My Favorite Posts
Summary: Do employers value online degrees?
Name: Elizabeth Kudner
Email: ekudner*at*myusearch*dot*com
Title: Blog Manager
Media Outlet/Publication: myUsearch blog (an unbiased online resource for students looking for colleges)
Anonymous? No
Specific Geographic Region? No
Deadline: 6:00 PM MOUNTAIN – August 10
Query:
“I’m looking for employers’, recruiters’ or HR professionals’ answers to these questions:
1) Do you view job candidates with online degrees as more, less, or equally qualified as candidates with traditional degrees? Why do you feel this way?
2) Do you understand the difference between for-profit and not-for-profit colleges and universities? If so, do you view job candidates with online degrees from for-profit institutions as more, less or equally qualified as candidates with degrees from not-for-profit colleges and universities? Why do you feel this way?
3) Would you view an applicant from a non-accredited online degree program as more, less or equally qualified as candidates with accredited degrees? Why do you feel this way?
I must reach $2000 by September 1st – every contribution helps!
For those who don’t know what HARO is, it stands for Help A Reporter Out. Peter Shankman runs this really helpful email list and sends out journalist, reporter, and bogger requests for interviews and/or subject matter experts on various articles that are being written. If you want to get some free ink, or you want to contribute a thought or two to an article, this is a great list to subscribe to. I am going to start posting requests that come through HARO that have relevance to the recruiting and the social media audiences who follow me. There’s no need to respond to my post for this; just use the contact information provided in the query! Here’s the first one:
Summary: Looking for tech recruiters
Name: Deb Perelman
Email: debperelman*at*gmail*dot*com
Title: Journalist
Media Outlet/Publication: CNET’s ZDNet: blogs.zdnet.com/careers
Anonymous? No
Specific Geographic Region? No
Region:
Deadline: 5:00 PM EASTERN – August 10
Query:
“I cover IT careers, employment and workplace-related issues for ZDNet and am looking to build up my stable of those in the technology hiring, employment and recruitment space who would like to comment on these articles. Common inquiries might be about employment reports, skills training, certifications and workplace issues. Once I know you’re out there and would like to weigh in, I’ll be in touch. Thank you.
By the way, I’m still fund-raising for my trip to South Africa! I am putting on a silent auction in Cincinnati on August 27th… more details coming soon. I still need money! 
Can you help?
One of the most common questions I get asked by others in the research and sourcing world is, “Where do I go to find people in [insert industry here]”?
Obviously, the answer to this question is going to vary depending on the industry in which you work, but I have a couple of suggestions that are sure to help you start going in the right direction, and can be applied to just about any industry.
- Ask questions. Specifically, start tapping your network and ask questions. When I start doing research in a new industry, the first thing I want to know is who I need to know. The best place to find the answer to that question is your network. I use LinkedIn Answers to do this. I choose the appropriate industry/function category, and I ask a simple question, such as “I’m new to this industry, and I wanted to find out from some more seasoned pros what some of the industry associations and networking events I should know about or be participating in. Where should I look for knowledge on this industry?”
- Investigate the resources you’re given, and ask more questions. Once you’ve gotten some resources from your initial questions, i.e. industry association sites, publications that should be read, prominent folks you should connect with, investigate these resources and ask some more questions. Some of the first places I go to find folks in a new industry are industry association websites. Typically, these association sites have lists of local chapters, and within those lists you can often find chapter leaders or board members. Some association websites will even graciously let you peruse their entire member directory, and still others offer places for their members to post their resumes. You can start contacting these people to learn more about the industry. Most people will welcome a request for expertise – it’s a compliment to them that you want to know what they know.
- Think like the person you’re looking for and not like a recruiter. Good researchers know that in order to find what they’re looking for, they need to put themselves in the shoes of their target candidate. Don’t waste all your time searching resume boards – though you’ll find some good people there, the majority of those folks are active job seekers and you’ll miss out on all the people who aren’t actively looking. If you want to find prospective candidates, put yourselves in their shoes – what networking groups would they belong to? What associations would they join? What kind of hobbies outside of work might they be into? When you start thinking like your target audience, you’ll start discovering new resources that will yield you good results if used properly (see ‘blindly jump in’ above).
At this point in time, in my humble opinion it’s not appropriate to start recruiting these people, but to learn from them. It’s important to make sure you know what you’re talking about before jumping in unprepared and making a fool of yourself. Sam Lawrence, CMO of Jive Software, recently wrote a fantastic article on some of the things that people do to screw up their marketing strategy, and #5 on the list is “Blindly jump in”. Big mistake (and many of you see this on Twitter a lot!) – there’s a time for everything and throwing up all over your new knowledge sources right after you ‘meet’ them is not the right time.
In addition, reading information on industry association websites will help familiarize you to some of the buzzwords in your new industry so that you can easily start formulating some Boolean queries.
