Here is a really cool time lapse video taken in Washington, D.C. every five minutes February 5-6, 2010:

Hypocrisy in Politics:

As a raging independent (notice the little “i”) there is a lot of material out there for someone like me to give either of the major political parties a lot of crap for the crap they dish out.

An example form the weekend was Sarah Palin giving President Obama some grief for reading teleprompters. By now most have seen photos/video of her “cheat sheet” she had on her hand.

Last night I caught a bit of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. No secret she is a liberal Democrat but I find that when I disagree with her (often) I still like her. Here is a video clip about how the Republicans voted against the stimulus bill yet are taking photos in their district as money comes in and how important it has been to their area.

The video is 10 minutes long but watch the first 5 minutes for sure, you will get where she is going with this.

Bring on the Links…

Economy:

• Boston Globe: Senate Democrats unveil jobs package with tax breaks to entice GOP
• BusinessWeek: Job Stimulus Like Rescuing Drowning Man
• Reuters: Summers: U.S. economy on mend but has ways to go

Recruiter and HR:

• The HR Capitalist: Undercover Boss: You Wish That's All It Took to Change Your Business...

Local blog posts from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• SMUG – Social Medua University, Global: Sacred Social Media
• Just Judy Judy Judy: The Twin Cities Not-So-Sexy List
• Marketing Edge: What Corportate Communicators Can Learn From the Super Bowl
• Tim Bursch: What my kids teach me about social media
• Risdall Marketing Pie: Conversations About The Future Of Advertising with Edward Boches
• Mike on Traffic: Deadbeat Clients - CEI Ventures (Matt Crowe) and Select Senior Living (Greg Johnson)
• Project Oriel: Make your own Font
• Communications Conversations: Dear Pete Cashmore: 4 ways to improve Mashable

CBS rolled out a new show following Super Bowl XLIV called Undercover Boss. Reviews of the show have been fairly good with many saying how cool it is that a CEO or President of a company would hang out with the “little people”.

I think it is a cool idea. I do wonder though, if CEO’s were providing real leadership they should be doing this already on their own to learn what the real impacts are of the decisions they make.

Anyway, to this blog post...

Last summer I was asked to speak to a C- Level peer group on a HR topic of my choice and was told I could “be real”.

Home Run, I thought. Turns out I had no idea...

I was thinking about the usual Social Media topics, branding, hiring trends or demographics of the local workforce.

I went with something that was on my mind all the time (then and now). The topic was the poor customer service most job seekers were receiving when applying for jobs and what the ripple effect was on the company at the moment and down the road.

The conversation started with some curious looks. A few crossed their arms. For the moment I had lost the room and it was noticeable.

So I repeated stories I had heard from job seekers and I could see that I had gained back the groups trust. I was not there to shake my finger at them and give ‘em a scolding rather explain to them what was going on, give them some ideas on how to make the process better and then left them with this challenge:

Apply for a job at your own company

There was some immediate fidgeting in the seats. Some more curious looks. And this question from an attendee, “Why?”

I reminded them that two years prior in HR and Recruiter circles and many board rooms we spoke about the War for Talent, Baby Boomers retiring and how to get Gen Y into the workplace. Two years from now (or whenever the economy comes back and companies are at a hiring disadvantage) we will be talking about the same things to some extent.

With this being a “slow time” this would be a great time to evaluate the process job seekers find so when hiring heats up there are no bugs in the system.

I had quite a few nods and a couple of skeptics.

After the session I was surprised how many wanted to talk with me one on one about this, they did not want to share with the group what they were thinking about their own company.

There was a lot of email exchanged that week and then as expected it died off. I was wondering if anyone had done the exercise.

Flash forward to early September. I received a phone call from one of the attendees asking if we could meet and talk more about this. Heck yeah, I replied. For me this is the fun stuff.

I need to enter a disclaimer here. I signed an agreement with this company that I would in no way name them, their industry or in anyway hint to who they are. In return I can talk all I want about this experience and what happened. While I did send these blog posts for their review no requests for changes was made by them.

I met with “Julia” (not her real name) a VP of Marketing at a large Minneapolis company. She explained to me they were not adding staff as fast as she would expect in a bad economy as they had good jobs, paying well and were well known.

In particular was a job that had not been filled for a couple of months and was causing them a lot of pain. This particular group was working shorthanded, moral was low and they were behind.

Julia told me that this was basically the job she first had at this company and she could not understand what was stopping them from filling it. Responses from HR and managers were vague at best and she had a “gut feeling” that something was not right.

So we sat down and made a plan on how we could have her be an “Undercover Job Seeker” and document her experiences much of which I will document in the following blog posts.

Part 2 I will talk about creating profiles for Julia, applying to the company, what was happening internally because of this opening and what the interaction was between the company and Julia as a job seeker.

Part 3 I will talk about Julia announcing to HR, managers and her team what she had done, actions that would take place and how things are operating now.

And I still have no idea where to start so I am doing this blog post in hopes that I can get my mind “jump started”.

So since all I have done so far is to look at blogs and news sites here is a list of links for you to check out from the past two mornings…

Economy:

• Wall Street Journal: Indicator Shows Improvement in Jobs Picture
• Politico.com: Jobs bill gets snowed under
• Meet The Press: Transcript of Greenspan and Paulson (scroll down)

Recruiter and HR:

• Passion on Purpose: Careers, Culture & Cool
• Research Goddess: Project: Paying It Forward In Social Media, 2010
• The HR Capitalist: Is Your "About" Page Real, or Just Real Phoney?

Local blog posts from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• Communications Conversations: Help a PR Pro Out Day
• Interactive Medias: Job and Identity, Are they the same?
• Communications Passionista: Listen, Connect, Publish: Takeaways from Reputations
• Social Media Journal: A letter to Super Bowl ad agencies
• Happiness isn't lost...just misplaced: Dark

A caution for those reading this via RSS/Email Feed, at some point in the next week I am going to do a mind dump of blog posts on two subjects: events I have attended and employment statistics. This will be sort of like the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment of a few years ago.

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Dorothy Tannahill-Moran

What do the following people have in common?

•    Retired engineer

•    Laid off project manager

•    Stay at home parent

•    Newly graduated student

•    Trailing spouse to a military soldier

•    Injured and recovered worker

•    Out of work actor

These people have much more in common than you probably realize.  The commonality is what they are missing.  All of these people are missing the many benefits we get from working.  Of course, we all know that they are missing the paycheck, but there are other aspects to work that most of us take for granted, until we no longer have them.   When you are in the work trenches it’s kind of hard to think you would miss anything.  You probably think the idea of not working sounds like a dream, and it can be, but not without recognizing what things you are missing and taking action to replace them.

When you look at the stories of these various people, you will often find a theme of depression, feeling down, deflated and being adrift.  These people may also share their commonality with retired individuals, who have one of the highest rates of depression than any other demographic.  The key reason:  They have failed to replace those important aspects, the good things they got from working, also known as “workplace assets”. 

Let’s look at these four workplace assets and what you can do if any of them are missing in your life.

1.    Structure – Our work effectively manages our time and drives our decisions about our daily priorities.  We know what time we have to get up.  We know when we’ll perform various work tasks throughout the day.  We probably have our non-work activities scheduled, too.  This is a form of tension and accountability that motivates us.  Without the structure that work provides, we are left kind of rambling around day to day with only the occasional appointment to interrupt the vast feeling of having nothing important to do.  I often hear people talk about “filling their day”.  We are easily bored, so when left to our own devises, we will fill our day, but often with mundane tasks that are not very fulfilling. 

Solution:  Create a schedule for yourself and stick to it.  Take the must-have activities, things you know you need to do each day or week, and determine exactly when you will perform them.  If an item is on your calendar, you are more likely to keep that appointment. If you’ve been meaning to work out and just haven’t started, consider adding those kinds of activities for your calendar.

2.    Social Contact – For most of us, work provides the main part of our social fabric.  We become attached to people we work with for a variety of reasons.  We have a shared set of circumstances with these people.  We also see them daily (or frequently) and, therefore, get to know them well enough to form relationships.  Even if you aren’t fond of most of the people you work with, the fact that you are interacting with others is an important nurturing act.  We need other people.  It’s that simple.  When you aren’t working you lose a big (and for some people all) part of the social aspect of your life. 

Solution:  Maintain relationships with past co-workers, beef up your existing relationships or make new friends.  Sometimes when we lose the commonality of a shared work place, it can be hard to keep relationships going.  It’s important that you recognize that many people simply can’t put in additional time and energy to see people outside of work.  It’s not a reflection on your adequacy as a friend.   You also need a bit of a variety to your roster of friends.  Rarely will one person fulfill all your needs, so you may want to find settings where you share common interests with others with whom you may form new friendships.

3.    Purpose – Bottom line, your work gives you purpose.  You have somewhere to be and something to do.  You are contributing at some level and that gives you purpose.  Perhaps you may feel that your life purpose is to serve at a different level, but you are still contributing yourself in a specific way.  Your contribution gives you a sense of personal self worth and identity.  When those things are gone, there is a sense of loss and lack of purpose. 

Solution:  Try volunteering.  If you are unemployed, you can seek volunteer work that will give you experience, thereby enhancing your resume for getting the job you really want. Also, non-profit organizations always have more need than money, so they will welcome you with open arms.  If your situation doesn’t support a volunteer situation, then find your purpose by helping someone in some way.  When you give of yourself, you add a great deal of meaning to your life.

4.    Money – It’s obvious, but worth mentioning.  When you encounter a loss of income, some serious budgeting may be needed. If you are able to plan for your situation, it allows you to save money to cover your needs.  If your situation hasn’t allowed you to plan, you may be reacting legitimately to a lack of funds. 

Solution:  If there is any possibility that you may lose your job, consider paying off some bills now and cutting back on expenses.  If you don’t already have a savings account with enough funds to cover 3 months of living expenses, then start one now.  If you are already in an income loss situation, research all of your income producing options, including unemployment benefits, community program benefits (like food banks), or even a part time job to help make ends meet.  If you are lucky enough to have your financial situation covered, good for you.  You can focus on the other three assets.

Of the four work assets, the lack of money is probably the one we understand the most.  We know that it can put serious stress on us which can truly create depression.  The other three work assets are less obvious, but the loss of any one of them can contribute to making your life a less than positive experience.  The idea of not working is great until you’re facing these losses. We are, by nature, social and creative creatures that function best when we have structure to keep us focused, people to be around, and activities to give us purpose.

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Matthew Warzel, MJW Careers

The growing trend of Baby-Boomers retiring from the HVACR industry has forced many companies to scramble to find candidates to replace those seasoned service technicians and journeymen mechanics.

Without a doubt, the best way to find potential employees is through referral networks. Managers and HVACR contractors must always be on the lookout for new talent, even if they are not actively hiring. Companies that are not fishing for new talent as actively as they should will certainly feel the repercussions once their elder employees decide that golf is more enjoyable in retirement than soldering pipe is in the field.

Proactive recruiting should be at the forefront of any HVACR organization's professional agenda. Success will come to those who realize the importance of filling their employee pipeline with talent. Some candidates won't last, eaten up quickly by the competition; that makes it vital to have a stable of potentials in your pipeline at all times.

