StlRecruiting

MySpace Recruiting Webinar

On the heels of the wildly successful Facebook Recruiting Webinar, Hireability has set up two more training webinars on social networking.

July 23rd, at 12:30 CST, I'll be presenting through WebEx on building pools of passive candidates in MySpace.  MySpace is the world's largest social networking site, and one of the most trafficked sites on the web.  While social media snobs focus on Facebook, MySpace is not so quietly driving hundreds of millions in revenue, building brands and bands, and increasingly being incorporated into multichannel marketing campaigns to great effect.

As an open platform, MySpace allows you to easily customize your site.  Don't be fooled by what you see on your 13 year-old son's profile - there's gold in them thar hills.

And I'm going to show you how to get it.

We'll be learning profiles, sourcing, searching, and how to market to and from your MySpace page.  And most important, you'll learn how to make more placements from a site that has over 100 million profiles. 

To sign up for this webinar, head on over to Hireability for the Social Media Headhunter Series on Recruiting Using MySpace.

Speaking At The ISA With Recruiting Friends

The Green Lantern won't be there, but it seems everyone else will.  The Illinois Staffing Association is holding a Summer event, and I'll be there speaking with Bill Vick, Margaret Graziano, Sendouts, and Talent Drive.

The event is June 19th in Chicago, and I'll be up there on the 18th downtown (if you're there, drop me a line and we'll catch a coffee at a Cosi). For information, check out the Illinois Staffing Association website.

I'll be giving my popular presentation on Using Social Media Tools to Recruit. 

BlogTalkRadio With Harry Joiner

Harry Joiner and I will be live on the Career Conversation Blog Talk Radio program with Elizabeth Lengyel.

We'll be live at 7:00 CST talking about how to get found in a Web 2.0 world. This program is primarily for job seekers, but it's also good for recruiters who want to know how to source.

Elizabeth Lengyel, our host, is a career expert at PeopleCoach.com. Her show prep is listed at her site.

If you or someone you know         is looking for a job – or just getting started – don’t         miss my next Career Conversation Radio Show!
 
My special guests are:
 
Jim Durbin, VP of Social Media -- Specializes in social media consulting,         web design and development, and branding, www.DurbinMedia.com.
 
Harry Joiner, The Marketing Headhunter -- Specializes in integrated marketing and new         media, www.MarketingHeadHunter.com.

Key takeaway: How to use marketing and social media tools to catch the eye of top-notch recruiters!

Harry should have been the first guest.

Facebook Webinar Feedback

I finished the webinar, but had a gap in the middle where we lost connectivity with the audio.  There is a video playback available for those who registered, and they are editing the gap out, but I want to hear what your thoughts are. This is also important for those of you who didn't get a chance to view the presentation live, or who failed to get the sign-up e-mail.

I've offered to redo the webinar and record it so people get a clean presentation, and I'm considering recording it for myself for sale on the site.  If I do that, I'll be offering it to everyone who registered. It's important to me that you all feel like you got real value from my work.

That said, it went fairly well.  It wasn't my best performance, as I got a little rattled trying to back up and cover information.  I encourage your feedback, both positive and negative.  I will only edit cursing - everything else if fair game.   And if you have specific questions or want to know more, feel free to follow up with me.

Thank you to all who attended.  From what the said, it was the largest webinar Hireability has done so far.

Next up:  MySpace Recruiting in June, and In July, Social Media 2.0 tools in Recruiting.  We're going to be tackling Twitter, Click to Call, Squidoo Lenses, and StumbleUpon.

Heading To Chicago

Heading up to Chicago tomorrow for an Advisory Council meeting. I get to spend some time with Jim Stroud, the most creative mind in social media recruiting.

I'm giving that presentation at MAPSS on Wednesday morning at 8:00. If you're attending, drop me aline via Twitter, LinkedIn, e-mail, the comments, or laser message on the moon.

