Minnesota Headhunter

Minnesota Morning

After putting up these two posts today What Price Would You Pay For Your Dream Job? and Theme for 2010: Don’t Look Back I think I have said enough for one day :)

Instead I will leave you with some highlights from my Twitter stream going back the past 10 days or so. Most of them are not from me and if you are using Twitter I would recommend giving these folks a follow.

Oh, there is no rhyme or reason to these. Some are work, sports, life related or funny, thoughtful things (I have added some links to names and articles) and are in reverse chronological order (in other words start at the bottom):

Minnesota Morning

I have been told by numerous people that my blog has become lame. Since these are friends of mine who have my interests in mind I am going to listen to them.

And it starts today. I don’t know how long it will last but I am going to give it a shot anyway.

Other friends are saying that I am putting my best thoughts on Twitter and Facebook. I think they too are correct. I think I do much better, am far more interesting and funny in 140 characters or less.

But one thing for sure is that I have a lot on my mind. I have a Word document that is open all the time and it is now 104 pages in length of links, articles and thoughts of all varieties that I never get to share and I think it is time to clean out the closet so to speak....

Minnesota Morning

Being a guy who watches the stock market and economy closely I understand at a freshman level college course what is going on. I get what the issues are and understand most of the ideas to fix it.

Most folks do not follow this like I do. And rightly so. I am a little nuts for following this stuff like I do.

Then again, it is part of my job to follow market and industry trends and as we know and are experiencing labor markets go with the economy.

Our elected officials have and are missing opportunities to speak to the American people and explain the heck is going on.

Minnesota Morning

Whoa, two weeks since my last Minnesota Morning. Bad, bad blogger.

I have been really busy creating presentations for both recruiters and job search, networking and LinkedIn. There will be many posts, news and events that will come out this week including a small but significant update to Be Your Own Headhunter.

I am also working on stuff for the Minnesota Recruiters group including webinars and the first event of 2009.

Below you will find some links from the past two weeks that I have passed around via email and/or posted on @MNHeadhunter, my Twitter account.

Recruiter and HR:

• The Recruiters Lounge: 25 Articles on Social Media Recruiting

Economy and Company News:

• Jobs: Jan -598K and 7.6% | -525K and 7.5% was expected | Nov and Dec revised lower
• PC World: Microsoft Layoff Sparks H-1B Debate
• General Motors: Offering buyouts to ALL hourly workers. $25K car voucher & $20K cash. Targeting their 22,000 retirement-eligible workers
• HarvardBusiness.org: What Demographics Tell Us About the Economy
• Best Buy had internal email today that the buyouts were not enough. Involuntary layoffs mid February
• Target: Confirmed. 600 laid off. 400 open positions closed. Paid through April 1 then a severance by years of service. Health care for 1 yr
• Business Pundit: The Fortune 500 CEO Hall of Shame
• PC World: Monster.com Reports Theft of User Data

Career and Job Search:

• JobberJobber: 10 Free Job Search Resources Online
• One Day, One Job: 50 Twitter Users to Follow for Your Job Search (I, err @mnheadhunter was not cool enough to make it. No love.)
• WCCO TV: Good Question: Should You Google Yourself? (thanks @DeRushaJ for link to MNHeadhunter.com)
• Daily Axioms: 101 Things That Will Add Value To Your Resume
• HR World: 25 Things You Should Never Include on a Resume
• Jobacle.com: Beware of Other Career Blogs
• JibberJobber: The 10 Hour Job Search - Seriously
• Laid Off vs Fired | WCCO TV Good Question: Fired Or Laid Off: Any Difference?

Minnesota Morning

Catching up on a few days worth of links…

Recruiter and HR:

• Standout Jobs: Will Mobile Recruiting Hit a Tipping Point in 2009?
• Microsoft JobsBlog: Microsoft Hiring Update
• CNNMoney.com: Headhunters get the ax

Career and Job Search:

• Squawkfox: 6 Words That Make Your Resume Suck
• What Would Dad Say: 42 Rules for Obama’s First Week
• Forbes.com: Should You Take The First Job You're Offered?
• JobMob: Everything You Need to Know About Finding Jobs with LinkedIn Groups
• Career Hub: Does social media in my job search make a difference? - Ask an expert.
• Heymarci.com: 3 Easy Ways Email Can Jumpstart a Career
• HR Minion: Resume advice

Local blog posts from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• Bex Huff: The Semantic Web: Impossible In Theory, Impractical in Reality
• Blogger Design: Integrate Your Blog and Twitter
• Charisma 18: Simpler
• Blowing Things Up / Notes from the Technology Underground: How to be Interviewed on Live TV
• Online Marketing Blog: BlogWell - Growing an Online Community
• The Unofficial CTO Blog: Local ISPs fading away
• The Daily Gopher: it is official Minnesota to play USC
• Steve Bendt: Best Buy Reorg and an Open Social Approach
• Small Business Mavericks: Is Online Networking as Good as Offline?

