ResearchGoddess

At the Best Buy headquarters in Minneapolis last May, I gave a presentation on Marketing Yourself with Social Media…Without Being Annoying at the Social Recruiting Summit (now known as the Recruiting Innovation Summit). I was the final presenter of the day, and after I finished, I walked over to David Manaster, CEO of ERE Media. The day before, David had told me he wanted to chat with me after the conference was over. I assumed it had to do with SourceCon, since he had purchased it in July 2009 and I was voluntarily editing the newsletter. The conversation that followed led three weeks later to a really cool career change, and I just celebrated my one-year anniversary working for ERE Media as Editor of SourceCon.com and The Fordyce Letter. Continue reading “A Year Already? Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” »

I got really, really fired up by a post I read last Friday that went completely off on social media, ‘snake oil salesmen’, training and certifications, and so forth. I won’t do it the honor of linking to it here, nor will I tell you where I saw it because I do not want to attract attention to it. So don’t ask. Just strap yourself in – I’m sharing my uncensored thoughts on several different issues here. Because, after all, everyone is entitled to my opinion

Poo-Pooing Social Media For Recruiting. #Tired. #Lame. I feel there is a point that is being missed here. Social media: yes everyone gripes about recruiters’ approach to it as another job board, or how much of a waste of time it is. But you know, lots of people also approach the telephone with the same mentality – smile-and-dial and robotically go through candidate calls. And I know lots of recruiters whose phone time is tracked who call friends, family, and each other around the office to boost their phone time – talk about a time-waste! I don’t see how any of these are different, because they’re all still a misuse of communication tools. The focus of this, and any, discussion when it comes to recruiting tools should be your voice. Because your voice is where everything begins. These tools – the telephone, email, social media, and whatever is next (think augmented reality and hologram-type stuff… cool!!) – are merely channels to amplify your own voice. I know some people who have a GREAT voice on social media, and others who suck at it. On the same note, I know some people who have a GREAT voice on the telephone, and others who suck at that too. And I’m not referring to the sound of their voice – I’m referring to the overall message they convey and the passion behind it.

Think of it this way; art comes in many different forms – paintings, writing, music, acting, etc. Often, someone who is a poetic writer may suck at playing an instrument. Or an actor might be an awful screenwriter. As well, some people don’t like music, or hate to read, or detest going to plays. Do these personal preferences make the artists any less of an artist, or diminish the importance or value of the artform itself? Not in my book – artists choose to amplify their voice through a method that they feel is best suited for them. As well, not everyone is going to like or appreciate an artist’s chosen mode of voice amplification, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still art. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks.

Continue reading “One Big Rant (Yep, It’s Big!)” »

Last Friday, I gave a presentation to the Technology Alliance Group for Northwest Washington, otherwise known as TAGNW, on how to attract technical talent to Bellingham. Bellingham, for those of you who don’t know, is a small-ish city halfway between Seattle and Vancouver BC with about 70,000 residents. Our claim to fame is ski-to-sea – we’ve got skiing at Mt. Baker within an hour’s drive of Bellingham Bay, where one can go ocean kayaking, waterskiing, or charter a whale-watching boat in the summertime. In addition to that, we’ve got a series of interurban hiking and biking trails and boast one of the best mountain biking spots in the nation. Not to mention all the waterfalls, county and state parks, camping, dining, concerts, scenic drives, wineries, and wonderful local companies that make this city such an awesome place.

So, why the need for a presentation to attract people to this oasis? What I just described sounds like heaven on earth, doesn’t it? Continue reading “The Intangibles of Recruiting: My @TAGNW Presentation” »

As I step into my new role with ERE as Editor of The Fordyce Letter and continuing my duties as Editor of The Source Newsletter, I wanted to flesh out a couple of observations I have made in recent months regarding the sourcing world. I have heard several people, including a number of sourcers, express concern for the future of our function. These concerns have ranged from automation to irrelevance due to the vast number of social technologies at our fingertips. While I do agree that our roles are certainly changing, I would like to offer up a couple of predictions I’ve been rolling around in my mind regarding these concerns. Continue reading “Two Predictions For The Future of Sourcing” »

Over the past eight years, I’ve gone from working with search and placement firms to working with corporate recruitment organizations, conducting research for high tech industries, financial services, construction, PR & marketing, and telecommunications among others. I’ve blogged, tweeted, Facebooked, LinkedIn, and shot video in hopes of sharing knowledge with all of the wonderfully interesting people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting throughout my career. My Research Goddess blog grew wings and took off, and helped me establish a well-known and well-respected online presence. Each chapter of my professional career has ended with a paragraph leading seamlessly into the next chapter. And the end of this chapter is certainly no exception…

Next week, I will be joining ERE Media, Inc. as the Editor for The Fordyce Letter as well as The Source Newsletter. I will also be helping out with organizing the Fordyce Forum and SourceCon conferences. I’ve had a long-standing relationship with the founders of SourceCon, serving as the editor for the newsletter since 2007 after the first conference was put on. When ERE Media purchased SourceCon last year, I continued in this role on a voluntary basis, and when the opportunity came recently to join ERE as an employee and also take on The Fordyce Letter, I couldn’t say no! I’m super excited about this opportunity – not only will I get to continue working with SourceCon, but I will also get to return to my roots by working closely once again with recruitment search firms and helping bring relevant news and information to both worlds.

As the daughter of an English teacher and a card-carrying member of the Grammar Police, being an editor is a natural fit for me. This new chapter is an ideal next step for my career – I have the opportunity to be a change agent in sourcing and a part of the grand tradition of The Fordyce Letter. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, The Fordyce Letter has been the gold standard for search and placement firms for the last four decades. It was purchased by Paul Hawkinson in 1980, and a few years ago ERE acquired it from Hawkinson. The newsletter has always delivered high quality articles from some of the most successful search professionals in the industry, and I intend to see this continue.

I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed my time with AT&T – I have learned and grown so much professionally over the last year and I am grateful for all of the wonderful relationships I have been privileged to build while there. My experience with AT&T I really believe will help me be successful in my new role. I will miss my AT&T colleagues, but as I’ve said before, changing companies doesn’t mean friendships end! I plan to keep in touch with everyone there and hope to see many of you around the conference circuit.

My first duty with ERE will be attending the Fordyce Forum next week in Las Vegas. I am looking forward to reconnecting with those of you who will be there.