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Blog Post: Turning Unemployment into Opportunity: Start Your Own Construction Business: Are you currently unemployed but have previous experience in the construction industry? If so, starting your own construction business could be a rewarding and…; Added by Emma Sturgis at 9:24pm on June 10, 2024

Blog Post: DivX Well-Positioned To Benefit From Digital Market Evolution: posted on: November 07, 2007 | about stocks: …; Added by Michael Krug at 3:58pm on November 21, 2007

Blog Post: FROZEN Out of Talent? Let It Go!: The following is the transcript from a webcast I led on 8/26/14 for SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management). This should not be copied, distributed, or used without my permission. Thank…; Added by Doug Douglas at 10:44am on August 28, 2014

Topic: Talent Talk Cafe - Chat Transcript for Community Take 2!: e together for a common good > giving back > where members get back more than they put in > creating and furthering relationships > respect > being - (this referred to presence and actively participating with awareness) > a web of inclusiveness > trust, and, > they must be intentional On Tuesday, June 17th we took the conversation forward to: Framing the community discussion around building a social networking strategy that begins by first establishing a deliberate community focus. So, given the guiding thoughts listed above on community, what steps would you take to design a talent community for recruitment in your business/industry? What are the most important actions a company needs to take to establish community? And, what should the expectations be relative to time to see a return on investing in building talent communities? Here's the transcript from our conversation and I hope you'll join us each Tuesday at 3pm ET/12pm PT for Talent Talk Cafe! Talent Talk Café – Susan Burns – Community #2 Susan Burns Hi everyone! Its time for Talent Talk Cafe!! 3:00pm Slouch Hey Susan 3:00pm Jerry Albright I'm in! 3:00pm MN Headhunter Word 3:01pm Slouch Hey Jerry and Paul 3:01pm Susan Burns Hi Jason, Jerry and Paul! 3:01pm MN Headhunter Susan, I cannot stick around for long and have something to share. Can I jump in? 3:01pm Susan Burns Our topic today is to continue the conversation around community but now move it towards establishing and growing a talent community 3:01pm Susan Burns Hi Paul - sure - go ahead 3:02pm MN Headhunter It tags on wthe topic.... 3:02pm MN Headhunter last week at a social media breakfast... 3:02pm MN Headhunter speaker talking bout ROI on social media.. 3:02pm MN Headhunter building communities... 3:02pm MN Headhunter I asked about how I should respond to ROI takes time and most will not wait long enough... 3:03pm MN Headhunter She said Reputation Management is instant. 3:03pm MN Headhunter If you can manage that right away other things will come in time 3:03pm MN Headhunter what do you think? 3:03pm Missed a little: Susan Burns Authenticity is something that evolves. How do you know instantly that its real? You can get a good feeling but ultimately what is important wi/building a talent community is emotional engagement and connection 3:08pm Jody Simon Hi there, I'm here too 3:08pm Susan Burns Hi PJ 3:08pm MN Headhunter so 8,000 is OK? 3:08pm Susan Burns Hi Jody 3:08pm Andrew Demske Hello from the Bay Area in Cali!! 3:09pm Slouch I think that if the talent network you build is real focused and the en result is hires, it does not need to be big 3:09pm Slouch 8000 is good 3:09pm Susan Burns What's so cool about what Jason has done on RB.com - and the essence of community - is that he's invested a lot to grow this and now the community helps him continue to nurture it 3:09pm Susan Burns Hi Andrew 3:09pm MN Headhunter Can a Forune 500 company build their own version of this 3:10pm Susan Burns Size doesn't always matter - no jokes ;-0 3:10pm Slouch i know that recruiters who place recruiters view this network as a focused talent community. some recruiters are having great success networking here 3:10pm MN Headhunter No this, but a site for CPA's as an exmaple? 3:10pm Susan Burns More important than size is engagement and what the community organizes around and shares out to their network 3:10pm Slouch absolutely 3:10pm MN Headhunter Could a Deloitte do their version of this for accounting people? 3:11pm MN Headhunter How long until it happens? 3:11pm Susan Burns Sort of like the difference between pay-per-click and organic search - ultimately more value is placed and received from organic search 3:11pm MN Headhunter (I want it now) 3:11pm Slouch you can;t have it now 3:11pm Slouch lol 3:11pm Susan Burns Paul - Re Deloitte or other companies - yes - they absolutely can - think how much there is to contribute in the CPA space 3:11pm Jody Simon the ultimate issue here as I see it is that in the corporate world they want to see real results, real fast and this is a process that takes time to build 3:11pm Susan Burns Jody - yes that is the ultimate tension point. Are there ways to show value as you grow community? 3:12pm Susan Burns Is there value contributed by the community that informs the brand and is that seen as value? 3:12pm Jody Simon it's something that I struggle with everyday 3:13pm Susan Burns Jody - what type of company/industry? 3:13pm Jody Simon I need to put aside time to build a network and to concentrate on branding and alternative recruiting methods while still filling open slots tha good old fashioned way 3:14pm Susan Burns So, its also about personal bandwidth? 3:14pm Jody Simon Raytheon Solipsys - mostly hard-to-find engineers 3:14pm Jody Simon definetely about bandwidth 3:15pm MN Headhunter I get that question all the time. I started slow. 5% of my time. It got to about 40% then I saw what I think was diminshed returns 3:15pm Susan Burns This is sort of the ultimate recruiting challenge - reallocating resources so that in time the investment returns more and you produce greater results and also have the time to further build the community 3:15pm MN Headhunter Now about 30% dedicated to social media stuff, recruiting, blog, here 3:15pm Susan Burns It can certainly become a time suck - is that what your implying Paul? 3:16pm Slouch i don;t know any recruiters who make more placements through blogs than they do good old fashion recruiting phone calls. 