Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 16, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

• A beautiful night. It has been so long since sitting outside, in shorts, 70 degrees, after 10 pm. This corner of Downtown is very quiet.
• First news story on KARE 11: The weather. In a good way. 79 degrees. And nice weekend too. First one of the season. So sad to say in mid May
• @RobertFischer I have been getting the same questions for Minnesota Recruiters. I think we have a culture of sharing, meeting, friendly.
• Welcome a new Minnesota Recruiter friend @derrickmoe and a reminder that I started @mnrecruiters today.
• Downtown Mpls traffic report: Why? Because it already sucks. A beautiful day and folks are leaving early for the weekend.
• Economy: Sorry, bad news always comes on Fridays
• CNBC: "Stealth Layoffs" Sweep across Wall Street http://www.cnbc.com/id/2466...
• Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers: May 59.5, June was 62.6, 59.5 is lowest since June 1980.
• Oil: Passed $127 earlier, mid $126 now. Goldman Sachs says $141 in second half of year
• Barak Obama speech: swings back at President Bush and John McCain
• Minnesota Recruiters: @mnrecruiters for information on the group, events, and a place to gather ourselves.
• Between Minnesota Recruiters, Minnebar, MIMA, and #smbmsp this was clearly the most informative week of my 10+ year professional career.
• @GraemeThickins what a great event for someone like me
• Paraphrase from #SMBMSP, if you want free read my blog. Pay me for implementing what you read.
• Crap, over slept, missing #smbmsp but watching live video which is way cool. So is @cullect, big fan of @garrickvanburen

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 15 - May 10, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

May 15, 2008

• I hope my @smbmsp friends do not care that when they see me I will look like a truck ran over me. Twice. Another late, late night.
• Recruiter friends: check out @ere_net and @FordyceLetter
• @erincarlson Try www.arcgreatertwincities.org, click About Us and then their link to www.bluetrucks.org/
• BEAUTIFUL spring day in Mpls. Light wind 70 degrees bright sun. Saw a bee for the first time. Ornamental trees flowering. Smells like spring
• @ebkelly Good idea, had not thought about it. With all my thoughts about video did not think about my own. Will see if I can get it set up.
• @mjkeliher No, they do Job Fairs 3-5 times a year. This is not for Star Tribune it is sponsored by Star Tribune through their career section
• Kennedy Conference using Twitter @kennedyinfo Cool to see Recruiter and HR folk grasping this as a tool. And getting some nice quotes/stats
• StarTribune Career Expo, I am on from 1-2 pm I have a "killer" resume, now what? Tips on being your own Headhunter http://tinyurl.com/5b7c5w

May 14, 2008

• Sending best wishes to my RecruitingBlogs.com friends in Vegas. Had a great chat with Jason Davis tonight. Hear a party was about to start.
• Why are people and companies so scared of taking a chance. Not a big one, but a small one to see if something might work.
• Between Minnesota Recruiters, MinneBar, and MIMA my head is going to explode with ideas, thoughts, and a few frustrations.
• Breaking News: John Edwards endorses Barak Obama
• Consumer prices up .2%, less than expected.
• Blog post for Minnesota Recruiters April 28th event with @jasonalba hosted at JobDig http://tinyurl.com/6h7lqr
• Watching live stream of interviews at Kennedy Conference in Las Vegas, www.recruitingblogs.com
• Listening to @smheadhunter and @animal on www.blogtalkradio.com/animal

May 13, 2008

• MN Recruiters: Did I miss anyone?
• MN Recruiters: @DaveHulbert @StevenRothberg @RecruitingGuy @RickDeare @timesse @AppleRecruiter @kateklobe @erincarlson
• MN Recruiters: @jokahn @MplsRecruiter @txaggie94 @toddbaer @Tavisd @robertstanke @jjbuss @ebkelly @ksielingg10 @ashleymonseth @ecaron
• Minnesota Recruiter Twitter friends: Send me a DM, or email with your user name. Want to make sure I get you all in this weeks newsletter
• NWA: Sunday a plane from LAX to Det is diverted to Vegas for "maintenance". Top panel on left wing came off. Called "out of the ordinary".
• Barak Obama: 4 more Super Delegates
• MN Friends: When I started my blog I created a page to help nonprofit and community orgs find IT help. Just updated, www.mnheadhunter.com/vol
• MIMA event: I am attending for the first time and will only know my MinneBar and Twitter friends. Anyone looking for a Wing Man/Shadow?
• Economy: Goldman Sachs Abby Joseph Cohen, U.S. economy has hit bottom, US economic data to improve Q3-Q4,.
• Economy: Retail Sales down .2%. Take out Autos, up 0.5% Better than expected.
• Fed Res Bernanke: Financial markets, credit risks better but far from normal.
• Kennedy Conference: Wishing all my recruiter friends a safe trip to Vegas. Looking forward to updates. Hope someone leaks the good stuff.

May 12, 2008

• Larry King: Replay from earlier this evening with John Edwards. Seems I like the people after they drop more than when they were running
• Celtics vs. Cavaliers: I am a KG fan but that dunk by LeBron on KG wil be an all timer. And they win too. Crap.
• CNBC: NYSE halts shares of EDS for pending announcement
• CNBC: HP close to deal for EDS. Could be announced tomorrow.
• New Minnesota Recruiter on Twitter, @kateklobe
• LinkedIn: Heroine for Recruiters.
• RecruitingBlogs.com: Announcing a LinkedIn group to 700 members today. All 7,000 tomorrow. Short term chaos will begin. Wondering how much.
• Very wrong on many levels: Nuking yesterday's leftover grilled cheeseburger for breakfast at 1:30 PM.
• Operator error (I am still sort of new at this). Trying again for @rickdeare blogpost, http://tinyurl.com/5jm5un
• Blog post: @rickdeare on Minnesota Recruiters event, http://tinyurl.com/5jm5un. I feel good about the event, but I am not nearly that cool.
• My "get up and go" "got up and went". If you see it please sent it back my way.

May 11, 2008

• RecruitingBlogs.com: Big, big news coming in the next 12-36 hours.
• Politics: Washington Post has Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as #1 VP choice for McCain.
• Minnesota Twins: On ESPN vs. Red Sox. Wakefield's first pitch, to Gomez, a knuckleball, big miss. Wonder if Gomez has ever seen one before.
• Minnesota Recruiters informal hiring poll: From Friday, hiring more/less as planned '08, Corp 60/40, Consult 40/60, Search firms 50/50
• MinneBar: Seeing links to blog posts/pics. I am doing mine Mon. Will add your links to my blog post. Send links to paul@mnheadhunter.com
• MinneBar: One ironic thing happened today. I got the buzz cut Thursday and wore a blue shirt today. Looked identical to Twitter profile pic
• @fanchatter Very good to meet you. If I can find a way to yell at the ref's and Hawkeye fans while using Twitter and your site, I am in.

