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Blog Post: 3 Recruiting Technologies & Tools Changing the Future of Hiring: This is the third time I’ve had the honor of judging the iTalent competition…; Added by Matt Charney at 2:27pm on November 20, 2013

Blog Post: 10 Career Change Myths: Career Myth #1: You can't make a living doing something you really, truly love

This is the grand-daddy of career myths, the belief…; Added by BreckAdmin at 10:02pm on December 12, 2017

Blog Post: College Recruitment Strategy: What Every Recruiter Need To Avoid In Any Campus Recruiting Campaign: Why Are College Recruiting Strategies Important?

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Blog Post: How to Recruit - The least you should do....: Employing people was never easy. Perversely, it's more difficult now because there are more candidates than jobs, but there are…; Added by Martin Ellis at 9:42am on May 20, 2013

Blog Post: Are We Overthinking Candidate Experience?

I’m finding an inordinate volume of dialogue in recent times regarding…

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Blog Post: 6 Winning Traits of Startup Employees: Added by Ryan Mead at 9:58am on September 30, 2015

Topic: How and Why to Object to Taking .jobs Away From Employers and Creating a Million New Job Boards: day, read this blog entry, and immediately send an email in which you voice your objections to the .jobs proposal to jobs-phased-allocation@icann.org. On the other hand, if you believe that the ends justify the means, then sit back and wait until about mid-August when some back room deals could be approved that will result in Employ Media, a for-profit organization which is closely related to the non-profit DirectEmployers (yes, that's correct), is able to do just about whatever it wants with the .jobs domains. If you're a third party recruiter specializing in information technology workers, wouldn't you love it if Employ Media refuses to sell InformationTechnology.jobs to you and instead creates its own job board using that domain? Better yet, how about if you specialize in that market in Chicago and Employ Media gives you the choice of buying ChicagoInformationTechnology.jobs for a measly $5,000 per year or watching them create and promote that domain to your clients? Or you're Microsoft and Employ Media gives you the choice of buying both SoftwareEngineer.jobs or SeattleSoftwareEngineer.jobs for $100,000 per year (they'll have full control over the pricing for different domains for different potential buyers) or they'll turn around and sell those to Amazon for $10,000 per year (maybe their sister works at Amazon so they want to cut her a deal that they won't make available on the same terms to you). Better yet, you're American Airlines and you're not even offered the opportunity to buy AmericanAirlines.jobs because Employ Media decides that it wants to use it to create a job board with job postings scraped from all sorts of U.S.-based airlines as well as loads of ads telling you that you need to have your credit history checked or you won't be hired and you should immediately request information about continuing your education because otherwise no employer will want to hire you. Nice, huh? So how did this all get started? Actually, the origins were innocent enough. Six years ago, SHRM and Employ Media got together and submitted an application to the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the governing body for Internet domain names and top level domain (TLD) extensions like .com and .net, and requested that ICANN create a new TLD, .jobs. ICANN approved the application a year later in 2005. SHRM was to be the sponsor of the new .jobs TLD. As such, its role was to set policy and establish registration requirements. Employ Media was essentially to administer the TLD, including selling the new domains. Due to a startling lack of transparency, we don't know much else about the relationship although it has been reported that "SHRM receives a flat fee from Employ Media for its role in sponsoring the .jobs TLD." So what .jobs domains are available? The .jobs charter limits their use to domains such as organizations such as Toyota or Microsoft using them to drive traffic to their career sites. So Toyota could use Toyota.jobs and Microsoft could use Microsoft.jobs but job boards such as Monster and CollegeRecruiter.com could not use Monster.jobs or CollegeRecruiter.jobs unless it was to promote their own job openings and not those of their clients. Similarly, job boards like Monster and CollegeRecruiter.com could not register Automotive.jobs or SoftwareEngineer.jobs and use those to drive traffic to job posting ads they sold to Toyota or Microsoft. In short, the .jobs domains were reserved for employers promoting their own job openings. End of story. Or was it? Well, if the story ended there, no one would be upset except, perhaps, for SHRM and Employ Media. You see, after five years, Employ Media has managed to sell only 15,000 .jobs domains even though there are some 13 million employers in the U.S. alone and likely hundreds of millions more in other countries. So SHRM and Employ Media apparently huddled up and agreed that their partnership was failing and brainstormed about how they could turns their lemons into lemonade. The scheme they hatched was to pretend that ICANN authorized