So, which celebrity do you most resemble?

Blog Alert:

Every now and then I just have to post something completely unrelated to recruiting, work, etc. It's Friday, so this would be that time. If that bothers you, well, there's only 28 million other blogs that you can visit today.

For my last post about Bimbo Managers, I was searching Google for a picture about Bimbos and came across this Blog: Blonde But Not a Bimbo. I do not know Kerri, but she's from Texas so she's gotta be cool :)

Kerri's post, "Ever wondered what celebrity you look most like?" was too tempting to pass up. C'mon, we've all wondered that same question, right? At some point in your past, a flattering friend has said, "Wow, you look just like...." Well, here's your chance to find out as Kerri points us to:

My Heritage

My Heritage has facial recognition software that compares your photo against a database of Celebrity photos, then spits out a handful of celeb's that look most like you. You're excited at this point, right? Well, good luck - my results were less than promising.

Ok, here's me....yeah, not the most flattering photo seeing how it accentuates this thing commonly known as a "double chin." Scary.


And here's my celebrity look alikes:


Steve Reich....hello?





Abdelazziz Bouteflika....say what?





David Letterman...yep, funny man - bad hair.




Just so you know, I'm not feeling too good about myself today. Give it a shot and tell me how it works out for ya.

Dennis

The Bimbo Manager Simple Success Formula

Anybody out there leading people?

Here's a sure-fire way to guarantee that you will be enshrined in the Bimbo Manager Hall-of-Fame:

1. Only hire low-achieving, mediocre people.
2. Put the wrong people in the wrong job. Weed out the right people.
3. Fail to tell the people what needs to be done.
4. Fail to tell the people why it is needed.
5. Instead of leaving the job up to the people you've chosen to do it, make sure you get in their way.
6. Do not train the people.
7. Do not listen to the people.
8. Do not remove frustration and barriers that fetter the people.
9. Do not inspect progress.
10. Never say "thank you" publicly. Never say "thank you" privately.

Adapted (with much poetic license) from "The Great Boss Simple Success Formula," found in Jeffrey J. Fox's book, How to Become a Great Boss.

Dennis Smith

Work - Job - Career ...it's a love / hate kinda thing

I hate my job

Just for fun, I went to Google Blog Search and typed in, "I hate my job."

Holy cow - in 0.42 seconds, 18,966 results flashed before my eyes. Here's a few of the tidbits from the top o' the search:

I HATE my job!!!!!!

Did I mention that I hate my job...

why i hate my job

I even learned that Amy hated her job so much that she hired a singing telegram (gorilla) to deliver her resignation. Her resignation song wasn't quite as good as my ol' Johnny Paycheck favorite, but it did git'r done.

I heart my job

I googled "I love my job," and came up with 1.5 million results. But they weren't nearly as fun to read. Except for a post on Dooce called, "I love my job." And, yes, the irony here is that the post is written by the famed blogger (Heather Armstrong) responsible for coining the phrase "dooced," after she was fired from her Web design job for writing about work and colleagues on her blog.

Hmmmmm.....let's see.....Heather loves her job because...well, maybe because she's self-employed and makin' cash off her blog advertisments!

70% of workers are disengaged

Heather is obviously not part of this crowd. Gallup Management Journal's semi-annual Employee Engagement Index discovered that over 70% of today’s workers are disengaged due largely to “negative workplace relationships.”

Translation:

Approximately one-quarter of the American workforce is simply

"showing up to collect a paycheck."

Thank you, Johnny Paycheck.

I can empathize. I have toiled in a job that I did not love. Haven't we all? But, as my poor wife can attest, I don't stay long in a poor-job-fit. It's just the way I'm wired. It's a good thing my name isn't Benjamin Harrison Smith. When Ben, my grandfather, was clocking 12-14 hour days in the tire factory, the work-world offered far fewer "choices." In fact, to that end, the hardest working man I ever knew clocked time in only two companies his entire life.

Thinking of my grandad makes me very thankful that I'm pounding away today on my ergonomically correct keyboard and working in a culture that values and rewards employee contribution.

It's much better than "collecting a paycheck."

And, I'm guessing I'll never have to hire a gorilla to belt out a few bars of "Take This Job and Shove It!"

Sr. Product Manager, T-Mobile (Bellevue, WA)

This product leader is responsible for driving the product strategy in conjunction with the Product Development group for Broadband business.

What does that mean to you?

It means you'll work with Sales and Product Development groups on rigorous analysis of customer needs, definition, and evangelism of customer/partner/market requirements with a focus on business. You'll develop detailed MRD and PRD documents with defined screen navigation. And, you will provide analysis, identification and strategy regarding new product and service integration in close coordination with Product Development group.