3:16pm MN Headhunter I think it needs to be balanced. In the beginning the return is lower. Takes time for search engine love 3:16pm Jody Simon most of my blogging, social media stuff, etc is done on my own time out of the office. it's the only way I can get it done 3:17pm Slouch But over time, the branding bit of it becomes something I think that phone calls can;t accomplish 3:17pm Susan Kang Nam Hello Susan.. hello everyone.. sorry I'm little late to join the discussion... 3:17pm Susan Burns Hi Susan - glad you could join us! 3:17pm Slouch and from that referrals come and that is the basis of any successful recruiter 3:17pm MN Headhunter Jason, I agree but I would say about 40% of my business comes from the blog by way of candidates or clients 3:17pm Andrew Demske good old fashion recruiting works best for now. i do think this will change though. i have made a few placements from Blogs and LinkedIn 3:17pm Susan Burns Jody - is there an "open to listen" from the company so they would see an investment period of at least 6 months? 3:17pm MN Headhunter but I have a very focused location and only in IT 3:18pm Jody Simon actually Susan, corporate recruiting is a time suck period! I quote you on that? 3:18pm MN Headhunter or as anonymous? 3:18pm Susan Burns Jody - what about it is the biggest time suck? 3:19pm Jody Simon they are open to most of what I suggest....so long as my #'s are in good shape 3:19pm Jody Simon and yes, you can quote me on that! Jody Simon the paperwork, the charts, plans, reports, etc, etc, etc....I fell like I never get to recruit anymore! 3:20pm Jody Simon gosh, I miss my agency life.....sorry to get you off track... 3:21pm Jerry Albright Talking about % of business doesn't quite put ROI into the correct perspective though, does it? If your overal #s don't increase? 3:21pm Susan Kang Nam having some technical problems.. but thanks Susan.. just reading through the discussion so far... 3:21pm Susan Burns Jody - a lot ofadministrative things that don't add value to where you really contribute? 3:22pm Susan Burns Jerry - can you say more about that? 3:22pm Jody Simon absolutely! Jerry Albright Or if your total production goes down? If you now hit 50% of your numbers from Social Networking, but are down in overall production? 3:22pm Susan Burns Jerry - sure - there needs to an overall benefit and improvement in results. How that is measured depends on the company - yes? 3:23pm Jerry Albright Anyone could achieve a percentage growth in any category. The real goes should be to increase your total #s, right? 3:23pm Susan Burns Has anyone seen or tested the idea of a "community manager" or strategic sourcer that is responsible for the online brand image 3:24pm Susan Kang Nam I am currently exploring both corporate vs. agency using web 2.0.. however curious to hear more about what works and what doesn't... 3:24pm MN Headhunter I ahve not seen a community manager in the career space 3:24pm Susan Burns What if you could reallocate $$ away from job boards and hire someone part-time just to support community efforts - how could that change the game? 3:25pm Susan Kang Nam We are currently testing that at the moment... with our online brand image... still in dsicussion..and exploration MN Headhunter Jerry, I agree. But there hard to measure benefits like speaking before a CIO group, quoted in the business section, and speaking to user groups that I did not do prior to this trek of mine 3:26pm MN Headhunter before I was a really good recruiter. now I am a really good recruiter with a brand, name, reputatin 3:26pm Susan Burns I introduced it at my last company and we saw an improvement that returend big $$ in savings through reduced time to hire 3:26pm Susan Burns So Paul - there's a shift in measuring value? 3:27pm MN Headhunter To some extent. I cannot measure right away the value of speaking before the CIO group. May not be able to know the true value ever 3:27pm Jerry Albright Right on Paul. We all track activity "forward" but very few track it "backward" to it's initial ingredients...... MN Headhunter Went to a tech event with 440+ attendees. local event... 3:29pm Rayanne that's a good ratio 3:29pm MN Headhunter Wore a blur short to the event...had people introducing themselves to me and that they read mys tufff 3:29pm MN Headhunter someone pointed out in my Twitter pic I am wearing a blue shirt 3:29pm MN Headhunter so everyone on Twitter in the local tech community recognized me 3:30pm Rayanne you have branded yourself 3:30pm MN Headhunter That was at least 25 people 3:30pm Susan Burns Hi Rayanne! 3:30pm Slouch if you look at WirelessJobs.com it's easy to see how that could become an incredible engine for making placements. 3:30pm Rayanne does that mean you can only wear blue now? 3:30pm Slouch built on Ning. target talent community with a recruiter running it 3:30pm Rayanne Hi Susan.. 3:30pm MN Headhunter I have branded myself by accident, the original intent of the blog was therapy, to work things out of my head and create free space 3:30pm Slouch Hey Rayanne 3:30pm Rayanne I udnerstand that kind of therapy 3:31pm Rayanne hey Jason' 3:31pm MN Headhunter I am going to white shirts now 3:31pm Susan Burns But also building an online brand can help move things along ore quickly because people have already identified with you 3:31pm MN Headhunter trying to grow the brand 3:31pm Andrew Demske lol 3:31pm Slouch that's the idea 3:31pm Jerry Albright Slouch - need a "pause" button on thing...... 3:31pm Rayanne more professsional? that IBM look? 3:31pm MN Headhunter but no tie. I am allergic 3:31pm Susan Burns Pauls taking on a MAJOR rebranding campaign! 3:31pm Rayanne wow... 3:32pm Claudia Faust Hi all 3:32pm MN Headhunter Susan, to your previous point, yes, doing the online stuff has moved me forward at a much quicker pace than pre blog in 2005 3:32pm MN Headhunter ties, not literally 3:32pm Susan Burns Hi Claudia 3:32pm Rayanne rebranding can be good - expanding your base even more 3:33pm MN Headhunter the thing is anyone can do it. That is my beliefe anyway. It just takes some time 3:33pm Rayanne Hi Claudia!!! 