You Light Up My Life (with apologies ..)

Apologies to Debby Boone. And to visitors that might not be able to get this song out of their heads for awhile!

Joy of Sax

Rainbows at Rolley

Rainbows at Rolley.JPG
Originally uploaded by sweetlifephotos

Battling a light drizzle and the bog-like bottom of Rolley Lake yielded two pan size Rainbow Trout. Larger was just over 12 inches, smaller maybe 10.5.

Excerpt from best cover letter in years.

Just when I thought - and I do - that cover letters are not particularly valuable to the corporate recruiting function, I read an interesting one today. I will still only move forward to a live connect if the applicant's experience is at least a reasonable match to the position, but do like what was written in the cover.

Let's face it, you're tasked with one of the greatest challenges there is: finding the right person for the job. Not just good people, or even great people, this person has to be the right fit on so many different levels.

When you stop and think about some of the key individuals in your organization, each has their own unique story of development and growth in their career. It's not likely that they are the same person today as they were when they first walked in the door and even the most accomplished individual will express how much learning they've done and will continue to do. So perhaps instead of looking for the proverbial "round peg"; we should be looking for the right type of "clay" as the spot we are trying to fill will continue to change shape as today's business world continues its rapid evolution.

Business vs. Corporate HR?

Disclaimer: This is not going to be a Jerry Maguire rant about fewer requisitions and fewer candidates. Nor is it a finger pointing exercise against the business, who is simply trying to secure the resources required to achieve their goals.

I often joke with colleagues on the business side that I am in recruiting, not HR (it's one inside the other, for those who aren't sure). When I reflect on why I make that distinction, the first thing I touch on is that - like many people - I have a desire to be liked. Not due to low self-esteem, mind you, but wrapped around wanting to do what an informed, reasonable person would identify as "the right thing."

- Payroll occasionally makes errors on paychecks and commission payments.
- Immigration/Legal can delay visa processing due to errors, omissions or a general lack of urgency (possibly due to being risk averse, which is an important part of their job, but a delay, nonetheless).
- HR business partners often have to say 'no' to the business on a variety of requests.

I imagine they all get used to their role and the stigmas that can go with it, but I cannot. Does that mean I am in the wrong position? Or is my dramatic/romantic notion of 'fighting the good fight' ill placed? Most likely, I simply have to get used to not being liked.

Interesting stats

Best spam email subject line today.

Super amazing long titan.

A Byte of Resume Advice – It’s Only Wafer Thin

Amidst the virtual ocean of online resume advice available for job seekers and career enhancers, I’ll add precious few drops. As one who reads/skims 30 - 50 resumes a day, I’ll share my thoughts on the quickest and possibly easiest way to boost effectiveness of resume organization and – in particular – applications to specific job postings.

Those who know me know my mantra is “friends don't let friends write [resume] objectives.” Deleting that line or paragraph, moving everything up a cm or two on page one is the easiest, arguably best thing you can do. Trust me. Corporate recruiters either don't read or don't believe anything they read in objectives. Please don't tell us your objective is ‘to drive value for our respected organization’ or any other platitude. Also please don't tell us that your objective is to be the exact position we have advertised (worse yet is not replacing the title from your previous application with another employer – this happens at least once a day).

Every word on your resume must add value. If it doesn't, delete it. White space or a 1/3 of a page less is more.

If you absolutely must include an objective, make it interesting. If you are junior or intermediate in your career, why not sketch your 5 or 10 year plan? I’d much rather read that an SAP Consultant’s long term objective is ‘to work towards a career as a project manager of cross functional ERP experts’ than that their immediate objective is ‘to be an SAP FI Consultant in your company.’ I actually get that; he/she applied for the position, after all!
Again, every line, every word must add value.

Consulting clichés

Damn sharp hairstyles, there!

Orig by Lee Chisholm.

Open Season!

The passage of time

With trees, we count and analyze the rings to determine the age, identify seasons of drought and years of tremendous growth.

With me, I'm thinking it's t-shirts at the top or back of the closet. Shirts from road races and track meets. From concerts, albums and music festivals. Professional sports teams. Vacation spots. Political parties.

Can you get close to understanding the psychology of someone by looking through their collection of t-shirts? Maybe a Gen X thing?

For the record, I never had a "Choose Life" or "Frankie Says Relax" t-shirt.

Fluevog Shoes - Item detail: John Fluevog Special Edition NOOKA Watch

Fluevog Shoes - Item detail: John Fluevog Special Edition NOOKA Watch

Funny and sad. And more.

World Cup Groups & Draw

Full schedule here.

Coffee Philosophy

I make espresso and lattes (instead of drip) after dinner for the same reason a bartender would rather make an Old Fashioned, a Caesar, a Martini, or even pour a Guinness than serve a bottled beer. It allows one to display their craft AND connect with the guest for several minutes during preparation. That ain't so bad, is it?

Last drops.

M. Kalus' beach shot

Photo credit.

We Are More.

I Believe. We All Do.

Let the Games begin!