May 10, 2008

• registered @gophers and @gopherblog. Too bad @gopherfootball was taken 9 months ago. Will connect those to www.gopherfootballblog.com
• During the Twitter sessions and talking about noise, thinking about Gopher football and driving you all crazy I...
• After a much needed nap and feeling a little better, time to absorb the past 42 hours. Thankfully, Hunt For Red October is on Bravo. Love it.
• I hope my Recruiter friends are OK with today
• My Twitter noise. One topic was how much and what kinds of Tweets are too much. Tech folks were OK with the Minnesota Recruiters stuff.
• Minnesota Recruiters & MinneBar post event: Yesterday we have a light lunch with water and soda. Today light app's and a long line for beer
• MinneBar: Had a lengthy conversation with a frustrated job seeker. I wonder if he would sit on a panel for Minnesota Recruiters...
• MinneBar: Thrilled to have met all of you I have been following. This has been a blast. And Happy Hour has not started yet.
• MinneBar: Cool, he too was just finishing his presentation. I am not the only one.
• MinneBar: Blogging For Benjamins
• Minnesota Recruiters and MinneBar observation: yesterday it was sort of rude to be using laptop, Blackberry, IM. Today, feel word if not.
• MinneBar: Left for Beyond Twitter. Still Twitter rookie so this is a little above my level. Like the idea of seating chart by Twitter name.
• Jamie's Minne Word Camp, http://wiki.thingelstad.com...
• My idea for a local tech board and portal is getting my adrenaline running. Might be time to do it.
• Minnesota Recruiters and MinneBar observation: Employers cannot find tech folks, tech folks cannot find jobs. WTF???
• MinneBar: Power WordPress & MinneWord Camp with Jamie Thinglestad
• MinneBar: Left for Distributed Team work. Interesting conversation including lack of women in the industry.
• MinneBar: 7 deadly sins to startup marketing.
• MinneBar: State of the State was cool. Nice chat with Dan Grigsby then Michael Gorman after. Also Graeme Thickens and Steve Borsch
• Made it to MinneBar, in the Twitter session. Nice to see faces of people I have been following.
• All of my MN Tech friends are at MinneBar. I am getting out of bed after a week of craziness. Mind is screaming to go. Body not replying.

Jason Alba With Minnesota Recruiters At JobDig

April 28, 2008 we had our first Minnesota Recruiters topic session. We were fortunate that Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com was in Minneapolis for the week and had time to speak with us.

This was the first time in a 2+ year online and phone friendship that I was able to meet Jason in person.

Here is the PR material for the event:

Social Tools and Technologies for Recruiters

LinkedIn is obviously a powerful tool for recruiters.  What about other social tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs?  How can recruiters develop and execute a social networking strategy that will help them find new (and passive) candidates, engage with them and develop a relationship, enriching their candidate pool? Join Jason Alba as he shares what he’s learned as a job seeker and career management advocate, taking you on a tour of successful recruiter strategies with these four technologies.

How Jason started JibberJobber.com is a most interesting story which you can find by clicking Jason Alba’s Story.

Here are some more links for Jason:

• http://www.JibberJobber.com
• http://www.JibberJobber.com/blog
• I'm on LinkedIn - Now What??? http://LinkedInHelp.com
• I'm on Facebook - Now What??? http://ImOnFacebookNowWhat.com
• YOU are CEO of You, Inc.  http://www.JibberJobber.com/CEO

Jason covered a lot of material in 90 minutes including the use of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and more.

He also focused on the need to be authentic and transparent. Two traits that are vital when being online and I would say should be obvious things to do but I find many recruiters not doing it.

We had 40+ recruiters in the room and feedback from the event was very positive.

Jason sold some books and I picked up six for the Minnesota Recruiters (un)Conference.

I really appreciate the help from Toby Dayton and Molly Moseley of JobDig. They were great hosts and I look forward to doing this with them again.

After the event Jason, Steven Rothberg, Rick Deare, Katie Konrath and I had dinner where I kept the group somewhat amused with my many questions including why recruiters only post on job boards and do not take advantage of other tools. Many thanks to Steven for picking up the dinner bill.

Here are some blog posts about the event:

• I’m On LinkedIn, Now What???
• Jason Alba Explains Twitter
• Social Tools and Technologies w/ Jason Alba
• JobDig Hosts Jason Alba For A Discussion Of Social Media
• Jason Alba Explains Social Media

Here are a few pictures:

 

And here is a short video from the beginning of the event:

Minnesota IT Jobs And IT Volunteer Opportunities With Minnesota Non Profits

The following new Minnesota IT jobs and IT volunteer opportunities have been added on the MN Headhunter Volunteer Page:

• Basic Computer Technology Tutor | Volunteer | Minnesota Literary Council
• Computer Nerds | Volunteer | CommonBond Communities
• Kids and Computers | Volunteer | Aeon (formerly Central Community Housing Trust)
• Technology Assistant | Volunteer | Guild Incorporated
• Project Manager | Full Time Job | CaringBridge
• Business Analyst | Full Time Job | CaringBridge
• Web Content Developer | Part Time Job | Will Steger Foundation
• Web and Media Designer/Developer | Full Time Job | University of St. Thomas
• Network Administrator | Full Time Job | HIRED
  

Click weekly newsletter to receive the Wednesday message of nonprofit needs, IT jobs I am recruiting for, recruiter jobs, and most popular blog posts of the week.

If you are using a RSS Feed click Volunteer.

Technorati Tags: IT Volunteer, IT Job, Minnesota Non Profit, Minnesota Jobs

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the things I would like to write about like economic, Wall Street, and political news (sports too) I never have time to get to. With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor of what I am thinking about.

I will not include all of the ones where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 9 - May 6, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

May 9, 2008

• Minnesota Twins: Sports cast they were losing. Flipping through the channels to see team freaking out. Come back to win in 9th.
• U of M hockey: Blake Wheeler to go pro. Good for him. Bad for us.
• MinneBar Happy Hour, stopped in briefly to say hey to a couple of people. Did not stick around, already home, ordering pizza, then sleep.
• Must...motivate...self...to..get...to...MinneBar...Happy Hour. Motivate to go to a bar? Dang, this sucks.
• Also picked up @AppleRecruiter
• Tim Esse, @timesse, is a Apple Recruiter. he also picked up AppleRecruiter. Tim, nice move with that.
• 2 new Minnesota Recruiters using Twitter since the end of the event. Welcome to @ashleymonseth and @timesse
• 70%+ were first timers. A much more experienced crowd.
• Ran out of morning beverages. Way too much food for lunch.
• I did not have my presentation done. Had a rough, rough draft that I used. I know the material but the PPT looked weak.
• It rings and buzzes during the 1st presentation.
• I "lost" my cell phone. Searched for 30 minutes. Had left it at the front of the room on a chair. Called my number with another phone....
• Minnesota Recruiters: Have not seen the attended list, for sure had 200. Maybe not 200. Comical/unfortunate personal moments.
• 2.5 hours of sleep. This must be a horrible dream, err, reality show. C'MON brain, start functioning. Double time, gotta get going...
• 3:15 AM: must...take...nap
• 3:00 AM: @jasonalba books on LinkedIn and Facebook in bag
• 2:45 an: shirt ironed, camera and cell phone charged, business cards in bag, all I have left is the presentation. I have lots of time...
• Son of a B!+[H printer has not been used in a while. Ink in cartridges. Not coming out. Tried the cleaning option. Did not work. 1:45 am
• Minnesota Recruiters: Printing sign in sheet. 1:40 am
• Minnesota Recruiters: Event PowerPoint done. 1:30 am