If that's not enough to keep you challenged, you can drive the development and management of business cases, including financial modeling, to provide strategic management to drive marketing and revenue targets. Then, after lunch, you can take responsibility for the delivery of actionable go-to-market plans that efficiently leverage all elements of the marketing mix across all channels within a specified budget.

If you've done this before, most likely you've got an MBA and a strong background in consumer business marketing (6-10 years). That experience will help you succeed in this role, as well as a clear understanding of the retail channel.

Ready to talk? So are we.

View my jobster posting here. Be sure to click on the "Inquire for this Position" button and we'll get this ball rolling.


Dennis Smith
T-Mobile
Talent Aquisition Manager

T-Mobile's Caffeinated Cheerleader

You gotta love this video...can anybody out there relate?

Ouch! My 12-year old daughter just socked me in the arm.

The Caffeinated Cheerleader

Dennis

TechnoBlummyLinkedinCraigsMeeboflickr ... yep, it's the Web 2.0 Awards

What do these sites have in common?

Technorati Blummy LinkedIn Craigslist Meebo Esnips Last.fm Hipcal flickr odeo zillow etsy facebook stumbleupon rollyo dailymotion

Hint: it has something to do with SEOmoz and the Web 2.0 Awards which were announced today.

Job-seekers -

Take a break from the job-boards and check out the Web 2.0 Awards...you'll have a hard time turning off your computer.

Dennis Smith

Recruiting Assistant, T-Mobile (Frisco, TX)

T-Mobile is searching for a first-class Recruiting Assistant to join our team in Frisco, TX!

We're looking for an energetic team player who thrives on excelling in a fast-paced environment and brings a "No-Whiners-Allowed" attitude to work each day.

Besides a positive attitude and super-hero-like customer skills, our preference goes to candidates with previous experience in a recruiting environment or past scheduling experience. If you bring this kind of attitude and experience to the table, then we need to talk.

You'll also need strong MS Office/Outlook skills, and the ability to communicate well with all levels of management.

Interested? Send me an email with your resume and one paragraph describing your most significant accomplishment this year.

Look forward to talking -

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile
Talent Acquisition Manager
email me here

Job Seekers: Forget the "Resume' Black-Hole" & kick-start your Job Search

Q:
"I have recently applied on-line for a job at a major airline. It's been a couple of weeks and the only thing I've heard from the airline came in the form of a postcard which said,

"Thanks for applying, blahblahblahblahblah......."

Should I just keep waiting, believing they'll really contact me when they are ready to talk? I exceed the requirements of the job and have an advanced degree that pertains directly to the position. Any suggestions?"

A:

I applaud your patience, but firmly believe that too many job-seekers sit back and wait patiently for the call that never comes (it's kind of like waiting for a Valentine from the person you secretly love. The only problem is, they don't have a clue that you exist).

The solution? Give them a clue.

Networking:

Start an aggressive networking campaign targeted at the airline. Contact everybody you know - everybody. Be forthright in your request - "Who do you know that works at "X" Airline, or, who do you know that might know somebody that works there?" You have not because you ask not.

Google:

Search Google for email addresses that might pertain to the Airline. Your goal is to find recruiters that work at the airline. Knowing the email extension for one of the local (DFW) airlines, I did a quick Google search:

(recruiter OR recruiting OR recruitment) AND ("x" AND email)

This search is obviously not the works of a "Boolean Search God," but it still brings up relevant results. The "x" represents the email extension of the airline. In a matter of seconds, I had email addresses for three recruiters from that specific airline.

Here's a bit of free advice - do not send the recruiter a looooong email detailing every aspect of your background.

1) Be brief

2) Be bright

3) Be gone

Do the same on voice-mail. Leave a succinct, compelling voice-mail requesting their assistance to put you in touch with the recruiter responsible for the position.

Finally, do the same with a thank-you card. After sending the email and leaving a thoughtful, brief voice-mail, follow-up with a thank-you card describing your gratitude for their assistance.

A lot of work? Well, it certainly beats the black-hole alternative.

LinkedIn:

First things first...if you do not have a LinkedIn account, get one. Now, put it to use. I just did a quick search on the "Airline/Aviation" industry on LinkedIn and came up with 14 recruiters that work directly for a specific Airline. In fact, some are in my LinkedIn network - others are only 2 degrees away. Get these folks in your network and start communicating with them.

If you need a kick-start, do a search on LinkedIn for my name (Dennis Smith) and see how I've used LinkedIn to network myself with industry and recruiting leaders. If you want to be easily found, you need to put yourself in a position where people can find you. LinkedIn is the best place to start.

Blog:

I'm sure you saw this one coming a mile away...start a blog. In the words of Six Apart's Anil Dash:

"Connect with the audience you care about."

