I live in the recruiting world...been a citizen for around 10 years now. While I have seen numerous posts on the horror stories of individuals who have encountered less than ethical recruiters in their pursuits, not all of cut from the same cloth. Some of us take pride in what we do and see the value of helping people put their talents and abilities to work with great employers. The difference here would be integrity, purpose, and strategies. 

In a conversation with a peer a few days…

The following is the transcript from a webcast I led on 8/26/14 for SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management). This should not be copied, distributed, or used without my permission. Thank you.

Hello everyone. My name is Doug Douglas. I’m speaking with you from Austin, Texas today where I live and have my business. Let me just say a couple of things before we…

Tuesday - August 26, 2014

1:00 CST / 2:00 EST

I'm excited about a webcast that I will be leading tomorrow for SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) called "FROZEN Out of Talent? Let It Go!" In this session, we will be focused on Recruitment Optimization. Much like SEO (Search Engine Optimization) before it, recruiting has become multi-faceted and…

Can you imagine a world where professional athletes only get paid if they win? In 1960, the Dallas Cowboys didn't win a game. In 1976, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't win one. And as recently as 2009, the Detroit Lions didn't win a single game. In the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats won just 7 games in 2012...and Michael Jordan was the guy running the team. He certainly…

In 2013, Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams brought us a song called "Blurred Lines" that  reached #1 on the charts for 12 consecutive weeks and sold 14.8 million copies. If you aren't familiar with the song itself, you probably are familiar with the stir it caused when Thicke performed it at an awards show and Miley Cyrus came out and started…

Bucket Lists. They used to just be referred to as "goals." A few years ago, I went through cancer and I created a short Bucket List of things that I wanted to accomplish in the near future. I've done all but one to this point. I guess my teenage daughter liked the concept and she created her own Bucket List...and as a dad, I have been trying to find ways to help her…

Time travel is possible! How do I know? Because last night, I was transported back to 1982 as I went to see Journey in concert.

Back in 1982, just a freshman in high school at the time, I went to see Journey. They were my favorite band and Steve Perry was my favorite singer. Now, at the time, my aspirations were to be a professional singer and things…

Every few months or so, a new game app comes around that my 16 year old daughter and all of her friends go crazy over. They sit there in a deep stare, barely moving, likely not even breathing - then BOOM - an eruption of disappointment, followed by the resolve to do even better next time, even if it means subsidizing their time spent on homework or interacting with their parents. This goes on and on…

Tomorrow is a day of celebration for me...I was declared "cancer free" on May 1, 2012. My battle with cancer has had a profound impact on me personally and has changed me in many ways. Some in my behaviors, but mostly in my motivations and drivers.

To give you a brief history, I was diagnosed with Atypical Carcinoid Cancer. This is a pretty rare but fast…

Do you ever catch yourself doing or saying something that your parents used to do or say that drove you crazy? My dad used to used whistle while he was driving...all the time...non-stop. It would drive me insane! Now, I often find myself driving down the road, listening to some tunes, whistling away - and then I sense it, my 16 year old daughter is glaring at me like…

Recently the big news story was Brendan Eich and his stepping down as the CEO of Mozilla under pressure from his board due to the calls for his firing by OKCupid and their followers. Six years earlier, Mr. Eich wrote a personal check to a cause that he supported aimed at defeating a gay marriage law in California. According to everything I have read, he had never…

Gay marriage. Abortion. Equal pay for women. Display the 10 Commandments. ObamaCare. Keystone pipeline. Gun control. Global warming.

Where do I stand on these issues? I'm not sure I should tell you. As it turns out, we have gotten to a point in America where no one can share an opinion or donate to a cause they believe in without another individual or group…

I have made a decision. I think I am going to write a book on the safest way to skydive. Now, I've never been skydiving, nor is it likely that I ever will as I am afraid of heights. But really, how hard can it be? Stick a parachute in a backpack - hitch a ride on a plane - open the door - jump - scream - then pull a cord and let the parachute do the rest. Easy,…

Recruiters have lots of metrics that they are measured on, but the most worthless of them all is the Phone Time Report. This is the report that shows how much time a recruiter spends on the phone each day/week/month.

Some live by this report, and for the life of me, I just can't see why. It is filled with abuses and does not accurately reflect the production level or successes of a…

Did you know that there is a glaring hole within many companies that contributes to their overall turnover? This hole can cost your company big bucks too, but people seem content to just let it occur. Did you know that it can also be fixed pretty quickly, easily, and cost effectively?

Walk down this journey with me - and I promise - I'll make it quick. Employee Bill works for your…

You can almost recognize it when you see it, can't you? It's that look in someone's eye. The way they carry themselves. The determination that they seem to ooze. It's that person who has a chip on their shoulder...something to prove.

I grew up attending a very academically challenging private school from 6th grade to 12th grade. The school like to boast that if we could…

Hooey. If you aren't familiar with this term, it's a nicer and friendlier way of calling "BS" on something or someone. It's when your words and your actions don't line up and your hypocrisy has been exposed. Such is the case with Recruiters. I am calling "hooey" on you today.

I have been in recruiting for around 10 years. During that time, I have interviewed and hired countless…

Job candidates jump through the hoops that companies and recruiters set up for them. Some have decided that they may only get one shot at gaining all of the information possible from a candidate and placed lots and lots of hoops at the application portion of the process. They go online to apply for the job, and in some cases, they stay involved in that application process for hours - uploading a…

Every few months or so, a new game app comes around that my 16 year old daughter and all of her friends go crazy over. They sit there in a deep stare, barely moving, likely not even breathing - then BOOM - an eruption of disappointment, followed by the resolve to do even better next time, even if it means subsidizing their time spent on homework or interacting with their…

Do you have 5 seconds? Sure you do, or you wouldn't be reading this post right now! Click here and go vote on my new poll. Are you an Angry Bird, a Flappy Bird, or a…