The Social T-Rex™

In the age of information their is an abundance of information about anything you want (and some you may not).  Companies beware, your employees are talking about you.  Welcome to the days of interactive information versus the static website where a company “sells” themselves.  I have taken some time to list a few sites that provide information about companies.  I have mixed it up with static sites, interactive sites and news alerts.  I hope you find my brief synopsis on each site useful in your research.

LinkedIn                        www.linkedin.com
Information, more static than interactive, powerful too with resource to connect with employees of companies.  Free and paid versions, I recommend the free version

JobVent                        www.jobvent.com
This is an interactive site where employees review their employer via “love it or hate it”.  Lots of negative reviews (some positive), I would suggest reading each review carefully and formulating your own opinion of the authors information.

Biz Journals                  www.bizjournals.com
Decent information, however I could not find some big name companies listed.  Worth checking out.

Google                              www.Google.com
Master of the obvious, always a great resource.  I am a recent Google convert and love this search engine!

Google Alerts                http://www.google.com/alerts
Receive alerts on companies or anything you want!  Love this feature.

Google Finance             http://www.google.com/finance
Provides financial information, key features include;  list of competitors, links to news articles, full list of financials

Yahoo Finance              http://finance.yahoo.com
Similar to google, provides key information and statistics.

Wikipedia                      www.wikipedia.com
Great history on companies, provides some key information that I was not generally aware.  Useful for the history of a company.

Jigsaw                          www.Jigsaw.com
Easy to use and seems to have relevant information.  However did a search on one of the largest employers in Atlanta and found limited results.

ZoomInfo                      www.zoominfo.com
Option for the paid version, free version offers basic company information, however did a quick search on NCR, and still had HQ data in Ohio.

Glassdoor.com             www.glassdoor.com
Good information, must register an enter data to receive data.

I hope this is helpful.  Please comment and include any sites (especially free) that you find useful when researching a potential employer

Scenario 1:  You find or hear about a job that sounds ideal for your skills and background.  You apply.  You never hear back!  What went wrong?

Scenario 2:  You learn about a job opportunity.  You research the company, the hiring manager and the position and realize – this is a solid career move.  You apply through the formal channels.  You use every network available.  You provide a portfolio of your accomplishments.  Any difference in the results?

Early in my career everyone said that candidates must “set themselves apart”.  But what exactly does this mean?  In addition to a solid resume which provides “provable” details of your work history and accomplishment,  I believe people need a solid portfolio.  A portfolio is visual imagery of your accomplishments.  It is a portrait of you, painted BY you and sold by YOU.

What details should you include in this portrait?  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Introduction to your personal side:  Paint the full picture of your personality and what is important to you.
2. Areas of expertise:  List the “headers” of your career and areas you make the most impact.
3. Key Accomplishments:  High level enough to fit on a slide, but detailed with true and provable accomplishments.
4. Leadership:  everyone has leadership attributes, even if you are not a manager, director or VP by title.  Highlight key leadership training and/or milestones in your path to leadership.
5. Learn About:  provide websites, links to articles, links to social networks directing a person to more information about yourself.
6. Contact Information:  provide an easy way to contact you with questions.

That’s it!  This is something that will set you apart not only in a job search, but also professionally from other people in your field.  For an example of my portfolio.

Want to learn more about posting your own slide show presentation, check out Slideshare.net, it’s FREE!

Growing up I was a mullet wearing (business in the front, party in the back), Camaro driving (white, with mag wheels and chrome tip exhaust), cow tipping country boy from Alabama.  Although far removed from those good ole days (would not trade them for the world), those early years formed the man I am today.  Fast forward 20 years later and I can see how my early years as a recruiter formed the business man I am today.

Life, just like careers is an evolution of events and decisions.

2010 is a year of many decisions in the evolution of your career.  Many people are taking jobs they “have” to take (which is 100% understandable).  Some are staying with companies because they “have” to work (again, 100% understandable).  However, you must continue to evolve professionally!  How?

1. Determine and map how you want to evolve as a professional over the next 3-5 years.  Granted it may change, but having a plan in anything is the first step!
2. Speak to your company/boss openly and honestly about your career evolutionary goals.  This may be easier or harder for some, depending on circumstances.  If your current career does not line up with your future aspirations, it is not evolution, it is a change (this is a different situation).
3. Know how you are going to evolve.  I have conducted many interviews and the “long-term goals/aspirations” is a pretty standard question.  What always gets me is when I hear, “I want to be ___”, then when asked “what are you doing to prepare for ____ ” 95% of the time I get the silent treatment or a 1/2 thought an out answer.  C’mon, I will accept, “reading a book on__”, or “taking a class”.  I want to say “TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR CAREER!!!”
4. Which is my last point, TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR EVOLUTION!  Read books, join communities, network with people already in the role, but take action.  Looking back you have evolved in your life and career due to events and decisions.  Take charge of those events and decision and guide them (versus them guiding you).

Today I am absent the “party in the back” hair style, traded the Camaro for a 4-door (still a cool 4 door, but a 4 door nonetheless), and the cow tipping has been replaced with Jenga at family game night (except that one time…).  My inspiration for this post came while driving home from work and listening to a new(er) song called  “Hillbilly Bone”.  I realized that we all have certain traits deep down, no matter where we come from that forms us in life and career.