Today's job market belongs to candidates; journeymen know they can receive that bump up the union wage scale, and so are selective when looking for their employer of choice. Therefore, I always tell my hiring managers to look at the resume and move quickly when we decide to pursue an individual. Separate your company from competitors by showing candidates the advantages of working for your organization.

For example, Johnson Controls created the Service+Technical Excellence Program (S+TEP) to help groom its current mechanics and for use as a recruiting tool to entice potential employees. S+TEP is an educational training program that employees complete on their own time, with monetary incentives for each level accomplished. Candidates can also receive two certifications: United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices (UA) STAR and Master Technician level achievement. The key is finding the right person to get into these programs. But how do we find those candidates?

Without a formal recruiting strategy to approach these hard-to-find candidates, a company likely will constantly stumble into the same dead ends. You always have to incorporate "out of the box" thinking if you want to successfully fill such a demanding position. One concept I find effective is advanced Internet recruitment strategies (AIRS), a headhunting technique that uses the Internet to find successful, seasoned, tradesman-level candidates that are qualified to fill the employee pipeline (Editor's Note: For more information on AIRS, visit www.airsdirectory.com).

Another trend is the growing use of technology in virtual recruiting-the majority of recruiters are online and prefer to receive Internet-based resumes more so than paper. This is a trend that is not going away any time soon; if you aren't recruiting in the "virtual" world and your competitors are, where will that leave you?

We certainly need to recruit mechanical-equipment service tradesmen (MEST) and future apprentices as well. The Catch-22 is locating a candidate that can hit the ground running, without the benefit of our having the time, money or resources to train these people. So what should we do?

The answer is simple: We have to train them and take time to build future employees up to standards so that they become a valuable company asset.

For candidates, I cannot stress enough that their employment search be viewed as a full-time job; actively submitting resumes through all mainstream, niche, and industry-specific job boards as well as company portals.

Candidates who lack Internet access and/or the computer savvy to produce an online resume should take advantage of the Internet access at public libraries; utilize resume templates such as those found at http://www.microsoft.com. Utilize such tools to your advantage, because employers are out there on the hunt.

From: CareerAlley

“Go for a business that any idiot can run - because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it.” - Peter Lynch

Excellent quote, and I'm sure we've all known an idiot or two. I'd like to think that any company that makes it to the Fortune 500 is run by an intelligent person, but I'm also sure that this group of companies has seen its fair share of idiots as well.

That being said, the Fortune 500 is a rich field for job search (no pun intended) and these companies are generally the best placed for bad times and many have strongly recovered in the current recession. Of course, some also did not do well and some are no longer with us (not to say they were run by idiots, I'm sure there is some correlation).

The "Jobs from" and "Who's Hiring" series is a great place to build your list of potential employers and leverage the tools in your Job Search Marketing Toolkit. There are thousands of job opportunities in today's post.

• PepsiCo - Ranked 52 on the list, Everyone has heard of PepsiCo. But they sell more than just sell soda. Quaker Oats and Tropicana are examples of some of the other leading brands (and non-soda) owned by PesiCo. Their main career page splits the job search into several categories: Opportunities for Professionals, Opportunities for new Grads, Time based opportunities and Career Center for help. It does look like you will need to register before using their system and searching for career opportunities.

• Kraft Foods - Kraft is ranked 53 and, of course, is a foods company and is known for such brands as Ritz Crackers, Chips Ahoy Cookies and so much more. Their careers page starts with an overview and then has a number of links down the left hand side of the page. Links for Working for Kraft, Company Fact Sheet, Career Contacts and more are available, followed by a simple Search for Jobs link. There are special links for Recent Grads as well as experienced professionals. Choose your country in Search for Jobs, click job search and then pick professional versus hourly. There were 177 job opportunities when I checked the page.

• Lockheed Martin - Ranked 54 on the list and is known for Aerospace and Defense. They have an excellent careers page which is filled with a number of great resources (such as a "virtual recruiter"). The center of the page is filled with background information and is embedded with additional links. This is followed by links for College Students, Experienced Professionals and Transitioning the Military. The left hand side of the page has a section where you can subscribe to receive career updates, with Job search on the top left hand side. Click on Experiences Professionals for another page filled with resources. There were over 4,000 job opportunities when I checked the page.

• Hess - Gas and Oil (exploration, production, refining, and retail sales) sums it up for Hess which is ranked 55 on the list. Their careers page is clear and crisp, with a company overview in the middle of the page and “Choose Your Career Path” directly below (which matches some links on the left hand side of the page). The Career Path section has four choices: Experienced Professionals, University Graduates, Internships and Retail Careers. You will need to search each of the four criteria individually to see all of the job opportunities. There were 13 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• Best Buy - This retailer is ranked 56 on the list and is known for electronics. Their careers site is crisp and easy to navigate with links at the top for background and two choices in the middle of the page - Retail Careers and Corporate Careers, this is followed by a search box where you can search your career. There is an additional link for Students & Entry Level positions on the bottom left hand side of the screen. There were over 2,400 job opportunities when I checked the site.

Yesterday I received an email from a 13 year old boy young man that stopped me in my tracks. He is the son of a job seeker who listened to my series of presentations “Be Your Own Headhunter” about job search, LinkedIn and Social Media.

His father took my advice about doing a job search, how to network both online and in person and in a small way I was able to make an introduction through a friend of a friend on LinkedIn and that is how he got the offer and his job at the new firm.

What I did not know how to do was reply to this young man. I have been doing these types of presentations for eight years (last year using webinars was new to me). I teach people how I use these tools, what I would do if I were them and then rely on the attendees to translate to how they could do it.

There are a lot of success stories of the years and I have received the sweetest of messages but this one really got to me. In three short lines he made an impact on me and I wanted to say thank you to him.

But funny how a wind bag like me is always a loss for words when it comes to the emotional stuff.

So I decided rather than keep on thinking what to say I just started typing and came up with this reply:

(NAME)

You need to know that every time your father and I spoke he mentioned his family, how much he loves you all. I know this has been a difficult year but your father never quit and his new firm, they are lucky to have him.

I have so much respect for your father, he is a hero in my book. He is who all guys should be.

I sincerely appreciate the kind words but this is what I want you to do for me, in the coming days get some alone time with him, tell him what he means to you and that you love him. Then give him a hug, fist bump or whatever it is you do :)

Best Wishes to you.

Win Twins.

Paul

Last year around 1,900 job seekers attended in person or through the webinars these sessions. It is a labor of love. Always has been.

For those who read this blog frequently or follow me on Twitter you know I have been on a few rants lately.

The last being the State of the Union. What I am about to say is not political. This is not about the parties. It is about ineffective leadership coming from our President(s) and Congress.

Peak employment was 26 months ago and not until the other night is jobs going to be a focus in D.C. I find that, well, a lot of things most of which I will keep to myself.

Politicians are falling over themselves talking about how two million jobs were saved. How with the job bill will create another one to two million.

That is nice (sarcasm) but what about the estimated eight to twelve million that will still not be working? Do the math, if at the best of times the economy creates 200,000 jobs a month we are talking years, YEARS before we get back to where we were.

While I grant you, me and the government cannot make jobs magically appear we can help job seekers with the jobs that are out there. And there are many. It’s just that employers are hiding as best they can and worse, not getting back to people at all.

I have struggled for weeks with what do with these sessions this year. I cannot keep up the pace I set last year. Doing the sessions is easy but setting the schedule, creating slides, answering questions after is difficult while trying to my day job.

For 2010 I am going to go to go with a small fee ($50) for all the sessions and ask folks to pay what they can. Hopefully I can raise enough revenue to hire a full time marketing person that can help me do this.

For the Recruiter/HR, already employed professionals each session will also have a small fee attached to it and you will be asked to “pay for what you learn”. I can then take that revenue and put on some larger events here in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Finding free space is difficult let alone a venue that can host 100+ people.

I am going to spend the weekend updating slides and make a calendar of webinar events for February. You will see the schedule on the main page here by Saturday afternoon.

Anyone can do this. Help one person. Volunteer with a local group.

Do something.

Thomas started the conversation Startup culture roundtable before I posted Minnesota Startup Community: The Time Has Come For Less Talk and More Walk on Minnov8. Some of what Thomas wanted to talk about has been aired in one form or another so now we are going to talk about action steps.

Thomas is getting a group of interested folks together February 5^th from 8 – 10 AM for the (click this link) MN Startup Culture Roundtable

Thomas and I had a great conversation over the weekend and I look forward to seeing him and continuing the conversation.

I am not exactly sure how to start this and many readers of the blog may need to be caught up on this topic.

The short version of a long story is a I wrote a blog post that my friends at Minnov8 posted last Friday. It was an honest assessment of what I think about where we are as a tech community. I am a bit of an outsider but have a perspective that needed to be shared.

I was really shocked at the reaction to the post which you can find by clicking Minnesota Startup Community: The Time Has Come For Less Talk and More Walk

Lots of comments, Tweets and quite a few one on one and small group email.

A lot of people are saying, “Way to go Paul!!!”. Well, I appreciate the acknowledgement but I already knew others were thinking this too. It just happens that I was the one to say it out loud at the right time and the guys at Minnov8 trusted me enough to post it.

So the blog post was Friday and then the Minnov8 gang and I did this podcast Saturday morning Minnov8 Gang 64: “Less Talk, More Walk”

Be sure to check out the comments on the first blog post as there are a lot of people weighing in with great ideas and opinions

So now that everyone knows what I think (for better and worse) I want to lay out a challenge:

We need to work together.

There are a lot of strong voices who while want to get the ball across the goal line have different ways of doing it.

To bring it back to Gopher football, some want the spread offense to come back. Others want the power run game. A few want the pro set we have now.

Others are sitting in the press box giving commentary, a few acting as cheerleaders and a bunch of fans in the stands watching to see what happens. Some are supporting loudly, others waiting to get excited and more than a few with their arms folded, skeptical and unwilling to get involved.

To some extent everyone has a role.

My fear is that we have a lot of coaches, no head coach and no athletic director (these do not really exist in this scenario) and some people who would be like the board of regents who for the most part are not active, at least not visibly.

We need the coaches to work together. We need them to play off of each others strengths and plug holes that exist. We need conversations to be productive and when we disagree we need to be civil.

I will say this again, if we do not do this now we will in the future say we missed out on an opportunity just like many if us are now looking back saying the same thing.

It’s time to move forward friends, are you going to play or sit in the stands?

From: Candice Arnold

A Guide for Parents and Students

College tuitions increase every year, regardless of the state of the economy. In Pittsburgh, there was even talk about a tuition tax, proposed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, to help the city raise $16 million for its 2010 budget. According to the Pitt News, the tax was removed from consideration when the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and health insurance provider, Highmark, stepped forward and offered to increase their charitable donations to the city in exchange for elimination of the proposed one percent tuition tax; Ravenstahl agreed.

Even without the extra strain of a tuition tax, like the one proposed in Pittsburgh, paying for college is difficult. Knowing how much money to save and how to save it are questions on the minds of many parents and potential college students. An article in the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Reader's Digest, The Best Way to Pay for College, by Lisa Goff, offered a lot of helpful hints. Financial advisors like Suzy Orman and Jean Chatzky recommend that parents start saving for college right after their children are born. Some of the ways that parents can start saving for their children's college educations are:

1. 529 Savings Plan - Parents have a choice of either a pre-paid tuition account, which guards against tuition increases but is only used in 18 states and parents can lose money if the family moves to another state, or the savings account plan. Both plans are tax free, but they're also subject to plummet if the economy should take a turn for the worse again.

