After twelve years working at the boutique firm The Creative Network, the downturn in the economy forced them to let me go. Studying abroad currently, I am quite vulnerable to any changes in my financial situation and this development hit me hard. I have found new employment at a global investment firm that suits my hours and my studies - the environment is great and the people are very nice. I can sincerely say that I enjoy the work and it's perfect for my situation - but I can now count myself in the ranks of the "underemployed". I have a job - and for that I am happy and thankful.
Given as how this is a recruiting blog, I will no longer be making updates until (and if ever) I get back into recruiting. When/if my situation changes, I'll be sure to get on here and let everybody know. I'm sure you'll be waiting with baited breath. ;)
Good luck all, may things turn around in the economy sooner than predicted...
Friday, May 15, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Out Of Your Paradigm And Into The Fire (not recruiting related)
Have you ever stopped in the middle of something and asked yourself, "What the heck am I doing? Why am I doing it this way? Whose crazy idea was this anyway?" I have. I am. Jumping outside of my usual day-to-day paradigm I'm challenging myself in a myriad of ways. I have achieved some successes and have suffered some failures. And my time outside of my comfort zone is only just beginning!
When you first step outside of your paradigm, you are constantly challenged by everything that's new. Pride, fear of failure and humility are your constant companions. Spurring yourself along by sheer determination, you press on. Faced with new challenges you will yourself to continue. Feeling that something is "beneath" you, you suck it up and realize that nothing is beneath you. You press on. Humbling yourself, you ask for help, learn from people you thought you could teach a thing or two to, and you realize that in this life, we are all afraid of failure. Conquering the pride that keeps us isolated, you appreciate the grace with which your requests are met. When your requests aren't met gracefully, you are thankful that you had the wherewithall to reach out and ask because you still learned something. A little lesson in humility goes a long way.
Still - you learn things about yourself that are often in stark contrast with the idea that you previously had of yourself. You gaze into that mirror of self-realization and you do not like what you see. You wonder who you really are. You look at where you are in life and you try to peer down the road into the future and ask yourself what you are supposed to be doing now.
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I've grown up hearing that saying, that platitude, that catch phrase that gets bantied about to basically tell people to grow up, get over it, make the best of things. Life is hard and we are all going to be in constant contact with lemons whether we like it or not. The real choice is not whether or not you are going to make lemonade, but whether you have enough internal resources to make that lemonade sweet.
And for me, that remains to be seen.
When you first step outside of your paradigm, you are constantly challenged by everything that's new. Pride, fear of failure and humility are your constant companions. Spurring yourself along by sheer determination, you press on. Faced with new challenges you will yourself to continue. Feeling that something is "beneath" you, you suck it up and realize that nothing is beneath you. You press on. Humbling yourself, you ask for help, learn from people you thought you could teach a thing or two to, and you realize that in this life, we are all afraid of failure. Conquering the pride that keeps us isolated, you appreciate the grace with which your requests are met. When your requests aren't met gracefully, you are thankful that you had the wherewithall to reach out and ask because you still learned something. A little lesson in humility goes a long way.
Still - you learn things about yourself that are often in stark contrast with the idea that you previously had of yourself. You gaze into that mirror of self-realization and you do not like what you see. You wonder who you really are. You look at where you are in life and you try to peer down the road into the future and ask yourself what you are supposed to be doing now.
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I've grown up hearing that saying, that platitude, that catch phrase that gets bantied about to basically tell people to grow up, get over it, make the best of things. Life is hard and we are all going to be in constant contact with lemons whether we like it or not. The real choice is not whether or not you are going to make lemonade, but whether you have enough internal resources to make that lemonade sweet.
And for me, that remains to be seen.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Walking the Line Between "Contact" and "CyberStalking" in This New Age of Social Networking
In today's ever-evolving world of email, blackberries, iphones, twitter, ning, facebook, myspace, linkedin and a plethora of other social networking mediums, it's important to understand that although there is a lot of information readily available about people, there are still lines over which we must not cross when expanding our social networks.
I attended an all-day session of the Recruiting Roadshow that was held in Portland and sponsored by Adidas. One of the key ideas that was explored, explained, and expounded on was the idea of social networking: what it is, where it's grown from, how it will continue to morph, and some new technologies that are just around the corner in the evolutionary process. One thing that surprised me was the number of people who either didn't understand social networking, understood it but weren't interested in getting involved, or were so genuinely technologically clueless that they were completely unable to utilize social networking sites.
