Amy Ala Miller's Blog (88)

My 3 Favorite People from 2012

I’m not really a New Year’s Resolution kind of girl. I don’t particularly want to give up any of my bad habits, and I work out just enough to fit into my favorite jeans (most of the time).  I have no real desire to do anything that different. I like my life.

Still, a new year does give me a chance to reflect on the year that just past. I really amped up my involvement in RBC and committed (at least to myself) to blog more frequently. I took to Twitter like… never mind, I don’t…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on January 2, 2013 at 7:37pm — 6 Comments

It’s Okay to Have a Bad Day

Here’s a newsflash for you – recruiting is a people business. And whenever people are involved, inevitably, something will go wrong. I think most of us are willing to admit this, and frankly I’m happy to have a place like RBC where I can bitch, gripe, complain then call it blogging. A couple of my recent favorite posts (here and…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on November 19, 2012 at 5:00pm — 10 Comments

The Election Is Over…

…and not a damn thing has changed.

 

Same president, roughly the same breakdown in House and Senate, not a lot of local changes that I can tell. Oh, except the pot thing. My state is apparently legalizing marijuana so we can all just get high and forget about 8% unemployment. I told my good friend Michelle that I personally had been disappointed with the government since voting for Ross Perot 20 years ago (I was SO NAIVE) and she assured me Obamacare would cover my…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on November 7, 2012 at 2:29pm — 11 Comments

Email Marketing MIGHT Work…

…If you respond to your prospect.

Last week I received a LinkedIn message from a niche job board salesperson. I got it several times actually – he sent it to everyone on our recruiting team and they all forwarded it to me. This particular job board focuses on marketing, and the timing couldn’t have been better – our marketing and ecommerce teams are exploding.  

The message referenced a specific job posting (even though I already had a finalist and was ready to…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on October 26, 2012 at 11:25am — 4 Comments

The Culture Wars

How important is company culture to recruiters? I’m not talking about so called “discrimination masquerading as cultural fit”. If you’re looking to read up on that check out this post from back in April.

My question is simply this – should recruiters screen candidates for culture fit with our clients?

Like so many things in recruiting –…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on October 10, 2012 at 7:30pm — 22 Comments

Recruiters – The World is Bigger Than Your Desk

There are many reasons I adore my current boss – I was reminded of one just the other day. I was coming off an especially grueling couple of weeks. One particular search, which should have been an easy fill, had become nothing short of a nightmare. Without going into all the gory detail (I’d like to keep my job) let’s just say there had been a communication breakdown between me and my client. As a corporate recruiter, my only option is to keep working with this…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on September 12, 2012 at 1:57pm — 25 Comments

What Candidates Really Think – A Cautionary Tale for Recruiters

We’ve all done it. Sent off that form letter email to a dozen or more “qualified” candidates. Maybe it’s an InMail, maybe you actually found someone’s personal email address. You’ve drafted what you think is a rather clever pitch and have shot it through cyberspace hoping a fabulous candidate will see the wisdom and value in writing you back. This guy did.

Ted Goas is a Web Developer who gets roughly one email a day from technical recruiters.…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on August 9, 2012 at 12:28pm — 29 Comments

Long Haired Freaky People – AKA Women over 40.

This is my hair today – at 8:15 AM on my way to work, to be exact. I have less than two years to enjoy my locks, as apparently if I have hair this length after…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on July 30, 2012 at 1:15pm — 42 Comments

The Agony of Baseball Trades… and Recruiting

As a die-hard Mariners fan since 1994 and dedicated Yankees hater, this week’s trade of Ichiro Suzuki to the Yankees (the YANKEES) just about killed me. Ichiro has been a much loved member of the Bad News Bears Seattle Mariners for 12 seasons. As if his departure wasn’t painful enough, he actually played his first game as a Yankee at Safeco Field against the Mariners. It was so bad that when a hiring manager stopped by my desk shortly after I heard the news, he…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on July 25, 2012 at 8:00pm — 6 Comments

Employee Referrals Gone Wild – The Rest of the Story…

Here’s an interesting email / follow up I got today thanks to Employee Referrals Gone Wild, which I wrote back in April (hint – nothing on the internet ever dies). This person was searching the web for advice on how to handle being an employee referral, and came across my blog. With the job seeker’s permission I am including the text of her email and my…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on June 28, 2012 at 6:19pm — 5 Comments

One Year Later

Wednesday was my one year anniversary as a Corporate Recruiter for Zones. Oddly enough, it was also the day I filled my 120th position. That’s a lot of interviews. Of course this includes internal transfers and promotions I helped facilitate, some easier than others (that’s still a lot of interviews). Here’s some of what I’ve learned –

 

Recruiting is (still) a sales job. Just because I’m not working on commission anymore doesn’t mean I don’t…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on June 22, 2012 at 6:44pm — 12 Comments

Which Client Is Your Most Important?

