Corporate Social Responsibility: Having fun and helping people

Several years ago I was asked by a client (Timberland) to join their Serv-a-Palooza. It involved community service projects like building playgrounds and improving parks.  It was a huge affair with several hundred people participating.   Employees and vendors were bused to a specific site and given an agenda for the job –  and it was a full day’s project. It was a fun day of working side by side with people who you just met. At the end of the day, you could see the results of the work. I found the whole event very gratifying. The company’s philanthropic perspective comes from the top, which is why for several years they were designated by the media as a “Best Place to Work” in the Northeast.

Last weekend I had the privilege of participating in the 26^th Trek Across Maine for the American Lung Association http://bit.ly/Maineala . It’s a three day event stretching 180 miles from Sunday River in Bethel to Belfast, with over 2000 participants and 600 volunteers with the goal of raising $2 million (currently at $1.6 million). Trekkers are tasked to raise a minimum of $500 to join in the fun. Unlike last year where it poured solid for more than a day, the weather was stellar and because of this, everyone was in excellent spirits. 

The first leg of the Trek takes you to the University of Maine, Farmington, and the second night ends up at Colby College in Waterville. What I find interesting is both the beauty of the landscape — rivers, lakes and ponds, and the wide diversity of participants. Age groups range from 10 to 70+ years of age.  Many of the people I met there have done this event for over 10 years and several were part of a family group.

Although the ride is the primary focus of the event, the post-ride free time is the fun part where you get a chance to meet your fellow Trekkers and volunteers.  People are lounging, listening to live entertainment, getting massages, or strolling around the campus.  The mood is upbeat and because you are a part of the group, people always open up to you in discussing their career, family and history. It’s an excellent forum for getting to know the culture of the people that make the event a wonderful experience – giving one’s time to support a great cause.  At the end of each ride, there are hundreds of people cheering, “Great job!” and clapping for all of the Trekkers as they cross the finish line. It is truly a wonderful feeling!

 Having spent almost ten hours in the saddle over the past weekend was a minor sacrifice. Thank you to everyone who supported me and the program. For those leaders who understand value of supporting philanthropic causes, you have my admiration and endorsement.

Tags: career, culture, job prospects, maine, motivation, perspective

Customer focus first and foremost

Having been in the recruiting business for over 20 years does not exempt me from making fundamental mistakes in my day to day business. I became painfully aware of this in a recent meeting with an HR manager at a manufacturer in southern Maine.    

I was introduced to the Human Resources manager by a contact I made previously with the company engineering director.  He informed me that they had been looking for an operations manager for a while but never ended up filling the position. A rejuvenated effort was in the early phases and my timing was perfect. What was really interesting was that they terminated their plant manager there that same weekl  They needed a candidate search conducted where the person could assess the immediate needs, provide the necessary leadership and run the plant operations.  

In a meeting with the  HR manager, he gave me a very detailed understanding of the position, describing why the last employee left,  who the decision makers are, and what the company culture is like. After he summarized the position and the key responsibilities, I assumed that we were done and got ready to leave.  As I was getting up, he said, “Let me tell you about my situation and where I’ve been in my career.”

He proceeded to discuss his upbringing in the Midwest, how he moved continuously throughout the country with his family, where his family is now, and even a few details about his hobbies – he owned a small airplane! In the 15 minutes that he shared these details, it was evident that I almost missed the opportunity to do what every service provider needs to do: listen to your customer to get to know them.  If the objective is to develop a long term relationship, understanding the customer’s story is Customer Service 101.  It is vital to go beyond fulfilling a need to developing a bond that cements a relationship where you become not only a vendor, but an integral part of the team.  There is no way to develop a partnership without establishing a personal relationship based on genuine interest.

Meeting with new and interesting people is my favorite part of the job at Advantage Recruiting.  There’s no question that when I get to know a customer on a personal level,  my motivation in doing everything possible to make a successful deal is stronger. 

My candidate was successfully hired and recently started.  I think I made a favorable impression and I fully intend on furthering my knowledge of the customer to earn that right to become a key business partner.  When they want to fill that operations manager position, I hope it’s me they call.

Tags: attentitive, career, customer service, impressions, jobs, maine, partnering

The Keys to Finding Your Next Job: Be Focused, Creative, Thoughtful

I could continue on and on in this title because it really does depend on you, your attitude and your commitment level.  Setting oneself apart is a pivotal strategy but it isn’t something that simply happens.  It requires hard work, discipline and perseverance.  A few of the necessary elements that are part of a successful job search include, enthusiasm, a high-energy level, optimism, dedication, tenacity, and the key to it all, willingness.  All the seminars, expert advice and mentoring is worthless without the willingness to incorporate the strategies in your job search.  In many instances it is because it often takes us out of our comfort zone.

As a recruiter who places candidates in high tech industries and upper level management positions, it is imperative I continually educate myself with relation to “best practices” for hiring strategies.  My value to clients and prospective candidates is not only to place candidates in their respective fields of expertise, but also to educate candidates on how to better position themselves through their own efforts.  With over 20 years of industry experience in recruiting throughout northern New England, I freely share information that I have assembled through the years with my prospective candidates with the expectation of receiving information in return.  As an active proponent in my candidate’s job search, we establish a partnership that fosters a long-term relationship and the potential for future business consideration. I have worked with certain people in my business for well over a decade.

Everyone who has witnessed the social media frenzy has become familiar with Facebook, Linked-in and Twitter.  Linked-in is a tool that I work with daily as it provides a diverse source of information that is extensive, current and easy to navigate.  On Linked-in, I recently attended several webinars and podcasts covering the newest strategies for job prospecting.  One of the best webinars I recently listened to was based on the book by Jay Conrad Levinson and David Perry of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0” (http://www.gm4jh.com  ).  There are several techniques worth mentioning:

The concept of setting oneself apart from the masses is the underlying theme throughout the podcasts (their 1 hour podcast provides all the mentioned tips), But people are skeptical and some are reluctant to consider many of the nonconventional approaches. It goes back to the willingness concept which requires people to get outside of their comfort zone.

I fully intend on informing my prospective candidates about the various techniques to allow them to decide what works best for them. No process is foolproof and it’s in the hands of the participant as to how the spirit of the task is conducted. Being totally focused, positive minded and enthusiastic isn’t always easy but it is essential to being the best prospective employee in a hugely competitive marketplace.

I’m interested in hearing from my audience about your experiences in either using unconventional techniques for job prospecting or how you set yourself apart in this tough marketplace. If there is a job prospecting methodology that consistently proves itself as being the answer for delivering positive results I would certainly love to know.

Tags: employment, job prospects, job strategy, linkedin, motivation, recruiting

Keeping Your Eye On The Ball: Love What You Do and You Will Do It Well

Due-diligence for pursuing the best talent is a significant part of what recruiters do. I pride myself in that category. LinkedIn, Twitter, various other databases and publications are areas that are excellent sources for talented people. In a recent LinkedIn search, I came across a local, young mechanical engineer that caught my attention.

Unfortunately there was no phone number or e-mail address listed to contact him.

In googling his name and local address, an article was displayed on the top of the google list: http://www.theforecaster.net/node/27616. This young engineer, Jeff, recently went through a company downsizing and lost his spouse to a rare disease – all within the past few months. He has four young children and his 16-month-old has a condition that requires constant care. With the downsizing, he lost his life insurance and finances have been very difficult. Things have been getting a little better thanks to the efforts of family, friends and other community members.

In the past few weeks, he recently signed-on as a drafter at BIW. The problem is that the pay is significantly below his needs, and the job doesn’t utilize his 10 years of practical engineering skills.

In the past week, I contacted Jeff to ask about his situation to see if he would be interested in a meeting to discuss his position. He was more than interested. We discussed his experiences in his previous positions, the environments, his accomplishments and competencies. It was clear that Jeff was very passionate about his work. His enthusiasm for learning new technologies and applications was also clearly evident. He thrived working in a technology-driven environment. In our dialogue he mentioned that one of his biggest motivators was his strong commitment to work for the betterment of the company where he worked.

I spoke with his former manager, who also conveyed that commitment level along with giving Jeff other high accolades for his skills and capabilities. In the manager’s words:

“Jeff has a strong desire to see the company succeed and make things better”.

This type of comment brought tears to my eyes because I know how important a solid reference is that comes from managers that work closely with their employees. Jeff is and will be the type of candidate I truly enjoy representing.

When asked about how he approached his search, Jeff mentioned that he “tweaks his resume” to address the nuances of the online job positions he applies for.

My feedback to him was that he might consider a different approach that would not result in him being one of 50+ other resumes. Applying to a posted job is important, but with today’s high unemployment situation, it is essential to set yourself apart from the masses. I suggested he write a list of target companies that are of interest and find out who he knows within those companies that could give him an insider perspective about the technologies employed, the environment, the company mission, stakeholders, management, and other key factors.

Knowing this type of information is critical to developing an intimate knowledge for why you are interested or if you indeed have any interest in a job and a company. Showing the initiative to meet with people to gather information about a company for a job search is an excellent way to establish credibility and to position yourself to be the answer to their needs. Staying in touch with those people who know you as well as your interests can enable you better access to the decision makers. Timing your introduction and interview preparation are the other essential components for closing the deal and getting an offer.

I pointed out to Jeff that he found his job at BIW through a contact, and that is probably the way he will find his next opportunity. Constant networking and developing new contacts are crucial. Being a UMO grad, I mentioned that he should network with other UMO grads and find out where his classmates are working and who they know in the marketplace. This is the time to take advantage of every affiliation and connection that leads you to be on top of every lead and opportunity. Developing a systemized approach for learning about the targeted companies and knowing who might offer you the opportunity to present yourself in an open forum are the ultimate goals. There are many tools to find out who is working where and in what capacity. LinkedIn is one such example as are chapters, societies, fraternities and sororities. Social forums such as Facebook and Twitter are also an excellent wealth of information.

It’s greatly satisfying to have the opportunity to work with someone so passionate about their work as Jeff. It’s a privilege to work with those who are totally committed to challenging themselves and the companies that they work for. Providing advice and opportunities to worthy candidates is one of my biggest passions.

Best of luck Jeff! I’m in your court!

Tags: job prospects, job search, job strategy, linkedin, networking, recruiting

Why developing and maintaining rapport is vital

Several indicators are beginning to point to an economy that has a glimmer of hope that the bottom is in sight and normal business activity is starting to resume.  The stock market had the best 2 month performance in 35 years, gas/oil costs to consumers continues to be affordable with supplies seemingly abundant.  That being said,  unemployment is still at record highs and continues to climb (from 8.5 % in March to 8.9% in April – highest levels since 1983 according to the Portland Press Herald.)

Precarious business conditions like we are in dictate how important it is to develop and nurture past employment relationships to maintain as many lifelines as possible if conditions take a sudden turn for the worst.

My sister Catherine is a NY City Lawyer and like many of the financial industries on Wall Street,  they are seeing their fair share of downsizing.  One of her closest friends recently was affected but because of her past standing with her previous employer – she was able to land on her feet within 2 days of being layed off.  It was the epitome of a success story.

My sisters’ friend Arlene was kind enough to forward me a quick note on what transpired:

“In today’s uncertain job environment, being out of work can be unsettling and even frightening.  I recently found myself in such a situation.  There was no warning, it came out of the blue.  Senior management spoke to my boss and then myself and said – ‘hey, nothing wrong with your performance; but we are feeling the pinch of the struggling economy and need to let you go. Last in, first out. We are very sorry.’   I was stunned as I sat trying to comprehend my severance letter.  Is this really happening?  Where will I find work?   As these things go, people love to be the first to spread bad news and word of my firing spread quickly.  Within several hours, my previous employer called me and asked if the news was true?  I confirmed it, and they then said that a perfect opportunity has just opened up and would I be interested?  Can I interview tomorrow?  Of course, I could!  And I did….and got the job two days later!  I’m now 2 months into my new job and it’s great.  I couldn’t be happier!  This all came about from never severing my ties with my former employer.  I left on good terms (to go to work for one of their clients) and still maintained my contacts via calls, emails and dropping by to meet with former colleagues.  Every industry is small and nurturing relationships is key to succeeding in your present job, BUT can be critical in times like these – where WHO you know will get you the next opportunity.  So, don’t burn bridges and keep in touch……you never know how it can pay off. “

One never knows how events or business conditions bring unexpected bad news and layoffs.  Change is a part of business and with this your position  and responsibilities within any organization may be adversely affected. Maintaining report and contact with past connections will always be a sound decision for a job recommendation or to rejoin the firm as the situation fits.

Have you experienced a job transition that was directly attributed to your strong connections from a past contact?  Feel free to comment!

Tags: career coaching, careers, employment, job prospects, jobs

Reluctance: Unwillingness to do something or hesitancy in taking some action. The epitome of hiring 1st 1/4 of ‘09 business!

My sister who lives in NYC is a lawyer on Wall St and we were discussing how difficult it was to get management to get projects under way or funding approved because of the uncertainty.

This is so true in our local economy where companies are in need of talents/enhancements but it simply is not happening.

A close friend of mine who is in the communications/ PR business has gone through the painful process of going through a job search, having applied to numerous positions only to discover that the job was being downgraded, not adequately funded or cancelled due to the overall uncertain business environment.

This isn’t to say that things may improve or get worse; I have heard many indicators that point to both scenarios.

Have you encountered this vacillation of need but inability to act in your organizations?

Tags: career, employment, jobs, motivation