Gerry Crispin's Posts - RecruitingBlogs2024-03-29T07:10:10ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispinhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1526681089?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=gerrycrispin&xn_auth=noKeeping Candidates Warm: Do the Cons outweigh the Pros?tag:recruitingblogs.com,2013-07-24:502551:BlogPost:17310352013-07-24T18:30:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
<p><a href="http://www.recruitingblogs.com/page" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557513417?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250"></img></a> My CareerXroads business partner, Mark Mehler, got this short and well-written email this morning from a candidate who was just stumped and a bit frustrated by what is still a typical and traditional recruiting practice.</p>
<p>I'll let you read it, then describe the results and a point or two.</p>
<p><em>Good Morning Mark,</em></p>
<p><em>I was chatting with (Mark’s oldest daughter) last night. While catching up,…</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.recruitingblogs.com/page" target="_blank"><img width="250" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557513417?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250" class="align-right"/></a>My CareerXroads business partner, Mark Mehler, got this short and well-written email this morning from a candidate who was just stumped and a bit frustrated by what is still a typical and traditional recruiting practice.</p>
<p>I'll let you read it, then describe the results and a point or two.</p>
<p><em>Good Morning Mark,</em></p>
<p><em>I was chatting with (Mark’s oldest daughter) last night. While catching up, she thought you'd enjoy the following story. </em></p>
<p><em>I applied for a Senior position at XXX, NYC headquarters. HR contacted me for an in person interview. Interview one went well enough to get a second interview up the ladder to the VP. That phone interview went very well (better in my opinion than the first) prompting another interview in person. The third interview was a few weeks later with the VP and Group VP in NYC. That interview went as well as the second. In that interview, they expressed that this was the last round of interviews and that a decision would be made. </em></p>
<p><em>During the process, I made sure to do all the normal email follow ups with HR and each member of the interviews. They always yielded a response from HR. </em></p>
<p><em>That said, since this final interview, HR is completely MIA. There was an initial response the day after the final interview saying they would have a decision made soon and would contact me. It has now been 6 weeks with 3 followups from me and no response. </em></p>
<p><em> </em><em>In the end, the courting phase lasted about a 6 weeks with 3 full length interviews, travel to meet the team/ decision makers and then silence. </em></p>
<p><em>More odd than anything else was how smooth and transparent the correspondence was during the whole process until the end. In coordinating all the interviews, we passed 30+ emails and a couple of phone calls back and forth. </em></p>
<p><em>I can take hint, but it really says something about XXX and how not to deal with the interview candidates. It could be a dozen things- the position is stalled, they went with a different candidate, the HR person is less than desirable or, something else, but in the end it's a little irksome to go through the whole process and then get the silent treatment. </em></p>
<p><em>In all honesty, I'd love to work for the company. I continued to follow up to keep a good relationship with XXX in case another position that fit my skill better came up.</em></p>
<p><em>Hope you can use it in some educational way and you're staying cool in this heat.</em></p>
<p>Turns out, in this case, we knew the company, a Fortune 50 firm. One email and an hour later the candidate was called by the recruiter who explained that the job was filled by another candidate.</p>
<p>We know the 'silence' was to keep him warm...for six weeks! 'No response' was considered better than telling a lie....or telling the truth- "we're waiting for a better candidate to commit."...for 6 weeks!</p>
<p>The recruiter hadn't planned on 6 weeks. 1 day just became six weeks. We all know how that works. #slipperyslope</p>
<p>Some initial thoughts:</p>
<p>1. Employers' poor practices will be seen for what they are..wanting...and everyone will know.</p>
<p>2. Better to disappoint someone [qualified...even unqualified] who cares to work for you in the short term than anger someone who may be soon working at your biggest competitor for the long haul. And forget it if he or she is also a customer.</p>
<p>3. How do you really 'know' if your recruiters are avoiding returning a call to a silver medalist for even a single day? If they do it for a single day, what prevents them from doing it 2 days, 3 days...?</p>
<p>4. How do you really 'know' that your recruiters aren't rusing your silver medalists to keep them warm while waiting for that selected candidate to make up his/her mind?</p>
<p>In the above instance however, one additional caveat. Silver medalists have all met with and interviewed with the hiring manager. Research, which I would be happy to share, demonstrates conclusively that the recruiting 'influence' shifts from the recruiter to the hiring manager during this last phase and, with silver medalists a best practice is that the [trained] hiring manager be the one to manage both the good and the bad news personally, followed up by the recruiter for future possibilities, referrals, etc.</p>
<p>Advice to employers:, If you've not the guts to train for full transparency and are not willing to hold your team accountable with solid metrics, you should be outsourcing your jobs to a firm or a recruiter with those capabilities...and measuring the way you treat the candidate in either instance.</p>
<p></p>The Candidate's Experience: Is it just Smoke and Mirrors?tag:recruitingblogs.com,2010-09-09:502551:BlogPost:10751142010-09-09T15:30:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557486103?profile=original"></img></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">I'm planning to be at RecruitFest in Boston on the day before it opens (I'm taking Amtrak up from NJ). So, Wednesday night (perhaps at a wine bar) and, again Thursday during the day I'll be looking for a lively discussion on the pros and cons of the Candidate Experience. I might bring a poster like the one above. Then again, maybe not.…</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">I'm planning to be at RecruitFest in Boston on the day before it opens (I'm taking Amtrak up from NJ). So, Wednesday night (perhaps at a wine bar) and, again Thursday during the day I'll be looking for a lively discussion on the pros and cons of the Candidate Experience. I might bring a poster like the one above. Then again, maybe not.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Why should we care about this phenomenon anyway? No one ever cared about candidates during the 'Olden' days' when the hiring process ran at the speed of the US Mail (Oh, and is the process that much faster now that we operate in 'real' time?). Or, did they?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/>If the candidate experience were relevant wouldn't there be a 'standard' definition for what it looks like? There isn't.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Wouldn't employers be increasing their investment in a better experience so they could see a marked difference in who showed up at the door, how candidates make their choices and how long they stayed while performing at ever higher levels rather than asking recruiters to increase their req load? They don't.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Wouldn't third party recruiters actually sell their ability to add value to the candidate's experience as a differentiator rather than selling the rather common and outmoded skill of simply finding a breathing candidate? They don't.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Wouldn't hiring managers set a priority on making sure each and every candidate is treated in a way to guarantee their interest now, later and even later than that?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Wouldn't recruiting leaders measure deeply the experience of the candidates and the correlate that to the performance bonus of the recruiter so that they are measured on what is really important? Nah.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">And, of course, there are the candidates themselves. Should they care enough about what they've gone through during the various 'touch points' they've had with the employer (whether actively search or dug out through sourcing) that they consider it an indicator of what is to come and opt out in increasing numbers. I'm kidding of course, most (active) candidates either want the job and the harder it is to get the more they appreciate their success or, their idea of an improved experience(passive) is wrapped up in 'what's in it for me'.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Do you think the fellow below will opt out or will he...</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">...jump, and if he does jump through the hoops, does his candidate's experience really matter?</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">-</p>Tip of the Hat to N'awlins 5 years Latertag:recruitingblogs.com,2010-09-03:502551:BlogPost:10693132010-09-03T18:30:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
<span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86xxTm8-ek" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86xxTm8-ek">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86xxTm8-ek</a></span><div>Katrina changed me forever...but I Am Still New Orleans...<div><br></br></div>
<div>I'm going to play this new song by Vince Vance laced with his haunting refrain (above) this weekend and hoist a few to my favorite city. Recruiting may not be synonymous with New Orleans but it's workforce challenges can be found in…</div>
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<span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86xxTm8-ek" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86xxTm8-ek">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86xxTm8-ek</a></span><div>Katrina changed me forever...but I Am Still New Orleans...<div><br/></div>
