-term and solid relationships with clients and candidates. Prior to launching Sheila Greco Associates in 1989, Sheila spent several years with Goodrich & Sherwood, an executive search company in New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut. She began her career as a research associate and quickly climbed through the ranks and ultimately became a Director of Executive Search specializing in consumer packaged goods marketing and sales. An alumna of Hartwick College, Sheila received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Marketing. She is a member of the National Association of Executive Females, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), SCIP (Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals), Women in Technology International, and participated in many events sponsored by the New York State Olympics. Sheila is also currently Chairperson for the Amsterdam YMCA. Q & A with Sheila Greco, CEO at SGA Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world, Sheila Sheila: Family has always been #1 on my list. I have a son who I adore, a great husband and dog. Just like you Dave, I do a lot of traveling but I will share a secret with you, it is always scheduled in between my son’s games and school activities. He is 15 and I am proud to say I have only missed one baseball game. This is quite an accomplishment since he plays golf, baseball, and basketball. As I travel around the country each meeting that is set is scheduled around my son’s activities and games. Part of my mission in life is to NEVER miss my son's games and school activities. He too travels as he is part of a NIKE Basketball National AAU Team. This continues to be part of my life too. My philosophy is to work hard and play hard, something I live everyday! I am a very competitive person, I guess I passed this along to my son. I tell him and I tell all I come in contact with; when you step on the court, baseball field, spelling bee stage, lacrosse field (I played in College), tennis court (played in college) whatever, you need to have a winning attitude and give 110% or don't play at all. I also say you win some and lose some... and you tend to learn more from the losses that you experience. But I love to win!! Six Degrees: How did you get your start into the Recruiting World? Sheila: Networking, and being in the right place at the right time! Some would say I was lucky in how the opportunity came to me Dave. I started as a research associate with the Tidewater Group in Stamford, CT and my job was to identify names for recruiters to recruit. On my first day I was handed the Standard Directory of Advertisers, “The Red Book” and told to identify 500 marketing names from consumer packaged good companies and to do it quickly! Baptism by fire….I must say! I remember my boss telling me “here’s the telephone”, and the rest is history! When I started the Internet wasn’t even thought about. As the year went on, I became a sponge for knowledge, learned all about companies and how they are structured and loved it…obviously! Six Degrees: Baptism by fire? I recall you once told me, your Initial Thought – “Is this really a job?” You peaked my interest Sheila, tell us more about your initial perceptions as a researcher and overall practitioner. Sheila: “After the handshaking and signing of papers. I was told my role as a research associate in a nutshell was to obtain names. I was handed the standard directory of advertisers and told to identify 500 brand managers in one week from P&G, General Foods, Kraft, Colgate Palmolive, General Mills, Coke, Unilever, just to name a few. Why? Because Pepsi needs 10 brand managers yesterday. Catholic Guilt began to set in….so I went to my boss and said “Why are we doing this? Why are some people hesitant to give names? This is not rocket science! I am having some difficulties here.” She said, “I used to feel the same way, not anymore… Our job is simple, our clients ask us to offer an opportunity and these folks can either take advantage of it, refer someone or not!” Next without skipping a beat she said, “How many names did you get so far?” Six Degrees: What was your progression track as a practitioner to establishing your own research firm? I began my career as a financial analyst. I joined the wonderful world of executive recruiting where my real training began. I was recruited to a prominent executive search firm in New York City as a research associate. I joined Goodrich & Sherwood working in Greenwich, CT and New York City where I worked as a research associate for approximately 14 months. Soon thereafter I was tapped on the shoulder and told that I was ready for the next step and was promoted to a principal. This was my true entrée’ into recruiting. As a side bar, my first candidate ever was George Brandt, most of you know him. His company, PrimeGenesis is a company that specializes in Executive On-Boarding! Anyway, he was always one of my biggest advocates and I do thank him for that. Actually he is now on our company’s Advisory Board! In 1989, I followed my dream and started "Sheila Greco Associates" Today, I am still passionate about what I do. I continue to work hard and play hard. May I also add, that this wonderful Recruitingblogs.com community plays nicely into my personality…I like to listen, learn, respond, help and build relationships. Six Degrees: Tell us about your company, Sheila Greco Associates: Sheila: Since I founded Sheila Greco Associates LLC in 1989, SGA’s primary mission is to dramatically shorten the amount of time it takes clients to find the RIGHT executives. Since 1989, SGA has been a True Recruiting Solutions Company, specializing as a single source provider of online data, Custom Research, Recruiting Support, and candidate name generation to executive search and HR professionals. We offer Customized Research & Competitive Intelligence, (CCI), in which we partner closely with clients, helping them identify professionals to recruit, target their best sales prospects, understand industry trends, and find valuable intelligence on their competitors. We provide research and customized competitive intelligence to corporations and search firms alike. Our clients include professionals in recruiting, business development, sales, analysts, competitive intelligence, and corporate librarians. SGA is known for its signature delivery product, ExecutiveTracker, which houses the most comprehensive list of executives currently employed at major companies – both private and public – across all industries. SGA carefully researches and sources each passive candidate – from the C-level executives to the hard-to-find, mid-level decision makers. Users can view company name, location, job title and function and other information of passive candidates based on search criteria. Once they determine contacts that best fit the current open position, the recruiter can purchase the complete contact record, which includes name, phone number, email, reporting structure and a biography, if available. Six Degrees: I think it’s fair to say you have been an evangelist on behalf of the “Traditional Search” niche within the sourcing sphere of our staffing industry. You have been especially vocal about using ‘today’s research results’ for future search assignments. Can you elaborate? Sheila: As I became more experienced, I began to understand organization chart structures, titles, roles, responsibilities and how companies differ across industry segments. Too many recruiters solely use the Internet. I am not saying replace what may work for you, but consider adding traditional research to your recruiting strategy. By fully leveraging traditional research, the standard recruiting process evolves into a strategic resource to be used not only for the current search assignment, but for future assignments, benchmarking and competitive intelligence. Six Degrees: Walk us step by step through an effective “Traditional Search” process. Sheila: Say for example, you need to find out who the brand managers are. Here’s the telephone and the book which lists the names of the brands for each company. Think of it as a game. Set a target of 10 names per call and just keep asking till they won’t give you any more. If you can, find out who they report to and who reports to them. Six Degrees: In having reviewed your presentations in the past, I think you underscore an important criteria, “Titles can be deceiving, know the role – research it just as you would the pipeline throughout the process.” Can you elaborate for our readers? Sheila: Definitely, Titles can be deceiving, know the role. We recommend researching from the top level down. In general, Never stop asking questions and guiding the interviewee so the information needed is obtained. Don’t be afraid to ask questions regarding structure and team members. More specifically, however, consider that once traditional research and charts are completed, we recommend showing them to the client. Allow the client to provide feedback and offer comments which may include: “proceed, I know this person, don’t proceed, already interviewed, perfect.” As the candidates are presented, I’d recommend developing a summary of how they compare to one another - it assists the client with deciding when to interview and for which business group. Along with resumes, it’s ideal when you provide the client organization charts to show how each candidate compares to their own internal staff structure. By presenting the organization charts it enables you to intelligently discuss why these individuals were chosen. Again, always share your findings from start to finish! Six Degrees: Can you walk us through a case study where you employed traditional search strategies? Sheila: Our client asked us to recruit a Vice President of Merchandising. Following the steps using the tried and true traditional research methodology, a list of approximately 100 potential candidates to call was developed and five candidates were presented. The cost of research was 20 hours and recruiting approximately 35 hours. The result: we presented the client with an ultimate hire while saving the client money. We also had built a pipeline of candidates that were used for future searches. In addition we provided the client with an in-depth knowledge of the competitive landscape which could be used for future searches. Six Degrees: As a Pioneer in our industry, what advice would you like to share with those just joining or new to research and recruiting? Sheila: 1. You need to know that time is of the essence EVERY DAY. This is crucial. Every one wants everything yesterday. 2. Do not be afraid to ask questions. It is okay to say “help me”. Become aware of the tools the team uses and learn how to use them to their fullest. It is also a great idea to learn how and where to go get things yourself because you do learn more by “being in the trenches”. 