I have been searching through online resumes and came across this commentary in a cover letter: I am a 63 year old male just recently let go from my job because I’m too old. Don’t worry, I’m fighting it but in the meantime, I need a job. You know, some things are better left unsaid.
Continue ReadingBenefits Of A Recession
BusinessWeek.com offers up a provocative article about the slowing economy – The Upside of Recession. Interesting opening: Pop quiz, hot shot: What do MTV, Trader Joe’s, and the iPod have in common? Yes, of course, they’re all now ubiquitous and make our lives much more agreeable. But to us, the most interesting thing about all three is that these great brands were born during recessions. (Trader Joe’s: 1958; MTV: 1981; iPod: 2001, if you are scoring at home.) The authors are just warming up: Cutting (ed.- lay offs) across the board is the coward’s way of dealing with a downturn. It assures that no one is going to yell—how could… Read More
Continue ReadingSocial Network Background Checks
There has been much discussed about the use of social networking sites in doing background checks of candidates. I’m still on the fence, but I am leaning towards using them. Here is an actual example I heard on Friday. An owner of a medium-sized company had a problem with a previous executive assistant – let’s just say it was far too personal. She was dismissed from the role and the company looked to hire a new assistant. The hiring process for her replacement involved the owner’s wife who was going to spend 1 hour interviewing each candidate. Also, the new executive assistant would not be allowed on the company plane… Read More
Continue ReadingCandidates That Do Not Wow
We’ve been on this topic a bit lately, but it is mission-critical to successful selling. Asking questions…asking the right questions is tantamount to qualifying prospects. Most sales managers know this, yet we often see them displaying selective amnesia when it comes to interviewing sales candidates. Case in point: Lee often observes sales managers who are underwhelmed with a candidate because the candidate didn’t “wow” them. That’s understandable, but many times the manager isn’t wowed because the candidate is qualifying the opportunity instead of spewing feature/benefits. It is at this point that Lee has to mention the different questions that the candidate asked in their responses and the information that candidate… Read More
Continue ReadingOffice Meeting Heresy
I give you CareerJournal.com’s Another Meeting? Good. Another Chance To Hear Myself Talk: Mr. McKay’s confession helps answer the question of why, if everybody hates meetings so much, do we have so many of them? Great question. The gentleman referenced in the article misses meetings in his new company! My word, I cannot relate to that sentiment. Here is the stunning research results: Steven Rogelberg, a professor of industrial organizational psychology at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and a group of colleagues found that among people surveyed about their last meeting, 69% rated them at least “good,” while only 16% rated them “poor” or worse. And although 50% said… Read More
Continue ReadingSatisfied Salespeople
Clayton Shold over at Saleopedia offers up some stunning survey results from a recent SalesDog.com survey. Check this out (my emphasis): Despite the job pressure, 70 percent of respondents reported being happy with their management, while 64 percent of those taking the survey said they felt adequately recognized for their achievements. A surprising 75 percent of respondents believe their management’s sales expectations or quotas are realistic. I’m sitting here cruising at 70mph in Northern Minnesota as I write. I should clarify that Lee is driving, I am geeking it up in the passenger seat. We have been talking about these results for miles. We often hear of how discontented workers… Read More
Continue ReadingA Soft Hiring Trend
Manpower’s quarterly survey is often considered a bellwether of the upcoming labor market. The Wall Street Journal reports on this trend in Hiring Plans Soften Across Industries. The title sounds a dire alarm, but there is an interesting quote within the article: Jonas Prising, president of Manpower North America, characterized employers’ hiring plans for the upcoming quarter as “softening.” He noted the decline is less sharp than the steep drops seen at the beginning of the decade. In some quarters of 2000, up to 25% of employers planned to hire, but then employers’ hiring plans declined sharply, and the portion planning to hire hit about 5% by early 2002. “This… Read More
Continue ReadingAlways Be Scouting
From Human Resource Executive Online’s Uncertain Economy, Uneven Hiring (emphasis mine): Richard Fanelli, president of Fanelli McClain Design Studios, a commercial interior planning and design firm located in Fairfax, Va., says that his company is not hiring right now, but they’re scouting. “We have to have the workload to support new hires,” he says. “But if I were to find the right person, I might hire them and then market harder to justify the hire.” That is an interesting turn of phrase, isn’t it? “Scouting” is an excellent verb to use in this context. This is a practice we preach, but most companies don’t scout consistently. This lack of consistency… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Power of Humbition
Interesting article here from BusinessWeek.com titled Talent and “Humbition” that discusses a common problem with hiring superstars – they tend to have a me-first mentality. Part of that mentality is what makes them successful, but there are stars out there who approach their work with a humbleness that is inspiring. Here is a good point in regards to this approach: First, to CEOs, HR directors, and the founders of startups: The best-run companies I know are indeed obsessed with filling their companies with great people. But they also believe that recruiting stars doesn’t mean succumbing to a me-first star system. They understand that what it means to be great is… Read More
Continue ReadingTime And Title
I’m digging around the resume pile again and came across a title that I actually enjoyed (slightly edited by me): Sales Pro Seeking New Dragons To Slay I know, it is a bit quirky, but it stands out which is important in it’s own right. I opened up the resume to look at the details inside and found this piece of information under the Education section (redacted by me): _________ University 1986-2001 Liberal Arts So much for the good title.
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