Omaha ROCKS

Woohoo! Someone else said it too! Omaha rules and even the WSJ is getting clued in on that fact. Check out the WSJ Article that puts Omaha alongside Kobe, Japan and Wismar, Germany (ummm, I’ve never heard of either of those place but I am sure they are fantastic!). Also, here is the breakdown of the article on the Chamber site.

This seems like an excellent time to recognize some of the movers and shakers around here. We have such an awesome bunch of creative folks here, it’s shame not to point them out!

Jason Lauritsen
Joe Gerstandt
Jeff Slobotski
Dusty D

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these people did say happy birthday to me recently and I have have coffee with them, so there you go. Plus, I have to keep some hipsters up my sleeve for next time!

What if I want to make sure you’re normal?

Recently, a Ray Chen from Spokeo reached out to me to ask me to review his product SpokeoHR. I mention this only because in said email, he referenced the “many, many social networks” I am active on. Still one of my favorite comments of all time. I love my virtual audience and so should you. Thanks Ray for seeing the value of social networking.

He obviously does, SpokeoHR is a tool for (duh) HR folk and Recruiter peeps that lists (google or cuil like if you will) the social networks someone is on, simply by entering their email address. Caveat: I think you have to have their personal email, which is not a huge issue, since only the stupidest of candidates will hand over their work email to a recruiter or internal HR pro.

Once you see how “social” they are (if you have a primo account) you can then check their updates and see most or all of their profile ( I think this must depend on the privacy policy of the specific network). This could be very helpful if you are a boss that loathes twitterusers and want to avoid hiring a prolific tweeter, like myself. Or if you are the DEA (whose internals probably are not allowed to use tools like spokeo anyways) and want to find out if your prospective hire is smoking . . .stuff.

The truth is Spokeo is a much better tool for recruiters, because it is our job to be the “weed-pullers” and get the gunk out of there before the HMs see it (at least part of it, we’re far more multi-faceted than some might think).

My only LOL moment when I was using my Spokeo account was that Dan Harris (a very smart and good young sourcer/recruiter) appeared in my picture slot. Not quite sure how that happens, but it could be worse!

Embarrassing stuff popped up when I searched my own accounts (inc. MySpace) like this video, the descriptor of which is. . .This makes me pee my pants every time. Which is . . .less than professional, assuredly. Would it make someone not hire me? I don’t think so. Hopefully, the companies that would be interested in a social diva recruiter like myself would look past a little. . . well, you know.

But SpokeoHR is not for searching out yourself (narcissist!) or soley for trapping candidates in their oddities (although that is FUN), the special HR features can be used to:

-Check if the candidate is a good fit, personality wise. Better than most tests, this will see if that person really can tolerate the office dog or is actually an environmentalist. - Take the next step toward an interview. I do terribly on the phone (when I am being interviewed). If I had a similar candidate but felt there was something deeper, maybe seeing them in a more relaxed environment would give me a better picture of who they are right?

-Introduce the recruiter to new social networks. I think this will be particularly useful for sourcers who are always on the look out for new and cool tools that agg data.

All in all, I’d say SpokeoHR is a tool that will be used by the best and brightest recruiters, not for every single placement but for the tough ones or the ones where personality matters (start ups spring to mind). I’m glad I got the chance to poke around. I know I’ll be using it in the future.

I got an entire conference for my birthday!

Who goes to Canada for their birthday? Me apparently. When I first learned about RecruitFest!, the upcoming RecruitingBlogs.com conference that Jason Davis is having, it didn’t even have a name. But I knew I wanted to go. For those reading, I have been to a few-ish conferences in the last few months. I’ve also been actively involved in more than a few social networks.

When I mentioned that I wanted to go to RecruitFest! it was the last straw. I had to argue pretty hard to convince bosses and hubby alike that this was a good idea, resulting in this emo-vid shortly after the big blowup.

In the end, I agreed to forgo all other conferences (except maybe this one, just don’t say anything yet) in favor of this one. Smart deal? That will remain to be seen. But I think it will end up being genius, here’s why:

RecruitFest is put on by a pro: I know Davis’ current focus is marketing to recruiters, but most everyone knows he used to BE an awesome one. I’ve heard his story (if you haven’t you should) and some of the future possibilities for RBC. He wants recruiters to succeed. To that end, Jason has filled his conference with tried and true speakers who are not only thought leaders but practitioners that are still working it, both third party and corporate.

