This week I had a conversation with a colleague about how essential crisp well-positioned communication is in business, how much effort it takes, and how rare it is. Later, I had a twitter interaction about new graduates trying to get traction in job searches and how important it is for them to show a human side instead of just being a cover page template. These…

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In college I read my first Heidegger and my first Foucault and my first Audre Lorde. It was the first time I had heard of any of them. This was in the mid 80's and yes I know I am old, but you kids can stay on my lawn - I mostly like you.

Heidegger, Foucault and Lorde would be a lot for any young mind to chew on, swallow and digest, but it about put me under. College…

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Super cheesy title, right? I know. But hold on to your rotten tomato, okay? Don't pelt me with it just yet. I've been thinking about recruiting in general and my business in particular, and now more than even I understand that the business we do is a reflection of who we are. I often say, "All business - but recruiting in particular - is a contact sport." As I've gained experience, that phrase means different things. Sometimes a contact sport is bloody conquest, a war of egos and control…

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Another day another twitter discussion about how resumes are unnecessary and anyone who is anyone has a reputation and no need of a paper representation of his or her work.

I don't think that is true.  I really, really don't think that is true.  

 

 

Not captured in that exchange was this tweet:…

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I like words. I probably like them too much. I spend a lot of time thinking about words and the meanings they hold. But thinking about words and their impact is not a waste of time for me as a recruiter.   So often words, either spoken or written, are all I have in my arsenal as I strive to engage and enthuse.

Recruiting is a muscular word that, for me, evokes an…

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Recruiters will use any kind of information to find candidates.  I once literally got contact information off of a bathroom wall once and, yes, I made a placement.

We won't discuss the industry.

Recruiters seek out the people we place, and we find them anywhere they are. It is what we do - especially good recruiters - we leverage information in order to reach…

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I was reading this article from Jim Stodgill the other day, it is really good - make sure you bookmark it and read it. I came across this statement and had to take a beat:

Well, anger in the face of ill-considered certainty is reasonable as far as I’m concerned. Unearned certainty…

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I think a lot of people don't understand what we do, or how we work.  Which is why I got a cranky email on Friday from a guy who couldn't believe I called him and emailed him at work.

Which made me laugh, and then I thought about it all weekend.  Then I wrote…

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You might think that pornography and hiring have little to do with each other.   You'd be wrong.

In essence, looking for a job (or looking for specific talent) is a type of mating dance, and I often compare both endeavors  to dating - the comparison works well.  I think hiring is broken right now - I've felt that way for a while.  It still happens; I am still making a living finding people that companies will pay a fee to hire (thank goodness). But I see more broken processes than…

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Sometimes I think too much. 

I know this about myself and counter that tendency by focusing on the slogan (yes another one) "Action breeds action" every single day. "When in doubt send them out!" is another one that rings true in my ears.

However, that doesn't mean we should present a candidate without thinking, it doesn't mean our job is to fling crap at the wall without preparation. 

On this board we sometimes talk about how we should prep candidates for interviews,…

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I find what we, collectively, do to be amazing.  We headhunters are the envoys of employment, the captains of commerce, the of potentates of potential!!  We help our clients accomplish their challenging goals by finding and securing for them the talent they need to succeed.

It really is a beautiful thing, man.

I've been feeling especially reflective because I am heading into my 5th year of being in business for myself. I've been a recruiter for wow, 17 years, I can…

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Most normal people don't know what recruiters do. Sadly, I have also encountered a disturbing number of recruiters that don't know what they themselves are doing, which is not helpful. However, it does provide grist for the storytelling mill.



Most hiring managers seem to think that we have lists of people with a variety of characteristics at our fingertips, ready to be packaged and shipped at a moments notice. Some candidates have a tendency to ring us up after an extended absence… Continue

A blend of recruiting and life as I go out on my own Go read, check out my past lives too!