2. Mutual funds - These are combined investments in stocks and bonds. What separates mutual funds from 529 plans is that the money in a mutual fund can be used for any purpose, at any time, without penalty.

3. UPromise - Parents have to already have a 529 plan established in order to participate in UPromise. The big plus is that anybody can contribute to the child's education by joining UPromise, then shopping online, buying groceries from participating vendors, or eating in participating restaurants.

4. Personal savings - Purchasing certificates of deposit (CD's) or opening a money market or regular savings account can be helpful, especially if parents have portions of their paychecks direct deposited into their children's college savings accounts.

Students have options open to them, too. In addition to any savings accounts their parents may have, a student who is old enough to work, could get a part-time job after school, then have a portion of his paycheck direct deposited into a savings account of his own or to the one his parents have already started. Another option available to high school students is scoring well on the PSAT. It's not just an SAT prep test; it's a means to qualifying for a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship for students who do well. Younger students, 13 and older, are eligible for scholarships, too. FinAid has all the information parents and students need to get started.

Finally, students who have an interest in military service can choose to either attend a military school or join the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Military schools are free and ROTC offers merit-based scholarships that cover a student's full tuition, in exchange for an extended active duty commitment, according to Wikipedia. Both require a commitment to military service right after graduation.

Applying for federal grants, loans and scholarships should be one of the first things students and parents do, once they've compiled a list of prospective colleges and universities, but saving for college should start as early as possible.


Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

So here goes... if you are such a person I hope you have a track record. You better be able to show some results.

Why? Besides the obvious your competition is now FIERCE:

Self-Proclaimed Social Media Gurus on Twitter Multiplying Like Rabbits and the above graph are from a few weeks back about the crazy number of Social Media Experts and Social Media Gurus on Twitter and the exponential growth in the use of such terms. I used to think that an expert was in the top 5% or 2% of their industry.

Wow, we are so blessed to have so many talented people amongst us. (read with sarcasm)

I am now seeing job seekers using these phrases to describe themselves. HR and Recruiter friends too.

STOP STOP STOP doing this. You look like a fool.

I am going to start administering the following test so such self proclaimed individuals can prove their worth.

• Show us the results on your blog. You do have one, right?
• Where is the White Paper?
• What groups have invited you to be a speaker?
• What are some of your results?
• List the articles you have been mentioned in
• Name drop a few clients

It is not about how many followers (Spam victims) you have on Twitter (and for my HR and Recruiter friends LinkedIn connections), the number of Tweets you have been able to auto generate or your Facebook Fan Page. What have you done with it matters.

Memo to event organizers: you should copy some of my questions and make sure you are getting what was promised in a speaker.

No this is not my first rant about these people, here are my previous ramblings Validating Guru And Expert Status and Rant About “Experts” And “Gurus” Slinging Bull Shit. I have dedicated more posts to this than Gopher football in the past year so clearly I have and continue to be annoyed. Sure I need to get over it but it may take an intervention.

I followed a local conversation that included two people I have a lot of respect for, Arik Hanson (@ArikHanson) and Andrew Eklund (@aeklund).

Andrew had the following Tweets:

• A social media expert has repeatedly created measurable value that align with organizational goals.
• A social media practitioner knows how to use a variety of social media tools.
• A social media persona is one who has cultivated a large personal following through wit, sharing, insights, and/or wisdom.
• I'm just riffing here... Fact is there's no certifiable "expert" ranking for social media. So we have to make up our own filters.

Those are some good definitions.

Andrew has also written about this in the Minneapolis Star/Tribune Curiosity, Skepticism, and Rational Thinking: Basic Tenets of Digital Leadership and 5 Key Questions When Selecting a Social Media Firm

I wonder.... If one claims Expert or Guru status would they claim to be in the Big Leagues or an All Star if they were playing Class A baseball?

I bet they would.

From: Lorraine Russo

How many of you applied for dozens, if not hundreds, of jobs last year? If you’re like most people, chances are pretty good that your resume went into the stratosphere, never to be seen by the overworked eyes of our nation's recruiters.

But what if some of the jobs you applied for are still open?

It's possible when the company originally posted the job, there was a reasonable expectation that they would fill it. However, consider that the last quarter of the year is typically when department heads submit their budgets for the following year.

It’s entirely possible that hiring for certain positions was put on hold until the budget was finalized.

With this assumption, review your list of resume submissions from the last quarter. Visit each companies’ web site to see if the same—or a similar position—is still open. If you don’t see the opening at the web site, don’t despair. See if you can contact the hiring manager or someone else in the company to inquire about it. This gives you a perfect opening in your call or email.

As with all planned contacts, prepare your elevator pitch so that you offer a compelling and well-spoken introduction. You will need to conduct research on the company in order to do this well. Check out their press releases, the Wall Street Journal, Google them, etc., so that you know of any pertinent changes in the company that you can relate to yourself.

Consider this opening line:

Hi Mark, this is Jane Smith. A while back you were recruiting for a [fill in the blank: job title] in your group, and I was wondering if you were able to fill that position. One of your recruiters had called me back then to discuss it, so I’m following up to see what the status is.

Mark responds in one of two ways:

1. Yes. We did fill it. Thanks for calling.

2. No, we did not fill it. Please submit your resume to HR.

Here is where the second part of your elevator pitch comes in. If Mark says the job is filled, how would you reply?

Uh, no, don’t say thank you and hang up.

In fact, no matter which reply you get, your reaction should be the same. You should reply in a way to elicit a lead from him for other opportunities in the company.

You might say:

That’s good to hear. I was recently reading [fill in the blank: press release, company news, etc.) and see that ABC Company is expanding into (fill in the blank: product, territory, etc.). I’ve been keeping an eye on ABC’s changes and would love an opportunity to get involved with this new activity. I’ve done similar (fill in the blank: jobs, industries, etc.) at XYZ and LMN companies – is there anyone in your organization that might have a few minutes to discuss?

The result of this activity can yield hidden jobs. Why? Because if a job was put on hold pending budget approvals, there’s a chance that the company is now preparing to fill the position. If so, you might be the first – and possibly only – candidate to inquire about it.

Consider this insightful advice from the Harvard Business Review’s How Not Achieving Something Is the Key to Achieving It:

Anyone can do anything. As long as three conditions exist:

1. You want to achieve it
2. You believe you can achieve it
3. You enjoy trying to achieve it And if you don't enjoy the trying part you'll never do it long enough to reach your goal.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

I have met a lot of people who have turned into dear friends, made placements, been invited to speak and lots of other cool things because of my sharing, collaborating and listening on Twitter.

Rather than talk about the successes I would like to evaluate my activity and since I am a “one man band” without a yearly review (other than looking at the business bottom line) I am asking you my Twitter followers the following questions:

- Why do you follow me?

- Is there value in what I talk about or just entertainment?

- What would you like to see more/less of?

- I do I Tweet too much?

- Do I get annoying and if so is there a specific topic?

- Tips you have about my use of Twitter?

- For the non MN Followers, is the MN stuff too much?

- More/less of the Recruiter or Career topics?

- Is it OK that I mix business, personal, sports, politics, etc?

Give it to me straight, I can take it and please do not just me the good stuff or things I want to hear.

Leave a comment below or do a Tweet.

Thanks for the feedback.

I have accepted an invitation to present at The Fordyce Forum 2010 this June in Las Vegas. This will play a big part in the whooping of 2010.

For those not familiar with The Fordyce Forum it is annual event for the Search Firm industry. Or to put it another way, this is where the Big Dogs go for their event and to be asked to speak is a big thing for me, well, anyone.

The Fordyce Letter is the source of information for the Search Firm industry and I will be able to do an article leading up to my presentation.

So what to talk about? Here it is:

11 Tools Every Search Firm Recruiter Should Use Along With Their Phone

There are only so many hours in a day and phone calls that can be made. We will talk about 11 tools every search firm and solo practitioner can use that will help with candidate generation, increase your name recognition and online presence.

Why this topic?

I find that many of my colleagues are “old school” and think the telephone is THE way to make placements. I agree that the telephone (to include the main line, secondary line and cell phone) is the primary tool but I suggest and will show how it is NOT the ONLY tool.

I will be showing how I have used these in my day to day activity along with some metrics, successes, failures and what is coming next. The material will be something that attendees can leave with and try out, practice, and/or implement right away.

For those who may be new to me, wondering why the heck I have been asked to present here is my current bio:

Paul DeBettignies is Managing Partner of Nerd Search, LLC a Minneapolis IT search firm, author of the Minnesota Headhunter blog, Co Founder and Coordinator of Minnesota Recruiters, listed as a Top 20 Minnesota Social Media Innovator, frequent speaker and article contributor on recruiter, career, networking and social media topics with his related site Be Your Own Headhunter

Here are two links for you check out the speaking gigs of the past couple years and interviews I have been a part of:

• Presentations
• Interviews

A big thank you to the folks at ERE Media for inviting me to the event and I am looking forward to seeing everyone there.

From: Lorraine Russo

At any given time, the Federal Business Opportunities website has tens of thousands of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that allow vendors to bid on the opportunity to provide goods and services. By law, the government is required to conduct an open and competitive bidding process for any purchases meeting certain criteria. (The federal regulations for government contracts are known as the FAR: Federal Acquisition Regulations.)

A provider that has registered at fbo.gov can bid on any opportunity. Also, subcontractors (which include small and minority-owned businesses), can add themselves as an Interested Vendor for any posted opportunity. Go to any new opportunity and you’ll see the Interested Vendors List tab. Click here for an example.

NOTE – it will take some time to become familiar with this site. Learning how to search among the plethora of Federal agencies and their respective opportunities takes practice. For now, start with keyword searches, such as accounting, audit, etc. From there, you’ll learn how to refine your searches to yield better results.

The Interested Vendors may not necessarily be bidding. Rather, they hope to subcontract with the winning vendor. Many of these small businesses are small shops that, otherwise, you may never hear about. No matter their size or level of fame, they do team up with some of the world’s largest companies for government work. In some cases, these could be small or minority-owned businesses to which a winning vendor will sub out a percentage of the win in order to comply with the government’s set-aside requirements.

In fact, when responding to an RFP, the bidding vendors are typically required to state what percentage of an award will be given to their small business partners. Their proposals must include the subcontractor's company description, expertise, and other pertinent information that helps to qualify the business as a viable business partner.

For all you sales and marketing writers, there may opportunities for you to help these small companies better describe themselves. Chances are, they are staffed for technical work, not writing and marketing.

As you look through the Interested Vendor lists, you’ll see that many have contact information, including web site, telephone, etc. These are the small business that may be hiring--but not advertising!

Be sure to visit each of these sites for employment opportunities. Take note of the opportunities at the FBO website for which they are listed as an Interested Vendor. Conduct as much research as you can on each company. Because they are small and, most likely, privately-owned, there may not be much information to be found.

Then, based on your research, prepare your elevator pitch and see if there is an opportunity for you to help them grow! Going forward: by registering at fbo.gov, you can set up email alerts so that you are notified when new opportunities are posted. Good luck!!

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

From: Laura Vezer is an IT recruiter and creator of the blog, IT Matters Canada! The blog contains resources and advice for IT Professionals looking for work in Canada.

