tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62376122024-03-13T23:10:52.822-04:00canadian headhunterCareer BlogThe Meatriarchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14600545360385812230noreply@blogger.comBlogger648125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-36190781007224999312012-10-23T19:35:00.000-04:002012-10-23T19:35:22.660-04:00How Headhunters Poach<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=YmIxZjUyM2JmZGM4YTFjMmVmNTcwNWY5&ec=F2NG85NjrGkoD7FProgOn5tO-vXedbMA"></script>Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-19338127258905545492012-09-18T10:27:00.002-04:002012-09-18T11:07:38.897-04:00SelectMinds Social Recruiting Tool<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Peter Clayton interviews Annie Berkowitch, SelectMinds CEO.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/17/oracle-buys-selectminds-for-using-facebook-and-social-networks-to-recruit-employees/" target="_blank">Oracle just bought them. </a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvpTiGxmIlY" target="_blank">Click here to hear it on YouTube.</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It must have been hard to go through school with a name that contained the word "witch" in it. She might want to get rid of that T.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SelectMinds has its own video on YouTube. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXoCQ04FKGg&feature=related" target="_blank">Unfortunately, it stinks. </a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's what the SelectMinds website sez (edited):</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our starting premise: Good people know good
people.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We developed the first alumni networks in the
early 2000s.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These let large corporations source talent and new business through the online connections of
current and former employees.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2010, SelectMinds launched TalentVine.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It uses the online social connections of current and former
employees to generate referrals.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
In 2012, SelectMinds launched a new feature. It lets employers to handle all aspects of a social recruiting campaign through one dashboard.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A social recruiting campaign includes: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(1) job posts on
Facebook and Twitter, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(2) talent community management </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(3) social
referral programs.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Closing words: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20041128102443/http://www.jobster.com/" target="_blank">remember Jobster? <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Click pic to enlarge</span></span></a></span></span><br />
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Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-5262127156878670652012-09-13T12:40:00.000-04:002012-09-13T12:40:01.957-04:00The Magic Formula<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/why-the-iphone-5-is-not-revolutionary/article4541034/" target="_blank">From The Globe and Mail</a> (edited)<br />
<br />
The formula that Steve Jobs bet on in 2007 – refine and
reimagine an existing product and then
market it as a breakthrough – has transformed the company from niche
player to a leader in consumer electronics and media.Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-51019268424116881852012-09-12T15:30:00.000-04:002012-09-12T15:33:47.934-04:00Interview Questions For Culture<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://culturefanatics.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/interviewing-for-culture-fit-all-the-cool-kids-are-doing-it/" target="_blank">From: Culture Fanatics</a> (edited) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The question I always start with: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Without using the words
‘culture’ or ‘people’ tell me why you want to work here”?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I want an in-depth answer as to what attracted them to us.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then I tell the candidate our 5 core values.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I ask them to tell me the one they relate to the most and a time
that it was compromised.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another favorite question: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Tell me about a time that you helped someone although you didn’t
