Recruiting Animal

Resume Tips

Lifehack.org is offering resume tips. Some are good. Some are rotten.

1. No odd fonts.

Don't get creative. Good advice.

2. Certifications, designations & relevant experience.

This guy claims that employers care more about your skills than anything else. So he encourages you to list your skills at the top of the resume.

But, people can claim a skill that they haven't used for a long time. So what's important is their specific, dated, experience.

So list the experience that is relevant to the job at the top of the resume in a summary section. You can also list this in bullet points in the cover letter.

Then list your certifications. If you need a licence for this job you might as well show yours right off the bat to get your resume into the short list.

3. Don't trust automatic spell check.

4. Job Descriptions

This guy says that the hiring manager can look at your title and know what you do. So, all you have to put in the job description are the things you were doing that she wouldn't know from your title. For instance, if you did jobs that normally belong to a higher pay category.

This is silly. The hiring manager isn't going to be the first person to do your job. A recruiter might see it first who has no previous experience working with people like you.

If you don't supply a detailed job description that he can match against the buzz words he's looking for, you're not going to be chosen.

5. Dates

This guy says that employers don’t care about the dates you worked. Well, even if it was true (and it isn't) recruiters care. So take them seriously.

6. Don’t leave big gaps in your timeline.

People want to know why someone who is serious about her career wasn't working. Explain it by listing what you did.

The Recruiting Animal Award Winners 2008

09.01.07: LISTEN HERE

The Awards

Amybeth Hale, Best Teeth on an Internet Sourcer
Dave Mendoza, Person of the Year
Maren Hogan, Social Media Rookie of the Year
(Honourable mention to Rayanne Thorn & Sister Claudia Faust)
Heather Hamilton, John Sumser Award for Authentic Blogging
Steve Levy, Transparency Award
Karen Mattonnen, Personality of the Year
Bill Vick, Video Blogger of the Year
Jim Stroud, Podcaster of the Year (The Recruiters Lounge)
David Perry, Intrepid Recruiter of the Year
Craig Silverman, Most Poised Recruiter (Lighter Than Air Award)
Harry Joiner, Marketing Recruiter of the Year
Verbal Summary, Best New Recruiting Tool 2008 (audio)
Susan Burns, Talk Talent Cafe, Best Recruiting Chat of the Year
Maureen Sharib, Telephone Sourcing Trainer of the Year
Peggy McKee, Sexiest Best Job Hunting Video
Chris Russell, Social Media Excellence 2008
Jason Alba, Social Media Excellence 2008
Ami Givertz, Recruitosphere Excellence Award 2008
Chris Hoyt, Tony Roberts Award for Location Excellence 2008
(special mention Vicki Z Lauter)
John Sumser/, Lifetime Achievement Award
David Manaster, Lifetime Achievement Award
Recruitingblogs.com, Recruiting Social Network of the Year
HRMToday, HR Social Network of the Year
Fistful of Talent, Best Group Blog
Dennis Smith, Community Manager Award
Gretchen Ledgard, Corporate Recruiting Blogger of the Year
Robert Merrill, Blogging Excellence (Utah Tech Jobs)
Susan Kang Nam, Twitterbug of the Year
(Special Mention: Wm Uranga & Katie Tierney)
SourcerKelly and Jessica_Lee, Saucy and Sassy Award
Colin Kingsbury Recruiting.gone Award (Special Mention: Workfarce)
Jason Goldberg, Comeback Kid Award
Sourceon, Internet Sourcing Award
Cliff Mintz, Best Educated Member of the Animal Panel
Jerry Albright, Carl Chapman, Outstanding Contributions to the Animal Panel
Paul Debettignies, Recruitosphere Nice Guy
Josh Letourneau, Best Grooming Advice
Jim Durbin, Communication Excellence for Recruiting on Twitter
Alex Levit, Best Book (Success For Hire)
Gautam Ghosh, Best HR Bogger in Asia 2008
Jennifer McClure, Surprise Guest of the Year (Animal Show)
Jason Davis, Best Repeat Performance In A Cameo Role
Heather Gardner, Lucy Feliciano, James Guske, Super Fan Awards
Richard Becker, Best Recruiting Animal Show Review
J William Tincup, Best Survey of the Recruitosphere
Nik Palmer, American Eccentric of the Year
Unclaimed Best Invitation to a Social Network

Person of The Year, Dave Mendoza

Recruiting Animal Awards

Dave Mendoza arrived in the Recruitosphere in the Summer of 2006.  I started getting emails from him before his blog was even launched.  Some people complained that he was a spammer.  But no he said. I'm not a spammer, I'm a networker.

In December 2006 while still a rookie blogger, he won the popular vote for best recruiting blog of the year by reaching out to non-readers of the Recruitosphere.

Not fair said the established bloggers. Well he said, who's bringing in new people? The old hands who stick to their cliques or a guy like me who goes out into the street and hauls in strangers to join the party?

In February 2008, in a move that stunned the Recruitosphere, he celebrated his birthday by doubling the membership of Recruitingblogs.com from 1000 to 2000 in just one week.

JD built a good site but this was the really turning point for Recruitingblogs.com    Membership had been growing steadily but slowly.  After that it took off and totally blew me away.

About a year ago, he started introducing open networkers to eachother on LinkedIn via his blog, Six Degrees From Dave.  When Dave first included me in this project, I had a thousand people in my LinkedIn network. Since then, he's added over a thousand more.

Open Networking Initiative

This is really an astounding project, Dave is giving recruiters the opportunity to make money by expanding their searchable databases on Linkedin and he's not charging them anything.

It's a lesson in human nature, as well as I don't think anyone offers to cut Dave in when they make money on people they weren't able to contact before Dave let them into his circle of friends.

Acceptance Speech.

The Recruiting Animal accepted the award for Dave. His remarks were based on earlier statements made here.

Thank you Animal. Thank you panel.

My friends, I am truly honoured. But my first words must be directed to the man who made all of this possible.

I know I will be accused of kissing your ass JD, but certain things must be said, “You are the Mac Daddy, the Sultan, of Community building and Seer of the Next Big Thing. This is a well established fact, but given the passion you have displayed I have an excuse to comment with well deserved praise.

Animal: Hold on a second! Dave, Dave.
Dave: What is it Animal?
Animal: Dave, this prize is for you, not JD. You're being too humble.
Dave: You can't be too humble when it comes to JD, my friend.
Animal: Well then, I have to cut you off. Congratulations, Dave. No one deserved this award more than you.

Dave Mendoza, everybody! I call him Bull Doza, the Master of People Power but he likes to be called El Dave.

Let's Change Recruitingblogs.com

Jason Davis thinks that we have too many friends

All the pop psychology books say that you can't have a meaningful network of more than 150 people. Beyond that it is more like a customer database or a fan club.

So I'm suggesting that RBC try having a formal policy of 150 friends per member. It would be the social network version of Twitter.

This would give RBC a chance to institute the kind of trusted network policy that Jobster and LinkedIn have tried to introduce and failed.

It might work because there is little value in having a lot of friends on RBC. Anyone can connect with anyone directly and who wants to receive the kind of mass junk mail we now get on RBC (eg new years greetings from people we don't know).

I have over 800 friends and I would be willing to defriend those with whom I have no ongoing relationship.

So I urge JD to invite all members to come forward and throw their friend lists on the bonfire -- just like Beatle records in 1966 -- and run a bulldozer over them and then start anew.

Let's start 2009 with a real revolution on Recruitingblogs.com. Bring Limited Networks to RBC!

Jim Durbin, Tribute to Recruiting Animal

I had trouble getting the video to work here so you can see it on Recruitingblogs.

Social Media Rookie of the Year, Maren Hogan

The Recruiting Animal Awards

A lot of newcomers have made a big splash on my social media radar this year. I'm really impressed by many of them and a lot of them have become my online friends.

But the winner of the award for social media rookie of the year is, no surprise I think, Maren K Hogan of Omaha Nebraska.

The Recruiting Animal accepted the award for Maren. His remarks were based on earlier statements made here.

Hi Yall.  Animal, people on the couch.

I have always been honest about the fact that I've only been in the industry a few months. And when I was asked certain questions on the recruiting animal show I was absolutely ready to say that I don't think I'm smart enough or experienced enough to have formed an opinion.

But, on the other hand, I have had the opportunity this year to sit at the feet of giants and, in all humility, I have learned in a few months what other people learn in twenty years.

So, with that in mind, let me say that Social Networking has been invaluable for me. Starting a blog. Being part of a collaborative blog, Microblogging. Let me say it again, all of those things have been invaluable to me. 

And what took it to the next level was the phone. Speaking to Dave Mendoza, Jason Davis, Susan Burns, John Sumser, Jason Leonard, Paul DeBettings and Kevin Winkles

These people have been instrumental in helping me form my opinions of the recruiting industry.  And I know for a fact that it's not just about serving candidates. I know for a fact that it's not just about building talent pools. And I know for a fact that it's not just about making sure that we're there for our clients.

No, it's also about building communities and taking a keen and careful eye to our industry and saying what's fantastic about it and what needs to be changed.

And going on The Recruiting Animal Show or writing a blog are ways of putting a lens on what it is you think you know and exposing it to the world to see just how true it really is.

Ladies and gentlemen, I accept this award with honour. Thank you.

Sports Teams Depend on Talented Individuals

Source: Simon Barnes, Times Online. (edited)

When a real empire declines, historians look for sweeping, unstoppable trends that changed things forever.

But when a sporting empire falls the reasons are much simpler.

Australian cricket has not slumped because the system failed. Australia failed because two of the finest cricketers that ever drew breath have retired.

The problem is not about systems, it is about people. The problem is that extreme talent is very, very rare in any walk of life.

Australia has for years had a considerable number of very fine players. But in Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne they had the difference between very good and absolutely remarkable.

That’s why the decline began with their retirement. For that matter, the turning point of the Ashes series of 2005 came when McGrath turned his ankle on a stray cricket ball while sodding about playing rugby before the second Test: for want of a man to do the tidying up, the series was lost.

That’s what happens. Time after time, in sport after sport, when empires decline and fall, it generally comes down not to larger trends, but to the loss of exceptional individuals.

It also suggests that in team sports, truly exceptional players make all the other players perform better.

This is not due only to their moral example and inspirational powers but because genuinely remarkable players create the time and space in which others can also excel.

The ultimate achievement in team sport is to create a dynasty. That's why every great team must look not only for excellence but for succession.