Of course there’s much more to answering the question of where does one start, but this should give you a darned good start on learning a new industry and making good connections. Remember, establishing good relationships now will yield you more hires down the road, so treat these folks with respect and kindness! And the best way to learn, in my opinion, is to shut up and listen to someone who knows what they’re talking about.
My second fund-raising goal of $1000 must be accomplished by September 1st – can you help?
I recently spoke on using research effectively at the Fordyce Forum in Las Vegas. As anyone who has ever gotten up in front of a group of people to speak would agree to, I hoped that I conveyed the information in a usable manner and that my audience would find some value in my topic. Last week, I received the following recommendation from Glynda Finister, who sat in on my presentation:
“I heard Amybeth speak at the Fordyce Forum in Las Vegas in 2008 and she provided me with excellent tips for finding a good researcher and as a result, I now have two really great researchers. I could not have known what to look for with out her advice. After the seminar, she spent a great deal of time with Attendees with various questions on how to find a researcher. Thank you Amybeth!”
If that isn’t a validation that the presentation did some good, then I don’t know what is! Receiving a note like this is the best thing that could have happened, and I am so pleased that Glynda was able to hire not just one, but two researchers using some of the information she’d heard. THANK YOU for letting me know!
The Fordyce Letter Network recently posted a short video highlight from my presentation. Here is a link to it, or you can view it below:
Over 60% of those who suffer from HIV/AIDS worldwide live in the sub-Saharan region. Learn about the aid trip I am going on this November to Mamelodi, South Africa, and how you can help!
I’ve seen a lot of folks in our community who use Eventbrite to host trainings and organize networking events. But did you realize that you can use Eventbrite to help in your research efforts as well? Read on to find out how…
Eventbrite is a provider of online event management and ticketing services. If your event is free, there is no charge and if you sell tickets, they collect a small fee per ticket. When people register for an event, it generates an attendee list for you. This list can often be viewed via a specific Eventbrite website. So, for example, let’s say we created an Eventbrite registration site for ‘Recruiting Conference’; our attendee list might show up on recruitingconference.eventbrite.com.
Why do you need to know this? For a very simple search technique! Using an easy site: search for Eventbrite, you can locate people from specific companies or with specific titles that you might be looking for. Here is an example:
site:eventbrite.com “public relations” “attendee lists”
This search yields me countless numbers of events, both past and future, with attendees from the public relations field. At the very least, I am provided with a name and a company, and as a good researcher, I can take that name and find a profile or contact information. Often, a city/state, website, blog, and sometimes an email address are provided. Any researcher worth his/her salt can take only a name and find the contact information for that person. Here’s a sample from the page of one of the events in my results:
Here’s another example: let’s say you want to find someone from a specific company – we’ll use Creative Director from Avenue A | Razorfish as the example:
site:eventbrite.com razorfish “creative director” “attendee list” – result page
Not only did we find a creative director from Avenue A | Razorfish, but we also know her location. In addition, there are some other folks on the list that would be worth taking a look at as well: an Associate Creative Director from Digitas, an Interactive Marketing Manager from Comcast-Spectacor, a Media Director from Backe Communications, as well as the VP, Media for Avenue A | Razorfish.
Another way to source using Eventbrite, especially if you are sourcing locally, is to search for a specific city name to find good networking events. This is a great way to learn what events are in your city, and also to find people who will be there who could be potential candidates or clients:
site:eventbrite.com Philadelphia “attendee list” – result page
This event hasn’t happened yet, and you can also subscribe to the attendee list so you’ll be notified when new people register for the event – cool!
Learn about the aid trip I am going on this November to Mamelodi, South Africa. I need to raise $3000 by the end of October – any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!
Filed under: Thoughts
There’s a new show on Tuesday nights, I Survived a Japanese Gameshow!, which is questionable for entertainment value, but in this week’s episode, there was a lesson learned in integrity that I think could be applied in our line of work.
Mary, a 23 year old gym membership sales rep, and Donnell, a 24 year old real estate appraiser, made a deal with their teammate Meaghan, a 22 year old bartender, who put herself up in a previous episode for elimination with the promise that she would be immune from possible elimination this week. Both agreed, and Meaghan won her challenge and remained on the show. However, when their team was once again up for an elimination challenge this week, Donnell wanted to re-neg on their pact. Mary, however spoke on camera and decided that she would keep her promise to Meaghan because in her words, “I need to be true to myself and true to my word.” (paraphrased) She ultimately ended up being eliminated, but she can go home with a clear conscience knowing that she stayed true to her word and didn’t compromise her integrity by going back on a promise.