3. Never stop learning! Be knowledgeable, as time goes on, be the expert and go-to person. Earn respect, do not expect it. Be thorough! Do not take shorts cuts because in the long run it will come back to haunt you! Take the time to do the upfront work. 4. Build relationships internally and externally! Two of my favorite sayings are “what you do today, will help you tomorrow” and “maybe not a candidate or client today, but maybe a candidate or client tomorrow.” I tell everyone on my team, engage, listen, and respond. Six Degrees: How do you see the staffing industry adjusting to keep costs down and broaden its value? Sheila: (1) We are seeing companies that are being strategic, proactive and methodical as it relates to hiring. The days of handing over 3-5 candidates for a specific rec and saying “here you go” are over. Many hiring managers want to be part of the process and want to be shown the research, the pipeline from the targeted companies, how the potential qualified candidates compare and contrast with to each other, their respective teams, and the available talent universe. Methodical, yes... but very smart. Companies are looking for ways to keep costs down while still recruiting top talent. By using this methodical approach the research can be used again and again thus creating value long term. 2. Building and keeping relationships: Company executives really want those long term partners who can help them. Hiring managers and recruiting professionals alike want a team approach and value the results that it produces. 3. Today, more so then in than in the past, successful recruiters are looked at as experts and partners. The respect has been earned and we are now invited to have a seat at the conference table! Hiring managers have learned to respect what it takes to find the candidates and we have conditioned them to listen to what we have to say. A great example is the fact that we have them understanding the value of tools that are now available, ATS, research and recruiting tools, and online communities. The executives are more on board with us! Great job guys and gals. 4. Lastly we are seeing many top companies across several industries going through the exercise of making sure their internal teams are staffed with the best in the industry. It is not surprising to have leaders take a peek at their competitors, their staff and compare it to their own. If necessary we are seeing them pluck the good ones from others. Six Degrees: What are the value-ads in pursuing and utilizing research in the long term? Sheila: Dave, time and again, it’s whether the client has the vision and tenaciousness to view the information as a resource that can also be shared with other business groups in the organization. Once they review how best to leverage the yield of valuable information they see how it applies not simply to just talent management, but also issues of diversity, future restructuring efforts, long term strategic hiring as well as other human resources strategies. I’m in the business of being a long-term partner, not a transactional partner – and I’ll do my best to work with my clients in finding multiple venues to pursue their objectives with all the value-adds that are implicit in the research process. Six Degrees: We always see you smiling, cheerful and happy. When you are not working, what are you doing? Sheila: I am always on the go ... I don't really know another way of life. I guess I am just like my mom and dad! They always told me if I am passionate about what I do for a living, then it won't be a job! So I guess that is true....after all these years, I remain passionate about what I do. I am a workaholic and a proud mother too. Six Degrees: Tell us something about you few know outside of the industry: Sheila: In the summer I spend my off time on the Lake (Lake George in upstate NY) with lots of family and friends. The more the merrier! I enjoy fast cars and boats, as well as fishing when I need some quiet time. I also love to volunteer and some day when I strike it rich, I want to be a philanthropist. Nothing makes me happier than to put a smile on someone’s face. RECOMMENDATIONS “Sheila is highly professional and persistent is obtaining the information she needs. At FIND/SVP, we hired Sheila to unearth information that we could not find through traditional channels, and she never disappointed us.” August 6, 2007 Ann Middleman, Director of Research Services, FIND/SVP “Sheila is whip-smart, focused on the needs of her clients, and a natural relationship builder who always delivers on her commitments.” July 23, 2007 Glenda Brown, Consultant/Director, Partnerships and Alliances, Association of Executive Seach Consultants “Sheila is extremely responsive, diligent and a great listener. Her focus is sharp and she's able to direct her team/resources at the right point. Her team will be an asset to any HR building effort, be it recruiting for a new operation or augmenting an existing staff.” June 26, 2006 Anindya Dixit, Exec. Vice President, MMatrix, Client” “I have known Sheila Greco for close to 10 years and have worked directly with her and her associates on several projects to include; traditional search, competitive intelligence and research/name generation. Her firm sets the standards for excellence in all of these catagories.I am delighted to be able to endorse her work.” May 27, 2005 J. James