ZIPI!!! (or, ultra-cool, free Outlook plug-in)

Shameless use of my blog, but also alrtuistic.  We’ve (we being the collective mad genius/ oddballness/ general awesomeness that is ZoomInfo) just launched Zipi.  It’s cool - it’s really cool, actually.  The idea was to provide quick and easy access to our database of professionals (which means 15 million additional email contacts - just a little tick up from your contact list).  Doesn’t take over your personal address book, just provides you a way to search our database from your send line, or through a search bar in your in-box.

So easy, even this guy could use it…

Want to expand your contact list exponentially?  How about having access to millions of professionals, many of them decision makers (ie, hiring managers)?  Annnnd… want it to be easy, intuitive, and free?  Too bad, that’ll cost - wait, no, it actually is free.  And easy.  Did I mention free?  So: if you use Outlook, get Zipi.  All it does is give you more access.  Access to people you can work with and for, sell and market to, and generally chat up.

Here’s the link to the beta - we’ll have a more polished one up later today, but I didn’t want to sit on this: http://www.zoominfo.com/About/signup/signup_zipi.aspx?elq=A3CAFCF26B21401CA3CCC28E08EBDFA3

I Got Distracted by a Shiny Object

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!”)

Wash Your Hands

The subtitle of this post is “OMFG!!  I have to touch it - Ahhh!!!!”

It’s been a few years, so I can safely rant about this one…  Just do me (and humanity) one big, freaking easy to do favor: wash you hands when you come out of the bathroom stall.  Otherwise, you may well have to force somebody who just witnessed this to follow you out (after figuring out how to open the door without touching the handle you just managed to make unclean), walk behind you to the reception area and greet you, since you’re there for a freaking INTERVIEW and he’s the freaking RECRUITER who has to try and look at you with a straight face.

I hate my life, sometimes.  Really, really didn’t want to extend my hand and take his in it.  It was truly gross - and, I swear to you, he had no idea.  None. 

I’ll bet he’s done it again.

He’s probably doing it right now.

How Do You Say No to a Recruiter?

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.

 

Surviving (hell, _killing_) the Technical Intereview

Mikhail Naganov has written a handy post for engineers who are stressing out about interviewing.  He’s spot-on when he says:

“what are the staffing needs in smart companies? They want people that can tackle complex problems in new problem areas. They want people that are responsible and passionate about their work. And, of course, they want people that can explain their solutions to colleagues.”

We’re going to grill you when you come through, but it’s not like we expect you to solve all of our problems correctly - if you do that, expect an offer before you leave (unless you’re a jerk - we have a policy against hiring those…)

One more resource I’d point you at (hat tip to Mikhail) - Steve Yegge’s poston interviewing at Google.  Worth a gander or two… That said, very funny counterpoint to Steve’s raving about Google culture can be found here (hat to William Wechtenhiser for that one).