Recently, the Recruiting Animal had a LinkedIn specialist on his online radio show. Neal Schaffer spent the hour analyzing various LinkedIn profiles that were sent by courageous volunteers through Twitter.

This got me thinking. Who do you think is looking for YOUR profile?

There are recruiters out there who conduct searches through search engines like Bing and Google, to find their candidates. They can even key in search commands to search LinkedIn beyond their own networks. When you come up in one of these searches, it is the information that you have on your profile, is it going to sell your capabilities in the most effective way?

Here are a few points that came up during the show.

A recurring mistake that came up with the volunteer profiles was including too much rhetoric, and "fluff" in their descriptions.

Consider this: instead of writing a four to five sentence summary, how can you effectively describe your experience and expertise clearly and succinctly? Could you consolidate your four to five sentences to one or two?

Summary titles are not descriptive enough

The way you describe yourself in your title is the first thing a reader is going to see of you, and pass judgement. Try to eliminate any potential "fluff" in the title, and create an effective, easy to read title that tells the reader exactly who you are:

Instead of:

"Experienced, self learnt Java Developer with 14 years of experience developing Java applications"

Try:

"Senior Java Developer"

SEO works on LinkedIn too!

Taking advantage of SEO methods on your LinkedIn profile can really work to your advantage. Maureen Sharib  has taken great advantage of this in a different way, by listing names of popular people and blogs in her industry, so when someone does a search of "Recruiting Animal" or "Boolean Black Belt" her profile will also appear in the search.

For IT guys, utilizing the Specialities  section for SEO is a great idea. To list technologies that you have experience using on all levels, will help you be found in search engine results.

Will you join my network?

Being connected to the big networkers on LinkedIn will also help you to be found. If you are connected to Neal Schaffer for example, then you will come up as indirectly connected to his 19,000  strong network, and show up in more search results.

Networking sites like LinkedIn are becoming more and more important in your job search. The more you contribute to your profile, the better your chances are at getting your next job through social networking.

Do you have a LinkedIn success story? Got any suggestions of your own that could help another IT professional find work? Let us know below!

(Neal will be on the Recruiting Animal show for a second time in January. Stay tuned at www.recruitinganimal.com for show dates.)

Thanks and have a great day!

Laura

• Recruiter - Full Time Job – Oracle

• Technical Recruiter - Full Time Job - Pearson VUE

• Division Recruiting Coordinator - Full Time Job - Ameriprise Financial

• Lead Technology Recruiter - Full Time Job - Thomson Reuters

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From: CareerAlley

"Advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on." - Jerry Della Femina

Closing the sale. That's what it is all about in Job Search, selling yourself, closing the deal, elevator speeches, etc. Intuitively, you would think that someone who is good at marketing and advertising would have an easier time selling themselves at a job interview than non-marketing types would have. And, that may just be the case.

But it doesn't make the search process any easier and closing a deal for a product is very different from closing a deal on yourself.

So what are the basics? Well to start, review some sites that focus on exactly this topic - Market yourself. There are plenty of these sites (two are listed below). Most have similar information, although a few have a slightly different slant.

This is followed by the Advertising piece. Sounds the same, but it isn't. The Marketing piece is getting all of the right material together so you can start your campaign (you know the deal - resume, cover letters, etc.). The Advertising piece is letting everyone know who you (the campaign) - one link for that as well.

• How to Market Yourself to Employers in a Recession - This article, by resumebear.com, starts off with the same comment that I continually make - "What most job-seekers (during recessions and economic booms alike) don’t realize is that applying for jobs is a marketing problem." That is exactly it. The article does an excellent job explaining how and what you should do to market yourself.

• How to Market Yourself - A short article provided by Spherion, provides a high level view of marketing yourself. Taking a slightly different look (like using the SWOT method - you must read it if you want to know) but providing some useful information on how to market yourself as well as other job search tools.

• Conducting an Effective Job Search Campaign - The University of Michigan's site offered this article which provides the basics for your campaign. The usual suspects - get organized, self-assessment, targeted mailings and phone calls, etc. This particular link has a number of other links which will be of interest on the left hand side of the page.

• Onlinemarketingjobs.com - The tag line for the site is "Job Site For Online Marketing Jobs & Careers". The site covers a broad range of jobs and careers (which is listed on the main page). The upper left-hand side of the main page has links for Job Search, Register, Jobs by email (alerts), Audio Interviews and a list of who's hiring. Featured jobs are listed on the main page with a quick search function as well. This is a global site, so you will need to set your country. Clicking on "A-Z Who's Hiring" revels a list of companies that are hiring. There were 115 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• Fristoe & Carleton - Fristoe & Carleton is a search and recruiting firm that specializes in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations recruiting. Their main page lists new opportunities and has links to Job Opportunities, FAQ'S, Resources and more. Clicking on "Job Opportunities" leads to a page that allows submitting your resume, job opportunities and career alerts. There were 11 featured jobs on their site when I checked. There is also a helpful link to "Working with Recruiters" and "About Us" provides Bios for some of the firm's staff.

• Indeed.com - Leveraging Indeed.com's advanced job search and entering "Marketing" and "Advertising" in the field "with at least one of these words" (click here for this search) yields over 216,500 jobs. Limiting that to employers only (should filter out recruiters but is not perfect), still yields over 200,000 jobs and further limiting that to Dallas yields over 4,900 jobs. The point is, you can leverage the advanced search functions of some of the job boards to focus your search to the the opportunities that suit you.

• Mediajobmarket.com - "The market place for media professionals" is the site's tag line. The main page hiring trends with media news on the left-hand side of the page. The center of the page has "mediajobvine" which lists current and featured jobs. Top of the page has tabs for Search Jobs, Post Your Resume, Career Resource Center and more.

From: CareerAlley

"We’ve all been blessed with God-given talents. Mine just happens to be beating people up." — Sugar Ray Leonard

Talent is many sometimes subjective. Who is to say who is talented and who is not? And, like everything else, talent comes in all shapes and sizes. Some people are talented at losing their jobs, others are talented at being CEOs and most of us fall somewhere in-between.

But what exactly is "talent management", this new phrase that started popping up a few years ago in HR departments. According to Wikipedia,

"Talent management refers to the process of developing and integrating new workers, developing and retaining current workers, and attracting highly skilled workers to work for your company".

So why do I bring it up? If you are actively interviewing for HR positions, there is a very good chance that you will come across this term and/or interview for a position that has this title.

• Talent Management Jobs on Jobster - This is a targeted job search from Jobster.com which, as hard as it may be to believe, returned over 48,000 job opportunities related to talent management. Now, of course, this search result includes the entire US and there are jobs that don't specifically have talent management in the title (but are HR jobs). You can filter your search by using Jobster's Advanced Search function and limit items such as State, City and exact phrases. You can also register (for free) at Jobster and create a job agent (or several agents) which can save you time and provide targeted job search results automatically.

• Lucas Group - The Lucas Group is a recruiter with a specialty in Human Resources (among others). The link at the start of this paragraph links directly to their Human Resources recruiting practice and provides a brief overview in the center of the page. There is also a list of typical HR positions that they cover. There is a web form on the right hand side of the page that you can complete. At the very top of the page are a few links, one of which is "Job Seeker Resources". Clicking on this link gives you a full overview of the company including a section for registering. There is a Job Openings link on the left hand side of he page and there were 9 HR related current searches on their site when I checked.

• iHireHR.com - iHireHR is a job search board which is dedicated to HR related jobs. You have to register to search their site and when I checked there were over 4,300 jobs related to HR. Candidates register for free (I don't know if there is any charge for some of the services).

• PIHRA - Professionals in Human Resources Association is the long name for the acronym at the start of this bullet. As I've indicated in many prior posts, professional organizations and trade publications can be one of your best sources in job search. Using these organizations helps with your networking, knowledge base, events, and more. They have a Jobs link on the left hand side of the page which links to a page for careers with Job Seeker information on the left center of the page. Here you can post a resume, View Jobs, get job alerts and more.

• hronline.com - This site is an online HR professionals site that provides a wealth of information. The main page has a number of links on the left hand side for News, Features and columns. Below this is a career center link. The careers page has a Search for HR Jobs and Post your Resume links. The Search for HR Jobs allows a number of filters to narrow your search. According the the site, there are over 400,000 job opportunities available through their search site.

From: CareerAlley

"Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action." - Benjamin Disraeli

Action is the key word for this post (as well as your job search). It may seem like an endless job hunt with no end in sight, but there are many things you can do to help your search.

Networks, you know the deal and you know the names (see below for a few) - and I 't mean Facebook in this case as well (see below). But what else?

Internships, it's never too late, even if you are already out of school with out a job. Look for an internship which can give you the experience you may need to get that job offer.

Career Fairs - Go to as many as you can. Ask your alumni office for a list and look on the web for additional resources. Entry level jobs are a high percentage of jobs available at career fairs.

Last (but not least), use job boards but use them sparingly. You could easily spend all your waking hours on job boards without getting a lead.

And, of course, there are always recruiters - but we will save that list for another post.

Networks / Resumes & Advise:

• Nuresume – This site is a network for college students which allows them to build an online resume portfolio. They can include photos, blogs, videos, chat, groups, forums, instant messaging and social networking. The site is jam packed with resources and options. There are links at the top of the page which provide access to the main areas (including Join and Invite links). The site integrates students, recruiters and employers and provides the tools you need to launch your online marketing campaign. The site is very impressive and well thought out. There is not enough space in this review to give justice to the site, so check it out today.

• Launch Your Career with LinkedIn - If you are not leveraging LinkedIn yet then this video is for you (and it's by the LinkedIn crowd).

• Using Job Seeking Resources – This resource center, part of Graduate Careers Australia, provides some very useful information regarding career planning, research, career fairs, employment agencies, etc. The left-hand side of the page provides additional links to additional resources.

• How to Find an Internship – Not Just Any Internship—One That Fits Your Needs – This article, by Collegeboard.com, provides a guide to planning your College Internship process. The article provides a number of links to resources (one of which is covered below) and is a good place to start your planning for internship programs.

• InternAbroad – Thinking about an internship abroad? This is a good place to start. The site provides a large number of links at the top of the page (including intern abroad, study abroad, jobs abroad, volunteer abroad and much more).

• The Ten Keys to Success at Job and Career Fairs – This article, by QuintCareers.com, provides excellent advice on preparing for career fairs. This article will help both College Students preparing for College Career Fairs as well as experienced hires preparing for professional career fairs.

• CareerFairs.com – This site allows Job Seekers, Universities and Employers to coordinate the job fair process via a search-able database. You can search for upcoming job fairs and employers can pre-screen students.

• Mosaic Career Fairs – This career fair, organized by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), gives College students the chance to meet with representatives from Advertising, Marketing and Communications companies. The site provides the dates of upcoming fairs as well as registration forms. There is also a link to the AAF Job Bank.

• Job Fair Directory & Employment Resources – This directory, provided by www.carouselexpo.com, allows you to search for job fairs by State. Click a State, and scroll down to see when there will be a career fair near you.