O'Malley, Sheila's client “I have engaged Sheila on a number of occasions, going all the way back to 1990. The work she has done across a broad array of subjects has always been of very high quality, on time and beyond expectations. She is a pleasure to work with.” February 19, 2007 Top qualities: Great Results, High Integrity, Creative Don Rosenkoetter, client “I've worked closely with Sheila for several years. She’s a successful entrepreneur who has built an outstanding organization and assembled a great team that provides the highest quality work to clients. The significant value she provides to clients is to quickly and accurately evaluate their needs, then very effectively partner with them to provide solutions that make their businesses better. Sheila's energy level is inspirational, and she’s one of the funniest people I've had the pleasure to meet. I highly endorse working with Sheila.” January 11, 2008 Peter Malamas, Sr. VP (Current), SGA ExecutiveTracker Researcher's Delight …; Added by Dave Mendoza at 2:03am on December 15, 2008

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

Topic: Meet Mark Rinovato, Broadcom's Corporate Staffing Pioneer of Sourcing, SEO, and Employee Branding - Goes Solo: 8-0133 • Mobile: (949) 395-9593 • Email Ever live "down the street from someone" and only years later, thousands of miles away reintroduced yourself and communicated and learned what an exceptional innovator you missed a coffee or a lunch with when you had the opportunity? Of course you have; these are digital times, but alas, the virtual handshake allows us to recover bona fides. In this instance, a staffing manager who was an early disruptor within corporate walls was only a few miles away when I lived in Irvine before I escaped to the Rocky Mountains. Today, I give thanks to RecruitingBlogs Monday Member Showcase series for the opportunity to share a discovery of a true industry innovator, Mark Rinovato. This week, I am honored to feature his extraordinary legacy of achievements during his tenure at Broadcom; mainstreaming sourcing efforts, in addition to introducing SEO and employee branding as a vital strategic staffing component. Mark served as Manager, Strategic Sourcing at Broadcom, he oversaw a budget of $1.5M where he initiated the creation of the strategic sourcing function and managed a team of eight Sourcing Specialists dedicated to passive candidate identification and pipeline generation through sourcing channels. He created the company’s first Employment Brand that is now used in all career-related advertising and communications in order to convey the true company culture. Mark implemented Search Engine Optimization technology for the career site that resulted in Broadcom’s open requisitions landing on the first page of Google search results. His efforts translated into the Successful development of identifying over 5000 qualified engineers to the database within six months. As Manager of Global Staffing at Broadcom, he managed a budget of $3.5M and directed a global team of 28 including recruiters, sourcing specialists and coordinators in support of the Broadcom’s recruiting strategy and execution worldwide. He created Broadcom’s Employee Referral Program that produced a third of all company hires. His staffing organization grew Broadcom from 2,500 employees in 2004 to over 7,000 employees in 2008. In all, Mark’s efforts averaged over 1400 hires per year for four years, - exclusive of acquisitions. Recently, Mark has initiated his own contingency search firm, “EMR Search Partners” which provides talent acquisition solutions to the high technology industry. EMR provides search services on a retained, contingency and contract basis. He has diversified his clientele with start-up venture funded firms as well as large established companies. Q&A with Mark Rinovato Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world. Mark My wife, Edie, and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Februrary on the island of Bora Bora, Tahiti. It was spectacular. We met in Los Angeles, where I was starting out my recruiting career with an employment agency on Wilshire Blvd. She was working for a restaurant located in the same building. We know we made a great team. My wife is Hungarian born and actually escaped from communist Hungary in the 70’s with her mother and eventually made their way to Los Angeles. That’s an entire novel in itself! As it turned out, we started our own restaurant in Los Angeles, a Hungarian/Continental restaurant, and it was quite successful. I found myself recruiting by day and helping with the restaurant at night. I would not recommend this. We sold it 4yrs later, but the marriage is still going strong. Six Degrees: What's a day in the life for you Mark? Mark My main hobbies are golf, music and movies. I don’t have enough time to play a lot of golf, but I get out when I can. I’ve been to many PGA Tour golf tournaments, including the US Open at Torrey Pines in 08. It was a spectacular event. Having been in the restaurant business, my wife and I also share a love of gourmet cooking and wine, and we love to entertain friends. We also love to watch classic movies. As far as music, my tastes are pretty eclectic, and include folk, rock, jazz (especially latin jazz) and classical. Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? Mark: I’ve been in the staffing industry for over 30 years, so I’ve seen a lot of changes, especially with the technology. When I started in the industry the most innovative technology was the phone system. Come to think of it, we may be coming full circle with smartphones and the mobile internet. Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter? Mark I was asked by a friend in Los Angeles, who had just been hired by an employment agency there, to talk with this agency about getting into the business. This was a small firm just starting up, and I was about the 6th employee. I ended up being with that agency for 7 years going from a Recruiter to Management, and we grew from one small agency to 5 agencies with 20 employees each. The success I experienced there was very exciting, especially for a young man in his early 20’s, and really set the tone for my career in this business. I was hooked. I still am. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Mark That’s a tough question. There have been so many important events. But I would have to say that starting my own agency was the most important. There is something about going out on your own, with no support other then your belief in your own abilities, that really defines who you are. It requires you to be creative and do more with less, but it also gives you the freedom to do all of the things that you could not do working for others. As an example, the first firm that I worked for was slow to adopt the PC, networking and recruiting software that was then coming available, pushing it off into the future because of the expense. When I started my own business I immediately bought a software package designed for search firms and automated my business. It happened to be on the Mac as that was the only GUI available and I couldn’t deal with DOS. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? Mark Actually, there were two individuals that I would say I modeled my career after. The first was the owner of the first agency that I joined and was with for 7yrs. I saw how he ran his business and how successful he was, and that inspired me to learn recruiting and start my own business. The second was a corporate staffing manager with a Fortune 100 corporation who helped me transition into corporate recruiting. He gave me an opportunity and opened up that side of the business for me. Six Degrees: Tell us about your last position, (responsibilities, size of your staffing organization) : Mark I spent the last 8yrs at Broadcom Corporation, a $4.5 billion communications semiconductor company. I started out as a contract recruiter, and eventually progressed to Manager of Global Staffing and then Manager, Strategic Sourcing. The teams that I hired and managed were instrumental in growing the company from 2400 employees to just over 7500 employees in 4yrs. Most of these hires were highly skilled engineers, hardware and software. The staffing department had 25 recruiters and sourcers at one time, and we were an excellent team, but recent budget cuts have eliminated most of them. It’s the worst time I have ever seen in our industry. Six Degrees: What talent niche groups do you target and are these particular talent areas specialized under your review? Mark The talent groups that we focused on at Broadcom were primarily design engineers with either IC design, systems design or embedded software design expertise. Within these groups is quite a bit of specialization, as the company has over 22 different product lines. But those are the basic talent hubs, and they were all supported by my teams. We also recruited for other support functions, such as finance, IT, HR, etc. Six Degrees: What types of training in sourcing/recruitment are available to you and have you taken advantage of? Mark We had access to a lot of good training. The three primary training courses for staffing were: The Adler Group – full cycle recruiting, including interview and assessment. JobMachine – Sourcing AIRS Xtreme - Sourcing All of these vendors did an excellent job of coming on site and conducting professional training sessions that had a great deal of benefit to my teams. 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? Mark The main tool was the ATS system, from VirtualEdge, and that system was implemented worldwide. We used all the typical job boards. Job boards were a tool worldwide as well, but only Monster worked reasonably well overseas. Most countries and regions have there own local boards that do better then Monster, CareerBuilder, Hotjobs and Dice. Of course, everyone had a LinkedIn Recruiter account, which is quite effective everywhere. Other sourcing tools included ZoomInfo, Broadlook Diver and Profiler, InfoGist, TalentHook, and others. We also used Search Engine Optimization and built an SEO site with TalentHubs. Six Degrees: (A) What other companies' recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples? Mark Microsoft is a name that keeps popping up on everyone’s top ten list. Also, I hear a lot of good things about Ernst and Young. We had a Broadcom employee leave to go to work in E&Y’s college program as a recruiter and described the experience in glowing terms. A lot of industry leaders in sourcing seem to have come from Microsoft. Six Degrees: (B) In what aspects are they superior? Mark Most companies with superior recruiting functions have the support and commitment of top executives who understand the importance of recruiting to the company’s success. This translates into