Minnesota Headhunter

Been Thinking About A MN Headhunter Job Board

When I started writing this blog in May of 2005 I have always asked people what they would like to see added to the site. Over time, it has morphed and some have called this more of a portal than a blog.

   

Whatever, some soda and I say pop.

All I know is I see more total visitors, a growing number of frequent visitors every month, and while comments are few the amount of email has been insane.

   

I am quite happy offer to offer for free the Volunteer, page to help nonprofits find volunteers and full time employees, and Recruiting Gigs for my recruiting friends to find their job pr contract.

   

There may be a new page, or web site, about to be born.

   

The past few months I have been contacted by quite a few startup and small companies looking for information technology professionals and not yet able or wanting to use a search firm guy like me.

   

They are not using the job boards either because of cost or because of poor results when they have used them. Some are looking for consultants, free agents, and others for full time employment.

   

I have been kicking around the idea of starting a job board. Something for the Twin Cities technology professionals and employers wanting to hire them.

   

Not so much as a “money maker” or revenue stream but as a way to help good companies find good people. If a new client or some candidates find their way to me great but if I can help the local tech companies and workers meet up, that would be good enough.

   

TechCrunch has this post The Job Board Bubble about the growing ease in starting a niche job board.

   

If the only way to use the service is to charge for ads I should be able to find a way to donate the money to local nonprofits that help train the un/underemployed or put computers in schools.

   

I have a few domain names I have acquired in the past year so setting up a site separate from this should be easy to do. I had thought about adding it on here but I think it makes more sense to have a separate site.

   

As you are reading and have an idea on how I could do something like this, or if it is needed in the Twin Cities tech market, send me an email paul@mnheadhunter.com.

Minnesota Morning

I have received a few messages this week wondering where I have been. Why there have been no blogs posts the past couple of weeks.

   

Over the past couple of years my father has been having some health issues and in recent weeks they had become quite serious. Two weeks ago a decision was made that the high risk of doing heart surgery was now outweighed by his long-term prognosis.

   

He made it through surgery but we are having some complications and his stay is being extended.

   

I have been able to keep a shortened business day but not any time for blogging or other activities. I will have a few updates today and again over the weekend but it may be a little quiet here for the next week or so.

   

For those who already knew what was going on I greatly appreciate the email and phone calls with your encouraging words.

IT Volunteer Opportunities And Jobs With NonProfits

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

   

Technical Volunteer – Volunteer

PC Geek – Volunteer

IT/Computer Support Technician – Volunteer

Applications Analyst – Full Time Job

Schedule/Security Analyst – Full Time Job

Database Developer – Part Time Contractor

Forms Administrator – Full Time Job

Applications Analyst I – Full Time Job

   

   

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

   

If you are using a RSS Feed click Volunteer.

Rocky Mountain News: Tim Brewster Expected To Be Announced Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Coach

I know I promised that I would refrain from posting any more Gopher football content here on the business blog but this may be the finale to a 16-day saga following the firing of Coach Glen Mason.

   

Go to my new blog Gopher The Roses, www.gopherfootballblog.com, for the link to the news story.

   

A reminder that all of the Gopher Football blog posts here on MN Headhunter have been moved over there with new content added frequently.

   

Go Gophers

Find Your Next Recruiting Job Here

The following new Recruiting Gigs have been added on the MN Headhunter Recruiting Gigs Page:

   

Staffing Manager – kp companies

Manager, Campus Recruiting – KPMG

Recruiter/Sr. Recruiter, Graco Inc

   

   

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

   

If you are using a RSS Feed click Recruiting Gigs.

IT Volunteer Opportunities And Jobs With NonProfits

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

   

Web Development – Volunteer

Computer Tutor – Volunteer

Applications Analyst – Full Time Job

Applications Trainer – Full Time Job

Network Specialist – Full Time Job

Manager of Operations and Technical Support – Full Time Job   

   

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

   

If you are using a RSS Feed click Volunteer.

Announcing New Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Blog

The past week I have been working on Gopher The Roses, www.gopherfootballblog.com. All of the posts here have been migrated over there.

   

So for my friends who are reading MN Headhunter for business news, job search tips, ideas on recruiting, etc you will no longer have to scroll down past posts or read feeds that you have no interest in.

   

However, if you are interested in the Gopher football posts you find more in depth information than I did here. There is a RSS feed set up too.

   

Go Gophers

IT Jobs With NonProfits

The following new technology jobs have been added on the MN Headhunter Volunteer Page:

   

IT Manager

Report Writer (Business Intelligence)

IT Coordinator

Associate Director of Client Services

   

   

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

   

If you are using a RSS Feed click Volunteer.

Minnesota Morning

Happy New Year!!! In the Upper Midwest we had been dreaming of a White Christmas and instead received a New Year’s Eve snowstorm. Now with temps in the 30’s snowmen named Frosty all over the metro area are slowly dripping away.

   

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know by now my love (and the insanity) for Gopher football and college football in general. To my tech and recruiting friends here and around the country you saw quite a few posts since the Gopher debacle against Texas Tech last Friday and the firing of Glen Mason.

   

One would think that over the holiday weekend stats would go down but since Friday I have ahd 750+ visitors looking for Gopher football information.

   

You will see a couple of more posts on the program the next day or two but I did buy a new domain name last night and will be separating my passion for Gopher football from this blog. That will happen over the weekend.

   

I appreciate you hanging with me. For those on the RSS feed who are Gopher football fans I will have the new information for you on Friday.

   

For the most part I am back to regularly scheduled programming this afternoon.

   

Best wishes to you and yours in ’07.

Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Coach Search And Possible Candidates

On January 7, 2007 I created a blog specifically for Minnesota Golden Gopher football called Gopher The Roses, www.gopherfootballblog.com. There you will find all of the posts from this site and more in depth coverage on all things Gopher football than I was able to do here on the business blog.

   

Link for Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Coach Search And Possible Candidates

Link for Minnesota Golden Gophers 41 and Texas Red Raiders 44, Review

Link for Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Coach Glen Mason Has Been Fired

Link for my reaction after the game Fire Coach Glen Mason?

Link for Minnesota Golden Gophers And Texas Tech Red Raiders Preview

 

   

Original Post:

As I write this a little after midnight on January 2^nd and around 31 hours since the official announcement by Athletic Director Joel Maturi of the firing, I think the politically correct term may be dismissal, there have already been a number of names tossed out as potential candidates to replace former head coach Glen Mason.

   

As this process moves along I will continue to update the list. Some of these names are in my opinion not at all possible for the university and/or the coach but here goes and in no particular order:

   

-Tony Dungy. A former Gopher player. Why on earth would he leave the Colts?

-Lou Holtz. Coached here for two years between Arkansas and Notre Dame. Has sworn he has retired.

-Mike Grant. Some of Bud Grant. A local high school coach with a top program in the state.

-Marc Trestman. I lost track of where he is now. A MN native. 17+ years in the NFL.

-Dan McCarney. Recent Iowa State head coach.

-Craig Bohl. North Dakota State Head Coach. Division I-AA. Great coach. Good recruiter.

-Frank Solich. Ohio University Head Coach. Former Nebraska coach.

-Skip Holtz. East Carolina Head Coach. Lou's son.

-Joe Glynn. Wyoming Head Coach.

-Mitch Browning. Was the recent Gopher Offensive Coordinator.

-DeWayne Walker. UCLA Defensive Coordinator. A former Gopher Cornerback in the early 80's.

-Paul Chryst. Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator. Would have connections to A.D. Joel Maturi.

-Mike Tice. Former Vikings Head Coach and current Assistant Coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

-Mike Price. UTEP Head Coach.

Updated January 2^nd, 5:30 pm:

Take Tony Dungy off the list, Dungy passes on college job, assistant talking to Ariz..

   

Updated January 2^nd, 4:00 pm:

I am not a listener of talk radio but this afternoon I tuned in to KFAN, a popular Minnesota sports talk radio station, and caught the last part of an interview with Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi.

   

From what I heard:

-Search firms have been spoken with but no group has been retained yet.

-This could be a quick search and plans to have a coach hired in 3-4 weeks. (That does not seem quick to me.)

-He has not met with Glen Mason, their conversation was over the phone.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 41 and Texas Red Raiders 44, Review

On January 7, 2007 I created a blog specifically for Minnesota Golden Gopher football called Gopher The Roses, www.gopherfootballblog.com. There you will find all of the posts from this site and more in depth coverage on all things Gopher football than I was able to do here on the business blog.

   

Link for Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Coach Search And Possible Candidates

Link for Minnesota Golden Gophers 41 and Texas Red Raiders 44, Review

Link for Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Coach Glen Mason Has Been Fired

Link for my reaction after the game Fire Coach Glen Mason?

Link for Minnesota Golden Gophers And Texas Tech Red Raiders Preview

Original Post:

It has taken me a couple of days to get my thoughts together on the game. With the announcement of the Glen Mason firing I have been thinking about what’s next versus what was the other night.

   

Before getting started, in the previews of games I have included links to opposing team blogs. I found a couple of blogs but they had not been updated recently so I did not link to them.

   

On Saturday I came across Seth Jungman who writes the blog Double T Nation. He has a great look at the game from the Red Raider perspective. We have swapped a few email messages since the game. I wish I had found him before the game. We would have had some nice posts between us. He also has some information today on Bobby Knight getting his 880^th victory.

   

Over all I do not have much to say regarding the game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Insight Bowl.

   

The prediction I made in the Minnesota Golden Gophers And Texas Tech Red Raiders Preview was for the most part dead on. I think I must have been one of less than a hundred people who thought the Gophers could win.

   

For 2 ½ quarters they proved me right:

-Texas Tech is an inconsistent but highly explosive team.

-They are a good, talented team but they are not Ohio State, Michigan or Wisconsin. I should toss Cal in there too.

-Their defense is good but not great.

-Give any team 30+ days to prepare for a team that is great in one category of the game and you should be able to slow it down. If not, you suck. Both played out. We shut them down and then we sucked.

-We forced turnovers.

-We did better in third down situations.

-TE Jack Simmons did a great job replacing Matt Spaeth.

-On offense we were balanced.

   

For the next 1½ quarters the Gophers (and most importantly their coaches) went in the tank:

-We stopped rushing 4 and 5 guys and went with 3.

-Simmons missed some key blocks.

-The stiff zone pass defense became a soft zone and then a non-existent zone.

-With no timeouts Texas Tech needed to run pass patterns and step out of bounds. Apparently we did not understand that.

-The plays called by the offensives coordinator(s) became extremely conservative with an occasional high risk pass play.

   

There were a few plays that the referees blew. A non-call on a Gophers pass play when one of our receivers was mugged. A likely phantom call, remember Penn State, when a back judge called a Gopher defensive back for interference when the side judge, if there was a call to be made, did not make one.

   

The second to the last play of regulation a Texas Tech running back clearly had a false start. It would have made the field goal 57 yards instead of 52. I get that the Red Raider kicker let loose on a ball (to tie the game) that would have been good from 60+ yards but maybe it would have had an impact in his brain. Who knows but I doubt it.

   

But those three plays would not have mattered if we could have had one more first down at the end of the game.

   

I have no idea why we called a play that had Bryan Cupito run a naked bootleg on 3^rd and 8. I concede that if it had worked it would have been the biggest bowl game play thus far in any game. No one would have thought  we would do that. We would have held on and would run out the clock.

   

Instead Texas Tech ran a pass blitz bringing the defensive end inside with a linebacker looping around the end right where Cupito was running. Not Cupito’s fault.

   

In fact, I find little fault with the players. Sure there were a coupl of mistakes but that happens in every game by every team. That’s part of the game.

   

The players run the plays called by the coaches. The defense runs the schemes called by the coaches.

   

And now we get to my frustration of the game and really of the season, the coaching staff.

   

For 2 ½ quarters we played like the last three games of the season. With purpose, direction, aggressive, dominating, and playing to win.

   

The last 1 ½ quarters we played not to lose. Was as if the coaching staff thought we were up enough points that even with the high octane Texas Tech offense on afterburners there was no way they could come back 31 points.

   

I lay this at the feet of the coaches.

   

We made no adjustments. We did nothing to counter what Texas Tech did. If by chanced we did, they were not noticeable and they clearly did not work.

   

There were two moments in the game that annoyed me. The first, Glen Mason had that damn smirk he has grown famous for. It was near the end of the first half. Like he thought the game was done.

   

The second, after the Red Raiders tied it with the 52-yard field goal the only expression Coach Mason had was the raising of his eyebrows as if to say “Wow”. That’s it. No emotion. Nothing.

   

An appropriate finish to the Glen Mason era…