<div>I'm going to play this new song by Vince Vance laced with his haunting refrain (above) this weekend and hoist a few to my favorite city. Recruiting may not be synonymous with New Orleans but it's workforce challenges can be found in nearly every city and town in the US. I believe it is the canary in our society that we will someday be judged by- especially our willingness to support the community there ..or not.</div>
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<div>The link was sent to me by Preston Edwards Sr who is CEO and the founder of the Black Collegian...nearly 40 years ago. Pres and his wife Rosa, are among my personal heroes. He was one of 3 I tracked down in the hours after Katrina then later that month met with in Birmingham, AL to capture his family's story and learn how small communities were helping evacuees find work....but that is another tale for another time.</div>
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<div>Tip of the hat.</div>From Where I Sit...There Are a Lot of Empty Seatstag:recruitingblogs.com,2010-06-13:502551:BlogPost:9788542010-06-13T21:30:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
I flew United for the first time in a decade last week. It was a lesson in customer as well as candidate experience I won't forget anytime soon.<div><br></br></div>
<div>The customer service people were very nice. When I stepped up before boarding and told them I normally fly Continental- had in fact booked my ticket through Continental but my mileage (50-100k per year for the last decade) and status weren't highlighted on the ticket as they should be and then asked whether 1st class had all…</div>
I flew United for the first time in a decade last week. It was a lesson in customer as well as candidate experience I won't forget anytime soon.<div><br/></div>
<div>The customer service people were very nice. When I stepped up before boarding and told them I normally fly Continental- had in fact booked my ticket through Continental but my mileage (50-100k per year for the last decade) and status weren't highlighted on the ticket as they should be and then asked whether 1st class had all checked in, the rep just smiled, added my mileage, welcomed me to United and gave me a complimentary seat in a row that purportedly had 5" more leg room, a seat you would otherwise have to pay an additional $39 to get. I thanked him by name and, later, did what I normally do, sent a nice email about him to a corporate customer service address.</div>
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<div>Still, the added cost to get a better seat was news to me.</div>
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<div>I was flying to LA, CA from Newark, NJ....6 hours.</div>
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<div>As I passed first class it was obvious the plane was empty. Only 4 of twelve seats in 1st class were filled. Odd I thought. At Continental, folks with enough mileage are automatically upgraded. There is never an empty seat.</div>
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<div>The first 12 rows, 6 across were the "special' economy seats. I had row 12 which was also an exit row. Even more room. Yeah!</div>
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<div>Then I noticed there were only 5 people in these first 72 seats.</div>
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<div>However, I counted more than 60 people filling the next 12 rows- many were packed three across. I'm only guessing here but my extra leg room probably came from somewhere and it was pretty clear from the groans where that was.</div>
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<div>As the crew shut the doors and the plane began taxiing, the first announcement was not about safety... as it usually is. No, the first announcement made by the stewardess was that</div>
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<div>"the people [5] in the first 12 rows have paid extra and so moving up to the 'better' seats' is not an option without first paying.</div>
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<div>"However", the stewardess noted, "the crew would be happy to take your money when we are in the air."</div>
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<div>There were no comments or jokes from the peanut gallery. Just glares...for 6 (6) (six) hours. 60 people seated in the last 12 rows were able to view 12 near-empty rows in economy (not to mention a first class that was 2/3 empty... for 6 solid hours. No one moved up. (And No, I didn't move back in solidarity.)</div>
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<div>Could the crew have invited the 5 passengers who supposedly paid for their upgrade to move into first class and the remainder to spread out? Too obvious? Apparently not to United. But then, perhaps I'm biased as a potential recipient of that move up to first class.</div>
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<div>I will however send this link to the new President of the Continental/United merger. If Continental adopts United's practices this is one 100k customer seeking another airline.</div>
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<div>Lessons learned.</div>
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<div>- It pays to be friendly.</div>
<div>- Friendly isn't enough when the process is flawed.</div>
<div>- If you know the process is flawed and you just follow the rules, your firm will go bankrupt.</div>
<div>- If one customer/candidate is unsatisfied, you most certainly miscounted. There are many, many more.</div>
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<div>As Recruiters, we would be advised to look beyond our well-stroked egos and consider the job-seekers who sit patiently staring at those empty seats without the courtesy of knowing what it would cost to upgrade or whether those with better qualifications have already checked in.</div>
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<div><br/></div>How prepared are you to handle a candidate who happens to be disabled?tag:recruitingblogs.com,2010-04-07:502551:BlogPost:9163822010-04-07T18:31:05.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
<div>I'm looking for some baseline practices (present or absent) in the recruiting process that impacts how we welcome...or not... people who may be eminently qualified but happen to have a visible disability. This <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J6B5KZ8">survey</a> should take 10 minutes</div>
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Assuming someone got far enough to reach a corporate or third party recruiter via phone, tty, etc. I give most recruiters the benefit of the doubt and assume they have sufficient…
<div>I'm looking for some baseline practices (present or absent) in the recruiting process that impacts how we welcome...or not... people who may be eminently qualified but happen to have a visible disability. This <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J6B5KZ8">survey</a> should take 10 minutes</div>
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Assuming someone got far enough to reach a corporate or third party recruiter via phone, tty, etc. I give most recruiters the benefit of the doubt and assume they have sufficient common sense and common courtesy to screen for ability without being distracted by disability.<div><br/></div>
<div>After all, if your team Googles/Bings for specific disabilities such as sight, sound, intelligence or motor challenges, they will eventually figure about what reasonable accommodations need to be made for something as simple as a recruiting process. And if they don't have either the common sense or the common courtesy, I've little patience to converse with them anyway. Eventually they will reap what they sow.<div><br/></div>
<div>But recruiting isn't really that simple anymore. We might consciously be aware of some demographics in our final slate: gender, race, veteran status and age come to mind easily but the absence of a visible disability seldom causes either comment or complaint.</div>
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<div>I've become more concerned over the messages, the obstacles and the challenges that prevent so many people with disabilities from ever getting far enough to be considered as having gotten "up to bat" since I started tracking down stats of wounded warriors a year ago. And its been a decade since Mark, my business partner and I did a bit of research for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf under their IBM grant to examine why their engineering students didn't attract much interest from corporations (see story in blog yesterday at ERE).</div>
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<div>In some cases it seems as if emerging Technology has unintentionally become as difficult to navigate as a three story walk-up does from the confines of a wheel chair. Not that it can't be done but if the attitude is all on me to get up there, I at least would like a welcoming message on the front door.</div>
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<div>After some recent discussion with a number of friends including Jason Davis and Maren here at Recruitingblogs, I thought it worth the effort to take stock of just how many "welcoming messages" there are out there contributing to the candidate experience of someone who happens to be disabled.</div>
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<div>I view the list on this <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J6B5KZ8">survey</a> as a starting point and look to measure the "baseline". sort of a mirror or where we are before we consider moving the bar.</div>
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<div>Why fill out the <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J6B5KZ8">survey</a>? It won't hurt. While I am collecting contact info, I promise it will be anonymous and, you may find it interesting. I'll share it, not sell it and will be moderating panels through out the year related to it. This month for example, I'll be at a conference of Career Coaches moderating a panel on Military hiring withe the head of veterans affairs and disabilities will not be a minor issue. Thanks in advance.</div>
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</div>India. Check. Final Thoughtstag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-17:502551:BlogPost:8226332009-12-17T15:30:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
I went to India to check off one more country on my “bucket list” (not that I plan to kick the bucket anytime soon mind you but I’ve always had a long list of adventures to experience and this is one of the last countries on it).<br />
