Canada is about to have yet another election on May 2,2011, Many people have varying degrees of opinion over the value of an election, from saying that there is merit in “shaking up” the status quo, to relegating it to a popularity contest where the winner was never in doubt, as the candidate got their name out just one more time than their opponent. And it seems invariably that after the election takes place, there are nay-sayers about the process, and that they were right in not voting, as…

This week I took part in a #Radchat on Recruiting and some of the issues in the profession moving forward. There was alot of talk about mystique, “magic”, Smoke and Mirrors, and how its an issue to find the line where Sourcing stops and Recruiting begins. Now I know I’m still fairly new in this circle, and I will be the first to admit I don’t have the answers, but I do have some sure-fire ways to get them and be successful.

1. Ask Questions and lots of them, you will never know…

Radical Quebec: Newbies to Recruiting:

This is a copy of the presentation I recently gave at Radical Quebec. I chose to use it as my blog as I believe many of the points used, should be reviewed by others. Enjoy the read.  Dan

What is Recruiting? To me recruiting is the ability to fill a need or an opening with someone qualified to fulfill on said need or opening. It’s looking into your rolodex of contacts and matching column A (the person) with column B (the opening)…

Look at the title, and think about whether or not you pay attention to everything said to you in a given day; or do you hear only what you want and fill in the blank spaces with noise?  In a job such as recruiting or sales, the ears are almost more important than the eyes when it comes to making decisions. Any time a decision needs to be made; it is best made when all the information is at hand, and that no nuances or misinterpretation is at hand. I have a calendar at home, and one of the…

You’ve asked all of them on your mind. The questions. Those incomplete thoughts or flashes of brilliance that you feel needs some sort of vindication that your opinion is valid. Those things burrowing into the dark places of the mind that prevent you from moving on rationally. What if I appear ridiculous? What if my lack of knowledge shows through? Am I that much of a know-it-all?, I know we covered this topic 1000 times, yet for some reason I just don’t understand. These are all thoughts…

This is something everybody uses; yet on a number of occasions they feel silence trumps silly, or banal, or demonstrating that they don’t have all the knowledge they need to proceed. Its human nature to want to have all the facts before proceeding on a project, just as it should be human nature to want to confirm information if there is any possible chance your results will be contrary to what is expected.

Not everybody has all the skills in the world needed to accomplish every goal.…

Right off the top, no, I didn’t just swear. These two words are thrown around daily under a multitude of reasons; but how many people actually back it up or even mean it as much more than a catch phrase or cliché?  We all deal with people, either working with, or working for; and regardless of our job-identity; in one way or another we always defer to those two words in almost every close.  How do you guarantee satisfaction? Have you listened intently to the customer or to the supervisor and…

This week I received some interesting comments regarding “Professionalism”  One of my groups pointed out that my profile picture didn’t express the intention which I was trying to achieve.  I took a look at it from a neutral perspective, and I agreed.

This brings me to todays topic: Professionalism and the Workplace.  With every project I have strived to present myself as a commodity or a brand, who just happens to be on loan to my employers as a sub-contracted asset.  This meant that…

This was a question asked of me earlier in the week. The answer is simple- you can’t. Everyone who has anything to do with sales, with recruiting, with dealing in relationships between staff and customers all have their own way of achieving the end result.  For them to use my moniker, they would have to take a really long walk in my shoes, and see things through my eyes.  I am fortunate to have really good people around me who respect my opinions and are extremely open with theirs. We…

Common names are a bitch. I should know as I have one, and have spent the majority of my adult life saying "I'm sorry, thats not me" or "I rented what?? I don't think so.." An interesting fact is some people look to common names as a badge of anonymity;  that the more obscure the name, the more you stand out as an individual.  This of course, can't be further from the truth. Individuality is what you make of it because its the individual who makes the mark, not the name.  How many of us have…

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…

Today I have decided to talk about a key part of business and operations: The Mission Statement. For a full definition of what a mission statement is, please refer to Wikipedia or a fantastic book by Stephen R. Covey entitled “7 Steps of Highly Effective People”(http://ee.sharif.edu/~commi/Comm1_files/SevenHabits.pdf). I believe many people in the industry own this book (Its required reading at…

One of the important things I’ve seen in the last while, is networking with others is a contact sport. At the end of the day, though we all have the same agenda,…

Recruiting and sales; or Sales and recruiting. Which comes first and which is more important? Whether we wish to admit it, both are part of the very same industry, just at differing degrees on the scale. Just because you are a great recruiter doesn't mean you'll have a long career as a salesperson and the same can be said about Sales People potentially not doing well recruiting others. If you happen to be one of those rare few that can do both, and do them well--Congratulations!

Both…

1. Trust your gut instinct; if the project that you are contemplating seems solid- Move ahead; This works in both your personal and professional life. There is only one person who will allow…