2009 Minnesota 4th Of July Fireworks Shows

I did my best to put a list together for the Twin Cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding areas.

I may have missed a couple or have a time or location that is incorrect so please use this as a guide and check/confirm with local city web sites.

Stay safe. Have fun. OOHH AAHH often:

July 3rd

• Anoka
  • Anoka High School | 3939 7th Ave. | 9:30 PM
• Bloomington
  • Normandale Lake Park | 8400 Normandale Lake Blvd | 10 PM
• Hudson
  • Lake Front Park | 621 First Street | 9 PM (???)
• St. Paul (Taste of Minnesota)
  • Harriett Island Regional Park | 371 Baker St. W. | 10:20 PM

July 4th

• Apple Valley
  • Johnny Cake Ridge Park-East | 5800 140th St. W. | 10 PM
• Blaine
  • National Sports Center | 1700 105th Ave. N.E. | 10 PM
• Chanhassen
  • Lake Ann Park | 1456 West 78th St. | 10 PM
• Coon Rapids
  • Sand Creek Park | 1008 Northdale Blvd N.W. | 10 PM
• Cottage Grove
  • Kingston Park | Dusk
• Eagan
  • Central Park | 1501 Central Parkway | 10 PM
• Eden Prairie
  • Round Lake Park | 16691 Valley View Road | 10 PM
• Edina
  • Rosland Park | 4300 W. 66th St. | 10 PM
• Excelsior
  • 21 Water St | 10 PM
• Hastings
  • Hastings Country Club | 10 PM
• Lakeville
  • Lakeville North High School | 19600 Ipava Ave. | 10 PM
• Mendota Heights
  • 949 Mendota Heights Road | 10 PM
• Minneapolis (Downtown)
  • 818 S. 2nd St. | 10 PM
• Oakdale
  • Tanner's Lake Park | 400 Glenbrook Ave. N. | 9:30 PM
• Prior Lake
  • Watzl's Beach | 10 PM
• Prior Lake (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel)
  • 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. | 10 PM
• Richfield
  • Veterans Memorial Park | 630 E 66th St | 10 PM
• Roseville
  • Central Park | 2540 Lexington Ave. N. | 10 PM
• Stillwater
  • 100 S. Main Street | 10 PM
• St. Cloud
  • Hester and Wilson Parks | 10 PM
• St. Louis Park
  • Aquila Park | 3110 Xylon Ave. S. | 10 PM
• St. Paul (Taste of Minnesota)
  • Harriett Island Regional Park | 371 Baker St. W. | 10:00 PM
• White Bear Lake
  • Memorial Beach | 4980 Lake Ave. N. | 10 PM
• Woodbury
  • Ojibway Park | 2695 Ojibway Drive | 10 PM

July 5th

• St. Paul (Taste of Minnesota)
  • Harriett Island Regional Park | 371 Baker St. W. | 10:00 PM

My Twitter URL Analytics Using Cligs

Metrics, metrics, metrics. I have to say this is the most boring conversation to have. So I am going to keep this short.

I have been asked what kind of metrics/stats I have for the URL shortener I use on Twitter, Cligs.

Before giving some numbers I want to say that I post stuff that I find interesting. It may be something from my blog, another blog or a site like MSNBC or ESPN. So while I tend to focus on recruiter, HR, career stuff there is also a dose of politics, sports, economics, etc.

Reading Business Books: A Must-Do for Entrepreneurs

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Mary Gormandy White, M.A., SPHR

As a business owner, one of the most important things you can do to boost your business and improve your professional skills and knowledge is to take the time to keep up with the latest business literature.

Massachusetts DUA: Unemployment Insurance Hearings

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Techruiter

Today I experienced my very first unemployment insurance hearing. I was representing my company against a claim made by one of my former consultants.  The following document is a must read for anyone looking to file for unemployment. It is essential that both employers and employees understand just how vague the law delineates why someone may or may not file for unemployment.

See this PDF: Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance

Essentially, if you quit, get fired, or refuse a job you cannot file a claim. However, termination is a thorny issue and even quitting can be viewed from various angles differently.

If your claim is challenged by your former employer you will have an opportunity to present your case at a hearing. The reason the employer is interested in having those benefits denied to you is that their unemployment contribution to the Massachusetts unemployment fund is directly related to how many employees file for unemployment and how much they collect.

See this lnk: 6. Financing Unemployment Insurance

For this reason, your former employer may send a representative to present their side of the story. The hearing takes about an hour depending on the circumstances as a Massachusetts Division of Unemployment agent gathers your testimony under oath. I suggest not lying under oath whether you are the employer or the claimant.

If the employer succeeds in challenging your claim, you will be liable for all the money the State of Massachusetts paid you over those months. You may also be persecuted for fraud, although I suspect this rarely happens since employment law is designed to protect the claimant rather than cause additional pain.

On the other hand, if the employer does not show up within 10 minutes of the hearings official start, the case is decided in your favor by default. I saw a very happy claimant when he was informed that the employer had not shown up. Whether his claim was legitimate or not become irrelevant in the eyes of the Massachusetts once the employer defaulted on the hearing.

Whether you file or not is completely up to you. Know your rights, but also beware of the employer challenge and Massachusetts State Law about fraud. After the hearing, I have no idea which way the agent will decide.

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.

Happy Mothers Day

I Love You

Check Out Ignite Minneapolis And My Favorite Mykl Roventine And His Bad Fonts

I was not able to get to the Ignite Minneapolis event on April 22^nd but I did watch the first half on video stream and now seen the rest on the web site.

Ignite is an event with a variety of topics (some serious most not so much) with each presentation 20 slides and 5 minutes in length.

Mykl Roventine did a presentation on “Bad Fonts”. I do not have a clue what font is best or worst to use but Mykl certainly has made it so I know to not ever use Comic Sans.

Here is his presentation:

 

The Ignite Minneapolis site says they may be doing another event mid to late June. I am going to submit an idea on doing a job search but this one will be much more fun than what I usually do.

And they are looking for sponsors so if want to reach the crossroads of the Minnesota marketing, PR, Social Media and tech community this is money well spent.

Welcome To The MN Headhunter Blog

This is a “what’s going on” here at MN Headhunter. Blog posts of interest, event announcements and links to Be Your Own Headhunter seminars and presentations.

You can also scroll down past this to see posts in chronological order.

Blog Posts (recent/popular)

• How To Decipher The Meaning Of Interview Questions
• Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis & St. Paul Has The World’s Largest Event
• A Rebuttal To Peter Weddle And His Blog Post The Great SCAM in Recruiting
• Who To Follow In Minneapolis On Twitter
• TCF Bank Stadium: New Home For The University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team

Events

• July 16th 8 AM Future of Talent (attending)
• July 17th 8 AM Minnesota Recruiters (hosting)

Be Your Own Headhunter

• July 7th 3 PM & 7 PM CDT Online Seminar Job Search Toolkit - Be Your Own Headhunter
• July 8th 3 PM CDT Online Seminar LinkedIn A to Z - Use LinkedIn Like A Headhunter
• July 9th 3 PM CDT Online Seminar Using Social Media For Networking, Lead Generation And Job Search
• July 14th 3 PM CDT Online Seminar Job Search Toolkit - Be Your Own Headhunter

Have a question, comment or looking for some information? Leave a comment or send an email to paul@mnheadhunter.com

Paul DeBettignies
MN Headhunter

Join the Be Your Own Headhunter LinkedIn group

In Minneapolis And Need Some Computer Parts Or Computer Repair? Go To General NanoSystems

I have a 2 year old laptop which for me is still new (except for a few worn keys) but in the laptop world I am already outdated. Before this laptop I was still running Windows 98. Yeah I said it, until 2007 I was running Windows 98.

I know, I know what was I thinking but for how I use technology that was good enough for me. I need access to the following and I am happy:

• Email
• Internet
• Candidate/client database

I am not a gamer. I do not use a bunch of applications. I rarely have more than 5 windows open at a time.

My computer use is a little boring.

Rant About “Experts” And “Gurus” Slinging Bull Shit

I have an issue and no doubt my readers/followers know I openly like to talk about them.

And if I do not get things out of my head at an early stage they rattle around my head, get louder and louder. Then I blow up. This time it is a bunch of small things that have set me off.

Today’s issue is this:

Be very, very careful who you listen to.

I am so very frustrated with some of the Bull Shit advice I see some people giving out. Seems that in these “tough” economic times you can’t walk (or Internet surf) without bumping into one.

Current Bull Shit advice:

Job Seekers

• I hear that at a recent job club event here in Minneapolis 2 local search firm “gurus” were critical of the use of LinkedIn. WHAT?!?!?! Wait, it gets better. Combined number of LinkedIn connections between the two “gurus”? 1. Yeah, ONE. I call Bull Shit.
• Start a job seeker blog. No way, it’s a waste of time. Start a personal blog that will be ongoing and that starts with your job search? Absolutely. Spend hours and hours setting one up, writing content, getting links, contacting other bloggers, promoting it on Twitter, Facebook and other places, wait for the SEO on your blog to work, it is a waste of time. Pick up the phone, send email, network your ass off. That’s a good use of your time. Again, if you are going to write an ongoing blog than yes, blog about the job search, after you get your job how cool the company is, about the projects you are working on, things you are doing out side of work. If not, the advice is Bull Shit.
• This one has me nearly speechless ‘Don’t Burn Bridges’ Is Bad Career Advice for obvious reasons. But the comment that really got me is “3) You won’t need a reference.” Since when? I have worked on behalf of a lot of cool companies and they all require references. The small groups tend to be more adamant about it because a bad hire by a small company can do serious damages to the culture. Don’t need a reference. Bull Shit.

Recruiters

• This article on ERE last week got me going Beyond the Hype: Making Social Networking Work which is really no different than the one written by his business partner last year titled Blogging Bob. What I do not understand is how someone who does not use Social Media, blogs, etc can say if they work or not. How do they know? Since they are here in Minnesota maybe they should look around as we have quite a few success stories. My guess is that they hope companies do not use these tools for they fear they will lose some business. Bull Shit.

Friends, here is my point for calling these things out. Many people have an agenda. They are selling something, trying to protect their turf, or trying to be thought of or establish themselves as “experts” and/or “gurus”.

My perspective is not to push Social Media or LinkedIn as the next best thing or the “Silver Bullet” but as an additional tool to what a job seeker or recruiter is doing. It can work for most people depending on the location, industry and skill set.

This is not to take the place of networking, job boards, email, phone calls, etc.

For those who have heard me do a presentation or webinar you always here me say you need multiple tools to get the job done. A roofer needs more than a hammer. When fishing, it makes sense to go where the fish are versus sitting where everyone else is doing the same thing and waiting for them to come by.

You may think my rant is BS. That’s fair. Leave a comment, send me an email or do a post of your own calling me out. But be careful, this is just the tip of the iceberg of my rant...

Add Twitter To Options Of How Someone Found Your Event Or Product

Have you ever filled out a form online and one question is how you found whatever “it” is?

Options given tend to be something like:

• Friends
• TV
• Radio
• Email
• Web site
• Newspaper

News flash, you should add Twitter too.

Why you ask particularly if you think Twitter is silly and only nerdy or marketing people and a few celebrities use it?

HELLO!!! Maybe if you add Twitter to the options you may find more are using it than you think. You may find that more than just the nerdy/marketing/celebrity crowd is using it. You may realize that just maybe instead of giggling to yourself about the word “Tweet” you should try doing one or ten to promote (in a reasonable non Spam way) whatever your “it” is.

Oh, and train your people to know what Twitter is. The last thing you want is someone saying “Twitter, what is that?” Not many better ways to show how out of touch you are than that.