Who’d have thought that we could learn a lesson in integrity from a(nother) reality TV show? I was impressed that Mary stuck to her word, even when it resulted in her being eliminated from the show. Donnell, on the other hand, has to face a teammate that he stabbed in the back and deal with the trust issues that have no doubt resulted from it. And I’ll bet that the integrity Mary maintained will come back and reward her down the road. I am a firm believer in sowing/reaping – what you give is what you’ll get in return.
How often does a situation like this come up in our professional lives though? We make promises and give our word on things, but then when it’s not convenient for us, we ‘change our minds’ or try to justify why we cannot be true to our word. If we stopped to think about it, the convenience of the moment of going back on our word results in the destruction of a trusting relationship. It takes so much time and effort to develop trust, yet so little to break it down. Why destroy what you’ve worked so hard to build just because it’s not the absolute ideal situation for YOU, at the moment?
My thoughts on this are as follows: think about the promises you make to people, not just in the moment but over the long term. Will you be able to complete that search assignment in a timely manner? Will you be able to find that individual a new position? Can you meet the financial requirements your client has laid out to you? Don’t make a spur-of-the-moment promise to someone just to gain their immediate business if you don’t think you can fulfill it in the long run. Being honest with someone about what you can and cannot do will actually build more trust with them than if you give your word, only to go back on it later on.
No more reality TV for me But I hope this gives you some food for thought!
I keep seeing so many similarities between PR practices and recruiting, sourcing, and research practices – could it be because they are both service-oriented? (duh) I read this great article this morning in The Council of PR Firms‘ The Firm Voice – PR Firms Differ on the Best Way to Train Outstanding Account Executives. This article talks with some executives in the PR industry and asks them their thoughts on how to work most effectively with their clients, as well as what they believe are good qualities to possess as a successful PR professional. Most of what is discussed could also directly apply to developing client/recruiter relationships. Here are a couple of snippets:
- “Some of the most important skills an account service person should have include being service-minded, being able to manage expectations, being accountable, being able to communicate frequently, and working with a client in the spirit of partnership…”
- …”we are counselors to our clients and [that] we should be framing a strategy for our clients, not the other way around. We need to be 10 steps ahead of our clients…”
- “…the biggest mistakes also include not being aggressive enough, being afraid to make a suggestion, and taking something for granted…”
I encourage you to read the entire article and learn how many similarities there are in our methods of operation!
The July issue of The Source is ready! Check it out here: July 2008 – The Source
Also, don’t forget to register for SourceCon 2008! It’s under 2 months away now, September 2nd – 4th in Atlanta, GA. Gather with your fellow researchers and sourcers, meet people you’ve known for years but never seen in person, and learn a ton about tactical and strategic sourcing. Don’t miss out!!!!
There is an endless supply of information available to us these days. This information comes at us in all forms – emails, blogs, RSS feeds, tweets, at times I know we all feel bombarded. Come join the latest social network! Check out my new website! Please subscribe to my blog! How can you possible keep up with the latest trends within your industry to maintain a competitive sourcing edge without spending the rest of your life trying to play catch-up with your RSS reader?
I propose looking at the flow of information and knowledge outlets in the same manner that you approach a trip to the grocery store. When some people go to the grocery store, they create a list of items they need ahead of time. This makes the trip quicker – in and out. Of course, there are always a couple of rogue items that get put into the shopping cart that were not on the list (usually your kid sneaks a candy bar or a bag of chips in when you’re not looking). Then, there are those who have an idea in their head of what they need when they hit the store. Usually, more rogue items end up in those people’s shopping carts, right?
Regardless, you go to a grocery store, filled with thousands upon thousands of perishable and non-perishable items, and you come out with only a small sampling of what was available to you. Why? Because that’s all you need – at the moment. However, those other items that you did not purchase will be available to you the next time you need to go shopping, just in case you need one or two of them.
How is this like our seemingly endless flow of information? Well, the Internet is like that grocery store. It houses all the different portals and networks that we need on a daily basis to have a competitive edge in sourcing. Each of these knowledge outlets is like an item sold by the grocery store. They serve a specific purpose for a specific audience. And the important thing for us to remember is that we don’t have to buy every item in the grocery store (register with every network, read every blog, subscribe to every RSS feed). All we need to do is go in with our list, take what we need, and leave the rest on the shelf, knowing that if we need it next time we go to the store, it will be available to us.
What are some good ways of keeping these things organized? The example I’ll use is RSS feeds. I have about 16 different folders in my reader – one for recruiting blogs, one for PR blogs, one for analyst relations blogs, another for social media, etc. Each one is a specific category that I can choose to read at my leisure. Or, I can collect the blog posts for future reading if it’s not an area of top priority to me. For example, I still have a folder for RFID, which is an industry in which I researched over 2 years ago. Who knows if I’ll ever need that knowledge again? But just in case, I’ve got that folder there waiting for me.
So, remember that you don’t have to buy everything in the store; just get what you need at the moment and know that the other items will be there if you need them. Happy Sourcing!
