It is a unique day, of course, so it seems like it deserves some recognition. My friend Clayton Shold over at Salesopedia has posted some interesting, trivial facts regarding this day. To pique your interest: The last time February had five Fridays was 1980. The chances of being born on February 29th are 1 in 1461.
Continue ReadingAmerica’s Smartest Cities
Seriously, Forbes ranked the top 25…is there anything Forbes won’t rank? Yet, I am a sucker and watched the slide show. I’ll speed it up for you a bit and provide the top 5: Boulder, CO Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, MD Ithaca, NY ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN Corvallis, OR I won’t mention which one of those towns is my hometown…well, I spent the first 5 years of my life there. Lee says that doesn’t count. Unfortunately for him, the Twin Cities did not make the list. In all seriousness, I’m not sure if there is much value to this type of list. Clearly the top towns are host to a major university which stands… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Truth About Coffee
I never had any doubts, but Yahoo offers this story regarding coffee: What restored coffee’s reputation? Caffeine. After years of being viewed with suspicion, caffeine has pulled a scientific switcheroo. Besides helping students pull all-nighters and weekend warriors jumpstart their jump shots, there’s now evidence that it defends against diabetes, Parkinson’s, asthma symptoms, post-workout soreness, and even hunger pangs. I’m purposely omitting the rest of the article regarding moderation. Those lines are nothing more than pure sophistry…now on to my second extra large latte.
Continue ReadingCandidate Requirements
Might be a good idea to leave this bit of data out of the cover email: Position must be daytime hours and reachable BY THE BUS SYSTEM. I am without a vehicle and License at this time, this is only temporary until I pay a fine.
Continue ReadingFun From The Sourcing File
This is the title from a sales resume: sales pro here looking for best carrer oppertunity Spell check is a jobseeker’s best friend.
Continue ReadingThe Annual Valentine’s Story
Romance in the office is the topic du jour on Valentine’s Day. This year is no exception as BusinessWeek offers The Ethics of Office Romance. I did enjoy the author’s take: The implications for the workplace are this: The odds against an office romance succeeding are just slightly better than what you’d find at the worst casino in Las Vegas. When you lose at roulette or keno, though, you’re out only a couple of bucks (if you’re smart), and that’s the end of it. When you lose the game of love at the office, you still have to face the other person day after day. That constant reminder of a… Read More
Continue ReadingIt’s A Dry Cold
From Yahoo News today: It lived up to its name: The temperature in International Falls fell to 40 below zero Monday, just a few days after the northern Minnesota town won a federal trademark making it officially the “Icebox of the Nation.” The previous record low for Feb. 11 in International Falls was 37 below, set in 1967, said meteorologist Mike Stewart at the weather service in Duluth. The temperature also fell to 40 below in Embarrass, 80 miles southeast of International Falls. That’s just one degree above the all-time record in Minneapolis, 250 miles to the south, that was set in January 1888, the weather service said. I can… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Reason Behind Ruts
Totally fascinating post from Steve Clark titled Why is change so difficult? The human organism is resistant to change. The body tries to maintain what physiologists call homeostasis. This is the physical state of equilibrium or status quo. The body is designed to operate in a very narrow range of physiological processes. The brain is no different. And now for the explanation: Change creates psychological stress. Change engages the prefrontal cortex, the conscious part of the brain that is responsible for judgment, planning and decision making. The prefrontal cortex is like RAM memory in a PC. It is fast and agile, able to hold multiple threads of logic at once… Read More
Continue ReadingHow Candidates Interpret Job Ads
Ok, this is a bit dated, but still funny: “COMPETITIVE SALARY” (We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.) “JOIN OUR FAST-PACED TEAM” (We have no time to train you.) “CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE” (We don’t pay enough to expect that you’ll dress up; well, a couple of the real daring guys wear earrings.) “MUST BE DEADLINE ORIENTED” (You’ll be six months behind schedule on your first day.) “SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED” (Some time each night and some time each weekend.) “DUTIES WILL VARY” (Anyone in the office can boss you around.) “MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL” (We have no quality control.) “CAREER-MINDED” (Female applicants must be childless and remain… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Most Influential Headhunters
BusinessWeek.com offers the top 50 most influential headhunters in the business world. Lee didn’t make the list so there goes his top contractual performance incentive. I’m not sure how one determines these lists based on influence, but it seems appropriate that a huge company like Korn/Ferry would put 7 recruiters on the list. If you are interested, you can read the list in it’s entirety here. Now on to devise a new unattainable incentive for Lee.
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