Steve Levy's Blog (261)

Don't be a vulture

Over one ERE's NYC Group, there's a juicy little thread debating what kind of bird calls into Lehman these days...

Added by Steve Levy on September 19, 2008 at 5:33pm — No Comments

Candidates > Openings = Wall Street Fallout

"The tidal wave of bad finance news is freezing credit availability and battering investment portfolios, but a more human toll is almost certain to follow."

Over on CFO.com comes an eye opener for the masses: With the carnage resulting from Wall Street's inability to lead and govern itself comes the reality of the worst case of musical chairs seen since the Great Depression...and their won't be that many chairs in the game.

Certainly many will find jobs; I certainly… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 19, 2008 at 8:40am — No Comments

He's Baaack...Invite him to RBC and give him a real welcome

From ASK Maureen over on ERE...

DATE:

9/18/2008 1:12 p.m.

SUBJECT:

Im back

MESSAGE:

Good day, just wanted to let folks in this group know Im back. I have been absent from the board for a year while engaged in my new role.

I am currently leading recruiting for the East Coast, Federal and Canada at HDS in the sales and consulting groups.

Im formerly a long time employee of a PLM leader now part of Siemens.

Glad to… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 19, 2008 at 8:23am — No Comments

A Cover Letter That Didn't Suck

I ghost wrote this blog post for one of my clients about 10 months ago to highlight how cover letters don't have to suck the lifeblood out of its readers. Readership spiked to 18,000 over the typical, uh, 30-40 hits; comments were aplenty.

For those who hate clicking, here's the cover letter that sent me over the edge...

"I’ve been bouncing boxes for Uncle Sam 2.5 years now in some of the most… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 18, 2008 at 9:08pm — No Comments

Need a Job? $17,000 an Hour. No Success Required.

"Last year, Mr. Fuld earned about $45 million, according to the calculations of Equilar, an executive pay research company. That amounts to roughly $17,000 an hour to obliterate a firm. If you’re willing to drive a company into the ground for less, apply by calling Lehman Brothers at (212) 526-7000."

A must read...

Added by Steve Levy on September 18, 2008 at 8:30pm — 2 Comments

Law 4 - Always Say Less than Necessary

"When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish."

In other words, better recruiters will speak less yet say more. Or to put it colloquially, give someone enough rope and… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 18, 2008 at 11:30am — No Comments

CNBC's Executive Career Blogs

Nothing outrageous or titillating but worth a few minutes of your time. I especially liked the recent The Headhunter Always Rings Twice piece by Marcy Lerner of Vault.com.

Added by Steve Levy on September 16, 2008 at 7:30pm — No Comments

ADA Retasked - Finally

I'm biased - with family members offering recruiters a range of disabilities, I used to cringe when I was asked to help them find new jobs. Recently the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 addressed many of the original law's shortcomings as well as Supreme Court rulings that whittled away the intent of the law.

The law will make it easier for workers to prove discrimination; it explicitly relaxes several stringent… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 16, 2008 at 8:40am — No Comments

Lehman Loses...We Lose

Lehman is already battling to avoid “job abandonment,” in which workers simply stop showing up even though they have not been formally laid off.

Some of that was clearly happening on Monday as some of Lehman’s trading floors were only about two-thirds full. A rush of résumé-writing signaled the melancholy of an institution in its final days.

Many employees toyed with their résumés in full view of colleagues. Others perused job-listing Web sites — Wharton’s… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 16, 2008 at 8:03am — No Comments

Law 3 - Conceal your Intentions (the Zen of Recruiting)

"Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late."

Ah, the Zen of Recruiting or better known as recruiting without recruiting. Or if you prefer, conceal your intentions...

Which is "worse" - concealing your… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 15, 2008 at 2:38pm — No Comments

Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman, Merrill Lynch...AIG, WaMu

Can you picture the what the financial services recruiting landscape is going to look like one month from now? Read comments from today's NY Times article on 2 Wall St. Banks Falter; Markets Shaken.

Added by Steve Levy on September 15, 2008 at 8:55am — No Comments

HireAHero.org

Just registered for hireahero.org as a volunteer career coach. Since I'm apparently too damn old to serve - notice I didn't say anything about physical shape - this may be one of the few things I can do...

From About Us:

Hire A Hero is a non-profit initiative founded by the Armed Forces Support Foundation. The Armed Forces Support Foundation helps to keep the promise that military service… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 12, 2008 at 5:41pm — 5 Comments

Hmmmm...

Isn't Job Board Experts an oxymoron?

Added by Steve Levy on September 12, 2008 at 12:16pm — 2 Comments

My Face Ain't in No Book

“To be honest, my face is in no book, I have no space, I’m neither linked in, nor linked out. I just don’t have any interest in social networking. But this person will be making a decision as to whether or not my resume should be forwarded to a hiring manager. Help!!”

I'm always wondering how many recruiters speak to their employees and candidates about job search. Pretty sure if they did, these recruiters might just change some of their policies, processes, and… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 12, 2008 at 7:29am — 2 Comments

Another 9/11 Post

[If you've ever read my blog over on ERE, you know I write a piece for 9/11; why should it be any different on RBC?]

For the past 6 years, 9/11 began the same way for me: Wake at 5 AM, shower and decide which Jones Beach Lifeguard cap I’m going to place at the firefighter memorial sitting outside the Squad 1 firehouse in Park Slope.

This particular memorial was never caught up in a same pool of bureaucratic quicksand that has hampered nearly every 9/11 memorial; it… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 11, 2008 at 3:00am — 2 Comments

Law 2 - Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies

The 48 Laws of Power

Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

Recruiting is one big group hug,… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 10, 2008 at 9:21pm — 1 Comment

The 48 Laws of Power - and how to use them in recruiting...Law 1 - Never Outshine the Master

In addition to the imminent resurrection of Desperate Sourcers, the juicy, smarmy, biting, and brutally dishonest soap blog-pra written by Maureen Sharib and yours truly, I'm starting a new blog series based upon Robert Greene's national bestseller,… Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 9, 2008 at 6:30am — 4 Comments

License Plate Recruiting

How to find geeks - a visual test.

Added by Steve Levy on September 3, 2008 at 7:51pm — 1 Comment

Employers Bear Burden In Disparate Impact Age Discrimination Cases - Recent Supreme Court Case

According to Richard Sloane, management attorney with Littler Mendelson in DC,

"Meacham forces employers to more carefully evaluate involuntary RIFs. But there are several steps that prudent employers can take to minimize, and effectively manage, their potential exposure to litigation resulting from layoff decisions." These steps include but are not limited to:

Consult legal counsel (in-house and/or outside) to identify and analyze all of the issues to…

Continue

Added by Steve Levy on September 3, 2008 at 11:40am — 3 Comments

Q4 Hiring Outlook - It's the Customers, Stupid!

"[11%] of CIOs play to add IT workers in the fourth quarter, 3% plan cuts, and help desk and technical support are the hot categories as customer and user support trumps projects focused on growth."

Read more here

Added by Steve Levy on September 3, 2008 at 10:11am — No Comments