3:33pm Claudia Faust Hey there Rayanne! Susan Burns Paul - how long did it take before you started to see a measurable ROI? 3:33pm MN Headhunter 6 months from the blog 3:34pm Susan Kang Nam Hello Rayanne... hello Claudia.. 3:34pm MN Headhunter 10 days from Twitter 3:34pm MN Headhunter 2 months on MySpace 3:34pm Rayanne hey Susan KN... 3:34pm Susan Burns Paul - that's GREAT! 3:34pm Claudia Faust Paul, how do you measure the ROI? (hi there, Susan!) 3:34pm MN Headhunter 25 minutes on LinkedIn 3:34pm Susan Kang Nam I just joined Twitter today.. kind of curious.. how that works.. really.. 3:34pm Rayanne that is a quick ROI 3:34pm Slouch Paul, are you talking about making placements? 3:35pm MN Headhunter Jason, yes 3:35pm Susan Kang Nam that is quick.. 3:35pm Susan Burns Hi Claudia! Jerry Albright Isn't that a bit "old school" Slouch? 3:35pm MN Headhunter The blog was easy to measure because in the beginning I still had a business site 3:35pm Rayanne Isn 3:35pm Susan Burns Paul -that's also consistent w/ the time frame I experienced in-house for corp restructuring and restrategizing 3:36pm Rayanne Isn't what "old School"? 3:36pm Slouch Claudia, I still have the coupon you sent me 3:36pm Claudia Faust ROFL 3:36pm Claudia Faust frame it 3:36pm MN Headhunter everything now goes back to the blog so there is a base from which to work Susan Kang Nam interesting... 3:37pm MN Headhunter not interested in the job I am pitching? Want career information? go to the blog 3:37pm Claudia Faust Paul, I'm really curious to know how you measure ROI though. Is it number of contacts? revenues generated from those contacts? 3:37pm Slouch Jerry, is what old school 3:37pm MN Headhunter want information on the next local tech event? go to the blog 3:37pm MN Headhunter RSS feed if you like 3:37pm MN Headhunter sign up for the newsletter 3:37pm Claudia Faust ahh, got it. usan Burns in addition to placements do you also measure future placements - for instance those that are interested, qualified but just not the right time yet? 3:38pm MN Headhunter the thing is giving options, making accessible, rsponding promptly 3:38pm Claudia Faust and the end result to you is broader brand awareness? 3:38pm Jerry Albright Placements as a way of looking at ROI 3:38pm Jerry Albright Sometimes I'm a bit of a smart-ass..... 3:38pm Slouch I don;t know? 3:39pm Susan Burns Jerry - what would you want to measure? 3:39pm Slouch yes I know Claudia Faust this is an interesting topic -- Ami and I have been talking a lot about the ROI from social networking in a similar context 3:39pm MN Headhunter Jerry, I do agree with you. But prior to the blog I was a really small fish in the pond with no reputation 3:39pm MN Headhunter now people call me to do a search, looking for a job 3:40pm Jerry Albright Paul - I respect what you've done and your willingness to share! 3:40pm MN Headhunter I look at this way, I am spedning less time explaining who I am, wat I do, how I do it. Less time educating and more time building relationships 3:40pm Claudia Faust so the ROI does indeed lead back to your bottom line. 3:41pm Susan Burns Paul - what you've been doing is building personal equity and that is the ultimate goal in buidling a community 3:41pm Jerry Albright What I meant by the "old school" comment. Most social networking talk is about reaching out, building pipeline, etc. 3:41pm Slouch I think a core belief for any recruiter has to be wefind people for Jobs, we don"t help people find jobs 3:41pm MN Headhunter agreed 3:42pm Jerry Albright You rarely see mention of actually sending an invoice to anyone though that is our bottom line goal. 3:42pm Slouch don;t shoot me for that 3:42pm Maren Hogan Sorry SO late! I;d like to know how you deal with jason when people come to you for jobs?? 3:42pm Rayanne true 3:42pm Maren Hogan deal with THAT 3:42pm Rayanne true 3:42pm Susan Burns Hi Maren! 3:42pm Sateesh Yalamanchili I am new to this blog 3:42pm Susan Kang Nam hello... 3:43pm Maren Hogan Hi! Sorry so late! ACK! 3:43pm Susan Kang Nam hi Maren 3:43pm Jerry Albright Send them to the Employment Agency down the road..... 3:43pm Rayanne Hi Sateesh 3:43pm Susan Burns Maren - do u mean when a Seeker contact you about finding a job? 3:43pm Slouch they don;t come any more. I have not recruited for years but when they did, I would just say I don;t have any positions for what you are doing which was almost always the case 3:43pm Maren Hogan Okay so is that part of building community then? 3:43pm usan Burns Maren - do u mean when a Seeker contacts you looking for a job? 3:43pm Rayanne I think every contact has future potetntial even if they come to me... 3:43pm Rayanne You never know what position they will be holding or where they will end up next month. 3:44pm MN Headhunter I agree but I always try and give one idea, one referral out of courtesy. Part karma, part I do not know who they know that might one day come back to me 3:44pm Slouch Nope Maren Hogan yes 3:45pm Rayanne Maren has a point... that is not part of building a community 3:45pm Susan Burns chat tool is getting sluggish 3:45pm MN Headhunter sluggish = good 3:46pm Rayanne It boils down to respect and giving back 3:46pm Slouch its not how you build community but it's how you hit the numbers and make the placements most managers want to see 3:46pm Slouch just a recruiting observation. 3:46pm Susan Burns agree w/ rayanne - if u think about community how could this person also help you so its more a matter of deciding how much time to invest communicating with the person 3:46pm MN Headhunter and that is why I have been on my own this whole time 3:47pm Maren Hogan yep, you are all sayign what I am trying to say Rayanne I knew what you meant by your question, Maren. 3:47pm Susan Burns these same principles can work inhouse for corp recruiters. its a matter of building a compelling case and finding key partners/champions 3:47pm Maren Hogan In a small town like Omaha you can't just be all "sorry yo, can't help ya". It;s akin to saying you don;t know any of the big dogs plus it outs people off 3:47pm Rayanne definitely works for in-house 3:48pm Maren Hogan so I think part of building comm for me would be to build a relationship with an agency that would actually help these people 3:48pm MN Headhunter same here in Mpls. A big really big small town 3:48pm Maren Hogan thx rayanne! 