Privacy SmackDown: Jigsaw Versus Privacy Expert

Dennis Smith is one cool dude.  In addition to writing the wirelessjobs blog, he flys around the country doing good wherever he an.  I'm not saying he's Superman, but I don't know anyone who can honestly say they've seen Dennis in the same room with the Man of Steel (I'd note that nobody reports Michael Kelemen being in the same room as Aquaman, either).

Where's Dennis to be found this Spring?  The ERExpo in San Diego, of course.  Dennis, the voice of reason and moderation, is, uh, moderating a debate between the CEO of Jigsaw and a Privacy Expert.  The debate will focus on Jigsaw's use of business information, which is highly valuable to salespeople, with the desire of some people to remain private.  Jigsaw says information is available everywhere - they're just aggregating it.  The privacy expert will undoubtedly say that Jigsaw is profiting off information "owned" by other people.

So the question that's out there.  Can we hide our information, or are we just fooling ourselves.  A reporter decided to try and live for just a week without giving out his private information, and the reports aren't good. 

Does information yearn to be free?  And do we have an expectation of privacy?

81 People Signed Up For My Webinar

So who wants to be number 82?

I'm doing a free webinar with the Human Capital Institute on how to use social media to recruit.  I'm just finishing up the slides, and this is not one you'll want to miss.

Learn:
How to Use LinkedIn the right way (it's not what you're seeing now)
How to Use Facebook to recruit top talent with employee referrals
How to Use MySpace to improve your sourcing
The care and feeding of blogs as referral sources
The use of cell phones to improve your candidate pool.

And that's it.  It's all the time we'll have.  The link for the program is here, with the corporate explanation, and a link to register 81 people are on board.  I want to break 150, so if you haven't signed up, get to it.  It's noon- 1p.m. CST online, and it's free. 

Social Media Webinars For Recruiting

I have three webinars coming up in the next month.  The first will be February 19th at 12:00 CST for the Human Capital Institute. The topic I'll be covering is Talent Scouting and Social Networking: The New Employee Referral program.  To register for the 60 minute webinar, click on that link.   

The second event is the Recruiting Tour De Force,  March 6th and 7th, where I'll be presenting with Shally Steckerl and Margaret Graziano  We had a successsful event in San Antonio at the NAPS conference, and we're revisiting the event on the topic of What's Next For Recruiting.  Shally, Margaret and I cover the hot trends in recruiting from the standpoint of practioners.

No dull theory here.  We'll teach you how to make money and hire more people.  The cost of the event is $89.97, and you can sign up at either of the links below, or by sending me an RSVP to jdurbin@durbinmedia.com.

Shally has the event linked for the 6th here, and the 7th here. Margaret writes about it today on her KeenHire blog.

To help us out, link the post or make an annoucement on your own page.  I'll be happy to link back to anyone who advertises the events and sends me a note. 

Merry Christmas, Movie House!

I've Joined The TalentDrive Advisory Council

In recent months, I've been speaking with people from TalentDrive, a resume sourcing and screening company located in Chicago that focuses on sales and marketing professionals.

Sean Bisceglia is the CEO, and he and his team have been professional, ambitious and interesting in looking for a way to improve the hiring industry.  They've extended, and I've accepted their invitation to join their advisory council.

The press release is here, and one of the most exciting things for me is the chance to work with Jim Stroud, who I respect greatly for his online acumen.   Brian Sommer rounds out the group, and I look forward to meeting with him as well. 

I will be writing about TalentDrive on this blog and brandstorming, but of course will disclose my relationship with them in each post.

About Talent Drive"

      About TalentDrive    

      TalentDrive provides growing and established companies with a new way to       source and screen quality talent through innovative technology combined       with eyes-on review by experienced industry experts. With millions of       resumes dispersed over tens of thousands of web-based locations,       TalentDrive provides a resume sourcing solution that enables companies       to better leverage the Internet to find talent within Sales,       Manufacturing and Distribution, Information Technology,       Finance/Accounting, and R&D/Engineering. TalentDrive       enables companies to spend less time sifting through unqualified       resumes, helping to increase a hiring managers’       productivity by 90%.    