I know it's a stretch to believe anybody really "cares" about the recruiter, but hey, they are the audience you want to reach and blogging is a great way to make that connection.

Here's where I beat the dead horse:

If you want to be easily found, put yourself in a

position where people can find you - namely, a blog.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of alternatives for job-seekers. But I think these 4 things can give your job search a kick start.

Send me an email if you have any questions:

Dennis Smith

Talent Acquisition Manager

T-Mobile

email here

The Few, The Proud.....The Elderly

I'm all for recruiting the aging workforce - they have much to offer in terms of breadth of knowledge and can show this generation a thing or two about work ethic.


I'm just not sure it makes sense to recruit them in to the military.

78-year old Sonia Goldstein recently received a letter from the Marines asking her to consider becoming one of "The Few..."

She's flattered, but not sure any of the Marines would want to put their lives in her weakened hands.

See story here

- posted by Dennis Smith

PayPal gets jiggy with Mobile Service

Rob Hof tels us about PayPal's desire to go mobile.

This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, shop 'til you drop.

Maybe it should be, "Shop 'til you drain your PayPal account."

Dennis Smith

TalentBlogger

edgeio-key: 4cf5e5b17df6c1713c04ebc3785b051dae7fc62f

Four Jobs for Friday ... @ T-Mobile (Frisco, TX)

Happy Friday folks!

Thought I'd end the week by telling you about 4 jobs currently available at our soon-to-be opened "T-Mobile Technology Campus" in Frisco, TX.

Here we go:

Core Network Performance Engineer:
The Performance team responsibilities include the daily monitoring of all regional network nodes to ensure the benchmark values are met or exceeded. This includes performing impact analysis on software loads, hardware upgrades, and major DT changes. Weekly performance plans are produced, and exchange modifications are implemented where applicable to improve core network KPI performance.

Senior Developer, Infranet Billing:
This position provides a perfect opportunity for a confident and self-motivated Billing Developer to be part of a development team responsible for new development and changes to existing mission-critical Billing applications. As a member of development team this position would be responsible for full software development lifecycle especially design implementation and unit testing skills.

Network Engineer:
Wireless Internetworking Engineer working in a team environment responsible for the design, engineering and implementation of a nation-wide network using various 802.11 access technology. The Wireless Internetworking Engineer position will be responsible for the network architecture, network design documentation, network element configurations, network security, ATM support, site acceptance, and troubleshooting all network elements. Provide Windows, Sun, and Linux Server support including customized applications providing specialized services to deployment, engineering, network operations and customer service teams.


Region Director, Development (Engineering)
The Regional Development Director reports to the Regional Vice President and is responsible for management and executive reporting of all cell site develoment progress within the Region, including cell site milestone reporting/forecasting, representation of Regional positions on national tower negotiations and ownership of contract commitments. This function is the key coordinator to insure that all the markets are able to deliver cell site additions in accordance with National standards and budget commitments for the Region.

Interested?

Email me:

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile
Talent Acquisition Manager
click here for email

Job Seekers ... Distinguish Yourself!

Rajesh Setty is an entrepreneur, Author, and Teacher (note the EAT acronym). And, in his own words, he is someone who "...EATS with a passion!"

Rajesh started a series of posting in Feb 2005 called "Ways to Distinguish Yourself" (his blog is called Life BEYOND CODE). I like his definition of what it means to "Distinguish Yourself:"

"Distinguishing yourself is your answer to rapid commoditization that is haunting almost all professionals in this global economy. Not distinguishing yourself is to subject yourself to the risk of eroding your market value almost on a daily basis."

His list is long, so for times-sake, I'm going to give you his first ten as I think they are especially apropos for the job-seeker:

#1 Care as if it's your own
Few people care as if its their own. This is a road less traveled

#2 Do your daily work with Passion!
Passion is a great catalyst to increase productivity

#3 Build strong relationships
Strong relationships provide a significant competitive advantage

#4 Dream BIG!
If its anyway a dream, why not dream BIG?

#5 Set the right expectations
The first step in trying to exceed the expectations is to set them right in the first place.

#6 Ask for help!
Everyone needs it. Why pretend that you don't?

#7 Celebrate small victories
You don't always need to win a lottery to celebrate!

#8 Set higher standards
Raise your standards higher than the general norm and watch miracles unfold!

#9 Know your values
Values provide the foundation for your decision-making. Get to know them well.

#10 Pursue right memberships
Its not what you know but who you know. Its just not who you know but how you know who you know.

Thanks Rajesh - great stuff.

Dennis Smith

Talent Acquisition Manager

T-Mobile

So Job-seeker, how many people do you know?

According to one of the most networked people I know (hint, his first name is Scott), the average person knows about 250 people.