As with any new technology, there are risks in the social networking arena. The risk of putting yourself out there and being rejected, the risk of everybody knowing that you're a complete newbie and taking on a condescending tone, and last but certainly not least, the risk of trampling over the loose and largely unwritten rules surrounding social mediums and becoming the Creepy Creeperton Cyberstalker.
So here are a few pointers from Nancy The Recruiter to help you to avoid becoming The Creepster:
1) Set up a professional profile and use an appropriate photograph. Some may wonder if a photograph is necessary at all. True, some linkedin profiles do not have photographs and that seems to be acceptable. But a facebook or myspace profile that doesn't have a photograph is Creepy. The picture you use doesn't have to be a close-up, although a head-and-shoulders picture is best. If you're not comfortable with that, the picture could be a of a mountain you climbed or your favorite vacation destination. If you decide to include a full body shot, please be sure that you are fully clothed and that the picture doesn't involve alcohol or illegal substances. The purpose of the photograph is simply to show a little bit of your personality, to give a face to a name, and to make yourself approachable; you are one human reaching out another human.
2) Monitor all comments, wall-to-wall postings, etc., that are on your pages, and be sure to check out "tagged" photos of yourself that are posted on the profile pages of others. It is extremely irritating to be contacted by someone and, before approving their request, you check out their page only to find a a bunch of spamming comments OR an empty profile that tells you NOTHING about this person is or why they would want to connect with you. The profile was basically set up and parked; the contacter takes no pride in their page and makes no effort to keep it updated and spam-free. This makes you wonder who this person is, why they're contacting you, and basically causes them to lose credibility. Additionally, finding this type of page would be like handing a dirty crinkled-up business card to a business prospect, or sending someone an invitation to your party with coffee stains on it. Your profile does not have to be super-pimped, but it should have a clean lay-out, be easy to read, have just enough information for someone to get an idea of your personality, and be free from spam or rude/crude comments.
3) Once you have made an attempt to be "linked-in" with someone or have sent a request to become facebook or myspace friends, sit back and wait. Do not make repeated requests. If you are not approved, A) do not take this personally, B) do not send an email berating/bullying this person about their decision, and C) do not make repeated attempts to add this person to your networking circle.
4) I don't care who you are, what you look like, or how pithy you think you are, social networking invitations should be polite, brief, and respectful. This is not the time to try out your new pick-up lines or make an attempt at humor that will fall flat in the eyes of the reader.
Those are enough rules to get you going safely. We may not be face-to-face with the people in our network (or prospective networks), but the rules of common decency and courtesy still apply. When in doubt, DON'T DO IT, or say it, or invite again or POST IT. And avoid, at all costs, doing anything that would earn you the Creepy Creeperton CyberStalker title.
I attended an all-day session of the Recruiting Roadshow that was held in Portland and sponsored by Adidas. One of the key ideas that was explored, explained, and expounded on was the idea of social networking: what it is, where it's grown from, how it will continue to morph, and some new technologies that are just around the corner in the evolutionary process. One thing that surprised me was the number of people who either didn't understand social networking, understood it but weren't interested in getting involved, or were so genuinely technologically clueless that they were completely unable to utilize social networking sites.
As with any new technology, there are risks in the social networking arena. The risk of putting yourself out there and being rejected, the risk of everybody knowing that you're a complete newbie and taking on a condescending tone, and last but certainly not least, the risk of trampling over the loose and largely unwritten rules surrounding social mediums and becoming the Creepy Creeperton Cyberstalker.
So here are a few pointers from Nancy The Recruiter to help you to avoid becoming The Creepster:
1) Set up a professional profile and use an appropriate photograph. Some may wonder if a photograph is necessary at all. True, some linkedin profiles do not have photographs and that seems to be acceptable. But a facebook or myspace profile that doesn't have a photograph is Creepy. The picture you use doesn't have to be a close-up, although a head-and-shoulders picture is best. If you're not comfortable with that, the picture could be a of a mountain you climbed or your favorite vacation destination. If you decide to include a full body shot, please be sure that you are fully clothed and that the picture doesn't involve alcohol or illegal substances. The purpose of the photograph is simply to show a little bit of your personality, to give a face to a name, and to make yourself approachable; you are one human reaching out another human.