3:48pm Susan Burns maren - you also don't know how connected that person might be - say they live in NYC and write a blog - all becomes part of reputation management and recognizing we are all one 3:48pm MN Headhunter I finally started doing agreements with non IT firms 3:48pm Rayanne I always think about who that person might know or where they might be 3:49pm Susan Burns Jodi - are you still here? 3:49pm MN Headhunter Susan, look at that. tied it all together after me going on a tangent for 48 minutes 3:49pm Jody Simon yes i am 3:49pm Maren Hogan that's true 3:49pm Rayanne tangents are good 3:49pm Susan Burns Paul - you're the Lewis Black of the recruiting world ;-) 3:49pm Rayanne rants are good.. \ Rayanne it starts conversations and points being made 3:50pm Susan Burns Jody - wondering what would help make the case for you internally? Where does the company see value? 3:50pm Maren Hogan HAHA--susan spot on! 3:50pm Susan Kang Nam great question.. 3:50pm Slouch Jody, what kind of engineers are you recruiting 3:50pm Jody Simon in its engineers only....we are run by our engineers 3:50pm MN Headhunter (sound of Paul going into convulsions) 3:51pm Slouch circuit design engineers? 3:51pm Jody Simon heavy duty systems engineers with DOD and C2 experience 3:51pm Susan Burns what do engineers value? is there a cost to not having enough engineers on the job andif so how much - can it be monetized 3:51pm Slouch how much do you py to agencies every year? 3:51pm Slouch pay 3:51pm Jody Simon if i can get engineering on my side then i win the argument hands down 3:52pm Rayanne SB, when I worked in-house I kept every résumé I received and made placements months later when new reqs came up... Jody Simon I don't use any agencies at all... 3:52pm Slouch what about the company you work for 3:52pm MN Headhunter Rayanne is my hero of the day 3:52pm Slouch if you dont mind me asking 3:52pm Susan Burns Rayanne - same here - we would mine our own database before paying to post a job - novel concept huh! and made hires that had applied a year ago or more 3:52pm Rayanne yep 3:53pm Jody Simon I am very close to having the engineers on my side. they want to use agancies and I want the recruiting function to grow internally 3:53pm Susan Kang Nam that's great Rayanne... 3:53pm Jody Simon my company doesn't use any agencies 3:53pm Susan Burns Rayanne - it was also about how we managed communication w/ them initially - big push on pesonal communication 3:53pm Rayanne true.. 3:53pm MN Headhunter Jody, how many of you are there? job to fill? Susan Burns Jody - maybe thats the open door - take the $$ they would invest in agency and see if they'll give u 6 months to show an ROI from community/social 3:54pm Maren Hogan Do you think that extra hire (resume hoarding whatev) is MORE useful in our current economy? 3:54pm Rayanne I spoke to every person that sent a résumé and made sure they knew me and the company they had applied to 3:54pm MN Headhunter Susan beat me to the punchline 3:54pm Jody Simon communication is the key with my company as well....the problem is that recruiting reports to HR and my boss puts up a fight 3:54pm Susan Burns Maren - extra hire and resume hoarding sound difft to me. extra hires always make sense if its the right extra hire ;-) 3:55pm Susan Burns So its HR that is the obstacle? Jody Simon I'm working on getting a champion for my cause and getting very close 3:55pm Jody Simon yes, HR is the obstacle 3:55pm Rayanne sometimes... and sometimes it's the hiring manager that wants to make that hire NOW 3:55pm Susan Burns Jody - that could take us another hour at least ;-) but to all of u who know how I feel about that obstacle - i rest my case for now! Maren Hogan aorry trying to come up with punchy title on the fly then had to get my hotdog--I meant whatever the name for Ray and Paul's and your database. . . 3:57pm MN Headhunter that if they have a relationship built, when the job order opens, they can hire rightaway 3:57pm Jody Simon Thanks Susan....always up for ideas...and helping others with my own ideas as well 3:58pm Susan Burns hey everyone - any thoughts or requests for next weeks topics? Maren Hogan critical foundational tools for the recruiting function 3:59pm MN Headhunter Susan = my new therapist 3:59pm MN Headhunter Maren, huh? 3:59pm Slouch im always open to a discussion about making this site better for everyone 3:59pm Maren Hogan so much theory thrown around and then to put into practice in the real world 3:59pm Susan Burns Ok Paul but I don't take insurance ;-) 3:59pm Maren Hogan what do we really need? 3:59pm Susan Kang Nam lol 3:59pm Maren Hogan Paul, I know I'm wordy, you'll learn to cope 3:59pm MN Headhunter will do some online wine shopping then 3:59pm Slouch with an accent 3:59pm Maren Hogan ha! 4:00pm Rayanne hmmm Rayanne I LOVE the live-ness 4:01pm Susan Burns a community? 4:01pm Slouch yah 4:01pm Maren Hogan I hate it. I usually have something in my teeth 4:02pm Rayanne that is a great idea 4:02pm Susan Kang Nam hmmm... 4:02pm MN Headhunter (sound of wheels turning) 4:02pm Rayanne no screeching 4:02pm Susan Burns that would be cool. could also then put togehter a few key steps to marketing it? managing it? 4:02pm Rayanne I like it... 4:02pm MN Headhunter by chance do you have an extra domain name? 4:02pm Susan Burns isn't that a great sound paul - it goes really good with wine ;-)! 4:02pm Slouch I can check. 4:02pm MN Headhunter or 100? 4:02pm Susan Burns i just established talenttalkcafe.com today - thanks to ami's reco 4:03pm Susan Burns u can use that if you'd like 4:03pm Maren Hogan so exciting! Really, i love IDEAS! 4:03pm Slouch I think we could easily build a site. the building is easy. its the maintaining but that is something else completely 4:04pm Rayanne this is great. 4:04pm Rayanne I am sure... 4:04pm Slouch same bat time, same bat channel 4:04pm Slouch susan, if you want, we can talk details in Portland 4:04pm Jody Simon thanks for sharing! 4:04pm…; Added by Susan Burns to Talent Synchronicity at 2:25pm on June 18, 2008