budgets that allow staffing leadership to hire the best recruiters and sourcers, and implement the best tools and methodologies. The best recruiting departments have a strong strategic approach to staffing, along with a superior process. Six Degrees: Worst mistake, biggest goof, lousiest practice you thought would fly but didn’t…and how that was a learning experience? Mark Most of the big mistakes I have made were the result of lack of communication. Nothing leads to disaster like making decisions in a vacuum. Probably the best example of this happened when I became enamored with Web 2.0 job boards and thought that I needed to add one to my company’s toolbox. I did my due diligence, checked out all the top contenders and made my selection. I even had a small team of 2 recruiters who also participated in the demo’s, and they were also positive, so I was comfortable with my final decision. I was so sure that this was a great product that I failed to involve the larger team of recruiters and sourcers who would be using the product on a day to day basis. It turned out that, even after extensive training, they were not getting the results from this new product, and simply stopped using it. I had wasted tens of thousands of dollars of the company’s money and valuable training and recruiter time. The result was no results, and no ROI. No matter how cool a technology seems, you need to make sure that it can produce the desired results and that you have buy in from the majority of users before going with it. Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why? Mark Obviously, the financial meltdown and deep recession has had a strong impact on the recruiting industry. No matter what part of the business you work in, you have probably negatively impacted by this downturn. Corporate recruiting budgets have been sharply curtailed. Many friends of mine on the agency side, both retained and contingency, have painted a very bleak picture of the current market. While this too shall pass, I think the severity of it will make companies hesitant about committing to hiring fulltime employees and push them towards more outsourcing and contract labor. The cost of healthcare is also a factor that will encourage this trend as well. Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry: Mark The most interesting groups that I have been involved with recently are CSLE (Corporate Sourcing Leadership Exchange) and OCTane, which is a local business group here in Orange County, CA. CSLE is focused on sharing information and stimulating ideas about Sourcing as a center of excellence in corporate environments. It is always enlightening to hear what other top corporate staffing teams are doing internally, especially with regards to sourcing. OCTane is a group dedicated to the branding of Orange County, CA as a destination for high technology and medical technology firms and talent. Sahali 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) Mark Well, it has affected me quite dramatically. The entire strategic sourcing function was eliminated, along with my position as manager of that team. Many recruiters were also let go, as were other departments in HR. So the recession has had a very negative impact on me, and many of my colleagues. I’ve been through a number of these recessions, and they are always bad news for the recruiting industry, but we always bounce back. 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? Mark We have some local groups here in Orange County that have been a big help so far. There is a group called HR Connections, which is sponsored by LHH, that brings together local HR talent at monthly meetings. We share job leads and job hunting advice. Also, InContact HR puts together great networking events for HR professionals nationwide. I’ve also joined a few promising groups on LinkedIn such as Corporate Recruiters, Personal Branding Network and Cybersleuths. I’m looking forward to getting more involved in networking and branding through these and other groups. 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? Mark My advice would be to pick and choose carefully the networks you decide to become a part of, and then really participate as much as possible. You have to give something in order to get results. Not contributing to the networks is a mistake that I have made in the past, mainly because I’ve been too busy, but also because I was did not incorporate it into my daily routine. I plan to change that. LinkedIn has been my main professional network so far. I have used Facebook primarily for personal contacts. And of course Twitter looks to be a great tool that I’m just getting started with. Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? Mark I did a lot of soul searching over the past couple of months as to which direction to go in. I initially thought about going for another Manager or Director of Staffing role in a corporate environment. But I have decided to start my own search and consulting business instead, and I’m in the middle of launching this new enterprise. It may seem an odd time to be launching a business of any kind, let alone a recruiting business, but recessions are often the best times to start a new business. We’ve hit bottom, and nothing but growth lies ahead. I’m looking forward to the challenge. Happy Holidays, from SixDegreesfromDave.com…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 4:25pm on November 29, 2009