As I use to say growing up (and still say in certain company), GET YOU SOME!  The evolution of your career and what you will be in a few years depends solely on you, no matter the drawbacks or circumstances.  Plan your career evolution for tomorrow and today will be a distant yearbook memory.

When I grow up I want to be a _____.  Sound familiar?  You most likely had a profound profession in mind by age 6 or 7 and had “changed” professions 10+ times by the age of 8.  In your teenage years you had it pinned down to a “few things” most likely an actor/actress, a singer/musician or a neurosurgeon (parental guidance not required, you knew everything).

Welcome to 2010, the Great Recession in full swing, yet we keep hearing about the job market picking up.  But where?  The Wall Street Journal recently posted their list of the top 200 jobs in order from Best to Worst click here for list (glad to see recruiting in at #55).

Personally, I believe a lot of the change is due to our shift in business cultural today and in the future.  Software, web development, computer systems analyst and engineers all made the top %.  Below are a few ideas that may assist in you becoming a part of the “best” professions of 2010;

1. Identify your core skills and map a way to use them in one of these fields.  Example, If you are a sales person, sale to/for these professions.
2. Joint Venture;  is there a way your current business can complement these industries?
3. Career change; may be the most difficult, but it is never too late to study and learn a new profession.  See if one of the top 50 is of interest to you (#55 is a good one, humble opinion).

Be glad you eventually took mom and dad’s advice and did not go into acting (#163) or musician (not on the list) unless you are in the >1% to hit it big, then GREAT JOB!

For me, if I am changing professions, I am going to choose #11 Philosopher, I wonder if this is possible?

In a recent blog, I discussed strategies for making a great 1st impression.  What is the best way to make a great 1st impression when the interview is not in person?  How do you NAIL IT?

1. Never be caught unprepared.  If you receive an unexpected call for a phone interview and feel unprepared, request a time (within a few hours) to conduct the phone interview.  This gives you time to prepare things such as good questions (3-5, more than that should be in-person), researching the company/person calling and other critical items.
2. Always prepare like it is an in person interview.  Anytime I have conducted a phone interview and hear shuffling of paper, or keyboard strokes, it is a huge negative (I may assume you are cheating with Google)!  If it helps, put on your interview suit and conduct the phone interview in full interview mode.
3. Interview in a quiet place with limited NO distractions!  No matter who/what the distraction is (children, pets, spouses, Publishers Clearinghouse at the door with your check), NO DISTRACTIONS!
4. Land line.  Essential!  Phone interviews while driving will drop off (no matter your provider), they will break up and you can not focus on the road and the 1st step in the interview process.
5. Initiate request for in person interview and open the door for more information about yourself.  Be certain to ask for the in-person ASAP.  Your schedule IS clear at some point in the next 72 business hours!  Yes, it really is!
6. Talk with confidence.  Confidence will come across in your voice, in your answers.  Confidence is a direct reflection of your preparation and practice.  Do both of these relentlessly.

Follow these simple NAIL IT principles and you will have an advantage over +75% of other candidates.  I am constantly amazed at the number of people who blow the phone interview because they do not take it as a serious part of the process.  Don’t be that person.

This is my first attempt at a VLOG!  I started this blog the last week of May 2009 and received 14 hits.  In December 2009, I received 695 hits!  Now this may seem like a low number to some, but I was extremely pleased!  So I did a review of my last 6 months, noted that each month the number of viewers went up and condensed the reasons why into a quick 3 minute video!

Thanks for your support and look forward to everyone’s comments!

The New Year is upon us!  Time to start fresh, eat better, lose some weight; then February 1st rolls around and it is the same thing, another broken resolution (and time to dive back into those tasty doughnuts for breakfast!).  Now if you are in the search for a new job or new career, you do not have the luxury of another broken resolution, what you need is a New Year’s commitment.  Believe me, I know how tough the job search is (in September 2006 I was laid off, with 3 kids and a wife to support, so I am not just blowing smoke here!)

Recently I conducted a survey of several national and international recruiting professionals  regarding their top sources talent.  Below is a compilation of their responses (in no particular order).

1. Overwhelming top response was LinkedIn.  If you don’t have a profile on here, get one.  If you do, beef it up.  If you are not a member of 10+ groups in your related field, become an active one –  TODAY!
2. Job seekers can go to Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com as a great aggregate tool.  They take jobs posted and pull them in a “one stop shop” place.  Totaljobs.com is a UK-based aggregate tool, and appears to work similar to Indeed and SimplyHired.
3. If you are a techie, then Dice.com is the job board that most recruiters say is a great source for finding talent.  Post your information today!
4. Glassdoor.com is a tool for researching companies, easy to find information on salary, company reviews (from insiders), interview feedback from interviewees and job postings.  You will get a free preview, but will be prompted to sign up and supply your anonymous information to continue utilizing.
5. Big dogs are still a factor and it is no surprise to find Monster.com on this list.  I recently spent some time with a Monster.com executive and was excited to learn of all the new tools they are working on.  They have a new search tool that makes it easier for recruiters to find resumes (I did a demo, really cool stuff.  as a job seeker this is a good thing).  They are making the site more “social” , thus staying ahead of everyone else!
6. Build a personal blog.  This allows you to showcase your knowledge and network within niche/key areas of your core competency. I recommend  WordPress or Blogger, they are both easy and free!  WordPress is my blog of choice, however if you use Google Tools, then Blogger may be the best choice for you.  This brings up the next tool.
7. You should have a Google Profile, it is easy to set up and free!  Google has tons of free tools and building your profile also makes it easy to find you on the web!
8. Target several companies you may want to work for and watch their site.
9. Build a relationship with a recruiter in your field.  Hint:  Go to LinkedIn and search the recruiting company and the recruiter, read their referrals.  If they are really good, several people will have written referrals.

I wish everyone the best on your New Year’s Commitments!  I understand how tough the current job market remains!  If I can be of any help, please reach out!

Cheers to the New Year!

You never have a 2nd chance to make  a 1st impression.  So how do you make those 7 seconds count?  You are asking, 7 seconds?   Yes!  How can someone size me up in 7 seconds?  Let’s put this time length in perspective;

• The length of time a bull rider must stay on a bull is 8 seconds, ever watch a rodeo, that is a long 8 seconds.
• Time it takes for James Bond to down a martini (shaken, not stirred).
• Time it takes to stick your foot in your mouth by responding poorly to an email, blog post or comment (may seem like 7 years)!

The point is, you have 7 seconds to make a good 1st impression.  The other person has made a preliminary decision about you within the first 7 seconds.  So how do you win? Look at the first 7 seconds as the foundation, the next 15 minutes are critical!

7 second impress

• Confidence!
• Firm Handshake
• Eye Contact – look them directly in the eye
• Direct and simple introduction;  “Hello, my name is ____, it is great to meet you!

Next 14 minutes and 53 seconds

• Knowledgeable:  Do your homework and know more about the person and company than what is on their website.
• 3 degrees:  LinkedIN, reach out to someone in the company, offer them lunch and pick their brain!  More than a website!
• Honest & Transparent:  Tell the truth about your resume, don’t make excuses for shortcomings, but offer solutions.
• Don’t Be a Bad Date:  Be interesting, offer stories that are short, to the point and highlight successes and mistakes you learned from.
• Engage in the conversation:  Just like above, it is a two-way conversation.  Don’t just ask questions about sales volume, benefits etc.  Instead, discuss how your long-term goals match with the company’s strategy (remember your “friend” from the LI lunch!).

Most importantly, control your personal brand!  Be sure you control the information in the social groups about you.  Google yourself and see what pops up.  If nothing, you have some work to do.  At least your LinkedIn profile should pop, be sure it is complete with great information and references.  If tons of info is out there, be sure it is what you want, not the Facebook photos of your college keg stand championship!

7 seconds, seems like such a small amount of time!  Remember, their 7 second impression is based on 30+ minutes of research they have already completed before they meet you in person.  The 7 seconds will support or debunk their researched impression of you!

What is the difference in “management” and “leadership”?  What is the difference between a “boss” and a leader?  I will start with the bottom line; management or “being the boss” is Attila the Hun and leadership is Paul “Bear” Bryant.  Let’s break it down.

Attila the Hun:

• During his rule, he was one of the most fearsome enemies of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires.
• In much of Western Europe,  he is remembered as the epitome of cruelty and rapacity.
• Attila has been portrayed in various ways, sometimes as a noble ruler, sometimes as a cruel barbarian.
• “regarded as cruel, clever, and blood-thirsty lover of battle and pillage”

Management or “being the boss” is often a tactical, day-to-day battle.  The boss is trying to get something from their employees at whatever cost.  The boss expects you to follow his vision (even if you think he is a numskull).  This is the problem, you follow a boss because you have to.  Employees want to be part of something bigger.  No one wants to feel like today could be the day of “off with their head”.  Attila the Hun’s are remembered for all the bad things, not the good.

Paul “Bear” Bryant

• Bryant took over the Alabama football team in 1958. When asked why he came to Alabama, he replied “Momma called. And when Momma calls, you just have to come runnin’.”
• His first year they were 5-4-1.
• During his twenty-five year tenure as Alabama’s head coach he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships.
• Upon his retirement in 1982 he held the record for most wins as head coach in collegiate football history.

Coach Bryant led by example.  He was a simple man, “Momma called. And when Momma calls, you just have to come runnin’.”  People wanted to play on his team, and when they did, they won!  Why, because he was a teacher, motivator, a leader!  Sure, he had an end goal in mind (win football games), but you believed in the person.  People will follow / buy in to a leader (the person) first, then their vision.  Bear Bryant’s are remembered for all their good things.

Everyone says they want to be a leader.  I have met a few that use these terms interchangeably, which is 100% incorrect.  Both can be successful (Attila the Hun had many conquests).  Which one works best?  Who do you prefer to follow, better yet, which one do you prefer to be?

“Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit”…Paul “Bear” Bryant