I wonder how many people the average job-seeker networks with on a weekly basis? Job hunting is almost a full-time job itself, but I wonder if we actually spend too much of our time on fruitless search activities, and too little time on cultivating our network.

Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. of QuintCareers.com offers up some good networking advice.

The Steps to Successful Networking:

1. Develop a firm grasp of job search basics.
2. Conduct a self-assessment.
3. Prepare a strong resume.
4. Decide how to organize your network.
5. Communicate with your network.

Sounds easy, right? Click here to read entire article.

Dennis Smith

5 Questions with Kristen Kunath!

T-Mobile, Recruiter I

Kristen can never take a sick day! I’m serious!! I don’t know what I would do without this woman!

When I first came on board back in early September 2005, my boss at the time told me, “Kristen Kunath will train you….she’s good!” She was right! Kristen has showed me the ropes around here and almost 7 months later is still my “go-to” girl if I have any questions. Thank goodness for AOL Instant Messenger! I “IM” Kristen several times a day with questions. And you know what? She always has time to answer them. Kristen is definitely someone that I respect and admire.

So before we move on with our 5 questions, here is a brief bio of our very own, Kristen Kunath!

Kristen came to T-Mobile right out of college. She had previously interned in Human Resources and realized that it wasn’t the direction she wanted to go at that time in her life. But, she knew she didn’t want to completely abandon it. Kristen did what many of our candidates do and threw her resume up on Monster to see what kind of hits it would get. In no time she got a call from T-Mobile Recruiting for their open Recruiting Assistant role. Kristen thought about what a great experience it would be and knew it would really give her a shot to learn if recruiting was the path she wanted to follow. After 7 months of being a Recruiting Assistant, Kristen was given the chance to take on some sourcing and screening responsibilities. With that under her belt, Kristen took on intern positions, which was very exciting for her. Now, Kristen has moved into a Recruiter I role and is responsible for her own handful of requisitions. Kristen said the best part of her T-Mobile experience hands down is the people she works with. In Kristen’s’ words, “Everyone is so open and ready to help- not to mention they’re a pretty fun bunch too!”

I agree, Kristen!

Please join me in welcoming Miss Kristen Kunath!


1. Talk about the most important thing you learned this year.
Where to start? There are so many things I’ve learned and so much I have left to learn. When I look back over the past year I can say it’s been one big learning experience. I made the transition from a talent scout where I focused mainly on sourcing and screening into a role where I am now handling my own requisitions. I guess the most important thing I’ve learned this year is to always ask questions. Whether it be of my mentors, hiring managers, peers, candidates; everyone has such a wealth of information and the only way to share that is by asking!


2. What is a motto you try to live by?
I guess you could say my motto is a work in progress. I love collecting quotes and every time I find a new one I try to remember it and apply it. I’m also constantly amazed and in awe of the people in my life and their love, passion, and courage. With that said it would appear my motto is ever changing and evolving based on various influences in my life. I guess I would have to say watch and observe the things around you and learn from them.

3. What do you like most about yourself?
I’ve always had a hard time with this question growing up. I’m very hard on myself and usually pick out the negatives before I see any of the positives. I’ve worked on that over the years and have tried to appreciate myself more. One thing that I’ve learned and now love about myself is how I can go from goofing around like a 2 year old and laughing over nothing one minute to being a very mature adult the next. The whole adult thing doesn’t last too long though- guess you could say I’m young at heart and very easily amused and entertained.

4. What do you like about what you do?
The thing I love most about what I do is working with candidates at a very stressful time in their life. When you consider that they’re making potentially life changing decisions and you’re a part of that process everyday, it’s really quite powerful. To talk with them and find out what they’re looking for and then working to find the right match means a lot to me. It gets challenging and frustrating at times of course but I always try to remind myself what I’m doing in the larger picture and that usually refuels me to keep on going.

5. Name three adjectives that best describe you:
I’m not one with words usually. But if I had to pick three words to best describe me I guess I would have to say: perfectionist (with a capital P!), easily amused, and I’m a dreamer.



Thanks Kristen! You Rock!!

T-Mobile's Three Jobs for Thursday

T-Mobile's "Three Jobs for Thursday (location for all three is Frisco, Texas):

Number 1:

Wireless Internetworking Engineer:
Responsible for the design, engineering and implementation of a nation-wide network using various 802.11 access technology. The Wireless Internetworking Engineer position will be responsible for the network architecture, network design documentation, network element configurations, network security, ATM support, site acceptance, and troubleshooting all network elements.

Click here for full job-description details

Number 2:

Sr. Infranet Billing Developer
This position provides a perfect opportunity for a confident and self-motivated Billing Developer to be part of a development team responsible for new development and changes to existing mission-critical Billing applications. As a member of development team this position would be responsible for full software development lifecycle especially design, implementation and unit testing skills.

Click here for full job-description details

Number 3:

Sr. Software Developer

This position provides a perfect opportunity for a confident and self-motivated Java/J2EE Developer with extensive experience in multiple J2EE platforms. This position would be responsible for system analysis, design, application development and implementation of mission critical enterprise systems.

Click here for full job-description details

Need more info?

Email me -

Dennis Smith

HelloMyNameIsTHANKYOU

Mucho thanks to the only person in the world who wears a nametag 24-7 to make people friendlier.... Scott Ginsberg.

Today, our recruiting team had the pleasure of Scott's attendance at our National Talent Acquisition Conference Call. And, yes, it was terrific!

Scott believes that Approachability is characterized by seven areas:

1. Building Social Capital: (our willingness to develop new relationships)
2. What You Say: the dynamics of conversation
3. What You Don't Say: non-verbal behaviors
4. Keeping it Real: authentic personality
5. Drop Me A Line: how easily you can be reached
6. PHYSICAL Availability: openness of personal space
7. PERSONAL Availability: openness of mind and heart

Does it work for Scott? Since making his commitment to approachability (which included a daily commitment to his name-tag), Scott says he's made over 25,000 connections with people that he would not have met otherwise. Yep, twentyfivethousand. I want access to that database.

If Scott didn't spend his time speaking to companies, organizations and students on how to maximize personal and professional approachability, I think he'd make a great recruiter. Actually, he might not know it, but I think he is a recruiter.

Thanks Scott, for challenging us to take our "Approachability" to another level.

GoodbyeMyNameIsDennis

Blogging in San Diego...EREstyle

Here's to the family in San Diego at the ERExpo. Wish we could be there.

But hey, somebody's gotta stay at home and recruit all the great candidates.

Cheers!

Dennis

*Link courtesy of Recruiting.com

6 Jobs That Won't Exist in 2016, ala FastCompany

Fast Company's 6 Jobs that won't exist in 2016 (FC's comments are in black):

Gatekeepers
TV schedulers, A&R guys, Wall Street researchers, cool hunters. As punishment, now it's our turn to ram stuff down your throats. Hope you like Bon Jovi!

- if so, Maureen's job will be much easier in 2016.

Bloggers
Pay someone to write snarky comments? Do you think we're getting paid for this?

- well, yeah, I'm not either, but I guess they don't

know the Scobleizer

Advertising creatives
Talented amateurs making ads for fun and posting them online seem to be better at your job than you are. Bonus: No more "whither the 30-second spot" whining.

- actually, this will be taken over by the bloggers

Auto mechanics
As cars run on software, the grease monkey will need a makeover.

- wrong, the smart auto mechanics will all be blogging

about auto repair...for $$

U.S. high-tech jobs
But software engineers can always get a job down at the garage.

- or, they can serve as technical advisors to

the blogging Scobleizer

Indian call-center operators
American customer service is rescued from oxymoron status as companies realize that being nice to the people with the money is the only way to win.

- I think Gautam would beg to differ

Dennis Smith

Blogging & the Corporate World - Jimmy D's take

Good post by Jimmy D over at recruiting.com....this topic will be the center of discussion for many months to come.


Dennis Smith

Too Much Blogging? Jason & David take a trip on the Wayback Machine

Too much blogging?

A VC points to a post by Godin, who surmises that, "like the marketers of Oreos (now in 19 flavors of cookies), we're dealing with clutter by making more clutter."

To which I say.... is this blogging-explosion-clutter-fest a surprise to anybody?

I'm not sure that any of us can stand to hear the phrase long-tail again, but let's give Sifry a lil' SME leeway:

"In a world of over 50,000 postings per hour, and over 70,000 new weblogs created each day, keeping on top of and in tune with the most interesting and influential people and topics is the new frontier beyond search....the long tail of the blogging world goes out to 27.8 million blogs."

This is the world we live in; the hellish world of the long-tail.

My inbox is no different - I've got email clutter. Does it make me want to stop using email? Yes, but then I remember that it's the best tool I have (outside of IM & my cellphone) to communicate quickly with:

my customers, my team, my peers, my boss, my friends, my relatives,
my family, my bank, my mentor, my CPA, my...my...my...

Which brings me back to the blog.

Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies from the 80's, so let's travel back in time to 2002 for a bit of blog-talk.

If I had to choose between blog-clutter today and blogging circa 2002, which would I choose?

Here's the list of Technorati's Top 100 from November, 11, 2002.

Here's the list of Technorati's Top 100 from today.

#1 on Technorati's list in 2002 was Scripting News - it had 744 links.

#1 on Technorati's list today is Boing Boing - it has approximately 66,753 links.

Mind-boggling, isn't it?