May 8, 2008

• Had a very nice conversation with Susan Burns, @TalentSynch. She is doing a recruiter event in Portland in June with Recruiting Roadshow.
• A DM from a Mpls tech friend: "Dude, did you die? Did your event list 'to do' items kill you?" Nope, I am fine. I am way behind but fine.
• Late cancellations. I know they happen and I really do understand. But it makes planning an event very difficult to do.

May 7, 2008

• Minnesota Twins: Livan Hernandez has complete game. Twins win 13-1. Gomez for the cycle. Beating the White Sox... priceless
• Minnesota Twins: Carlos Gomez hits for the cycle. Last Twin to hit for the cycle was Kirby Puckett Aug 1, 1986.
• Minnesota Twins: YEEEESSSSSS
• Minnesota Twins: Gomez has HR, Triple, Double up to bat...
• MinneBar on Saturday. Looking forward to attending an event and not planning it. This is my first one. Will also hit Happy Hour Friday!!!
• Minnesota Recruiters: How does one order food for 235 people? Is there a ratio? Seems that we always have way too much with 125.
• CNBC: Microsoft has sent "feelers" to Facebook to see if they can be acquired.
• Wall Street: Oil up over $123. Stocks -220 at one point not -180. NASD & S&P down too.
• Sprint/Nextel and I are about to have an ugly divorce after a 7+ year relationship. Rant soon to follow and will be Rated R.
• Off to Oberon for a meeting with CJ Dube, www.oberonllc.com
• @GraemeThickins Friday: Recruiter/HR folk. Saturday: explore the tech side. Sunday: absorb, sleep, contain brain tangents.
• @ecaron I think I get what you sent me was cool. The un cool in me thinks that is a lot of work, and what if I screw it up.
• Camera: My issue is I am not a gadget guy. I do not own a Blackberry or an iPod. There, I said it. I outed myself.

May 6, 2008

• Obama/Clinton tonight will be like Stars/Sharks the other night. Hopefully Gary gets his votes counted before 1:30 am.
• @byteCoder Mostly I am socially moderate/liberal and fiscally conservative. Which I means I usually vote for the person I think sucks less.
• @byteCoder I had not taken that one but I am very consistent. Was upper right corner centrist, border conservative and libertarian
• Indiana spread less than 20,000
• I was asked in a DM where I stand politically. Very middle of the road. If the wind blows while on the fence 6 of 10 I fall to the right
• Kevin Garnett for President. nuff said.
• I am looking at a Casio Elixim... I just do not use a camera enough nor need all the gadgets. Nice pics, some video. Very simple.
• Digital Camera advice needed: Spending $250 for a 10 MP or $150 for a 7 MP. Does it really make a difference?
• Clinton: Is she in the Twilight Zone? I hope her speech is enough for the party leaders to say enough. Maybe she has now gone too far.
• Sen Clinton, seriously enough all ready. Be gracious, take a step back, and move on.
• Clinton: Full speed on to the White House? Does she mean for Obama's inauguration should he beat McCain?
• Obama wins North Carolina. Indiana too close to call, Clinton in the lead. Could this be the end one chapter and beginning of the big show?
• Minnesota Recruiters: Seen the other two presentations and am feeling that I need to step up my game. This is going to be a good event.
• 72 degrees at Noon. Severe Thunderstorms in SW Minnesota. Spring might be here to stay.
• Minnesota Recruiters: Information on the event including sponsors and presentations at www.mnheadhunter.com & www.minnesotarecruiters.com
• Cable news: You would think there was a primary going on today. Looks like nothing else is happening in the world.
• I find this hillarious as I do most things from @powerbaby, http://tinyurl.com/5dw4ga "I have a serious problem with the worm"

Technorati Tags: Twitter

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the things I would like to write about like economic, Wall Street, and political news (sports too) I never have time to get to. With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor of what I am thinking about.

I will not include all of the ones where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 5 - May 3, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

May 5, 2008

• Wait a minute, John Sumser is @johsumser without the "n"? Hey John, WTF?
• Chris Paul and the Hornets make Tim Duncan and the Spurs look like a high school JV team.
• Had a great conversation with @johnsumser of RecruitingRoadshow.com regarding the July 18th event. His and our 1 year anniversary.
• @PowerBaby In my presentations I hammer on this, it is never too early to network. Start now and just think who you will know in 20 years.
• Target: Sells 47% interest in the receivables unit to JP Morgan for $3.6B in cash.
• ISM's non-manufacturing employment index: Up to 50.8 in April from 46.9 in March. See, I can post multiple good news events in one day.
• ISM non-manufacturing index: Service Sector grew. 52.0 in April, 49.1 was estimate. 49.6 in March. See, I do post good news
• CNBC: YHOO largest shareholders upset. Would consider changing the board. Would have considered $34 a share.
• Grilling a steak on a beautiful day at 2 pm. Is this lunch or dinner?
• My favorite Twitter friend is @PowerBaby. Every day I get a good laugh http://tinyurl.com/674v5r
• Minnesota Recruiters gets nice plug from Ning blog: http://tinyurl.com/6ouw2z Very cool.
• @jrmehle It is not. When it is announced you will likely be surprised a little that an "old" company would "get it".
• Gas prices are "part" of the conversation for the first time.
• Seeing many candidates ask questions about time and miles on the road to work. Gas prices are put of the conversation for the first time.
• Citing fuel costs for employees, expansion costs for HQ's space, trying to be "green" and user friendly for employees.
• A local large employer to go to 4-10 hours day and/or 1 day telecommute as part of recruiting/retention effort. Will be announced soon.
• @RobertFischer I know. I only post stuff I think someone would want to know about. I am more fun during up markets and good times.
• Oil: Breaks $120 on supply concerns from Nigeria and weak U.S. $
• Dallas Stars victorious over San Jose Sharks in 4 OT's. Dallas to play the Detroit Red Wings. I can go to bed now.