Minnesota Morning

Earlier this morning Maren Hogan put this out on Twitter:

No matter what your feelings were or who you voted for, you'd have to have a stone heart not to see how this inauguration is impacting kids

I have thought about this quite a bit since Election Day. Kids will group knowing that just maybe it is true that in America you can be anything you want to be. As a late 30’s white guy I can barely imagine what that must be like but for the kids to see this, for these kids to grow up with that thought has to be a most powerful message.

I am a pomp and circumstance guy too. I love inaugurations so I am geeking out on the history, protocols, the red white and blue.

That we can transfer power without bloodshed, tanks in the streets, Martial Law is a beautiful thing.

Other than security (always an issue) it seems the next biggest issue is if there are enough port o potties for the crowds they are expecting.

On this Martin Luther King Jr holiday and in these times I am reminded how blessed I have been to be born in this country. No doubt we have issues, problems, and big things ahead of us but taking that proverbial step back for a moment, there is no place I would rather be.

LINKS

Recruiter and HR:

• Fistful of Talent: Hey Jerry Jones: Individual Talent is Often Overrated
• The HR Capitalist: Wells Fargo and Firing Former Employees as a Part of Mergers and Acquisitions...
• Cheezhead: search engine offers free social reference checks
• The Talent Buzz: The Coverage Continues… News, Information, and Blog Posts for the Twitter Community

Career and Job Search:

• Wall Street Journal: Folks Are Flocking to the Library, a Cozy Place to Look for a Job
• MSNBC: Under 30? Looking for a job? You're not alone
• Brazen Careerist: Networking Thru Social Media, Steal This strategy!
• CareerDiva: Who’s the most screwed in this economy?
• What Would Dad Say: Don’t Fire Yourself
• JobMob: 39 Best Job Search Tip Articles of 2008
• The Boston Globe: Flex your networking skills
• Career Solvers: In Life and Job Search, Preparation is Key
• Blue Sky Resumes: The 7 Mistakes You're Probably Making On LinkedIn

Local blog posts from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• RemainComm: On the Trail of Twitter's Tipping Point
• Small Business Mavericks: Social Media: Finding the Right Site to Join
• Media Pirate: Mediapirates Top Five Reasons To Use Social Media!
• Twitter Means Business: Facebook (and Twitter): my recent epiphany
• Bex Huff: What is a Technology Certificate Really Worth?
• The PF Hyper Blog: Minneapolis Unwired: Park Board decides to throw its weight around

Minnesota Morning

I have a bunch of stuff to post today so rather than have one really long post later today here is a bunch of links with commentary to come later in the afternoon...

Recruiter Links:

• The Talent Buzz: 8 Tools for the Twitter Community
• HR Minion: Capable minion seeks evil mastermind to hench for. Must like blogs.

Career Links:

• Chris Brogan: You are the President of Your Career
• Fortify Your Oasis: Networking 2009 Style
• U.S. News & World Report: How to Keep Your Job in '09 by Working Like a Freelancer
• Career Hub: Is Your Head Spinning From All the Career Advice You've Been Reading?
• One Day, One Job: Entry Level Hiring Outlook for 2009
• Blue Sky Resumes: Using Twitter for Job Search
• Satisfying Career – Happier Life: 5 Essential Tips on Thriving after a Layoff
• Employment Digest: Avoid Job Application Rejection

Local blog posts from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• aimClear Blog: Degrees of Separation, FaceBook, Twitter & Social Distribution Networks
• Minnov8: Why Executives Don’t “Get” Social Media
• Mike On traffic: Richfield's Modified Basketweave Stop Sign Pattern - One Year Later
• The Unofficial CTO Blog: IT Security during layoffs
• Techrigy: Facebook adds 20 million new users since December 10th
• Bluestem Prairie: Congressman Walz moves upstairs Interesting to know how in one part office space on Capitol Hill is decided
• Centrisity: Vetoed Voters Get Letter
• Politics in Minnesota: Poll: Coleman should concede, but we're no Franken fans, either
• The Minnesota Independent: Kiffmeyer’s can of worms is Coleman’s recount battle plan

Minnesota Morning

Yeah, Woo Hoo for the first official work day of 2009.

I have been working very hard over the holidays so while some are only getting up to speed I am already in high gear. As I posted on Twitter and Facebook this morning:

“2009 business world, it's me versus you. Hope you are rested, fed, and up to the fight because I am going to kick your ass.”

I have been getting some inquiries by out of town friends about the U. S. Senate contest between Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

Today the Canvassing Board could certify the results which have Al Franken +225 votes. Then there is a seven day waiting period for law suits.

Norm Coleman currently has a request with the State Supreme Court about 600+ ballots he says were improperly rejected and not put in the big pile to be looked at.

Minnesota Morning

Happy first sort of official work day of 2009. Sort of because I know a lot of people have today off. Sort of because I know a lot of them are checking their email all day.

With big sports events like the Super Bowl and World Series politicians usually do a “bet” of sort. If you win we send you a (fill in the blank). Usually local food, beverages, etc.