   

I Do Love Cold Weather

I admit it - when the temperature drops, I'm a happy camper.  It wasn't always this way - I spent much time in Texas, Florida, and California to be truly happy when there's frost on my windshield, but in recent years since returning to St Louis, I've become adjusted to the cold.

Fall is nice, especially in St Louis, but I enjoy it when it's bitter freezing cold, like it is right now.

And I like it for shallow reasons.  It gives me somewhere to carry my phone.  Franki bought me a great coat a couple of years ago, and the coat has a upper pocket zipper on the top left where I put my phone.  This frees me up from carrying it in my pocket, or in my laptop bag, and for some reason, it's the best time of year to carry a phone.

I'm not a holster wearer - it's just not me, and this simple comfort is something I enjoy.  As I said, it's a shallow reason.  But I do get a little thrill each time I wake and it's 40 outside.  I understand that's about 11 months out of the year if you hang out in Minneapolis.  or Toronto.

You're Fired, Please Come Back For Less Money

HR Capitalist catches this one, which blows the mind for sheer audacity.

Circuit City fired people for making too much money, and now if offering to bring them back for a lower pay rate.

I really feel sorry for people who have to take that job.  And if you happen to go into a Circuit City, remember to be nice.  Those people need it very badly.

ERE Conference Tomorrow

I won't be at the conference tomorrow (and thank goodness, because I threw out my back earlier this week), but many bloggers will, including Rob Neelbauer of Job Matchbox.  I strongly recommend that companies seek out and meet people like Rob.

They really do drive news in the blogosphere, and in addition, they serve as fantastic contacts.  ERE showed its commitment to blogs a long time ago - shouldn't you be trying to figure out why David Manaster keeps his own?

Independent Contractors Fix? The Government Wants To Help

Dick Durbin (no relation) and Barack Obama want to help independent contractors.  Or rather, they want companies to pay more in taxes by making it harder to hire talented workers.

Yes, yes, that's not what they say they are doing, but don't be fooled - this is another attempt to raise tax collections, not help business.  From their editorial in the Sun-Times:

But sadly, many working men and women are not being treated fairly because some businesses are using a little-known tax loophole to avoid paying their fair share. It's workers and American taxpayers who pay the price.

Here's how the Section 530 Safe Harbor in federal tax law works: By classifying a worker as an "independent contractor" instead of an "employee," an employer pays less in employment taxes and workers compensation, sometimes cutting costs by 30 percent. Misclassified workers have the employer's tax burden shifted onto them as if they were self-employed, meaning higher taxes for working-class Americans and a growing tax gap. These workers are also denied basic employee protections, such as workers compensation and overtime pay.

This week, we introduced legislation to close the loophole. The Independent Contractor Proper Classification Act of 2007 will allow the government to collect the taxes employers owe and will restore basic rights for workers. The legislation will also address the need for more enforcement of federal tax and employment laws to identify those employers in major industries that wrongly classify their workers.

It will be interesting to see what happens to public staffing company stock prices if this piece of legislation goes through in the name of "closing the tax loophole." 

Working With A Client In Madagascar

I just got a phone call from 011261330794247......

For sure I thought it was  telemarketer - and then I realized, it was a client!  One of our clients, eworkforce.com, about whom we have remained very quiet above, took a trip to Madagascar to finish development of their application.

There are reasons behind the trip that I can't share, but it's one heck of a story. Imagine leaving the States and living in a place without phones or internet connections for several months while working to finish a grand entrepreneurial project.

It's the type of story that shows up in the front page of the Wall Street Journal. 

Employment Software Takes Safari:  Write Code, Dodges Lion.

Expect to hear a lot more about these guys.  One - the application addresses an overlooked piece of the ATS/JobBoard/CRM software world, and it's wicked cool.  I have confidence in this team.

More to come later in the year.  I just thought that was cool to share.
 

Is Being Illiterate A Disability?

Illiteracy is no laughing matter, but a recent lawsuit by a grounds crew supervisor at Normandy schools provides another striking example of how well-intentioned laws are often expanded to wreak havoc in our employment system.

