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Blog Post: International Staffing Perspectives: PASCALE COGNARD, Staffing Specialist, Freescale Semiconductor - France: By Dave Mendoza, Master Cybersleuth, A JobMachine Affilate Partner…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 10:21am on July 30, 2007

Comment on: Topic 'NEWS ON JOBS AROUND THE WORLD': ke to be your representative,’ ” says Sabine Klahr, director of international programs at Boise State University. “We don’t answer those e-mails typically.” “There are no standards at this point,” Klahr explains. “You could work with agents throughout the world who are not” — she pauses, searching for the right word — “they are not reputable business people, essentially. How do you know that you can trust them?” Klahr’s question forms the foundation for the American International Recruitment Council. Incorporated as a nonprofit organization last summer and now counting 35 colleges as institutional members (including Boise State), the council is rapidly moving forward with developing standards and an “accreditation lite” procedure for certifying reputable international recruiting agents. Yet, in embracing the practice of colleges paying recruiting agents per-student commissions, the AIRC aims to regulate an industry atop what many see as shaky ground, ethically speaking. The federal Higher Education Act bars such incentive compensation in domestic student admissions, but exempts international recruitment from the ban. The National Association for College Admissions Counseling’s Statement of Principles of Good Practice includes a ban on commissions based on the number of students recruited, “and it does not make any exceptions” for international recruiting, says David A. Hawkins, the association’s director of public policy. “All along we’ve noted that the use of agents in and of itself isn’t a problem. It’s the way in which perhaps they’re compensated that our principles would really be more applicable towards.” By contrast, the commission approach is more common among Australian and British universities, increasingly fierce competitors with American colleges when it comes to attracting international students. Mitch Leventhal, AIRC’s chair and president, sees the strategic use of recruiting agents as a way for the United States to maintain its historic edge. (By contrast, recruiting fairs, he says, “are 1960s.") “If you’re involved in this, you are associating with institutions who have sort of stepped beyond the question of ‘can we, can’t we,’ and are beginning to think differently about the way American higher education recruits globally,” says Leventhal, vice provost for international affairs at the University of Cincinnati, a founding institutional AIRC member. “They were gracious enough to extend an invitation for us to join their effort when they announced their formal incorporation,” says Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. “We just as graciously declined, mostly because the very purpose for which they have now formally organized themselves is being debated within AACRAO. So we thought it’s premature for us to join that conversation, when there was at least some significant opposition within our own ranks to the very activity that they now seek to regulate.” Self-Regulation The AIRC’s institutional members, about a third of which are Ohio colleges, bring varying degrees of experience with agents, says Leventhal. “Some of them have been using agents for a long time, but they recognize they’ve been doing it in isolation.… Some have only recently adopted a strategy; some are considering it and they want to make sure they get it right. And then there are a couple, I think, who are not sure they’re ever going to do it.” Officials at AIRC universities describe using a variety of payment models, including commissions, but also flat fees paid to agents and even loose institutional affiliations with agents who are paid only by students. At Cincinnati, Leventhal works with 12 to 15 agents. They earn, per student referred who is accepted and enrolled, 10 percent of net tuition paid the first year. (So if, for instance, after a scholarship, a student pays $17,000 in tuition in the first year, the agent earns $1,700 total for his or her services.) Many colleges that have joined AIRC point to limited recruiting budgets (commission-based recruiting requires a much lower upfront cost than hiring a staff person abroad, say), and limited name recognition. Still, they strive for significant international student representation on their campuses. “We’re not a household name in the world,” says Michael Basile, director of the Institute for International Studies at Murray State University, located in southwestern Kentucky, a two-hour drive from the closest international airport. (“We’re not even within shouting distance of any large metropolitan area,” Basile says.) “We really have to go out and dig,” Basile explains. “So I think there’s an advantage to having representatives that are located in different parts of the world that we want to attract students from.” AIRC held its first meeting in Cincinnati in October, and, according to its timetable, expects to approve a set of standards and a certification process for agents at a meeting in May (to coincide with the annual meeting of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, in Los Angeles). AIRC’s plans derive from American higher education’s historic process of self-regulation through voluntary accreditation. The process for certifying agents is under development, but here’s what Leventhal says is currently being considered: Agents would apply for certification, paying a fee; they also would pay for an IntegraScreen background check of their company. Following that, a certain number of employees would complete a professional development curriculum created by AIRC, which would probably focus on standards, best practices and structure of the U.S. higher education system. The agents would undergo a self-study as well as an external site visit before certification. Re-certification would come up after three years. After certification, a compliance board would investigate any complaints, and certification could be revoked, Leventhal explains. The AIRC’s goal is to pilot the process with a very small group of agents in 2009. “Hopefully in 2010, we’ll then have systems in place so we can put a good number through the process each year,” says Leventhal. He knows the council’s proposed approach is ambitious, but also, given a general reluctance to use agents in the United States, believes it must be so. “What we need in this country to make people very comfortable is an established set of practices. So they know that it is in fact ethical and it can be done safely and you can hold your head high about it,” Leventhal says. “I have exactly the same concerns that the people who are arguing against agents have. The difference is, I think we can address the concerns through the systems we’re so good at, self-regulation.” ‘Horror Stories’ There are many horror stories about abuses, both on the part of agents and that of American colleges. Even proponents of using agents relate such stories, although, as Leventhal