MN Headhunter In Star Tribune Career Article On Twitter

I only have one line of a quote in this article How To Get Found By Recruiters

"I recently got three referrals to candidates within two minutes of posting on Twitter about a job I was trying to fill," says Paul DeBettignies, Managing Partner of Nerd Search, a Minneapolis-based recruiting firm.

That’s what happens when you do not get back to a writer for a deadline. Note to self: Respond promptly.

Normally I do but this one slipped past me.

Kevin Donlin who wrote the article is also on Twitter with kevindonlin and has a blog The Simple Job Search. He attended our May 2008 Minnesota Recruiters event.

Another quote comes from Tavis Hudson of The Resource Group who is also on Twitter as Tavisd:

Meanwhile, think carefully about what to include in your Twitter Bio. Include job titles and other terms that make your name pop up for the right searches. "Be very task-oriented about the specific job you're after, which will determine what you post and how you respond to others," advises Tavis Hudson, a recruiter at Technical Resources, in Chanhassen, Minn.

"I've met more than 20 candidates in person after first developing a relationship with them on Twitter, and one of them is interviewing right now for a software-related position," says Hudson.

Clearly Tavis responded to Kevin in a timely manner.

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not allow a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or I hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

Here are the highlights of my recent Twitter activity. If you want to see the full version click MN Headhunter on Twitter

MN Headhunter on Twitter | July 3, 2008 - June 30, 2008 (last one first, links added):

July 3, 2008

  • Warehouse District: freaky quiet in my corner of downtown. I swear I heard a pin drop.
  • "Recruiter On A Stick" Upper right corner, HA, it's me from my blog on MN Recruiters event. Forgot about that one
  • PPT presentations: where does one find graphics and pics to use?
  • Wonder if famous Twitter users will ever have online drama like A-Rod with Madonna and A-Rod's wife with Lenny Kravitz
  • Is anyone as lame as me and working through the weekend? Other than "ooh aah" and a few hours with friends who are in town, laptop and me.
  • Unemployment numbers: down 62,000. Consensus was 57,000. Both previous months revised further down. Unemployment rate stays at 5.5%

July 2, 2008

July 1, 2008

  • We broke the chat room on RecruitingBlogs.com because of too many people. What a cool problem to have.
  • @TalentSynch I am reminded of how cool my friends are. I am a lucky dude.
  • Yes today is my birthday. The secret is out, I have been outed everywhere I turn. Thank you for the Tweets, email, and voice messages.
  • @PowerBaby You can tell her you are safe anyway. I do not babysit until the little ones are out of the poopy diaper stage. 08:11 AM July 01, 2008 from web in reply to PowerBaby
  • @PowerBaby yelling does not count nor does playing with electrical outlets
  • Went to Lund's early this AM. Cashier who I usally see right before they close says, "What are you doing here at this hour?" I said "hungry"

June 30, 2008

  • A surprise visit from friends and their kids. I like being Uncle Paul. Had thumb wars. Tickle fight. And played with the bugs.
  • thank you @marenhogan for de-declaring tomorrow my birthday after already outing tomorrow as my birthday
  • I have my first Recruiter 101 gig starting tomorrow morning with an IT consulting firm. An intro meeting with a series of sessions to follow
  • National Corvette Day: June 26th, H. Res. 970 was introduced by 55 Reps and passed. OMG. WTF. What other letters am I missing?
  • MSNBC: Congress has made today "National Corvette Day". No, they do not have better things to be working on. This is why politicians SUCK
  • Microsoft to stop selling its XP operating system to retailers and computer makers this week.
  • Announced local job cuts: With the quarter ending today I have seen fewer than expected. Maybe others were quiet.

2008 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 local city web sites:

  • Apple Valley: 10 pm, 5800 140th St. W.
  • Blaine: 10 pm, 9150 Hwy. 65 N.E.
  • Chanhassen: 10 pm, 1456 W.78th St.
  • Coon Rapids: Dusk ,1008 Northdale Blvd N.W.
  • Cottage Grove: Dusk, 9195 75th St. S.
  • Eagan: Dusk, 1501 Central Parkway
  • Eden Prairie: Dusk, 16691 Valley View Road
  • Edina: Dusk, 4300 W. 66th St.
  • Elk River: Dusk, 509 Highway 10
  • Excelsior: Dusk, 1 W. Lake St. (Lake Minnetonka)
  • Forest Lake: Dusk, Lakeside Park
  • Hastings: 10 pm, 2015 Westview Dr.
  • Maplewood: 10 pm, 1663 County Road, Cedar Avenue
  • Mendota Heights: Dusk, 949 Mendota Heights Road
  • Minneapolis: 10 pm, 212 2nd Ave. S.E. (RiverPlace)
  • Oakdale, Dusk, 400 Glenbrook Ave. N.
  • Prior Lake: 10 pm, Watzl's Beach
  • Richfield: Dusk, 6400 Portland Ave. S.
  • Roseville: Dusk, 2540 Lexington Ave. N.
  • Shakopee: ???, Valleyfair
  • St. Louis Park: 10 pm, 3110 Xylon Ave. S.
  • St. Paul: 10:15 pm, 25 W. 4th St. (State Capitol)
  • St. Paul: ???, 1771 Energy Park Drive (St. Paul Saints Game)
  • Stillwater: Dusk, 100 S. Main Street
  • White Bear Lake: 10 pm, 4980 Lake Ave. N.
  • Woodbury: 10 pm, 2695 Ojibway Drive

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not allow a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or I hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

Here are the highlights of my recent Twitter activity. If you want to see the full version click MN Headhunter on Twitter

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 29 - 28, 2008 (last one first):

June 29, 2008

  • MN Wild: Rolston says will become Free Agent. Traded to Tampa Bay for a conditional draft pick. Sucks it did not work out here.
  • @TalentSynch There is some fuzzy in that. Execs at IT consulting firms. Sales folks at HR contract shops. All of that is subjective by me
  • @TalentSynch Minnesota Recruiters LI group is only local recruiter and HR folk. There are about 15 like you who are added to watch us.
  • I bet my annual revenue would be more if my colleagues and I had to post them in the newspaper.
  • Spain, Euro 2008 champions. I bet you all are happy my sports addiction did not include game by game analysis. You are welcome.
  • Ladies US Open: Any cold day in hell chance I or any guy from Minnesota had with Paula Creamer is gone with the round she is having today :(
  • Sending email at 3 am on a Sunday morning seems silly. I hope none of the recipients has a BlackBerry or other device going off :)
  • @ChrisNalty I like to think that too but have been wondering how they could have the foresight to see this far. Are the basics that obvious?

June 28, 2008

  • Random thought: When the founders wrote declaration and bill of rights, were they writing for their day and ones they could see or all days?
  • Internal clock all messed up. How many naps have I had today, too many.
  • Ruh Roh, it is brighter outside. Sunrise is in 15 minutes.
  • Late night, early morning. That nap was a bad thing. Cocktail ended 1.5 hours ago. Nothing else on. Laundry done. Not tired.

You Wanna See The MN Headhunter Wordle?

Shame on you for what you are thinking right now. Get your mind out of the gutter. For those single women who looked, please leave your name and email address below :)

But seriously, I found out about Wordle from this GL Hoffman blog post, HEY!!! I Made Me Some Art!!