2) Monitor all comments, wall-to-wall postings, etc., that are on your pages, and be sure to check out "tagged" photos of yourself that are posted on the profile pages of others. It is extremely irritating to be contacted by someone and, before approving their request, you check out their page only to find a a bunch of spamming comments OR an empty profile that tells you NOTHING about this person is or why they would want to connect with you. The profile was basically set up and parked; the contacter takes no pride in their page and makes no effort to keep it updated and spam-free. This makes you wonder who this person is, why they're contacting you, and basically causes them to lose credibility. Additionally, finding this type of page would be like handing a dirty crinkled-up business card to a business prospect, or sending someone an invitation to your party with coffee stains on it. Your profile does not have to be super-pimped, but it should have a clean lay-out, be easy to read, have just enough information for someone to get an idea of your personality, and be free from spam or rude/crude comments.
3) Once you have made an attempt to be "linked-in" with someone or have sent a request to become facebook or myspace friends, sit back and wait. Do not make repeated requests. If you are not approved, A) do not take this personally, B) do not send an email berating/bullying this person about their decision, and C) do not make repeated attempts to add this person to your networking circle.
4) I don't care who you are, what you look like, or how pithy you think you are, social networking invitations should be polite, brief, and respectful. This is not the time to try out your new pick-up lines or make an attempt at humor that will fall flat in the eyes of the reader.
Those are enough rules to get you going safely. We may not be face-to-face with the people in our network (or prospective networks), but the rules of common decency and courtesy still apply. When in doubt, DON'T DO IT, or say it, or invite again or POST IT. And avoid, at all costs, doing anything that would earn you the Creepy Creeperton CyberStalker title.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
OLD DOG - New Tricks
As the marketplace and economy continue at their snail's pace, it's a challenge to engage in "income-producing activities" (my favorite work term). Playing "catcher" to candidates and selectively choosing job orders is not the way the game's going to be played out right now. And therefore, it's time for this old dog to learn some new tricks.
Searching... I will continue to hone my internet search string capabilities and run searches for candidates whom we particularly place, even if there is nothing going on in that realm right now. WHEN the market picks back up, and it will, the relationships that I build with people now will benefit us all in the future.
Social Networks... Really dig into the meat and potatoes of social networking, researching the search functionality and determining which are worth investing time/effort into and which are going to end up being time-consuming endeavors with no ROI (and time is money/investment).
Communication techniques... Speak to people on the phone, email them or text, according to their preference. Deliberately set out plan to stay in contact with my loyal companies and candidates, as well as companies/candidates who may not always be the first to leap into my mind. I need to remain diligent about promptly returning every phone call and replying to every email.
Furlough... Although not on a full furlough from my company, I am not working the hours I used to. Therefore, the time that I do have at work must be ordered and used to its best advantage. Positioning the business for success when things turn around is my priority - we've been around for almost 20 years and we will be around at least another 20 more!
This time of re-invention is really stressful, but can be extremely valuable as well. This old dog is ready to learn some new tricks. Have any tips/tricks you'd like to share with me? Comment below and let me know!
Searching... I will continue to hone my internet search string capabilities and run searches for candidates whom we particularly place, even if there is nothing going on in that realm right now. WHEN the market picks back up, and it will, the relationships that I build with people now will benefit us all in the future.
Social Networks... Really dig into the meat and potatoes of social networking, researching the search functionality and determining which are worth investing time/effort into and which are going to end up being time-consuming endeavors with no ROI (and time is money/investment).
Communication techniques... Speak to people on the phone, email them or text, according to their preference. Deliberately set out plan to stay in contact with my loyal companies and candidates, as well as companies/candidates who may not always be the first to leap into my mind. I need to remain diligent about promptly returning every phone call and replying to every email.
Furlough... Although not on a full furlough from my company, I am not working the hours I used to. Therefore, the time that I do have at work must be ordered and used to its best advantage. Positioning the business for success when things turn around is my priority - we've been around for almost 20 years and we will be around at least another 20 more!
This time of re-invention is really stressful, but can be extremely valuable as well. This old dog is ready to learn some new tricks. Have any tips/tricks you'd like to share with me? Comment below and let me know!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Persevere - Providing Good Customer Service Even When It's Outside Your Purview
Establishing a new telephone account the other day, I noted that there was going to be monetary credit if I simply logged on to the cell phone company's home page and filled out a simple survey. Obviously I am going to take full advantage of such an offer, so I dutifully went online, filled out the survey, clicked their "submit" button and then checked my account balance. No credit. "Okay," I thought, "maybe it takes 24 hours for their system to credit the account. I'll check tomorrow."
Tomorrow arrived, checked account, no credit. I thought perhaps something had gone afoul with my submission so I went back into the form, changed around a few answers, clicked submit again, got the "Success!" page again, checked my balance again, was not credited the promised money - AGAIN.