Blog Post: From Average to World-Class: A Checklist to Transform Your Onboarding / Orientation Programme - Jobsabode.com: World-class is a term that is often used and misused by those in human resources. It's important to realize upfront that good or even very good onboarding programs are quite common, but they are also…; Added by Jobsabode.com at 6:24am on August 7, 2008

Blog Post: Boolean Operators Updated!!

Boolean Operators…

Added by Dean Da Costa at 4:54pm on January 16, 2013

Blog Post: 9 facts about LinkedIn lite profile vs. the LinkedIn profile we knew: At this point I count roughly 10 posts and a few videos explaining the differences between the old (or for some, current) user interface (UI) and the new and improved one. I hope…; Added by Bob McIntosh at 6:38am on June 5, 2017

Blog Post: Boolean Operators and More Updated!!

Boolean Operators and More Updated!!…

Added by Dean Da Costa at 3:54pm on May 14, 2013

Blog Post: Boolean Operators and More Updated!!

Boolean Operators and More…

Added by Dean Da Costa at 3:08pm on September 30, 2013

Topic: Meet Simon Meth, A Contract Recruiter SittingXlegged in San Diego: egged • 619-303-7094 • simon.meth@sdcorprecruiter.com When I was first introduced to Recruitment Blogging, I entered through ERE blogs, venturing into Simon Meth's musings about contract recruitment, in addition to Shally's Cybersleuthing and then viewing outwards into Dennis Smith's Wirelessjobs.com. Simon has brought insights into the value proposition of contract recruitment consultants for several years now. We first met in person at ERE, San Diego in 2006 and I was fortunate to meet him again much to my delight at ERE San Diego a few weeks ago. After all these years reading one another I am honored to finally have the opportunity to tell the tale of this Australian expatriate who is passionate about our profession and has so consistently paid it forward since the blogosphere introduced us as fellow travelers. Simon was educated at The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia where he earned a B.S. (Honors) degree in Physical Geography. He began his professional career as a physical geographer writing environmental impact statements. He then started his technical sales career selling machines for Canon Copier Australia. He joined Triad Software in 1984 as a salesman where he developed a nationwide distribution company specializing in the Pick database operating system and related hardware and software. Triad Software achieved international recognition as one of the top Pick resellers in the world. Simon moved to the United States in 1987 where he provided coaching and consulting services in business management, technical sales, and marketing to Triad Software and several other clients. He sold his share in Triad to his business partner in 1995. Simon continued to develop his expertise in staffing, career counseling, and coaching. He has worked with industry leading companies including ViaSat, ENCAD a Division of Kodak, Bond International Software, Adecco , Stac now known as Altiris and Symantec, and Source Services now known as Kforce Professional Staffing. He is a Certified Independent Trainer for Competency Based Interviewing®. SittingXlegged is his blog on ere.net about Corporate Recruitment: what works and what doesn't plus other musings. Simon is an accomplished author of technical articles, a monthly news column, press releases, and company newsletters. He has been published internationally in print and on the Web. Simon lives in San Diego, California with his wife and two children. He is a passionate golfer who asserts that most of life’s lessons are available on the golf course. Q&A with Simon Meth Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world. SIMON: The four of us live in sunny San Diego. Our daughter is off to college in the fall and then we’ll be three at home. Our son is a champion junior golfer and much of our lives revolve around golf. Fortunately I’m a golf tragic and hanging out at the golf course is just about the most fun thing I know to do. Life has been a little odd lately with my wife traveling to golf tournaments or to colleges with our kids. I’ve had more time alone than I’m used to or really quite enjoy. I’m very outgoing and prefer to be with others than keeping my own company. However, time alone at home gives me a chance to take care of a myriad of things and to exercise my obsessive compulsive tendencies. I’m pretty hopeless at goofing off and have always been that way. Doing nothing usually evolves into being productive and working on something. I do love watching golf on TV. Some of my favorite shows are House, Law and Order Criminal Intent, Mythbusters and Deadliest Catch. My guilty pleasures are Doctor 90210 and Nip/Tuck which I watch on Hulu. I listen to most kinds of music and usually do that on Pandora. When I’m driving I almost always listen to a book on CD and usually it is fiction. I just love Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck. I’m also the resident PC Tech so when anything goes wrong with something on the network I get a call. Come to think of it that’s one of the few times when my daughter initiates conversation with me . Aren’t 18 year old girls just so much fun? Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? SIMON: Well it depends how you count it. I’d say since I started with Source in ’95. That would be about 14 years. Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter? SIMON: Funny you should ask. I started as a recruiter way back in my native Australia before I realized that was what I was doing! I was a partner in a software company and we sometimes placed Prime Information consultants at our client sites. Only the very seasoned readers will have ever heard of Prime Information. If you don’t count that then I got into recruiting in the U.S. by accident. After I sold the Australian company I was looking for something to do. There was a recruiter at Source Services Corporation, now Kforce, who had sourced Pick programmers through me for a couple of years so I called her. I figured that she could help me find a job. She did. Working for Source! Funny how often that happens. She made a nice little commission after I started. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? SIMON: I was consulting with a company called Stac that later became Previo and then went out of business. We worked with an industrial psychologist to evaluate candidates above a certain functional level. I got really interested in what he was doing and eventually read a lot of the technical literature and even became certified to teach his Competency Based Interviewing course. Doing that enhanced my innate ability to assess what people are good at and to predict their future success. Time and time again I’ve had clients tell me that that ability is something that distinguishes me from others. I’m always surprised by that because it seems so obvious to me. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? SIMON: Not really. I’m a great gatherer and processor of information. I observe and study everyone and every process and choose what works for me and what I think will make me and those who work with me more productive and efficient. Sometimes the best teachers are those who are failing and aren’t great at what they do. Six Degrees: Tell us about your position: SIMON: I typically work as an independent consultant. Currently I’m at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. Before that I spent 5 years at ViaSat. I work a full desk with typically 35 to 50 requisitions. Often it’s a mix of technical and non-technical positions. I’m an Applicant Tracking System nut and I love to learn everything that the tool can do and I do mean everything. I also document the heck out of everything I do. I look at every resume for everyone who applies and love to get lots of things going. One of my first managers always stressed the importance of activity. I find if I do lots of the right kind of activity then everything works out well. As I mentioned earlier, I’m pretty hopeless at goofing off so you’ll almost always find me doing something productive. Of course you can easily engage me in conversation and I’m likely to tell you more than you want to hear. I know this about myself and am never offended if people cut me off. In fact, with folks I work with a lot, I actually ask them to cut me off if I ever run on too long. Oh, and another thing, I return every voice mail I receive. Six Degrees: What other companies' recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples? SIMON: There are so many different ways to do it. I know one international company where the recruiters don’t review resumes. The hiring managers are responsible for identifying people of interest and the recruiters screen and work them through the process. I’m sure it works for them but that’s not how I’d do it. I’ve heard horror stories about how long it takes to get hired at some industry leading companies. I’ve worked at places where hiring by consensus is the way they do it. Everyone who interviews a candidate has an equal vote. I could never see the sense in that. Everyone should be listened to but some people will or should have a clearer idea about who fits the position best. I admire companies that treat applicants with respect, that have a fast and efficient hiring process, and that get back to applicants every time. I admire companies that have recruitment teams that are passionate about the company they work for and about their craft. I admire companies that embrace technology and that have recruitment systems that make sense and that work well. Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why? SIMON: It’s old news now but the whole area of social networking is absolutely where it’s at! I can’t predict where we’ll end up in the next few years but I see more and more transparency of information, I see everything linked to everything else, I see a time when we’ll be able to really understand a candidate and their background. Candidates will know what it’s like to work at your company before they start work. They will have the tools to accomplish that. If they don’t use those tools then don’t hire them. Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry: SIMON: I recently attended ere expo in San Diego. It was great catching up with industry colleagues both new and old. That’s an easy conference for me to attend since it’s in my home town. I haven’t ventured to other conferences but ere expo really piqued my interest. I’d certainly love to attend more. I started writing my blog, SittingXlegged, January 9, 2006. That’s been loads of fun. While I don’t get a ton of comments I do get the occasional reader who lets me know that they appreciate my writing. I’ve started cross-posting to several other sites to expand my readership. I’ve gotten the best results on RecruitingBlogs.com. RecruiterSpace San Diego is a local social networking site for recruiters that I started to help connect recruiters both agency and corporate. I post local opportunities and lots of folks have used the site as a tool to connect. Six Degrees: Can you detail how the recession has affected your particular industry niche? SIMON: I’ve been affected directly by the recession. After 5 years working as an independent consultant at ViaSat I could see that my requisition load was dwindling. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t pay me what they were paying me to carry that load. I talked with my Director and Vice President and worked out a separation. I feel very fortunate to have found General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc where I consult today. The economy seems to have been improving but I was getting lots of calls and emails from industry colleagues who were looking for work. I’ve also noticed that agency recruiters are more or less desperate for work. I get lots of calls from them too. There has been lots of downsizing of both staff and office space. Of course the strong will survive and will grow again when the economy turns around. 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? SIMON: That’s a great question! What NOT to do? My best advice is don’t delay in trying out any networking opportunity. Early adopters have a huge advantage. If the particular site takes off then their own network will grow much more quickly than those who engage later on. Of course you may spend some time on some duds but that’s OK too. Learn what you learn and delete your account. Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? SIMON: I don’t have one or at least I don’t have a goal to do anything differently to what I’m doing now. I love to recruit. I’m passionate about it and I’m always looking for ways to be more efficient and productive. So more of that! I’ve held management positions in the past and they can be extremely rewarding. I’d do that again if I could lead a team and continue to work a desk. I have limited interest in playing the corporate game and dealing with all the stuff that corporate managers deal with. I’m not saying that stuff isn’t important I’m just saying that I have limited interest in it. I can imagine working for a very well funded start-up where there is no process in place and there is a huge need to hire highly talented people quickly. I could build that and have fun doing it. “HOW DOES SIMON THEY DO IT?” 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? SIMON: The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that I use every day is smartsearch. I really like the user interface (UI) and have learned to be really quick and efficient with it. I used Kenexa Recruiter BrassRing at my last gig. I liked it too and it’s probably more capable for really large international companies. I also use TalentHook for sourcing. It’s a solid tool that is well worth the time investment to learn to use efficiently. I think that I have the advantage of having the computer “geek” gene that makes me really dig into any tool I use to get the most out of it. Other than that I use my various networks most days. Six Degrees: What tools (technology or old school file folder, for example) did you first encounter early in your recruitment career? SIMON: I remember wondering how to keep track of so many discrete events and all the paperwork. I talked with every recruiter in the office and found that everyone used some form of day planner. This was before Franklin and Covey merged and I used the Covey planner. Of course I’m almost 100% digital today but the lessons learned are still valuable and in use each and every day. 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? SIMON: I don’t remember having any expectations. I didn’t know enough to have any! I also don’t know about people’s assumptions about our vocation. I do know that when someone is looking for work that we are all their best friends. Six Degrees: Worst mistake, biggest goof, lousiest practice you thought would fly but didn’t…and how that was a learning experience? SIMON: Ah! The million dollar question! The one that distinguishes the strong candidate from the exceptional candidate. I’d better answer it then . My first recruitment manager drove me absolutely nuts. I didn’t care for her and I amassed lots of evidence about why that was. I also gossiped about her with my colleagues. And despite all that I was successful there. I have no doubt that if my production had been lower I’d have been given an opportunity to work elsewhere. What I learned from the experience is that we all have different styles of working. I do my best to work in situations that are a good fit for me. If I work with someone who I find challenging I look for ways to work well together. Mostly that’s just finding things about them that I admire or that work well rather than focusing on the things that I don’t care for. 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? SIMON: I just love it! That is all. Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug? SIMON: Not so much a plug as a request for everyone who has read this far to find a way today to give back to our industry. Find someone you can help and help them for no reason. Recommendations For Simon “Simon reviews every candidate we hire. His insights often point to attributes that we missed during the normal interview process. More importantly, Simon has uncanny knack for understanding how new employees will fit into the team. People are our most important asset -- thus Simon's services are a critical component to our ability to sustain growth at the superlative levels we have achieved under the leadership of our new CEO.” February 23, 2007. Top qualities: Great Results, Good Value, High Integrity Olin Hyde “Simon is a very savvy and experienced career coach and recruiter. I worked with him multiple times to help with my job search. Each time he provided me with invaluable knowledge that tremendously improved the response rate to my resume submissions and lead to successful employment.” November 26, 2006. Top qualities: Expert, High Integrity, Creative Ron Santschi “I've worked with Simon on a variety of web, marketing and staffing projects and have always found his input and/or direction of far higher quality and clarity than most top level executives. Simon's ability to look through the surface of a situation, to focus on the most important aspects and goals of an activity, promotes results that retain an enduring luminence.” June 9, 2006 James Metzger, Owner, Video Diamonds “I've worked with Simon several times since we first met in 1996. Each time he added exactly what was needed, and our busy employees interviewed just a few highly qualified candidates before we filled the postion. Simon adds a lot of value to the hiring process, from management to hands-on interviewing, screening, and making the offer -- and he's very focused on getting the positions filled.” June 2, 2006 Tom Dilatush, CTO, FutureTrade “I worked with Simon in 2003 when I quit my job at FotoNation and was looking at new opportunities. Simon developed a special program for me, flexible in direction, intensity and duration. He was listening to me, helping me to discover and tackle issues I was suffering from. His help really made a difference in my life and my attitude. I would highly recommend Simon to those in need of coaching.” May 30, 2006 Boris Berkman, CTO and Senior Systems Architect, FutureTrade Technologies “I have known Simon almost 25 years. We have been business partners, played golf, and had many conversations. Simon has earned the title of my most trusted friend. I have found his counsel to be insightful, clear, and useful, time after time. I recommend Simon as a coach, consultant, recruiter, and friend. He's a pretty good golfer, too. " May 30, 2006 Steve Alexander, President, ENG Resources, Inc. “Simon is the only recruitment consultant we've worked with at Integrant since 1999. We always use him to evaluate potential hires and value his take on candidates highly. We have, on a few occasions, gone against his recommendations and we've always regretted it. I highly recommend him to you.” May 31, 2006 Ben Lacomble, Practice Manager, Integrant “Simon is a professional recruiter who has ensured the companies staffing requirements are met in all dimensions of qualifications, corporate culture and financial contraints. He was always an honest source of advice and coaching in building a high performance team in a challenging San Diego market.” May 30, 2006 Al Haddad, CEO, Indyme “Simon is a very thorough Staffing Consultant. I have worked with Simon for over two years now and he has brought a level of insight when considering potential candidates I would have thought difficult if not impossible to obtain in a 1 hour interview. Simon is a straightforward and direct person who can understand our business needs and help us qualify prospective candidates.” May 30, 2006 Jeromy Giacosa, Director of IT, Integrant, Inc “Simon is one of the best recruiters I've ever worked with. He stays on top of things. Reminds the team of what each has to do. He also has outstanding team skills. In a competitive and stressful environment like we're in it's paramount to have team leadership skills. My thinking is that strong recruiting skills is necessary but not sufficient. An outstanding recruiter must have those skills but must also have strong team leadership skills. Simon has those as well and that's why I consider him an outstanding recruiter. He's an excellent 'face' of the company for prospective candidates.” December 15, 2008 Chris Wren, Director, ViaSat “Simon is someone who is very knowledgeable in corporate recruiting, from screening applicants to selecting only those people with the right skills and personality to fit our high standards at ViaSat. He worked at ViaSat for years in a very fast paced, competitive time in the technology industry and produced great results. Sharing time in the same hall I can say he is very dedicated and put in the hours he needed to make things happen.” October 27, 2008 Bruce Rowe, Director, Marketing Projects, ViaSat Inc “I have worked with Simon at ViaSat, Inc. for almost one year. Simon was very helpful when I first started in getting me up to speed and answering all my questions in a thoughtful way. Simon is an outstanding recruiter, he thinks things through and understands the implications of his actions. He can read people extremely well and knows how to communicate effectively. He knows intuitively when to be assertive with candidates and managers and when to be more receptive. He has an excellent grasp on technology and his organizational and time management skills are some of the best I have ever seen. He prides himself on always being prompt. Simon is a strong, independent thinker and yet is amenable to constructive feedback. I have learned a lot from Simon during the time we have worked together and hope I have the pleasure of working with him again in the future.” October 24, 2008 Alana Martyns, Technical Recruiter, ViaSat, Inc. “Simon handled all the recruiting for the Corporate Accounting Group. Over the last couple of years we have doubled the size of the Corporate Accounting Department. Though this intensive hiring Simon played a key roll and only brought us the top candidates. Simon has a great understanding of what is needed in great Corporate Accountant and will not deviate from our needs. He has excellent organization skills, very professional and a great team player. He always did a great job and was great to work with. He will be missed.” October 23, 2008 Ann Grant, Corp Actg Mgr, ViaSat “Simon was a member of our Recruiting team for many years and in that time he brought a dedication to efficiency and excellence that's seldom seen. He brings a consistent methodology to the table that leads to finding precisely the type of candidate you're looking for, and he's is very good at reading the subtle "red flags" that less experienced and perhaps less perceptive recruiters may miss. Simon's personality and wit are icing on the cake!” October 15, 2008 Melinda Del Toro, Director of People Development & Employee Relations, ViaSat, Inc. “Simon supported our entire sales organization. He cut through the red tape and found ways to help us hire some great people who contributed significantly to the bottom line. He was always up-beat and positive. I'd characterize his style as consultative customer service. Highly recommended!” June 29, 2006 Tony Espinoza, VP, Operations, Kodak/Encad, Inc. “We had challenges recruiting and retaining key employees. Simon was constantly striving to understand the needs of the hiring manager and find people who would be the best fit. He was able to work at all levels. With his help, we were able to retain key people. In executive staff, he often provided key insight. Charles Sharp, Former VP Supplies, ENCAD President, Digital Image Technology” June 2, 2006 Chuck Sharp, Owner, Digital Image Technology, managed Simon indirectly at Eastman Kodak formerly ENCAD “Simon worked in my branch office for the direct placement division of Adecco. Simon's core strength and attribute was his ability to bring a consultative approach to our recruiting team that resulted in a more effective and streamlined recruitment process, better candidate screening, and higher returns on placement activity.” November 16, 2007 Eric Scott Hensley, Owner, Technology Search Group “Simon Meth is one of the best recruiters I have come across in my 28 year career. He single handedly helped me build up my 8 person marketing team while I was VP of Marketing at Stac, Inc. His pre-screening of candidates alone saved me a considerable amount of time and meant that I only interviewed top-notch candidates. John Bromhead, Former Vice President Marketing, STAC” May 31, 2006 “Simon was very dilligent, organized and exceeded his sales quota as a Sr. Technology recruiter at Source Services (now Kforce). Simon was a pleasure to work with and became a great working partner.” May 30, 2006 Rick Raimondi, Managing Director, Netsoft…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 2:36am on April 20, 2009