Employ Media to do with .jobs just about anything it wanted with the .jobs TLD included the creation of potentially a million new job boards owned and operated by Employ Media. Yes, a million. They really said that. SHRM apparently thought this was such a good idea that in a process that resulted in the resignations of multiple members of the task force charged with overseeing the process, it gave its blessing to Employ Media to charge ahead. Employ Media could sell some .jobs domains to job boards and other organizations whose eligibility and cost for buying the domains would be determined by Employ Media with no oversight in a process which would lack transparency (see a pattern here?) and use other domains to create perhaps a million new cookie cutter job boards to go along with the estimated 100,000 which already exist. Do you want Employ Media to create hundreds of thousands and perhaps a million new job boards however it sees fit when the charter it and SHRM were granted clearly restricted the use of the .jobs domains to employers wanting to create an easy way for their candidates to go directly to the career section of the employers' web sites? Some may argue that this is just free enterprise at work and I would agree in part. Although the creation of a million new job boards will surely add new competition, that isn't the problem. I wouldn't be thrilled about that, but I also wouldn't be helping to lead the objectors in this process. Rather, it is the lack of openness, transparency, and even honesty that is the problem. If the new domains were to be sold like .com domains -- anyone can buy them in a manner that is open, transparent, and honest -- then you wouldn't hear such a fuss. But if Employ Media gets its way then some .jobs domains will be sold behind closed doors and others will be retained by Employ Media to enrich its coffers through the creation of perhaps a million new job boards. If you agree that Employ Media should be allowed to do what it wants, do nothing for inaction will surely lead to ICANN's approval. But if you don't want Employ Media creating and operating domains such as Headhunter.jobs, StaffingAgency.jobs, Chicago.jobs, SoftwareEngineer.jobs, SiliconValley.jobs, Dublin.jobs, or HoustonProfessionalSales.jobs then you need to take action today by simply sending an email to ICANN in which you object to the plans of Employ Media. And it really should be today because tomorrow (Thursday, July 15, 2010) is the deadline to submit comments on this. Note that a personalized letter is a bit better than sending the same letter as everyone else, but sending the same letter is FAR better than sending no letter. Similarly, sending a letter by mail on letterhead is a bit better than sending by email on letterhead or sending a regular email, but sending a regular email is FAR better than sending none. So if you only have time to send a regular email, do so today. If you have time to also print it onto letterhead, sign it, and mail it, do so today. As reported last week by John Zappe of ERE, all comments must be received within the next four days on Thursday, July 15, 2010. If you don't know what to write, have a look at what I and others have submitted or use this: July 15, 2010 Peter Dengate Thrush, Chairman Members of the Board of Directors International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers 4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330 Marina del Rey, CA 90292-6601 USA By Email To: jobs-phased-allocation@icann.org RE: Employ Media sTLD Charter Amendment Dear Chairman Dengate Thrush and Members of the Board: I am writing on behalf of [insert the name of your organization here], to urge you to reject Employ Media's request for authority to permit second level registration of strings that do not correspond to an employer's name in the .jobs sponsored top level domain. My organization would be directly and adversely affected by this request and therefore opposes the unilateral expansion of the .jobs charter to encompass regional and industry-specific second-level registrations. Since 1993, the community of online employment service companies--job boards, associations, staffing firms, newspapers and other publications that operate job posting and/or resume search databases--has effectively served working men and women and employers worldwide. These same organizations have also significantly improved the career prospects of veterans, minorities, disadvantaged persons and those affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The separate and distinct communities of employers, staffing agencies, third party recruiters, job boards, and even career services are now threatened by the proposed expansion of the .jobs top level domain (TLD). The charter holder is attempting to extend the application of the TLD from its approved community--direct employers--into the online employment services community by introducing geocentric (i.e., Atlanta.jobs, NewYork.jobs, Athens.jobs) and occupation specific (i..e, nurse.jobs, salesperson.jobs, systemsanalyst.jobs) web sites. It now has a proposal to implement this plan before the governing board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN). This proposal violates both the spirit and the letter of the charter holder's contract with ICANN. No less important, it will grievously harm the online