RecruitFest is exclusive: There are only 80 seats. I love that. I’ve been at big shows, I’ve been at smaller shows but the real networking and LEARNING comes after hours, behind the scenes. That’s where lifelong relationships are made. If I sound corny, sue Ramer and Sumser. They made me this way. Small is the new big right?

RecruitFest is not in Vegas: Or Orlando, or San Diego, or any other place that is known for cheap flights, conference rates etc. It’s in Toronto. What this means to me is that people will have to THINK about it. It’s not easy, it’s not standard, which means only the most committed will be there.

RecruitFest is not $1000: I hate this. I know people have to make their money somewhere so I don’t begrudge the ERE and Kennedy and SHRM (it should be noted that key players from some of these orgs are coming, which proves I am right about this being something) etc shows. But when someone comes out with an intimate, well thought out, information filled conference that doesn’t focus on automaton tactics AND it’s less than $300, I’m in.

RecruitFest gives me a voice: I am not heard in a room full of thousands or even hundreds of people. But in a room with 30-40 people (there are several tracks, so the 80 will be divided for some of the time). I have heard the adage that “content used to be king, now it’s conversation”. Davis and his crew have tapped into that with a vibrant and organic community and now it’s being translated into conference form. I like what I’ve seen so far. . .

RecruitFest has no flashy titles: Save the ! in the title, there are no flashy headlines promising that I will make a bazillion dollars next year if I go to this conference. Wisely enough, Davis has out the responsibility of that into my hands. It’s an conference about our industry, but it’s not the standard industry conference. And it’s the first one.

Something inside me says that this will be big. And I plan on being there. You? At least check out the event details. It’s my birthday!!

Recruiting in the Bathroom? only in Minnesota

As I alluded to in my Minnesota post, I attended the phenom rooftop party hosted by (someone correct me if i am wrong ) recrutingblogs.com and Arbita. Now, I am not the kind of girl who frequently attends events where there are people to attend you in the bathroom. Yep, the bathroom. Crazy I know! You can’t take me anywhere!

In the women’s restroom, there were all kinds of goodies, eyeliner (which I used), lip gloss (which I used, um, in hindsight maybe not the BEST idea of the evening), hair spray which I used, gum, mints, etc. I felt like I was at a slumber party with fantastic lighting. Bridget, a beautiful girl (who may be the only person I’ve seen to EVER pull off an asymmetrical haircut), attended to me so graciously, I just had to tip her. Well, turns out I had about 7 bucks in quarters. While I was fishing these and other assorted items out of my wallet, she and I got to talking. All of my friends were making fun of me, but at the heart of it, recruiters are supposed to care about people and the work they do, no? YES.

Bridget told me her job was extremely coveted and she could make as much as the servers, if not more on a really good night. And Bridget only works the good nights! According to her, people are extremely giving, generous and kind to the attendants and rarely does she have to deal with something. . . .unseemly.

We didn’t discuss how she got the job, but while she was speaking to me, she continued to clear her station, attend to other patrons and ensure that everything was as it should be. I took from her graceful and unhurried actions that she was good at what she does.

What does it take to write a job posting for a good bathroom attendant? One that doesn’t sit down on the job or ignore patrons? One who will anticipate needs and provide excellent customer service? People are pretty vulnerable in the bathroom, so it’s what my friend Josh might call “a pivotal role” in the make-or-break area of service, something I’ll just bet is important in the ol’ restaurant BIZ.

Some things to things about. . .

Minnesota, Inspiration, and RecruitFest

Well, you may have all heard from Paul over at MNHeadhunters.com about the rockin awesome time that was had by all at the Minnesota Recruiters UNconference. First off, I tried to tweet the entire day and hopefully, I did the presenters some justice.

First up, we had Mr. John Sumser, who gave a great presentation and was very compelling in his support of community. I since I live in Omaha, his statistics about the center of the country did SORT of scare the snot out of me. However, the more I listened the more I realized he wasn’t so much stating a rock solid opinion as laying out the facts so residents would take ownership of what’s happening in their communities. At least that’s how I chose to take it! If you are ever able to head over to a Recruiting Roadshow, ummmm DO IT.