• Use Facebook to Help You in Your Job Hunt! – This article, posted by Miriam Salpeter on Secrets of the Job Hunt, reviews an interesting experiment which used Facebook as a career marketing tool (there is a link to the full text in the article). The article also covers other tips regarding the use of your websites &/or blogs as part of your marketing campaign (see Job Search Marketing Toolkit)

• SeekingSuccess – SeekingSuccess is a resource website for recent Grads. There are tabs at the top for a Blog, Choosing your Career, Getting the Job, Succeeding at Work and Resume Writing. The Blog provides career advice while each of the other tabs provides articles related to the context of the tab. The left-hand side of the page has links to additional resources, including a Books for Career Success and Career Links.

• TeenJobScene – This site specializes in job listings and resources for teens. The main page has a Job Seeker box in the middle of the page where you can register (post your resume so that it is available for employers) or head right to job search. The left-hand side of the page has Jobs by Category, including Internships and Summer Jobs. Remember, where (if) you work during college will count when looking for a job after graduation and will also help with internships. Further down on the page are jobs, listed by posting date.

• GoliathJobs – “The Source for Hiring Students & Alumni” is the tag line for this site. You can register, sign-in or go right to job search. Registering will give you access to a message center in addition to the typical resume posting and job search. There is a blog link at the bottom of the page which provides interesting articles. The search engine is fairly basic, and conducting a simple search (Finance in NY) returns some jobs that are old and too senior for recent grads, although there are jobs that are recent and entry level as well. It’s not clear if registration gives access to advanced search.

No doubt most employers are receiving more resumes, email and phone calls than they can handle and no doubt many have downsized their HR and Recruiter staff. Why keep these folks when there is no hiring right?

WRONG!!!

If there ever was a time to be creating those talent pools it has been the past 18 months but most “C-Level” decision makers have their head in the sand.

And it is going to come back to bite them in the back side. The poor or non existent customer service from most employers is horrible at best.

I have been telling my HR/Recruiter friends what job seekers are saying in general and I reach out to specific companies when I hear their company named. The reply I get is, you got it, silence.

Crazy. Just crazy.

Two years ago my recruiter friends were frustrated that their calls were not being answered. Now they are the ones being stalked. The thing is, two years from now (or whenever it is) when the hiring frenzy is going on they will be leaving messages for who may have been at one time job seekers.

Do you really think someone who applied at your company and NEVER received ANY sort of response from you or worse was MISTREATED in their eyes will call you back versus the four others who called?

I don’t know, maybe the emotions of today will subside by then but I doubt it.

Do you really want to find out?

The funny or ironic or better yet the hypocrisy of this is the number of HR and Recruiter colleagues looking for jobs and saying the same things.

I hope when they land at their new employer they will remember how it felt not get a reply.

I am not going to hold my breath.

From: CareerAlley

"Every morning I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work." - Robert Orben

You know what they say - "another day, another dollar. One million days, one million dollars". Of course one million days is 2,740 years. The world of financial services was hit the hardest of any industry, and I would venture to guess that there are more financial services people looking for work than any other field (in percentage terms).

While I have nothing to support my comment, true or false, it certainly feels that way. Hard to say what the prospects are for financial services. It does seem that those companies that survived with little intervention have already turned the corner on both profitability and stability.

But Finance jobs span more than just financial services. As with all functional roles, you need to conduct your job search along columns (the industry) and rows (the functional role). You can leverage your financial skills in another industry and maybe now is the time to change industries.

So how do you do this? One article - "Developing your skills and your career", provides some advice to building your skills and creating opportunity. And that's what the current job market is all about - creating opportunities. You know the drill, industry trade magazines, industry groups, friends, family, social networks and - read on.

Today's links returned over 8,700 job opportunities - one of those must be yours.

• Capital Financial Recruiters - This recruiter, focuses on financial services. Their main page has tabs down the left hand side that include Job Openings, Articles, Advice and more. Their contact information is on the top right hand side of the page as well as their Contact Information tab on the left hand side of the page. To see their specific jobs, you must use the links on the Job Openings page.

• BankingCareers.com - This is a job search site that focuses on the Banking Industry (so, Finance in the broader term). From the main page you can register or sign on (left hand side), see the latest listings, or view all jobs. Click "view all jobs" to see the full selection. From here you can narrow your search using the refine search function at the top of the page. You can also sort by relevance, position and date posted. There were over 1,480 job opportunities on this site when I checked.

• Joseph Michaels, Inc. - This firm is an executive recruiter located on the West Coast and specializing in Finance and Banking (as well as a number of other industries). Their main page has links at the top where you can click "Job Seekers". From the Job Seekers page you can email your resume and see a number of salary surveys based on job function. You can also click "Register for Jobs" where you can get a free copy of "18 Interviewing Tips" and forward your resume. Finally, the Career Guides section has a number of career related files.

• SimplyHired Finance - This link uses a targeted search on SimplyHired.com to return lists of finance related jobs. This particular search returned 4,095 job opportunities when I checked. You will need to narrow your search depending upon what you want. You can use "save this search" at any point during the process. At the top of the page you can narrow the search by either entering a more specific job category &/or a locaiton. You can also use the left hand side of the page to further target your search. You can sort by date or relevance.

• Robert Half Finance & Accounting - "The world's leading recruitment specialist in accounting and finance" is the tag line for this recruiting firm. Very well known in the industry (and international in scope), their site is easy to use and very diverse. The top of the page has links for Jobs, Services, Register and more. The left hand side of the page allows a quick search while the very bottom of the page allows for country selection. Select Jobs at the top to get to their job search engine. Very useful is their free 2009 Salary guide which you can order from the main page (right hand side) as well as the Global Financial Employment Monitor. Click Jobs at the top of the page to access their job search engine. There were over 500 job opportunities when I check the site.

• Accounting.com - Seems like a good place to start, this is a targeted job search board that focuses on Accounting and Finance jobs. The main page lists featured jobs (with the company name). You can post your resume which allows potential employers to search for you in the database. The Job Search page has a basic search which has filters for Category (accounting, finance, management, etc.), Location search, Company Name search and keywords. There were over 400 job opportunities when I did a simple search. Click Job Seekers and Search to access the search engine.

• 10k Financial Recruiters, Inc. - Based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, this firm specializes in Accounting and Finance jobs. From links at the top of the page, you can search jobs from the main page, or go to the Candidates page and register or login. A quick search returned 24 job opportunities at this recruiter.

• Accounting Professional Organizations - No mater what your profession, you should leverage trade publications and professional organizations in your search. This site, from Clayton State University, lists approximately 24 Accounting professional organizations. The site provides links for each one and, if you are looking for an accounting job, you should visit these to see if you can leverage their resources. As an example, the AICPA (one of the sites listed here) provides career resources and job search resource.

• Accounting Jobs Today - Another targeted job search board, this site also focuses on Accounting and Finance jobs. This is more of a "full service board" in that it provides much more than just job search. Some of the other services it provides are a Resume Service, News Service, Job Descriptions, Salary Center and much more. In addition to being able to post your resume on the site and search for jobs, you can also search for Accounting Schools. Clicking on "Find your Next Job" links to an advanced search page which also shows featured jobs on the right-hand side. A quick search returned 2,239 accounting and finance related jobs across the US.

These are likely not going to be earth shattering to you and some of them were mentioned in this post What Price Would You Pay For Your Dream Job? but since I have been sharing like have been the last week some friends are asking about what 2010 is going to look like for me.

You will find that 2010 is going to be as much about my personal life as the professional. While not overdue (unless you ask my longtime friends) it is time to invest as much in the personal me as I have in the professional part over the past few years.

In no particular order:

Learn to swim

Seriously, I do not know how to swim. As a kid I had a minor reaction to chlorine so when I was in a pool or enclosed hot tub my breathing would get a bit labored. When we went out of town the first and only thing I did was go fishing. No fear of the water but rather than be in it I was on it.

Find a slow dance partner

As if I have not declared this enough by now but it is time for me to explore the dating scene. Seriously, for real this time. I said this a few years ago in an email to some friends and I think they will disregard this statement.

And not so much the dating scene but find “the one”. I am not looking to be crazy bachelor guy but find chemistry, a connection.

My friends are already saying prove it. OK, I will. Any “referrals”?

Oh yeah, it would be awesome if she could tolerate my college football addiction :)

Ask for help

This one is simple and no need to get specific. It’s not an inferiority thing or I feel weak for doing it, just not my thing. But I need to ask for a hand when I need one.

Less thinking more doing

This one is simple too. I have a tendency to over think, over analyze, over project what will happen. Less brain, more brawn.

Build a think tank, consortium, dream team, loose confederation of colleagues

I am looking for folks who walk the talk in my local Recruiter/HR world. Not the folks who train on how they would use Twitter, LinkedIn, Social Media in general, SEO, job ads, build passive candidate pools, etc but who actually do.

And more than just why we should be doing these things, I want to elevate the conversation on how. I want to share my experiences with those doing the work who will do the same back. Many of us are two years in and should be able to show results, for better and worse.

While focused on my Minnesota colleagues I am looking for those around the U.S. who are doing this and not just talking about it.

There are opportunities to share material, promote each other for webinars, trainings and events. There are opportunities to cross promote services. Interested? Send me an email.

Build BeYourOwnHeadhunter.com

Last year between speaking at Recruiter/HR, Job Seeker and Social Media events and online with webinars I was in front of 2,200+ people and that does not count webinars where an attendee listened to more than one session. Feedback was really, really positive with requests to increase the number and kinds of sessions.

While I did everything for free last year some things in 2010 will come with a modest fee. I would like to be able to use the revenue stream to hire a full time marketing person. I need the help and I know having an extra brain and pair of hands I can do more in less time with less stress allowing me to focus on the other things on this list.

Deeply engage with and introduce my friends and colleagues to each other

I realized last year that my friends rarely cross over from each other. What I mean is, I have my long time friends going back to the college years, the Recruiter/HR friends and those in IT and “social media”.

So not only are my long time friends not integrated with my professional ones even the professional folks are a bit siloed (is that a word?).

Add on that because I have been so busy I have not seen some people in a really long time. To remedy this I am going to try scheduling Happy Hour’s and instead of inviting everyone keeping it to 20 or so knowing that 7-10 might be able to make it. A large enough group to have some fun with but small enough so everyone gets a chance to mingle.

Support local and affordable recruiter events

This past year our Minnesota Recruiters groups really hit its stride. I think I am done finding ways to mess it up, not that anyone ever really sees it. The content of the events is always well received, feedback is very positive. There is growing interest from other cities to do something similar. No, I am not going to get into the event planning business (oh hell no) but if I can in anyway help get an event put together, help with logistics, find speakers or otherwise promote an event I will.

So much good stuff comes out of our events and I gladly put our content against what the national events are doing. And assuming companies are going to continue to not train their staff or not want to send them to a warm destination these local events will likely grow in popularity and necessity.

Just be quiet

I need to turn my brain off at night. I need more time in a fishing boat and more hours on the bike. I just need my brain to be quiet. (and for all you laughing at me about being quiet generally, I hear your laughter and will find you...)

Truly enjoy the moment

I need to celebrate things more than I do. The most recent example is from the last Minnesota Recruiters event. We had three amazing events this year and after each one instead of taking a deep breath, seeing the good that came out of it, enjoying what was done I already move on to the next event.

This has something I have always done going back to when I was a kid playing sports. Instead of enjoying a victory I would be thinking about who we played next, how we could have played better and how I could improve.

I cheat myself and I need to stop it.

Blog more

I get handcuffed because there is so much to write about, so many half done blog posts and links to share that I get stressed. It feels like a job that I am not doing well. I need to get back to my blog as therapy for me and a way to share what I am reading, who I am following, share a rant (OK many rants) and think out loud.

