I've been working on my plan for 2010 and thinking about things like Training, Activity Levels, Goals, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Time Management, which Conferences to attend, etc... Like most of you I try to start off a new year year with all the best intentions and try to have a fast start.

Trying is one thing but results are another, so here is a list of a few things that have helped me and my team.

Video - With platforms like Youtube, tons of cameras available on everything from phones to laptops it makes sense to figure out how you as a recruiter, hiring manager, or job seeker can take advantage of video. We use a tool called Vipe in our office that helps us to pitch jobs to candidates and introduce candidates to hiring managers. The videos we create are short, usually less than 2 minutes and the Vipe platform makes it easy to send in an email with our branding wrapped around it.

Social Networks - This has been going on for a while now and still has tons of potential. The big three in this area Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. You have to be there to win. Taking some time to figure out how these work and how they can help you is a must. I also like the recruiting sites on the Ning platform such as RecruitingBlogs as well as sites like ERE.net.

RSS - Really Simple Syndication allows you to connect your blog to your Facebook page or to push content from one site to many others automatically. I'm a big fan of saving steps and taking the time to set things up so they save me time and effort later.

Google - It still amazes me at just how powerful this search engine can be and how much information we have at our fingertips. The problem is that most of us are not trained to access the information we need so we limit our results. Getting your hands on a cheatsheet from the likes of Mark Berger or Shally@Arbita is a big help.

Events - I love getting out of the office and meeting with people. So much of our training and networking is done online these days that we forget about going to conferences and meet-ups. Take the time to seek out some shows that you want to attend this year and rub elbows with the movers and shakers who are helping to define your industry. Listening to great speakers, attending a dinner, or walking the tradeshow floor are old school but needed to stay in touch with people. I'm looking forward to speaking at shows like Recruitfest, Fordyce Forum, CA Staffing Professionals, TAPC, and IPA's National Conference

Happy New Year! Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and wonderful 2010.

Get out there and help somebody to find work and it will make you feel good.

Craig