employment services community and therefore my organization by confusing the job seekers and employers who have long been the customers of the community. Sincerely, [Insert your name, job title, and contact information here] Oh, two more things: When you email the above letter to ICANN, please cc me at Steven@CollegeRecruiter.com. I want to make a difference in this process and if you'll cc me on your email, I'll know that my time was well spent. After you send your email by the evening of Thursday, July 15th, watch your inbox and perhaps also your spam folder because ICANN will kick out to you an automated email to confirm that you really exist. All you need to do is click the link in the email so your comment will be submitted. If you don't, it might as well not exist. Thanks!! …; Added by Steven Rothberg at 12:53pm on July 12, 2010

Topic: RIP VAN JOBSEEKER IS ALIVE AND WELL.....: a time capsule. Those who have been out there looking are very aware of what the market has been like. They are not who I am talking about. I speak here of the person who has been at home with children for the past four or five years, the person who has taken time off from their career to take care of aging or ill family members, the person who has been employed and not interested in looking for another job for the past 6 years and is still employed. With personal situations changing and the rumor that the job market is picking up they have decided that it’s time to either go back to work or look for a new job. Without fail here is what I am hearing. If you are experiencing these situations tell me how you are handling them. RETURNING STAY AT HOME PARENT. “Hey, I have decided to go back to work, my kids are both in school now so I’m ready.” “I was making 125K when I decided to stay home so I would like to start at a minimum of that range because after all that was 2006 so I should actually be able to make more than that now.” “My preference would actually be to work until 3:00 so I could pick up my kids so I would consider that same salary I was making in 2006 if I could work those hours, but I do want full benefits.”. Me: “Well, ok, are you aware that while you were doing the mommy/daddy thing we sort of had this thingy called a recession, the unemployment rate is still up there pretty high and there are lots of folks who will take half of what they were making to get a job?” “It’s pretty competitive.” “I know things have been pretty ugly but I didn’t get laid off or anything I just quit to stay home.” “My CPA license has expired because I didn’t want to take those CPE hours but I think if I bring those up to date I can get it activated” Me: “Have you checked with the state board on the number of hours you need , the cost and have you stayed up to speed on the changes in the tax rules and regs since 2006?” “No I haven’t checked and I really am not up to speed on the changes in the regs, but I would think that an employer would be willing to pay for my CPE and the renewal of my license, isn’t that normally paid for by the employer?” Me: “Here’s the scoop mom/dad , Rip Van Jobseeker.” This is not a reflection on what you can do or can’t do, how smart you are or your education and experience. In the real world salary ranges didn’t go up much, in fact many of them dropped due to the number of people who were laid off.” “You will be competing for jobs with people who have a current license, are up to date on the regs, have been working and are willing to take about 25 or 30K less than what you are talking about for full time employment.” “So what I can tell you is if you want to get off at 3:00, don’t have a current license and haven’t worked in five years we are probably looking at about 50 to 65K if I can even find somebody who wants someone part time.” “That’s ridiculous, I can’t afford to go to work for that.” “Maybe I need to do something besides accounting.” “I am really up to speed on all the new social media, I am even on twitter and I have 300 followers, mostly stay at home parents with small children.” Me: “Ok, send me your resume, I will keep you on the list and give you a call when I have something that will fit your salary expectations or if I have someone who is looking for somebody who used to an accountant and wants to do something else for more money than they can make doing what they know how to do.” “Maybe a social media consultant for some company who makes baby food or Kid stuff, but I am not getting a lot of listings for those, I think all the recruiters who were niched in the financial or mortgage industry are doing those jobs.” (As I put my head on my desk, I wonder if this person has been asleep for the past five years or does not have access to the news or hasn’t talked to anyone who has been in the work force. Who knows maybe she will make it big as a social media consultant). THE RETURNING CARETAKER “Hi, I am ready to resume my career, the situation with my family has resolved so I can now go back to work.” “What does it look like out there right now, I can do a lot of things and am willing to move anywhere.” Me: “Ok, that’s a pretty broad field, what have you done in the past before you had to take time off to take care of family?” “I got my PhD from Dartmouth in Biological Sciences, did some research at another university for about a year then had to come home in 2004 when my dad