Time to feed the blog.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here is the secret sauce, do it. Manage your career. It’s not the details you would read in some blog post it’s simply the act of taking care of your business.

Please, please, please let the last two years be a lesson to you (and really the 3 leading up to the recession) that you HAVE to be actively managing your career path, skill set and business/work relationships.

Please ask for help before the crap hits the fan because by the time you will it is usually too late.

Once you start and then continue to manage your career do NOT stop. When things get good, when the economy is marching along we will get a bit lazy. When you do find yourself slacking off remember 2008-2010 and how it felt. And if you have had a job the whole time, remember the anxiety and uneasiness you felt. Remember your family and friends who lost their jobs. That should motivate you enough.

You might be wondering where this is coming from, a great question.

This is the one year anniversary of my buddy I wrote about in this post, Not Enough Time To Network Becomes A $48,000 Mistake.

He asked me to write this today as he wished he had listened to me.

He wrote to me today how not working during those weeks impacted everything for the rest of the year from where they went, what they did, activities for their kids and then came the holidays and how they were not how he as a father, as a provider had wanted for his family.

He is fortunate to do what he does as he will over a period of time be able to make that up but for most of us we will not be able to.

3 simple words, “Manage your career”.

According to Google Analytics here “All Traffic Sources” of the 52,813 visits to the MN Headhunter Blog in 2009:

1. google / organic
2. (direct) / (none)
3. twitter.com / referral
4. yahoo / organic
5. linkedin.com / referral
6. stumbleupon.com / referral
7. minnesotarecruiters.com / referral
8. images.google.com / referral
9. mnprjobs.blogspot.com / referral
10. facebook.com / referral
11. bing / organic
12. google.com / referral
13. feedburner / feed
14. aol / organic
15. msn / organic
16. search / organic
17. minnesota.rivals.com / referral
18. live / organic
19. startribune.com / referral
20. minnpost.com / referral

From: Lisa Orrell

The confusion between the role of a manager and a leader has tripped up more than one business professional and cost many companies their very existence. Is ‘the person in charge’ automatically a leader? If you’re managing other people, are you also leading them, by default? Just what is the difference between the two?

According to the current wisdom, managers are principally administrators; they write business plans, set budgets, monitor progress, and, yes, they manage people (but sometimes without the concept of an effective leadership mindset).

Leaders, on the other hand, get organizations and people to change. Most business executives and owners have a mix of management and leadership skills. And, quite often, both skill sets are necessary to run a successful business and team.

But typically, only the top executives can set direction in a company. Setting direction is different from setting goals. A goal is concrete and measurable: “We must sell 10 widgets by next Tuesday.” Direction is broader. Leaders set direction with a vision, a mission and operating principles that embody the company's direction and values.

Here is a key point that can settle confusion for you: Even if you just manage one person, regardless of what your role/title is, you are also a leader. Yes, you may be considered a “manager or supervisor” on paper, but you are leading, too. And even though your current position may not be one that “sets direction for the entire company”, you are still a leader. And even if you currently don’t manage even one person, you can take on leadership roles (heading up a project, like volunteering to plan the company’s annual picnic). So whether you are actually in a true management role with employees, or assuming a short-term leadership role for the annual picnic coordination, cultivating a leadership mindset is critical.

Whether someone is a Senior Vice President or an entry-level Sales Manager, they are both in management roles (managing other people). But successful managers are also successful leaders, and successful leaders stand out and move up!

So don’t think “leadership” is something that only occurs once you’re in an executive role. Your leadership mindset needs to start on Day One of your very first job.

I realize not every person in a company wants to be a senior executive or “lead” the whole business. But to not embrace some fundamental, effective leadership qualities within your management style, that will make your team happier and more productive, is BEING LAZY in my opinion.

Have you ever heard this saying: “People don’t leave companies; they leave managers”? I don’t want you to be the young leader people choose to leave.

10 Key Differences Between a Manager Mindset & Leadership Mindset:

The following list provides 10 Core Competencies that define key differences between leaders and managers. And, as you’ll see, leadership skills tend to be flexible, responsive to change, and future-oriented.

1.    Leaders set a standard of excellence – Managers set a standard for performance

2.    Leaders seek employee commitment – Managers seek employee compliance

3.    Leaders are proactive – Managers are reactive

4.    Leaders create change – Managers maintain the status quo

5.    Leaders take risk – Managers are risk-averse

6.    Leaders are passionate – Managers are controlling

7.    Leaders can create followers – Managers have subordinates

8.    Leaders use personal charisma  – Managers rely on bestowed authority

9.    Leaders give credit – Managers assign blame

10.    Leaders care about what’s right – Managers care about being right

In closing, I’d like to wrap up this article with the following: Managers that don’t choose to embody important leadership qualities suffer. And their employees suffer. And their companies suffer. Shortsighted managers tend to focus on process and procedures, not people and vision. Leaders focus on the latter, first. Be a young manager who blends management skills with a leadership mindset, and you will succeed in any role, at any level, your career path takes you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:: Lisa Orrell, The Generation Relations Expert, is an in-demand corporate speaker, consultant, and professional Leadership & Career Coach for Millennials. She is the author of the award-winning book “Millennials Incorporated”, and her new book, “Millennials Into Leadership”, was just released on Amazon and praised with 5 star reviews. This new book is the ultimate handbook for Millennials aspiring to be respected, effective young leaders at work. And based on her workforce dynamics expertise, she has also been featured by countless media, such as: MSNBC, ABC, NPR, The NY Times, Wall Street Journal, BNET.com, FoxBusiness.com and Human Resource Executive. For more info about Lisa’s seminars, keynotes, workshops, coaching, and books, visit: http://www.TheOrrellGroup.com. People also follow Lisa’s insights on Twitter @GenerationsGuru

Instead I will leave you with some highlights from my Twitter stream going back the past 10 days or so. Most of them are not from me and if you are using Twitter I would recommend giving these folks a follow.

Oh, there is no rhyme or reason to these. Some are work, sports, life related or funny, thoughtful things (I have added some links to names and articles) and are in reverse chronological order (in other words start at the bottom):

December 29, 2009

• MnITGUY

  Most people say that as you get old, you have to give things up. I think you get old BECAUSE you give these things up!

• bcollinsmn

  the Wolves are just 1 player away from being just 1 player away from just being 1 player away from being just 1 player away from being good.

• robinmarty

coudn't find my lipstick, just stole violet's dora lipgloss #mamadateprep

jajessop

doesn't understand why companies bend over backwards for new hires, but not for their current employees.

AlbertMaruggi

My aunt just told me "it's not the years in your life, but the life in your years that count." cool eh?

jwynia

@MNHeadhunter If you are 30, are you still in your 20's? If not, 2010 is new decade.

December 28, 20009

• nathaneide

  I think AP needs a code red. Rubber cement a ball to his hands for a day

• chriskongsvik

Boo! #vikings- Still a Favre fan - love AP- and if the team moves to LA, MSP will be the new DesMoines - ick!

ColbyWG

that's a lot of drinks... RT @MNHeadhunter: RT @WCFHester23: ***ATTN ALL BEARS FANS: THEY SAID #BRETTFAVRE 179 TIMES THIS GAME***

WCFHester23

***ATTN ALL BEARS FANS: THEY SAID #BRETTFAVRE 179 TIMES THIS GAME*** *** #Bears #Viqueens #MNF #Gruden ***

libbyjuju

@MNHeadhunter tweeting while watching MN sports makes me feel like i'm in a really nerdy sports bar

btkennett

Best part of being a #packer fan tonight...doesn't matter. Night y'all!

justacoolcat

Everytime a #bears fan boos an angel gets it's wings. #vikings

fakesid

I'm too old for this

ryguyMN

I could sell Vikings bandwagon space, but I probably won't get much money for it...

kborch88

will someone please buy brad childress a xbox and a copy of madden??? maybe then he will learn some playcalling strategy

ColbyWG

Chicago Bears fans: the next few hours are going to be painful. You might want to set your Tweetdecks to 'stfu' ahead of time.

girlmeetsgeek

So I tried to put the tree back in its box. #xmasfail http://twitpic.com/vnjoq

December 27, 2009

• patrickrhone

  I'm thinking there may be a market in being the guy who helps to un-train you of all the "tips" that the "experts" teach you.

• aeklund

  I'm just riffing here... Fact is there's no certifiable "expert" ranking for social media. So we have to make up our own filters.

• aeklund

  A social media persona is one who has cultivated a large personal following through wit, sharing, insights, and/or wisdom.

• aeklund

  A social media practitioner knows how to use a variety of social media tools.

• aeklund

  A social media expert has repeatedly created measurable value that align with organizational goals.

• derickson

  @arikhanson "Social Media Expert" search volume from Google Insights for Search: http://bit.ly/6Pmi0H CC: @threevolts @breon

• patrickrhone

The best things: http://twitpic.com/vhhnm

davidtc

By claiming to be a social media guru you have just tried to fit a square where a circle should be!

December 26, 2009

• robinmarty

  it is christmas carnage....

December 25, 2009

• marenhogan

  There is a nerf bullet and lego palm trees in the nativity set. Also a wise man fell over and is smothering the baby Jesus.

December 24, 2009

• Dubblebee

  Is Jesus cool with updating your status during midnight mass?

• jwynia

Sir Isaac Newton would like to remind all Minnesotans that his laws of motion have not been repealed just because you're in an SUV.

ericamayer

There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head...question them. -DeMello

amysbryant

I swear I'm hearing bells jingle. I guess I believe.

PerkatPlay

Santa has to hit 843 homes per second to hit the entire world... he's in Mongolia as we speak.... kick butt Nick Dawg!

December 22, 2009

• kraabel

  Turned on fox sports. Thought it was wolves pre-game because of the empty stands. It was halftime. I hope it was pre-recorded.

• MNHeadhunter

Time to find a CEO for me. And for those wondering I mean a business CEO. Although, a work/home boss sounds good too :)

stremcha

RT @lynseystruthers: Considering the sensationalism of this week's impending blizzard, I hereby declare a new hashtag: #snowlyshit. Pls RT.

MnITGUY

We're about to be hit with 3 days straight of global warming

December 21, 2009

MnITGUY

Once again, today has been brought to you by the letters W, T and F!

lruettimann

@CincyRecruiter @MNHeadhunter F bomb Mondays? Who's starting that feature on their blog? Anyone? Anyone? It's needed.

georgefiddler

The girlfriend said she wants "new black pumps" for Xmas. Are these them? http://is.gd/5wfhF

GRLitman

Spoken like a true Gopher fan. Still find hope in darkest days... RT @MNHeadhunter: Happy shortest day of the year. It only gets better :)

NickColeman

Economy sux, Congress sux, Afganwar sux, and Minnesotans are in a real funk because??? Vikings suck too. Oh, woe is us.

December 20, 2009

• MNHeadhunter

  ME: You doing OK? VIKINGS DIE HARD FAN: Not really ME: Will you be OK? FAN: Yeah, at least I am not a Packer fan

• davidtc

  @girlmeetsgeek @MNHeadhunter @svensundgaard my 4 yo says "if it doesn't snow 12"+ I will find this mother nature and let her have it!"

• threevolts

  @MNHeadhunter Favre not the issue tonight. Said fans are tools.

• girlmeetsgeek

  It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings

• MNHeadhunter

  Panhandle Hooker: No, not that. What the type of storm @svensundgaard thinks we will see later this week in the Midwest 5:28 PM Dec 20th from TweetDeck

  • Delete
• MNHeadhunter

  MN snow storm for Christmas Eve? Bring it. We can show those East Coast pansies how to do it right :)

December 19, 2009

• MNHeadhunter

  RT @wtongen: 80% of drivers say 'OH SH!T' as they slide into the ditch. The other 20% (from Minnesota) say, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS.'

• MNHeadhunter

  WTF: That the Senate is on session on a Saturday in a snow storm should not be news, this is as it should be

Last year at this time I remember saying I wish that we could go back to a time when as kids there were “do overs”. Those were the best. You could call “do over” whenever you wanted.

I still wish we could go back to those days. I suppose in some ways we can. We can try something again. We can try things a different way. We can say we are sorry.

My meaning though was I wanted to do 2008 over. I made some mistakes and I wanted to make them right. Then I thought a better theme would be “no regrets”. And that is what I did in 2009. I made some changes. I tried new things. I went back to people I had been frustrated with and rebuilt bridges.

I do not have many regrets for 2009. I have done the best I can for my family, friends and business. I have made the best choices I can with what I knew at the time. There are the usual personal ones that come up from time to time but most of those have been taken care of too.

This nearly two year recession (it is that long for us search firm folks) has caused some issues with bills being paid late. I learned post 9/11 that search firm folks tend to be the last to get paid and when you are a “one man band” two or three late or non paying customers can be “lethal” to doing the business. This recession has been no different.

Thankfully the rest of those issues are soon to be cleared up.

So that gets me to 2010 and “Why Don’t Look Back” fits me. I have always been a bit of a late bloomer. It has taken me a long time to figure me out personally and professionally. Working on my own and through a second recession has allowed me to really get to know who I am from the really good parts to those really dark “places” we all try to push back into the corner.

I know this, for the most part I like the man I have become.

I turn 40 this year and while a big deal for a lot of folks not so much for me. However, I am planning a big party with the theme of “The Next 40 years”. I want to get a large group of people together and celebrate not my birthday but celebrate my family and friends, be together and enjoy each others company. I know how lucky I am to have the people around me and this will be a chance for me to say thank you.

I think I finally figure out this thing called life. Well, as much as a guy can.

So I am going to take what I have learned, start trusting my gut more, lean on my friends a bit and see what happens.

No do overs, no regrets and no looking back.

Whatever you wish for and whatever big plans you have for 2010 I hope that you at least get what you need.

Best Wishes to you and your families in 2010.

Cue the next video...

And lyrics:

Don't look back
A new day is breakin'
It's been too long since I felt this way
I don't mind where I get taken
The road is callin'
Today is the day
I can see
It took so long just to realize
I'm much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I'll turn it around, oh yes I will
I finally see the dawn arrivin'
I see beyond the road I'm drivin'
It's a bright horizon and I'm awakin' now
Oh I see myself in a brand new way
The sun is shinin'
The clouds are breakin'
'Cause I can't lose now, there's no game to play
I can tell
There's no more time left to criticize
I've seen what I could not recognize
Everthing in my life was leading me on
But I can be strong, oh yes i can
I finally see the dawn arrivin'
I see beyond the road I'm drivin'
Far away and left behind, left behind
Oh the sun is shinin' *and I wanna go*
(guitar solo)
Don't look back
A new day is breakin'
It's been too long since I felt this way
I don't mind where I get taken
The road is callin'
Today is the day
I can see
It took so long just to realize
I'm much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I'll turn it around, oh yes I will
I finally see the dawn arriving
I see beyond the road I'm driving
Far away and left behind
Don't look back
Don't look back
Don't look back
Don't look back...

I was working with their VP and during this writing process she said, “What’s your dream job?” A really neat conversation to have and we decided to write what that job description would like.

Things I included were:

- Being a Recruiter (nit not the account management side)

- Creating relationships, being an evangelist

- Involved in the local business community and groups

- Helping job seekers

- Doing some training, teaching

- Being able to try and experiment with new things and ideas

- Be on a team that is more like a family

Yesterday I received a call from her that I should expect an email while we were talking. Sure enough I here the chime and open it up.

Moved about what I want to do and the way to do it she had passed it on to their management team and it’s a job offer for exactly the description (plus a couple of things) that I wrote.

Because of some non disclosure issues I cannot get much into it but really that part is not so important anyway.

There it was in writing including a salary (which I have not had in 12+ years), some perks, a sweet office and location, and the stability I guess I have never really felt being on my own.

But with it comes an expectation of 60 hour weeks and a 3 year commitment.

So that gets me to the question, what price are you willing to pay for your dream job?

Friends close to know me are aware that I have been running a marathon as a sprint these past three years. ’07 was about all the ideas that were running through my head and experimenting with all of them, quick to discard and add new ones. ’08 was about narrowing that down and going deeper with them. The goal for ’09 has been to filter that down more so when 2010 starts I can be focused on just a couple of things.

Because I want my life back. I long for some time when my mind is quiet, when I do not wake up at 3 am with an idea that needs to be thought about. Or staying up until 3 am because I cannot settle down. I want to be able to spend time with family and friends and not be thinking about what I have to get done when I get home.

I made a rational decision three years ago to do this marathon/sprint. Knowing what I know now then I would do it again. I have enjoyed this. It was good timing for me personally and professionally. It allowed me to get a lot of stuff out of my head that had been making noise for a long time.

But I am not willing to do it again, at least not now.

I have been looking forward to slowing down, to get away from the constant buzz in my head. Making a near term commitment of 60 hours a week is just too much to do. I just ran a marathon with the goal of crossing the finish line and taking it slow for a while.

Two years ago or two years from now this would be awesome.

I went for a long walk last night and realized I am for the most already doing my dream job. I looked at the job description and am doing all that. Maybe not to the level I want but I am on the path.

What is missing is some stability. I guess most freelancers, consultants, “one man bands” feel this way.

I made the call this morning and I politely declined. The VP and I had a long conversation. We went through responsibilities, pay and expectations to see what could be changed.

At one point I was quiet, not something I normally am. It was that really awkward pause.

And she said something that took the weight off my shoulders. She said,

“Paul, I know you well enough to know you want this. I know you hesitate because you do not want to say yes and then not be able to complete the race. And I know your heart and mind are in other places now and that is a benefit to you, your family, friends and your business too. You will be able to do more by doing less. I told our executive team that you taking this job would be the biggest mistake you could make. What I suggest you do is keep doing what you are doing, find ways to make it easier and stop going off on tangents.”

Then she said the one thing many friends have told me (over and over again) over the years but this time it was like a two by four to the back of the head,

“You need to allow yourself to ask for help. You need to tell people you need a hand. You need to be OK with others doing for you what you have done for them.”

We agreed that while this was an awesome opportunity for both of us that the timing was not right.

I know this is going to get mixed reactions but I ask anyway, am I nuts? What price would you pay? What would you be willing to give to have your dream job?

From: Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR

Major job boards like CareerBuilder and Monster are one of the most popular ways for companies to develop a candidate pool when looking to fill an open position. CareerBuilder alone boasts 2 million unique users per month according to a report by Cnet News last year. With unemployment at its highest since 1982 and candidate competition increasing, how does a candidate stand out from the virtual pack when posting a resume on a major job board?

1. Your Resume Title. First impressions are important and the title of your resume will determine whether your resume gets a first look. Include action words in the title that best describe your experience and are different from the norm. An example would be “Certified AMX Audio Visual Professional.”

2. Include an Objective in your online profile. An objective describes what career opportunity as well as industry you are interested in learning more about. Recruiters spend roughly 10 seconds or less per resume. Keep your objective simple, direct and to the point. For example, “Seasoned and Certified Human Resource Director interested in opportunity within the non-profit industry.” Limit your objective to 1-2 sentences.

3. Resume Format. Include bullets, open space, dates, and quantitative numbers on your resume. Avoid spelling errors, unprofessional email addresses, and a format that is not easily skimmed and no more than 2 pages.

4. Update Your Profile Weekly. Job boards list resumes by most recently updated and allow recruiters to use search by resumes updated daily, weekly, and monthly. Keep your resume at the top of the pack by updating it weekly. You can also take advantage of CareerBuilder’s advantage option which automatically provides you this service but at a fee.

5. Use Searchable Buzzwords & Keyword Terms. Recruiters resume mine for qualified candidates also by keyword search. Include terms relevant to the industry or job you are interested in. Include any specialized certifications and their abbreviations as well as other specific qualifications to increase your exposure.

6. Include Your Contact Information. Recruiters do not have the time or patience to contact a candidate that uses an anonymous resume on a job board. Increase your exposure odds by including your contact information, including email and phone numbers. Monster has a feature called, Privacy Plus that allows users to block up to 20 companies from viewing your resume.

And it starts today. I don’t know how long it will last but I am going to give it a shot anyway.

Other friends are saying that I am putting my best thoughts on Twitter and Facebook. I think they too are correct. I think I do much better, am far more interesting and funny in 140 characters or less.

But one thing for sure is that I have a lot on my mind. I have a Word document that is open all the time and it is now 104 pages in length of links, articles and thoughts of all varieties that I never get to share and I think it is time to clean out the closet so to speak....

Random thoughts, rambling and rants:

Why did the United States Senate get so much credit the past ten days for their hard work? Sure the health care legislation (whether for against) is major. But what pisses me off is all the glory they received for working on a blizzard like Saturday and for taking a Christmas Eve vote. You would think they were the only ones working those days. Washington, D.C. really has lost touch with reality and this another log on the fire.

I have stayed away from the Tiger Woods thing but want to say if he wants to be a private man then he should give up taking endorsements. His golf winnings are his day job but Tiger as a person is a brand and he trades on that image.

Here is my version of the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. It is the one my Grandma had in her little house and when she moved to the nursing home.

Tomorrow I am going to talk some college football bowl results along with a token mention of the Vikings game.

For now, some blog posts from this morning...

Minnesota Blogs:

• Leadership and Community: To Merge or not to Merge. That is the Question.
• Marketing Interactions: Email is Still the Sharing Superstar
• The Future Buzz: The Buzzword Social Media Is DOA In 2010
• The Deets: 2009 Technology Predictions Follow-Up

Recruiter HR Blogs:

• Amybeth Hale – Research Goddess: 2010 Prediction: Employees MIA
• Job Search Talk: Attack of the Twitter Job Search Sites
• Punk Rock HR: Undercover Boss I’m Watching This!
• Passion On Purpose Blog: All You Need Is Love

These types of storms are called a Panhandle Hook or Texas Hooker. Seriously, not making that up.

The folks online are using words like snowmageddon, snowpocalypse, snownami, hohosnow, and what I think will be my favorite (even though it is not used much) snowlyshit.

But this post is dedicated to the birth of Frosty the Snowman or on this case, snowmen.

If you have a picture of a snowman photo send it to paul@mnheadhunter.com, message me on Twitter, post a link below. I will give you links to your web sites if you like. Kids in photos are most appreciated. Name your snowman after all, he is going to be around for a while.

From Desarae A. Veit @desaraev

"By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day." - Robert Frost

Why company career sites? Well for one, most jobs are with companies and what better place to get your job than from the source. All other jobs are generally through recruiters, job boards and friends. Speaking of which, if you find a job on a company career site, you should leverage your network. Does anyone you know work there? If yes, see if they can submit your application for you.

• American Express – The first page to of the career site for Amex gives excellent choices regarding company background, career information and what it is like to work at the company. You can jump right into searching, or go through the sign-up process. I always recommend registering on the site even if an initial search comes up empty.

• Blackstone – Blackstone is a well known asset management company. After giving a very good overview of the company, the left-hand side of the site provides the full range of hire types, from Internships through Experienced Hires. You can easily browse the open positions as well as register for the site.

• JP Morgan Chase – Similar to the other sites, this site gives an overview of the company and then has links for Experienced Hires and University Programs. There is a link for “Jobs in Demand” as well as a “Search Jobs” tab. As with the other sites, it is worthwhile to register.

• HSBC – The HSBC career page starts off with a map of the world, you click where you want to work (or where you live) and then the site takes you to a more focused view for your region and country. The site includes “Tips & Guidelines” for candidate preparation as well as job search, recruiting events, career development and areas of opportunity.

• Blackrock – Blackrock’s career site provides background on their business groups as well as Blackrock’s culture. The job search section is split between entry level/less experienced hires and professional opportunities. Once into the site, you can narrow your search by country and job type.

• Johnson & Johnson - The J&J site is split between Professional, MBA, Graduate and Undergrad. You can go right to the general search, or focus your search on the split listed above. Once you’ve registered, you can create you own job cart and save searches.

• Time Warner – The Time Warner career site is split by jobs by industry, interest and location. You can search openings and submit your resume for future matches

• Fidelity – The Fidelity site allows you to search by type of position (Finance, Technology, Operations, etc.) or you can go right to the general job search. You can create a profile as well. There is also a special focus for students (split between undergraduate and graduate).

Minnesota Recruiter and HR Blogs:

• simply-hr
• Hockenberg Search
• Passion on Purpose
• Freelance Staffing

Minnesota Technology Blogs:

• But You’re A Girl
• this.Reflect();
• WhoisHenry.com
• Dahlin Development

Minnesota Politics Blogs:

• WoMN Focus
• theuptake.org

Minnesota Sports Blogs:

• Inside Minnesota Soccer
• Ballpark Magic
• k-bro’s baseball blog
• Over the Baggy
• PhilMackey.com
• Football Challenge
• Twinkie Town
• Canis Hoopus
• TWolfPack.com

Minnesota Business Blogs:

• Ethos Business Law
• Leadership and Community
• Shareology
• Social Media Journal
• Hasten Down The Wire
• Online Marketing Takeaways
• The Future Buzz
• k@tie.in.mpls
• The Electric Waffle
• Kristin Gast
• Online Internet Marketing Blog
• 41 Stories
• The Same Rowdy Crowd
• KaneCo Conversations
• Just Judy Judy Judy
• Little Pink Book PR
• FRWD
• Clockwork Active Media Systems
• take 5
• Tim Bursch
• iPlayBIG

From: Kevin Donlin

I got a considerable amount of feedback on last week's article, which exhorted job seekers to ask the following question every time they learn of someone who got hired: How can I adapt what they did to my situation?

The example I used was this: If a sales rep got hired after bringing sales leads to a job interview, what could you bring to an interview to convince employers to hire you?

One reader, Mitch in Minneapolis, took me to task, writing:

"Could you have picked a better example than sales? What could a supervisor or middle manager bring to an interview that would be different? After all, they can't bring in sales leads to show they can do the job."

Apparently, Mitch didn't have the time or inclination to ask himself, "How can I adapt what they did to my situation?"

Instead, he defaulted to the common (and deadly) question, "But my job is different -- what about a tip just for me?"

I say deadly because, just as our ancestors had to adapt to survive in the jungle, you must adapt to survive in today's treacherous job market.

Let's simplify. There are only two ways to convince employers to hire you: perform your skills or prove them.

Either way works. And the world is full of success stories that you can adapt to your situation -- so you can get hired faster.

Here's how ...

1) Perform your skills

Think of American Idol. Does anyone get "hired" by Simon simply by talking about their singing skills in the interview? No. They must perform.

So, how can you perform your professional skills in a job interview?

A sales rep could make cold calls in front of the hiring manager. That's what sales authority David Sandler did with great success when he was starting out.

A trainer I know delivered a sample lesson in a job interview -- he prepared ahead of time, did well, and was hired.

A technical writer was asked to read and edit texts in his interview -- he failed to prepare, did poorly, and was not hired.

(By the way, those last two examples were me, back in the '80s and '90s. So I speak from experience.)

If you're a middle manager not sure how to perform your skills, ask yourself:

* Why was I on the payroll at my last 2-3 jobs?

* What 2-3 skills did I do most effectively?

* What will be required of me in my next job?

Let's say one of your most-valuable "middle manager" skills is team building. How could you perform those skills in an interview? You could:

* lead a brief, powerful exercise in team building;

* demonstrate the kind of pleasing personality that motivates others;

* bring a video (or a Youtube link) of you leading a team- building seminar.

The options are endless. But you have to think and choose one yourself. That's the hardest part -- thinking! The actual performing should come naturally.

2) Prove your skills

If you've wracked your brain and still can't imagine how to perform in an interview, use the second method: Prove your skills. This is relatively easy. Here are two examples ...

Example #1: Eugene, a software developer from Savage, Minn.

He saw a job posted online that he really wanted. "Like most people, I thought I would email my resume and wait. But that approach had not produced any callbacks for three months, so I decided to try something different," he says.

So he called the contact person listed in the job posting, after getting her phone number from the company switchboard. He asked if he could hand-deliver his resume. She said no.

This is where most people would give up. But not Eugene.

"I struck up a conversation [with her] and learned enough about the position to write a very targeted cover letter, which I emailed with my resume," says Eugene.

About a week later, he called and offered to hand-deliver a portfolio of material to supplement his resume. The hiring manager accepted.

After dropping off his portfolio, Eugene met several employees in the lobby. One question led to another, and he ended up interviewing them about ways to improve their software development efforts.

Eugene then went home, wrote, and submitted to the employer a white paper of possible solutions, based on his experience and his very recent, relevant research.

In other words, he proved his skills on paper.

Result? He was hired about 21 days later.

Example #2:

Bill McCausland, an executive from suburban Detroit, Mich.

Prior to his job interview, McCausland assembled testimonials from people about his work to create a two-page document, which he handed to the hiring manager.

Page one, titled "Accolades," was culled from written recommendations from three types of people: customers, managers, and business partners.

Page two was titled "Skills Required For Success."

In researching the employer, McCausland found they needed help with project management, problem solving, and execution. So he let others speak for him. "I took quotes from past performance reviews that tied into the skills they were looking for," he said. In other words, other people proved his skills on paper.

Result? He was hired on September 23, 2009, only 8 days after deciding to prove his skills. "I nailed the interview, thanks to researching and demonstrating that I was already on the job," he says.

Kevin Donlin is co-author of Guerrilla Resumes. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, CBS Radio and others.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Coworking as a concept is a bit new to me. For all but the last two of my twelve years I have had office space. I am one of those people who know he does not get more done at home and that it can be HIGHLY overrated. It is cool in the beginning or now and again but full time from home, not for this guy.

But when the recession started knocking on the door I dumped my office space to work from home. I had to, it was a business call.

I miss not seeing people and the interaction of office neighbors. Or showering every day. Yeah I said it. There have been 3 day stretches when I have not ventured out of my place. Not that I go 3 days without a shower, anyway, I got off track (again)...

The past couple of month’s three people and a group (that I know of) have been working on ideas to find work space that people can share.

It helps that I am a big fan of all who are working on this. They are really good people and better, they are the kind of folks who take action versus blah, blah, blah something for weeks and months.

You can follow the Twitter conversation by clicking #coworkmsp. Not on Twitter? No worries you can still see by clicking the link. There is also Twin Cities Coworking (the group I mentioned) which has been working on this for some time.

Amy Bryant (@amysbryant) and Zach Steven (@zachsteven) have been heading up Crema Cafe, a coffee shop just south of Uptown on Lyndale Avenue. It’s a nice location for those of us in Minneapolis. I know most of the folks (know as is in real life or through online activity) so it is one part get some work done, one part chat with folks I know and one part bounce ideas off of people waaaayyyyyy smarter than I.

Check out this StarTribune article A creative counter to Wi-Fi 'freeloading'

Here are some pictures:

So far it is one day a week (Tuesdays) and the cost is $40 a month. That may change for January and February so ask about hours and days.

Don Ball (@donmball) is opening a much larger (could be huge) space in January 2010. Click CoCo for more information. Don had an open house where I took these pictures:

It’s a really cool space and as it gets built out in the coming weeks will look more like an office away from home. There are many opportunities for shared and dedicated space with different price points that may appeal to some folks looking for something more permanent.

A third space (also in St. Paul) was announced this week by Zach, click the 3^rd place for the details. Zach too has flexible plans of 1x, 2x and weekly/monthly (full time) spots.

If you are a freelancer, solo worker, independent consultant and are looking for ways to get out of the home office and into a location that is flexible take a look at these locations and/or reach out to Amy, Zach and Don.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in the New Year.

From: CareerAlley

So where are we in the recession life-cycle? Not sure that anyone really knows the answer yet, but we are all hoping that we are about at bottom and this recent quiet period is not just a temporary lull in the downward spiral. That being said, jobs will still be lost - especially in the automotive related industries. So hopefully the fastest growing companies are the fastest at job creation too. Picking up where we left off on the last volume in this series.

• Gulfport Energy - Ranked 23rd on the list, Gulfport is an independent oil and gas producer. Their career page has a brief overview along with a snailmail address and email address for sending resumes. There is no listing of job openings on their website nor can you register on their site.
• Google - No explanation needed here. As large as Google is, they still managed to make it to the fastest growing list. Their career site has a company overview along with a link for "What's it like to work at Google". Left hand side of the page has links for Life at Google, Office Locations, Joining Google and Student Jobs. The middle of the page has links for locations (US and International) as well as links to find out more about specific job functions. Click on any of the job functions to search for specific jobs.
• Blackrock - The money management firm, ranked 25th on the list, still managed to grow fast in a down market. Their main careers page has links on the left for Analysts & Associates, Professional Opportunities, New Hires and more. The middle of the page has company information with a few links for additional information. Click on any of the links on the left to go to a function specific page. Once there, click your location from the Apply for Jobs box on the right hand side of the page. This will lead to a job search page for that location.
• Metalico - Not to be confused with the band (similar name), Metalico is "is a Ferrous and Non-Ferrous scrap metal processor operating in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Texas and Mississippi. Metalico, Inc. is also the nation's largest fabricator of lead based products, other than batteries. " based on their main page. Their career page is, to be frank, not worth the space. There is a brief paragraph on the company along with an email address for resume submission.
• GameStop - If you ever wanted to play games as a job (and get paid for it), now's your chance. Gamestop, ranked 27 on the list is not only a fast growing company, but it is also on the Fortune 500 list. Their main career site has a brief over view (center page) and tabs on the left hand side of the page to select where in the organization you would like to work (Stores, Home Office, Distribution, etc.). There are additional links for benefits and Application Paperwork. So your mother was wrong, you can make a living playing games!