Are we grateful to live in a geeked-out techno world that spits out real-time information/news? Then why complain about the fact that it's too much? And please, let's not pretend like this is a newsflash, ignoring the fact that those complaining about the clutter are also the key contributors.

In his infinite wisdom, Dan Quayle said, "It's a question of whether we're going to go forward into the future, or past to the back." You gotta love it. For the sake of Dan, let's go past to the back just once more.

I cut my blogging teeth on Recruiting.com and ERE. For the better part of six months, I spent my day flip-flopping back & forth 'tween the two. I read Jason Davis, Canadian Headhunter, Anthony J. Meany, and Jim Durbin. Then, I'd cruise over to the folks at ERE - David Manaster, Dr. John Sullivan, Lou Adler, et al. I didn't visit just once, but several times each day. I was a sponge. And I was grateful for the info-overload as it allowed me to learn at my own pace - to pick 'n choose from the best the recruiting blogosphere had to offer.

Before long I was leaving comments, writing posts, and interacting with recruiting colleagues across the globe. Involved in something much larger than myself, I became an active part of the recruiting community.

So yeah, I'm digging this blogging thing - that's an understatement. It is growing exponentially and we all share in the growing pains - we've got the clutter and long-tail to prove it. But does that mean we quit? Taper off? Thankfully, Godin's not advocating quitting, but he would seemingly be much happier if we took a breather and tapered off a bit. He just believes that "what we've got here is a conflict for resources between individual interests and the common good."

Stop the presses! Call 911! If that's the worst problem facing the bloggers & the blogosphere, then we've got it pretty good. And to make us all feel a little better about the straits we're in, let's take a little trip on the WayBack Machine.

Take a peek at Jason and gang circa November 2003. Please note the text in the "about" box which says, "The Domain name Recruiting.com is for sale." Yes, I'm nodding my head too. We are very fortunate Jason saw past the clutter and decided not to sale. Yes we are.

Tip your hat to David Manaster's genius circa January 1999. What started as an email discussion list for recruiters has evolved into something much, much larger. We are grateful for David's vision.

So, here's to the (r) evolution of blogging.

It's bound to take a few more tricky turns in the years to come, so enjoy the ride. I know there's ground to be gained by doing our part to clean up some of the clutter, but I'm willing to live in a bit of clutter if the end-result finds that I am a better recruiter. When I am a better recruiter, my customer is better served.

And my customer is the only person I'm out to impress.

Long live the blog-clutter.

Dennis Smith

Job-Seekers & Potty Etiquette

- posted by Dennis Smith

I just had the priviledge of meeting LunaFish today, but I like her blog-style (Aah million days) already.

Check out her post on potty etiquette (to pee or not to pee).

Seeing how I'm guilty of this very crime, I'll let LunaFish do the talking. However, in my defense, I wasn't "using" the bathroom - just sitting on the toilet lid (hey, when you've got five kids, it's oftentimes the quietest room in the house!).

Although mine wasn't an issue of continence, it appears that for many it is. According to The High Cheese, in a survey conducted by the National Association For Continence (who knew?!) the average American spends 2 weeks a year in the old sugashak. True that.

And, of those surveyed, 33% said they use the time in the shack to talk on the phone.

Ok, job-seekers...I'm on to you. Next time we're talking on the phone and I hear the echo of the hallowed tee-tee-room walls, I think I'll just carry my blackberry in to the men's room and flush the toidy - just for fun.

Survey: 30% of firms plan to add staffing

Here's a good news report for the jobseeker - Q2 will mark the 9th straight quarter that more than 20% of the companies surveyed said they plan to add staff. It was 23% for the first quarter of this year - 30% for Q2.

The last time the reading topped 30% was Q3 of 2005, when 31% of companies surveyed said they planned to add to staff.

So says Milwaukee-based global staffing firm Manpower Inc.

- source: Dallas Morning News, Tues. March 14th, page 2D

If you happen to be a job-seeker hoping to find a place in one of those firms in Q2, check Manpower's recently released white paper (Feb. 06) titled Confronting the Coming Talent Crunch: What's Next?. There's a section titled "Staying Fit for the Race," that could provide solid advice for those trying to get, or keep, a job.

Dennis Smith

T-Mobile brings World Cup to rabid soccer / mobile fans

T-Mobile will be the first mobile operator to broadcast the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ live to its customers’ mobile phones.

But I would never advocate watching the World Cup while you are at work. No, I would never advocate that. Not even once. Don't even think about it.

Make sure you've got a full charge on the battery.

HT: lovecellphone

Dennis

SideKick III Back on the Rumor Mill?

T-Mobile's SideKick III? Is it back in the rumor mill?

Hmmmmmm.

Dennis

How NOT to answer an interview question about "Multitasking"

Interviewer:

"Describe a situation that reflects your ability to multitask."