I am thinking Governor Tim Pawlenty should call the Illinois governor and do a “bet” on who fills their respective senate seat first. But then again, maybe the last thing with all the issues he has Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich should bet on anything including if he will still be the governor.

Ah yes, the hypocrisy of politics. It is sort of interesting to watch Norm Coleman taking the same tactics Al Franken did when Franken was down and Franken adopting the “leader” status. Now Coleman wants to count all the votes and Franken seems to be OK with the current numbers.

Current status: Franken +49

Minnesota Morning | Sports Only Edition

Happy New Year to you and Best Wishes in 2009.

This post is entirely about sports, most of it on the Minnesota Golden Gophers and college football with some short thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild at the end.

So no recruiter, career or business stuff today.

College football bowl season is one of my favorite times of the year to go along with spring practice, fall practice, non conference schedule, Big Ten season, rivalry weekend and for the other conferences their conference championship game.

Yeah, I have a bit of an addiction to college football. I do not smoke, gamble, eat too much, drink much or often so as far as addictions go this is rather low on the list of bad ones. I also tend to get more work done because I can watch and type at the same time.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Minnesota Golden Gopher football season ended last night not as a Gopher fan would hope. As I stated in my Minnesota Morning yesterday I predicted the Gophers by 4.

And I was wrong.

Minnesota Morning

I found myself doing some work today and am without my college football update I was looking forward to giving. But since tomorrow is a day of games I will save it for then.

My Minnesota Golden Gophers play the Kansas Jayhawks today in the Insight Bowl starting at 5 PM CST. I will skip the ongoing online debate about why a bowl would have a tie in with the NFL Network and one that unless you have premium sports tier cannot see.

I take that back, Comcast is doing a one day preview for free but only if you have digital cable.

I do not have the premium sports tier which may shock many but by choice I do not. The last thing I need is any more access to sports options.

And being a non gadget guy do not have digital cable either so I am getting together with a couple of friends one of whom has digital and a big TV. Very nice.

Here are a few local bloggers writing about the game. I would point you to Gopher The Roses (my Gopher football blog) but since it has not been posted on since September you can skip it (you might need to scroll on these sites as the men’s basketball team play Michigan State this morning):

• Golden Gopher Football
• The Daily Gopher
• Buck Bravo’s Gopher Football Blog

And some other links:

• GopherSports.com (Official home of Gopher athletics)
• Minneapolis Star Tribune Gopher Coverage
• St. Paul Pioneer Press Gopher Coverage

Last I heard the folks in Vegas have Kansas favored by 9. That may not be current.

I am picking the Gophers by 4. Not a homer pick. I think with the extra practice, new OL coach, a healthy Eric Decker, and some time for the rest of the guys to heal up from late season the Gophers will win this game.

So more college football tomorrow.

Go Gophers!!!

Recruiter Links:

• HR Search Marketing: Guaranteed Rankings - There's No Such Thing I hope Nicole start writing more. She has a lot of insightful information
• Cheezhead: 2009 hiring predictions Consistent with everything else I have seen
• HR Wench: Breaking news: companies don't walk their talk Not breaking news really as this is unfortunately very common
• FunnyBusiness: Note to HR Folks: Hiring Over-Qualified People Is A Smart Strategy

Career Links:

• Career Upshift: Expert Reveals How Facial Expressions Influence a Job Interview Yes, the little things do matter
• CareerAlley: Job Search New Year’s Resolutions - What’s yours?

Economy Links:

• The Conference Board: December numbers released. All lower as expected but not in a steep decline
• Seen on CNBC: Couple in Maryland doing a raffle for their $1.2M home. Tickets $50 www.fiftydollarhouse.com 

Local blog posts from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• RickMahn.com: Interesting how people plan for the new year
• FunnyBusiness: Are Furloughs Becoming The Strategy Du Jour To Cut Costs?
• B2B Lead Generation Blog: How to use social media for lead generation
• Online Marketing Blog: How Community Building Boosts SEO
• Garrick Van Buren .com: 2009: A Year of Clarity

Click Minnesota Morning for previous editions or MN Headhunter for the main page.

Minnesota Morning

Finally, the day before the day before New Year’s Day.

I am not real big on News Year’s resolutions. Not that folks should not make changes they would like to make but why wait until January 1? I mean, why not July 16^th or April 7^th? Or whatever day you think of it?

What stops people from making the changes they want to make now?

2008 and will go down for me personally and professionally as the best and worst year I have had. There have been many blessings, fortunate timing of events, good luck, old friends and new people with trusted relationships. I have learned that I truly have the best of friends. There has also been illness, death, client non payment issues, not been able to keep my word as I planned and misunderstandings through miscommunication.

This in just the past 60 days which really is a snapshot of the whole year.

I know life “happens” and while we do our best to make decisions and plans, think about tomorrow and next month sometimes shit just happens and you deal with it the best you can.

About ten days ago on Twitter and Facebook I posted something about remembering as a kid you could call a “Do Over”. Usually it was involved in some game or other activity. It gave you the ability to have another chance.

I decided that 2009 was going to be a bit of a “Do Over” year for me.