May 4, 2008

• Franken vs Coleman, Channel 5 poll out: Coleman 52, Franken 42, Undecided 6. Coleman gained with R's. Franken lost some D's.
• A most beautiful day in Minneapolis. Finally it looks like spring is here to stay.
• Gopher Football: For those not yet aware Gopher football is my thing. Hasan Lipscomb RB 4* from Houston, TX picks Minnesota over LSU
• Garnett sets a great pick. A hard foul for sure but "legal". Likely in some retaliation for what happened on Rondo earlier. Watch the replay
• Boston Celtics and Kevin Garnett giving Atlanta Hawks an old fashioned ass whooping. 70-34, 3:00 3rd quarter.
• Al Franken: He paid $70,000 in taxes to the wrong state. And now has paid $70,000 to the correct states. Did he pay double?

May 3, 2008

• @derickson Normally do not start paying much attention until the All Star Game but with all the new guys have been watching more than usual
• Twins: Win 4th in a row. Joe Nathan 10th save in 10 tries.

Technorati Tags: Twitter

Minnesota Recruiters (un)Conference | Spring 2008

PLEASE NOTE: We have "sold out" this event and are currently working from a wait list. We usually have a few cancellations if you would like to be added to the wait list send me an email (paul@mnheadhunter.com) with the following information:

Name
Company
Title
Phone number
Email address

220+ Minnesota Recruiter and HR professionals will gather this Friday, May 9^th, at Best Buy Corporate Headquarters for the Minnesota Recruiters (un)Conference | Spring 2008 event.

Here is the official invite:

Leading up to our Winter (February 2008) event we had been kicking around the idea of expanding our seating at Best Buy from the conference room (around 120) to the theater (around 220) with the idea that we would accommodate more of our colleagues and have some extra space to stretch our legs.

Well, we do have more of our colleagues attending, a lot more, but we do not have the extra space. As in no extra space.

Response to this event was amazing and a little unexpected. We “sold out” in 36 hours.

Many thanks to our Event Sponsors without whom this event would not be possible:

 

 

Presentations and Speakers:

Foundations for Diversity

Patti Yaritz, Principal at Divercities Research & Recruitment, President Research at Turner Management Consulting Group

The ability to manage a diverse workforce will be the difference between success and failure for the 21st century manager. From women, to people of color, to Generation X, to single parents, to the physically challenged, to gay and lesbian employees. We will explore the benefits and challenges of valuing diversity, identify major patterns of cultural differences between minority groups, and help identify the values and beliefs about people who are different from yourself.

Building a Value Added Recruiting Function

Jim D'Amico, Sr. Recruitment Manager at Schwan's Shared Services, LLC.

Information will cover the frame work and steps for transforming a corporate recruiting function into a value added business partner.

Creating and Building Passive Candidate and Talent Pools 101

Paul DeBettignies, Managing Partner of Nerd Search, LLC, Author of MN Headhunter blog

Recent industry buzz has been about Passive Candidates and Talent Pools. We will talk about how to use RSS Feeds, newsletters, email, job ads, company career sites, and social network sites to create and build relationships with those not actively seeking a new job.

Location Sponsor:

Group Sponsor:

The next event will be July 18, 2008 from 8 am - Noon, location TBD. This will be our one year anniversary of Minnesota Recruiters and we will be co-hosting with John Sumser as he makes his triumphant return to Minnesota with his Recruiting Roadshow.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota Recruiters

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the things I would like to write about like economic, Wall Street, and political news (sports too) I never have time to get to. With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor of what I am thinking about.

I will not include all of the ones where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 2 - April 26, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

May 2, 2008

• Grandma's to close May 22nd. So sad. So many fond memories. So many, many fuzzy ones. And a few hours unaccounted for. (years ago)
• Grandma's on 7 Corners to close? So teased by KARE 11.
• CNBC: Ebay's Lawsuit is Hypocritical, Says Craigslist
• Another MN Twitter recruiter newbie, @RickDeare
• April Jobs report: -20,000 and unemployment 5.0% | -85,000 and 5.2% was the consensus. Feb and March revised -8,000. Not bad, so to speak.
• Robin Williams coming to Acme Comedy Club in Mpls. Any chance someone has an in for me to get 2 tickets?

May 1, 2008

• Home Depot: Closing 15 stores across the U.S. for performance issues. First time closing for this reason. 1-MN, 3-WI.
• Minnesota Recruiters event is "SOLD OUT". 220 attendees and the wait list has started.
• @researchgoddess StartUpers. I love that site. Gives me a different perspective to something I am working on.

April 30, 2008

• Minnesota Recruiters: 210 registered. Only 10 spots left.
• I am @RecruitingGuy 's first follower. After 6 some weeks I already feel like a veteran.
• Minnesota Recruiters: 203 of 220 registered. Amazing.
• Minnesota Recruiters: Yikes, passed 180. Apparently we have tapped into some with these events.
• Fed: cut .25% to 2%, inflation moderating, easing should promote modest growth, labor markets softened, many see this as neutral, but good
• Why this event? 200+ recruiters find difficult to fill jobs during recession. Recruiters using Web 2.0 tools. Recruiting a diverse workforce
• Minnesota Recruiters: 162 registered in the first 24 hours. 220 might be within reach. Anyone know a local reporter who would find interest?
• ADP: April job number +10K. Forecast -60K. March revised from +8K to +3K. US Labor report this Friday. Analysts predict -80K.
• Economy: Take inventories and the 5.5% growth in exports, the number would have been negative. So when people say feels like it, it is.
• Economy: Yesterday I said the economy grew .6% that was wrong was an estimate. But it was right, Q1 GDP was .6%. Not technically a recession
• Bill O'Reilly interviews Hillary Clinton for this evening's show.

April 29,2008

• @jasonalba There are some good people and great business to be done in Minneapolis. Make sure you spread the word. Minnesota thanks you.
• Welcome to the Twitter universe famous/infamous Steven Rothberg @StevenRothberg . Another place to talk hockey, Chipotle and career things.
• Minnesota Recruiters: 5 hours into semi-open registration, 104 attendees.
• @dbrauer My issue is another politician not correctly taking care of their own business but think qualified to take care of the countries
• Al Franken and (D) U.S. Senate candidate owes $70,000 to 17 states in back taxes. Whoa, that's more than just a little accounting error.
• CNBC: Q4 '07 GDP = 4.9%. Q1 '08 GDP = .6%. Q2 '08 GDP estimate is .5%
• CNBC: Fed tomorrow likely to cut interest rate .25% then signal a pause.
• Minnesota Recruiters: 86 registered. Umm, not sure I am ready for this. 200+ make be realistic.
• @txaggie94 You cannot treat me this way. We are not married.
• Sen Obama says Rev Wright has disrespected Obama. Using words like spectacle, divisive, outrageous, insulting.
• @jokahn I miss The Sundays
• Minnesota Recruiters: 75 minutes in, 69 registered. Previous events max'd at 125. This one 220. At this rate we may get close.
• Minnesota Recruiters invite for May 9th event sent to previous attendees and those with a profile on the site. All get the invite tomorrow.
• MN based UnitedHealth Group: Stock at a 52 week low.
• President Bush doing a press conference on the economy.
• Consumer Confidence Index: April, 62.3 versus March 65.9 Inflation concerns and job worries are biggest issues.
• Politics: NC Gov endorses Clinton

