Human beings are social animals and they always like to be in groups. In the new web 2.0 world – this also holds very much true. The social networking has provided people a life 2.0 where they can create their own groups, be part of them and engage people – without actually having a trouble to meet them (!).

This time, I am talking about professional networking groups - LinkedIn Groups. Groups provide a great platform for like-minded people to discuss and share…

The latest Dice report on IT hiring reveals that six in 10 hiring managers and technology recruiters expect to hire more in the first half of 2011 than in the previous six months. Jobs involving network or database security are particularly in high demand, but finding top talent with the right skill sets to fill these positions will be…

Here’s your peek into the job titles your competition is currently seeking.

Our data comes from 15,276 staffing and recruiting firms, from which, we’ve listed the top 25 candidates being sought and the number of jobs posted for each in the past 60 days.…

It 5am, and of course you are up!  As an entrepreneur these 5am, 4am (or my personal favorite: 2am) wake up call times quickly turn into regular patterns.  The two little demons, "Fear" and "Worry," are quite happy to push that buzzer for you today.  As an entrepreneur, over time you will develop the stamina to simply use these nasty little wake-up calls as a way to…

I placed a candidate recently who was struggling about how to give proper notice to his employer. He is an incredibly loyal person who was terrified that he was letting his manager, team, and company down after spending the last six years trying to impress, support, and inspire them. He asked me for many different drafts of resignation letters, advice on whether he should take his boss/team…

This is the time of the year best spent reflecting on the year passed, On our various successes, on our family, on our chosen career, and to re-commit to the coming year, thankful that for us there will be a tomorrow and a second chance to make the all important first-impression.

Personally, I’m happy that I made it through this transitional year no worse for wear. I’ve had many challenges over the course of the last 12 months, from “finding myself” and my place in this new world, to…

In the world of recruiting, anything can happen . . . just ask a recruiter.  Which is what we at Top Echelon are doing right now.

We’re currently accepting submissions for your craziest recruiting story of 2010.  It could be a story about clients.  It could be a story about candidates.  It could be a story about another recruiter.  It could…

My fellow blogger, Cindy Kraft of CFO-Coach, was kind enough to ask me my thoughts on this topic, which she blogged about.



Her starting point was a recent SmartBrief poll, in which 72.5% of surveyed companies indicated they had unfilled openings.



My first impression on seeing the poll was…

If you’re searching online for a blind date, you can narrow the field demographically to, let’s say, people between age 35 and 45 who live in Denver. And you can take a peek at the all-important photograph. But is that enough information to make even one valid assumption about someone? Before you commit to that blind date, you’ll want to know what kind of personality they have and what their interests and values are, among other things. That same kind of curiosity about your customers gives…

Last month I was honored to be on a panel for CTHRA discussing How Does Social Media Impact Human Resources? in Denver, Co. I arrived the night before and stayed at the JW Marriott in Cherry Creek which is right…

Yesterday, I was part of a cool event set up by TalentCulture called #TChat. #TChat is a Twitter conversation that happens every Tuesday at 8 EST on various topics on attracting and retaining talent. To join, all you have to do is use the Twitter hashtag #TChat and start contributing.

Last night’s conversation focused on multiple aspects of the…

I'm on a two week trip that covers a considerable portion of the globe (given the span of time) and where the focus is recruiting technology and marketing. The first part of my trip kicked off here in Australia where I was asked to be the keynote at the Social Media 101 event.

My presentation delivered some interesting (if not alarming) statistics around why social media is rapidly becoming a…

I recently read an interesting article Dr. John Sullivan posted on ERE.Net. The article, entitled "What's Wrong With Reference Checks, Part One," says in essence that reference checks tend to suck. His take on employment reference checks may be a little harsh but not entirely inaccurate. But then, like…

Background Checks do they really work???

Background Checks, are a must to me. They help you validate someone’s work history, education, and criminal record. Of course, you can also validate their credit score and more, but the work history, education, and criminal record are the biggies.…

I found this interesting: in the past couple of months the top keyword search strings that lead people to this blog were often about preparing for a Topgrading Interview. The irony is that you can't really "prepare" for a Topgrading interview. Yes, journaling about your career history, reflecting back on the praise you received or the criticism that challenged you, thinking about your Boss and what you liked or disliked about them -…

In my country Christmas is the most important holiday of the year, and its also time when companys are looking to improve the integration fo all their employees, and align the reward & recognition programmes with them.

Human Resources managers have to remember to say "thank you" in a way to maximises the motivational engagement or performance returns, considering actions that could engage and motivate people quickly in the New Year.

Christmas time its a great opportunity…

Is someone considering the opportunity you’ve just presented to them? When your phone rings – or email buzzes – what are the chances it is someone saying “Let’s move ahead.”? If the chances are good, then keep doing what you’re doing. If not, you better change something pretty quick!

Am I old school? You bet. I’ve survived. Not only have I survived – I’m living the American Dream! I say this not to boast but to make a rather simple…