Welcome to the Jungle... Rock On with Intuit!

As you may know by now... I work for one of the BEST companies in the world, Intuit.  Not only were we recognized by Fortune Magazine as "America's Most Admired Software Company" in 2008; we have been named by them as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work for" for over a decade.


One of the many reasons I love my job so much is that our senior leadership is awesome.  Leadership makes all the difference in a company's culture because it sets the tone for the rest of the employees.  Our leaders are all extremely sharp, approachable, really know the recruiting industry, always willing to help and most of all... they know how to have fun!  
   

Let me introduce you to two of our top performers in Recruiting: Axl and Slash. (not the original ones from Guns N Roses, but a close second, right?)  This picture was taken on Friday in our San Diego, CA location right  after lunch... looks like they were  brown bagging it that day. :-)


Maybe one reason Intuit is the best place to work, EVER, is that these are some of the people responsible for making decisions on who we hire and bringing new talent into the company?  I like their style and am happy to be part of the team... Rock On Intuit!

Purple Squirrel… Revisited

October is a nostalgic month for me. I was born in October and during this month I seem to find myself reflecting back on milestones of my life. (In between the month long celebrations of my birth:)

One milestone is the launch of my blog… it was on October 5, 2006, after a networking luncheon at the DFWTRN. The topic that day was blogs and how to use them as a recruiting tool to find candidates. The speaker was so motivating that I rushed back to the office and created very my first blog.

Flash forward to March 2010… I receive an email from a reporter in California working for the Orange County Register who was doing research on the term “Purple Squirrel” and came across one of my blog postings. She was writing an article on unemployment in the area and one of her candidates used this term. Not knowing what it meant, she contacted me for an explanation and for insight on employment in the current economy. We had a phone conversation and she quoted me in her article.

Now just this month, I receive an email from someone working for a company in Princeton, NJ who found my little blog while working on a marketing piece about what this company can do for its clients; i.e. serve as a purple squirrel by meeting their needs from the business side to creating the technology. We have connected; I’ve given him my input and am now anxiously awaiting his article. As they say in academia… publish or perish!

Who knew that my little blog would have such a far reach? I’m thrilled and encouraged to explore this further to see the impact in the blogosphere. What is the difference between “Best of the Best” candidates and “Purple Squirrels”? If you dig deeper, you will find that the purple squirrel candidates are not necessarily the Top Tier candidates but rather have a combination of rare or hard to find skill sets and company backgrounds.

In all my years of recruiting, I would much rather connect with a Top Tier candidate and establish a relationship; even if they don’t specifically meet the requirements of my job openings. I can’t tell you how many placements I have made from referrals… in fact; most of my best and most challenging openings were filled by referrals from my recruiting network. And I have found almost every one of my jobs from personal referrals. In fact, my current role with Intuit was presented to me by someone I met over 10 years ago. We stayed in contact and now I am happy to be working for a company that has been on Fortune Magazine’s list of Top 100 Employers for over a decade!

Surrounding yourself with quality is a good practice in both your professional and personal life. Purple Squirrels may get you a fee for a placement, but quality connections will serve you better in the long run. What do you think?

Teens and Mobile Phones

Just finished reading my friend Dennis Smith's blog posting on Teens and Mobile Phones. Being the parent of a teen, I couldn't agree more! As a recruiter at Intuit, I couldn't resist sharing this as well as one of our cool mobile phone apps, Mint. Somehow I don't think it's just the GenY's out there that manage their money on their phones... how many others of you out there use your phone for more than calls and social networking?

To Be or Not To Be… an Independent Recruiter

Well, I did it… finally made the decision to go independent. After much soul searching, debating and comparing scenarios it was abundantly clear to me that if I truly wanted to become an independent recruiter and be my own boss, the time is now!

One of the deciding factors was the fact that so many corporations are now outsourcing recruiting and HR. A friend of mine who works with a subsidiary of a major telecom carrier informed me that all of their recruiting will be outsourced within the next few months. Also it seems that more and more of my colleagues, senior recruiters with 15+ years in the business, are working through RPO companies on contract assignments.

I discovered that the demand for high producing recruiters, who are technically savvy, socially networked and can hit the ground running is at the pinnacle right now. In fact some of these RPO companies offer benefits and even pay a portion of the consultant’s insurance. What was I waiting for????

So I gathered my courage, dusted off and upgraded my home office, updated my resume and opened for business. Now it’s time to make the announcement to my social media network so here goes… posting it on my blog, Facebook and LinkedIn pages as well as tweeting the news!

And just to confirm this was the right decision… I have started a contract assignment with Capital One as of August 2nd and absolutely love it! Got the gig in less than a week from a Facebook buddy who I had never met in person. (See… social networking really does work;) Now calls and emails are coming in weekly with at least 3-5 requests for a senior recruiter, which I happily pass along to my network. The moral of this story is… do what you love; stay networked and help as many people as you can. It will change your life and probably someone else’s as well.

Last Recruiter Standing 2010

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the DFWTRN and everyone at the Last Recruiter Standing 2010 luncheon yesterday who voted for my story! (Yes, it really is a true story, I have witnesses.) There were so many great recruiting stories; funny, embarrassing, and almost unbelievable. This just confirms that there are no "typical" days in the life of a recruiter. Here is my most unbelievable recruiting story... I would love to hear your comments.

While working for a clerical temporary staffing agency back in the early 90’s, we had a very high profile client in the Crescent Court Office Park. At that time, the Crescent was the most upscale office building in town. This client needed a temporary receptionist to answer the phones and greet visitors; “meet and greet” as we called it. It was made extremely clear that this temp needed to be the best we had; front desk appearance, well spoken, immaculate demeanor… the whole package.

We placed a stunning lady on the assignment… She looked like she had just walked out of the Ralph Lauren store in Highland Park Village and had incredible office skills as well. The first day the client was so pleased they called and thanked me profusely for finding this “gem” of a receptionist, saying she was absolutely perfect and better than they could have imagined. A few days later, the client called and asked that she be replaced. I was stunned! When I asked why she wasn’t working out, they only replied that I needed to come down to their office and see for myself.

Prepared for the worst, I arrived to find what looked like a scene from the Mel Gibson movie, Signs. My temp had aluminum foil wrapped around her head which resembled a giant Hershey’s Kiss. This was to prevent aliens from reading her thoughts. Her shoes were wrapped in bubble wrap which popped as she walked up to greet me… to hide her tracks of course, so no one could follow her.

She had come in that morning saying that she dreamed she had been abducted by aliens the night before. She then preceded to “alien proof” her desk and work space. This consisted of surrounding her desk with sugar packets (evidently these aliens couldn’t tolerate sugar) and constructing a barrier around her chair by taking coffee stir sticks, making an aluminum foil paddle on one end and inserting the other end into the seat of the chair. This was done with multiple sticks, side by side around the entire chair seat and back. (Isn’t the power of aluminum foil to deter aliens amazing? I should have bought stock in Alcoa.)

Needless to say, she was escorted out of the building and her file was flagged “Do Not Use”. Looking back, it would have been more appropriate to file her application in The X-Files.

Recruiting from the Cloud - Changing the face of 3rd Party Recruiting

Most of my career as a recruiter has been with smaller, boutique firms… companies who specialize in a specific market, develop relationships with customers and carve out a niche business in the process. About 10 years ago I noticed a changing trend in the marketplace. One of my biggest clients, Sabre, contacted me and informed me that they were moving to a centralized staffing model and I would be working with a third party company, Chimes. This was my introduction to VMS. I wasn’t pleased… it seemed to me that the Great Wall of China had been constructed. Essentially I no longer had direct access to the hiring managers or control over the process.

As time passed, more and more of my larger clients were adopting Vendor Management Systems. Then just when I could spell VMS; the business vertical evolved from software companies licensing their products to large corporations into a birth, if you will, of some of the largest staffing companies such as Volt, Manpower, and Adecco spin off’s of VOPs (Vendor on Premises) , MSPs (Managed Service Providers) or BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) services.

Now I had to go through one of my competitors to even gain access to a company’s recruiting or HR department. I am no longer displeased… I am hopping mad! The veins in my forehead are throbbing, my eyes are popped out and when I hear for the 20th time in a day from a hiring manager that I now have to contact their new VMS to become an “approved vendor” (even though they don’t want to go that direction… it’s coming down from above), my brain explodes, a sharp pain hits the pit of my stomach and I double over in my chair (and maybe even throw up in my mouth a little bit). Is it worth all my hard work and efforts to get on this merry-go-round? Time to regroup and reevaluate… how am I going to be able to continue to do business today?

Then a few months ago, the veil lifted and I was able to ascend to the clouds… or at least the Recruiting Cloud! I am so excited about this concept of a staffing marketplace that I have become a Program Evangelist and am here to spread the word to all the independent recruiters and boutique agencies out there that there is a way to do business in this new recruiting environment. Don’t give up! Think of an independent marketplace for buying and selling services. A place where independent recruiters can have access to companies with open requisitions who are looking for the best possible candidates to fill these openings... Enter YOLO Talent Exchange.

YOLO Talent Exchange is reinventing and improving the way employers and staffing agencies interact to exchange workforce talent. YOLO Talent Exchange is all about building a better process and adding value for both the Employer and the Staffing Agency, and doing this on a national scale.

Why is YOLO unique? I'm so glad you asked. YOLO Talent Exchange is building a unique marketplace design that will change the staffing industry! We believe this will result in a more efficient, more productive, and much more powerful talent-providing machine. So what do we call it? The “YOLO Talent Exchange”. “The better solution for buying and selling staffing services.” We are most certainly not a VMS.

Demystifying Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is the new buzz word… do you ever wonder just how much you really understand about this new phenomena? Here is an article from ChannelWeb outlining the 100 coolest cloud computing vendors. This really helped demystify the cloud for me.

As an extra bonus, here is the link to the Top 10 Cloud Computing Predictions for 2010.

The Last Meal For 2009 – Time For Our Last Supper?

I just read an article about New York City’s Tavern on the Green restaurant… here is the link. Seems that this New Year’s Eve will be the last meal they serve as they close their doors. The economy has gotten to them and now they are bankrupt.

This got me thinking… (don’t roll your eyes, it does actually happen:) if a restaurant icon like this can’t make it through the recent rough economy; we have to count ourselves lucky if we are still standing, right? Especially in the staffing industry… the last 18 months have really hit our industry hard, leaving a wake of death and destruction for employers, employees and agencies alike.

All the economic forecasters are saying that 2010 will be the year we rebound from this recession. I can only hope and pray they are right. But my recruiter’s instinct also tells me that we are close to a rebound. I plan on spending the first quarter preparing for the oncoming wave and anticipate that most companies will use contractors rather than increasing their staff, at least for the first part of the recovery.

So let’s all go out tomorrow night and have our “Last Supper” for 2009 and the recession!

Crowdsourcing - The Wisdom of the Crowd

Just how wise is the crowd anyway? Everyone is talking about crowdsourcing, or using the talent of the crowd, to create solutions and/or content for business. It can also be used on a personal level to put problems out there “into the cloud” and taking the combined opinion of “people in the cloud” to determine the best solution by way of the most popular answer. There are hundreds of social networking websites that can be used for this purpose… Facebook and Twitter are probably the most popular right now.

A great example of this was a recent episode of House where the patient was a high tech software developer who owned a very successful internet company but, of course, had an un-diagnosable disease. (Remember it is House, after all… and no, it was not Lupus! ;)

When the first few attempts of House’s team to diagnose what was the cause of his illness went horribly wrong, he posted his symptoms on the internet and offered a reward to the person with the correct diagnosis. And the correct diagnosis was submitted by one of the people in the crowd… in this case the crowd was pretty wise. (Actually it was House who solved the mystery anonymously since he didn’t have his medical license back yet.)

Sometimes I am so at a loss for a solution that I ask advice from almost anyone I come in contact with… the person on the other end of the phone, the cashier at the store, the neighbor walking their dog, the person in the elevator in our building at work. Almost any opinion is better than not having an answer. Maybe there is something to this Wisdom of the Crowd after all… what do you think?

Home Tweet Home

Very interesting lunch today at the Metroplex Technology Business Council... the subject was "Social Media: New Strategies for the Enterprise" and the speakers were Bob Pearson and Scott Anderson. This was the first time I have ever attended a luncheon where the speakers encouraged the attendees to break out their cell phones… and tweet!

Probably about 10% - 20% of the audience had twitter accounts and were able to send tweets to the MTBC, who then projected them on a screen. It was great fun and an easy way for me (being a visual learner) to pick up some well needed twitter help. (It also helped to feed the narcissist in us to see our comments up on screen for everyone to see;)

You could say that now I’m just twitter-fluent enough to be dangerous. So I’m back at the office working on my FollowFriday and filled with enthusiasm to take my twittering to the next level… we will see how far that goes.

Many thanks to Bob, Scott and all the tweeters at the event! What I came away with was: there are 3 things customers want to do… share ideas, product knowledge and solve problems. The fundamentals haven’t changed… we are still having conversations that lead to business, your customers are in control, they are talking to each other and you should join the conversation, and you should be so compelling to your customers that they seek you out. It’s not about the specific tools… it’s about where the technology is taking us.

To quote Bob Pearson: “the world's greatest OS is the web; not Microsoft.” Tweet you later… @leslie12002

Social Networks – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Do you tweet… holla… shout out… tag photos… give your homies their props? How many websites does it take you to voice a single passing thought? If you have the money honey, I have the time! No, wait... that’s a song! But it is a valid point… how much time do you spend on social networks merely updating your status or pinging your friends? When do you find the time… do you try to sneak a peek during work and hope you won’t get busted?

Personally I love my social networks and enjoy keeping up with people. When a friend from the past finds me on Facebook, I’m happy to catch up with them but guilty of not becoming involved on a deeper level. Unfortunately that is pretty much the end of the correspondence unless it’s reading the one line updates and checking out the new photos they post.

So come on… chime in… am I the only superficial social networker out there?

Recruiter Survival in Down Economy

I just read a posting on ere.net by Howard Adamsky... very interesting information for us recruiters!

Video Resumes

The vote is still out on the advantages of having and sending video resumes. I have read many articles on this subject and the decision is pretty much split right down the middle as to whether they offer a real benefit as opposed to a traditional resume. I have diligently completed a Visual CV as well as profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Recruitingblogs.com and Twitter. I am socially networked and totally Googleable… do I really need another web presence to drive people to find/contact/reach me?

Inquiring minds like mine want to know… what are the benefits of having a video resume? As a consummate and intrepid recruiter, I have decided to put one together. (Go ahead, laugh if you must.) The content and format is decided and the video camera has been borrowed. Filming has begun! Help has been elicited from my daughter and my more technically savvy, Gen Y friends for editing, music, etc. I am extremely excited and curious as to how this project will turn out while keeping an open mind as to the infinite possible results. Stay tuned for updates… same bat time, same bat channel.

Purple Squirrel Candidates

Most recruiters know that a Purple Squirrel is a very rare, highly sought after, almost extinct species of candidate. In other words, the hire that requires very specific knowledge and qualifications and will most likely take longer, more efforts, and harder negotiations to recruit.

It seems that at least half of my clients are actually looking for Purple Squirrels now. With the economy problems and companies being cautious with hiring, these searches are becoming more and more the rule rather than the exception.

I was talking to a client yesterday regarding a Purple Squirrel search and why the 2 Purple Squirrels submitted were not moving forward. We had 100% of the requirements, the certifications, the industry experience and technical knowledge... now the requirements have been amended to limit us to candidates within a 50 mile radius of their zip code. Looks like this Purple Squirrel has just sprouted pink polka dots as a wardrobe requirement... wonder if they will consider a cutting edge, fashion conscious squirrel with lime green spots?

Job Descriptions – Easy Guidelines to Write and Reply

If you are going to write a job description for your company, the best bet is to keep it simple and to the point. Define what the company requires and expects for a person to successfully perform that particular job within your company. There are 3 main sections for a job description; Overview, Requirements and Qualifications.

The overview is the section where the company tells about the “big picture” role of the job within that particular company. In a job posting, this is the place where the company incorporates all the wonderful things about why someone would want to come to work there.

Next follows the Requirements or Duties section… this section outlines the day-to-day duties of the position. It also includes what the person in that position will be responsible for fulfilling for the company both short term and long term.

Qualifications or Experience is the section that defines the specific educational, years of experience, qualifications, certifications and career level for the position. It would also include any physical requirements or travel percentage necessary to perform the job.

If you are a job seeker applying to a job posting for a company, a good rule of thumb would be to incorporate how you have met those specific requirements within your resume. If you are using a generic resume to apply for multiple jobs, then you should always attach a cover letter or email stating where and when you have met those requirements successfully. This will get the attention of the recruiter or hiring manager who is really only interested in how you fit for that particular position. It may take a little more time but will be more effective and productive in the long run.

Building Your Referral Network

It really is all about who you know in this world… especially if you are looking for a job! You could be the best in your professional area (maybe even a Rockstar;) but if you don’t have the connections to get you in front of the right people, you will never be able to advance your career. I would venture a guess that if you asked most people how they got their jobs; almost everyone would say it was in some way through a referral, connection, introduction, etc. Personally, I have only gotten one job in over 20 years that was not through a referral. And every recruiter will tell you that the best candidates come from personal referrals.

So, how do you go about building a network of people who could help you? First of all, put together a list of people you know in various industries that you are interested in pursuing. Fill out a LinkedIn profile (completely please) and start inviting them to join your network. Research companies where you want to work and find employees who currently work there… contact them directly for insights on the company; what openings do they have now or possibly in the near future, who is over the particular department or group where you want to work, what is the culture like there, what makes them successful, etc. Then follow up on the leads and referrals they give you... ask for some time to meet with them and be respectful of that time.

Don’t forget to get out and beat the streets… join networking groups and go to the lunches, meetings and seminars for leads and talk to people who might be able to help you. When you do this you will also be able to help other people get what they want as well. Be a referral for someone else! Besides making you feel better, helping others will also come back around later and help you. People remember those who help them and are happy to return the favor. Use you time wisely, volunteer to be on a board, make sure you are Google-able, and become a Subject Matter Expert at something… at least one thing in your chosen profession. Make it easy for recruiters like me to find you!

How can we help each other (and ourselves) in a down economy?

Most of the time I love my job... but this economy is making it more and more challenging every day!

As a recruiter, I get to help companies find great candidates to fill their open positions as well as helping candidates find better jobs. And the companies pay me for my expertise which provides me with a living. Recruiting is my chosen career and I have over 20 years experience here. My income is just as affected (if not more than some) by the down economy.

The recruiting industry is like a pendulum swinging from high good times (a tight candidate market with more jobs than people) to the middle range (just enough jobs as there are qualified candidates) to the other high side where we are now (companies downsizing and laying off with many people unemployed).

Most of my calls lately are from former candidates who have been downsized or friends of theirs who are out of work. And they are almost all good, skilled, experienced employees. These people would normally be my “most place-able candidates” in a good economy. Some of the resumes I am receiving are absolutely stellar and I want to do everything possible to help them find a job.

So my question to you is… how can we help each other in these uncertain and unstable economic times?

My advice to out of work (or transitional) candidates is generally to join networking groups, go on as many interviews as possible, take this time to improve your resume, use Internet tools like LinkedIn to research companies where you want to work and contact the hiring managers directly to sell yourself to them. I wouldn't recommend going through HR right now as they are otherwise occupied and most likely won't return your calls.

I would also recommend that you volunteer in whatever organization means something to you… whatever you are passionate about; church, civil, school, or social. Keep yourself busy… maybe take some continuing education classes and get that advanced degree you have been thinking about for years. You can also use this time to re-evaluate your career choices and perhaps change fields altogether.

Whatever you do... helping someone else is the best way to help yourself. And you never know… the person you help today may be the exact person in a position to help you later on down the road. Treat everyone with respect and do your absolute best... the pendulum will swing back, I promise! Use the opportunities you have now to affect the lives of others while improving your own at the same time. You won’t be disappointed.

Start Up or Stay Put

With everyone in “survival mode” in this tight economy; how does this impact the start up companies who are trying to recruit the best players to come and work for them? Are candidates willing to take the plunge again after the last .com bust? If you are the “best of the best” with all the right technical skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, strong work ethic and want to see your efforts making a difference in the direction of a company… would you leave your current “safe” job with an established employer and relative job security for a “less secure” position with an unproven new start up company? What are the risks versus the rewards?

Stay Put… you are already established at the company, have good benefits, know exactly what your take home pay will be every month, know your co-workers and already have a working relationship established, and pretty much know what to expect each day when you go to work. But… are you still challenged with the work, do you feel you have more to contribute and want to be more involved in setting standards and decision making policies, and have more control and input?

Start Up… you come into an exciting workplace almost new and different each day, with rapidly changing priorities, are part of a team that is creating a new product or service, working with all the coolest toys and technologies, shaping the way the company is viewed and evolves and you have ownership in the company, a real vested interest. But… are you in a place financially to weather out any upcoming storms, can you risk unemployment if the venture doesn’t work out and do you need the security and benefits from a larger, established company?

I’d like to hear your thoughts… are we ready to step out and step up again?

3 Minute Overview on Using LinkedIn

I noticed this simple video on using LinkedIn while scrolling throuth my blog reading. Maybe it will help you get started.

Working for the Weekend

Well, it’s Friday again and almost time to get started on my weekend. Naturally, my first thought is... who do I have to reach this weekend for work? Being a recruiter we all understand that there are times we have to make calls to candidates on our “off hours”… especially those that travel extensively, are passive candidates, hard to reach, or those who simply refuse to talk to you during business hours. As recruiters, are we accustomed and expected to work more than other professions? How does this “overtime” affect the standard 40 hour work week OR do we even have a standard work week? Does your family life/free time suffer from your profession?