April 28, 2008

• Jason Alba, thinks for speaking to the Minnesota Recruiters group on social media tools. Personal note, very good to finally meet my friend
• Any friends of Jason Alba? Give a reply here so I can announce it to him. Twitter is next in his presentation.
• Minnesota Recruiters: 3 colleagues using Twitter
• @jasonalba doing his presentation here at JobDig. Doing a great job.
• 2.5 hour mid-morning nap after being up all night, sucked. Should have stayed awake.
• After being up all night, not a great way to start the week, I am going to take a nap now. Alarm set for Noon.
• Minnesota Recruiters Newsletter #4 posted with group email about to be sent. www.minnesotarecruiters.com
• Why does MTV start showing music videos at 3 am? Maybe they should show some of that other crap at this hour and play music during the day.
• Jon Stewart's will bring the Daily Show to St. Paul's History Theatre for the GOP convention.
• TV sucks worse Sun PM/Mon AM than other late nights. My only option is this mornings "Meet The Press". Howard Dean first guest.
• OJ wants to be on The Apprentice, http://tinyurl.com/3qznse Please Mr. Trump, show some integrity, screw the ratings, and say no.

April 27, 2008

• @jasonalba Dude if you are working on the one for us, go to bed. Wing it.
• TwinCitiesBlogs.com: Now using Cullect.com to aggregate blogs. Business page done, http://www.twincitiesblogs..... Work in progess
• NFL Draft: Houston Texans, 5th Round, pick Dom Barber S from Minnesota. Go Gophers!!!
• @jasonalba Did you pack warm clothes?
• NFL Draft: Detroit Lions, 7th rd, pick Caleb Campbell S of Army. If in the NFL for 2 years, 5 year commit is waived. Recruiter in offseason
• Minnesota Vikings: 5th round draft John David Booty, QB, USC. Crap, now I have to chear for a Trojan. That sucks. Hopefully I do it a lot.

April 26, 2008

• Yes 35W is closed. People did not read the paper, watch the news, listen to the radio, not been on a local web site this past week?
• Conference Board Help-Wanted Advertising Index, down again http://tinyurl.com/5zvs9l
• Looks like I too no longer understand or appreciate the humor of Mother Nature. F'ing snow. Seriously, enough already.

Technorati Tags: Twitter

Career Strategy for the New Age

Author Byline:  Real-Time Video interviews

Career Strategy and Interview Strategy

     Students who graduate from today's universities, business schools and MBA programs have worked long and hard to develop themselves as the ideal candidates for progressive careers in business and technology.  University curriculum in this market requires not only courses in strategic financial management and integrated business and marketing communications, but also seminars in career and personal development such as resume building, interview skills, and the construction of an individual career strategy. Business technology in the 21st century demands that job applicants prepare for the webcam interview as a component of their career training.
     Mapping a career among the vast highways of technology, competition and outsourcing is not easy.  Unlike the career paths chosen by the small percentage of college graduates during the 1940s and 50s, applicants now must ‘fit’ themselves into the fast lanes of a company’s culture and technological purpose.  Progressive job seekers know that real career success depends on a comprehensive individual plan that details specific professional goals and proven techniques for achieving them.  Moreover, successful candidates must be able to convey their skills and their ‘fit’ into available business positions during the initial meeting with potential employers.  This is where part two of the individual career plan begins….
     A few years ago, potential hires were called ‘in’ to a human resources office for a face-to-face interview.  Suits were cleaned, shirts were ironed, and shoes were shined.  As business went global, the face-to-face became less prevalent so employers could cut their investments of time and overhead.  The telephone interview became the most common method for conducting initial interviews; the limitations, however, of th e telephone interview were obvious and offered interviewers very little information beyond what had been submitted via resume and cover letter. Thanks to technological advances and inexpensive digital and web technology, the webcam interview has been adopted as the initial interview format of choice. In truth, the webcam interview is the least problematic method for both the interviewer and the applicant.  Although the human resources representative can’t shake an applicant’s hand, he or she can observe the candidate’s demeanor, body language, energy and reactions to skill and experience questions. Serious job candidates need to be prepared to excel in this new and growing practice.
     Experts in the field of human resources offer job seekers advice on preparing for and succeeding in a webcam interview:  A webcam interview is not informal; a job candidate must look professional even if he or she will only be seen from the waist up.  Having a copy of a resume and occasionally glancing at it is not taboo; reading from notes, however, is amateurish. Looking frequently at the webcam while speaking gives the interviewer the feeling of ‘eye contact’ and establishes a more personal interview. Experts suggest that job candidates try to relax, smile, and be natural.
     Of course, all job applicants should go into an interview with knowledge of the available position and its requirements, information about the company and its policies, locations, benefits, etc. Applicants should also bring a list of questions about the available position and the company to the initial interview.
     Graduates and job seekers have labored to become the ideal candidates for today jobs. Career and personal development has become an important component in that labor, and business demands that successful applicants be prepared for the future of human resources: webcam technology.

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.

MN Headhunter’s Gopher Football Blog Interview From October 2007

Newer visitors to MN Headhunter are unaware that until January of 2007 I was doing frequent posts about Minnesota Golden Gopher Football. Some of my Recruiter, HR, and Tech friends grew annoyed with my frequent posts about who would replace Glen Mason and then commentary on Coach Tim Brewster.

So I started a new blog Gopher The Roses and moved content over there. The problem was/is, it was a whole lot easier posting here than doing it there. Not sure why, maybe my attention span. Or maybe the thought of how much work two blogs would be.

I don’t know.

Anyway, another Gopher Football blogger and I were interviewed for the Tim Brewster Show in October of 2007.

Below is the post I just put up at Gopher The Roses...

As posted May 04, 2008 at Gopher The Roses:

Last season Jeremy Miller who writes Golden Gopher Football and I were interviewed about our Gopher football blogs. I still have not had a chance to meet Jeremy but have swapped some email over the months.

Below is the video of the replay on a TV. The quality is a little off but the audio is good and you will get the idea of the interview.

Jeremy is featured first. I get in at the 1:45 minute mark.

The funny looking dude at the end is my fraternity and pledge brother Jason who I travel with once or twice a year. The 2008 season is looking like we are on a plane to Ohio State (Columbus) and by car to Wisconsin (Madison).

Technorati Tags: Gopher Football

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the things I would like to write about like economic, Wall Street, and political news (sports too) I never have time to get to. With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor of what I am thinking about.

I will not include all of the ones where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | April 25, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

• Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina Center and ACC Player of the Year, coming back for his senior season.
• Jim Cramer, CNBC: Twice this week called MN the Badger state. Someone from MN wrote in. He now has pictures to remind himself.
• @txaggie94 Yes, Mother Nature has a sense of humor. The problem is you, me, and the rest of the crowd do not share it.
• Minnesota Recruiters with Jason Alba at JobDig April 28th is "sold out". Can an event be "sold out" when it is free?
• American and Continental in partnership talks. Not a merger.
• Consumer Confidence Index: Third straight down month. Lower than expected. Lowest since 1982 with "Stagflation".
• A ship contracted by the U.S Military Sealift Command fires on Iranian boat. Of course price of oil goes up $3, now past $119.

Technorati Tags: Twitter

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the things I would like to write about like economic, Wall Street, and political news (sports too) I never have time to get to. With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor of what I am thinking about.

I will not include all of the ones where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | April 24, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

• N.Y. Orders Large Web Retailers To Charge Tax
• Paul Douglas is fine. Don Shelby will be fine. WeatherNation is in business. I hope the local news folks are moving on now. I know I have.
• Arby's eats Wendy's in all stock deal. Enter funny joke here (here)...
• MN friends: Any of you attending the Gopher football spring game Friday evening? If you are thinking of a sarcastic reply. Trust me, resist.
• MSFT:Q3 EPS slightly better. Q3 revenue .5B short. FY08 EPS raised. International sales up with the weaker Dollar. Stock, down a pinch.
• Rasmussen Reports MN poll: Sen Norm Coleman lead over Al Franken now 6+, was 2+. McCain losing to Obama -14 and Clinton -5. Was even.
• MN Friends: Sirens are going off for "Tornado Drill". Will again go off at 6:55 pm. Part of "severe weather week".
• MN Legislature passes "Hannah Montana Bill", outlaws ticket-buying software http://tinyurl.com/5b8qhd Company says software does not exist.
• New Gallup Poll: Obama 49%, Clinton 44%. Obama lead shrinks likely from Clinton victory in PA
• CIO.com: CIO's New Partnership with LinkedIn and they are on Twitter @CIOMagazine
• New home sales: Lowest level in 16.5 years
• Warehouse District: In the past 48 hours some buds on bushes and trees have popped open. YEAH spring.
• SUPERVALU: MN based company (acquired Albertson's some time ago) offering $30 for every $300 rebate check exchanged for gift card.

Technorati Tags: Twitter

Daily Twitter Notes

Why am I doing this? Sometimes the things I would like to write about like economic, Wall Street, and political news (sports too) I never have time to get to. With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor of what I am thinking about.

I will not include all of the ones where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | April 23, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

• @jasonalba Two seats left. If you have any MN contacts who want to attend, if the registration is full, have them email me. Will make room.
• @jasonalba That's right buddy, Minnesota Recruiters PR machine is at full throttle.
• Apple: Whoa, nice report. Clearly the economy is not impacting Apple. Stock price was up $8 right after release now up $2.5
• Apple: drum roll...
• Starbucks: Oops, not so good. Blaming economy for the most part.
• Amazon: Little better than expected earnings, revenue. Raise FY08 revenue a little. Q2 revenue a bit lighter than estimated. Stock down. ???
• @lisarokusek He interviewed me a few months ago, a good time. I want to interview him in the hot seat. Mostly for folks to get to know him.
• Late arrival to the Recruiting Animal show. Calling out Recruiting Animal. Let me interview you on your show. Why not accept are you scared?
• @researchgoddess I have two friends from Minneapolis at Web 2.0 @GraemeThickins and @timelliott Good people like you.
• @GraemeThickins I have a good recruiting friend attending, she is from Cleveland. @researchgoddess Amybeth Hale. You would like her.
• MN friends: Start faking an illness now so by the noon hour you can go home and enjoy the beautiful day. Make it up next when we see 40's.
• RNC asks North Carolina Rep's to pull Obama ad that would have started today. From the sounds of it, sounds a little/a lot racist.
• NWA net loss, $4.1B with a $3.9B "non-cash goodwill impairment charge". Whatever that is. Delta with a $6.39B loss. Looks like a good match

Technorati Tags: Twitter

Daily Twitter Notes

A friend of mine said she enjoyed reading the blog post of my 140 character posts on Twitter and asked if I could bring it back.

I know there is a widget that I can insert over there on the far right column at some point that does continuous updates.

For now I will simply do a cut and paste of my “tweets” as they are called. I will not include the ones where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | April 22, 2008 (last one first):

• Chris Matthews on MSNBC: paraphrasing...Another victory for cable television.
• Politics as theater, out. Politics as NHL playoffs, in. Two more weeks? I said that two weeks ago. Drop the gloves, may the best brawler win
• Politics: Enjoy listening to Hillary supporters rattle off states she won. Umm, knock knock, remember the last candidate to do that? Dean?
• PA conspiracy: The cable news folks did something to make these numbers come in slow forcing us to watch longer. They can't help themselves.
• YHOO: 1.73B – 1.93B estimate for Q2 revenue. $.4B higher than previous expectation.
• YHOO: EPS $.11 vs $.09 estimate. Beat expectations. Revenue $1.35 B vs $1.32B estimate. Beat expectations.
• YHOO: cue drum roll......
• Wanted: MN web firm to partner on creating a niche job board/portal to serve the local tech community. Would like to start work on it June 1
• Many thanks to @garrickvanburen for meeting with me today. And for pointing out MIMA is tomorrow night.
• Dear Pennsylvania please find a way, one or the other, to end the madness today. Every day, same coverage, feels like Groundhog Day
• Clooney took his football movie about Duluth to South Carolina. Clint Eastwood taking his MN theme movie to Michigan. MN politicians, helloo
• CNN: Tony Snow now a contributor. From "Fair and Balanced" to the White House to CNN. What's next, Oprah?

Technorati Tags: Twitter

MN Headhunter Blog Has 100,000th Visitor

To be honest, I have not much to say about this milestone. Not much because it feels sort of “enormous” that so may people have found their way here and have continued to come back.

The term “visitor” is each time someone comes to the site. So if you have come here two times a week for the almost three years since the blog started you would be .3% of my traffic.

I am pleased to say that every month I have more visitors than the last and I continue to receive a lot of email.

One thing I do think about is what it was like the first day I had 10 visitors. Then 50 visitors for the first time. 100 visitors for the first time.

Then averaging 100 visitors a day.

Now I am averaging 134 a day.

I know for some bloggers 100,000 visitors happens every week so my milestone may seem small to them but hey, I am happy with what is going on here.

Finally it’s about time that I say this, thank you for stopping by whether this is the first time or you are a frequent lurker. Very much appreciated.