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My colleagues on this trip and I all recognized that the ten days we spent in 3 cities barely scratched the surface of India’s current business practices, culture and history. Ten years wouldn’t be sufficient, but we made the most of our moment and hope that as…
I went to India to check off one more country on my “bucket list” (not that I plan to kick the bucket anytime soon mind you but I’ve always had a long list of adventures to experience and this is one of the last countries on it).<br />
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My colleagues on this trip and I all recognized that the ten days we spent in 3 cities barely scratched the surface of India’s current business practices, culture and history. Ten years wouldn’t be sufficient, but we made the most of our moment and hope that as students of HR and staffing practices we learned a thing or two we might take back and share in our work.<br />
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For my part, the real enjoyment was engaging ordinary people and listening to their stories- How they got to where they were and where they aspired to go.<br />
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The most obvious place for that to happen was embedded in the many meetings we had with business leaders, HR practitioners, recruiters, students and professors.<br />
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My most rewarding time was speaking with students about their studies and plans for the future. They clearly appreciated how fortunate they were. They fought hard, competed successfully for their place in school (ratios of 100 applicants/to 1 admission were not uncommon) and while they were as enthusiastic about sports like cricket as their counterparts in the US are about football, somehow I got the impressions they would not be wasting much time on non-academic pursuits.<br />
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The picture below is from Welingkar. Here, two Business and HR Masters “Freshers” (who both, believe it or not, have several years software engineering experience before returning to school) are talking to China Gorman. I’ve already connected with a few of them on Linkedin.<br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557483623?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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It was also a privilege to chat with the many local guides like Preeti and our national guide Sandeep shown below (who was with us from beginning to end). They openly shared their stories and answered a continuous flow of some typical, some not so typical and sometimes quite personal questions with patience and dignity.<br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557483816?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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Finally, we seized random moments like the this one with a young bartender, Vipul, who has a Masters degree in hospitality and whose aspirations are to run a major hotel chain. Vipul is skilled, knowledgeable and serious about his learning. Between the time it takes to work, prepare for work and return from work, there is little time for leisure. He was also working at a sister hotel last year that was attacked by terrorists. He is the master of what he does and world class in how he does it. (Dr. David Miles, a retired Marriott executive and Career Coach ,and I spent hours in the bar in pursuit of this knowledge. lol )<br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557483957?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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Peter Cappelli, well known Wharton professor, was recently quoted a saying that “the newest and most cutting edge practices are in India.” I wouldn’t disagree.<br />
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I can think of three themes that have direct and indirect impact on recruiting:<br />
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<b>Community & Social Responsibility</b> (CSR) is embedded in the DNA of the country (Declaration of Independence) and in the mission and vision of very firm we met with. The subject of sustainability goes hand in hand with responsibility for the 350-700 million people “off the grid” in India and it came up without prompting in every meeting. The country and the leaders in it take environmental issues and the challenges of its “poor” seriously. I think India may be the world’s equivalent of the “canary” in the mine. Her environmental and infrastructure problems are indescribable and I know I’ll not be able to explain them to anyone who hasn’t been there. At the same time, professionals seeking opportunity are not taking jobs based on sustainability or community involvement since it is expected and assumed that every company is doing its part to change the balance.<br />
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<b>Transparency & Self Awareness</b> go hand in hand. Professionals in India are very open about how they live, where they live, how much they make and on and on. Their sense of self, pride in their work and dignity do not depend on material goods. Money is sought but not displayed outwardly the way we do in the west for obvious and not so obvious reasons. “Face” here is different than other Eastern countries but no less important. Family ties are critical but not as dictatorial as they once were. I believe professionals in India make their own decisions about whether to jump for a better job or not based on more data than their counterparts in the US have.<br />
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<b>Competition for talent versus availability of labor</b>. Serious issues regarding equal access to education for women and the poor have limited potential pools of candidates- perhaps for generations to come. Compounding this are limitations in the size and organization of higher education, a government controlled “trust”. New grads- “Freshers” are viewed as unprepared to work by most companies. However, once firms invest in their training and they eventually go back for more specialized masters degrees, the resulting workforce is on fire.<br />
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Most firms still rely too heavily on 3rd party sources for hiring but the ability of internal recruiters to leapfrog into access through social media, job boards, alumni databases, referral initiatives, etc. is changing the landscape as we speak. Multi-nationals that take the time to learn how to recruit are improving rapidly.<br />
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Our delegation’s final meal together was memorable. I’ve not mentioned specific people in these blogs out of respect for their privacy but it was an extraordinary privilege to meet and get to know so many talented and diverse professionals as individuals. In addition to the HR and business knowledge they brought to the table as leaders in their respective firms, they brought their interests as writers and researchers; coaches and car collectors; moms and dads and grandmothers with grand daughters; nurses and motorcycle racers with them as well. Being part of a group committed to learning more about a culture and willingly sharing their views and themselves while they were experiencing it enriched my experience beyond measure. I strongly recommend it.<br />
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A few final thank you toasts:<br />
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- To Gandhi who defines leadership by example;<br />
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- To Brian Glade, SHRM’s global representative, who has been to India 14 times and still has something new to share each and every time;<br />
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- To all those who have seen the Taj;<br />
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- To SHRM’s staff in India for creating an experience we will never forget.<br />
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- To China Gorman, our delegation's leader and chief engagement and membership officer, who ensured we enjoyed the full measure of this experience;<br />
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- To my friends and colleagues who offered comments, questions and insights before, during and after this adventure<br />
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- To Ed Newman, FutureStep; Jason Davis, Recruitingblogs; and, Phil Haynes, Alliance Q. A very special thanks for your support.<br />
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- To India. Check.Shopping, Gandhi and IIT Bombaytag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-16:502551:BlogPost:8208772009-12-16T14:30:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
From the beginning of our trip through Monday night’s farewell dinner, our 19 SHRM delegates and guests had little time off – clocking 14 hours on occasion but, not all of it was taking meetings.<br />
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Sunday we were tourists (three of our days in India- counting our trip to the Taj, were devoted to tourist activities) and a few of us “shopped til we dropped” whenever we had a chance to do so.<br />
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(About the buying of India’s wares, I’m sworn to secrecy- with the holiday season upon us, I do not want…
From the beginning of our trip through Monday night’s farewell dinner, our 19 SHRM delegates and guests had little time off – clocking 14 hours on occasion but, not all of it was taking meetings.<br />
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Sunday we were tourists (three of our days in India- counting our trip to the Taj, were devoted to tourist activities) and a few of us “shopped til we dropped” whenever we had a chance to do so.<br />
<br />
(About the buying of India’s wares, I’m sworn to secrecy- with the holiday season upon us, I do not want to give away Christmas surprises to those in my family who might be monitoring these notes. )<br />
<br />
Suffice it to say that there are families in Kashmir along with their well versed representatives in Delhi, Agra and Mumbai who are smiling today. There are descendants of the artisans who once worked the marble of the Taj Mahal who are celebrating this week. There are shop keepers in each of the cities and retail representatives of the 10s of thousands of “1-room factories” (I will never be able to adequately describe this) who surrounded us and our bus and who on occasion succeeded in breaking through our reserve (although we never bought directly because that would cause a riot. Instead, we got on the bus and pointed to what we wanted to see more closely) who are happily counting the many Rupees we parted with.<br />
<br />
Two regrets. In China, the most iconic item street people had to sell was a Rolex watch… for $2 (they start at five dollars and you negotiate down to two). One of these ( they stopped ticking the moment the plane landed in the US) is on my credenza along with a Montblanc pen that would leak before you got back on the bus. In India the street wares were of a much higher quality but I do have my doubts about 1 ubiquitous item- the purple peacock feather fan. If those feathers are truly from a peacock then that bird should be extinct…or bald having long ago sacrificed every conceivable feather. I failed to buy one. I think 50 Rupees (about $1) would have done it.<br />
<br />
My second regret is not finding a hat I could buy. I have hats from every country but India. No one was selling turbans probably because they were tribal or religious but I would have paid to learn how to wrap it. Next time.<br />
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One stop in Mumbai on Sunday was at an historic hotel, the Taj Mahal, which overlooks the Arabian sea. It was a reminder us of the present world we live in. The hotel is the equivalent of the Plaza and the Waldorf in New York. it was the focus of the four hotels attacked by terrorists last year (November 26) and was still closed for repairs with the exception of one tower.<br />
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The longest stop in Mumbai was at the house Mahatma Gandhi lived in during the years leading up to India’s Declaration of Independence and subsequent Independence in 1947. The house serves as a museum depicting Gandhi’s impact on the country and there is no way you could overstate his importance. The building sits in an upscale but older neighborhood and a steady stream of tourists and citizens quietly flow through it. No entry fee. No guards. No tchotchkes.<br />
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It hits you how young this country is politically. Gandhi is George Washington and Abraham Lincoln rolled into one but his death was so recent in the context of the nation that he is a contemporary as well as an historic figure.<br />
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Monday’s itinerary included an Institute of science and Engineering and a company call center.<br />
<br />
IIT Bombay is arguably the top Engineering and Science college in India. Given the awards and sources of those awards I’ve no argument. US News & World ranked the Institute 30th in the world. They have a significant number of joint programs with elite institutions in the US as well as other countries.<br />
<br />
Unlike the US, the Government controls the colleges. The IIT campuses in India essentially got their start as acts of parliament starting after the country’s Independence. Competitive exams determine who can get into the various Institutes for engineering in the several cities. Last year 287,564 Indians “appeared” for entry to get a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Science. Only 4950 qualified. 200,941 “appeared” and were tested to start their Masters degree in science and technology specialties. Only 7061 were eligible to begin their studies. I have an engineering degree and advanced degrees from an engineering university but this level of competition is not something I’m familiar with.<br />
<br />
What was so interesting to me about the IIT Bombay is that we were hosted by the placement office and that the head of “Career Services”, Dr. Ravi Sinha, was also one of the school’s professors of Civil Engineering. On the way in we noted that recruiters were being welcomed.<br />
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We were offered details of their placement stats and given a list of more than 200 firms that recruit on campus. Clearly every one of our multi-nationals was represented. And yet, the relationships are probably not very deep. The firms that come to campus do not seem to look to develop stronger relationships to better mine the alumni. The placement office saw lots of turnover among the recruiters and firms that did come there. There were reasons for this that relate to how these schools are funded, turnover of professors who can make more on the outside etc., etc. This meeting was an eye-opener.<br />
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Our last stop, FIS, was a visit to a call center. It also was an eye opener. The area included dozens of financial services firms and it seemed almost like the corporate campuses we are used to…but not quite.<br />
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Our brief meeting and tour was enjoyable in no small part because the head of HR, an Indian woman with a wealth of experience and a no nonsense approach, was clearly numbers driven. We bombarded her with questions before taking the tour. I asked about sources of hire (really, what else am I going to ask about). She felt their Employee Referrals (14.2%) was too low and was concerned that their number 1 source, agencies, too high but job boards were increasing. All of the new hires were degreed. The tour was anticlimactic but I did manage to get a better look at their ER campaign.<br />
<br />
My summary and final comments shortly.Education is what is left after you’ve forgotten what you memorized.tag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-14:502551:BlogPost:8192632009-12-14T02:58:23.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
Saturday morning we arrived at Welingkar’s Business School in Mumbai (WE) and entered a room filled with students at tables off to the side but empty tables in front of us (and no professors or deans in sight). Our delegation only hesitated a moment before China Gorman said it was all right to go sit with them and we did. Eventually the deans showed up but the casual style of engagement for the next several hours that we spent with the students was set.<br />
<br />
The time spent here was a fabulous gift.…
Saturday morning we arrived at Welingkar’s Business School in Mumbai (WE) and entered a room filled with students at tables off to the side but empty tables in front of us (and no professors or deans in sight). Our delegation only hesitated a moment before China Gorman said it was all right to go sit with them and we did. Eventually the deans showed up but the casual style of engagement for the next several hours that we spent with the students was set.<br />
<br />
The time spent here was a fabulous gift. Some random notes:<br />
<br />
- Education is the oldest “trust” in the country. It is heavily controlled by central and state governments.<br />
<br />
- The campus we are on runs full time and part time masters programs (about a 1000 in HR). The dean noted that the total complement of students in all programs is 15,000 (I believe in Mumbai alone). The dean ran quickly through a list of those programs and, more importantly, the rankings for Welingkar in each- all in the top 10-20 rankings. Clearly important.<br />
<br />
- Describing the schools four values which drive WE, the dean repeatedly emphasizes a passion for improvement as well a innovative and critical thinking.<br />
<br />
- China Gorman, our delgation leader, asks about the employment preparation. A student answers by referring to courses that include “wisdom practices”. This was an interesting discussion we're still thinking about.<br />
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- David Miles, another delegate, asks where the graduates are placed. Answer is that most go to “for profit” some not for profit and very few to PSU (public sector) like railways, utilities and insurance and “about 5%, go to organizations giving back to impact the ‘have nots’”.<br />
<br />
- A point is made about the trend to look more closely at the public sector and its benefits and security during this economic slow-down despite the gap in salaries.<br />
<br />
- Brian Glade points out that some of the B-schools are criticized for following the American model too closely and wonders if more elements are added at Wellenkar incorporating other models including those from India. The dean responds by detailing country after country and describing the blend of models used as well as reflecting that “we can learn much from our heritage – integrating body, mind and spirit but it is journey that requires a lot of work and time”.<br />
<br />
- China Gorman reflects on our experiences then shares an overview of SHRM and its 250,000 members while commenting “I used to think 250,000 people was a large number.”<br />
<br />
- During a tour stop at an Innovation design lab, several of our delegation were amazed to see the conceptual tools used to help students consider new ways to build and design business, flow chart processes and research mimetics in the business cultures.<br />
<br />
- The students all had accounts on Linkedin, Facebook, Orkhut and at least 1 or 2 local social media sites. Most had 2-3 years of successful work experience in major firms ranging from E&Y, Microsoft, Infosys, etc. A few of them were formerly systems programmers who decided to get business or HR related masters.<br />
<br />
- During, the last session before leaving, a professor shared a video being developed on sustainability in India. The term used in India is CSR but this school has looks at the Triple Bottom Line approach throughout all its projects for students. In the US that means finding the intersection of and optimizing Economic, Societal and Sustainability goals. At Wellenkar they’ve re-thought the phrasing as “Top Line, Bottom Line, Life Line”. The video is a mind blower. I've no doubt it would go viral in a minute on Youtube and will push to have that happen, share it when it does.Friday's Leadership Forum in Mumbaitag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-14:502551:BlogPost:8192552009-12-14T02:04:06.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
Friday our delegation attended and participated in a conference as high powered and as rich in content as any I’ve ever been to…and I've been to more than a few.<br />
<br />
