Dan Nuroo's Blog (123)

$#IT Happens

I write a lot from the Recruiter point of view, but I had one of those weeks, which changed my mindset for a while.

I've had to make a number of calls to unsuccessful candidates. As a job to do... that sucks.. but you know what?.. I'm sure it doesn't suck as much as taking the call.

Going for a job is a brave thing to do. You're putting yourself out there to be judged by others. Baring your soul, putting your future in someone else's hands to decide on. Like those people… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on October 15, 2009 at 9:54am — 7 Comments

Memory Lane from a Michael Jackson song....

My kids have been caught up in the Michael Jackson tributes and my son in particular will harass me every day in the car... "Daddy, can you put on Michael Jackson please?"

I'm not sure how, but I didn't know this song. "PYT... Pretty Young Thing" it amused me. When I did a really, REALLY short stint as a R2R person, this is one of the key phrases one particular (short lived) client would use to describe what they wanted me to find for them. Sales history,… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on October 5, 2009 at 9:18am — No Comments

The Nice Guy

"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice" was a sign a colleague of mine used to keep on his desk.

What a crock!

I should know... I've been labeled as this. Nice! It's horrible, and normally comes with the word "too" in front of it!

Being known as "nice" doesn't do ANYTHING for you in your career. Apart from give… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on September 21, 2009 at 10:30am — 9 Comments

Elbow Grease

I'm not a handy man. I try, but to be bluntly honest... I'm useless, light globes I can do, mow the lawn... OK, cut stuff up.. OK, but anything useful, work on the car, fixing broken things in general.. no way! Much to the distress of my wife and probably embarrassment of my Dad, who is the most MacGyver type guy I know.

However I was partaking in some blokey (for those in the US, read REAL MANLY) outdoor activity, had the women folk inside tending to the young 'uns. OK I was outside… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on August 30, 2009 at 11:00am — 2 Comments

Ghosts of songs past, exploring the echo's in my head!

Interesting experience today, well maybe I over thought it. OK let me explain it.

I was driving in the car with two hungry and tired kids and a weary wife, suddenly a song comes on the radio. I wouldn't have heard that song since high school, circa 1990. Here I am hoping I'd learned a bit since then (which could have replaced such rubbish), but wouldn't you know it. BANG... Total recall, phrasing, timing, words everything. Blew me away. And the singing probably scarred the kids for… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on August 24, 2009 at 10:12am — No Comments

Recruiters: The Sportscasters of Industry

Everyone has an opinion on Recruiting, all levels of a company, and pretty much anyone you meet just on the street. It's always puzzled me yet somehow made sense. Something occurred to me. Recruiters are mostly trespassers.

We are interlopers, we hang out in communities we don't really belong in don't we? We exude expert knowledge in industries we haven't actually worked in. We advise people on career choices in industries we watch yet in the majority of cases haven't participated… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on August 17, 2009 at 7:01pm — 4 Comments

FEEDBACK and Grains of Salt

I like to see myself as an open person, willing to try things, willing to take feedback on board, give it a try.

When I was younger and not as confident, I would take things said to me as gospel, especially as I moved into a Corporate environment, where coming from the Agency world I did feel like a fish out of water initially. I was probably treated that way too, you know, a Agency Recruiter in an HR world. I was viewed with suspicion. Too Salesy to fit within the HR world. Feedback… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on August 12, 2009 at 11:04am — 2 Comments

Don't pee in your own Pool

Customer Service is an amazing thing. Something which seems so easy and straight forward, you're helpful, friendly and essentially do as you say, providing a service.

RANT WARNING.

This may seem petty to some, but this really got my blood boiling the other day. My 5 year old son was awarded an encouragement award at the local football club a few weeks ago (OK they all get them, but it didn't quell the pride, father and son both felt as he picked up his award.) The award, a… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on August 9, 2009 at 10:56am — 5 Comments

From Robbie Williams to Frank Sinatra the inevitable transition

My apologies as the embedded link doesn't seem to be working. And advanced warning, this isn't really Recruiting related.

Something about having a birthday makes me nostalgic. I find myself prone to reflecting on what has been in… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on August 6, 2009 at 7:02pm — No Comments

Bigfoot, Tooth Fairy and the Recruiting Magic Bullet

I've been reading and writing a lot of blogs, tweets, articles etc about what we all should be doing in our Recruiting efforts of late, and you know what? I think they are all starting to look alike.

Social Media vs Old School

Email, internet vs the phone

Twitter

Job Boards

The recession

Passive vs Active Candidates

Find… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on August 4, 2009 at 10:00am — 3 Comments

Need a promotion? PROMOTE Yourself!

I've spoken before about that success of an HR person, or a Recruitment professional in the corporate world is akin to an umpire in a sporting event. If you don't notice them, then they are doing something right.

However, as some of my English friends say.. "Bollocks to that"

In the Recruitment world, Agency or Internal, it is a challenge to get that promotion, unless of course you are the last person standing in an agency! I know many people who now run 200+ people… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on July 16, 2009 at 9:26am — No Comments

Online presence - Getting a secret identity

It's true, everything you write on the web, stays on the web, somewhere, somehow.

You can imagine it can't you, (well I can) at the last stages of an election campaign, the year is 2030 (when I'm too old and Gen Ys assume the mantle of being the old people in control). Potential PM candidate A) in full debate in the lower house stands up and says, "Well,… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on June 23, 2009 at 6:40am — No Comments

Virtual Recruitment Pride March!

Lets have a parade.

I was reading a reply to a question I posed on the Australian Corporate Recruiters site (blatant plug)around why people do Recruitment. A response I received by David Talamelli got me thinking. He responded with "I am still amazed when I see people calling themselves Senior Recruiters with 3-4 yrs exp."

I believe this is due to the fact that people drop out of the… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on June 15, 2009 at 6:56pm — 3 Comments

Don't be seduced with the dream of easy success

Weird times we live in huh?

A few months ago, I was sitting in my office, thinking of ways to keep my department relevant. So much time and brain power was used in thinking of ways to keep the Recruiting team out of the firing line (literally) in times when hiring wasn't happening as quickly as it had in the past. I knew it was tough times, but fought hard to keep my team in tact. Not that it was specifically targeted by my company, however I know investors and market analysts asked… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on June 3, 2009 at 10:10am — No Comments

Sucking Eggs, Correctly

"Yeah I've Recruited before. I had to hire people for my team. I know what you do, its your core job, what do you mean you cannot hire everyone we think we need? I mean I know how difficult it can be at times. But I read the news, I know what is going on in the world, this isn't one of those times. You're job must be easy now. There must be candidates everywhere, I mean how hard can it be to hire in a recession"…

Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on May 27, 2009 at 11:04am — No Comments

Is "SORRY" really the hardest word?

I love my football, I love my Carlton Football Club, and my mood on the days they play, effectively mirrors the way the team plays. I understand it is a game, but it is a release, an escape if you will. It is a great leveler, CEO's and Parliamentarians and truck drivers and people without a job, pensioners and students are all the same. It doesn't matter who you are, if you are personally invested (not so much financially) in some way. The ramifications of those 22 players (AFL team) has on… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on May 25, 2009 at 10:49am — No Comments

Campaigning for people to lose jobs. Shame media

I rarely get up on my soap box, but man.. this has really annoyed me.

I love my football, I love my sport, I love hearing about it, I love reading about it and basically I cannot get enough. However this month, there has been a couple of issues arising which really sticks in my craw.... (where is my craw by the way?)

Anyway, in the media here, there seems to be a pre-occupation with people losing their jobs, specifically coaches of football clubs. Aren't we in a recession?… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on May 21, 2009 at 6:42pm — No Comments

Question to self.... are you a fraud?

It's been an interesting day. A busy busy day, which started in a flurried search for a phone hiding in my car and ending with me questioning my very worth... as I said... interesting day.

The flurry of the morning was compounded by an innocuous little quote in the book I'm reading. Now I won't quote it directly as it is fiction, and I cannot be bothered… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on May 19, 2009 at 9:29am — 1 Comment

WANTED: Inspiration, dead or alive

Well, here we go again... doing my nightly blog reading, and it seems it is the same stuff, different day. Hold on... did I just see a Groundhog?

Articles on Gen Y, v Gen X v Baby Boomers. Gen Y's "you just don't understand us!" Baby Boomers "and we really don't care!" Gen X's where is the money in this debate?

Articles on Thought leadership, who is one?… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on May 17, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

The times we live in.......

Interesting thing happened to me this week. I ran into an old colleague in a coffee shop (that's not the interesting thing) but he said something to me which resonated a bit. He said "Nuroo.... man, I feel I know more about you now that I did when we worked together, with your blogs, your twittering and your facebook stuff."

We laughed it off, however it got me thinking. "That's pretty sad isn't it?" Was I not open enough? Was our communication that poor? or is it just a comment on… Continue

Added by Dan Nuroo on May 8, 2009 at 10:26am — 1 Comment