(looks like I had more to say than I thought)

Technorati Tags: Blog

Minnesota Recruiters (un)Conference | Spring 2008 | Event Announcement

The next quarterly event for Minnesota Recruiters is set for May 9^th, 2008 at Best Buy Corporate Headquarters. Format is the same as previous events with three presentations and networking from 8 am – Noon and lunch and networking from Noon – 2 pm.

Presenters, topics and sponsors will be announced later this week with previous event attendees and those who have created a profile at Minnesota Recruiters getting the informal invitation this Friday. Next Monday, April 28^th, the formal invitation will be sent to all 635+ Recruiters and HR professionals on the email list.

The only change is rather than seat 125 attendees in the conference room we are using the theater that seats around 220. This will help us accommodate more of our colleagues and also take off some of the time I spend dealing with the waiting list.

This looks to be another good event and I am looking forward to it.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota Recruiters

Minnesota Headhunter To Present At Star Tribune Career Expo May 20, 2008

Well it looks like I did a great job at their event back in January as I have been invited back.

I am used to speaking to a specific audience like web developers, college students, folks 50 years of age and older, etc. The Star Tribune Career Expo is a mix of everyone so it was a little challenging to provide material that could transfer to each person situation.

But they liked me and especially with my liberal use of “suck”. As in “doing a job search sucks” or going through company career site profiles sucks”. First, it does. Second, most people will not say it.

Anyway, the presentation time has not yet been assigned and the information page not yet up but here is the information as I have it:

The Star Tribune Career Expo

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saint Paul RiverCentre
(Grand Ballroom CDGH – Level 4)

3 Events, 1 Location!

Engineering & Technology Pavilion
(candidates must have 2+ years of industry related experience on top of degree and be eligible to work in the US without sponsorship)

Professional/General Pavilion
(opportunities available for all levels of experience, including management)

Medical Pavilion
(candidates must have medical experience and/or education)

Technorati Tags: Minnesota Job Fair, Minnesota Career Fair

Importance of Mentor Programs for Entry Level IT Grads

Author Byline:  Tahjia Chapman
Author Website: http://www.collegerecruiter.com

Professional development is a life-long experience for IT professionals and their careers are the source of future opportunities. While involved with an organization, some entry level IT grads are in need of mentors whom can teach them the ropes, prepare them for a career in IT, and become allies within your organization. Mentor programs benefit new IT grads and current professionals with extensive leadership experience. With a mentor program, you can dig into the talent available in your organization rather than outsourcing training to consulting firms. In today’s market, businesses that implement mentor programs are saving a lot of money to reinvest into their organizations.

Help Grads Break Into The IT Industry

Recent IT grads benefit from the guidance of experienced professionals through mentor programs. If you design your mentor program the right way, recent IT grads will develop career skills that enrich your organization. Companies with modeled mentor programs experience more productivity than those without. Your organization’s credibility could instill a sense of confidence in the mentees and the mentors’ leadership roles will overflow into the company. With mentor programs, your company can control the transition of the new hire. 

Control the Transition 

Hires with exceptional potential will take advantage of your mentor program to become professionals.  The mentor program could give your candidates opportunities to network and join organizations as stated in 5 Ways to Break Into Your Industry  by Kristie Lorette. Your company’s involvement with entry level hires controls their growth within the company and industry due to the influence your leaders instill in them. The transition from student to IT professional involves a variety experiences your leaders can introduce without ‘shocking’ the hire. 

Instill Loyalty Within Recent Grads

What is better than a loyal professional? Your mentor program could create a community of leaders who find professional development necessary. Your organization’s culture can and will change due to the new ideals instilled in your students. Recent grads in search of new opportunities can discuss their capabilities with their mentors. Mentors must listen and help with the growth of potential leaders by providing insightful experiences. The loyalty between the mentee and company will exceed your expectations. 

Are you interested in implementing a mentor program for your company? Take stock of potential leaders, objectives to accomplish, and when to begin a flight group. The examination of success can be measured by objective and subjective data collected from participants. The development of the mentor program is based solely on your company’s objectives. All mentor programs do not operate with the same model so dig into your creative juices to explore your company’s potential in incorporating leadership roles into entry level hire positions.

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.

Minnesota Recruiters with Jason Alba, hosted by JobDig

As posted April 14, 2008 on the Minnesota Recruiters web site

During our quarterly (un)Conference events a frequent request has been to have specific topic sessions during the off months. This is our first topic session.

Minnesota Recruiters and JobDig are pleased to host an event with Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com on April 28, 2008 from 5 pm to 6:30 pm at the JobDig Corporate Office in Eden Prairie.

Social Tools and Technologies for Recruiters

LinkedIn is obviously a powerful tool for recruiters.  What about other social tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs?  How can recruiters develop and execute a social networking strategy that will help them find new (and passive) candidates, engage with them and develop a relationship, enriching their candidate pool? Join Jason Alba as he shares what he’s learned as a job seeker and career management advocate, taking you on a tour of successful recruiter strategies with these four technologies.

Jason Alba is the CEO and creator of JibberJobber.com, and author of “I’m on LinkedIn - Now What???” After a corporate downsizing impacted Jason in 2006, he experienced firsthand the difficulties of conducting a job search. Drawing on his extensive computer software and IT experience, Jason analyzed the job search process and developed JibberJobber.com, the gold standard in career management technology. Jason specializes in social media, with an emphasis on getting professional or business value out of various social tools. Jason maintains four blogs, including JibberJobber.com/blog, and is co-author of “I’m on Facebook - Now What???”

To register for this free event click: Minnesota Recruiters with Jason Alba, hosted by JobDig.

We have space for 50 attendees.

Refreshments will be served.

If you have comments, questions and ideas please send them to me.

Paul DeBettignies
Minnesota Recruiters
Co-Founder and Coordinator
paul@mnheadhunter.com

Technorati Tags: Minnesota Recruiters, Jason Alba, JibberJobber, JobDig

VISI Moving Headquarters To Eden Prairie And Build World Class Data Center In Duluth

There is a third piece of news too, VISI Purchases Internet Service Provider Infinity AccessNET. With that acquisition I become a VISI customer. One of the main areas of business for Infinity AccessNET besides small businesses is high density housing (condos, apartments, associations) so when I moved to the new condo I picked them up rather than Comcast.

I have written a few times here that I am a big fan of Mike Sowada, VISI CEO. A few years ago while working on a project I was able to get to know Mike really well and he is a good guy. I have high regards of him and the way he handles his personal and professional activities.Earlier this week VISI announced: VISI to Build $18 Million World-Class Data Center in Duluth. A big “win” for the City of Duluth, a good number of new jobs and will likely add more.

