Are you in the right job for your talents? Do you

look forward to going to work each day....or do you

dread it?  

My grandfather, who was a very wise man, gave me great advice many years ago. He said that "life is too short to be miserable at your job. If you're that unhappy, it's time to go and do something else."  

Of course, there are always circumstances that…

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  I've been recruiting for a long time, over 18 years and it feels like I've checked a million references. One thing that comes up over and over again when talking to candidates, is their desire to get promoted. To move to the next level, take the next step to a manager or Director or VP, even CMO.

Some people seem to get promoted rapidly, no matter where they land. These are the people who spend on average 3-7 years at a company and during that time frame are promoted multiple times.…

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Obviously, you have to focus on activity, and numbers, but when bringing new recruiters on and during the first few years, what balance works best when asking them to turn in numbers?

 

I've seen some recruiters so freaked out about not hitting the required number of connects that they decide the job is too stressful.

 

I've seen other recruiters who don't track the numbers and it's not clear if they are making the desired number of connects either,…

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Finally, some positive news on the job market that reflects what we are seeing.

 

"July 7, 2011 8:43 AM EDT

The private sector jobs market in the U.S. saw a sharp rebound in June, according to the ADP National Employment Report. ADP said private…

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Put the time in. Be a student and keep learning.

 

I was inspired to write this post after reading a blog I look forward to each morning, http://www.thesimpledollar.com/ It's a personal finance blog, written by Trent Hamm, and for him it was a hobby that turned into a full-time job. In today's post, "The Limits You Choose", he addresses how many people make excuses for not finding success by saying they just don't have the…

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Because of what I do, friends often come to me for job advice. I remember a few years ago a good friend was looking to transition into something different and an opportunity fell into her lap and she asked me for my opinion. She was waitressing at the time and was very outgoing, a real 'people person'. But her career before waitressing was numbers related. She had been a fund accountant and then manager for years and did a great job, before layoffs hit. She was fortunate in that she…

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Let me start by saying I'm a Twitter fan, and think we've only begun to scratch the surface of it's potential.



That said, as my Twitter base grows and I politely try to follow back the majority of people that for some reason have decided to follow me, I've run into a frustrating situation.



I'm following close to 1000 people and it's beginning to feel very disconnected, like we're all talking at each other.



This is no doubt mostly my fault as I don't spend a ton… Continue

Please forward this info along to anyone you may know of on the Boston's South Shore area who could benefit from free job search support.



I am one of several volunteers that are helping to put together a support group for laid off, unemployed/underemployed people on the South Shore. This will be an ongoing weekly meeting that any and all are welcome to attend and will be held in Hanover, MA. Below is a press release with the details. There is also a nice article in the Hanover… Continue

Expecting Greatness in 2009? Did I not get the memo on the whole recession thing?



Well, yeah. But, I've been through this before, back in 2001 and I'm hoping that I learned something from that.



There's two ways you can go in the coming year. You can buy into the whole pessimistic outlook, that we're in a recession and things are only going to get worse, we're doomed, why bother getting out of bed, etc. If you do take that mindset, you'll likely receive all that you… Continue

Are you worried about the economy yet, and how it will affect your business? If not, you should be. I'm fortunate in that my focus, technology, has not slowed down, yet. It most likely will, eventually, but at least I'll be ready for it this time.



Back in 2001, coming off the fast and furious internet boom, we initially thought the slowdown was just a blip, a bump in the road that would quickly smooth out. This internet thing was just too big to go away, right?

Needless to say,… Continue

Like many people I've found this whole Wall Street mess confusing. It's hard to fathom how the people who do understand the ins and outs of finance, those who work in Banking, let things get so out of hand.



My sister, who was a finance major years ago and who does have a better grasp of the fundamentals, admitted to being just as puzzled as to how all this blew up so badly. She sent me this piece from yesterdays New York times, the Freakanomics column, that clearly explains how we… Continue

John Sumser posted a link to that article discussing candidate control. Which got me thinking back to my agency days as a senior recruiter and some of the common mistakes I'd see over and over with newer recruiters. Candidate control was always brought up when a sure thing placement would fall apart at the last minute. But it wasn't really candidate control that was to blame, because I don't think you can or should seek to 'control' a candidate, because that would imply that you would be… Continue

You've just hired a new recruiter and want them to see success as soon as possible, to keep them motivated and excited and making money.



I was having this conversation just the other day with a good friend who has hired her first employee and as I'm getting ready to do the same, we were brainstorming, trying to remember back to the days when we started and how we worked then versus now.



We both agreed that having a daily plan is crucial, as is having set productivity… Continue

This is a first for me and I don't think there's much I can do to overcome this candidate's objection.



I've been working on a needle in a haystack search for one of my favorite clients. They are looking for a project manager with very specific web experience and I finally found someone that seemed to be a strong fit, both experience and personality wise. Everyone I've ever sent to this company has wanted to work here....until now. This candidate gave me very detailed feedback, loved… Continue

Hi all,

I've decided to take the plunge and start a blog and trying to decide what to focus on. There's a lot of recruiting blogs out there, all different styles and tones. I'd love to get people's opinions on what they like about the ones they visit often. What do you want in a recruiting blog?

Thanks for any thoughts on this!

Pam