But then life happened (again) and I dealt (am dealing) with it and now see 2009 a bit different.

Screw the “Do Over” concept. I promise that I have been doing the best I can with what I have and will continue to do so. Rather than make 2009 a 2008 sequel I am going to make it it’s own year as it should be.

Not so much a resolution but I am going to go back to trusting my inner compass on what I should be doing on any given topic at a particular time.

The saying, “Lead, follow or get out of the way” is one I like.

For 2009 it will be, “Hop on, step aside and watch, or get your ass run over.” All I can promise is that I have the best of intentions, trying to do the right thing and am going to do the best I can with what I have.

Oh and if you hop on please fasten your lap belt and keep your arms within the vehicle because no doubt it will be a bumpy ride.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes to everyone.

Tomorrow, be prepared for some sports talk. It is my favorite season, college football bowl season and while watching much of it have some stuff to share. That and my Minnesota Golden Gophers play the Kansas Jayhawks in the Insight Bowl tomorrow (Wednesday, December 31st) at 5 pm CST in Tempe, Arizona.

Recruiter Link:

• Fistful of Talent: 5 Must-Use Social Media Tools For HR & Recruiting Professionals In 2009 I am a big fan of Jennifer McClure

Career Links:

• HR Morning: 4 ways to keep your job Not so obvious things to think about
• Networking Effectively: Are You Afraid To Ask For A Favor? After all these years I do still fall in this trap

Economy Links:

• CNBC: In Minn., more turn to cash-starved state for help
• BusinessWeek: Will Work for Praise: The Web's Free-Labor Economy Hat tip John Sumser
• StarTribune: Growing UP in a down economy There are companies doing well during this recession

Minnesota Morning

Happy Holidays. I hope this post finds everyone doing well or at least as well as can be.

It has been many months almost a year since I fired up a Minnesota Morning post. For the most past my Daily Twitter Updates have taken its place. Twitter is a cool tool (click MN Headhunter for my Tweets as they are called) and I use it a lot but I am finding the 140 characters to be a bit restrictive.

I think I am going to come back and start using the Minnesota Morning posts and will carry over Twitter links to articles and economy news here.

Lots of things will be in these posts like recruiting and HR stuff, economy and business news tidbits, links to interesting (to me) local blog posts, politics and sports likely too.

Sometimes there will be items that have nothing to do with my being an IT Recruiter but important to me for one reason or another.

And the following item will be an example of this.

Both on Twitter and Facebook I have linked to a story about Emilie Lemmons a local blogger, wife, mother and friend to many who passed early in the morning Christmas Eve. I never had the honor of meeting Emilie who was married to a fraternity brother of mine, Stephen. While in college I was very close to the guys a couple of years older than I and Stephen was one of them. He is a great guy with a huge heart.

This is one of those examples where as years go by, people get busy, we get into our business careers and start families. We can lose track of one another. So the news of Emilie’s passing was a shock to me.

Over the past few days I have spent some time reading Emilie’s blog and because of her writing style and transparency feel as if I know her and Stephen as well as anyone. She was a freelance writer by trade so while an introvert in one sense sharing her stories through a blog came naturally. Emilie started writing before the birth of their first son and before she learned she had cancer.

When you have a moment take a look at the following links:

• lemmondrops sweet and sour stories of life, love and little ones (Emilie’s blog)
• St. Paul blogger Emilie Lemmons shared her story of living with and dying of cancer with readers worldwide (St. Paul Pioneer Press article in today’s paper)
• In Memory of Emilie Lemmons (Facebook group)
• Finding joy in the midst of darkness (Emilie’s last article at TheCatholicSpirit.com)

While this story does not end as many had hoped and prayed there are a lot of wonderful, special, touching and real moments shared in her writing. Say a prayer for Emilie, Stephen and their sons.

I have a lot of other stuff on my mind but for the moment will just go with the following links.

Recruiter and Career blogs:

• Staffing Technology: How to Start a Staffing Company
• INTERNET inc: Job board outlook 2009 - the hurricane
• My Global Career: Is Social Networking a Career Safety Net?
• MSNBC: Out of work? It's time to get connected
• Brazen Careerist: You Can’t Put This Workforce Back Together Again written by my buddy Maren Hogan
• CollegeRecruiter.com: College senior? At least the feds are hiring Steven Rothberg gets on MPR

Economy:

• Commerce Department final report on Q3 GDP remains at -.5% Good news that it was not revised down. Most analysts predict -5% for Q4
• U of Michigan Consumer Confidence: Rises to 60.1 from 55.3 Analysts expected 58.6 Rise most likely due to deep discounts at stores
• Wells Fargo Annual Economic Outlook – 2009 (PDF) Predicts recession ends in 2009 with Q3 and Q4 growth

Local blog posts from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• Pushing Envelope: HubSpot Releases State of the Twittersphere Q4 2008 Marketing Report
• Steve Bendt: BlueShirt Nation Evolution- Staying True to the Learning
• Funny Business: Consultants Being Asked To Take A Pay Cut
• Rick Mahn: Thoughts on Social Media Careers

Minnesota Morning

I have a word that has been a major part of my vocabulary for the past week, “sucks.” As in the weather sucks. Moving sucks. Taking this long to get rid of my cold (you guessed it) sucks. I hope you are not offended by the word.