Waited another 24 hours, checked my account page, found the credit had still not been applied, and went back to the brick and mortar store where I'd made the purchase and requested their assistance. I was informed that the sales clerk could not help me in any way since they did not handle the customer service part of that business. The business which she had happily marketed and sold to me only a few days before.
I asked her what her advice would be for me to resolve this situation. Her answer?
Persevere.
"Persevere? How exactly am I to persevere?"
"Persevere in filling out the form until you see the credit."
This incorrect answer to my problem brought home the simple lesson of choosing your words carefully when addressing customers, candidates, clients, etc. Especially in difficult times, an incorrect word can come across as callous or condescending and can earn you the rancor of a network that you've carefully developed through the years. Obviously, people can have an off day and there is a certain amount of grace that must be afforded when dealing in any business transaction. Having a solid "go-to" cadre of clear and empathetic business vocabulary can help you avoid these slip-ups and care must be taken to cultivate these and implement them into our daily work lives.
Because take it from me, when you relate a problem that you're having to a customer service person and you hear their advice: PERSEVERE you may do it, but you won't be happy about it.
Tomorrow arrived, checked account, no credit. I thought perhaps something had gone afoul with my submission so I went back into the form, changed around a few answers, clicked submit again, got the "Success!" page again, checked my balance again, was not credited the promised money - AGAIN.
Waited another 24 hours, checked my account page, found the credit had still not been applied, and went back to the brick and mortar store where I'd made the purchase and requested their assistance. I was informed that the sales clerk could not help me in any way since they did not handle the customer service part of that business. The business which she had happily marketed and sold to me only a few days before.
I asked her what her advice would be for me to resolve this situation. Her answer?
Persevere.
"Persevere? How exactly am I to persevere?"
"Persevere in filling out the form until you see the credit."
This incorrect answer to my problem brought home the simple lesson of choosing your words carefully when addressing customers, candidates, clients, etc. Especially in difficult times, an incorrect word can come across as callous or condescending and can earn you the rancor of a network that you've carefully developed through the years. Obviously, people can have an off day and there is a certain amount of grace that must be afforded when dealing in any business transaction. Having a solid "go-to" cadre of clear and empathetic business vocabulary can help you avoid these slip-ups and care must be taken to cultivate these and implement them into our daily work lives.
Because take it from me, when you relate a problem that you're having to a customer service person and you hear their advice: PERSEVERE you may do it, but you won't be happy about it.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Self-Talk, Skills That Can Get Us Through Tough Times
I recently had a bit of a health emergency that had me experiencing severe abdominal pain. I’m fine now, but the pain was severe enough and lasted long enough that I ended up in an emergency room in southern
When the pain first began I implemented some coping mechanisms that I've developed over the years. Sip water slowly, gently walk around the room, take deep breaths, will the pain away.
I'm sure that I'm not alone in this: when I am in pain I just want it to stop. I want it to stop fast. And when it doesn't stop fast and I wonder if it will ever stop, another emotion starts to creep in.
Panic.
Not panic like running around screaming and pulling my hair out, but the first stage of panic which is negative self-talk. "Why do I have this pain? Is it going to get worse? Can I get help? Will it never go away? What is happening? Oh it just got worse, why can't it just stop? Am I going to die? Why, why, why?" These thoughts started to hurtle through my mind like a runaway train; I started breathing too quickly, my mind was racing and every medical horror story that I'd ever heard about was recalling itself to my brain in a most unhelpful way.
So I employed another coping mechanism that I learned through two natural childbirths and life experience: Slow everything down. Think about my breathing - slow that down. Get a grip on my racing thoughts - slow those down. Think about all of the muscles in my body - they are tense; make them relax. Once I’d slowed down my body processes and gotten my muscles a bit more relaxed, I took control of my thoughts. I made mental notes of the pain, when it started, how it progressed, if anything helped it, how much worse has it gotten. I controlled my breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly. I reined in my thoughts and made sure that they were not negative. I made a plan: will seek medical attention if the symptoms don't lessen or go away completely in X amount of minutes.
Panic and negative thoughts creep in as pain escalates.
Re-employ coping mechanism to keep control over my mind and body, and help myself.
Once my situation abated, I debriefed myself on what happened, how I reacted to it, how I could improve, what was helpful, what wasn't, etc. What I realized is that the skills that I'd employed to deal with my pain are exactly what is necessary right now in the marketplace for both job seekers and employers. It is a scary time but we have to take care not to panic or overreact. Consider your options, deliberately plan a course, and constantly monitor the self-talk that you engage in.