The 1-day meeting, Leadership Next, was produced and managed by SHRM’s India staff. It was promoted as a summit on leadership for business and HR execs and 150 very senior managers were in the room. Included among them was the new head of GE Capital, Anish Shah and Arun Nando of Mahindra & Mahindra (who, I was told by several…
Friday our delegation attended and participated in a conference as high powered and as rich in content as any I’ve ever been to…and I've been to more than a few.<br />
<br />
The 1-day meeting, Leadership Next, was produced and managed by SHRM’s India staff. It was promoted as a summit on leadership for business and HR execs and 150 very senior managers were in the room. Included among them was the new head of GE Capital, Anish Shah and Arun Nando of Mahindra & Mahindra (who, I was told by several conference attendees is considered the “Jack Welch” of India).<br />
<br />
As far as I could tell from a glance at the list of attendees and confirmed during my networking discussions between sessions, this was a representative sample from the country's top for profit, public and foreign businesses as well as a few of the deans of the country’s top B-schools.<br />
<br />
Arun Nando, who gave the opening keynote really caught my attention when he described the current migration of rural Indians to the city saying “more people [350 million] will be added to our cities in the next decade from this migration alone than there are people in all of North America."<br />
<br />
As he ticked off the litany of global, business, social and community challenges facing his nation, he ended with a clear message to the leaders of HR and Business that if they want young people to follow them they need to "walk-the-talk."<br />
<br />
Even before Arun took the stage the Head of SHRM India introduced the GM of the Tridant hotel where we were staying and where we were holding the Leadership forum. He, in turn, brought up 8 staff who stood quietly on stage while he related his personal experience from November 26 of last year when terrorists attacked several famous hotels in Mumbai. Turns out he was the GM of one of them, also a Trident property and residing at the time on the 25th floor when the attacks occurred. He emphasized in his story the actions of his people during the 3 days it took to fully resolve the event. He introduced each of the 8 staff who ranged from a secretary and a chef to the head of marketing. All were working today in our hotel. Thunderous applause.<br />
<br />
The design of the day was around two case studies detailing how leadership had changed the nature of the environment for the employees and customers and two “fishbowl” events where a large table was filled on the floor of the room and the attendees, raised up in the “stands” could watch the discussion or jump in with questions and comments. Never saw that before.<br />
<br />
The most interesting case study to me is the [continuing] transformation of the railroad, a go0vernment owned and operated business, which was nearly at a standstill only a few years ago. It is huge- 1.6 million workers. 18 million people travel on it every day. To support the employees they have to feed them, provide schools their children (600 schools), train them etc. They have built hospitals, homes and even vacation homes and clubs for workers. Last year they made 5 billion Rps which may not sound like much (about $100 million) for its size until you think about our post office. Yeah, I know nothing is comparable but, let it go.<br />
<br />
The “fishbowl” sessions were a hoot. One included an equal number of Corporate Business heads and HR leaders discussing first, what they expect from HR and, second, were challenged to come to consensus on 1 single challenge where HR should lead. One participant who also happened to be from our delegation, Joan, used the phrase “Steel Magnolia” in describing the need to exhibit toughness. You could see a moment of reflection at the table but they “got it”. In the challenge phase, the most impassioned comment was made, I believe, by an ex pat working in a European multinational when he argued for sustainability as the core area for HR leadership saying, “if we don’t get that right there won’t be anything left to sell.”<br />
<br />
The other fishbowl was about leadership for women and was honchoed (some would describe it as hijacked) by a well-known lawyer and economist in India who was alternatively cajoling, challenging, strident, provocative and downright nasty. In the 60’s, she would have eaten male “pigs” for breakfast.<br />
She was definitely treated with kid gloves and her litany of obstacles women as leaders in India face was not really challenged. The panel in the fishbowl was lively and entertaining. Whether she can be effective as a leader herself in promoting the issues of women was hotly debated during the tea brak after her fishbowl. God, how I love a disruptive influence.<br />
<br />
We finished the day with dinner and networking and in the several conversation with business leaders about the tools, policies, and investments they considered critical; sustainable practices, social networks, relevant education and training surfaced over and over.#SHRMIndia Short Stack of Picstag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-12:502551:BlogPost:8190192009-12-12T03:00:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
I've taken over 1000 pictures most of which will never see the light of day, are understandable only with some explanation like a picture of a dish of chutney where I made the chef explain his personal recipe using lemon and toasted spices that short circuited my taste buds this morning.<br />
I arrived fresh<br />
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Meeting with MDI faculty and students on Monday. China gorman sits between the Dean and a professor emeritus, Dr. Singh<br />
<img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557486126?profile=original" style="float: left;"></img><br />
<br />
Captured this…
I've taken over 1000 pictures most of which will never see the light of day, are understandable only with some explanation like a picture of a dish of chutney where I made the chef explain his personal recipe using lemon and toasted spices that short circuited my taste buds this morning.<br />
I arrived fresh<br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557483591?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br />
Meeting with MDI faculty and students on Monday. China gorman sits between the Dean and a professor emeritus, Dr. Singh<br />
<img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557486126?profile=original" alt="" style="float: left;"/><br />
<br />
Captured this shot at largest mosque in Delhi, India. One of my favorites<br />
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I'll soon blog on this conference. 100 business leaders and execs from India, Dubai, etc. that was planned so delegation<br />
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557496019?profile=original" alt=""/></p>A Tear On The Cheek of Timetag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-10:502551:BlogPost:8177552009-12-10T20:24:34.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
Yesterday I was reminded about of my first visit to China.<br />
<br />
During the long drive from the airport to Beijing’s downtown, I marveled at the ability of the Chinese [gov’t] to hide thousands of its poorest citizens behind a never ending array of ingenious landscaping devices- miles of carefully planted trees and plants, well positioned walls and mounds, all designed to obscure our view of ordinary people going about their daily lives.<br />
<br />
Regardless of China’s motivation for managing the initial…
Yesterday I was reminded about of my first visit to China.<br />
<br />
During the long drive from the airport to Beijing’s downtown, I marveled at the ability of the Chinese [gov’t] to hide thousands of its poorest citizens behind a never ending array of ingenious landscaping devices- miles of carefully planted trees and plants, well positioned walls and mounds, all designed to obscure our view of ordinary people going about their daily lives.<br />
<br />
Regardless of China’s motivation for managing the initial impressions of newly arrived tourists, there is no such filter evident in India. None<br />
<br />
Indeed, as we embarked for Agra yesterday afternoon, I imagined we unraveled a strip of film on its edge at the very side of the road for a hundred miles, enlarged each and every frame to bill board proportions with depictions frame by frame of the most diverse, mundane and intimate aspects of people’s daily lives. And, it still would not begin to tell the story of our bus ride from Delhi to Agra.<br />
<br />
Life in India by the side of the road is a reality show …and it has been challenging western concepts about how a democracy might evolve for many years.<br />
<br />
After a half day of typical (and a few atypical) tourist activities in Delhi on Wednesday we left on our 5 hour trip by bus around two in the afternoon.<br />
<br />
Our purpose for going to Agra is to visit the Taj Mahal at dawn the next morning, but it was the aggregate effect of the sights and sounds getting to the Taj that brought to mind the contrast with China and brought to life a common description of India as “an assault on the senses”<br />
<br />
My journey to the Taj will remain as deeply embedded in memory as the journey’s end. I still have no adequate way to describe the experience and I have no allusions that I will be able to anytime soon.<br />
<br />
There are five observations however that several colleagues and myself noted on the return trip today (another 5 hours back to Delhi Airport Thursday).<br />
<br />
- We did not observe an accident going or coming. That in itself was miraculous.<br />
- Road rage doesn’t exist here. People accommodate, persist and succeed at a micro level.<br />
- Eye contact generates an immediate smile or wave. Self aware and connected.<br />
- Everyone seems fully engaged and is going somewhere. Everyone wins.<br />
- If you get distracted by the shock and awe you can miss the first four points. Don’t whine or judge.<br />
<br />
In Delhi before embarking on our great adventure to Agra we toured the largest mosque in India, took a fast bike ride through a market in Old Delhi (also indescribable) and visited several historical sites- the most poignant of which was Mahatma Gandhi’s tomb.<br />
<br />
In Agra we awoke at 5:30 am in order to reach the Taj by first light. (First light, actually any light resembling the sun has to first pass through and extra-ordinary filter of smoke, smog and something else I’m just not sure of).<br />
<br />
The experience of this World Heritage Site and Wonder of the World far exceeded any of our expectations. On the way, the guide said (jokingly, I initially thought) “There are two kinds of people in the world, those who have seen the Taj and those who have not.” I smiled enjoying the hyperbole.<br />
Later I smiled knowing he was right.<br />
<br />
We had a lively discussion in the bus about what would happen to the Taj if it were relocated to the US.<br />
- Enron would buy the name rights for 1 billion and chisel its logo into the white marbel dome.<br />
- Trump would bid to put a casino into the empty mosque on the right side<br />
- entry fees would be charged to rival Yankee Stadium.<br />
- stands placed between the entry gate and the monument to accomodate rock concerts and cricket tournaments.<br />
<br />
One line most quoted describes the Taj best as "A Tear On The Cheek of Time”.<br />
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We’ve just landed in Mumbai and tomorrow is a major day with business leaders. Back soon.<br />
<br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1557486000?profile=original" alt=""/></p>India: New Twists on Social Responsibility, Availability and Co-existancetag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-09:502551:BlogPost:8166572009-12-09T01:19:48.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
Up at 7an Tuesday morning. Our delegation’s 1st “work” day lasted 13 hour (note to self on feedback form to ask for an afternoon wine break). Now, back at the hotel late at night, I'm having that nightcap in a quiet corner. Everyone else has headed up.<br />
<br />
By mid-morning I was at Delhi’s Management Development Institute that is noted for its MBA, PHD, Business and HR programs at the graduate level producing 900 graduates a year. (The bus ride there and all thsat entails is still being…
Up at 7an Tuesday morning. Our delegation’s 1st “work” day lasted 13 hour (note to self on feedback form to ask for an afternoon wine break). Now, back at the hotel late at night, I'm having that nightcap in a quiet corner. Everyone else has headed up.<br />
<br />
By mid-morning I was at Delhi’s Management Development Institute that is noted for its MBA, PHD, Business and HR programs at the graduate level producing 900 graduates a year. (The bus ride there and all thsat entails is still being digested....but we have left Kansas Toto.)<br />
<br />
Deep in a conversation with M.S. Venkatesh, President HR and Admin for<br />
Educomp during a one-on-one networking break for tea (yes, after a day of locasl coffee and no Starbucks, I've gone native), I was trying to get my mind around his company's business model.<br />
<br />
The firm has 10,000 FTEs creating and producing educational content for school franchises that impact the learning of more than 11,000,000 children in rural areas. They not only feed the supply chain they also are the supply chain, literally sourcing and selling the franchisees, each of which essentially opens and runs the local school. The biggest challenge is convincing the parents to send their kids. The firm is growing at an astounding rate now that more of the population has opportunity.<br />
<br />
Suffice it to say that unlike the US (although given the fare on TV sometimes) 370 million (or is it 800 million) of its citizens do not get any education at all and a market economy subsidized in large part by the government and corporate social responsibility funds is attempting to solve an incredibly challenging long term problem.<br />
<br />
Mr. Venkash has 8 recruiters who have hired personally or assisted in hiring 5000 F/T employees this year. As for SOH, “word of mouth” is getting bigger but traditional sources of hire still predominate. Strategically, they want to move to hiring new grads (Freshers) in sales and no, they have nothing to do with US multinationals…except a partnership with them helps satisfy the mulit-national’s requirement for community support.<br />
<br />
Throughout the three stops today- MDI, and two Indian corporations – ITC and Powergrid (both corporations are extraordinary in size size and impact but are likely unknown in the US), we’ve participated in eye-opening discussions that extend our notion of how Indian firms work and hire in both the public and private sector.<br />
<br />
At the MDI event, we with a series of brief talks with professors, their students and a panel of Business and HR leaders from E&Y, Hewitt, Educom, Powergrid and several other firms I really wasn’t familiar with. The room was filled and the questions were open and transparent. China Gorman's question about Social Media was answered quite traditionally and I suspect these business leaders were simply prioritizing their challenges. Later, I turned to the students and asked how many were were on Linkedein and Facebook. 100%. The students all have job offers and their pick of companies while they are in school to complete several projects and explore the various cultures.<br />
<br />
On the HR side, the terms "confluence" and "synthesis" were adroitly used in a couple stories poosed by one prof and nicely incorporated in the remarks of our delegation leader, China Gorman, SHRM's chief membership and engagment office..<br />
<br />
Another event was held at a world class "green" building. The firm responsible, ITC, is a diversified global MNC whose rep pointed out that water availability in India has dropped from 600,000 liters per annum per person in 1947 (Indpendence) to 150,000 this year and is projected to go critical in 2020 (a point where sustainability isn’t possible at 100,000 liters per annum and the country would be characterized as "stressed".)<br />
<br />
The final stop at a firm Powergrid, 86% owned by the government was a mindblower and included GMs and HR leaders from India’s power, water and transportation companies that (if I understood the comment correctly) employ a million plus.<br />
<br />
Cutting through all the ceremony and pedantic back and forth, several themes emerged for me today:<br />
<br />
Social responsibility isn’t an add-on. It is a fundamental part of how India defines business. After India’s independence in 1947 the country essential became protectionist and business failed to flourish until 1991 when India’s economy was transformed and pushed toward a market economy (literary license with history here). Since then and continuing even in today’s climate, India is growing at 7 plus percent. However, employers are sensitive and aware that only 25-35 % of their population is able to work in the “organized” sector. Every company is committed to an incredible array of initiatives to make a difference in education, training and work access for the poor. It literally defines them or at least the several dozen I was exposed so. Many of them also described partnerships in their efforts with Western firms whose names we all know.<br />
<br />
"Readily available Labor but not Talent that is prepared to hit the ground running" is my take on the phrases that I heard over and over describing India's talent shortage. The context is that India is blessed with lots of eager and highly engaged (much more so than the US) laborers but even the most educated are in need of training to perform. This suggests a series of shifts firms need to make in their staffing plans to select people capable of learning rather than exhibiting specific competencies as well as enhancing the importance and extending the time for onboarding.<br />
<br />
The last theme that bubbled up over and over is best described by sitting at a traffic light in a high-tech hybrid air conditioned bus with a 1950’s motorcycle, a 1980’s bicycle, a 2010 Mercedes, a camel, a cow and an elephant next to you...al waiting for the same light to turn green. Co-existance is an essential ingredient to accepting India and I’ve no doubt this has enormous implications for overcoming erroneous assumptions about who we should be hiring and where we might fund them on a given day. This is very different than say, China where so much is compartmentalize. Here it all exists in the exact smae space.<br />
<br />
I’m still sorting out the assault on the sense that a simple ride through Delhi entails. More tomorrow as we plan to head to a market and take a bus trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Yes, Maren, I have the hat with me.The Omens are Goodtag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-08:502551:BlogPost:8161982009-12-08T02:09:55.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
Arrived Delhi 9pm last night. Refresehed.<br />
<br />
I checked in to Newark and my boarding pass read "Seat 20A Window". At least it was in an exit row. Walked up to the friendliest flight attendant just before boarding and, with all the smile I could muster (as if that would make a difference), said, "Just checking to see if miracles really happen". She looked up, smiled and said "if your name is...(then looked quickly down at a ticket) Gerald Thomas Crispin they do".<br />
<br />
Yes!!! Scored 1st class at the…
Arrived Delhi 9pm last night. Refresehed.<br />
<br />
I checked in to Newark and my boarding pass read "Seat 20A Window". At least it was in an exit row. Walked up to the friendliest flight attendant just before boarding and, with all the smile I could muster (as if that would make a difference), said, "Just checking to see if miracles really happen". She looked up, smiled and said "if your name is...(then looked quickly down at a ticket) Gerald Thomas Crispin they do".<br />
<br />
Yes!!! Scored 1st class at the buzzer.<br />
<br />
Flight uneventful but put off catching up on films I saw 30 years ago and the many TV series I don't now watch nor will I 30 years from now for reading my collection of articles and making notes. Seat mate was a 40ish head of a small software firm. Polite enough. Headed over to India, Chennai, for the 11th time this year, 2nd time this month. Hires 3rd party whenever and just pays little attention. Bored and preoccupied he apeears and sounds burned out. Shoot me when I look like him.<br />
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Picked up 1 bag but not before realizing that another had "people-to-people" luggage tag and discovered a few rows away was a colleague also headed late to hook up with the delegation. Together we breezed past a few thousand signs to spot Sandeep, our guide and lifeline to get to The Grand hotel, one of the newest in the city.<br />