got sick so that’s about all I have done but with my PhD I should be able to make around 90 to 100K”. “Oh, and I will go anywhere but I will need relocation paid by the employer and temp housing would be a requirement and good benefits and work life balance and really if I could work from home I would prefer that and oh yes educational reimbursement.” Me: “You realize that we have just been through the worst recession since the great depression?” The going rate for research PhD’s with 10 years experience right now is around 100 to 125K and most companies are not paying relo if at all possible.” “But I went to Dartmouth that should put me in the top percentile and I am up to speed on social media, I did a web site for my brother’s soccer team, he has 45 followers .” Me: “What kind of research did you do?” “Sleep deprivation in rats.” Me: “ Ok Sylvester, let me bring you up to speed, nobody has slept much in the past few years, not even the rats. The focus in the past five or so years has been cancer research and molecular genetics.” “Get me a CV and I will put you on the list but I would suggest that you consider teaching perhaps on the college level if you can find a spot or you might go back to school and get a fellowship in something besides sleep deprivation in rats, and catch the news this evening if you have time.” (Head on Desk , WTF are these people thinking, have they been asleep for the past five years or do they think the rest of the world is lying about war, recession and natural disasters. The animal people are even worrying about the rats. I guess you could go be a social media consultant for scientists) JOHN THE EMPLOYED JOBSEEKER “Hey , I hear things are getting better. I am sick of what I am doing and want to do something else and I need more money.” Me: “What are you doing John and what are you making.?” “I’m an engineer and have been for the past 25 years and I make about 150K plus bonus but I want to do something different and I want to make a base of about 175K plus bonus. Me: “John, did you hear that the space program has been cut back, oil is at a hundred bucks a barrel, we just bombed Libya, Japan got hit with an earthquake, a tsunami and may be having a nuclear meltdown and we have been in a recession for the past three years that is not really over yet and the unemployment rate is still close to 10%?” “I know but that really doesn’t effect me, I have been at the same company for over 18 years I am ready for a change of career, tired of engineering and I want more money.” Me: “Great, send me your resume, my advice is to go back to work, don’t piss anybody off and I will call you when I can find you a career change with a challenge and more money in a different field that you don’t know anything about.” (Head on Desk, dear God, John you are 59 years old, you have a stable career, you have survived without being laid off. Please keep your mouth shut, do your job and don’t decide to quit to make your fortune as a social media consultant ) Wake all the way up ,Rip Van Jobseeker – while you were checked out for whatever reason we had this little thingy called a recession. Let’s either get real or go back to sleep. It’s not quite over yet. If you have not been working, take what you can get where ever you can get it to get back in the game. If you dodged the bullet, stay in your field, look carefully for a new opportunity. This is not the time to decide you want to do something you have never done. There are already enough starving social media consultants. Oh, and about your resume. Yes it has to have dates on it. No you can’t write two pages of generic gunk about all you think you have done without relating it to where you did it. Put your dates of education and don’t use that idiotic phrase “early career” with no dates. Do you think everybody is so stupid they think you only started to work in 95’ if you left off education dates and added that “early career” silliness. Obviously it was earlier if it took place prior to 95’. Would you start your resume with “Lately Career”? Show the dates that you have been checked out of the work place on your resume and give a brief explanation so HR will not think you have been asleep for the last four to six years or in the pen or in one of those nice places where they give you lots of little blue pills. Nobody is going to read any further if the last date of employment is 2006 with no explanation. If you were penned, pilled or just pensive for the past 4-5 yrs and don’t care for reality, consider this new field of social media consulting. Nobody really knows what they are talking about so it’s hard to get fired as a social media guru cause there is no way to measure it, no requirements and there is so much junk out there nobody will notice if you screw up. By the way, did you know Harry Truman died? Check Twitter. I am sure somebody else just found out about Harry and is tweeting away.…; Added by Sandra McCartt at 1:10am on April 8, 2011

Topic: Meet Russ Moon, Sourcing Samurai: "Warrior in the War for Talent": eries please click here. “In the war for talent, characterizing recruiters as 'warriors' may be an apt metaphor but, it is still a metaphor. Russ Moon on the other hand is the real deal. He drives for excellence in his profession and, the intensity with which he hones his skills to produce outstanding staffing results has few peers. In the war for talent, I want to have Russ leading the campaign on my side.” Gerry Crispin "Tenacious and determined in his drive to succeed Russ applies his vast intellect and deep energy resources into efficiently solving problems. His curiosity, a natural born willingness to learn, propels him into the ranks of Master CyberSleuths while his propensity to share his knowledge makes him a trusted friend.” Shally Steckerl “Russ has channeled ex-military diligence into recruiting & quickly moved into the elite levels by networking with the recruiting research/sourcing industry's leaders & putting in the time to learn & incorporating best practices into his daily work. It's paying off in his results & those in his circle benefit from his sharing of fast-growing expertise in all aspects of full life-cycle recruiting.” Glenn Gutmacher • Russ Moon • Sourcing Consultant, Talent Find LLC • Richmond VA • RecruitingBlogs Profile • Linkedin • Facebook • Twitter • Website • Blog • Office: 804-643-8604 • Mobile: 804-402-2364 • Email If I were to be limited to a single sentence to describe Russ Moon - the professional, I would preface that he is a "seasoned, world-class, internet researcher possessing both an MBA and technically advanced sourcing skills." To be more verbose and genuine to his daily mission however, Russ is indeed a leading Sourcing Consultant for Fortune 500 companies; delivering his own brand of specialized content development and delivery for sourcing training programs. Market Research, Social Media - Analysis and strategic direction, Training - Recruiting and Sourcing, Sourcing Scorecards, Sourcing Programs, Job Board Training, Work Aid development, and Hiring Demographics. Russ, however, is a man of many titles and distinguishing characteristics. Let's start with the ones we tend to be less familar with: One the top, highest ranked cadets of the prestigious military academy, The Citadel; graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. Recipient of the Renee Clark Memorial Scholarship Awardee, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2 Citations), and President's Advisory Committee. A First Lieutenant and US Military Veteran of the United States Army and a Disabled Veteran with a Service Connected Disability. Russ earned his Senior Parachutist Wings (Jumpmaster), Air Assault Wings and Honduran Airborne Wings until he broke his ankle in three places jumping an experimental parachute. A renown Sourcing Tool Beta Tester; i.e., Broadlook Technologies, Zoominfo, Jigsaw, CareerBuilder, PureDiscovery, AutoSearch. Earned every AIRS Certification offered ACIR,CIR,CDR and the CSSR (Certified Social Sourcing Recruiter) The only non-employee Broadlook Technologies Black Belt A SourceCon veteran, Russ will be co-facilitating a unique Firefox lab March 15, 2pm in San Diego as part of SourceCon 2010. We will be sharing the best of best “add-ons” to maximize your browsing productivity and experience. This unique format will deliver real time results as well as an opportunities for attendees and blog supporters to continue their sharing via a select community to be announced at the conference. Post a suggested add-on at my blog and secure your invite. Gerry Crispin said it best, "In the war for talent, characterizing recruiters as 'warriors' may be an apt metaphor but, it is still a metaphor." Russ Moon is indeed a warrior, and for those who know him well his intensity is characterized interchangeably with "ferocity." He is the man whose booming voice laughs with the most savage wind instrument, he is the friend who calls out your name reminding you owe him a hug and does so with pronounced loyalty to the physical effects of a "Bear Hug." Breathe in deeply, my friends, as his stride breaks new ground - Russ Moon has brought UFC to the staffing world. It is an event to see him, to work with him, to share with him. In all things, the term warrior is more apt with a hyphen; he is the consummate warrior poet. A man with deeply held passions to each of his loves in life, be it his wife, his profession, his friendships, and to the world he calls his oyster. It is an open world, where knowledge is the battle cry. In all things, I am glad to call him a friend, an "inner circle" friend - and a colleague. It is an honor today to introduce one of our own, Russ Moon. Q& A with Russ Moon Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world, Russ. Russ: Married 2.5 years to Diane Sinnatamby Moon,MD Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease. I was in the middle of my MBA taking an advanced marketing class and thought “Why am I not using my internet skills to help identify my life partner? Why can’t I use some of this knowledge I am learning to help myself be happier in life? So I used my skills of research on Match.com and found Diane in less than 4 hours. After about 35 e-mails in which she asked me about everything from my family history to what I eat each day, she finally felt comfortable sharing her phone number. She was enroute to a medical meeting and I met her in the lobby of her hotel. I knew prior to meeting her that we had already learned a great deal about each other, but when I saw her I was pleasantly surprised to find as a bonus she was really attractive! I walked over and introduced myself, she suggested we go find somewhere quiet where we could