Minnesota Headhunter

Jobs from the Fortune 500 Vol 11

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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).

Email From A 13 Year Old

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.

Minnesota Start Up Culture Roundtable

The Minnesota Tech Start Up conversation continues on and thanks to Thomas Knoll (@thomasknoll) we will take it from online (Tweets, podcasts, email and blog posts) to the in person.

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.

More Thoughts On The Minnesota Start Up Scene

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.

Paying for College

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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:

You Say You Are A Social Media Expert Or Guru. OK, Prove It

I swear (it seems literally and often lately) that if I see one more self professed Expert or Guru I am going to spontaneously combust. Which is to say, this would be me last Will and Testament because no doubt by the time I finish typing this I will have two new Guru followers.

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)

How to Find Hidden Jobs From Last Year’s Job Applications

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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.

Why Do You Follow Me On Twitter And My 2 Year Anniversary

2 years ago today I started on Twitter with @MNHeadhunter. It was my 3^rd shot at Twitter and not until my buddy Katie Tierney @txaggie94 set me straight did I figure out why it might matter to me. So if you like me thank her and if you find me annoying, it’s all her fault :)

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:

Paul DeBettignies To Present At The Fordyce Forum 2010

I have written a few times how 2010 is shaping up to be a time when stars are aligning for me and that I am going to do some butt whooping. 2008-2009 was not fun and I am taking my revenge on 2010.

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:

Uncover Hidden Jobs Through Federal Business Opportunities

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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.

Who Is Looking For Your LinkedIn Profile?

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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.

Minnesota Recruiter Jobs

The following new Minnesota Recruiter Jobs have been added to the MN Headhunter Recruiting Gigs Page:

• 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

  

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 Recruiter Jobs.

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:

• SharePoint Guru – Volunteer – St Stephen’s Human Services
• Telecommunication Analyst – Full Time Job - Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
• Information Technology Coordinator - Part Time Job - Face to Face Health and Counseling
• Manager, IT Infrastructure - Full Time Job - Minnesota Public Radio

 

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.

Jobs in Marketing & Advertising Vol 1

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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.

Talent Management? I Just Want a Job in HR!

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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.

Entry Level And College Grad Jobs Vol 4

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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.

Job Seekers Creating “Black Lists” Of Employers

The blow back at employers for not being able to reply to job seeker inquiries has finally hit a level of frustration where quite a few job seekers are creating lists of companies they will never talk to again.

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.

Who's Hiring in Finance Revisited - Vol 1

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

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.

My 11 To Do’s For 2010

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:

The Life You Have And Want Depends On You Managing Your Career

This is not going to be some profound post with the top 10 illuminating and hot tips on how to do this. Those posts are all common sense but at times our common sense account gets bankrupt.

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.