says, they believe that these abuses can be addressed. For example, when asked about a common concern that engaging agents on commission encourages an “any warm body” approach to enrollment management, Leventhal stresses that college admissions offices have an obligation to accept only qualified students, rather than take scores of unqualified students whom an agent might refer. Admittedly, not all U.S. colleges are so scrupulous. Says Leventhal: “There are institutions in the U.S and we can all name them — and I’m not gonna, but it’s not hard – but there are institutions in the U.S, proprietary in nature, small struggling liberal arts colleges…. They’ve signed on dozens and dozens, hundreds of agents. There’s very little oversight of the agents. They’re going after the numbers. It’s not hard for the students to get in. I don’t know what their success and retention rates are.” In May, The New York Times reported on the phenomenon of recruiters earning money from both ends — accepting commissions from colleges and direct payments from students themselves. “In the mid-’90s, we did have some problems with agents that I would say they were less than … well, they were unscrupulous,” says Joe Tullbane, associate dean of St. Norbert College, in Wisconsin, an AIRC member. “That is, they would send students to you and you would pay their fees and a couple different things might happen. You might find that the agent had already charged the student a considerable amount of money — so in a sense, they were charging both sides for the same service. And that seemed wrong. Secondly, there were agents who would place a student and literally after you paid your money to them the student would change to another institution” (which would be harder to do now, post 9-11). “There are plenty of them out there that are kind of fly-by-night operations that put a shingle out,” Tullbane says. “The last thing I want to hear as a small school is, ‘I can provide you with 50 students a year.’ Well, I only want two or three, from every country.” Tullbane says he feels “pretty confident” about St. Norbert’s current checks and balances for its agents; it has about 60 on the books, he estimates, but works actively with about 15. He adds, however, that he’s hesitant to add any agents to their current roster. Speaking of why the institution joined AIRC, he says, “We felt here at St. Norbert that it’s unhealthy to sort of be your own assessment agency. “Part of the reason we’re involved with the AIRC is so we can be assured that best practices and best standards are being established — so that when we work with agents, we know that everything is above-board and going on in the best possible fashion,” says Ray Lagasse, director of international programs at the University of North Dakota, another AIRC member. “It’s not just a rubber-stamping of whoever or whatever shows up on our doorstep. If they go through that procedure and then they obtain a particular certification, that rigor or those steps at least provide a particular level of assurance. “We have heard horror stories,” he continues, of agents “promising this, promising that, in the name of a particular university. We do not have the time or the energy to deal with the fallout from any of this.” Student-Centered or College-Centered? Those critical of the practice of using agents look beyond the question of preventing flagrant abuses to ask further: Does the agent model best serve the interests of potential international students? Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president of the Institute of International Education, says via e-mail that “IIE supports any effort to set standards and disseminate best practices in the field of commission-based recruiting. Our position on use of third-party recruiters is that while we recognize that some U.S. campuses feel this kind of approach works best for them, in general we believe that international students are best served by having access to the widest possible set of options, and this is available to them free of charge from the network of over 450 EducationUSA advising centers supported by the U.S. Dept. of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs around the world.” (IIE hosts a handful of these centers, and also works with the State Department to provide training and resources to EducationUSA advisers. IIE publishes the quarterly journal, EducationUSA Connections.) In a follow-up phone interview, Blumenthal explains, “Basically a third-party recruiter is working for a college or a few institutions, so they’re going to understandably be representing those colleges and are not going to be presenting the student with [questions like]: ‘Have you thought about a community college, have you thought about a state school, a big school, a small school?’ “Do you begin with a student focus or do you begin with a campus interest? They’re both legitimate ways to proceed but from IIE’s perspective, the best success comes when the student is matched with the right school after reviewing all the options.” “This is a two-way street. It’s not only what’s best for the school. It’s also what’s best for the student,” says Nassirian, of AACRAO. He adds that it can be exceedingly difficult to understand what’s really happening in the office of any given international agent, signed contracts and good intentions aside. “You’re not there. You can’t read the language; you don’t understand the customs. If you did, you’d be there yourself.” AACRAO’s ethics committee has also been questioning the wisdom of low-budget internationalization efforts more generally. Nassirian asks: “If you don’t have resources to recruit those students, how do you believe yourself to be good destinations for them?” — Elizabeth Redden The original story and user comments can be viewed online at http://insidehighered.com/news/2009/01/06/recruiting.…; Added by Melissa Furtwengler to Green Jobs Now! at 5:51am on January 12, 2009

Blog Post: Diversity Hiring: importance, strategies, mistakes, & laws [2022]: Have you ever heard of the term "diversity or inclusive hiring"? Well, if you're an HR professional, then chances are you've already dealt with this type of recruitment strategy before and are…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 3:40am on November 14, 2022

Blog Post: Top 4 Virtual Event Platforms for Your Next Virtual Career Fair: For the event industry, especially career events, 2020 has not been a kind year. Instead of a catastrophic regression, however, the industry has found a new way to…; Added by Ngan Pham at 6:59am on July 13, 2021

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

Blog Post: Why Lou Adler is Wrong About Personality Assessments: Added by Ryan Mead at 9:38am on December 17, 2015

Blog Post: RESUME WRITING TIPS AND SAMPLES: Added by Mandy Fard - CPRW, CMRW at 8:11pm on July 7, 2022

Blog Post: 11 Effective Customer Engagement Strategies to Boost Customer Loyalty and Profits

What are businesses really about? Some will say products, while others say profits. But you can’t have either without customers.

Customer engagement has never…

Added by Phil Strazzulla at 1:53am on October 19, 2022

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