Continue reading "You Wanna See The MN Headhunter Wordle?" »

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not allow a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or I hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

Here are the highlights of my recent Twitter activity. If you want to see the full version click MN Headhunter on Twitter

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 27 - 25, 2008 (last one first):

June 27, 2008

  • Twins win again but I fall asleep and do not see victory and now will be up all night. bummer

June 26, 2008

  • @fanchatter I like that trade. Mayo was not happy about the TWolves. Dump Walker and Jaric salaries. Lose Jaric's hot girl but that's OK
  • ESPN rumor: HOLY SHIT!!!! Mayo, Jaric, Walker and Buckner to Memphis for Love, Miller, Cardinal and Collins
  • @Odenized if all I have is Mayo and a logo at the end of this night then I think we hosed ourselves
  • #NBA I want to believe the Timberwolves have some grand route planned but again believe that the road is filled with potholes and detours
  • #NBA Timberwolves draft another guard? Please tell me a trade of someone is coming around.
  • www.twellow.com, very cool to play with.
  • #NBA I hope Mayo is a mellow guy who hides his enthusiasm, if that's how he really feels, we are in trouble. L.A. to MPLS can be tough
  • #NBA look at that, McFail got one right this time.
  • Minnesota Twins on a ROLL. ESPN speculating if Twins will bring someone in for the playoff chase. When was the last time that was asked?
  • #NBA: ESPN talking about Wolves at #3. Funny comment on Love, "13% body fat is great if you are a sea lion but not for a NBA player"
  • Gopher football fans: Sam Maresh heart valve surgery went well. Hope he has a good recovery. Football would be a bonus.
  • Besides the age difference, I wonder if Paula Creamer thinks IT recruiters with a web presence are hot. Can anyone hook me up?
  • Negative numbers: Great day for some golfers at the U.S. Open at Interlachen in (Edina) Minneapolis. Horrible day for the stock market.
  • MN Headhunter blog: "Recruiter 101 | Getting Started" http://tinyurl.com/6fksad Starting to add content I should have been doing long ago.
  • Watching @Animal and @recruitingblogs spar online is funny. They are Canadian. Canadian's don't fight. Maybe they should thumb wrestle.
  • @tbrunelle Thanks for the link. Great quote "In truth Wall Street is in for a radical makeover." The dot com bubble was a lesson not learned
  • Stock Market: GM at its lowest since 1955. 1955 is not s typo. 10 GM's can buy you McDonalds. Market drops through support level. Bad day.
  • #NBA Timberwolves redo logo and uniforms http://twincities.bizjourna...
  • Supreme Court strikes down D.C. handgun ban.
  • #NBA "With the 3rd pick the Minnesota Timberwolves select..." why do I feel that whatever they do will be the wrong guy? Oh yeah, history

June 25, 2008

  • College World Series: Fresno State becomes the lowest seed to win title in any sport. They call themselves "goofballs". Very cool.
  • Oh I forgot to say Nader is a f'ing idiot for what he said. There. I feel better now. Back to recruiting.
  • Obama responds appropriately to Nader's attention grabbing comment.
  • @Animal I care that local tech folks read my blog. I like when recruiter friends do and say nice things but they are not my target audience
  • @marenhogan My experience is not how many people read your blog but who. I do not care if my recruiter friends like my stuff tech folks I do
  • Wall Street numbers: Oracle does well. Research In Motion with a miss and getting pounded in after market trading
  • Fed Res: Rates unchanged. Labor market has softened. Inflation a risk. Slow economy and fear of inflation has them stuck.

Recruiter 101 | Getting Started

Over the past months I have been very vocal (and critical) about how I believe many in the recruiting profession have become lazy. So much talk about “The War for Talent” but I have witnessed most recruiters (search firms and corporations) are using a pea shooter at best when it comes to sourcing, recruiting and ultimately hiring talent.

Job boards are a tool, not the only tool just as cold calls, referrals, and email are tools of the trade. But there are more “weapons” that a recruiter has at their disposal.

Besides, if you are on the job boards and are finding lower numbers and less talented candidates why do you spend more time and dollars on them? That is the definition of insanity.

Tools and techniques that will be talked about:

  • Creating passive candidate relationships
  • Building talent pools
  • Proactive recruiting
  • Use of internal databases
  • Use of search engines to locate candidates using keywords and search strings
  • Use of newsletters and email communication
  • Using Social Networking sites like MySpace and Facebook
  • Establishing relationships via Twitter
  • Using and promoting RSS Feeds
  • Starting a blog
  • Writing job ads
  • Customer service to candidates
  • SEO

There are many more topics than the above that over time will be covered.

There will be a few main themes that will be mentioned on a regular basis:

  • This is the main one: it is about creating and developing relationships with people. We do not sell iPods, cars or widgets so stop treating people a like a “thing” you are trying to sell.
  • Go where your candidates are. Do not wait for them to come to you.
  • What distinguishes you, the company, and the opportunity from the other five calls your candidate received this week?
  • A recruiter must hunt and farm at the same time. Relying just on cold calls and job boards is as insane as only building pools of candidates. Balance is needed.
  • Customer service, customer service, customer service. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Respond to candidates in the same timely manner you expect when looking for a job.

Recruiter 101 will be just that, an introduction to a tool or technique. Where available I will link to other sites and blogs where you can get more in depth information on the topic.

One thing to note is that I will be writing from my perspective as a 10+ year IT recruiter here in Minneapolis. No doubt something I write may not work for your situation, that you have done it a different way or you just in general think the way I have gone about things is wrong.

That’s OK. Just as I am trying to help “teach”, I am hoping visitors will leave ideas that I can learn from and tweak what has worked for me and improve my practice.

Feel free to comment, question and challenge.

For more posts like this click Recruiter 101

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

Here are the highlights of my recent Twitter activity. If you want to see the full version click MN Headhunter on Twitter

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 19 - 20, 2008 (last one first):

July 24, 2008

  • Carlson Companies to layoff 200. Thank you to my Twitter friend for confirming the rumor I had been hearing for almost 3 weeks now.
  • I want to sponsor an event but with it comes a table, Internet, and electrical outlet. I want the email, web, print material exposure.
  • CNBC: Consumer Confidence Index falls sharply. 5th lowest in history of survey.
  • CNBC: US home prices down 15.3% in last year. Mpls 15.2% Some cities seeing bottom. Prices now at 2004 levels.
  • Looks like I took a "nap" while watching ESPN last night as I wake up to lights on and unfinished dinner on the stove. I guess I was tired

July 23, 2008

  • Back from TCF Bank Stadium Tailgating Subcommittee: Logistics seem a little mind numbing at the moment. But I can already smell the brats...
  • For my non recruiter friends, a good example of a social network is www.RecruitingBlogs.com 9,000 member joined today.

July 22, 2008

  • @Erich_Hanson If they want to take themselves out fine. Thinning of the herd. But do not take someone with them. Same with drink and drive
  • Driving home on I94. Pass young girl. 10 miles later she blows by me. Had to be doing 85+, weaving, and yes, texting.
  • Mosquitos in Alexandria are huge, numerous, and reaalllyyy hungry.
  • @Animal I think it can/will happen making up an online reputation but I also believe that it would be quickly found out through performance

June 21, 2008

  • Sat in on sales training this morning at J Perzel and Asscociates, www.jperzel.com. A great look for me into the consulting world.