Negative thoughts and negative feelings are normal when you are scared, but giving in to those thoughts is not helpful. You may do well for a while and then slip back into the negativity; catch yourself and start over again. Realistic, thoughtful planning and doing what needs to be done to get through this time is what is called for. And let’s help each other get through this bumpy year.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Three Decidedly Un-Christmaslike Observations
There are times in your life when you have a dawning of realization, a flash of insight - as though a veil of ignorance is parted and you see the naked truth for what it is. Sometimes these little nuggets of meaningfulness will impact you for the rest of your life. Other times, they are simple life truths that you will incorporate into your knowledge bank and draw on these items almost daily as you negotiate the twisty turny phenomenon that we call living. And then there are the moments of enlightenment that are honest and truthful and add absolutely nothing to your life whatsoever and that does not detract from the utter purity of the revelation.
Observation #1: A foolproof way to know when a delivery man or pick-up person is going to arrive at your location is to leave that location for one or two or five minutes. At that EXACT time, almost as though conjured up by magic, the delivery man or pick-up person will knock upon your door and, finding you absent, will leave a nasty note along with a "the next delivery time/pick-up appointment is two weeks from now at 11:35 p.m." note for you. Excellent.
Truth #2: People can really be stupid. Now, this truth is one of those that is absolutely insightful and true, but also disturbing at the same time. When I was out of my office for that brief five minutes mentioned above getting lunch at Chipotle that is one block away from my office (http://www.chipotle.com), I was walking quickly to the restaurant's exit door with my luscious fajita burrito and I noticed a family of about six people sitting at a table. They were chatting to each other, eating, and watching their 3 year old child/grandson put the long plastic cord from the shutters around his neck and swing from it. YES - the window blind cords that can cause tragedy and heartbreak for families, that type of window cord. He had the cord wrapped around his neck and was leaning his weight down on the cord. While his family watched. Not saying anything to him. No reprimands, no diversion tactics, no removal of the cord or placing it where he couldn't reach it. Nothing. And it drove home the point to me that, Yes, Nancy, There Really Are Stupid People In The World.
Observation #2: The modem and router at your office will work absolutely flawlessly until that one day when it causes great difficulty to reach said modem / router in order to reset them. You can VPN from home all you want without any issues UNTIL there is no one available close to the office to reset the modem and you are iced in and a 20 minute drive from the office. And your bosses are out of town at a crucial corporate planning meeting and must have access to the computer via the now non-functioning VPN connection. And you have candidates interviewing the next day that you absolutely must speak with in order to be sure that they are all prepped and ready to go. Then and only then will the router and modem need to be manually reset.
Any Observations or Truths that anybody else has learned recently? I'd love to hear 'em...
Observation #1: A foolproof way to know when a delivery man or pick-up person is going to arrive at your location is to leave that location for one or two or five minutes. At that EXACT time, almost as though conjured up by magic, the delivery man or pick-up person will knock upon your door and, finding you absent, will leave a nasty note along with a "the next delivery time/pick-up appointment is two weeks from now at 11:35 p.m." note for you. Excellent.
Truth #2: People can really be stupid. Now, this truth is one of those that is absolutely insightful and true, but also disturbing at the same time. When I was out of my office for that brief five minutes mentioned above getting lunch at Chipotle that is one block away from my office (http://www.chipotle.com), I was walking quickly to the restaurant's exit door with my luscious fajita burrito and I noticed a family of about six people sitting at a table. They were chatting to each other, eating, and watching their 3 year old child/grandson put the long plastic cord from the shutters around his neck and swing from it. YES - the window blind cords that can cause tragedy and heartbreak for families, that type of window cord. He had the cord wrapped around his neck and was leaning his weight down on the cord. While his family watched. Not saying anything to him. No reprimands, no diversion tactics, no removal of the cord or placing it where he couldn't reach it. Nothing. And it drove home the point to me that, Yes, Nancy, There Really Are Stupid People In The World.
Observation #2: The modem and router at your office will work absolutely flawlessly until that one day when it causes great difficulty to reach said modem / router in order to reset them. You can VPN from home all you want without any issues UNTIL there is no one available close to the office to reset the modem and you are iced in and a 20 minute drive from the office. And your bosses are out of town at a crucial corporate planning meeting and must have access to the computer via the now non-functioning VPN connection. And you have candidates interviewing the next day that you absolutely must speak with in order to be sure that they are all prepped and ready to go. Then and only then will the router and modem need to be manually reset.
Any Observations or Truths that anybody else has learned recently? I'd love to hear 'em...
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