necessarily think they deserved it”.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Comment:</b> Anyone who is looking for a job primarily because she needs a job is going to have to lie at these interviews. </span></span>Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-61907745326543736992012-09-07T09:53:00.003-04:002012-09-07T09:53:28.892-04:00Hiring Errors Wreck Company<a href="http://twitter.com/nichcarlson" target="_blank">@NichCarlson</a> reports that Yahoo is suffering because it doesn't hire talented people.<br /><br />Yahoo's B-players hire C-players who aren't fired up to go to work.<br /><br />So, as soon as Melissa Mayer took over she fired the HR boss. And, now, she's personally reviewing every hire.<br /><br />Yahoo's bonus package also stinks.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marissa-mayer-just-hired-an-execute-to-solve-yahoos-biggest-problem-2012-9#ixzz25n8AB0pA" target="_blank">Read More</a> Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-12369745127794605962012-09-06T09:31:00.004-04:002012-09-06T11:35:19.805-04:00Recruiters Are Not Transparent<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’ll often see a recruiter online bragging about how transparent she is with candidates.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, I’ll ask her, “If the hiring manager rejected a candidate
because he didn’t like her voice, would you tell her that?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Imagine he
said, ‘She’s very intelligent but if I had to listen to that all day,
I’d shoot myself.’ Would you pass that on?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, the answer is always “No.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://jobmob.co.il/blog/why-recruiters-lie-when-rejecting-you/" target="_blank">Read the rest at JobMob.com</a></span></span>Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-54173575186575924992012-09-06T09:23:00.001-04:002012-09-06T09:26:14.973-04:00Fresh Grad Job Hunter<span style="font-size: small;">A fresh grad job hunter got some powerful coaching on The <a href="http://recruitinganimal.typepad.com/recruitinganimal/2011/03/letter-to-my-guests.html" target="_blank">Recruiting Animal Show.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Leading the way was Recruiter / Career Coach </span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CareerConfidential" target="_blank">Peggy McKee</a></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/animal/2012/09/05/job-hunter-and-career-coach" target="_blank">Find the recording here</a></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"> --- <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/animal/2012/09/05/job-hunter-and-career-coach.mp3" target="_blank">Download mp3 </a></span>Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-19028799221623505462012-09-05T15:57:00.004-04:002012-09-05T21:06:45.645-04:00A Question for The Hiring Manager<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Based on: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/09/04/the-best-ways-to-close-a-job-interview" target="_blank">Arnie Fertig</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Interviewer:</b> "Do you have any questions for me?"<br /><br /><b>Don't ask:</b><br />How did I do? <br />Will I be invited back for another interview?<br />What happens next? <br />When do you expect to make a decision?<br />When do I start? <br />How much will you pay me? <br />What are the benefits? <br />How much vacation? <br /><br /><b>Spend the time selling yourself.</b> Say:<br /><br /><i>Let's assume that I've been working for you for a year -- and you have just given me a great performance review. </i></span></span><br />
<i><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>What would I have accomplished to earn that kind of review?</i><br /><br />When you know what's important you know if you have any strengths that wd help reach these goals and you can mention them.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you don't, don't pretend you do. </span></span>Michael Kelemenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808536631215128775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-35019881175759214412008-11-29T09:33:00.002-05:002008-11-29T09:35:58.977-05:00Multi-Generational Charity in Toronto<p><a><a href="http://www.thestar.com/SantaClausFund/article/545758">The Toronto Star</a></a> features a family that has depended on its Christmas charity boxes for three generations.</p><p>The grandfather, though earning only a security guard's wages, decided to have seven children.</p><p>So, his daughter, Ivy Chrysler, now 50, starting receiving the boxes since when she was five years old. </p><p>Her eldest daughter started receiving the boxes when she was two and now her children get them -- as do the grandchildren of Ivy's twin sister, Sydney Mead.</p><p>What has gone wrong in this family? Obviously Ivy's father and mother, either unaware of or unwilling to use birth control had more children than they could afford to provide for.</p><p>Ivy is now a widow without the income a husband would normally provide and she says that after she was married her husband went back to school so that they were short of funds during that time. But she still went ahead and had a child when she couldn't afford to do so. And now her children are are in the same boat. </p><p>Ivy and her sister are not immigrants nor are they members of a visible minority. So it would seem safe to say that their families' financial problems are clearly due to a problem of family culture. Also, perhaps, it is a problem of community culture since she grew up and still lives in a part of Toronto that is traditionally the home of poor people.</p>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-41318863049646991332008-11-27T09:52:00.004-05:002008-11-28T11:25:12.682-05:00How to Learn New SkillsSource: <a href="http://samizdat.mines.edu/howto/HowToBeAProgrammer.html#id2791595">How To Be A Programmer</a> (edited)<br /><br />Learning new skills is the greatest fun. Most companies would have better morale if they understood how much this motivates people.<br /><br />1. Books and classes are good but humans learn by doing.<br /><br />2. A good mentor is better than a book. <br /><br />What can you offer a potential mentor in exchange for their knowledge? At a minimum, you should offer to study hard so their time won't be wasted.<br /><br />3. Formal training is good but usually not better than the same amount of time spent playing with the skill you want to learn. <br /><br />But it is easier to ask for training than playtime.<br /><br />4. You have to do a small project before you can do a large one.<br /><br />If you lead people, assign them projects that are the right size and offer to exercise the skills they want to develop.MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-79904580168462993922008-10-27T13:08:00.003-04:002008-11-27T17:57:17.592-05:00Predicting Performance From Personality<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2DF1730F931A1575AC0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print">Reference: New York Times</a><br /><br />- Paul Wolfowitz doesn't seem like a zealot<br />- he is patient, logical, respectful and soft-spoken<br />- but he has a missionary's optimism about America's <br /> ability to build a better world<br /><br />- has an activist bent<br />- he sees trouble coming before others do<br />- doesn't want to stand by while bad things happen<br />- and thinks about the cost of not acting<br /><br />- Wolfowitz was sympathetic to the war in Vietnam<br />- later, he accepted that it was a case of overreaching<br />- for Colin Powell, Vietnam is the prime example of good <br /> intentions gone wrong<br /><br />- Wolfy was an architect of the Iraq War.<br />- could we predict from his activist orientation and optimistic <br /> perspective the likelihood of over-reaching?MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-23462822436591262892008-10-26T19:57:00.011-04:002008-11-27T18:04:39.759-05:00Selling Your Personality<b>The Lessons of David Axelrod</b><br /><br />- David Axelrod is Obama's campaign manager<br /><br />- his campaigns don't focus on issues but on the candidate’s life<br />- he wants to portray the candidate as having a leader's personality<br /><br />- a job hunter can do the same in an interview<br />- she should have clear ideas about how her job is done<br /><br />- but she can also<strong> tell a story</strong> about her life and <strong>focus on moments</strong> <br /> in her history <strong>that define her</strong> as the person she wants to be<br /><br />- while <strong>the image</strong> you project may be edited,<br /> to be convincing it <strong>has to be based in reality</strong><br /><br />- Axelrod's campaigns are <strong>upbeat</strong><br />- they contain a message of idealism and optimism moderated by pragmatism<br /><br />- he believes that the promise of the future, where you're going,<br /> trumps a focus on the past<br /><br />- he also believes that a candidate should focus on strategic issues, <br /> not just the needs of the moment <br /><br />- he fends off critics by stressing the flip side of Obama's alleged flaws.<br />- lack of a rigid ideological position is seen as independence<br />- a lack of combativenes becomes bipartisanship<br /><br />Reference: <a title="Recruiter Canada Toronto" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/magazine/01axelrod.t.html?_r=3&ei=5070&en=765f1fc42884f6d3&ex=1177905600&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print">New York Times</a>.MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-79244135059338402662008-10-24T10:53:00.001-04:002008-10-27T13:18:47.059-04:00Leaders Are FlexibleReference: <a title="Recruiting Animal Show - the only online call in radio show for recruiters in world history" href="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/10/22/george-jonas-when-obama-says-change-what-he-means-is-identity.aspx">George Jonas</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>It’s definitely not for nothing that Obama -- who, in theory, stands against everything Powell has stood for, from party affiliation to policy -- responded to the endorsement of Bush’s former secretary of state by saying that he was feeling honoured and humbled.<br /><br />Presidential? Pragmatic? Practical? Unprincipled?<br /><br />All of the above, I’d say. The first adjective sounds like a compliment; the last one certainly doesn’t. Yet they’re not incompatible and may even be complementary.</blockquote><br /><br />Jonas says that politics make strange bedfellows and that leaders have to be willing to praise and partner with whomever they must to get to their goals.<br /><br />But is Powell as opposed to Obama's positions as Jonas suggests? He was a dove in the Bush Administration. He is cautious about going to war and sees Iraq as an mistake.<br /><br />Everyone also respects his commitment to his country and his personal character even if they do not agree with all of his political positions.<br /><br />So there is reason to be impressed when a man like that crosses party lines to endorse you. <br /><br />So, to prove a point, Jonas has exaggerated their opposition.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thecanadianheadhunter.com">Recruiter, Toronto, Canada</a>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-10395928528053178492008-10-24T10:50:00.000-04:002008-10-24T10:51:21.787-04:00Send Out Cards.com<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmancino">Matt Mancino</a>, a construction industry recruiter in Phoenix called to tell me about <a title="Recruiting Animal Show - the only online call in radio show about recruiting in world history" href="https://www.sendoutcards.com/cgi-bin/trncustomer.pl?home_page:">Send Out Cards.com</a>.<br /><br />You can create your own thank you or greeting cards online - in your own handwriting, if you choose -- and they print them and snail mail them for you.<br /><br />Because everything is electronic today, these snail mailed cards stand out and differentiate you from the pack.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thecanadianheadhunter.com">Recruiter, Toronto, Canada</a>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-7756489487312407922008-10-24T10:49:00.001-04:002008-10-24T10:50:35.406-04:00Free Online ATS<a title="Recruiter, Toronto, Canada thecanadianheadhunter.com" href="http://www.smartrecruiters.com/static/see-it/">SmartRecruiters.com</a> is a free, online applicant tracking system.<br /><br />Key Points: Launches Oct 28, 2008. Set up in 2 minutes. Easy to use. Personalize your own Career Site. Includes a "vibrant" recruiter community. Includes "integrated pay-per-use recruiting services" (sounds like they will do your recruiting for you).<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thecanadianheadhunter.com">Recruiter, Toronto, Canada</a>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-80677749592233740562008-10-24T10:47:00.003-04:002008-10-24T10:48:35.163-04:00Immigrants Dislike Preference For Skilled People<a title="Recruiter, Toronto, Canada" href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/523634">TheStar.com</a> warns that:<br /><br />1. Immigrants with skills do not get a chance to use them in Canada. <br /><br />2. So the government's increased preference for immigrants with job skills discriminates against the unskilled people the country actually needs.<br /><br /><blockquote>When Chakraborti joined her husband, Sailen, in Canada, it took her just two months to parlay a master's degree in philosophy into a job as a bank teller.<br /><br />"Many immigrant communities are already being discriminated left, right and centre..."<br /><br />His parents have a university education and worked for Ontario Hydro as clerks... </blockquote><br /><br /><font color="white"><a href="http://thecanadianheadhunter.com">Recruiter, Toronto, Canada</a></font>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-63390430173304643872008-10-24T10:47:00.001-04:002008-10-24T10:47:23.221-04:00Online Storage Offerings - Comparison Chart<a title="Recruiter, Toronto, Canada thecanadianheadhunter.com " href="http://lifehacker.com/5064688/online-storage-feature+by+feature-comparison-chart">Lifehacker</a>.MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-8620934209390323732008-10-24T10:44:00.002-04:002008-10-27T13:08:47.142-04:00People Can Surprise YouSource: <a title="Recruiter, Toronto, Canada thecanadianheadhunter.com" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122419210832542317.html#">Wall Street Journal</a>. (edited)<br /><br />Harry Truman was a small town man whose career had been sponsored by a corrupt political boss. Then he was carelessly elevated to a senior role by Frank Roosevelt. And, yet as the sponsor of the Marshall Plan and the policy of containment, he had done great things.<br /><br />From this example, Peggy Noonan concludes that:<br /><br /><blockquote>People can come from nowhere, with modest backgrounds and short résumés, and yet be individuals of real gifts... that are suddenly revealed<br /><br />You have to give people time to show what they have. Because maybe they have magic too.</blockquote><br /><br /><font color="white"><a href="http://www.thecanadianheadhunter.com">Recruiter, Canada, Toronto</a></font>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-62366526582544557152008-10-21T12:38:00.005-04:002008-10-21T12:49:50.769-04:00Your Company Needs A Consistent ToneReference: <a href="http://communemedia.com">Commune Media</a> via <a href="http://www.onedegree.ca/2008/10/your-brands-cry.html"> One Degree</a><br /><br />A large company will usually have strict rules about the presentation of its image. For instance, it will only use specific colours, photos and fonts . The reason? Once these signals become familiar to the viewer, it becomes easy to relate to the firm as a known quantity.<br /><br />The same restrictions and clear definition are required for any appearance of the company's voice. But this is where firms often err.<br /><br />When they are trying to reel you in as a customer or an employee, they are very personable and friendly. But once you are sold, they become very task-oriented. You're no longer a pal. The only thing that matters is business.<br /><br />People don't like that sudden about-face from caring about them to caring exclusively about yourself. It makes you seem untrustworthy and dishonest. <br /><br />So, if you have a friendly voice in your marketing vehicles, including your recruiting communications (on your blog, for instance), you should maintain it in all of your ongoing communications as a basic element of your firm's culture.<br /><br />Note: The same is true of individuals. Most of us don't feel comfortable around people who are really nice -- until they get angry. Then all concern about other people is thrown out the window.<br /><br />The person who throws the tantrum might excuse it as his way of getting rid of an upset as quickly as possible. But those who are on the receiving end become wary of him.<br /><br />Homepage: <a href="http://www.thecanadianheadhunter.com">The Canadian Headhunter.com</a>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-24525366762414359422008-10-20T11:55:00.003-04:002008-10-20T11:59:12.706-04:00Do Interviewers Disagree?Take a look at the judgements of the third presidential debate.<br /><br /><blockquote>McCain looked and sounded like a man who is floundering and doesn't know what to do about it. <br /><br />-- Editorial, <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/editorial/mccain-plumbs-the-depths-with-joe-the-plumber-20081016-52e1.html?page=-1 ">The Age</a> (Australia)</blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote>In my mind McCain won the last debate by some margin<br /><br />-- <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rod_liddle/article4968907.ece ">Ron Liddle</a>, TimesOnline (England)</blockquote><br /><br />Presumably both writers are well-informed, politically. Liddle, who supports Obama, was a speechwriter for the Labour party in England. And, yet, they disagree. <br /><br />What could possibly account for it? And does this disagreement reflect something that might happen when a candidate meets a number of stakeholders within the same firm?<br /><br />Homepage: <a href="http://thecanadianheadhunter.com">The Canadian Headhunter.com</a>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-89021661734295567112008-10-16T16:17:00.001-04:002008-10-16T16:19:11.589-04:00Do You Still Need a Resume? YesAccording to <a title="Recruiting Animal Show" href="http://www.careerhubblog.com/main/2008/10/career-hub-cont.html">Debbie Dib</a>, the resume is losing its role as the primary tool in a job search.<br /><br />But not really. You might have a blog or a website or a video profile but I'm a headhunter and when I call you about a job, you'd better have a resume.<br /><br />How else am I going to get a quick overview of what you've done and, based on that, assess what you can do. I have to have something to pass on to my client, too. And to anyone else involved in the search.<br /><br />And, if I don't have a resume, what am I going to use? A LinkedIn profile? That's just a resume online, nothing more, nothing less. And I love LinkedIn; every recruiter does. But it's got some strikes against it.<br /><br />1. It's got the LinkedIn format which includes a lot of junk on the right side of the page. <br /><br />2. At present, LinkedIn is still foreign to a lot of people. A hiring manager might not recognize it as a resume. Many people who register on LinkedIn don't recognize its potential value either so they don't put a lot of details or stable contact information into their profiles.<br /><br />Home Page: <a href="http://thecanadianheadhunter.com">TheCanadianHeahdunter.com</a>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-8116849634058379662008-10-16T06:51:00.001-04:002008-10-16T06:52:47.963-04:00Success Lessons From ImmigrantsReference: <a title="Recruiting Animal Show" href="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/10/09/father-raymond-j-de-souza-lessons-for-success-contained-in-stats-canada-release.aspx">Ray de Souza, National Post</a>. (edited)<br /><br />A report from Statistics Canada's 2006 census has revealed the professional success rates of immigrants from various national and racial groupings.<br /><br />The children of Chinese and Indian immigrants do best. Ray de Souza, the son of Indian immigrants, offers some possible reasons why.<br /><br />Asian parents take it for granted that a university education is the path to advancement. They are also used very demanding schools of their homelands so when they make their kids live by their standards they do very well in Canada where the schools do not push students so hard.<br /><br />Also, Asian parents are usually hard-working and their families are stable so the children grow up in a community of immigrants in which good values are modelled and none of the problems caused by family disintegration are present.<br /><br />Finally, Chinese and Indian immigrants don't worry too much about prejudice. Where it exists, it's difficult to change -- and it has little influence on the opportunities that Canada holds out for them. So they ignore the problems and focus on the potentials.<br /><br /><a href="http://thecanadianheadhunter.com">Canadian Headhunter Homepage</a>MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-1138552906793049382006-01-29T11:40:00.000-05:002006-01-29T16:49:34.720-05:00The Toronto Blogger Bash: January 27, 2006<font size=4; color="red">Nobody Waved Goodbye</font><br /><br />I went to the blogger bash on Friday night and all the "celebrities" showed. In fact, when I arrived at the pub, <a href="http://letitbleed.blogs.com/blog/">Let It Bleed</a> was in the lobby arguing with the manager about a tear in the rug. <br /><br />"I'm a lawyer," he said softly, "And there's <a href="http://www.warrenkinsella.com/musings.htm">a guy</a> coming here who likes to sue people so if you're smart you're going to do something about that carpet."<br /><br />They moved off into the other room and I settled into a conversation with <a href="http://p098.ezboard.com/bfranksters77603.showUserPublicProfile?gid=hugeseagull@franksters77603">Huge Seagull</a> who was part of the large Newfie contingent. We were standing near the doorway when <a href="http://thestar.blogs.com/azerb/">Zerb</a> came in and, with her gaze set firmly forward, started marching upstairs.<br /><br />"It's in here," I said.<br />She swung around. "Who the blank are you?"<br />I mumbled my blog's name.<br />"They said it was upstairs!"<br />"Well, it's down here now."<br /><br />She tore her coat off and handed it to me. "Hold this," she ordered, then, turning to Huge, she said "Get me a Stella," and stomped into the main room. "Where's <a href="http://www.relapsedcatholic.com/">Kathy Shaidle</a>?" she snarled, "I've got some scores to settle." Later, I saw them arm-wrestling.<br /><br /><a href="http://jasoncherniak.blogspot.com/">Jason Cherniak</a> walked by. "Hey," I said. "I saw you on <a href="http://www.tvo.org/TVOsites/WebObjects/TvoMicrosite.woa?studio2">Studio 2</a>." "Did you like the show?" he asked. "Yeah, but you looked better on TV. Did they put makeup on you or something?"<br /><br />My mother always tells me that I've got a fantastic sense of humour but, surprisingly, he didn't laugh. Or even smile. "See that girl over there?" he said. "She produced that segment. Maybe you'd like to speak to her." "Oh yeah?" I replied, excited as a puppy. "I love that show. I've got to talk to her."<br /><br />Now, she was in conversation with <a href="http://www.ghostofaflea.com/">The Ghost of a Flea</a> but I barged right in. "Sorry to interrupt," I said, "but I just want to tell you how much I enjoy your show. It's so interesting. A stellar performance every night. I remember the time Paula interviewed the NDP leadership candidates. They were so [expletive] boring but she almost made them watchable. <br /><br />"Hey, asshole." said the producer, "Can't you see I'm talkin' to someone? Buzz off."<br /><br />Okay, I've got to admit, that wasn't the first time that happened to me. Whenever I meet someone from Studio 2, I just go crazy and, quite frankly, I know I'd do the exact same thing again.<br /><br />So, I moseyed over to <a href="http://www.freeadvice.ca/">Free Advice</a>. Apparently, he's got some kind of <a href="http://www.freeadvice.ca/2006/01/13/weirdos-everywhere/">mental problem</a>. He falls asleep while you're talking to him and starts seeing things but you don't know what's happening because his eyes are still open. He told me that he once chased his wife around the house because he thought she was a big doughnut. I tried to convince <a href="http://www.relapsedcatholic.com/">Kathy</a> that this is how religions get started but she wasn't buying.<br /><br /><a href="http://andrewcoyne.com/">Andrew Coyne</a> came in and a little woman who has a blog about <a href="http://garlicster.blogspot.com/">garlic</a> asked us who he was. "He's cute," she said. "I like his shoes". "He blogs about knitting," I told her, "Go and talk to him. I hear he likes cooking, too." We had a chuckle as he leaned down to listen to her with a pained, confused look on his face.<br /><br />Just then, <a href="http://www.rickmcginnis.com/">Ricky McGinnis</a> appeared wearing that same red cowboy shirt he had on the last time I saw him. (He claims he's got a million of them).<br /><br />"Hey," I said. "I saw a movie on Vision TV last week. Glen Ford was a train engineer who falls in love with Ida Lupino who wants him to murder her husband, Broadrick Crawford. What movie was that?"<br /><br />"Double Indemnity?" he asked.<br />"Come on!"<br />"Postman Rings Twice?"<br />"Look everybody," I crowed, " This guy claims to be a film critic!"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.meatriarchy.com">The Meatriarchy</a> winced because he's my friend and he felt embarrassed for me. But those Diet Cokes add up and by this time there was no holding me back.<br /><br />I dove into a deep discussion with Rick about vulgarity on TV. If he's such a big social conservative, I said, how can he like South Park? He trotted out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope">Pope</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift">Swift</a> and started pining for the 18th century and I decided it was time to leave.<br /><br />On my way out I saw <a href="http://accordionguy.blogware.com/">The Accordion Guy</a> singing karaoke. Apparently, he likes Bob Marley. But Bob Marley doesn't like him.<br /><br />And did I mention <a href="http://www.bolditalic.com/quotulatiousness/">Nick Quotavicious</a>? I love that guy. His goal in life is to memorize every nasty quip that's ever been said and find a way to use it in his everyday life. He mumbles something nasty every time he passes by me but I can't quite make it out so I don't care.<br /><br />See you all at the next do when <a href="http://www.damianpenny.com/">Damian</a> comes in February.MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-1113434407291251092005-04-14T19:19:00.000-04:002005-04-14T21:17:16.996-04:00The Job Market is Colour Blind.<div style="float:left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16479994@N00/9436351/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://photos4.flickr.com/9436351_53ac4ba649_t.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="color blind" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/66364063@N00/5304562/"></a></span></div> <br />We received an email recently from someone who wants to move to Canada. I say we because he sent the email to both Michael and I. <br /><br />This person had a concern, he had heard that skilled people who migrate to our country have trouble finding work and often end up driving cabs. Was that the case he wanted to know? In particular he seemed worried that a form of institutional racism was keeping skilled immigrants from finding work when they move to Canada. <br /><br />He was basing this on some articles he had read. <br /><br />It's too bad he didnt' read <a href="http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/article.jsp;jsessionid=NFGHEDMCOMOB?content=20050314_65971_65971&page=1">this article</a> from Canadian Business. It would have presented him with a much different view. Consider some of the following quotes:<br /><br /><em>"On average, Canadian women are having only 1.5 children each, far below the 2.1 necessary for a population to sustain itself. The numbers mean the labour supply will slowly shrink as the nation ages. By 2011, Ottawa estimates that all new growth in the labour market will have to come from immigrants. In other words, the future of the Canadian marketplace will soon depend for its very survival on a steady supply of foreign-born workers."</em><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Stephen Plummer is president and chief operating officer of IMP Group International Inc. The company, owner of CanJet Airlines as well as Execaire corporate jet services, is one of the largest private employers in Nova Scotia and has an insatiable appetite for skilled workers in the aerospace field. "One of the things I worry about all the time is Canada's declining workforce," says Plummer. "I don't see things reversing themselves. Immigration has got to be part of the solution.<br /><br />Plummer's company has hired an entire class of aerospace graduates from one Canadian college, but it's still not enough. To fill critical skill needs, such as engineering, tool design, avionics technology and computer applications, Plummer has also recruited in the United Kingdom, eastern Europe and China."</span><br /><br /><em>"Friesens Corp., a commercial printer based in Altona, Man., around 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg, has a standing offer of employment for trained press operators and is finding it increasingly necessary to bring new staff in from overseas, from such places as Germany and Uruguay."</em><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"The situation is even more acute in the trucking industry. "The marketplace is incapable of supplying us with drivers," grumbles Norman Schultz, director of recruitment and retention at TransX, a major trucking firm based in Winnipeg. "We are looking in Romania, China, England, Italy and elsewhere for drivers. We want to grow as a company, but our customer demand exceeds the number of drivers we have." Schultz has found the most effective method of importing labour is to bring foreign workers in on temporary work permits and then use the provincial nominee program to convert them to permanent residents."</span><br /><br />Ok one thing I should clarify for those of you who haven't figured it out yet. None of these companies is located in Toronto. And that was the crux of the article. Most immigrants want to move to Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver for a variety of reasons. However this isn't always where the jobs are. <br /><br />So you should consider which is more important living in Nova Scotia with a job or living in Toronto with none. Incidentally Nova Scotia is a much cheaper place to live than Toronto (and more beautiful). <br /><br />The second thing that should be obvious from the quotes above is that there is no discrimination against foreign workers. The job market is dependent on the available talent pool and if the pool is depleted the willingness to look elsewhere becomes magnified. <br /><br />I remember in the late 80s when the demand for programmers was so acute that recruiting firms were actually traveling to Hong Kong to recruit IT professionals. They wanted to get them before they landed in Canada because they would be snapped up so quickly. <br /><br />If you have a skill that is in demand you will have no problem finding work. If your there is a surplus of talent in your area of expertise you will have trouble. My advice to anyone who wants to move to any country is to evaluate your skill set and find out if it is in demand. If not you might want to select a country where your skills are needed.The Meatriarchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14600545360385812230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6237612.post-1113480003234591702005-04-14T07:56:00.000-04:002005-04-14T13:20:57.563-04:00<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianheadhunter/9383723/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://photos7.flickr.com/9383723_61611592f2_m.jpg" width="144" height="240" alt="Cheesey" /></a><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/66364063@N00/5304562/"></a></span></div><font size=4 : font color="green"><b>Podcast Alert</b></font><br /><br />Jason at Recruiting.com has posted his <a href="http://www.recruiting.com/recruiting/2005/04/1st_recruitingc.html#comments">first-ever podcast</a>. <br /><br />It's an interview of <strong>Joel Cheesman</strong> of the <a href="http://cheesman.typepad.com/seo/">Online Recruitment HR blog</a>. <br /><br />You can listen online or download the mp3 file for later <em>auditation</em>.<br /> MKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11877818266189428435noreply@blogger.com0