ResearchGoddess

This isn’t really a “tool” per se, however I think it certainly should be categorized under ‘cool’!

Those who know me know that my only complaint about working remotely is that it gets lonely from time to time. Sure, I get my best work done when I’m not disturbed but there are some rare moments when I crave some human interaction!

I subscribe to an RSS feed for Trendhunter.com, and recently I was reviewing some interesting new technology when I came across this video for Jelly. Apparently, this is just what I’ve been looking for!

So, what is Jelly?
Jelly is casual coworking. We invite people to work from our home for the day. We provide chairs and sofas, wireless internet, and interesting people to talk to, collaborate with, and bounce ideas off of. You bring a laptop (or whatever you need to get work done) and a friendly disposition.
Jelly started in NYC in February of 2006 when roommates Amit and Luke realized that they loved working from home, but they missed the creative brainstorming, sharing, and camaraderie of a traditional office. So they started inviting friends to come work from their home one day a week. They soon found that working in close proximity to new and interesting people every couple weeks resulted in new ideas and interesting conversations.

I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that you can learn something new from every person you encounter in life. This is a cool idea in my book.

So….I decided to bring Jelly! to Cincinnati! If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area, please visit the NEW Jelly! in Cincinnati page for information on the FIRST meeting, to be held on Thursday, November 15th. Or, you can click here to sign up directly.

Here’s a list of some of the locations that already have Jelly! groups started. Check it out! You never know who you might meet. You may learn something new, try something different, or perhaps you might even find a new job opportunity!

New York City (Manhattan & Brooklyn – the ORIGINAL Jelly!)
Atlanta, GA *new!*
Austin, TX *new!*
JellyInPerth – Freelancer Friday *new!*
Chicago
Cincinnati, OH *new!*
Delhi, India
Denver, CO
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR *new!*
Portsmouth, NH *new!*
San Francisco, CA *new!*
Singapore, Southeast Asia
Sydney, Australia *new!*
Tel Aviv, Israel *new!*
Tampa Bay, FL (Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg)
Washington, D.C.

Today marks the first anniversary of the start of the Research Goddess blog. From its humble beginnings as SPI Internet Research to where it’s gone today, I am excited to reach this milestone! Thinking back on my first post (actually, it was my second official post, as my first was a simple welcome message), boy has my blog changed! The first comment made on my blog was from my now-dear-friend, Jim Stroud. Ahh…that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

I am so incredibly thankful to all of you who read my blog and enjoy my posts. As you know, one of my goals was to hit 50 subscribers and, well, if you look at the reader counter to the right, you’ll see that I have achieved this goal. So, many thanks to all of you!

I wanted to take this time to reflect back on some of the highlights and my favorite moments in my first year of blogging, and how starting the Research Goddess blog truly has made a difference, not just for me, but for lots of you folks out there who read it!

My dinner with the Big Cheez – Joel was my original inspiration to start blogging. I remember reading his blog one day and thinking ‘his blog is awesome – I wonder if I could do something like that with a research blog?’ He is probably sick of me saying this, but I am ever grateful for the time Joel spent with me while I was up in Cleveland because he is the one who gave me the gentle shove to get this whole thing started.

Nomination for the Recruiting.com 2006 Best Blog Awards – how cool was this! My little blog got nominated for an award just two months after I started it. I did not get into the top 10 but just to be in the company of the other nominated blogs was humbling.

My first appearance on the Recruiters Lounge – ah, the first time I got interviewed by the Searchologist. My how time does fly!

Meeting my good friend, Mike Notaro – I think this occurred some time around January or February, and I am thankful for Mike’s friendship and the knowledge he shares with me. He has come into his own in internet research so quickly and I am glad I met him!

My first somewhat questionable search technique, and a major nod from Shally – my post on the MySpace site: search that really seemed to grab Shally’s attention…some of the big dogs in research were starting to notice me!

Being appreciated, and starting my obsession with social networking and new media – I love getting messages from people I’ve had conversations with that have gotten something useful out of our discussions. Makes me feel like it was time well spent!

My first conversation with Rob McIntosh – I have a lot of respect for this man and the knowledge he has, and I was pleased to be able to speak with him at length before I wrote this article. Rob also was responsible for connecting me with Suzy Tonini, another person I have developed a great friendship with and learned a great deal from.

Getting tapped on the shoulder by Leslie O’Connor and Earl Mann to present at SourceCon – man, I can’t think of another event in the past year that I was so excited to attend, and the fact that I was asked to present was just icing on the cake. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Reaching the five-year mile marker as an Internet Researcher – it was so great to think back on the last five years and how much I’ve learned, how many great people I’ve met, and what I’ve accomplished in the world of Internet Research.

Getting published in the Fordyce Letter – what an honor! I wrote an article called ‘Stephen Covey Applied To Research and Recruiting Prioritization’ that I had originally wanted published on ERE but they thought it would be well received by the readers of the Fordyce Letter – cool!

The Research Goddess Radio Show goes live –I am looking forward to having the chance to interview a lot of you on my podcast show on Recruiter Life!

Landing a new job at Waggener Edstrom – this rounded out my first year writing the Research Goddess blog. I love my new position and am excited to see what good things are in store here!

There are so many, many more cool things that have happened over the past year as a result of my blog, but these were just some of the best moments. Over the last year as well, I have received so many emails and comments on my posts that have warmed my heart. I am thrilled that so many of you enjoy reading my stuff!

I found you through your blog and you had been mentioned in some of the other blogs that I read.
[By the way, you do a great job with your blog.]
Scott Szur, The Harrison Group

Amybeth,
I love your Blog!!! You are doing great things-Thank you for keeping me on your mailing list.
Margaret Blackwell, Sr. Recruiting Consultant

Hi Amy. We’re going to add your blog to our blogosphere…
Todd Raphael, ERE Media

I’ve actually been reading your blog since around December, and I have to say I love the emurse.com search string you provided in one of your past posts. Great tip!
Sara Agee, Internet Researcher

Amybeth, Thank you for all the knowledge and support you have offered my in my efforts to ramping up my desk. I know that at times you probably felt like blocking me from your IM list but now I think the most tedious part of my learning process is behind me. You have been a true mentor for me as I embark on this exciting journey!
Paul Wolfe, SPI franchise owner

>My name is Bryan Marek and I have become a fan of your blog. I have left a comment on your most recent one on recruiter.com stating how you have helped me set up a more productive researching process. For that I am truly greatful.
Bryan Marek, Internet Researcher

thanks for the exposure amybeth! i love hearing your thoughts
Jeremy Langhans, Executive Sourcer

I hope you continue putting research/sourcing out there in a more positive light (as you already doing) and continue to spread the news about what value and what a researcher/sourcer does!
Dan Harris, Sourcer/Talent Researcher

Really enjoyed your presentation and some of your comments will be making my slides as we continue to build our Sourcing Team here. Brand new model for the company as of beginning of this year and we are already see contributions being made.
Bryan Reichert, Lead Recruiter

I appreciate your definition of what my new career path should be. You truly helped me to better understand what it is that my job description should entail.
Elizabeth Gary-Ruegger, Research Manager

The things I write about are things I feel very passionately about. My goal in starting this blog was to connect with the larger research community, and I most certainly have accomplished this. I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart, because you are what has made this blog what it is!

from the archives…
Amybeth Hale, Research Goddess, interviews Jeremy Sisemore, Founder and CEO of Dynamic Search Partners of Houston TX. Jeremy is a very successful SAP recruiter and he and Amybeth discuss the importance of the internet and the research function in a successful recruiting organization.

View the original interview page here on Recruiter Life Magazine, or play directly below.

I’m pretty particular on what webinars and trainings I will promote. I think that this one is going to be worth taking a look at:

I use LinkedIn all the time when I conduct research. It has become one of my first resources when handed a new job req. I was under the impression that everyone in the recruiting industry understood the importance of networking on sites like LinkedIn. Apparently, I was mistaken in this assumption. Just about a week ago, I noticed the option for me to choose how I knew a potential new connection had been taken away from me. Instead, now every time I want to send a new invitation I get the slap-on-the-wrist notification:

You are now required to enter an email address to send invitations from this page because several recipients of your invitations indicated they don’t know you.

What? I always take the time to personalize my invitations to people who I’m pretty sure don’t know me yet. How could this have happened?

You can now check out who noted that they ‘don’t know you well enough to connect’ on LinkedIn. I saw a couple that seemed legitimate. There was one who was also a graduate of the same university as me who, incidentally, had requested that I add him to the Gator Alumni LinkedIn group (which I did so we’re connected anyhow), and I made sure to write him a kind note letting him know that we’d be connected anyhow through that group. Then, I was surprised to see….a recruiter!! A recruiter who had refused to network – AND…one who lives right here in the same city as me.

I ask you this – what kind of a recruiter refuses to network? What kind of a recruiter turns down a new connection? In my humble opinion, one that hasn’t figured out the value of making connections just yet. Someone who doesn’t understand that recruiting is developing new relationships, even though they may not seem relevant at the moment, because they may be beneficial later down the road. Someone who, to be honest, unless they grasp the concept of networking quickly, will not be recruiting 2-3 years from now.

You’re entitled to your own opinion on this. I know many people out there do not believe in making LinkedIn connections with people unless they’ve ‘had a meal together’ or something else of the sort. Truth of the matter is that I actually interviewed at this recruiter’s office about 6 months ago. I met his boss for lunch one day, and he convinced me to come in and meet another recruiter (who quickly accepted my invitation to connect and has corresponded with me since then, by the way).

Perhaps my invitation was not compelling enough. Perhaps I should have referenced the connection to this recruiter’s boss in my message. Or perhaps my shock is completely valid. Recruiting IS networking – and when you don’t participate in the practice of your own business, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot.