Achievements and Resumes

In the world of business your resume is the place to display achievements. Quantifiable results are best. Dollar impact is the even better. In general that makes resume reviews pretty easy if you know the job requirements. In the healthcare world things are a little different. For caregivers it is much more important to have skills and specific experience so the resumes read differently. To me it has been a matter of changing perspective to see that it is an achievement to master those very critical skills. It is more difficult to quantify but is no less an achievement.

Organized Recruiters

Recruiters are salesmen by definition. Generally speaking the qualities that make for good salespeople does not include organization. My friend Bob may be the best recruiter I know and his office proves it. There is not a flat surface (including the floor) that is not covered in paper (resumes, newspapers, professional journals, invoices, candy wrappers). They are all treated equally. Amazingly he can find what he needs when he needs it. Mere mortals like myself have filing systems, computers and applicant tracking systems to keep things where we can find it. If you are a lone wolf like Bob you can work with piles but if you are part of a team you need a system that is maintained and updated to make it work. I am a big fan of applicant tracking systems and their ability to share information with recruiters, candidates and hiring managers.

Olympics

The Winter Olympics start today. I almost feel guilty because I am not really excited. In the past every four years they became the highlight of the winter. As an admitted sports junkie it use to fill a need. Now with sports of all types available 24/7 it does not have the same draw. Next week I will not go home and set in front of the TV every night and watch every minute of the Olympics. If given a choice I will watch a Bulls game instead. In a way that is sad but things move on.

Humor and Work

Work is serious. Recruiting is serious work. Therefore in most recruiting offices things are fairly grim unless a placement has just been made. If you have been at it a while the placements also become routine. I think at least part of the reason for burnout in the recruiting world is a total lack of humor. I am no comedian but is sure is nice to laugh every once in a while. Can’t we all just lighten up a little?

Technology, Recruiting and Friends

I’ve recruited a long time. I know this because when I started recruiting fax machines were the newest technology. Now we use them because we haven’t solved the electronic signature to everyone’s satisfaction. Instead of the computer being an accessory to go with your phone they are so interrelated it is hard to separate them. I have recruiters that are friends that are still fighting against the new technologies. They will soon have to decide between a new career or new technical skills. It may not have to be today but 2011 is out of the question. I hope you are reading this but I am afraid the technology gap may be swallowing you.

Super Bowl Ads and Recruiting

Which one was the best? Which one was the worst? Do you remember the product? I watched most of the game. I watched a lot of the ads. Maybe I am the advertising industry’s worst nightmare. None of the ads were overwhelming to me. Even worse the ads I remember in most cases some one needs to fill in the product name. I may remember the story line but I am very week on the product connection side. Am I unusual or are companies wasting a lot of money? Monster and CareerBuilder both had ads that I don’t remember. Some recruiters have ads and even ad campaigns but I think their best advertisement is still word of mouth or a presence in LinkedIn/Facebook etc.

Colds are terrible things!

I caught a cold last week and it ruined what was planned to be a productive time for me. Instead I spent time in bed, on the couch, blowing my nose and trying to get the basics done. Apparently I succeeded because today I was behind but it was manageable. I have a little residue of my cold to deal with and one more day of work and I should be ready to attack my taxes. Oh by the way Sunday is a big day. More details to follow!

Texting

My kids love it and I believe my wife has joined them. I am OK with it but I have 2 major complaints. First of all it is hard to do if you have big fingers like me. Secondly it seems to take longer than a phone call would take if it is not just a yes or no message. 4-5 texts to get it clear tells me we should be talking! I am not opposed but it has its place just like emails and blogs. Oops I guess I am mixing my technologies!

Writing

My parents wrote letters to each other when my Dad was in the Army. My wife and I wrote letters while we were dating since we were 50 miles apart. I am not sure if my sons have ever written a personal letter. Business is still done through the mail but mostly it is phone and email. Any resemblance between a letter and an email are coincidental. In school I hated writing and it still feels like work to me but my style is better suited to Blogs, Emails and Texts since I usually an conveying a single idea not a full-blown story. My old English teachers would be shocked that I do this willingly but would probably still dislike my ‘stytle’.

Typing Skills

I can’t type. This isn’t like an AA meeting but in the age of computers it is a challenge. In my past is a failed typing course and recently I tried to teach myself but the pressure to get things done ended that attempt quickly. If anyone has a quick way to get me past watching the keyboard and using 2 and sometimes 3 fingers please let me know.