Next up was George LaRocque of Bullhorn. His company has a great new product called the Recruiter IQ test. Take it here.

Joel Kramer from MinnPost.com was the sleeper hit of the show. A former editor and publisher of a a major daily in MN, he spoke on the changing face of advertising and pro reporting and journalism. While many were surprised at this 180, I thought his thoughts (many of which I didn’t agree with mind you. . .) were refreshing and interesting. Those who read this random collection of thoughts know that I honestly believe there are fantastic lessons in other industries that we can bring to recruiting. Check out Sumser’s take:

Joel Kramer, the editor of MinnPost.com gave an noncommissioned speech about the importance of journalism. He opined that newspapers were the best source of journalism and that that was an essential part of our government. When the newspapers decay (as they are), the opportunities for journalists (real journalists) to keep their jobs declines. This creates a risky situation where the checks and balances disappear.

Steve Rothberg spoke for Collegerecruiter.com. As I mentioned to him after the show, I was surprised there was no “twitter props” in his presentation, which focused on multimedia tools and the changing face of recruiting. One great nugget, sensical but not oft enough repeated:

“If you wouldn’t do it in a social situation, don’t do it on a social network”. As in, don’t be a dolt.

But the presentation that stopped my tweets and made my mouth hang open was the completely shocking and intense speech by Don Ramer. I cannot do it justice except to say that I am glad he said it. Forcing us to look at our speech, our motivations and who we are, it was a welcome addition to any conference.

After the great conference, I shopped. After that though, we attended a lovely rooftop party courtesy of Recruitingblogs.com and Arbita. There’s a cool breakdown by Jason Buss, who just moved to Minnesota, so this was a bit of a cotillion for him.

During the party, I had the great pleasure to meet Bridget, a beautiful and courteous bathroom attendant. In my next post, I will talk about her job and the grace with which she does it. It’s something we could all learn from. The art of service.

To cap off the evening, Jason Davis shared with us his plans for RecruitFest in Toronto this September. It sounds like a great and refreshing take on the recruiting conference circuit and I cannot wait to attend the very first one. There’s only 80 seats so you’d better make plans to join me quick!

Don’t cry for me

It’s hard to get blog posts up and going when you are on back to back business trips, followed up by a vacation. But SOMEONE has to do it.

Don’t tell people HOW to do something, tell them what NEEDS to be done. They’ll get it and surprise you with results.

This little gem was found in the life’s little instruction book located conveniently in my host’s restroom. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to live a better life while sitting in the bathroom? We’ll ignore for a moment how the very statement ignores the books title (hello, telling someone how to do something are kind of what instructions are??) we’ll take a look at the wisdom of the statement itself.

As a recruiter who:

a) manages people
b) shows others how to manage people

I can tell you that this statement is patently false, sometimes. And the variance may lie in what we call “rockstar candidates“. If you tell someone in a job interview, the goal, what needs to be done, you do not expect to have to come teach them the tools and knowledge necessary to implement that strategy. So if you hire a strategic “stage 2 entrepreneur”, a scrappy, smart person, they should know the tactical procedures necessary to do their job. So the above statement would be true in their case.

Where it is not true is everyone else. I was discussing with a client recently how it is standard practice to put that you are “well-versed” in whatever program is the current hot thing, but how so often, we find that to be untrue.

“They’re not just lying, they are stealing from me,” said the frustrated manager. “Because I have to use company time to teach them what they said they knew!”

His frustrations are well-founded. They are in fact, the reason he came to me. Some recruiters can pass along candidates without really knowing the skill set they are knee-deep in. A good recruiter (much like a good candidate) will immerse him or herself in an industry or vertical before proclaiming oneself an expert. Yes, this takes time, money and skill. But you are robbing the client and possibly giving the candidate a black eye if you don’t.

For me the statement “Don’t tell people HOW to do something, tell them what NEEDS to be done. They’ll get it and surprise you with results.” is only true if we make it so. That responsibility lies on the shoulders of not only the candidates, but the recruiter and the HM.

Rambling? yes. True. Absolutely.

RockStar Recruiting

Rockstars aren’t hard to define. You can check the cover of the latest GuitarHero case if you’re really curious. But to be a rockstar in our business? It’s like the song. . .

You’ve gotta be. . .bad, bold wiser.

And that’s just what Marcus Mindte is. A near decade-member of the recruiter-clan and a self-proclaimed and lauded natural, he’s found that sometimes the simplest problems just need someone to step up, take the reins and hone in on a solution.

Thus was born, RockStar Recruiting. RockStar Recruiting is for recruiters, HR Pros,and client companies . While recruiters could be a bit wary of the service that changes the status quo, its founder insists it’s the way of the future.

“The truth is,” Mindte states. “It’s just another source. Just another way to make money.”

RSR (RockStarRecruiting.com) was birthed from Marcus’s belief in the quality of his candidates.

“When I was working at Ameriquest, there were fantastic applicants,” sayd Mindte. “Of course, we couldn’t hire them all. But then, I’m left with the Sophie’s Choice in recruiting: What to do with all these incredible resumes?”

Marcus knew. His vision led him to develop a beta version of RSR. A gathering place that would allow recruiters to share both positions/requirements and rockstar candidates. But not just any candidates:

“We’re looking for the top 10% of your portfolio,” insists Mindte, of his cream-of-the-crop site. “We want the best you have to offer.”

The first incarnation of RockStar Recruiting, rolled out to 200 or so recruiters was a huge hit:

“Turns out there was a market for it,” chuckles Mindte.

Not that he was surprised. His vision, of a site that would capitalize on stale requirements and overlooked candidates has been a boon to the industry, and a fairly inexpensive one at that. The currently FREE service (yep you read it, don’t go get the +1.25’s) allows recruiters, companies and HR Pros to locate one another and find out who they really want to work with and on what terms.

“It all comes down to the fact that we just need to be smarter,” says Marcus. “The future exists where people wise up and start taking advantage of these new options.”

His argument is not just that they’re new, but that RSR and tools like it are GOOD. “Why would you let an A candidate rot in your database when you could showcase them on RockStarRecruiting.com and make good money? Conversely, why would you let a job languish because you don’t have the recruiting network to fill it?”

Oh yeah, Mindte’s going after the large recruiting shops too.

“Because we give you the tools to become more efficient, we also expect you to keep working as hard,” says Mindte. “You’re only gonna make money, I guarantee it.”

Mindte doesn’t mince words when marketing to big companies either. Paying a huge fee is “pure stupidity” and “makes no sense” when there are tools available that we have today.

“You can double your profits and LOWER your cost to clients if you work this the right way,” insists Mindte.

In Marcus Mindte’s eyes (you know, the eyes that are shaping RSR) the profession of recruiting isn’t complicated, just hard.

“Anything I can do to ease that burden is time well spent,” says Marcus. “It’s starting to get competitive out there, this can help recruiters fill more orders in less time.”

RSR came from what seems like a recruiter’s dream come true but what can often feel like a huge responsibility: the massive client database. “There are endless possibilities,” encourages Mindte.

And not only is RSR productivity enhancing, free and easy to navigate, but the founder Mindte and his renegade band of developers are always willing to listen to feedback.

“We’re always open to suggestions,” said Mindte.” We want to give it that personal touch. Recruiting should never be all automated.”

Although he’s playing in the market share of bigger boys like BountyJobs, TalentHire, etc. Mindte is careful to point out that RSR is not just another job board.

“This will revolutionize the way people recruit. The next generation of HR and Management are coming in. They are going to want to cut costs, to make operations more efficient. RSR offers that. Not everything can stay the same. But there is definitely the possibility for things to get better.”

Sometimes, it’s just a waffle

Transitional Labor

Today, a fellow FOT blogger and MS recruiter asked me how I made the transition from marketing whiz (title is my own, you can’t have it) to superstar recruiter (again, shut it). You see, Mr. Pankow will soon be tutoring, mentoring, whatever a fledgling recruiter and wants some words of wisdom to share about how to best leverage her current skills in a new career.

Transition is a funny word. Not quite good, a little but of anxiety and also excitement in there. Of course, when I got to thinking (which I tend to do), it brought to mind the term transitional labor. I have three boys, which means I have gone through labor three times. And all three? NO DRUGS. Hold your applause, I just had crummy luck, no nobility here, I would have doused myself, the bed and the nurse in vodka for good measure but it didn’t work out that way.

The hardest part of labor is transitional labor. The transitional part is where it goes from uncomfortable to unbearable but you can’t push yet. Probably TMI, but the point is, the transition has to be gone through, you can’t skip it.

It’s the same when transitioning to a new career. Yes, there may be similarities between marketing and recruiting (the ability to package well, to view lifestyles as a product, to write copy and thus job descriptions with killer instinct, etc.) but the truth is the transition will be the hardest part (which I didn’t tell him). It won’t be until at least a few months in that she sees all the things in her education and training thus far that will assist her in her new path.

Pitfalls:

Paying too much attention to “recruiters”: There is so much to learn and so many people out there willing to teach you. But it gets down to brass tacks, it’s very important to question. Why are things done this way? How come this is the staus quo? Why don’t we strive to do this better, faster, more efficiently? How can we make the process more relational?

Paying no heed to old maxims: Some of them suck. But many are there for a reason. Change them, question them, but HEED them or you will have to learn a lot of lessons the hard way.

Acting like you know nothing: Amazing that this one is coming from me, no? Not giving yourself your due, will come back to bite you in the kaputchka. People lose respect really fast, when you act like you don’t know your stuff. You know some stuff! Go for it.

Lying: It’s hard to say you have been a field for one or two years (or 6 months, or 6 weeks) when you finally get that decade in one profession under your belt. It sort of feels like you’ve gone back to kindergarten. Resist the impulse. Explain it if you must, lead into your long marketing history, but never apologize for it or lie.

Cool Stuff:

You know a lot! Maybe not about recruiting, but about people. And people are somewhat universal. Yes, there is terminology (but a good marketer will pick that up lickety-split) and history between the haves and have-nots within certain subsets of the industry. There will be names you don’t know, organizations you didn’t know you had to join etc. But you do know marketing and a lot of recruiters may not.

The skillsets are similar. You are convincing someone, attracting someone, packaging a lifestyle and a job as a multi-faceted product. Surely you’ve done that before. Think of every req as a new project.
- Who is your target market?
- Where do you reach those people?
- What types of things will those people respond to?
- What is likely to turn them off?
- What medium(s) should I use to reach these people?

Now turn those questions around to your hiring manager. Voila. You could also use these skills and be a matchmaker.

The transition is the hardest part, but it’s the connecting part, the good part, the most painful right before the breakthrough. You can do it!

Lurkers

I recently met up with an awesome young man who’s gonna change the landscape of Workforce Dev in Omaha. I think his ideas are visionary and can’t wait to be a part of the implementation. We spent a happy hour at 13th Street Coffee, pining over the errors we see in human capital management and talent acquisition and excitedly poring over new ideas that we have for getting others to “see the light”.

One of the coolest things about our convo was the fact that he disclosed that he was “a bit of a lurker” and had been reading this blog for some time before approaching me. Here’s why that is relevant:

Social Media works. Maybe not immediately, maybe not visibly. But it works. Even when there are no comments, people are watching. I suppose this would be more patently obvious to someone with the time to deal with Google Analytics or something, but after a solid 9 month investment in this blog and other forms of social networking, I have only in the last two months seen any real, measurable metrics. This guy was one of them.

Pick your audience. People have been telling me this forever, with good reason. At first (and still) this blog was a mish mash of tech stuff (to impress the candidates) HR stuff (to impress clients) recruiting stuff (to impress myself) and clever stuff (in case my hubby ever decides to read it). Now that I have narrowed down WHO I am writing to (generally peeps interested in talent, not v. technical. . .) things have gotten more interesting.

People are watching. They are watching. They want to know: are you committed? Is this the real deal? What are you passionate about? Can I rely on your help? This is particularly important in a world where setting up a blog or twitter account is as easy as signing into google. A friend of mine said: Everyone has great ideas, it’s the physical implementation of them, that’s what so few can do.

Cheers Caleb. Nice meeting you this a.m. I will pledge off styrofoam now.