CareerBuilder has a fun list of (apparently) real reasons people have given for coming in late to work - my favorite is #9 (”hey, gimme that Glock back - I’ve got a board meeting this morning, and I’m gonna need it!”)
One of my buddies (name removed…) just shot me this question:
What’s the best way of saying “thanks, but no thanks” to a recruiter who contacts you about a gig?
Here’s my answer:
Depends - if you think they’re an ass, just be polite and say “thanks, but I’m happy” (you ass) 
If you like them: Let them know that either A: you’re really happy right now, and want to focus on what you’re doing, but would like to stay in touch with them every 6 months since you never know; or B: you may be open to hearing about roles, but the one they called on isn’t of interest - then, let them know what would interest you.
Choose A if you’re happy. B if you’re not.
If they seem like they’re a good recruiter (i.e., not a used car-salesperson), help them out - it can pay dividends. Offer to be a source for candidates. Ask them not to call you constantly for referrals, since your time is tight. Let them know the types of people you tend to be aware of. If they have a search that fits those parameters, ask them to shoot you a quick email and you’ll get back to them if you have anybody.
If you liked how they approached you, assume they’ll approach other candidates the same way, which is a good thing if they’re on your side. See if they want to do some work on our company’s behalf if you’re using agencies - they’ll _love_ you for that, and that will also prevent them from poaching out of your company. If they’re a corporate recruiter, let them know that you liked their approach, and turn the tables (in a nice way) - ask them if they’d ever be open to hearing about recruiting opportunities with your company if any come up. They’ll be flattered, and you may have a way to make some quick employee referral money down the road.
If you’re somebody who’s earned some favors by providing them referrals, they’re going to work extra-hard on your behalf if/ when you’re looking for your next gig. You’ll be on their radar for extra-juicy assignments.
Bottom-line: be nice to recruiters when they call. You’re going to be looking for a job again, and having a few career agents working on your behalf at the right time can make all the difference.
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Employment Digest has just put up a great post on how to ace a job interview - and, as a bonus, how to be an ace in your current position. Good stuff.
Shameless use of my blog, but so be it. We’re looking for a PR rock star, to join our team of, well, rock stars. If you - or someone you know - happens to fit the bill (see below), it’s worth reaching on out (’cuz, if you can’t tell, I love this place….)
El Position
Good at run-of-the-mill PR? Love taking the safe approach? Good for you - there are plenty of companies that would love you. We’re just not the one for you.
That said: bit of a risk taker? Not afraid of making mistakes? Easily frustrated by bureaucracy? Same here - we should talk. We’re looking for an intelligent innovator in PR - somebody who gets how social media is changing how we communicate, but who gets that building a PR site on Second Life might be a little too geeky….
We’d love it if you have at least 5 years of experience in Public Relations or Corporate Communications, and a degree in a related field. Experience with B2B high-tech companies a plus. Position reports to the Director of Marketing Communications (she’s kind of a big deal).
Responsibilities include:
• Support Marketing Communications by PR and AR goals, objectives.
• Write and edit press releases including regular (creative!) company communications, technology launches, customer case studies, newsletters, etc.
• Work internally with spokespeople and contributors including executive-level team, technologists, and product management/marketing team members.
• Letting stress run off your shoulders like water off a duck’s back (just don’t quack while it’s happening - that’s unsettling).
• Write and edit bylined articles about relevant technology topics.
• Track competitive developments and craft responses as needed.
• Build and maintain relationships with technology, trade, bloggers, podcasters and business reporters in print, broadcast and on-line media.
• Make us laugh - and, laugh with (not at!) us. Well, you can laugh at our Recruiting Manager - that’s become kind of a rite of passage around here.
• Write compelling pitches to reach a variety of key media audiences.
• Manage incoming media requests and conduct/staff interviews.
Send your info here, por favor: 20474-CS-572@zoominfo.hrmdirect.com
This is an updte to a post I wrote 12 months ago - basically, a doxology to our QA Manager, who was doing a bang up job helping me recruit for him. I’m updating this, as Jeff did such an all-around great job as QA Manager, that he’s now providing much broader leadership to our Web Dev team.Â
Here’s the original post:
Magic can happen. It’s unfortunate, but a lot of hiring managers assume that once they give a job spec to a recruiter, they can walk away from the process. This isn’t the case. They need to invest some time up front in working with the recruiter on what they need, actively participate in thinking through the process of how to find that person, and then provide thoughtful feedback on each candidate to that the recruiter can learn-in-motion. If they don’t, they’re going to have an open position in their department for a lot longer than they want.
I’m not saying that’s the case here - fact is, we hire people who like to approach every project intelligently, and work well with others. No organization is perfect, but we’re pretty darned good. That said, I did want to put out a strong “thank you, thank you very much” to a guy who I know reads this blog every day (which puts him in some extremely select company). Our own Jeff Glennon.
If you’re into QA, and you’re looking to work for a manager who understands that great QA matters as much to a software organizations success as great engineering, he’s the man. To him, there are testers, and there are QA people. QA’ers think through the entire process - they want to understand the totality of the product they’re working on, so they can anticipate bugs before they happen. It’s probably because Jeff approaches his work like this that he’s been such a great partner as I search for a QA Engineer for him. He’s thought about what he needs, he’s into the search, his feedback is spot on and fast. We’re going to find a star for the role, and I think it’s going to happen fast thanks to his efforts.
If you’re interested in working for a mad genius like Jeff, apply here: 6966-CS-572@zoominfo.hrmdirect.com
One last thing, and then I’ll shut up and get back to sourcing:Â To Jeff, his work is his craft, and I can’t pay a person a higher compliment than that.