June 20, 2008

  • My favorite part of using Twitter, learning about new stuff. Finally took a look at Pandora. Why did I wait so long?
  • Happy 1st day of summer. I almost turned the AC on. Resisted.
  • Looking forward to updates from @TalentSynch @recruitingblogs @johsumser at the Recruiting Roadshow in Portland

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

Here are the highlights of my recent Twitter activity. If you want to see the full version click MN Headhunter on Twitter

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 19 - 13, 2008 (last one first):

June 19, 2008

  • TCF Bank Stadium: On the Tailgating Comm. and received first agenda. Reformed fraternity boy that I am looking forward to teaching how :)
  • @KariC beer and IT folks? Where is my invite?
  • Down goes Ning
  • Obama: To forego public financing. 4 short years ago my D friends had issues with R's & Bush raising large amounts of money. Now it is good?
  • Too much stuff on the mind. Tired. Can't get going. Anyone have an idea that does not include booze or drugs?
  • Sorry about that, very much in a fog this morning.
  • Thanks @edkohler for a free 48-page e-book on how to use Twitter. All your questions answered in 140 characters or more: http://is.gd/BgJ
  • Thanks @edkohler for this, http://is.gd/BgJ A good read for my recruiter friends
  • Trying to remember less hectic days, less on the mind, a more simple time...

June 18, 2008

  • Russert: Obama and McCain sit next to each other at request of family. Last song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and there was one outside
  • 2008 Polls: Quinnipiac U. show Obama Florida +4, Pennsylvania +12 and Ohio +6. Independant voters in each state say no to Hillary as VP
  • NBC News in Minneapolis doing a piece on how people are moving back into the city because of housing costs and fuel prices. End of sprawl
  • Welcoming Jason Davis of RecruitingBlogs.com to the Twitter party @recruitingblogs
  • LinkedIn: CNBC with story. Valued at $1B. Estimated time to IPO, 3 years. Received 53M from Bain Capital Ventures.
  • Retweet of @minnpostnow The number of women in the computer sciences is declining: http://tinyurl.com/6658lu
  • @RobertFischer Big companies are having issues for sure. Small companies are not. And it is the end of the 2nd quarter so layoffs expected
  • Carlson Companies: I have been sitting on this for 2 weeks. Hear that major force reduction has been announced. Anyone know anything?
  • Tiger Woods: Done for the season. To have surgery on ACL and rehab double stress fracture.
  • Breakfast of champions. No, not Wheaties. Freshly baked Pillsbury oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies. And Mountain Dew. Mmmmm
  • LinkedIn being down has recruiters across the country ready to revolt.

June 17, 2008

  • #NBA: I said my heart said Celtics in 6 and my brain Lakers in 6. Shows why I usually go with the heart. "Anything Is Possible" - KG
  • #NBA: Retweeting myself... This is F'ING awesome.
  • #NBA: This is F'ING awesome.
  • #NBA: 12 minutes KG, 12 minutes. All those cold nights in Minneapolis. Good memories. You deserve this. Beat LA Beat LA Beat LA
  • #NBA: Went a really long time without saying anything. But you know I could not stay away. LA fans getting schooled by Celtic fans Real fans
  • #NBA: Not a good sign when NBC plays Superman from REM while showing a Kobe highlight. I sure hope he cools off
  • Glorious summer evening. I have forgotten how nice this feels.
  • MN friends: I have a referral of an experienced .Net developer looking for a contract. I am not looking for any $. Helping a friend
  • CNBC: Citing fuel costs, rodeos are seeing as much as a 20% decrease in number of competitors. I wonder of Calves of America rejoice?
  • Murphy Oil gives "The Gift of Education". http://tinyurl.com/4koshf Offers free college tuition to high school grads.
  • Welcome my good friend @nicolebodem SEO expert in the career and job space. Wing Man for Minnesota Recruiters.
  • My best friends brought Parker into the world last night. Michael noted it was on Tiger Wood's US Open victory day. Melissa not amused
  • No emission cars: If one day we all drive them, all they discharge is water vapor, will it become more humid? Will that change the climate?
  • This makes 6. WTF? It just went off 2 minutes ago. We are about to have an emergency alright...
  • Comcast please stop with the emergency broadcast test. It has gone have 5 times since the top of the hour. You are interrupting SportsCenter

June 16, 2008

  • US Open: Mediate misses to tie. Tiger Woods wins!!! 03:28 PM June 16, 2008 from web
  • US Open: Tiger gets birdie and share of lead. Mediate gets par. We keep on going. Now Sudden Death!!!
  • US Open: I have been PUNKED!!! Client sends email. Says been following me on Twitter today. Offer is real. Wanted to have fun with reaction
  • US Open: 18th tee, par 5. Mediate in the rough on left. Not a great shot. Tiger in middle of fairway. Hurry Up!!! Have 3:15 meeting
  • US Open: Client calls and wants to give offer to my candidate. What? Now? Missed 16th and 17th but no news. On to 18th, Mediate by 1
  • US Open: Mediate sinks OMG putt for birdie. ESPN Top 10. Woods misses shorter putt for birdie, gets par. Mediate by 1 going to 16th
  • US Open: 15th hole Mediate on the green. Tiger with a OMG from the bunker outside of fairway. Inside of Mediate on the green. ESPN Top 10
  • MN layoffs: Receiving inquiries, seeing trends on Monster, hearing rumors. Might see multiple stories before end of the month/2nd quarter
  • US Open: Not had much of a chance to watch yet. Thru 5, both +1. Tiger is wearing red.

June 15, 2008

  • #NBA: shit
  • Tiger Woods: (speechless)
  • @timelliott Yeah, that has crossed my mind. I am usually lukewarm on golf but this has been awesome. Tiger, to birdie, to tie. Sounds odd.
  • @timelliott If it was the others guys I would be for Tiger. I always like when people doubt him and then he shuts them up. If he wins, cool
  • US Open: I am a Tiger fan but find myself hoping Mediate holds on. It's a cool story.
  • #NBA: BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA. warming up to watch Garnett, Pierce, Allen win their 1st championship. 05:39 PM June 15, 2008 from web
  • What I learned on my way to Lund's: Stone Arch Bridge Festival goers cannot drive, walk, bike or roller blade. Traffic signs do not matter
  • @ConversationAge Frustration, when people say their number so fast that I cannot write it. Make it easy on me to call you back.
  • @Animal I disagree. Seems most people focus a lot on the faults every day and wait to say the nice things when it is too late.
  • Watching Meet the Press. Very sad to see Remembering Tim Russert.

June 14, 2008

  • Non Minnesota friends: @AlbertMaruggi a local social media guru on Minneapolis CBS affiliate, listen at http://www.830wcco.com/
  • Tiger Woods: holy crap!!! that putt must have been 50 some feet. Triple fist pump.
  • Low 80's in the forecast for next week. Just realized I have not had the AC on yet. That is good and bad.
  • Space Shuttle Discovery: Welcome Home

June 13, 2008

  • Minnesota Recruiters: Posted the list of Twitter users on the web site. Surely I have missed someone, let me know http://tinyurl.com/63mndh
  • RecruitngBlogs.com: I added 20 more of us to the Twitter group yesterday. If you want to be added go to http://tinyurl.com/497b5s
  • Tim Russert had a significant impact on the modern era of politics. Would like to have seen him these coming months. Very sad.
  • @myklroventine Neverending Story, I did not know the answer and did not wait for your answer. Now stuck in my head. Good to meet you Wed.
  • My pace of the past two weeks has caught up to me. If you wanted something from me it might not happen until Monday. Taking 2nd nap of day.

Thoughts On The Passing Of Tim Russert

The news today of the passing of Tim Russert is very sad. I was once a political junkie and gravitated to Tim Russert and Meet the Press because as has been reported many times today, he learned everything he could about the interviewee and took the other side.

There is something to be said about that. About not forcing ones political thoughts and opinions into the conversation. About being tough and fair without taking a side.

This year I have found myself getting back into caring about politics again. Not just because of one candidate or another but because for me, maybe for the first time, I will truly vote for someone and not the lesser of two crappy choices.

The morning of the 2000 election on The Today Show he was asked something about was the one thing to watch for that night, what one word and his response was Florida.

Election night I had stopped at the Democratic party, as in where people were drinking and hanging out, to see my friends there. I then headed to another hotel ballroom where the Republicans were holding their party. It is always more fun to be at the place that is winning and that night I was thinking it would be the Republicans.

I remember during the evening Russert pulled out the whiteboard to make better sense of it all. Red states, blue states. That whole damn evening was confusing but when he went to the whiteboard it all made sense.

I was in the ballroom when Florida was called for Gore. The place went silent and a lot of people left. Then they called it back and those still there were cheering. They then called it for Bush and I headed home so I could see Gore concede. (Which of course was only the beginning of the story.)

I think this photo is from the following Sunday’s Meet the Press when things were still in doubt and explaining how we got into the mess:

Tim Russert WhiteBoard

I remember most from the whiteboard election night, “Florida, Florida, Florida”

Since I have been following this election season I have been watching a lot of coverage during the week but always made sure to catch Meet the Press. I get tired of the same BS from the cable news channel folks and Russert always had the right people on, asking the questions I was thinking about, and put things into perspective.

He also has a show that aired on CNBC on Saturday evenings call The Tim Russert Show that I would usually catch on a replay during the week. I actually like(d) it more than Meet the Press as he interviewed reporters, authors, and others who were not political candidates. He had more time to get in to the lives of his guests and what they were about. He of course would share things about his father Big Russ and his son Luke.

It is worth noting that in 2004 he said well in advance that it would come down to Ohio. He was right.

For 2008 he had recently said the Democrats could lose Florida and Ohio but if they take three out of four from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico they will win.

Will be interesting to see if Mr. Russert goes three for three.

Thoughts and prayers to the Russert family.

Go Bills.

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 12, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

  • #NBA Proof my comment on Kobe was right. In his press conference used the analogy of wettting the bed. I should add diapers to what he needs
  • #NBA: Da Kid, KG, Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett, 1 game away from the dream. C'mon, bring it home
  • #NBA: Kobe Bryant a much deserved MVP. No question. And First Class Whiner. Get him a diaper, bottle, teddy bear.
  • @afongen great minds and empty stomachs think alike
  • #NBA GO CELTICS!!!! go on a 21-3 run. Down by 2 at end of 3th quarter. BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA
  • mmm mmm good. Pizza Luce. Half "Bear" half "Maximus".
  • #NBA Celtics 3 of 15. 24-7 Lakers 3:20 to go in the 1st. No worries friends, no 10 Tweets about the game tonight. Other things on my mind
  • Ever have one of those meetings where you know something good is going to happen? Thanks @erich_hanson @mn_web_design www.augustash.com
  • Twitter whale pic: (I am severely sleep deprived) Thinking if all the birds flew in the same direction would Twitter work better?
  • RecruitingBlogs.com: Since I know you are using Twitter, if you want to be added to the group and RSS list go to http://tinyurl.com/497b5s
  • @PowerBaby I have known you for half your life
  • From MN Headhunter blog: Wachovia Inserts Web 2.0 Into Daily Work Life http://tinyurl.com/5e5vq3

Wachovia Inserts Web 2.0 Into Daily Work Life

Let me start with this, HOO RAY!!! Another company gets it!!!

These past months a trickle of companies have started implementing ways to further engage and enhance communication among employees and internal business groups. A trickle is of course a start but I do wonder how long until a small but steady stream is running.

While Wachovia cites retaining Baby Boomer knowledge, trimming travel expenses, and lowering amount of paper used, it is of course the recruiting and retention part that has me most cheering.

I am tired of companies saying letting employees use Facebook and other social networks is a time waster. Or that the demographic is too young for them.

Knock, knock. HEEELLLOOOOO!!! In 3-5 years these folks will be approaching 30. In 3-5 years these will be the folks most needed by your company. Better to be proactive by retaining the ones you have and recruit their friends and people they know than start from scratch in 3-5 years when it is too late.

From InformationWeek, Enterprise 2.0: Wachovia Turns To Wikis, Blogs To Support Growth:

To connect its 100,000-plus employees, the financial services company is rolling out a slew of new collaboration tools anchored by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Sharepoint Server. Under the plan, Wachovia is adding wikis, blogs, instant messaging, social networking sites, and other Web 2.0 technologies to traditional methods like e-mail, according to Fields.

Beyond connecting employees around the world, Wachovia's collaborative environment is designed to attract -- and retain -- younger Generation Y employees who expect access to Web 2.0 tools at work. "They grew up in the flat world," said Fields. "They're used to playing video games with kids in Poland."

Fields said that many of corporate America's young workers' engagement levels "fall off the table" after about a year on the job because "we give them no means of input."

To change that, Wachovia is giving its Gen Y workers a role in helping its Enterprise 2.0 makeover succeed. Younger employees are assigned to teach senior staffers about the benefits of using collaborative networks.

Way To Go Wachovia

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 11-9, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

June 11, 2008

  • @pfhyper Could be interesting to bring in a Non profit with an issue and see if the group can come up with solutions. A case study of sort
  • Economy: Oil +$5
  • Thank you to @rickmahn @newcoventry @desaraev and group for the #SMBMSP conversation. I came away with more ideas to bring to my day job.
  • #smbmsp video (I think) http://tinyurl.com/6j6q7w
  • #SMBMSP sort of sitting next to @tavisd too.
  • #SMBMSP sitting next to @GraemeThickins
  • SMBMSP: Yes, I woke up on time!!!
  • @erich_hanson but at what point do you finally say, "I have done as much as I can." For me it was just 20 seconds ago. I am out.
  • @marenhogan Two things I was not aware of Cali and your B-day. You can be a Cali girl and think Kobe is a whiner. B-day, wheels in motion...

June 10, 2008

  • @marenhogan You and I have issues to talk about. Lakers? C'mon...
  • #NBA So either the refs were biased in Game 2 or the Lakers are whiners. 2-1 Boston. For as bad as Celtics executed this was a close game
  • #NBA, very cool. I can swear while on @fanchatter Not at someone of course, just when KG misses a break away dunk. I feel, free!!!
  • #NBA Took a nap and headed to http://fanchatter.com/group... so not to annoy you all this evening. Be back later.
  • @RecruitingGuy Maresh, very sad. I hope on 9-12-09 he still runs in with the flag. Gray is registered for summer class, false rumor
  • SMBMSP = Social Media Breakfast Twin Cities, http://smbmsp.ning.com/ Wednesday from 8-10 am Concordia University in St. Paul
  • SMBMSP: Plan ahead for the forecasted heavy rain and then likely slow traffic that will go with it. See you in the morning.
  • Sam Maresh, top Gophers football recruit, needs heart surgery http://www.startribune.com/... Best wishes to him.
  • Article: Google loses big in H-1B lottery as Congress gets new visa push http://tinyurl.com/58jrpw

June 9, 2008

  • If these are the good ones...(speechless): The Newspapers: Rating The Top 25 Newspaper Websites http://tinyurl.com/6zu99s
  • Olberman on MSNBC to show some of the now famous video from this weekends conference in Mpls with Moyers and O'Reilly hack.
  • Minnesota company Compellent with a tech review in InformationWeek http://tinyurl.com/3vav72
  • Past 1,000 tweets in a short amount of time. Blame @txaggie94 she is the one responsible.
  • Minnesota Recruiters: Welcome @karic, Kari Christesen of Ecolab.
  • @TalentSynch Then a "gadget" needs to be created that can zap that and force them to move over.
  • Prius: When one signs a purchase agreement is there another form that is signed saying "must drive in left lane 2 MPH slower thqan posted"?
  • STOP the Internet: In a job order for Sftw Dev Mgr. Must have skills: Ability to interview, recruit in a 24/7 mindset. Communicate on hires
  • Obama: Giving first big speech taking on McCain. In North Carolina with John and Elizabeth Edwards. Going through a list of issues.
  • Economy: Oil -$1.50. Dow, S&P, NASDAQ futures all up. 08:06 AM June 09, 2008 from web

7 Reasons Why Employees Must Be Well Selected

Author Byline: Human Resource Management Business Practices and Notes

Employee selection is an important activity of HRM. For the small business owner or especially those who are starting-up, getting the right employees to join your venture is imperative. Your employees may break or make your business. The very word selection implies the choice of the one best –qualified individual from among a number of available qualified candidates. Hence, there should be a relatively large number of job applicants from which the final candidates are chosen.

There are several reasons why employees must be well selected. Here are the 7 most important reasons:

    1. Your business goals and objectives are better achieved by the employees you properly selected for a particular job.

    2. An incompetent employee is a liability to your business, an additional expense, or a burden. Proper care should be made in getting the right person with the right competence for the job.

    3. Personnel requirements vary from job to job. Meaning, the right employee for the right job. There can be no general requirements.

    4. People have varying degrees of intelligence, aptitudes and abilities. Hence, fit the square peg on the square hole not on the round one, so to speak.

    5. Labor Laws protect employee, making it difficult to fire incompetent and problem employees. Hiring is always easier than firing because of the laws governing termination of employment. In some states and countries, ‘firing-at-will’ seems to be a norm, in others, it is illegal.

    6. Individuals have different interests, goals, and objectives in life. Select somebody whose goals closely align to you business goals.

    7. Careless hiring is costly and can cause problems to the company. The hiring process cost you the money for the advertisement, cost for testing, and time for those who made the interviews. More so, in the long run as pointed out earlier, a wrong hire can cost you more in your operations.

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.

Minnesota Business News: Arbita | JobDig | Zanby | Compellent Technologies

  • Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has an article on the Arbita (Minneapolis) and JobMachine (Atlanta) merger. Arbita and Don Ramer have become good friends of mine and are also the Group Sponsor of Minnesota Recruiters.

    Of course the article is only fully viewed with a subscription but here is the link from the Page 9 story, Online recruiter, JobMachine to merge

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 8-5, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

June 8, 2008

  • #NBA: How bout this being my only post on the game? Trying to be respectful of you all. Yeah Celtics, KG, held on, whew. Beat La Beat LA
  • CNBC showing Squawk Box Asia as the regions markets are down 2%+ on Friday US jobs report and market reaction. Not good news.
  • Never good when a local weather dude says, "This will be another interesting weather week, report tonight at ten."
  • Spent some quality time this afternoon with my friends Swiffer, Tide, Windex, vacuum, dust rag. Momma taught me well. Cleanest condo in 55401

June 7, 2008

  • @PowerBaby when you have a chance, have their been any comments about papers web sites sucking so bad? And revenue not being maximized?
  • Belmont Stakes winner is #6 DA'TARA 38 to 1
  • Big Brown jockey "I had no horse"
  • SHIT!!!! jockey eased up at the 1/4 pole
  • Big Brown falling waayyyy back
  • THEIR OFF

Continue reading "Daily Twitter Notes" »

Daily Twitter Notes

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | June 4 - May 30, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

June 4, 2008

  • @marenhogan Welcome to the sports world. Seriously, wait til college football. Some drink, some smoke, some gamble, I do college football
  • I so much appreciate the end of every series the handshake.
  • Damn that was close. Congrats Red Wings. Que stupid people in Detroit flipping over cars.
  • 3-2, here we go again. Hold on...
  • 3-1 Detroit, that was a goal to remember.
  • @marenhogan is she OK? @TalentSynch spent 2 hours with me last night. I think I may have scarred her. I was on a bit of a rant.
  • @RobertFischer I agree. As an undecided leaning his way if he picks her as VP he has one last swing vote.
  • Jimmy Carter on Clinton as VP: "That would be the worst mistake that could be made." not just because of her but too many issues in general

Continue reading "Daily Twitter Notes" »

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 29-21, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

May 29, 2008

  • "Wall Street" is on VH1. Love the movie but a movie on VH1 seems, well, wrong. Maybe they should do a musical of Wall Street.
  • Thank you @dcgrigsby for introducing me to Business Journal reporter. Very kind of you.
  • Back from Minnesota Technical Recruiters Network, www.mntrn.org Good event and a lot of fun not being responsible.
  • So this is what it feels like to be up at 6 am.

May 28, 2008

Continue reading "Daily Twitter Notes" »

Memorial Day Weekend and Summertime

A quick message to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday weekend. Do not be surprised if/when you see me doing some blog posts.

And a video of my #1 all time favorite song. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Summertime:

BREAKING NEWS: Arbita and JobMachine Merge

Below is a press release I just received from my friends at Arbita. Surely this will make some noise in the Recruiter and HR industry.

Way to go Don and Shally!!!

 

Arbita and JobMachine Join Forces

Merger Enhances Recruiting Capabilities for Customers

Minneapolis, MN - May 22, 2008 - The March Continues

Global organizations are well aware that dedication to acquiring top–quality candidates will enable them to thrive and grow in the midst of fierce competition. Finding efficient ways to directly recruit the best candidates are needed to stay ahead in the war for talent and control the cost of recruiting in today’s market.

Arbita, the Internet Recruitment Powerhouse, headquartered in Minneapolis, has merged with JobMachine to further empower its customers to hire more and better people faster. The merger will give customers access to an integrated line of services, combining job ad distribution and recruitment solutions with alternative methods for candidate sourcing.

Arbita’s customers will have access to workforce development and consulting services designed to add value to their sourcing and recruitment teams by developing their research skills. JobMachine’s renowned seminars, onsite workshops, webinars and strategic sourcing consulting will help customers to implement long–term internet recruitment capabilities. Customers will be better equipped to consistently mine top candidates using the best available techniques – enabling them to find talent not obtainable from mainstream sources.

“JobMachine delivers real value to the recruitment market by empowering practitioners and organizations with workforce development programs and consulting services that transform individuals and organizations,” says Don Ramer, Arbita’s CEO. “Shally’s research and thought leadership have changed the way that thousands of recruiters and hundreds of companies view Talent Acquisition Strategy and Recruiting Tactics,” he continued. “This merger flows from strategic alignment of vision for the industry our companies serve and the shared values of our leadership teams,” Ramer concluded.

“Arbita is defining industry standards through recruitment best practices,” says Shally Steckerl, Founder and Chief CyberSleuth of JobMachine. “The merger will further expand the ways in which customers pipeline talent. Our combined products and services will bring recruitment to the next level by adding core competencies in research and facilitating just-in-time sourcing from every possible channel. Through the merger we will enable our customers to obtain world class talent globally, and bring premium candidates to the right jobs with a high level of precision,” he continued.

About JobMachine

Founded in 1998, JobMachine provides consulting and training solutions for recruiters and recruiting agencies. JobMachine focuses on helping its customers build organizational capabilities around sourcing and research. It has architected sourcing and research teams at well over 160 Global 500 corporations and top Search Firms worldwide. JobMachine is based in Atlanta, GA and is located at www.jobmachine.net.

About Arbita

Since 1993 Arbita has posted jobs to job boards globally. It has provided services and recruitment advice to hundreds of customers. These include General Dynamics, eBay, Pfizer, and Cox Communications. Arbita partners with the HR-XML Consortium, the International Association for Human Resource Information Management, and the International Association of Employment Web Sites or IAEWS. Arbita is based in Minneapolis, MN and is located at www.arbita.net.

Media Contact:

Don Ramer, CEO & Founder
Arbita
(612) 278-0078|
Press@arbita.net
www.arbita.net

MN Headhunter Blog Celebrates 3rd Birthday, Or Is It Anniversary

May 21st 2005 I started this little adventure of mine. Does that make it a birthday, because it was created or an anniversary because it is more like a relationship?

I am going to go with anniversary:

Happy Anniversary 3 Years

Writing a blog is lot like a relationship. It takes time to make it work. You have to give it attention frequently. You need to spice it up now and again.

I think I have been treating my blog better these past months. Still never show it as much attention as it deserves but I am getting better. I continue to be distracted by other things but I always seem to find my way back here.

3 years has brought 653 posts and 104,000+ visits.

I continue to see growth:

MN Headhunter 1 Year Site Meter

There are two new things coming that I wish I would have started years ago but will next week and that is “Job Search 101” and “Recruiter 101”. Simple tips for job seekers and recruiters to use in their activity.

The foundation for these will come from my job search presentation I give and my presentation from the Minnesota Recruiters event.

Understand, most of this will not be ground breaking thought material (hence the 101) but I am asked these questions often, I have 10+ years of search experience with a unique perspective of both sides, and having the content posted will help get to the next set of questions.

I guess that is the "spicy" part of the blog relationship. Not so exciting is it?

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 20-17, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

May 20, 2008

  • @JavaJunky went for a quick walk and saw a clear Minnesota evening and a near full moon
  • My over/under "suck" count during my presentation. A push at 6. 4 other words worse words that slipped out. 2 almosts. No one offended.
  • I admit my technology ineptitude and a reminder that the blog does this for me. How many minutes to create a RSS Feed for a career page?
  • Had a great conversation with John Sumser www.recruitingroadshow.com this evening. He is Obi Wan Kenobi and Don Ramer www.arbita.net is Yoda
  • LinkedIn customer service update, they had it fixed in 2.5 hours. Moved the group cap from 1,000 to 10,000. @sheldonschwartz gets a prize.
  • OK I think my rant is over, for now. Sorry, if I did not get that out I would have spontaneously combusted in the next few hours.
  • And then talk about the "War for Talent". Job boards are A tool not THE tool. This should be about creating relationships
  • Frankly I think most employers SUCK at the recruiting process and talk a big game but do little to make it better.
  • Hey @jjbuss, I am not speaking of just the job fair. I am painting a wide brush and accusing most every employer in their every day activity
  • @justingrammens The next Career Expo is September 16th, I think. Contact Tracy Dawson, tracy@expoexpertsllc.com
  • StarTribune Career Expo: Some good news economy wise. Sounds like more companies are attending job fairs in most regions of the country
  • StarTribune Career Expo: 35+ companies in attendance. Stories were from mostly unemployed in my job search presentation.
  • StarTribune Career Expo: Is not for their employees. This is a 4 time a year local company job fair for engineering, healthcare, and mgmt
  • StarTribune Career Expo: My ongoing internal conversation. Why do employers make it so hard on themsleves and candidates?
  • StarTribune Career Expo: Many of stories of poor customer service. Employers might want to consider the damage they do to brand and PR.
  • StarTribune Career Expo: Very disappointed in hearing what are clear cases of age discrimmination. Can't find people, won't hire older folks
  • StarTribune Career Expo: finally got to meet @slolee today who stopped by to see her father (hiring company) and then catch my presentation
  • Off to the StarTribune Career Expo. Feeling more talkative than usual, Uh Oh. Over/under on my use of the word "suck", I am going with 6.
  • My LinkedIn guess, 3 days. But maybe shorter because Jason's RecruitingBlogs.com site is well known and has a huge membership.
  • Clearly @sheldonschwartz and his 4 hours of LinkedIn ticket time has never dealt with LI. If correct, I will send a gift certificate.
  • LinkedIn Round 1: My email to customer service worked and I now have a help ticket. Anyone with an over/under on time to completion?
  • Ever tried using the LinkedIn customer service form? Nightmare. Maybe they should fire up their @linkedin They always seem to have issues.
  • Facebook webinar tomorrow. Jim Durbin will be on Hireability showing recruiters how to recruit on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/5u4o63

May 19, 2008

  • @fanchatter I signed up as MNHeadhunter. Will remember to go there next time.
  • Twins: Oh yeah, Twins Win.
  • Twins: YYYYYEEEESSSSSSS!!!!! Clark with a hit over center fielder.
  • Twins: Gomez with an infield hit. Young moves Gomez to 2nd. Lamb gets the intentional walk. 1st and 2nd. 1 out.
  • Twins: Korecky, this kid is having a good night. 3 up, 3 down. Twins up next.
  • Twins: Crap to the 12th we go...
  • Twins: Morneau strikes out. Nice pitch. Cuddyer up.
  • Twins: Mauer walks. Bases full. Morneau up to bat. 1 out.
  • Twins: Another single. 1st and 2nd. 1 out. I know some of you did not sign up for baseball play by play. Humor me.
  • Twins: Korecky the pitcher has to bat and he has not done so in almost 5 years. Gets a single.
  • Twins: Get out of a big jam in the 11th!!!
  • Minnesota Twins: I broke my Golden Rule, never turn the game off. They were losing, got distracted, they tied in the 9th. Now in the 11th.
  • @StevenRothberg I thought @jasonalba would like to know you once said you would Twitter 1 time day. You are in violation of your own rule.
  • Recruiters looking for an ATS? I have used Sendouts.com for years. Did a demo of JobDig Tracker today. Very impressed. Contact if interested
  • RecruitingBlogs.com LinkedIn group. For some reason group is frozen at 1,000. I think we broke LinkedIn!!!
  • RecruitingBlogs.com announces LinkedIn group. 7000+ Recruiters, let the feeding feenzy begin.
  • StarTribune Career Fair: Tomorrow, St. Paul RiverCentre. I speak from 1-2 pm. http://tinyurl.com/5b7c5w

May 18, 2008

  • Kenny Chesney wins Entertainer of the Year. Thanks everyone on his team. Then his parents for having sex all those years ago. Classic.
  • @dbrauer I send eyeballs to www.tcbmag.com and www.upsizemag.com but not the rest. I guess they do not want the traffic.
  • @marenhogan I thought it was a great post and anyone who goes 60 hours straight in Vegas has my respect. Mpls may not be as fun, but close.
  • Thank you for the link @dbrauer I see the Yahoo button but not a link to RSS feeds. Not always the brightest bulb on the tree. Is it hidden?
  • St Paul Pioneer Press | www.twincities.com: Do they not have RSS feeds for stories?
  • Country Music Awards: Watching, proof I like most any music performed live. Big fan of Kenny Chesney
  • New York Times: MSFT pitches collaborative deal with YHOO between their online advertising businesses, not a full takeover
  • Enjoyed many conversations with the now graduated college kids. Looking forward to tipping point when the day job grind gets old and no fun
  • Wally with the hard foul on KG. I bet Wally enjoyed that since they did not get along much with the Timberwolves. Fans chanting MVP, MVP.
  • Barnes & Noble, held the door open for a woman with her hands full. She says "thank you, no one does that anymore". When/why did we stop?
  • Silly, err, stupid Minnesota Legislators still do not have the budget done. tick, tick, tick. I say this every year, why is this so hard?

May 17, 2008

Minnesota Recruiters Featured On Ning Blog

This was a pleasant surprise and I have no idea how it came about. It is nice to know that experts in social media think what we are doing with our site is cool.

Sometimes, much of the time, I feel like I am “winging” this but maybe I know what I am doing after all. It has helped my learning curve to watch and participate in the site run by Jason Davis at RecruitingBlogs.com.

Here is the link from the Ning Blog May 3, 2008:

Sharing ideas with Minnesota Recruiters

If you are thinking of start an online group I know there are a lot of platforms one can use but Ning is far and away the best (and easiest) to use. There are a lot of tools that come with the site. It can be customized and widgets from other providers are easy to put in.

Most of all, the couple of tech support issues I have had (caused by me not Ning) were quickly responded to.

You do not need to be an expert to set this up and if you such a person you will find it a good start to do with it as you wish.

Minnesota Business, Technology, Sports, And Recruiter Blogs Added

It has been some time since I added to my blog rolls. All are Minnesota blogs, here goes...

Recruiter Blogs:

Business Blogs:

Technology Blogs:

Sports Blogs:

MN Headhunter To Present At StarTribune Career Expo

StarTribune Career Expo

This Tuesday, May 20th 2008, I will be presenting for the second time at the StarTribune Career Expo. Here is the information on my presentation:

1 PM - 2 PM -- Room A
I have a "killer" resume, now what? Tips on being your own Headhunter
Paul J DeBettignies
Managing Partner, Nerd Search, LLC

Paul has been an IT headhunter for 10 years; he is a frequent speaker on job search and networking topics and writes the popular business blog www.mnheadhunter.com. Paul will share principles he has learned that are universal to a job search through is own business and throughout his years of interaction with candidates that will help speed up you job search process. Areas to be covered include: networking, what it is, how to get started, and who to contact; effective ways of using email to introduce yourself; finding hiring manager contact names; creating your 10 second Sound Bite and the 30 second elevator pitch; tracking your job search.

There are other great presenters at the event and because I do the part after one has a resume prepared if you do not yet have yours be sure to see the presentation from Kevin Donlin who writes The Simple Job Search and for the StarTribune in the Sunday career section:

11 AM - 12 Room A
Job Search Secrets Revealed
Kevin Donlin
President, Guaranteed Resumes

Want to find the right job fast? Kevin Donlin, creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com, can make that happen for you. In this presentation, you'll discover how to create a resume that proves you are the one to hire, using the secrets of...TV infomercials. Plus, how to make your phone ring with interview offers by choosing the right 3 skills to "sell" employers. How to stop sending boring cover letters -- and start sending something else. And much more!

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 16, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

  • A beautiful night. It has been so long since sitting outside, in shorts, 70 degrees, after 10 pm. This corner of Downtown is very quiet.
  • First news story on KARE 11: The weather. In a good way. 79 degrees. And nice weekend too. First one of the season. So sad to say in mid May
  • @RobertFischer I have been getting the same questions for Minnesota Recruiters. I think we have a culture of sharing, meeting, friendly.
  • Welcome a new Minnesota Recruiter friend @derrickmoe and a reminder that I started @mnrecruiters today.
  • Downtown Mpls traffic report: Why? Because it already sucks. A beautiful day and folks are leaving early for the weekend.
  • Economy: Sorry, bad news always comes on Fridays
  • CNBC: "Stealth Layoffs" Sweep across Wall Street http://www.cnbc.com/id/2466...
  • Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers: May 59.5, June was 62.6, 59.5 is lowest since June 1980.
  • Oil: Passed $127 earlier, mid $126 now. Goldman Sachs says $141 in second half of year
  • Barak Obama speech: swings back at President Bush and John McCain
  • Minnesota Recruiters: @mnrecruiters for information on the group, events, and a place to gather ourselves.
  • Between Minnesota Recruiters, Minnebar, MIMA, and #smbmsp this was clearly the most informative week of my 10+ year professional career.
  • @GraemeThickins what a great event for someone like me
  • Paraphrase from #SMBMSP, if you want free read my blog. Pay me for implementing what you read.
  • Crap, over slept, missing #smbmsp but watching live video which is way cool. So is @cullect, big fan of @garrickvanburen

Daily Twitter Notes

Sometimes the day does not all to do a blog post let alone write about things on my mind or hear about like economic, political, local news (sports too).

With Twitter, you at least get some of the flavor, a flash moment during the day, of what I am thinking about. You can follow during the day or see the digest below.

I do not include all "Tweets" where I am responding to someone else, might get confusing...

MN Headhunter on Twitter | May 15 - May 10, 2008 (last one first, URL's added):

May 15, 2008

  • I hope my @smbmsp friends do not care that when they see me I will look like a truck ran over me. Twice. Another late, late night.
  • Recruiter friends: check out @ere_net and @FordyceLetter
  • @erincarlson Try www.arcgreatertwincities.org, click About Us and then their link to www.bluetrucks.org/
  • BEAUTIFUL spring day in Mpls. Light wind 70 degrees bright sun. Saw a bee for the first time. Ornamental trees flowering. Smells like spring
  • @ebkelly Good idea, had not thought about it. With all my thoughts about video did not think about my own. Will see if I can get it set up.
  • @mjkeliher No, they do Job Fairs 3-5 times a year. This is not for Star Tribune it is sponsored by Star Tribune through their career section
  • Kennedy Conference using Twitter @kennedyinfo Cool to see Recruiter and HR folk grasping this as a tool. And getting some nice quotes/stats
  • StarTribune Career Expo, I am on from 1-2 pm I have a "killer" resume, now what? Tips on being your own Headhunter http://tinyurl.com/5b7c5w