About six weeks ago while visiting a client I was walking out of the elevator where both the client and VISI have offices and Mike missed running over me (literally) by 1.5 feet. If had connected I would have been down for the count. He mentioned they were moving the headquarters office to Eden Prairie as announced in February, VISI Purchases 50,000 Square Foot Facility for New Headquarters and Data Center

While all of that is really good news for the area the one I appreciate the most is the support VISI gave to the Sierra Bravo’s F1 Overnight Website Challenge. 11 non profits received new web sites and other valuable donations to help them in their missions to help our community.

No this is not a paid endorsement, I really do like the guy this much.

For more information you can visit the VISI | Blog.

Technorati Tags: VISI, Data Center, Duluth, Eden Prairie

Career Coaching Needs to Stop.....When!

Author Byline:  Marilyn J. Tellez, M.A.

Career Coaching Needs to Stop…….When…..

Here are my ideas from my side of the desk as a career coach:

1. The person the coach is working with doesn’t do the necessary work on him/herself to find a reasonable job goal.

2. The coachee lies.

3. The coach also lies.

4. The person being coached, changes goals many times.

5. Payment for services is haphazard.

6. Mutual trust in each other fails.

7. Appointments for services are missed without explanation.

8. The coachee looks for other advice, frequently, without informing the coach.

9. Personalities begin to clash.

10. Any other conflict, which makes a positive outcome for the coaching process debatable.

11. All work in the process of being and receiving coaching services are built on positive feelings and mutual, friendly regard.  The real work is understood to be in finding a good job, no excuses allowed on either side.

 

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.

Technorati Tags: Career Coach

MN Headhunter Blog And Twitter Experiment

Updated April 18, 2008: My 9 day experiment was a positive one. While I am moving this off the top post slot I am continuing my Twitter activity.

 

When family start asking where I have been and if everything is OK because I have not done a blog post in a while I know it is time to do one.

Yes I am OK, everything is fine.

If you had a Twitter account, clicked MN Headhunter on Twitter and clicked “follow” you would have known what I was up to. I have been doing micro posts there for the past 2.5 weeks. Some of the information I did not have time to write a post about and others frankly did not deserve a post of any kind.

So I am furthering my experiment with Twitter and bring it here to the MN Headhunter blog.

Twitter and TypePad have a widget or badge that pulls “tweets” from Twitter. I am going to put the widget/badge here on the blog for a week or so and would like any feedback you might have.

This post will remain as the top post during this time. If this works I will likely permanently put it in of the the columns on the right.

I will be blogging again today and those posts will be below as usual.

Here goes...

Twitter Updates | Blog Posts Below

• With Twitter I have my recruiter friends, my tech friends and now I have the Minneapolis based @fanchatter, www.fanchatter.com 40 minutes ago
• @researchgoddess slacker, where is the committment? 57 minutes ago
• I am a big fan of Mike Sowada. News from VISI: VISI to Build $18 Million World-Class Data Center in Duluth http://tinyurl.com/3g4ogy about an hour ago
• Wild: My mistype does not make me the next Bartman of the Cubs. about 2 hours ago
• Robert Half survey: Online Networking Sites Capture Interest of Hiring Managers, http://tinyurl.com/62elyk about 2 hours ago

follow me on Twitter

How I learned to say no

Article Title:  How I learned to say no
Author Byline:  Lindsey Pollak is a college campus speaker and author of "Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World" (HarperCollins, 2007)

Why is it that saying yes—even when it means changing our entire schedule, canceling other plans or doing something totally unpleasant—feels so much easier than just saying no? For me, saying yes was also a lifelong habit. I often said yes because I didn’t know how to say no. But over the past year I learned how, and the benefits have been amazing. Saying no to things you don’t want to do creates more room in your life for the things you do want. Plus, it is a major stress reducer.

Here are three lessons that have helped me learn to say no:

Lesson #1: Get lots of practice. The first thing I learned is that it is much easier to say no to a machine or a stranger than a friend or colleague. Luckily, in modern life we have endless opportunities, such as evites, invitations to connect to strangers on LinkedIn and retail clerks asking if we want to sign up for a store credit card. In these cases, I practiced the principle that “no” is a complete sentence. Zero explanation required. And I found that the more I said no in these casual encounters, the less fearful I became about using the word for more important personal and professional decisions.

Lesson #2: Give yourself time. My career coach taught me a sentence I now use constantly: “I’ll have to get back to you.” If you suffer from people-pleasing, then this sentence is a must. Whenever you are invited to an event, asked for a favor or receive any other request, don’t feel compelled to answer in the moment. This past month I saved myself from countless events simply by delaying my response for 24 hours and then replying with a simple, “I’m sorry but I just can’t make it.”

Lesson #3: Understand that people would rather hear an honest “no” than a dishonest “yes.” In the past, when I really wanted to say no, I would say yes first, in hopes that this would soften the later blow of canceling at the last minute. Wrong! I’ve learned that an honest, upfront answer is the best way to go. Another gem from my coach: “It’s like ripping off a Band-Aid. It’s better to do it quickly and definitively.” I finally began to understand that it is kinder to other people when you say no honestly. It helps them move on and find someone who will give a genuine yes.

These are just three tips in a sea of helpful advice on the art of saying no. I’d love to hear any lessons that have helped you—please share in the comments section. For two little letters, “no” has made an amazing impact on my life and career—I highly recommend it!

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.

Technorati Tags: Time Management

Introducing “Short Timer” A Minnesota April Snowman

Mother Nature gives and Mother Nature takes.

With our 5-8 inch late March snow storm that many are calling today a cruel April Fool’s Day joke I have decided to embrace the event.

I had planned on building a snow man and document it’s creation and demise. Fortunately a neighbor and his family built one last night.

What follows is a timeline and pictures of Mother Nature giving us the ingredients to make a snow man. And yes while difficult to show the ingredients that go into taking “Short Timer” away (sun and warmth) I will document his slow death, err, melt.

Short Timer was created March 31, 2008 – and melted away April ???

With temperatures in the forecast for the 50’s and over night lows in the upper 20’s I expect this to be a short lived life.

These are pictures from March 31, 3008 at 9 am, Noon, 3 pm and 5 pm, the making of “Short Timer”:

At 7 pm Short Timer was created and had a nice snow man outfit. The bright white dots are huge snow flakes illuminating with the flash of the camera:

April 1, 9 am:

Pictures of the morning after and of Short Timer from a distance. Not sure why the second picture is “dark”. You will see Short Timer is now naked but I plan on getting him things a snow man needs later today. You will also see Short Timer is casting a long shadow, a sign of things to come:

April 1, 2 pm:

Noooooooo!!!

Sometime in the past two hours Short Timer took a tumble. It looks like his time with us will be much shorter than I had hoped. The sun beating on his back and a slight lean in that direction caused the fall.

I went out and patched him up, reinforced his back a little. His head is a little deformed too as it is almost impossible to roll the snow into a ball.

As you can see he is about to get help from the shade but he has lost 6-18 inches in height: