Ask The Expert with Robert Merrill (internal recruiter)

Ask The Expert with Robert Merrill (internal recruiter) On Tuesday, March 4th at 9am Mountain Time (do the math on your own Time Zone so you dont call in an hour early or late!), well talk with Robert Merrill. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER SO YOU CAN JOIN US. This is free, and we arent here to sell you anything. Just come, enjoy, ask, and learn. Robert is a friend of mine who I met at blog dinners many years ago.  While I havent seen him in person for years, we keep in touch mostly through chat and email.  Robert is a busy guy, and has had some crazy-cool recruiting jobs.  When I met him he was a tech recruiter at a staffing firm.  Since then he has been in-house at Novell (which was kind of a big deal here in Utah for a while), and is currently a senior engineering and technical recruiter at Fuision-io, which I think is the greatest thing to come out of Utahs tech space in a long time. Robert is a how do I say this, a geeky nerd.  Let me clarify he has great people skills, and can communicate very well (which youll figure out on Tuesday).  But he LOVES to learn.  He loves technology and dabbles in it all the time.  He is also one of the better recruiting bloggers out there check out his blog at Connected Well.  Click the link below to see his LinkedIn profile: Anyway, join us on Tuesday.  And put your questions in the comments below, or shoot me an email so I can list them and be ready with YOUR questions. Ask The Expert with Robert Merrill (internal recruiter) On Tuesday, March 4th at 9am Mountain Time (do the math on your own Time Zone so you dont call in an hour early or late!), well talk with Robert Merrill. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER SO YOU CAN JOIN US. This is free, and we arent here to sell you anything. Just come, enjoy, ask, and learn. Robert is a friend of mine who I met at blog dinners many years ago.  While I havent seen him in person for years, we keep in touch mostly through chat and email.  Robert is a busy guy, and has had some crazy-cool recruiting jobs.  When I met him he was a tech recruiter at a staffing firm.  Since then he has been in-house at Novell (which was kind of a big deal here in Utah for a while), and is currently a senior engineering and technical recruiter at Fuision-io, which I think is the greatest thing to come out of Utahs tech space in a long time. Robert is a how do I say this, a geeky nerd.  Let me clarify he has great people skills, and can communicate very well (which youll figure out on Tuesday).  But he LOVES to learn.  He loves technology and dabbles in it all the time.  He is also one of the better recruiting bloggers out there check out his blog at Connected Well.  Click the link below to see his LinkedIn profile: Anyway, join us on Tuesday.  And put your questions in the comments below, or shoot me an email so I can list them and be ready with YOUR questions. Ask The Expert with Robert Merrill (internal recruiter) On Tuesday, March 4th at 9am Mountain Time (do the math on your own Time Zone so you dont call in an hour early or late!), well talk with Robert Merrill. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER SO YOU CAN JOIN US. This is free, and we arent here to sell you anything. Just come, enjoy, ask, and learn. Robert is a friend of mine who I met at blog dinners many years ago.  While I havent seen him in person for years, we keep in touch mostly through chat and email.  Robert is a busy guy, and has had some crazy-cool recruiting jobs.  When I met him he was a tech recruiter at a staffing firm.  Since then he has been in-house at Novell (which was kind of a big deal here in Utah for a while), and is currently a senior engineering and technical recruiter at Fuision-io, which I think is the greatest thing to come out of Utahs tech space in a long time. Robert is a how do I say this, a geeky nerd.  Let me clarify he has great people skills, and can communicate very well (which youll figure out on Tuesday).  But he LOVES to learn.  He loves technology and dabbles in it all the time.  He is also one of the better recruiting bloggers out there check out his blog at Connected Well.  Click the link below to see his LinkedIn profile: Anyway, join us on Tuesday.  And put your questions in the comments below, or shoot me an email so I can list them and be ready with YOUR questions.

Make Holiday Schmoozing Successful - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Make Holiday Schmoozing Successful - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Mentioning “the holidays” to people in business usually garners cringes and wrinkled noses.  Why? It seems that unless you’re a retail establishment, the holidays become a difficult time to do business. Either everyone’s caught up in holiday mode and not wanting to make any decisions until the start of the New Year, or they’re nearing the end of their fiscal year, and they don’t want to make any major financial decisions, or maybe they’re just too caught up in all the holiday happenings from office parties and other scheduled holiday gatherings to even be able to have room in their calendar to do or think about anything else! If you’re prepared, this time of the year is where you can shine. [tweet this] And the keyword in that statement is “preparation.” 3 Quick Tips to Not Losing at Schmoozing First, know what makes you unique and what strengths you possess. Craft a list of five of those attributes that really describe you. Second, have a quick answer for “What do you do?”   It’s one of the most-asked questions at any gathering and the one least listened to. It’s more of a courtesy to ask than it is a true question.   So your answer needs to focus on one of your unique strengths, not a title, and you’ll stand out.   Titles tend to box us into whatever that other person’s experience is with that title, and we want to remove any barriers to connection especially those from preconceived perceptions.   For me, I would say, “I connect people online and offline.” The second part of that answer is to ask a question, “So what do you do” or “What do you enjoy doing?”   It is a good thing to be seen as a good conversationalist or communicator. People value people who value them.  [tweet this] And the best way to do that is to listen. Ask questions and listen. If they do most of the talking and you do most of the listening, then you will be considered a good conversationalist, and they’ll even tell other people that you are! Third, you need to develop a good answer to “What’s up” or “How have you been doing?”   These are the second most-asked questions, and “winging it” usually leaves us saying something like “Been busy,” “Nothing much,” “Good,” or “Can’t complain.”   Spending the time to prepare this answer can make the difference between you being like everyone else or you shining in your 15 seconds of fame!   Think of something that you recently did or are doing that really highlights one of your brand attributes.   For example, I would say “I just presented a successful webinar in making the most of your holiday marketing for small business owners. It’s my passion to make sure that small business owners get more business quickly. I’m happy to have shared the 12 things they need to do that get great and fast results.” Being ready with a good answer that shines on your personal brand and then engaging someone in conversation with a question is a great start to be visible at any gathering. Visibility is the first step to inspiring others to speak positively about you and garnering positive word-of-mouth! Here are different branding topics from last week: Caution: Giving Thanks Can Be Self-Defeating  by Nance Rosen Mistakes to Avoid When Networking  by Ceren Cubukcu 5 Tips for Networking with Influencers  by Heather R. Huhman Drudge Work Necessary to Prevail  by Elinor Stutz So Tell Me, What Are Your Weaknesses?  by Alex Freund MOOCs and the Coming University Mergers  by Richard Kirby End Job Interview with a BANG!, Not a Whimper  by Skip Freeman It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done  by Jeff Shuey Tips for Customer Building Communication  by Susan Gilbert Startup Advice From 14 of the Most Popular Brand Owners  by The Young Entrepreneur Council Pre-New Year Business Planning Prep  by Leslie Truex When Silence is Golden in Building Your Personal Brand  by Beth Kuhel Are Networking Events Obsolete?  by Marc Miller

Public Speaking 101

Public Speaking 101 Each month my husband selects a concert for us to go to. I used to pick, but I would select music I knew, like Beethoven or Mozart, and my husband, the over-educated music student, would scoff at my pedestrian tastes. Now I am at his mercy, and I endure the type of music that requires a specially tuned piano, or a specially trained ear. So I was thrilled to hear we were going to a Bach concert. Finally, a composer I had heard of. What I didnt realize was that it was a lecture. I grumbled, Who goes to a Bach lecture without getting course credit? I brought a magazine to the lecture, but after five minutes, I put the magazine away. The guy who gave the lecture, Robert Kapilow, was amazing. I learned as much about public speaking that night as I did about Bach. Here are some things Kapilow did that we should all do when we speak: Know your audience He said, I will use Bach as a basis for introducing the fugal procedure. (This meant nothing to me.) He said, How many people have listened to the Art of the Fugue. (Everyone raised their hand.) He said, How many people have studied it? (My husband a couple of others raised their hands.) Kapilow pitched himself toward the majority. (Thank god.) Pick a good support team The Brentano quartet played. For those of you who have never heard of them, they are very good. Not your standard quartet. Surely playing a lecture is a more maddening gig than playing a wedding, and tickets were cheap so the musicians couldnt be getting paid a lot. Kapilow must have worked hard to get these musicians to play, but it was worth his effort everything he described was more interesting with the Brentano Quartet as exhibit A Perfect your body movement Even though the topic was dry, Kapilaw moved around the stage like it was a Las Vegas show. When he described the radiant glorious major version he reached his arms out. When he said, Then we go back in minor and its dark his arms tucked up close to his side. He made arcane music look exciting through his gestures, and his excitement was catching. Be conscious of audience limitations By the fourth fugue, he said, Listen for the bing-bing or the down-up. If youre a really good listener you can listen for all four things, and well discuss after this lecture if that is humanly possible. Then, at one point he decided we needed a confidence boost. He said, Stretofugue is very similar to Row, row, row your boat. By the end of the lecture I loved Bach. I even loved the stretofugue. And really, what is the job of a public speaker but to get you to love his topic? Many people give themselves permission to be sub-par speakers because of an unwilling audience, or an untenable topic. But Kapilow proves to me that anyone can captivate an audience if they have the right skills. For those of you who have an opportunity to speak to a group, remember to aim as high as Kapilow. For those of you who want an opportunity to see Kapilow in action, look for his What Makes it Great series. Next up: Bach managing the brand of Bach. Did you know that the subject of Bachs last fugue are the notes B, A, C, H?

Productive people take time off

Productive people take time off The best thing about going to a rural school is that there are not really vacations. Im not sure why. Maybe because we had bazillion snow days. Or maybe its because no one needs two weeks off to go to Bermuda in March. Or maybe its because kids need to get out of school early to help with crops. I am not sure. But what I am sure about is that school vacations are for rich people. They are for people who can take time off from work with financial impunity or, if they are brave enough to admit that vacation is torture for parents then they can afford to do stimulating stuff like a custom tour for your kids of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a picture of me deluding myself that I was working last week: But of course I was not working. I was doing Passover which means dealing with the familys withdrawal from our bread addiction. This would be a good time to have a photo of some gross, unleavened food that I made for dinner one night during Passover, but I mostly just spent the week stressing having the only Seder in our county (yes, we imported Jews for the Seder) and having three days off for Easter (yes, the school calls it spring break and then passes out Easter eggs to my kids). I was in denial the whole time about having no time for work. And when I dont blog I actually start to feel lonely and disconnected. As if when Im not writing, my life is not really happening. Tuesday was going to be my first day in five days that I did not have the kids home with me, but the dog bit my sons eye. This would be a good time for a picture of his eye bleeding all over the house while our big dog cowered in the corner and our little dog licked up the blood. Later, in the hospital, after the second pediatric ophthalmologist checked out the rip in the tear duct, I said to my son: What were you doing with the dog? He said, I was showing him my strongest Pokemon cards. But on the last one, I think he wanted it. My son had bites on his leg and his head as well. The dog tried to kill him, I think. I mean, I just try not to think about it. We put the dog to sleep. That was a hard lesson for the kids. And for me. I used to think dog breeders are evil and there are enough dogs in the world and we should all go to dog shelters. Now I think dogs are like babies. You want to know what youre getting, and its not always the most ethical, humane thing to bring more life into the world, but its what we do. And I want a purebred. I want to know what Im getting into before I get into it. I know, no dog is certain, like no kid is certain. But kids and dogs are like playing the odds. I picked a smart, good-looking guy to have kids with, and I want to control the ingredients for my dog, too. At the end of the day, we are exhausted. I watch The Social Network with the Farmer and I want to be Mark Zuckerberg and I think, I am messed up that I want to be a twenty-year-old guy. But let me tell you something: worrying about a gazillion-dollar company is so much easier than worrying about a kid. The Farmer cannot stay awake for the movie, so I watch it alone. Then I get into bed. Its late, but the farmer wakes up. Farmers always get up early for chores. Its non-negotiable even though when I took care of baby goat I proved that completely erratic feeding does not kill animals. Sleep is sacred on a farm and the only thing farmers wake up in the middle of the night for is sex. He says, How was the movie? I take that as a mating call and do not answer. Instead I say, Remember the flea bites I was telling you about? Look. I got another. He lifts up my shirt to check for bites. I tell him that the bites are on my arm. Probably now he is wishing he had just stayed asleep. But I told him, once, or maybe a million times, that talking to me and caring about my feelings is good foreplay for me.So maybe this is why he says, We had fleas in our house every summer when I was growing up. And no one complained as much as you. I thought you said you have high pain tolerance. Oh my gosh. Your mom had to deal with four little kids with flea bites? No. Just three. Fleas dont bite men. Wait. You just told me I have low pain tolerance and you have never been covered in flea bites? Are you nuts? What about child birth? Do you think you could handle that better than me, too? Okay. Im sorry. Im sorry. Its just that I cant believe how much you go to the doctor. People in the country wait til their arm falls off to go to a doctor. You think Im excessive? Well, look at the bite. Its next to the thing that you think is cancer. Oh yeah. Thats right. Look at it again. Has the shape changed? Do you think its cancer? He looks. He genuinely looks to see if the shape of my cancer has changed into a more cancer-y looking cancer spot. He says no. It looks the same. He says, You should have a doctor look at it because that makes you feel better. That makes me feel so loved. So I reach over to my nightstand and get the foam stuff that we are using for birth control ever since I told him I had been lying to him about using birth control. So I fill the applicator thing with foam, but the applicator is a dyslexic nightmare because I can never remember which part fills and which part pushes out the foam. I squirt the foam and its the wrong end of the tube and it flies everywhere. Most notably covering the wall and the ceiling. I look over at the Farmer. His head is under the sheet. I say, What are you doing? He says, You always make a mess I didnt want to get squirted. We have sex while contraceptive foam drips down the wall. I cant write about the sex because the Farmer really wants us to have some part of our lives that is not on the blog. Not that I really understand intimacy. Im trying, though. The thing is that he is so good at sex and so annoying about keeping our morning routines on schedule, but Im left to write only about the annoying part: the next morning. The kids get to school, the farmer leaves to do his own chores, and there I am, stuck on the sofa. I cant move. I tell myself to do my to-do list. I stand up. Find the newest issue of the Atlantic. Read about Tiger Moms and wonder how Tiger Moms stay awake when their kids are at school. I go to bed. I wake up and tell myself I will have coffee and do my to-do list. I bring the coffee to bed and fall asleep next to it. When the coffee is cold, when Im awake, I drink it and eat more bagels and then lay on the sofa telling myself I cant say Im leading an honest life if every time I cannot cope with my life I eat a bagel to avoid having to think of what to do next. I eat another bagel to confirm that I am leading a dishonest life shrouded in bagel consumption. And by the time the kids come home, I hate myself not just for eating bagels all day, but also for getting nothing done. Now, a day later, I look back and wonder why I didnt just take a day off. There was too much. Too much taking care of people, too much medical drama, too much trying to work and not working. What I really needed was a day in bed with coffee and the Atlantic. The only way to really get things done is to be in touch with how we are feeling and what we need. I wish I had been able to do that in the moment. But maybe seeing clearly in hindsight is a good step to seeing clearly in the moment, next time. This would be a good time for a picture of me relaxing. But all I have is a Buddha that Melissa left for me to remind me to relax.

Owl Resume Writing Tips

Owl Resume Writing TipsOwl Resume Writing Tips have been given by the owl of ancient times. There are ways of owl speaking in order to get a job at the most competitive wages. This is what is known as Owl Resume Writing Tips.The Owl teaches us that people will only accept the things they think are right. This means that the Owl has a thought process all by itself that is built from their personal experiences. The Owl gives us four of the most basic points that will guide the way to get that dream job. These resume writing tips are from the Owl's mind.First of all, the Owl says that we must write about something that is pertinent to our dream. We must not attempt to talk about things we are not, because if we do, we will be labeled a quitter. Instead, we must speak about things that we know to be true and the Owl will verify them.Second, Owl is the representation of what the job requires. By saying this, we should only talk about the things we need to learn or what we believe will ass ist us in getting the job. If the Owl doesn't like what we are saying, we can change the subject. Owl will simply follow our speech if we do this.Third, Owl will help us determine what the job is going to look like. The Owl will let us know if we should expect a basic job or not. If the Owl does not want the job, then we must not even try.Fourth, Owl is also the representation of our desire. We should also use Owl in our resume writing tips because it will show us where we can begin from.Owl has taught us that the human mind is always looking for meaning in everything, including the way we express ourselves. Even though Owl teaches us that we must look for meaning, we need to be careful not to step over the line of acceptable behavior. We should go in a direction that doesn't get us into trouble.It is recommended that you continue studying the Owl of old in order to create a more refined Owl. In Owl education, we must be able to capture the essence of what Owl is, without losing wha t we are trying to deliver to the public. Owl teaching is made easy with Owl coaching.

How to enlist helper bees in your job search - Hire Imaging

How to enlist helper bees in your job search - Hire Imaging You’re in an active job search and building your network. Good! There’s a subset of your network I believe worthy of singling out and carefully nurturing relationships with. I call these helper bees â€" contacts that can perhaps provide deeper assistance than some of those in your overall network. Why do you want helper bees? Helper bees are the folks whom you believe will be the first to hear about an anticipated opening that fits your target job and audience. They are likely in the right industry or same field. They may well have some sphere of influence with the decision-makers or know the decision-makers. They most likely are those people who regularly know the scoop. They come across relevant information that will help you get in front of the hiring authority early in the decision-making processâ€"often and ideally before it’s advertised, luring hundreds of other candidates. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Bolles at a conference a few years back; and I faithfully buy his What Color Is Your Parachute books as new editions come out. The bestselling career book of all time, one of my favorite quotes from Dick in the 2010 edition is, “Get other eyes and ears looking with you for what you’re looking for. That says a mouth full! So, how do you gather these busy, willing helper bees to help YOU? Respectfully sign them up. I’m going to assume that you’ve been gathering information ever since you started your job search. If not, do. Information is power. As you collect this information, look for people who could serve as your helper bees. First, ask them for permission to enlist their help. Ideally, phone them. But you can also start with texting, a LinkedIn or Facebook message, or an email. “Hey, Jim, my search is heating up. I’d really appreciate it if I could reach out to you from time to time for advice. I value your opinion and expertise in this field. You have my word that I won’t be a nuisance. Would that be okay with you?” You can even set up a procedure to facilitate their listening for leads on your behalf. “Hello Eileen! I know how busy you are and I value your time. But hey, you know just about everyone in _____. Would it be all right if I emailed you from time to time about whether you’ve heard anything that might impact my job search. Any companies hiring, business expansions or start-ups, anything like that. If you are comfortable with this, I’ll send about four emails to start, once a week. If you haven’t heard anything or don’t know anything new to help me, you don’t have to even respond. I’ll assume there’s nothing new. Would that be okay with you?” I promise that with this kind of wording and approach, most folks will be fine with it. BUT â€" and this is really important â€" follow through! Don’t miss. Don’t vanish off the radar. If you want people to share good leads with you, you must show your enthusiasm and diligence. Contact four times, right on schedule. Take for granted that they will respect that you’re serious and considerate. Assume they’ll give you whatever information they can. Think glass half full. Now, in the real world, job seekers reach out to folks who don’t reach back. For a gazillion reasons, often having nothing to do with the job seeker. I’ll share a tip with you for that potential situation in my next post. Photo: jelene

3 ways to keep your glass half full - Sterling Career Concepts

3 ways to keep your glass half full 3 ways to keep your glass half full As a member of the Career Collectivecommunity of resume writers and career coaches, this post is one of many today offeringadvice tojob seekersdiscouraged byan unsuccessful job search and/or to help job seekers overcome the negative aspects of job search. I encourage you to visitother members responses linked at the end of my post andfollow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.Lets face it. The day in and day out of job searching isnt always fun. Add to the mixthe present employment market with a fewer number of opportunities and a greater number of qualified candidates, and the resulting reality is rough for many today. Iinteract withclients daily. Some email or call to tell me of interviews or job offers, while otherstalk of their frustration.Days turns into weeks, weeks turn into months, and you hit a point when it may seem things willnever turn around. You are not alone. What suggestions do I offer clients? First, never forget your attitude iskeyto the health and success of your search.With that in mind, here are three ways to keep believingyour glass is half full: Recharge, regroup, reenergize. As with any intense schedule, you need breaks and downtime to maintain optimum efficiency. Ideally, allocatetime for exercise into your schedule daily a walk around the block, some time on the tread mill. The time spent away from your job search will refreshyour body, mind, and spirit. Find a job search buddy. You should not have to go through this alone. Find someone to listen. Everyones preference is different. You may want to bounce ideas off of someone; you may want someone to listen to you vent; or you may be looking for someone to give you a push. Whos the right person to do this?That canalsodifferent for many people. It may be confiding in a loved one a spouse orparent. It may be joining a local orvirtualjob search group to find someone with shared experiences. It may be a good friend who knows you well, or it may be enlisting the help of a job search coach ortherapist. The right answer is different for everyone, but be sure you have someone who will listen to you. You need a sounding board to verbalize your frustrations and concerns. Keeping that type of emotionbottled up is nothealthy long-term. Its all aboutnumbers. Remember your successes and put them into perspective. Job searching is a numbers game. Your luck may turn around at any moment with the next phone call, email, or interview. When a job search gets us down, its easy to start feeling overwhelmed and begin thinking things will never go our way. One of the best ways to get out of this rut is to break your search down into smaller, more manageable pieces and get back to basics. Earlier this week, Tim Tyrell-Smith blogged abouta great strategy to start your week offon the right foot.He walks through a process of writing down all the possible items (as specific as possible) you could be doing in your job search this week and thenselecting those items that you will actually do this week as a combinationof big and small items. Its all about taking baby steps, feeling like youre making progress, and appreciating your successes, large and small. Give Tims strategy a try next week and see for yourself. As a bonus 4th point, Ill leave you with the following mantra thats very popular in my house:Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away. Good dreams, good dreams, come this way. Around here, its usedto settle in atbedtime, but as I was saying it last night, I realized it applies equally well torebalancing your attitudefor a productive job search. Read moreadvice on overcoming the negative aspects of job searchfrom my esteemed colleagues in the Career Collective: @MartinBuckland, Job Search Made Positive @GayleHoward, Job Search: When It All Turns Sour@chandlee, Strategy for Getting Unstuck and Feeling Better: Watch Lemonade@heathermundell, Help for the Job Search Blues @heatherhuhman, 10 Ways to Turn You Job Search Frown Upside-Down @KCCareerCoach, You Can Beat the Job Search Blues: 5 + 3 Tips to Get Re-Energized@WalterAkana, Light at the End of the Tunnel?@resumeservice,Don’t Sweat the Job Search @careersherpa, Mind Over Matter: Moving Your Stalled Search Forward@WorkWithIllness, Finding Opportunity in Quicksand@KatCareerGal, Job-Hunting in a Weak Job Market: 5 Strategies for Staying Upbeat (and Improving Your Chances of Success) @ErinKennedyCPRW, Dancing in the Rain-Kicking the Job Search Blues @keppie_careers, What do do when you are discouraged with your job search @DawnBugni, Its the little things@ValueIntoWords, Restoring Your Joy in Job Search@JobHuntOrg, Just SO VERY Discouraged @BarbaraSafani, Making Job Search Fun (Yeah, That’s Right!) @GLHoffman, How to Overcome the Negativity of a Job Search @expatcoachmegan, Dealing with Job Search Stress: Getting to the Source of the Problem