Interviewee:

"I regularly multitask. In fact, just this morning I was driving to work and putting on my makeup at the same time. You won't believe how easy it is to steer with your knees and put on eye-liner. Of course, I've had a lot of practice."

No, I wouldn't recommend this answer for anybody that actually wants to nail the interview.

Even if you happen to drive like this young lady.

To see her in action, scroll down the site and click on: Make-Up Bust

Or, read all about this skilled multitasker here.

Dennis

Restrooms and Bran Ads ... the perfect combo

Remember when IKEA started posting its job openings in handwritten ads scribbled on the walls of men's and women's restrooms? In four days, they received 60 applications - four or five times the normal newspaper ad response.

Well, now somebody else is stinkin' up the advertising arena with ads about...restrooms. The visual here is great. A bathroom stall with a door that is boarded-up and locked.

Leo Burnett Lisbon created the campaign for Kellogg's All-Bran Plus Cereal. The campaign is complete with promotion stickers showing the locked bathroom stall and text explaining the benefits of eating Kellogg's All-Bran cereal.

Too cool.

What else to do in the restroom while taking care of "business" except read. And, while passing...uh, time, you might as well make the connection with a locked door and the possibility of being blocked up (direct fiber-related pun).

Great job, LBL. The only thing you missed was the opportunity to insert a link at the bottom of the ad directing readers to the Kellogg's job site.

HT: Adrants

Spring Break & Giant S'mores...the Dynamic Duo

The Smith fam is on Spring Break this week, so we loaded up the Suburban and headed to Lake Texoma last Friday. We had a blast baiting hooks, watching sunsets, and eating junk food.....especially S'mores.

I wish the folks from Guiness World Records had been on hand, because I believe I may have witnessed the world's largest S'more ever made - Milton S. Hershey would have been proud. Our family of seven made quick work of the Texas-sized S'more, so I wasn't able to get a picture of the final product. But it's actually better that you didn't witness the aftermath. CSI's best crime scenes had nothing on us.

I did manage to snap a photo of my son as he took on the enviable task of roasting the marshmallow (attached). Ford, our clogged arteries thank you.

Here's to Spring Break & Giant S'mores, the Dynamic Duo.

Dennis

Lo Mein Noodles and a new job, that's the ticket

A few of us got together for a team lunch last week (we missed you Scott and Michelle!). Pei Wei was great, but not the same without you.

The obligatory Fortune Cookies followed our meal, and, of course, we go around the table to see who has what.

15 minutes earlier, Lindsey had just announced that she was starting a new recruiting gig at Phillips - their gain, our loss. But, lo and behold, what does she draw...

"A new work opportunity will avail itself."

Here's what we're thinking...this one doesn't count for Lindsey. She already had her new job signed & sealed. And, since none of us need a new work opportunity to avail itself, we figure this one is up for grabs.

Just send me an email (and resume) :), and I'll forward it to you straightaway.

By the way, the Chocolate Cake at Celebrity Bakery & Cafe' afterwards was even better than our lunch. But it's a good thing they don't serve Fortune Cookies - I can't afford to lose another team member.

Dennis

"No, really...if "so-and-so" isn't in your feed-reader, they should be. Trust me, I'm an A-lister. I know what I'm talkin' about."

Yes, yes, tongue-in-cheek. I do not have A-lister-envy. Well, let me rethink that one.....

Do I read 'em? The A-listers? Soitnly. Many of them are noted on my Technorati favorites.

Do I link to them so people will think I'm smart? No. They are there because I really do like to read 'em.

Did I add a few of them to my Technorati Faves because I think one of them might notice and link to me? Sure. And it's worked. Almost all of the top 100 blogs have linked to me at one time or another. No, I'm just kidding - but I'll admit, it was kind of fun just pretending for a sec.

There's mucho good advice to be found on those blogs that have climbed the proverbial blog hill (or is it, Hamburger Hill). But, soitnly, we all have preferences. That's why T-rati is currently tracking 29.6 million sites and 2.1 billion links - because some times you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don't.

Am I always pleased with those "highly recommended" blogs that have been quick to find their way to the address line of my browser? No. But again, it goes to preferences. However, there are times when I find myself thinking, "Geez, is there something wrong with me? Am I the only one who couldn't give a rat's-behind for this blog?"

Since I am tired, I don't think it would be wise to air my dirty laundry (especially since I'm the self-proclaimed winner of the "Messiest Dirty Clothes Hamper" award for the year 2005).

And so, I choose the high-blog-road. And since I'm feeling quite dignified about my choice of roads (must be the sleep depravity), I'm going to pass on a recommendation that came straight from an A-lister...His Rubelness. And I'm going to use Steve's words:

I am going to say this again. Subscribe to this blog.

