Steve Levy's Blog – April 2009 Archive (16)

Our catty whompus 'conomy - why?

As Sandra McCartt might say about the government pointing to all the positive signs in the economy, "Just because a chicken has wings don't mean it can fly." Today we found out that Ken Lewis, the teetering CEO of Bank of America, testified that Bernanke and Paulson and "...the government wanted him to keep quiet while the two sides negotiated government funding to help BofA absorb… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 23, 2009 at 1:00pm — 2 Comments

Wondering @Wharton

Food for thought...

For the past decade, a job at an investment bank has been coveted. Now the implosion of Wall Street has not only shaken a generation's ambitions, it has also unleashed them.

Click here for the NY Times video

Added by Steve Levy on April 23, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Can't plan a workforce without good numbers

Robert Rivet, CFO of Advanced Micro Devices, reminded analysts during recent conference calls that "the current environment is pretty murky, visibility is pretty low."

It's not easy trying to plan your future workforce trends when even the CFOs are having a difficult time making sense of it all...

Added by Steve Levy on April 22, 2009 at 8:25am — No Comments

Pet smart - maybe - but not much more

A few hours ago I stopped in to PetSmart to pick up a few pet items. The total came to $12.42; I pulled $15 out my wallet, counted out 42 cents, and handed the currency to the cashier - who in the transfer, dropped one penny onto the floor. She attempted to bend over to pick it up but didn't.

I turned away for about four seconds and she handed me $2.99 in change; the receipt noted that I gave her $15.41. I took the two dollar bills in my right… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 20, 2009 at 4:30pm — 2 Comments

love hate think believe feel wish

I just finished reading this article entitled, Let Them Eat Tweets and like the author, I too can't help but think that social media is sucking users into a vortex whose pull and power from which they can never escape. In fact, as in as social media may be - and I'm a heavy user so don't call me a… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 19, 2009 at 8:30am — 6 Comments

Lemons and Grape Juice

I like how Christie's is handling the recession; they've created a new business unit to sell corporate works of art. The rationale is that with balance sheets requiring more trips to the proverbial Home Depot, companies may be looking to sell their art. Someone at Chrtistie's sure is thinking.

Let's look at how companies and agencies have… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 17, 2009 at 4:32pm — 3 Comments

Twitter has been asleep at the keyboard

Fascinating article on how a 17 year old from Winnfield, LA "hijacked" Twitter over past few days to highlight flaws in their platform.

He's a smart kid who has a history of identifying holes and needs to be hired...

Mikey Mooney

Deborah R. Mooney (Mom) Aged: 45-49

Thomas E. Mooney (Dad) Aged: 50-54

Address: 549 Ed… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 14, 2009 at 8:53am — No Comments

Happy Easter

Added by Steve Levy on April 12, 2009 at 10:02am — 1 Comment

The art of integrity

When I read this, I kept going back to Rayanne's threads; then it hit me why all the negative threads about ethics and recruiting have bothered me so.

One thing I have never done in any of the recruiting ethics threads is pontificate about my personal opinion - others have cornered the market here. Integrity is a personal issue not one that others should be castigating about given someone's point of… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 11, 2009 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

Twitter is oh so yesterday

Added by Steve Levy on April 6, 2009 at 7:00pm — 5 Comments

Recruiting begins at 50

Last week, I turned 50. The number means very little to me; to my parents it’s a sign that either they've lived too long or God has larger plans for them.

That wasn't me writing that last sentence; it was my Jewish mother - the one who still reads the obituaries on Sunday just to gasp at the ones who died of an obscure disease so she can tell my Dad, "See Charlie? You make fun of me but people die of those things." Of course, this is the same woman who once told me that her… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 5, 2009 at 9:30pm — 7 Comments

Two-Way Street: Interviewing your boss-to-be

Bill and Richard over at their Contented Cows blog write about being choosy about your next boss. Ask your potential manager some pointed questions then be prepared to drill down into their answers:

* What’s your proudest moment thus far as a manager? Listen carefully for “I answers” as opposed to “we answers.” Is this person a narcissist (a legend in their own mind), or someone who… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 4, 2009 at 3:09pm — 1 Comment

Broken English: The reason behind the Binghamton shooter

People had made fun of Wong due to his difficulty speaking English, leading him to feel "degraded," his loved ones told police.

Wong was recruited to his present job - the one he was laid off from this past November; I wonder if the recruiter was aware that existing employees were prone to teasing other employees about their language skills?

Read the news out of Binghamton here

Added by Steve Levy on April 4, 2009 at 1:36pm — 6 Comments

Help, I need an interview suit!!

What happens when you have an interview...but not an interview suit (CNN video).

Added by Steve Levy on April 4, 2009 at 9:19am — No Comments

Preferring dead fish to fresh flowers

There's a story of a woman who sold fish all her life and knew nothing else. One summer day, she was invited to the queen's palace to help prepare a royal festival. When she was shown to her room, she found it filled with fragrant flowers. How disgusting, she complained. Please take me back and let me sleep near my pile of fish.

She choose the stench of fish over the sweet fragrance of flowers because of habit and familiarity. It's the choice of picking the devil you… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 1, 2009 at 4:29pm — No Comments

Oh the irony of the EEOC

I am positively shell-shocked having just read that the EEOC willfully violated the FLSA.

The agency's practice of offering compensatory time off to its employees rather than overtime pay amounted to "forced volunteering" and was a knowing violation of the law, according to the ruling.

Nothing quite like… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on April 1, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments