Minnesota Headhunter

Minnesota Recruiter Jobs

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

• Recruiter - Full Time Job - Life Time Fitness

• Contract Recruiter - Full Time Job - Thomson Reuters

• HR Generalist – Recruiter - Full Time Job - Nonin Medical

• Senior Technical Recruiter - Full Time Job - Magenic

 

Check out Minnesota Recruiters. An informal group of 2,200 corporate, consulting and search firm recruiters - you must be in Minnesota to join.

   

 

If you are using a RSS Feed click Minnesota Recruiter Jobs. Click Minnesota Headhunter  for most recent blog posts.

Stay in touch with me by clicking Blog Posts by RSS, Blog Posts by Email  and/or the From The Desk Of Paul DeBettignies Newsletter

5 Ways to Improve Your Cover Letter Introduction

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:
 

Creating a proper introduction is perhaps the most important part of writing a cover letter because it introduces hiring managers to you and helps them decide whether they want to know more about you. There are often a lot of mistakes made when writing cover letter introductions. To help you avoid them, let’s look at what some are and how you can make the changes necessary to improve your cover letter.

Avoid Starting with “Hi,”

Starting your cover letter with “Hi,” shows the hiring manager that you have no idea who to address within the company. Instead, find out who is hiring or conducting interviews for the position then start your letter with “Dear (insert name),” to show you want to directly address the person you hope will hire you. If you research and still don’t know who to address, try “Dear Hiring Manager,” as a backup option.

Sidestep the Blanket Opening Statement

Should Job Seekers Follow Up After An Interview?

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:
 

Clients often ask us if they should follow up after an interview.  There can be a lot of doubt and confusion about whether following up is a proper job search strategy.  But the answer is:

YES!

The majority of candidates will never follow up after an interview.  I would say that for every ten people I’ve interviewed, only one has followed up after the interview.  Job seekers as a whole underestimate the effectiveness and benefits of proper post-interview follow-up.

WHY SHOULD I FOLLOW UP?

It makes a great impression!  When you follow up after the interview you remind the hiring manager of who you are and of your interest in the position.  It’s always the polite thing to do.  By following up with the hiring manager, you show that you are detail-oriented, have proper business etiquette and respect, and that you demonstrate your gratitude.  These are three traits any business would be thrilled about having in an employee.

Can Or Will A Robot Do Your Job?

One of the lessons learned from the Great Recession is that many companies figured out how to maintain productivity with less people.

Some of this comes from advances in technology, some of it from learning that they had over hired and some from workers willing to work longer hours and in return having some job security.

But lets talk robots.

Can (will) a robot do your job?

Example, at the grocery store the other day I notice that the number of self checkouts increased.

Sure jobs were created to build the systems but surely the number has to be less than the hundreds and thousands of cashiers who are not going to be needed.

Same thing with robots doing tasks. No doubt really great high paying jobs will be created but a company of 500 could create robots and tools that will take the place of 1,000’s.

The lesson to be learned here is we all need to be doing continuing education and advancing our skill sets.

We need to evolve with the times or way me be left behind.

Minnesota Job And Career Fair And Professional Clothing Drive

Note: Unfortunately because of a scheduling conflict I am not able to present at the event. I am doing a live version of my Be Your Own Headhunter presentation online March 28th 2011 from 12 - 3 PM CDT. A session can also be heard on demand.

Click Be Your Own Headhunter for more information.

The Minnesota Recruiting and Staffing Association (MNRSA) is hosting the 2011 Job Summit & Professional Clothing Drive Thursday, March 24^th, 2011 from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm at The Mall of America, 4^th Floor Executive Center.

Job Seekers this is a FREE event (you do need to register) and a good opportunity to meet with Search Firms, Staffing Firms and Employment Agencies.

To register click MNRSA Job Summit

Besides the job fair (employers listed below) there are also job search sessions, resume writing workshops and practice interview sessions.

If you are thinking… “should I attend” the easy and quick answer is yes. Last years event was a big success.

Job Search Encounters Of The Fourth Kind

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

"Mission control, we have a UFO pacing our position, request instructions." - Astronaut Cady Coleman NASA Transmission - Shuttle Mission STS-73

So, if you are into the UFO thing, you will know right away what an "encounter of the fourth kind" is.

Relating this to job search is probably a stretch, except it has happened to me. You know how it goes, you get a call from a recruiter, they are trying to fill a specific job and, while it is something you could probably do, this is just not a job that you will ever take (assuming they actually make you an offer).

Minnesota IT Jobs And Volunteer Opportunities With Minnesota Non Profits

The following new Minnesota IT jobs have been added on the Minnesota Non Profit IT Jobs And Volunteers page:

• Project Manager - Full Time Job - CaringBridge

• Information Technology Specialist - Full Time Job - Arc Greater Twin Cities

• Director of Information Technology Systems - Full Time Job - Augsburg College

• Desktop Support Technician - Full Time Job - CaringBridge

• Senior Network Engineer - Full Time Job - Hennepin County

• Computer Technology Tutor - Volunteer - Minnesota Literary Council (MLC)

• Computer Wizard – Volunteer - Aeon

• Computer Lab Mentor - Volunteer - People Serving People

 

Click Minnesota Nonprofit IT Jobs And Volunteers for more opportunities, Minnesota Headhunter for most recent blog posts.

Stay in touch with me by clicking Blog Posts by RSS, Blog Posts by Email and/or the From The Desk Of Paul DeBettignies Newsletter

Minnesota Recruiter Jobs

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

• Network Office Recruiter - Full Time Job - Columns Resource Group of Northwestern Mutual

• Lead Recruitment Specialist - Full Time Job - Ceridian

• Sr Technology Recruiter - Full Time Job – Target

• Recruiter - Full Time Job - Wells Fargo

• Human Resources Recruiter - Full Time Job - Securian

Check out Minnesota Recruiters. An informal group of 2,200 corporate, consulting and search firm recruiters - you must be in Minnesota to join.

   
 

If you are using a RSS Feed click Minnesota Recruiter Jobs. Click Minnesota Headhunter  for most recent blog posts.

Stay in touch with me by clicking Blog Posts by RSS, Blog Posts by Email  and/or the From The Desk Of Paul DeBettignies Newsletter

Legendary Gophers Football Coach Murray Warmath Dies

Taking a break from the usual stuff to drop in the sad news of the passing of Murray Warmath.

Here is a press release from the University of Minnesota:

Legendary University of Minnesota football coach Murray Warmath passed away Wednesday at age 98 in Bloomington, Minn. Warmath led the Golden Gophers to a national championship and went to two Rose Bowls in his 18-year tenure with Minnesota. 

Paul DeBettignies Article In The Fordyce Letter

I was excited to get an invitation to write an article for the February 2011 Fordyce Letter.

For those of you not in the search firm industry this is the go to source for information and to be asked is a pretty cool thing. It is a follow up to my presentation at The Fordyce Forum 2010.

After tossing around some subjects I came up with this article:

Get Out From Behind the Desk and Network

I started the article with this:

I know, I know… smile and dial.

More phone calls equal more job orders, candidates and send outs. More send outs equal more placements.

I get it  - I really do. But after thirteen years as a sole practitioner, I have learned that I need to get out from behind the desk every now and then, or I fear that the headset will become permanently fixed to my head.

Job Search Seminar: Be Your Own Headhunter

I received a lot of very positive feedback after bringing back the job search, LinkedIn and networking seminar so I am going to keep going with them.

Rather than do a session specific to job search and then general sessions on LinkedIn and social media I am doing one only focused on the job search.

Over 13 years as a search firm recruiter I have had a unique look at this process from the corporate recruiter and HR side and from the job seekers.

This is a more aggressive version of what I have been doing for 8+ years and I am going to show how I would do a job search in this economy.

2.5 hours seems like a long time but I am going to cover a lot of topics including:

Five Essentials For Competing With Professionally Written Resumes

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:
 

While it is ideal to effortlessly craft a masterpiece resume that's irresistible to any employer, the reality is most people hate writing their resume and the result can often be obvious in the finished product. Poorly presented resumes communicate a lot more than what is written on the page. They tell employers that the candidate may lack attention to detail, follow-through, and quality.

The simple solution is to have a professional help you, but while that’s not always feasible there are some things you can do to instantly make your resume more competitive with the professionally written resumes used by many of your fellow candidates.

1. Accomplishments are the name of the game! In today’s job market, you must be able to show you can create results. Do so wherever you can – in your introduction, job descriptions, education. Accomplishments are preferably measurable, but can be any kind of unique contribution (i.e. time saved, processes improved, corporate awards, academic honors, etc.) These will set you apart from candidates who just list responsibilities.

Survey: Minneapolis #4 & St. Paul #29 America's Most Socially Networked City

Never one to be shy in promoting the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul (and seems like there have been a lot of surveys lately) this one warms my social media heart.

Men’s Health came up with Men's Health finds the most socially networked cities in America and has Minneapolis #4 with an A+ and St Paul #29 with a B-.

Here is the Top 10:

1 Washington, DC     A+
2 Atlanta, GA     A+
3 Denver, CO     A+
4 Minneapolis, MN     A+
5 Seattle, WA     A+
6 San Francisco, CA     A
7 Orlando, FL     A
8 Austin, TX     A
9 Boston, MA     A
10 Salt Lake City, UT     A-

I wonder if Minneapolis is ranked higher and St Paul lower because many of the folks across the river use Minneapolis as their location in their profiles.

I also wonder if they combined the Twin Cities if we would be #1.

But that’s just me being competitive.

 

Click Minnesota Business Scene for more posts on the topic, Minnesota Headhunter for most recent blog posts.

Stay in touch with me by clicking Blog Posts by RSS, Blog Posts by Email and/or the From The Desk Of Paul DeBettignies Newsletter

Minnesota Layoffs 2011

While we continue to inch forward at a snails pace with this economic recovery we are still getting news of layoffs. Below are the Minnesota layoff announcements so far this year (2011).

For those looking for job search advice I have 2 links to help:

Be Your Own Headhunter (my job search and LinkedIn webinar)

Job Search Tips (200+ blog posts)

Announced layoffs:

Smead Manufacturing: 50

• About 50 Smead employees in Hastings to lose their jobs  (Hastings Star Gazette 3/9/11)

Hutchinson Technology: 700 to 900

• What's next for victims of Hutchinson layoffs? (MinnPost 3/8/11)

• Hutchinson Technology cuts hundreds of jobs (MPR 3/8/11)

• Hutchinson Technology Announces Manufacturing Consolidation & Restructuring Plan (Press Release 3/8/11)

• Hutchinson Technology to cut 30-40 percent of U.S. workforce (MSP Business Journal 3/8/11)

Minnesota Recruiter Jobs

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

• Lead Recruiter - Full Time Job - Xcel Energy

• Recruiter II - Full Time Job - SuperValu

• Talent Sourcer - Full Time Job - Target 

• Recruiting Coordinator - Full Time Job - Graco

 

Check out Minnesota Recruiters. An informal group of 2,200 corporate, consulting and search firm recruiters - you must be in Minnesota to join.

   
 

If you are using a RSS Feed click Minnesota Recruiter Jobs. Click Minnesota Headhunter  for most recent blog posts.

Stay in touch with me by clicking Blog Posts by RSS, Blog Posts by Email  and/or the From The Desk Of Paul DeBettignies Newsletter

Unemployed Need Not Apply: Is It Legal?

My usual disclaimer: I am not an attorney and I do not play one online.

Back in June of 2010 a search firm representing a client posted a job on a job board saying

“NO UNEMPLOYED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONSIDERED AT ALL”

I wrote this blog post about it including a screen shot of the ad

Florida Search Firm: “No Unemployed Candidates Will Be Considered At All”

Here is an image of part of a Craig’s List ad from a few weeks ago:

Keywords: The Good, The Bad, And The Overused

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

One of today's major buzzwords is "keywords" and even though the English language contains thousands of usable keywords, many are getting used way more than they should in resumes. The secret to keywords is to be as specific as possible, using words that set you apart from the competition rather than put you in a class with them.

Here are some of those keywords I would classify as good, bad, and overused.

Good: These keywords communicate power and uniqueness of a candidate.

1. Bilingual/Multilingual

2. Black Belt Six Sigma (or other program credential)

3. C++ Expertise (or other software expertise)

4. PMP – Project Management Professional (or other professional certification)

Job Search Seminar: Be Your Own Headhunter

I received a lot of very positive feedback after bringing back the job search, LinkedIn and networking seminar so I am going to keep going with them.

Rather than do a session specific to job search and then general sessions on LinkedIn and social media I am doing one only focused on the job search.

Over 13 years as a search firm recruiter I have had a unique look at this process from the corporate recruiter and HR side and from the job seekers.

This is a more aggressive version of what I have been doing for 8+ years and I am going to show how I would do a job search in this economy.

2.5 hours seems like a long time but I am going to cover a lot of topics including:

10+ Tools For An Effective Job Search

Repeat after me:

“There is no silver bullet to finding a job”

During a recent Q&A for a local user group I was asked what would be the best tool for her to find a job.

And I froze for what was an awkward moment or two and then this exchange:

Me: “Can you build a house with just a hammer?”

Her: “No, that is just silly.”

Me: “You need a bunch of tools, right?”

Her: “Yes, and sometimes you need different kinds of the same tool, like a hammer.”

Me: “Same goes with your job search.”

I get a bit uptight when I see articles written about how LinkedIn is “the” place to find a job or how social media is a “game changer”.

Enough with the hype.

Think of the list that follows as your hammer, screwdriver, hard hat, pencil, level, etc. You need all these tools (some more often than others) to build a house.

What follows is a tools list I use in my Be Your Own Headhunter job search sessions:

If Pigs Could Fly

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:
 

“If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research." Albert Einstein

The megamillions jackpot was over 100 million dollars a few weeks ago. Of course I bought my ticket and immediately started thinking about all of the things I would do with the money (including retiring or starting my own business).

And it's a great thought. It keep you going until the drawing because, until they pick someone else, you still have a shot at it.

Having a job opportunity or two in the works is much the same. Whether it was a head hunter who called you, a series of interviews or some other lead, as long as the opportunity is still open you are in the running.

And although finding a job should be a lot easier than winning the megamillions jackpot, it sometimes feels like the odds for finding a job are just as bad.