May 14, 2008

May 13, 2008

  • MN Recruiters: Did I miss anyone?
  • MN Recruiters: @DaveHulbert @StevenRothberg @RecruitingGuy @RickDeare @timesse @AppleRecruiter @kateklobe @erincarlson
  • MN Recruiters: @jokahn @MplsRecruiter @txaggie94 @toddbaer @Tavisd @robertstanke @jjbuss @ebkelly @ksielingg10 @ashleymonseth @ecaron
  • Minnesota Recruiter Twitter friends: Send me a DM, or email with your user name. Want to make sure I get you all in this weeks newsletter
  • NWA: Sunday a plane from LAX to Det is diverted to Vegas for "maintenance". Top panel on left wing came off. Called "out of the ordinary".
  • Barak Obama: 4 more Super Delegates
  • MN Friends: When I started my blog I created a page to help nonprofit and community orgs find IT help. Just updated, www.mnheadhunter.com/vol
  • MIMA event: I am attending for the first time and will only know my MinneBar and Twitter friends. Anyone looking for a Wing Man/Shadow?
  • Economy: Goldman Sachs Abby Joseph Cohen, U.S. economy has hit bottom, US economic data to improve Q3-Q4,.
  • Economy: Retail Sales down .2%. Take out Autos, up 0.5% Better than expected.
  • Fed Res Bernanke: Financial markets, credit risks better but far from normal.
  • Kennedy Conference: Wishing all my recruiter friends a safe trip to Vegas. Looking forward to updates. Hope someone leaks the good stuff.

May 12, 2008

  • Larry King: Replay from earlier this evening with John Edwards. Seems I like the people after they drop more than when they were running
  • Celtics vs. Cavaliers: I am a KG fan but that dunk by LeBron on KG wil be an all timer. And they win too. Crap.
  • CNBC: NYSE halts shares of EDS for pending announcement
  • CNBC: HP close to deal for EDS. Could be announced tomorrow.
  • New Minnesota Recruiter on Twitter, @kateklobe
  • LinkedIn: Heroine for Recruiters.
  • RecruitingBlogs.com: Announcing a LinkedIn group to 700 members today. All 7,000 tomorrow. Short term chaos will begin. Wondering how much.
  • Very wrong on many levels: Nuking yesterday's leftover grilled cheeseburger for breakfast at 1:30 PM.
  • Operator error (I am still sort of new at this). Trying again for @rickdeare blogpost, http://tinyurl.com/5jm5un
  • Blog post: @rickdeare on Minnesota Recruiters event, http://tinyurl.com/5jm5un. I feel good about the event, but I am not nearly that cool.
  • My "get up and go" "got up and went". If you see it please sent it back my way.

May 11, 2008

  • RecruitingBlogs.com: Big, big news coming in the next 12-36 hours.
  • Politics: Washington Post has Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as #1 VP choice for McCain.
  • Minnesota Twins: On ESPN vs. Red Sox. Wakefield's first pitch, to Gomez, a knuckleball, big miss. Wonder if Gomez has ever seen one before.
  • Minnesota Recruiters informal hiring poll: From Friday, hiring more/less as planned '08, Corp 60/40, Consult 40/60, Search firms 50/50
  • MinneBar: Seeing links to blog posts/pics. I am doing mine Mon. Will add your links to my blog post. Send links to paul@mnheadhunter.com
  • MinneBar: One ironic thing happened today. I got the buzz cut Thursday and wore a blue shirt today. Looked identical to Twitter profile pic
  • @fanchatter Very good to meet you. If I can find a way to yell at the ref's and Hawkeye fans while using Twitter and your site, I am in.

May 10, 2008

  • registered @gophers and @gopherblog. Too bad @gopherfootball was taken 9 months ago. Will connect those to www.gopherfootballblog.com
  • During the Twitter sessions and talking about noise, thinking about Gopher football and driving you all crazy I...
  • After a much needed nap and feeling a little better, time to absorb the past 42 hours. Thankfully, Hunt For Red October is on Bravo. Love it.
  • I hope my Recruiter friends are OK with today
  • My Twitter noise. One topic was how much and what kinds of Tweets are too much. Tech folks were OK with the Minnesota Recruiters stuff.
  • Minnesota Recruiters & MinneBar post event: Yesterday we have a light lunch with water and soda. Today light app's and a long line for beer
  • MinneBar: Had a lengthy conversation with a frustrated job seeker. I wonder if he would sit on a panel for Minnesota Recruiters...
  • MinneBar: Thrilled to have met all of you I have been following. This has been a blast. And Happy Hour has not started yet.
  • MinneBar: Cool, he too was just finishing his presentation. I am not the only one.
  • MinneBar: Blogging For Benjamins
  • Minnesota Recruiters and MinneBar observation: yesterday it was sort of rude to be using laptop, Blackberry, IM. Today, feel word if not.
  • MinneBar: Left for Beyond Twitter. Still Twitter rookie so this is a little above my level. Like the idea of seating chart by Twitter name.
  • Jamie's Minne Word Camp, http://wiki.thingelstad.com...
  • My idea for a local tech board and portal is getting my adrenaline running. Might be time to do it.
  • Minnesota Recruiters and MinneBar observation: Employers cannot find tech folks, tech folks cannot find jobs. WTF???
  • MinneBar: Power WordPress & MinneWord Camp with Jamie Thinglestad
  • MinneBar: Left for Distributed Team work. Interesting conversation including lack of women in the industry.
  • MinneBar: 7 deadly sins to startup marketing.
  • MinneBar: State of the State was cool. Nice chat with Dan Grigsby then Michael Gorman after. Also Graeme Thickens and Steve Borsch
  • Made it to MinneBar, in the Twitter session. Nice to see faces of people I have been following.
  • All of my MN Tech friends are at MinneBar. I am getting out of bed after a week of craziness. Mind is screaming to go. Body not replying.

Jason Alba With Minnesota Recruiters At JobDig

April 28, 2008 we had our first Minnesota Recruiters topic session. We were fortunate that Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com was in Minneapolis for the week and had time to speak with us.

This was the first time in a 2+ year online and phone friendship that I was able to meet Jason in person.

Here is the PR material for the event:

Social Tools and Technologies for Recruiters

LinkedIn is obviously a powerful tool for recruiters.  What about other social tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs?  How can recruiters develop and execute a social networking strategy that will help them find new (and passive) candidates, engage with them and develop a relationship, enriching their candidate pool? Join Jason Alba as he shares what he’s learned as a job seeker and career management advocate, taking you on a tour of successful recruiter strategies with these four technologies.

How Jason started JibberJobber.com is a most interesting story which you can find by clicking Jason Alba’s Story.

Here are some more links for Jason:

Jason covered a lot of material in 90 minutes including the use of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and more.

He also focused on the need to be authentic and transparent. Two traits that are vital when being online and I would say should be obvious things to do but I find many recruiters not doing it.

We had 40+ recruiters in the room and feedback from the event was very positive.

Jason sold some books and I picked up six for the Minnesota Recruiters (un)Conference.

I really appreciate the help from Toby Dayton and Molly Moseley of JobDig. They were great hosts and I look forward to doing this with them again.

After the event Jason, Steven Rothberg, Rick Deare, Katie Konrath and I had dinner where I kept the group somewhat amused with my many questions including why recruiters only post on job boards and do not take advantage of other tools. Many thanks to Steven for picking up the dinner bill.

Here are some blog posts about the event:

Here are a few pictures: