ResearchGoddess

Recently, I had the privilege of talking with Russ Moon on his radio podcast show, The Sourcing Samurai. We chatted about sourcing (naturally) but we also talked about some related topics such as global economy, business communication, and continual education. And, of course, we talked about SourceCon NYC! I hope you enjoy it. Russ told me we’d be doing a follow-up talk in the near future which I’m looking forward to – thanks Russ!

Click here to go to The Sourcing Samurai and listen to the radio podcast…

I am now going into month #3 of working at ERE Media, Inc. as the Editor for The Fordyce Letter as well as SourceCon. This career move was a sharp right turn from the road I was previously on, but I’m finding that there are still a ton of similarities.

As an Internet researcher/soucer for eight years, some of my job functions included:

• Generating leads
• Industry/competitor research
• Assisting with employment branding initiatives
• Writing/blogging/sharing thoughts and ideas with candidates as well as colleagues
• Doing cross-department outreach for sourcing projects (getting marketing, PR, tech, etc. involved)
• Training recruiters and other sourcers on search tools and methods

One afternoon at the Fordyce Forum, just days after I officially joined ERE, I had a chance to sit down with David Manaster, my new boss, and Todd Raphael and Kate Bruener, two of my new co-workers, to discuss some of the things I would be responsible for in my new role. Some of the things we discussed included:

• Generating leads (finding authors for both websites by phone calls as well as internet search)
• Industry/competitor research (keeping up on the latest news and trends regarding recruiting and sourcing)
• Assisting with branding initiatives (using various on- and offline tools to reach target audiences and spread the word about our offerings)
• Writing/blogging/editing author articles (duh.)
• Getting other ERE employees involved in our efforts (all of our publications are truly team efforts – we help each other out all the time)
• Finding presenters for the Fordyce Forum and SourceCon to help bring relevant information on recruiting and sourcing topics to conference attendees (while I’m not doing the training, I’m tasked with finding the people who will)

So, I guess my job function hasn’t really changed all that much. Except that we’ve added in doing some phone work to find writers. And admittedly, I enjoy having conversations with people on the phone now. I know… I never thought I would admit to that either!

I’m not getting soft as a researcher. I’m just putting my skills to use in different ways and I am finding that I really love it!

hat tip to @infosoucer for the inspiration. Tools used: www.cpbherofactory.com and www.pixlr.com

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” »