Last Saturday, 8 days ago, comedian Lewis Black was on Comedy Central with his 2007 show “Red, White and Screwed.” I am a huge fan of Lewis Black and preferably the unedited version. It’s a lot more fun when you for sure know which word was “bleeped.”

That Saturday night it was cold. Damn cold. As in it sucks, cold. -15 cold. It was part of the two weeks of winter we have every year that makes it tough to want to go outside. It is two weeks that sends fear to everyone south of the Mason-Dixon Line (well anyone really) and why they would never consider moving here.

Watching Lewis Black reminded me of a show he did a few years ago and one part was regarding a cold spell. CAUTION, this is the unedited version. The “f*** word is used”. This is not safe for work or around children:

Like the last Lewis Black comment other than the links below I have no thoughts for the day.

But if you click on nothing else, click Women as explained by Engineers. This was forwarded to me by two women so I decided it was safe to do the link that was sent to Jim by his sister. Yes, I am trying to cover my backside.

Recruiter and Career blogs from The Day In Recruiting and Recruiting.com:

• Top 10 List: How to Create A Recruiting Research Function, a nice road map to start with.
• I like helpful lists, 14 Ways to Get More Candidates to Apply.
• What do you want to know about IT/tech job seekers?, where to start and yes I did submit a couple of questions.
• Is It The Shoes or The Suit?, suit preferred, shiny shoes a must or stay home.
• Are You the Victim of a Bad Boss?, mine sucks (oops). Hey I take offense to that. I am fired. I can’t do that, I quit. Being self employed can be confusing.
• I wish this had been a common practice in 1995, Hiring New Grads: Popularity of Signing Bonuses Continues to Grow.

Minnesota business, technology, and political links from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• I prefer the “High Five” or a subtle wink of the eye, A High Five or A Thumbs Up?
• Who's Reading Your Email Communications?, how does one outsource the reading of email?
• Why I Should Never Link to the StarTribune.com, two weeks is all one has access to. That sucks (there the word is again). I have often wondered how many people purchase old stories. I also wonder how much they could make if they kept the stories public and had all those pages with advertising on them.
• A link fest to some great articles, Best of 2007: Articles and Blog Posts on SEO (Part 1).
• Robots, war, and some great comments by readers, Ethics of Autonomous Military Robots.
• The “given” Republican nominee, Erik Paulsen announces for MN 3rd district.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota News, Minnesota Blogs

Minnesota Morning

It has been 3.5 months since my last Minnesota Morning. Huh, time really has flown by. That and I have been distracted. A lot.

A new sort of format as I start writing these entries again. Rather than writing like you would expect in a newspaper I am going to try some thoughts and see how that works.

Thought #1, Minnesota Jobs

Not trying to make light of a serious situation but the December Minnesota jobs report brings a quote from Scooby Doo to my mind, “Ruh Roh.”

I have posted the statistics at December 2007 Minnesota Jobs Report.

Here is the quote heard around Minnesota today:

"Minnesota is in a recession," the state's economist, Tom Stinson, said Tuesday "I don't see how you can label it anything else."

I don’t know if I would use the word recession. Are some areas getting hit hard? Yes. Is the state experiencing a slow down? Absolutely. Is the “mood” starting to suck? Yep.

Maybe I feel differently because while the hiring of information technology professionals has been slowing down in recent months there is still significant demand.

I guess time will tell but I will say that it is unlike Minnesota to be ahead of the national trend. We usually follow slowly behind. Leading the pack sucks if that is what we are doing.

Thought #2, Brr Brr Brr

Damn, it is and is going to get colder outside. I had a chuckle Monday when while driving Paul Douglas from WCCO TV was doing an extended forecast he said it would be below normal through the first week in January. That was not so funny but his next line was something about at least crime would go down and garbage cans do not smell.

See? A silver lining in everything.

Thought #3, More Blogging I "Promise"

Every few months I say this but I swear I am going to be blogging more. Some really cool opportunities have been coming my way the past two months and I look forward to talking about them when the time is right.

I also have some things on my mind that I need to get out. They are rattling around and I think if I write about them that will take care of it. They have very little if anything to do with being a recruiter but hey, I started the blog as therapy to being with. Maybe if I go back to that original idea ideas will flow here much easier.

Thought #4, Go Patriots

I really want the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Not because I like them to any great extent, although I am always cheering for University of Minnesota football alum Laurence Maroney, but because I am tired of hearing about the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

Sure those guys have something to be proud of but one can choose to be humble or arrogant. Don Shula and Mercury Morris in particular always seem so happy with himself and that team. Larry Csonka and Bob Griese seem to have a better handle on it.

Recruiter and Career blogs from The Day In Recruiting and Recruiting.com:

• Startling HR Stat Of The Week, most companies are stupid. Baby Boomers will sooner or later retire and most companies are not doing anything to retain the information between the older folks ears before they leave.
• 10 Lessons From American Idol: It’s Baaaack., I have an 11^th, do not watch.
• Jim Durbin becomes a TechDirt Insight Commmunity Gold Level Expert, very cool.
• Re-examine Your Salary Expectations, please do.
• A company that gets this recruiting thing, Citigroup invents a new job title - “Chief Talent Officer”.
• Top 10 Best Cities for Jobs in ‘08 Minneapolis comes in at #38.

Minnesota business, technology, and political links from TwinCitiesBlogs.com:

• PMI Risk Index: 19% Chance That Twin Cities Home Prices Will be Lower in Two Years shows some negativity. Why not 81% chance prices will be higher?
• Making Sense Of The New Metrics, I have for the most part given up on metrics until someone can create a tool that actually does measure traffic well.
• A local tech event, Feb. 5 Twin Cities UX Meetup, Topic: Agile development.
• Minnesota Needs More and Bigger Software Companies and Minnedemo, Minnebar, Minnecoder?, thankfully there seems to be some momentum in the right direction.
• Looks like someone thinks members of Congress should be doing other things than thinking about Major League Baseball, Roger Clemens, and performance enhancing drugs. And I would agree, The Pageant Continues.

Sports:

Nothing today but you can be sure that will not last long...

Click Minnesota Morning for previous editions or MN Headhunter for the main page.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota News, Minnesota Blogs

Minnesota Morning

Writing at 4 am because you are tired but can’t sleep is one of the oddest feelings to have. Too much on the mind. Too much to do. Not enough time to get it all done.

The Metrodome was a busy place this weekend and it looks some of the neighbors are none too thrilled about it. Not so much the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Minnesota Vikings football games but those tailgating before hand, Tailgating is fun, unless you own the condo next door and Downtown gives tailgaters the boot.

Speaking of a football game and beer, I took this picture of Wally The Beer Man during the Gopher game:

Wally is a local icon and has worked as a beer vendor since the days going back to Metropolitan Stadium. Every time I see him at an event I wonder how many beers he has sold in his career.

If you attended a Minnesota Twins game prior to March of 2005 you were fortunate to hear Bob Casey, the public address announcer. He had one of those distinct voices. I always appreciated one of his announcements both for the message and the way he said. Something like, “There is nnnnoooooooooo smoking in the Metrodome.” And he would draw a cheer every time.

Bob Casey would have to expand that starting today. Minnesota is going smoke free. As a non-smoker I applaud this. Here is a FAQ regarding the new law, Statewide smoking ban now in force.

Poll reveals pitfalls for leading Senate candidates from the Star Tribune has Senator Norm Coleman favorable rating at a modest 52%. Not all that great but for a Republican entering an election year not so bad. But Al Franken, well known comedian and who has been targeting Coleman for 2+ years, is only at 27 favorably. That makes things a little more interesting.

Recruiting and career blogs:
Do LinkedIn Groups Matter? as the article states, yes they do... Lying About a Short-Term Job?, be as honest as you can at all times or risk losing a good job while covering a hole... Termination By Voicemail is just plain wrong...

Minnesota business, technology, and political blogs:
I am a TypePad kind of guy but this is a good post for those needing to spice up their aging web sites using WordPress, Revive Suffocating Web 1.0 Sites with Tricked-Out WordPress Mashups....A nice list of 10+ items regarding How NOT to pitch a blog...If you believe the rats, moderate consumption of alcohol can benefit memory, Learning from drunk, sad rats... Spam, Identity, And Scary Frickin' Clowns, could not resist the title...

Sports:
USA Women’s Soccer Team finish a drama filled World Cup with a 3^rd place victory over Norway...Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros. I am a big fan of the guys who stay with one team...Brett Favre sets the NFL career touchdown record against the Minnesota Vikings today. How fitting...Cubs Win!!! Cubs Win!!! Cubs Win!!! and face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the best-of-five National League Division Series. C’mon Cubbies...

Click Minnesota Morning for previous editions or MN Headhunter for the main page.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota News, Minnesota Blogs

Minnesota Morning

“Dude where have you been, are you OK?”

That is the full email I received from a long time colleague of mine who had not heard from me much this summer. And not seeing the blog updated had him concerned.

It has been a very busy and intense summer on a personal and professional level.

I made a statement to my mom a year ago when my grandma passed away that I had been very fortunate that no one close to me had any health or medical issues or been in any accidents. All of my friends, their spouses and kids were doing well.

Dumbest thing I ever said.

In this past year and particularly this summer I have had six close friends and family have some sort of significant medical issue. So far all are still with us but it has been a lot to handle. I know at 37 I am getting to the age when such things happen but all of it at one time has been a bit much to handle.

The work part of my life has been intense too with a lot going on at the same time. Top on to that a few projects going at the same time (some work related and some not) and there has been a lot to juggle.

I think my biggest problem is that the personal and work things have been driving versus me driving them. I am not much of control person but like most I do feel a lot better when I have sense of control over what is going on and when.

Fortunately one of the things I have been working on has kicked off the past few days and is going well. The recruiting unconference in July was a huge success and one of the things to come out of it was the idea of creating a web site for ongoing professional networking to take place.

I will post in the next day regarding the site but if you promise not tell anybody (for the moment) I will say that the site has gone live. Minnesota Recruiters, www.minnesotarecrutiers.ning.com, is a password protected site where those in recruiter, sourcer, researcher, and HR roles can get together and share information, ask questions, and learn new recruiting techniques. It also facilitates our ability to get to know each other on professional and personal level.

It has only been a couple of days but so far the response has been really good.

Over the next two weeks I will be able to announce the other two projects I have been working on late at night when I have not been able to sleep.

I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and finishing 2007 strong. For those who I have not responded to the past few weeks I really am sorry and will be in touch with you soon.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota Recruiters

Minnesota Morning

I thought today was the beginning of the third year of what was started as a therapy project for me. Actually it was yesterday, I am off a day. Later today I will have some perspective on the blog, me, me and the blog.

   

It’s official, the legislative session did end on time for the most part. Seems like everyone is unhappy and blaming the other side. I used to think gridlock was a good thing. Maybe I still do but if everyone is unhappy then maybe what they are producing really is not in the best interests of the state.

   

I was hoping to have some sort of scorecard for what was and was not agreed to/passed but apparently it can get more strange. The house and senate passed bills but are not sure if Governor Tim Pawlenty will sign them. To my analogy yesterday of a special session being like overtime this is like when a team scores a goal with a couple of seconds left and they need to go to the replay booth both in the arena and in Toronto.

   

So now we wait for the governor to sign or not.

   

I was going to link to some articles but the local papers last post online posts were around 1 am and it is fairly clear that they were a little clueless on what was going on. I am going to look for some quotes (the absurd ones that make it seem like they know what they are doing and that they did a great job) and have already found some.

   

Recruiting and career blogs:

Why I Won’t Hire “clubgirl101″ a funny take on use of email addresses by applicants … Getting with the times placing an ad in the local newspaper seems like such a long time ago … I forwarded this on to a friend who needed some help with what will likely be a difficult situation A Primer on Avoiding the Botched Termination ...

   

Minnesota business and technology blogs:

Memo to self, always be marketing 10 Lead Generation (Prospecting) Tips for Sales People ... 3 Strategies for Curing Connectile Dysfunction, yep that caught my eye too … I am a supporter of “green technology” and am enjoying some recent articles on what might be coming in the near future but when I see this picture I wonder how many clowns can fit in it, Smart Car Test Drive at Stone Arch … Links for Charity, the kid of promotion I like to see … Aggregating vs creating … I swear if someone does this next to me on a plane they will not survive Joke That'll Get You Arrested ...

   

Sports:

I was asked why I was more into the NHL playoffs than the NBA. Simple, while I do not like the cheap shots in hockey there is at least an adequate response given when one happens. If Robert Horry or Bruce Bowen were to do something similar in the NHL they would face retribution. I am cheering for anyone other than the San Antonio Spurs … Back to hockey, my cheer with your heart thing is not working. Buffalo loses to the Ottawa Senators. Anaheim is now up on the Detroit Red Wings 3-2. If Anaheim wins I guess I cheer for the Senators … MinnesotaTwins, just how many more guys can be hurt at the same time? … MinnesotaTimberwolves really are facing one of those moments in a franchise when it goes one way or another. The team, and Kevin Garnett, really need a break and get lucky enough to get a higher draft choice. Randy Foye represents the team and is bringing with him holy water from France. Whatever it takes …

Minnesota Morning

Minnesota Morning became late evening becuase I forgot to post it. More rambling and less links than usual… Starting with a political rant.

   

Here we are on the scheduled last day of the legislation session and the boys and girls at the state capitol in St. Paul have been staying up the past nights trying to get their work done.

   

Last week Governor Tim Pawlenty was talking about an extra session. (In hockey that is called overtime). These people are paid to do the work of the people of the State of Minnesota. Why oh why can they not get this stuff done sooner?

   

As an intent observer of politics I continue to come to the opinion that we are sending the wrong people to St. Paul. (And D.C. for that matter) I get politics. I get negotiation. I get fighting for what your personal, party, and constituents beliefs are.

    

There is absolutely no reason why grown-ups, most with business and/or legal backgrounds, are staying up all night on the last weekend of the scheduled session to make deals. This stuff could, should have been done days if not weeks ago.

    

The funny thing is, this is now the third time I have written something similar on this blog. Yes, two years ago tomorrow I started writing this blog. More on that tomorrow.

   

Spring has sprung into summer here in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. We have already had our first 90 degree days and like most abnormally warm spring days they are followed by days in the 50’s. Like most people that really messes me up.

   

I am a stop and smell the flowers kind of guy so when a certain kind of tree opens up with white or violet blossoms, that’s when it is officially spring for me. Unfortunately the wind had been so intense for most of the past weeks they did not last long.

    

These pictures are from about 3 weeks ago:

   

   

 

I am still learning to use this little camera so the pictures are not the best. You know the saying “once in a blue moon”? I remember hearing from someone that was based on when you had two full moons in one month. Like this month:

   

   

 

For those new to my blog I really like to spend time fishing on the lakes. Two weekends ago was the fishing opener and easily one of the warmest we have had. And I stayed home. All of the years of wearing many layers of clothes to block out the wind and rain and I was not able to make it when the weather was awesome. Well, except the wind but that’s a lot easier to deal with when it is 80+ than 45 degrees.

My friends who were out regardless of where they went had fairly good results including an early bass bite, the opener for which is this next weekend, Memorial Day.

   

I started eyeing the Memorial Day weekend forecast the middle of last week. I had planned on getting out of town this coming weekend but the weather looks a little suspect, at least the first half. Memorial Day weekend (also know as the kickoff to the summer cabin season) tends to be a wet and cool holiday. I am feeling torn between getting out of town fishing knowing I will be thinking about what I could be doing and staying in town thinking how nice it would be fishing.

   

This afternoon I took a call from a corporate recruiter friend. She asked if I was in a bad mood and I said yes. She then made a comment about the music I was listening to. She said it sounded angry. My friends know when they call me they can figure out what kind of mood I am in by what I am listening too.

   

She called later in the day and asked what that mood was because the music had changed and she had notn heard that during the work day before. I was working from home and I had a replay of the Academy of Country Music Awards on.

   

Yeah, I have a little country in me. Mostly, I like country music live. No lip syncers and rarely if ever tracks playing in the background. Good, old fashioned live music. The way it should be. With country music you know if they are talented or not. There is no where for them to hide.

   

From the show: Martina McBride (the most amazing voice), Miranda Lambert (I am a big fan), Taylor Swift (finally met Tim McGraw), Carrie Underwood (American Idol gone country), Toby Keith (clearly the best looking construction worker/dancers ever), Big and Rich singing with John Legend (that was awesome), Reba McIntire and Kelly Clarkson, Faith Hill with a new tune, Tim McGraw (a true entertainer).

   

Highlights of the night included the tribute to the victims of Virginia Tech by Rascal Flatts, the recognition and standing ovation for the troops and Tim McGraw’s new song and the tribute to fallen heroes.

   

Kenny Chesney deservedly won Entertainer of the Year.

   

Hopefully tomorrow I will be in a really sarcastic mood and am able to report on what the legislators did at the last minute to make deals so they could go home and talk about how they did such a great job…

Minnesota Morning

Two weekends ago I hung out with my Mom and helped her do some painting. I have never been much of a camera or picture guy but my Mom picked up an inexpensive digital camera and I started to play with it a bit.

   

Here are some “action shots” of us at work:

   

   

   

   

      

   

#1 Before

#2 Mom in action

#3 Me earning lunch

#4 After

#5 Kissa “The boss”

    

Kissa (Finnish for cat and a way for us to remember our Grandma’s Finnish heritage) is the family cat who like most felines, does things when she wants whether you do or not.

     

This afternoon I am off to the Carlson School of Management for an event with Simon Foster of SimonDelivers.com. SimonDelivers.com is the only profitable online grocer. Foster will speak at 3:30 pm in the 3M Auditorium about “The Do’s and Don’ts of Raising Capital” as part of the Minnesota Cup. Admission is free but an email RSVP is required. Go to the Minnesota Cup site for more information.

    

Recruiting and careers:

Jim Stroud with information on taking personal name branding to a whole new level with You’re a Nobody Unless Your Name Googles Well … Are You Optimizing Your Employee Referral Program?, I still find many employers think this takes too much effort. Stupid, stupid, stupid … Banish Lowball Offers … The Rules of Blog Branding hits close to home and has been on my mind a lot lately …

     

Local blogs:

Tuesday the featured blog on TypePad was the Minneapolis based B2B Lead Generation Blog … Science Buzz with How the Internet has changed our lives and a link to an article in the USA Today ... Technology Evangelist with Google Analytics Gets a Facelift. I had not logged on to my Google Analytics account in a few weeks. I have put that on my to do list for tonight ...

    

Sports:

NHL, even with the Minnesota Wild out of the playoffs I have been watching most of the games. Nothing better than the hockey playoffs. They play every other night and the road to the Stanley Cup clearly is the most difficult of any championship in professional sports … NBA, this is a snoozer although I do find myself cheering for Golden State, Phoenix, and LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then again, I could really care less … Minnesota Twins, on Tuesday night I was once again reminded of a saying I came up with a few years ago, never, ever turn off a Twins game. But I did. The Twins were down 4-1 for some time and I turned away. Fortunately I turned back in time to see them tie it up in the 9^th and win on a Justin Morneau home run … NASCAR, don’t laugh. I am an equal opportunity sports lover. I have been very interested in the negotiations between Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his step-mom over ownership of DEI. Looks like as of this moment he is moving on, Earnhardt Jr. to split with DEI; negotiations 'were never close' ...