The one you’re talking to of course. Everyone knows this, right? Here’s the thing – I had an epiphany today and it kinda hurt. I was talking with one of my agency partners and offered to send his boss an email to give him some props – he’d sent some great people and really helped me out in the past few weeks. As it turns out he’s up for a promotion so it was very timely. As I was drafting this email and congratulating myself on being such a nice client, I realized why I like this…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on May 30, 2012 at 7:57pm — 9 Comments

10 Tips to Surviving as a Corporate Recruiter

So you want to be a corporate recruiter... I'm not even going to ask why. Now that I’m about a month away from my one year anniversary, I've learned a thing or two about how to survive this adventure. As with any career there are pros, cons, and pitfalls to avoid. One thing I know for sure - recruiting is recruiting - no matter what side of the business you're on. If you're serious about going in house, I hope you're as lucky as I was to find a place that you can actually enjoy…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on May 18, 2012 at 6:51pm — 20 Comments

The Angry Young Job Seeker

“Give me a job, give me security… give me a chance to survive…”

 

I don’t normally let candidates get to me. I’ve recruited in good times and bad, been screamed at, threatened, called names, and Lord knows what else by candidates who don’t handle rejection well. It’s rare, but it happens. I typically respond with a shrug and go on about my business. My experience with frustrated job seekers is, sadly, pretty broad (maybe it’s me?). Even still, this latest meltdown was…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on April 30, 2012 at 3:14pm — 42 Comments

Employee Referrals Gone Wild

This blog had to be posted today. See, today is the first Monday of the month – also known as “New Hire Orientation” day at my company. I had 4 new hires in today’s class, including an amazing employee referral. This candidate had applied to a handful of jobs, but I had not given much consideration to him until one of our employees brought up his name. This employee is one of our rock stars (forgive the overused term) so I thought I should take a 2nd look. I’m glad I did. After a…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on April 2, 2012 at 7:31pm — 15 Comments

Where Politicians (And Recruiters) Get It Wrong

Who likes politicians? Answer - nobody. Ok, maybe you have a favorite, and there are certainly some who really like specific candidates. It’s safe to say as a group, politicians are generally despised and, at best, tolerated – with a few good ones sprinkled in. (Depending on your view, of course)

 

The disdain we feel for these public servants comes to the forefront in an election year. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing someone bashing someone else. Politicians run…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on March 13, 2012 at 3:47pm — 28 Comments

Paying it Forward

I received the most unusual email last night – definitely a first. Someone in my LinkedIn network had forwarded my “Open Letter to Candidates” blog to a job seeker who took me up on my offer. We chatted on the phone a couple of times and met in person at a job fair I attended last week. I gave him a few ideas, validated some other great advice he’d already received, and figured that was that. I was so…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on March 6, 2012 at 8:13pm — 4 Comments

Does This Make Me Look Fat? And Other Questions You Don’t Want To Answer

This is a trap. You know it, I know it, and my husband knows if I ask I’m probably trying to pick a fight. No matter how well intentioned or innocent this question might seem, there is just no good answer. Furthermore, if I’m bothering to ask, I already know this may not be the most flattering outfit I’ve ever tried on.

 

I know that uncomfortable feeling my poor husband gets when faced with this query because it’s the same one I get when a candidate asks for feedback after…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on February 29, 2012 at 7:16pm — 12 Comments

Get Off The Vendor List. Right Now. I Mean It.

I’m starting to notice something. A lot of the complaining about internal recruiters comes from TPRs trying to work with large companies where they’re trapped by or redirected to the dreaded vendor list. You know the ones – Fortune 500 Company, hundreds of positions, and you’ve got junior HR chickie saying you have to be on a list with 40 of your closest friends before you can submit a candidate. Never mind that your guy is perfect for the job. Forget that the VP of Whatever is your best…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on February 16, 2012 at 5:00pm — 26 Comments

An Open Letter To My Candidates

I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you’re frustrated, annoyed, sad, angry, and despite your efforts, still trying to get a new job. I’m writing you this letter so that you’ll understand that it was not my intention to ignore you, leave you hanging, or cost you your dream job. I hate that your application got trapped in the black hole known as our ATS. I apologize for taking 3 days to respond to your email and even longer to call you back. In the interest of giving you a better “candidate experience”…

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Added by Amy Ala Miller on January 31, 2012 at 2:14pm — 18 Comments

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