sit down and talk …then reached out and held my hand. I literally almost cried. About a month later she said she thought I was “The One” and I felt the same way but was afraid to say the words because I didn’t want to frighten her or for her to think I was some type of weirdo. We decided to date another year and if our feelings were the same we would revisit those words. One year went by and our feelings for each other greatly deepened, we were engaged and now have been married 2.5 years. She had just taken an assignment about 1.5 hours from me to work in a medically under served area for three years to earn her green card so it was tough making that work, but I think it strengthened us in hindsight. We are very close, she is literally my best friend and I could not ask for a better partner. Never thought I would have wound up with someone like her but it just went to show that you can’t plan everything and it is important to recognize opportunity when it is staring you in the face. I have enjoyed learning about the Asian culture and Sri Lanka in particular. We have many common interest but the cultural and professional differences provide for a great deal of diverse viewpoints and experiences. As for hobbies, I have several I am passionate about: Kettlebells – I discovered them January of 2009, have immersed myself in learning more, lost 25 (lost the weight then gained some muscle) pounds in the process while dramatically increasing my strength and endurance. Largemouth Bass Fishing – I am on a “safari” to catch a VA State Citation size largemouth bass. Guitar – two Fender Stratocasters that I enjoy playing for myself - just like the way they sound. Biking – Love to ride my bike, just upgraded a year ago to a nice Lemond road bike and love it. Reading – I rotate several books and read them simultaneously. Something people might not associate with me. I sent two Bibles to my sister who just finished 6 months in Africa on a mission to give to people she trained to speak English so they can help carry on the work. Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? Russ: 9 years directly with other jobs where hiring was a big part of my role Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter? Russ My start in recruiting was involuntary. I was serving as a Pharmaceutical District Sales Manager in Chicago and used zip code data to develop 12 new territories to generate more business from my assigned area. The VP of Sales smiled, signed off on my data after the Sales Information guy said “These numbers check out and would support additional reps.” Then the VP looked at me and said “Russ I want you to personally go select these people.” Total panic, but I would up making some strong choices including several diversity hires and a couple “mavericks”. We wound up ranked #2 in the nation for sales the next year in essentially a new district which was pretty significant. I later landed a role managing brokers serving the mass, grocery and general merchandise markets and recruited my broker team to sell our general merchandise line. Most of the reps had been with the owner a long time and were content to just cash their monthly commission checks without hunting for new business. So I called all the key accounts I wanted to sell and simply asked “Who is the best broker who calls on you for general merchandise?” Once the same name came up a couple times I then recruited them to join our team selling our product lines. My next job was a formal recruiting role where I led 4 business units serving the Power Generation industry on a global scope. We increased contract billings 356% in the first 6 months and I began to realize I liked recruiting and was good at it. Later I moved over into the sourcing side during my MBA because I didn’t think I could be on the phone at night with candidates and have enough time to study for my homework. So I learned Sourcing, realized that suited me even better and just kept honing my craft through intensive training, mentoring and increasing demanding practical experience. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Russ I had a period about 6 years ago when I was very heavily engaged in both attending professional training sessions while simultaneously receiving mentoring from multiple sourcing thought leaders. The impact of that condensed learning and the subsequent impact on my career progression embedded “continuous learning” as a mantra. When I started to see what was possible it changed my mental outlook on sourcing and talent acquisition forever. Happy to say I am repeating that cycle again right now, on an even more intensified level. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? Russ There is no one person, my philosophy has been to scan the talent horizon and lean towards gleaning the most desirable attributes from a diverse group of talent acquisitions professionals. My end goal being to become an amalgamation of those attributes which then constitute my unique offering. A Retired Sergeant Major I met while at The Citadel, taught me to “Take the best from each person you meet, leave the rest, move on to grow and evolve.” It was truly sage advice. If I were to name someone specifically, Shally Steckerl (thinks big, pursues knowledge), Eric Jaquith (leverages technology, generates more speed than anyone I have personally observed), Glenn Gutmacher (Ivy League IQ scientifically explores and knows the logic behind what he is pursuing, Tim O’Connor, (willing to try new things and put himself out there ), John Turnberg (genius, another expert at leveraging tools and techniques), Rithesh Nair (fire, ready , aim a first adapter who jumps out there and discovers things well prior to the masses..knows how to couple sourcing and the recruiting pieces exceptionally well. Suzy Tonini – (deeply respect her, knows what she speaks about willing to step outside her comfort zone and does so on a regular basis. On the consulting side Gerry and Mark from CareerXRoads have consistently provided practical, actionable and candid feedback. I have had the opportunity to work on a couple projects with Dr. John Sullivan and deeply respect his intellect and ability to break down complex topics to the molecular level. Kevin Wheeler is someone I am getting to know better who I am impressed with and would like to learn more from. Phil Hendrickson at Starbucks, Kim Warne at GE....I tend to gravitate to people with ample intelligence who are leaders...that seems to be the common thread. I know this implicitly they all leave pieces of their DNA with me with every e-mail, phone call or personal visit and I would not be who I am without people like them in my professional sociosphere. Six Degrees: Tell us about your present professional endeavors: Russ: I just wrapped up three years at Wachovia as the lead internet researcher supporting all lines of business on a national scope. I am offering my services as a sourcer/consultant for short term gigs of (2-12wks) working remotely from my dedicated work studio located in the downtown of Richmond, Virginia outside my home known to my inner circle as ”The Hive”. Loads of computers, more tools than the Batcave I have everything I need to do some serious ”digging” and all those tools come with me at no extra charge. So you get me, the tools and someone who knows how to use them. Hence the Sourcing Samurai, theme to my shortly forthcoming podcast radio show, which I encourage people to tune into. Nothing like it out there, its going to break new ground and reveal learnings not previously available to the general public or for that matter to most anyone. My guests who have been exposed to the concept are stoked about it and the select ground of Senior Talent Acquisition leaders I have test marketed the concept with have said ”I want this like not just for me but for my entire recruiting organization.” No joke....and those comments literally took my breath away. Six Degrees: (A) What other companies' recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples? Russ Recruiting operations at Microsoft, Starbucks, and Dell are innovators, however, I am sure there are many others I am not intimately aware of. No one person can have a monopoly on information so no slight intended to the people out there bringing their best, these are just top of the mind groups I am aware of at the moment. Six Degrees: (B) In what aspects are they superior? Russ: They all share the common attribute of ‘common sense oriented’ sourcing model that is delivering valued product to their business groups. Microsoft – They “get it” and have amassed a solid team of people who can actually execute the strategy. “Get it” – my definition is they are consciously competent, they know what they are attempting to achieve and they have a solid common sense measurable process to track their progress towards the goals…all while innovating. Starbucks – forward thinking, aggressive, understand workforce planning. Dell – I have been following Kim Rutledge and her team for some time -- they deliver. Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why? Russ: Social Media – not everyone has adopted, so much untapped potential, room for massive growth and utility. No secret the space has exploded and is continueing to explode. Where there is chaos (massive change) there is also opportunity. Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry: Russ: Yes. I intend to increase the frequency of my visibility in the future. In the last two years I have served in various capacities throughout the speaker circuit, including each of the following: Fall 2007 SourceCon Panel – “Internet vs Phone Sourcing” Spring 2008 Electronic Recruiting Exchange Expo – “Cultivating Your Organic Research Team” Fall 2008 Kennedy Recruiting Expo Panel – “Where the Corporate Sourcing Function is Headed: Expert Views from the Trenches” Spring 2009 CareerXRoads – Atlanta Colloquium – Diversity Sourcing Spring 2009 Kennedy Recruiting - “Becoming a Strategic Partner in Your Organization, Workforce Planning” I had made a mistake of spending too many long weeks head down at the desk churning the work out and not mingling enough to keep my name out there appropriately, to physically cultivate time with my ”inner circle” to feel the vibe....that was feedback from a mentor which I took to heart and I am correcting that error with vigor  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? Russ: • ERE Expo is a winner, plug into the events you will have amply opportunity to learn just about anything you wish. • Kennedy – the after hours dinners are great to start building real relationships • CareerXRoads – you learn at the colloquium, but the relationships and the ability to pick up the phone and get near instant response from global talent acquisition superstars…still wows me. • My personal circle – humbling myself and saying “help teach me” has gone a long way • My webpage, homepage, blog and upcoming radio show. • Keeping my inner circle informed of my proposed marketing efforts and being open to collaborating with them to leverage their expertise. Realizing that where they know more it is wise to listen to the expert and it shows them the proper respect. • Perioidically ...try not to lose your breath laughing here but I recognize to those who really know me I constitute free entertainment...but pick that phone up even briefly to let people know you are thinking about them, ask them how you can help them, what’s changed since you last spoke etc....it doesn’t have to be a marathon conversation but I am rediscovering how fruitful it is to connect more frequently albeit more briefly. 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? Russ: Networking for me has been about a consistent nurturing of relationships. To – Do’s: Find ways to add value to your network, be organized, do what you say you will do Not to Do’s: Our sense of urgency is not necessarily your networks, take that into account. Don’t overdraw your account balance (ie. Taking way more than you give back.) Don’t quit, just keep trying to grow your network and determine who you really want to share your personal journey with. Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? Russ: My next career goal is working as a consultant where I can leverage my ability to take in information, diagnose root causes and then develop/implement solutions. I want my clients to know they can count on me to deliver, to be knowledgeable and candid, to attempt to be the calm place they can anchor to know that in 2010 I am already on a pace that will allow me to reinvent myself to become more authentic, more informed, more productive and a better partner. One they will want to seek out. The technical, physical and mental program I am embarking on is the most strenuous one I have ever attempted and I am very interested to see what the lump of clay I am starting with this year will look like in 3,6,9 months. Not to mention what that person is going to be able to do...exciting. I have publically and privately committed myself to bringing my very best and believe my very best will be something I can be proud of. As humans we will never be perfect, I will never know it all, but I can tell you this I am going to really move my own needle in 2010 and the people I am drawing to me are seeing the front end of this program and the results already....did I say that I was excited about that ?  (1) Sourcing: To start putting to the test a host of new techniques that I am really excited about. Thrilled to be in a situation that will support my leveraging all this technical learning mode in a situation where I can bring more of those learnings to bear to add value. (2) Teaching: Seeking some opportunities to teach others as I travel the path, teaching is sharing, sharing is learning. What do I need to get there ? People who: 1. “Get it” – The people who understand the dynamics of talent acquisition and sourcing, what is realistically involved in achieving their objectives. For those who are playing catch up and that is not a criticism I myself am playing catch up in a couple areas, having the self-esteem and personal security to be able to say “I want/need to learn more, I know I don’t know, but I need you to help me.” People who do what they say they will do. Playing catch up is easier said than done, it can be intimidating or humbling to have to candidly say to someone “I don’t know but I want to learn.” I have felt that feeling and it is a tough mechanism to overcome, but it is truly empowering when you do. Given the number of times I have been in that position in the last two to three weeks I can say from my experience it becomes easier and certainly is empowering. 2. Senior Talent Acquisition leaders - it all starts at the top. So important for them to stay up to date even though the demands on their time are at all time peaks because ultimately they lead and to lead effectively you need to have enough personal understanding to weigh all your viable alternatives. Difficult to overestimate how important that is. 3. Reading a book now called “Lean Six Sigma for Service”- it is all about reviewing the processes to eliminate waste while delivering the value. Zeroing in on what truly adds value, how to identify the value and how to eliminate “waste” (non-value added activities) 4. Establish budgets which reflect their objectives with established leaders in their fields, be it talent attraction, sourcing, etc. to establish the appropriate scale and productivity level worthy of the task. Employing someone like myself, and fellow colleagues who share these objectives to attain their goals are a natural next step in the process. I see savvy leaders engaging someone like myself to reverse mentor them on sourcing, to privately share with them what they need to know to continue to lead from the front. I take my work very seriously, myself not so much, but those who know me know I guard my personal brand closely and do whatever it takes to get the work done.…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 2:47pm on January 3, 2010