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It took about half an hour and while we rode I learned that my colleague had acutally gone to the same graduate school and program in Organizational Behavior as I when she had worked for Bell Labs albeit a couple years apart. Same profs and a few friends in common.<br />
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This omens are good.<br />
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The hotel is very grand. The road getting there was a bit dusty, the air smoky and although it was dark, I wasn't sure it was all paved but will save these impressions for now. The only disconcerting piece which i should have expected was as the car pulled up to the palatial entrance of the hotel, two soldiers appeared and checked the baggage and underneath the car- then quickly moved on to the next car. Life in the 21st century.<br />
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I ended the day after checking in with a quiet celebratory drink of a Cabernet from India- quite good by the way or maybe that was just me.<br />
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It is now 7am on Tuesday and I need to collect my notes for the three stops today- one university and two companies. Back later.On Time for India: Slowly I turned…Inch by inch…foot by foot, yard by yardtag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-07:502551:BlogPost:8158092009-12-07T00:20:58.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
2 hours to takeoff. Leaving 8:45pm from Newark tonight and landing 9:30PM in New Delhi….Monday (would be 9PM but they are 10 and a half hours ahead. 14 hours in the air.<br />
<br />
Safely ensconsed at the moment in Continental’s Int’l Club.<br />
Passport and visa. Check<br />
Money. Check<br />
Intinerary and Emergency #s. Check<br />
Extra reading material for when I get bored studying India and tune in to the latest Patterson thriller. Check.<br />
Tech Equip. Check.<br />
Headphones w whitenoise. Check.<br />
Medicines and extra clothes in…
2 hours to takeoff. Leaving 8:45pm from Newark tonight and landing 9:30PM in New Delhi….Monday (would be 9PM but they are 10 and a half hours ahead. 14 hours in the air.<br />
<br />
Safely ensconsed at the moment in Continental’s Int’l Club.<br />
Passport and visa. Check<br />
Money. Check<br />
Intinerary and Emergency #s. Check<br />
Extra reading material for when I get bored studying India and tune in to the latest Patterson thriller. Check.<br />
Tech Equip. Check.<br />
Headphones w whitenoise. Check.<br />
Medicines and extra clothes in carryon. Check<br />
100 Straws stolen from 7-11. Check. Don’t ask.<br />
Credit cards. Check. Almost missed giving them notice that I’ll be travreling a using credit cards in India. Tried calling from car on the way to the airport. Works fine until they say “please key in your 15 digit number” as the light is fading in the western sky. You only need tob know that I safgely arrived at the airport.<br />
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Call both grandsons to tell them I’m off to India. Check . Brendon is 10 and already knows everything about India- as only 10 year olds can. Charlie is officially 1 year old today. We celebtrated his birthday yesterday.<br />
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I’m about 4 hours behind the rest of the HR dlegation who are leaving leaving from a New York airport. I chose to go Continental rather then Air India so I can upgrade. Unfotunately, while I’m confirmed first class returning home, I got bumped by folks with more miles going out (what is above platinum?).<br />
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Still, I was prepared for a coach trip out – I at least got a larger seat by an exit door and, if I get at all antsy I’ll try and remember all those flights to China and Australia when I didn’t have my own built in entertainment center . Really, how can you not pass the time?<br />
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Arriving in Delhi I expect to be met and transported to The Grand, New Delhi where the delegation is staying for the first few days. Tuesday is a full day with a morning meeting with the Management Developmenty Institute and an afternoon with IBM. I’ll try to review each day at the end perhaps blogging at the bar with the idea of meeting up with a few recruitingblogs member not on our formal agenda.<br />
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btw Whose line is the title to this blog and where were they going?<br />
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Until thenMaking a list and checking it twice: -4 Days and Countingtag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-12-03:502551:BlogPost:8146572009-12-03T15:30:00.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
<b>Time:</b> I’ve learned over the last decade that by changing my watch to the local time before a long flight, I can reduce jet lag to nothing (don’t know about you but it works for me). The trick is pretending it is the time zone you are going to and acting appropriately. I even try it a day before boarding…but then must remember to make the plane instead of going to bed.<br />
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I leave Sunday night for New Delhi, the first stop on our delegation’s itinerary. I just googled the world clock and the…
<b>Time:</b> I’ve learned over the last decade that by changing my watch to the local time before a long flight, I can reduce jet lag to nothing (don’t know about you but it works for me). The trick is pretending it is the time zone you are going to and acting appropriately. I even try it a day before boarding…but then must remember to make the plane instead of going to bed.<br />
<br />
I leave Sunday night for New Delhi, the first stop on our delegation’s itinerary. I just googled the world clock and the time in New Delhi is 10…<u>and a half</u> hours later than New Jersey!<br />
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What?! A half hour? Somehow I missed that lesson in 6th grade when I had to memorize Greenwich Mean Time as the international reference point, divide the world into 24 time zones and find the International date line on a map. I thought China was strange with every region pretending to be in Beijing’s time zone but how could you get ½ hour off?<br />
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India it turns out isn’t the only one with rounding error problems. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are also ½ hour off and Nepal is 40 minutes off the mark. Saudi Arabia is…well that is for a different trip. Apparently, before the conference in 1884 that fixed GMT, folks just figured out when the sun was directly above and called that noon. India apparently got stuck between GMT +5 and +6 and decided the whole country should be in the middle. There’s a lesson in here somewhere.<br />
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<b>Medicine</b>: If I brought all the medicine with me that people are telling me I need in India, I would not have room for clothes. No shots were required by India which made me feel pretty good… until I learned that what a country <u>requires</u> is to protect its population from you not you from what the country can do to you. I went to a local international health office to learn what was recommended (and called a couple delegates to ask them what they were doing).<br />
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The health office I picked to advise me, (part of a franchise owned by a lawyer which should have been my first clue), was run by a doppelganger for Nurse Rached from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After ticking off the deadly plagues I could contract for which they had pills, shots, salves, balms, poultices and vaccinations for sale, she then described the many ways I could die from diseases that there is no cure for! I think she wanted me to take out insurance to have my body returned.<br />
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Yes, I spent a small fortune on my shots. I also told Nurse Rached that I thought Halloween was over and she could dispense with the scary stories. She was not amused. I’ve no doubt half of her patients/clients cancel their trips after her harangue and donate their tickets to charity.<br />
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I did however, promise to go to McDonalds and steal a carton of straws so that the outside of a plastic bottle will never touch my lips and to shoot on sight anyone who offers me water from a previously cracked and refilled water bottle. This last has been mentioned to me by 4324 well meaning friends who have been to India (or met someone who has) and, I’ve no doubt, have personal points of view about the subsequent problems associated with that error.<br />
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<b>Clothes</b>: Every time I travel for more than a week, anywhere, I’m thankful for being a man. I have enough clothes of the same boring color I can squeeze into a modest sized valise… and still fit my medicines from Nurse Rached. The one problem is a suit jacket. I’m going to need one and wish I could find a travel jacket I could unravel but that might appear just a bit odd in a business meeting where our hosts are dressed in suit and tie. And the tie is another problem since I only wear one for funerals and prefer to wear bolos…I’ll bring both. Oh, and I did pack my recrutingblogs knit cap for a photo op at the Taj. Perhaps I’ll even discover a little Dave Mendoza there.<br />
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<b>Tech Equipment</b>: Compact Cannon Camera- 2gig capacity, Dell 11z Inspiron w extra 6-cell battery, 1T external hard disk with all files from main computer, Sony flat headphones with white noise, (2) Electrical adapters, RIM’s Storm upgraded for 1 month to work (fingers crossed) in India.<br />
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Note to self: Remember to call credit card company and let them know where you are going so they don’t, on your behalf, cancel your card when they see Int’l charges and can’t reach you…because you are in India and your smartphone goes unanswered while gulping Nurse Rached's immodium after accidentally ingesting a drop of water.<br />
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Thanks to all who offered questions via recruitngblogs, facebook and twitter to dig deeper into recruiting practices.India: If you were me what would you want to know? (-6 Days and Counting)tag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-11-30:502551:BlogPost:8130492009-11-30T06:18:56.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
India. 1.2 billion people. 600,000 are “unorganized”! Ok, I’ll start there. What does “unorganized” mean? Can that many people actually be off the grid? How do you get “organized” when you start off “unorganized”?<br />
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Preparing for my ten-day adventure in India (beginning next Sunday) means collecting information from lots of sources. Too much, too early and my learning will color my senses when I’m on the ground. I’ll have too much baggage to be an effective observer. I want as few filters as…
India. 1.2 billion people. 600,000 are “unorganized”! Ok, I’ll start there. What does “unorganized” mean? Can that many people actually be off the grid? How do you get “organized” when you start off “unorganized”?<br />
<br />
Preparing for my ten-day adventure in India (beginning next Sunday) means collecting information from lots of sources. Too much, too early and my learning will color my senses when I’m on the ground. I’ll have too much baggage to be an effective observer. I want as few filters as possible.<br />
<br />
Too little, too late though and I’ll miss opportunities to follow my passion for how and why people are hired. I want to ask questions that dig deeper into our cultural similarities and differences (not to mention a few other problems I could encounter…but more on that later).<br />
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I’m in the midst of reading some 30 articles (thanks in part to our SHRM delegation’s organizers) and finishing up with half a dozen phone calls to colleagues, friends, relatives and others with differing perspectives about India. The time there is understandably short-no more than a single frame in a real-time movie of indeterminate length. I imagine I'm walking in right in the middle.<br />
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My wife, Diane, is not coming with me. She is happily remaining home, preparing for the holidays and looking forward to another trip I’ve promised for another time- in return for my "kitchen pass" and a Skype call every night.<br />
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Most of my sources have limited or sketchy details about the employment scene in India- how professionals, trades people and other workers are found, wooed, screened, selected, on-boarded and retained. How it was only a few years ago and how it might evolve in the next few years.<br />
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I’m looking for unique stories that we seldom encounter here in the US. One colleague for example, a staffing leader just returning from his first visit to his India technology facility, is still stunned by his experience. One of his firm’s top developers was about to get married when her work suddenly became an issue. Apparently the fact that she was not a full time employee and, instead, was hired and working as a contract employee was socially unacceptable to the groom’s family, and the wedding was cancelled. True or did he misinterpret what he was told?<br />
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I’m excited to be going with a delegation of HR peers. This SHRM led group of 20 plus will spend most of our trip in New Delhi and Mombai. One advantage of a group (there are many) is the shared conversation as we meet with government, educational and business leaders as well as tour companies and host meetings with peers who have spent years working in India. Another is I have a habit of wondering around and finding trouble when I’m traveling alone (just ask Todd Raphael [ERE] about Moscow)<br />
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Today, I'm just trying to digest a few facts:<br />
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- In India there are 397million workers. 124 million are women (but 106 million of those women are in rural areas). The percentage of women in management is approximately 2%. In the US by contrast, nearly 75 of 121 million women over the age of 16 are working full-time (75%) or part time “and women account for 51% of all workers in high paying management, professional and related occupations.” (SHRM whitepaper October, 2009- Perspectives on Women in Management in India )<br />
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On the other hand, only 15 CEOs of Fortune 500 firms are woman including Indra K. Nooyi of PepsiCo, Inc. (there are 9 more among Fortune 501-1000 companies)<br />
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Does this mean untapped pools of talent already exist or are cultural factors still raising educational, social and professional barriers? How quickly are market forces driving change? How are recruiters who work in global firms educated to their firm’s value propositions around diversity, gender, innovation, performance, community, society, sustainability, etc.?<br />
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- Historically, diversity in the US begins with a discussion about race and broadens to focus on issues around how our diversity of thought increases our ability as a business to compete. In India, the subject of diversity evokes an image of caste consciousness that is, superficially at least, connected. While India's government has long employed an affirmative-action program that reserves 23% of all national government jobs to those from underprivileged classes, 86% of technology workers at multinationals or sizeable Indian tech companies come from "from upper castes”. (Caste Away; India's high-tech revolution. Wall Street Journal. 23 June, 2007).<br />
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Many companies are leading a change to create a market driven economy that values skills, knowledge and experience wherever it is found. One multi-national CEO was quoted as saying "It's a global industry. In America, the only caste that matters is talent" (Maybe a bit presumptuous even for the US).<br />
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So just how do cultural traditions in India and elsewhere impact selection assessment and access to skills knowledge and experience? What can we learn from how our peers in India tackle their challenges?<br />
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Once started, the questions keep rolling out:<br />
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- What skills do they seek that we don’t?<br />
- What issues about the workplace are essential to a jobseeker choosing an employer versus what people might imagine they are?<br />
- What role do families, friends and colleagues play in a jobseeker’s decision?<br />
- What data about the workforce is available?<br />
- How important is location?<br />
- What are the limits infrastructure and local transportation impose.<br />
- What sources of hire are most effective and are they different for small versus large firms; multi-national versus national firms.<br />
- Do third party staffing firms operate differently than the firms with the most competitive recruiters?<br />
- What worker protections are afforded by law and custom?<br />
- What assessments, tests, interview screens and other selection methods predominate in the recruiting process?<br />
- How critical is technology to the staffing process?<br />
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- What wouldn’t a US employer even think to ask when considering how to construct and design a job that can be done by the available talent?<br />
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Is there anything you want to know? I’ll ask.<br />
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A special thanks to the organizations who have helped underwrite my trip: Recruitingblogs.com, FutureStep and Alliance Q.I'm Thankful Thanksgiving is a holidaytag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-11-25:502551:BlogPost:7983372009-11-25T21:51:14.000ZGerry Crispinhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/GerryCrispin
Thanksgiving is my favorite day.<br />
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Today is November 25 2009. It is the night before Thanksgiving. 38 years ago, Thanksgiving fell on November 25 and, on that morning, in the middle of a snow storm, I was married in small chapel in an inner city hospital to a nurse, Diane, who had Thanksgiving off. As did I! As an orderly working his way through grad school during the early 70's, the world was a very different place...don't get me started. Diane and I had been dating since September...two months…
Thanksgiving is my favorite day.<br />
<br />
Today is November 25 2009. It is the night before Thanksgiving. 38 years ago, Thanksgiving fell on November 25 and, on that morning, in the middle of a snow storm, I was married in small chapel in an inner city hospital to a nurse, Diane, who had Thanksgiving off. As did I! As an orderly working his way through grad school during the early 70's, the world was a very different place...don't get me started. Diane and I had been dating since September...two months before we were married....six weeks after I proposed.<br />
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Tomorrow I'll carve a Turkey (with Diane's help) at my mom's house about seventy five miles from my home in NJ. Mom will be 95 in 2 weeks and lives in the house her dad built in 1920. We'll have 20 for dinner there with my sister, her children and grandchildren who all arrived from Chicago today. My children and grandchildren will also be at the table. Directly across the street my cousin, Rich, and his wife, Anne, will also have 20 for dinner. Down the street my cousins May and Patty will also have nearly 20 for dinner...each- as will another cousin, Chuck about 2 towns away.<br />
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ALL of us will wander from home to home from 4pm tomorrow til the wee hours on Friday and then do a tweet up in town Friday night (and, literally, take over a restaurant and bar on th spur of the moment.)<br />
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On other holidays many of us are finding ways to give back to others but Thanksgiving is the one holiday when our extended family numbering more than 100 celebrates the blessings of family.<br />
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May everyone give thanks for and celebrate their blessings tomorrow.<br />
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Warm regards.