And, what, pray tell, is the blog of note? Click here to find out. Well, if you are too lazy to click, I'll just tell ya....Newsome.org.

Thoughful ideas - fun read. Especially his post called:

10/90 And The Rule of the Reallies.

Now...I've done my duty. I've passed on a recommendation (yes, one that would be absolutely meaningless without the name of Steve Rubels sufficiently attached).

And I can't wait to view the stat's on Monday and see if Newsome's 10/90 rule has become my new mantra.

Dennis

"Oops! I apologize. Actually, you are the perfect candidate for my other job."

Seth Godin's post on the "scary, powerful" mailmerge tool, serves as a good reminder to all recruiters who have sent large email campaigns to candidates who happen to be the "one-and-only-perfect candidate" for a given job.

Reminder: it pays to make sure you know exactly what you have said and to whom you are saying it....just before you click the "send" button.

Dennis

Encouragement for the Beaten-Down Job-Seeker

In an interview years ago David Brinkley asked advice columnist Ann Landers what question she most frequently received from readers. Her answer:

"What's wrong with me?"

I think Lander's answer strikes a chord with the feelings of many a job-seeker.

After weeks...months of being in the job market, enduring countless online applications (the resume' black hole), interview-after-bone-wearying-interview, and promises of returned phone calls that never happen, one...gets...tired.

Inevitably, many start to wonder, "What the heck is wrong with me...am I a failure?"

There's no way to list all of the different reasons why people do not "get the job." I've interviewed for jobs in the past and knew without a doubt that I was the best candidate available. Why didn't I get the offer? Well, the possibilities are endless. Maybe the nod went to the person that wanted less money. Maybe they decided to go with an internal transfer that "mysteriously" surfaced after the interviews were officially closed.

I've never been unemployed for any length of time deemed "scary," so I cannot relate to the pressures faced by many of you. However, I can relate to the disappointment of not getting the job that I wanted.

If I could multiply that disappointment by 1,000, maybe then I would understand the pain associated with the pressures of prolonged unemployment.

If you happen to be in this job-hunting-funk, here's a couple of things you should keep in mind:

TIMING

The tricky and often elusive piece of this thing called "job-hunting."

I have been in the recruiting business long enough to understand that "timing" is critical. Have you ever talked to a recruiter and they said, "Ahhh, I wish I would have talked to you last week - we just filled a job that would have been a perfect fit." Chances are, they weren't pulling your leg.

Recruiting is a fast-paced business. When the candidate is available that exceeds the requirements, fits the compensation structure, and has the personality and culture fit for the organization, we do not let grass grow under our feet. TIMING IS HUGE!

NETWORK

It's also the very reason that it pays to aggressively pursue, build, expand, and capitalize on your personal network. This point cannot be emphasized enough, but for the sake of space and short attention spans, we'll forward you to Anthony's blog on networking for later reading.

AND FINALLY....

This post in not intended to be an exhaustive list of "things to do to nail your next job." But for those who keep asking the "What's wrong with me?" question, I want to provide a bit of encouragement.

Most likely, there's nothing wrong with you. We've all "failed" in this "job-search-thing" at one time or another. But those of you who will finally beat this thing will have one thing in common with the rest of us:

You will have learned to put "failure" in perspective.

Erma Bombeck suffered her share of troubles and failures. Listen to what she has to say about her life experiences:

"I speak at college commencements, and I tell everyone I'm up there and they're down there, not because of my successes, but my failures. My comedy record album sold two copies in Beirut. My sitcom lasted as long as a donut in our house. My Broadway play never saw Broadway. I had a book signing that attracted two people: one who wanted directions to the restroom, and the other wanted to buy a desk.

What you have to tell yourself is, "I'm not a failure. I failed at doing something." There's a big difference. I've buried babies, lost parents, had cancer, and worried over kids. The trick is to put it all in perspective...and that's what I do for a living."

(quote excerpt from John Maxwell's "Attitude 101")

Take heart, job-seekers.

Get in touch if you ever feel the need to talk it out. I'll do my best to help you keep perspective.

Dennis, talentblogger

Looking for new ideas to recruit RF Engineers?

Here's to the person who performed a Google search this morning on:

out of the box ideas on recruiting rf engineers

Here's one idea.....start a blog!

If you need some ideas, feel free to email me.

Dennis, talentblogger

Did you like the customer service I just gave you? No? Too bad, I'm charging you for it anyway!

Just found a new blog (Customer Service and More: The Shep Hyken Blog) courtesy of the nametag guy, Scott Ginsberg.

Great post today about how he recently experienced a $25 "Customer Service Charge." Hello? He was charged for, "customer service," and it was BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Would you pony up the $25?

I think they'd have to call the collection agency on me.

Dennis, blogging4talent