The plaintiff, Tommie Robinson, 55, is claiming that his inability to read is a disability covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act.  Now, the truth is it's his lawyer who is making this claim, as clearly Tommie wouldn't be able to read the Americans With Disabilities Act if he is truly illiterate.

Is this a case of a clever lawyer trying to make a buck, and even if justified, is the ADA really the proper tool to use to remedy the problem of someone not being able to read?  By the way - here's his lawyer.

The suit was filed on his behalf by attorney Chris Chostner with the St. Louis firm of Schuchat, Cook & Werner. Chostner also declined to comment.

A Justice department spokesman says the case may have merit, but cites a case where dyslexia is ruled a disability, not illiteracy.

Cynthia J. Magnuson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said claims such as Robinson's were rare but not unheard of.

"Literacy could be considered an impairment and potentially could be covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act," she said. She cited a 1999 case in which an appeals court ruled in favor of a person with dyslexia who was seeking testing accommodations for the New York bar exam.

Here's the rub.  Robinson is at a disadvantage, and is undoubtedly frustrated, perhaps even embarrassed by his inability to read.  At the age of 55, it is a difficult thing to pick up, especially when you spent the last 50 years denying your need to be able to read.

I feel for the man, but I'm disgusted that he feels he has the right to sue us (the taxpayer) for his failure to adapt.   Life is not a bowl of cherries, and we all have a responsibility to fit in - even when it's hard.  If Tommie Robinson doesn't want to participate in his responsibilities of modern individual, he shouldn't get the rewards.

I hope he loses his lawsuit, and instead looks deep inside himself and finds the courage to tackle the adult literacy courses the Normandy schools have offered to pay for.  Good luck, Tommie.

Durbin Media Group On PBS Media Shift

I was interviewed for an article on the TechDirt Insight Community over at PBS's Media Shift.

In the world of technology research, firms such as Gartner, Forrester Research and JupiterResearch seem to hold all the cards, knowing markets in-depth and charging firms thousands of dollars for a peek inside. Many small and medium companies, especially startups, are often on the outside looking in, not able to afford the high cost of research firms but still wanting to understand their market or have key questions answered by experts.

Here's the TechDirt Insight Community Sign-Up. 

Not a bad way to end a Wednesday.

But there is one better way.

---

Visit DiversityJobs.com for information on Diversity in the workplace.

ERExpo Recap

We're back from the 2007 ERExpo in San Diego, slightly sunburned, well-rested (we stayed extra days in La Jolla), amazed, thrilled and disappointed.

First, let me just say congratulations to David Manaster, who pulled off a great event with world-class companies and excellent sessions.  I'm sure the behind the scenes is messy, but I didn't see any mistakes, and that has to be a good feeling for the largest ERExpo to date.  David told me over 600 paid registrants and a about a thousand people total (including vendors and speakers) attended.  David's wrap-up is on his blog.

Second, let me say thank you to my fellow panelists.  Heather Hamilton was knowledgeable and spoke about branding.  Dennis Smith spoke about industry recruiting, and Joe Grimm talked about the personal touch that blogging has brought him in the newspaper recruiting business.  Thank you to all three for agreeing to appear in public with me.

On a side note - in addition to being very funny, Joe Grimm is an extremely courteous man raised on Midwestern values.  Each time my wife came over to us, he would stand in introduction.  When was the last time you saw such respect?  Seriously, I spent a lot of time with Joe, and count him among new-found friends.

So what about the conference?  I'd say that there was a clear theme running through the conference attendees.  Change is in the Wind.

Get Paid To Blog For A Year

Hey all you bloggers who want to quit your jobs and just blog full time.  Here's your chance.

Link to Blog For A Year, nominate yourself, and get people to vote for you.  Sound simple?  It is.  All you have to do is beat out everyone else.

(and if you want your favorite blogger to go pro - you may have to hit the tip jar - so far they've only raised $1200 dollars.

CareerBuilder SuperBowl Ads?

CareerBuilder spent some good dough on the Superbowl, and followed it up with a PPC web campaign for those searching for the ads.

A link to the CareerBuilder Video Ads.

t's a clever campaign by CareerBuilder, and they make it easy to spread on the web. Search CareerBuilder Super Bowl Ads and you get PPC campaigns driving you to the careerbuilder site. Combine this with the success of Monk-Email and you have a clear winner in the funny category of themajor job board advertising wars.

Don't leave out Monster - yes, their foot in the door flash game was a clunker, but Monster's advertising campaign was about hope. The question is which is a more effective job board strategy - calling your current workmates monkeys and jungle savages, or suggesting that somewhere, the promise of a new job is just waiting for you to grasp.

Today we are talking about clever commercials - but in the future, my question is where will jobseekers go to find a job.  Which brand, if you will, is the one that makes you do more than sit in your chair and laugh?

The Promotion Pit Link Video.  (With embedding disabled?)

Blog Going to Be Down For Maintenance

I'm taking StlRecruiting off of it's parked status this weekend to add the subdomains for the free job postings.  I don't think that will affect anything, but if this is not up on Monday, rest assured it is temporary.

So no unsubscribing - I will be back - I promise. 
And if we are down a while, you can always read me at KCRecruiting, SeattleRecruiting, and Charlotte Recruiting. 

-Jim

Change in E-mail Address

I've been having some problems with my jim@recruiting.com e-mail address, so I've deleted it from my e-mail accounts and will work exclusively on the jdurbin address for durbinmedia.  If you currently send me mail at the recruiting.com address, please update your files.

This is purely an internal e-mail decision.

Off To The AACE Fall Conference

Franki and I are off to the Arkansas Association of Colleges and Employers Fall Conference 2006, where I will be keynoting a speech on MySpace, Facebook, and the rise of CGM in College Recruiting.

When I get back, I'll post portions of the speech as posts and white papers, but I doubt there will be any Joel Cheesman quality video - but there will be interviews with employers I'll report on.

Also - I just met a web designer who specializes in 3D animation who we're going to help as a study subject on how to get a job using a blog.

http://www.animatorkel.com

That was his url - but he's also a graphic web designer, looking for work in St Louis (he lives in Ballwin).  If you have open positions for him, shoot me an e-mail and we'll get you in touch.

There is no charge - this is to help Kel, and you and as a case study.

Durbin Media Group News

Just a couple of quick notes:

Franki was interviewed about business blogging for the St Louis Post-Dispatch, and we expect to see the article come out next week.  She's also been blogging up a storm at Brandstorming, our marketing blog.

I'm quoted in an article about corporate blogging in the Fall Issue of the Northeastern University Alumni magazine in an article written by Eileen McCluskey (a great researcher and freelance reporter).  Brian Toland, Anil Dash, and Heather Hamilton are also in the article (it's not up on line just yet).

This December, I'll be keynoting the AACE Fall 2006 Conference at Hendrix College in Conway, AR.  Marketing materials are coming up for this college recruiting conference, and my keynote will be on the use of MySpace and other online tools for Career Counselors and Corporate College Recruiters.  Steven Rothberg generously suggested me for that role.

In January, the local chapter of the Society for Information Management will have me in to speak on the role blogging can play in the corporate world.  SIM-STL is open only to Director Level and above, but is a great place to network for Senior Technology Executives.

And we're also launching three new local recruiting blogs, CharlotteRecruiting (live), SeattleRecruiting (live), and KCRecruiting (almost live).

For the local audience:  I'll be forwading information on different ways to use StlRecruiting to improve your web presence and hire more people.  If you're interested in having me come speak or consult with on a local recruiting strategy, please e-mail me at jdurbin@durbinmedia.com

9/11

The most striking thing for me about 9/11 is how normal our world has become in the last five years.

For most of us, those that have not lost someone in the initial attacks, the military response, or further attacks, the world has gone on - the stock market and economy recovered, the pop culture just as silly.

I fear our complacency.  It's easy to put our head in the sand and wish the bad guys away, or maybe we hope they are really just like us, and all they need is more attention from their mothers, or jobs, or whatever else we can dream up to justify their actions.

9/11.  It still brings up strong emotions for me.  I don't know if they will ever fade.  I don't know if I ever want them to.

-Jim Durbin

Hurricane Katrina Saved 50,000 Lives

As we approach the 1 year anniversary of Katrina, it's probably time that we took a look at what Paul from Wizbang has been saying all along - Katrina didn't flood New Orleans - the Army Corps of Engineers did.

This is not some crazy blog guy writing about conspiracy stories - Paul lived in New Orleans and has been tracking the story for the last year.  He walks you through the story beginning to end, provides links to the original sources, and remains calm in explaining the real story of Katrina.

What you think you know, and what happened, is just about the worst story you can imagine.

Katrina saved 50,000 lives.  Read it for yourself at Wizbang.  An important piece of blog journalism, better than anything you will read in any local or national paper you subscribe to.

Fact #1:  Katrina was a Category 1 Storm when it hit New Orleans.

The Real Story of Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Flood.

BlogSwap: The Recruiting Animal and Ben Stein

The following is a guest post from the Canadian Headhunter, part of the Recruiting.com BlogSwap

Ben Stein Slams Young Business Leaders

Ben Stein argues in The New York Times that the career-minded citizens of today don't hold a candle to the civic-minded businessmen of yesteryear. As proof, he runs through a list of successful men who signed up to fight in WW2.

But, note this: none of the people mentioned by Stein were career soldiers. They signed up when they were needed. And, the military doesn't need the common man now. The War on Terror is not the Second World War. Neither was Vietnam.

But, if the Western World once again requires the services of all fighting-aged men -- and women -- to thwart an imminent strategic threat, I think that we (or people younger than us) will answer the call just as our predecessors did before.

Here's a sample of what he says:

But what I did not know about John Weinberg was that even though he was rich and well connected, as a young man he joined the Marines to fight the Japanese in the Pacific, then fought again in Korea. That was Americaís ruling class then. The scions of the rich went off to fight.

My longtime pal and idol, Peter M. Flanigan ó a former high honcho of Dillon, Read; a high aide to my ex-boss, Richard M. Nixon; and heir to a large brewing fortune ó was once a naval aviator. My father left a comfortable job in Washington to join the Navy. The father of my pal Phil DeMuth left a successful career to be an Army Air Corps pilot, flying death-defying missions over Burma.

Congressmen resigned to serve. Senators resigned to serve. Professional athletes resigned to serve in the uniform. Now, who ís fighting for us in the fight of our lives?... Do the children of the powers on Wall Street resign to go off and fight... for the system that made them rich?... The other side considers it a privilege to fight and die for its beliefs.... On our side, it ís: Let the other poor sap do it. I've got to make money.... How can we fight this fight with the ruling class absent by its own sweet leave?

I'll admit that I don't think the Canadian public has much stomach for seeing Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan by suicide bombers. Pretty soon, they'll want us to pull out -- even though the soldiers themselves believe in what they are doing. But, at the same time, Ben doesn't mention the America First Committee.

Large numbers of Americans, including hero, Charles Lindbergh and future-president, Gerald Ford, wanted to keep the US out of the war. And, Gunther Plaut, who was a chaplain in the US Army during the war, wrote in his memoir that many soldiers did not know what they were fighting for even as they entered Germany.

I have a great and ever-growing appreciation for the sacrifices made by the Allied soldiers in the Second World War. But the Greatest Generation tag is often used as a stick to beat their descendants. And I don't think it's fair. Was 9/11 Pearl Harbour? Ben doesn't say but his entire argument rests upon it being so.

Author: The Canadian Headhunter, Recruiting Animal.com

St Louis Federal Reserve at It Again

Every six months or so, a story breaks out on the national wires that brings attention to the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis.

Every time, it's some big story, that ultimately has a better headline than any basis in fact.  Well, there's a new one. 

Laurence Kotlikoff has a new pdf out on the US going bankrupt if we don't raise taxes.

I found the story at Polipundit. It's in the Telegraph, and will hit the wires today or tomorrow with predictable results (mass panic in the streets).  Of course, it's not exactly a true government report. 

The Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis is a cagey PR veteran that likes to pitch these stories and get press from titles.  Due to their title, unsuspecting jounalists and bloggers now take them seriously, which is a shame because the writing of the reports is usually three parts hyperbole, and one part economic charts, all manipulated by newspapers looking to sell more newspapers  (The Telegrap article blames tax cuts as the first cause of the $69 trillion dollar shortfall). 

Previous stories have included:

1) Countries that Believe in Hell but don't go to Church are the most successful economically.
2) Cities that have a higher percentage of homosexuals are more successful economically than cities that are "less tolerant."
3) Buying ever person who uses the Metro a Toyota would be cheaper than running the Metro.

And now, the story is the US is going bankrupt.  The basis of this argument is a $69 trillion "gap" between promised benefits and tax revenues.  There are several problems with this.

1) The gap is is more than 30 times the current federal budget.
2) Projected numbers assume certain rates of growth, that spread over decades can differ by several orders of magnitude
3) The paper assumes our spineless politicians will print money.
4) The paper assumes the current Social Security and Medicare Crisis will be left "as is."

While the Baby Boomers are a big demographic, if they cause a doubling of taxes, the rest of us are numerous enough to kill the program.  I personally have no belief in getting Social Security, so I would vote in a heartbeat to kill the program and force Boommers to quit the easy life of cruises, casinos, and 2nd and third vacation homes.

But I have to give it to the Federal Reserve Bank.  They've come up with another story that brings them press.  I have a suggestion to help.  Let's top paying researches top dollar to create reports whose primary purpose is publicity.

Is the Indian Government Blocking Blogs?

Gautam alerts us to a possible problem - the information leaves room for doubt - but it could be that the Indian government is forcing ISP's to block blogspot, typepad and geocities domains because the bombing terrorists used blogs to communicate.

If it's true - it's got t be stopped - blocking blogs would be like blocking e-mail or the postal service, and the government heavy handedness squelches both the individual voice - and the people smart enough to root out the terrorist bloggers.

More complete info here.  the page is archived if needed.

More tomorrow as we get updates.  Thanks Gautam - we need some real pressure out there from all bloggers to stop this.

Going to Chicago

We're going to be in Downtown Chicago tomorrow - anyone have ideas for a hotel around $100 just for Thursday night?

Public Appearances

I've been scheduled in as the speaker for the Stl Web Developers User Group May 16th.
We'll be at CityPlace One at 7:00, 6:30 for networking to talk about employment blogging.

If you're a job-seeker looking to get noticed, a recruiter who wants to learn how to use blogs to find more candidates, or a business wanting to know how to brand yourself with blogs, it will be worth your time.

More later...

(and if you're a beginner blogger, Franki and I are going to start giving blogging advice every other Wednesday when the new Barnes & Noble location opens in Chesterfield.

And of course, if you're in Vegas next week for the Kennedy Expo, come to the panel on Why Your Company Should Have A Recruiting Blog.

United 93

Franki and I saw it last night.  It was powerful.  You should go see it.

Cryptic Messages

Have you ever read those posts that talk about something momentous happening in the life of a blogger, and they pass a message on with little information, but grandiose promises of something cool, interesting, and worth coming back to check in a few days or weeks when they finalize it?

Worse than a television cliffhanger, the promised event never seems to occur, or it's something about announcing a new partnership or accepting a new position with a new company.

Well, I have one of those announcements, but I'm not going to stoop to pretend that those who come by this site are interested in the vagaries of my life.

There might be some cool moments coming up though - and I certainly have more free time to work on blogging - so depending on whether you consider that a good or bad thing - make sure I have you as a LinkedIn contact in the very near future.  In fact, go do it now. 

Math is Hard

Companies will often use statistics to pitch their products.  The idea is that statistics somehow give a legitimacy to a product.  Statistics lie, when they are manipulated, but sometimes companies will put out numbers that make no sense.

eHarmony is a dating site that measures over 40 different aspects of your personality to match your compatibility with that of your partner.  It's a scientific match.

Driving home from Chicago with my wife, I heard a radio commercial for eHarmony.  The founder of eHarmony says that on average, they receive marriage notices from 10 couples a day.  Good for them.  I'm glad it works for them.  Currently, 5,000,000 people are in the eHarmony database.

10 couples a day times two people times 365 days a year is 7300 people.  Out of 5MM, it's a 1.4% success rate.  1.46% is the exact same rate as that of the general population.

Fast 50 Nomination: St Louis

I have a client, friend, and contributor to the site who has been nominated for Fast Company's Fast 50 awards.

Michael Chandler the Director of User Interface/Experience Design for Citigroup in St Louis is looking for your vote. Reasons to vote include; 1) St Louis,  2) Usability as a fast-growing discipline in St Louis, 3) Mike's a good guy who built a good team out in O'Fallon, 4) read the site to see what Mike has to say about design.

The following instructions will lead you to his nomination and allow you to vote if you're interested:

Step 1. Enter, or click directly on the following link to go to his individual nomination page - http://www.fastcompany.com/fast50_06/profile/?chandler189

Or... If you have problems with the direct link, go to

www.fastcompany.com

, click on the Fast 50 icon or choose Fast 50 from the menu, then click on Search under the 3rd step, type in Chandler on the Search by Last name category and click Submit. Finally, click on Michael Chandler.

Step 2. Read my nomination

Step 3. Score the nomination on a scale of 1 to 10. There are 10 radio buttons (circles), 1 to 10, with the last on the right being the best (or "fastest" according to their criteria).

Step 4. Provide your comments (if you would like)

Step 5. Enter your name, city, state, and country

Step 6. Click on Submit Your Ratings and Read Comments to complete the process I greatly appreciate your support and hope you will encourage others you know to participate as well! Please try to vote as soon as you can, as winners will be picked in January 2006.

Let's put Mike and St Louis on the map!

I'm a Geek, I can admit that now.

I can admit it.  I've had the discussion of what Superhero I'd be if I was Superhero.  When I was young and dark - I used to say Batman - the Dark Knight Batman, not the 60's camp Batman.

Now, as a mild-mannered husband - there's little doubt who I most resemble, in manner and appearance.

In Los Angeles, the woman who ran the convenience store at the bottom of the City of Hope building used to bring her friends over to see me.
"Clark Kent!" she would say.  I'd smile, nod my head at her and her friends, and head up into the sky.

Truthfully.  Of course, I did use the elevator, so make of it what you will.

Tanned, Rested, Ready

We're back - I'm gearing up for work - and yes, I'm married.

E-mails make you fat

So says this man, reading this article in the Guardian

"We're losing millions of hours of exercise through the explosion of email,' said Dr Dorian Dugmore, a health adviser to Sport England. 'People email colleagues who sit next to them, never mind those who work on the other side of the office. We have to change people's lazy attitudes.' Increasing activity levels by 10 per cent could save 6,000 lives and £500 million per year, as well as leading to one million fewer obese people in England, it is argued."

I personally can't wait until blackberries are put into our heads so we can work out while we search Instant Messenger for live Job Ads.

They even have a new name for using e-mail at work instead of, uh, working. "E-mail paralysis."

Ten to one the same bosses that claim e-mail paralysis is a  problem both read the term in their e-mail, and then forwarded it to everyone they know.

Serenity Now.

Bloggers can sign up for a free screening of Serenity in St Louis. 

Serenity is a scifi flick based on the popular but short-lived Fox show, Firefly.

Sign up if you're a blogger and do a movie review.

The weekend is over.

The weekend is over.
The sister is married.
The football team won.
And This Week at Recruiting.com  is completed and coming to your mailbox soon.

Sign up, won't you?
It's the only way to get current, up-to the week updates.  Plus you can win a $1000 dollars if you live in Texas and know a HR Director who wants to work for Samsung.

Hurricane Relief - Message for Recruiters

KATRINA – A Call to Action for Recruiters and Human Resources professionals

9/2/05

To my Linkedin contacts:

We have to act and do it now to help the people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Our jobs as professionals are to help people. Since many of the people I am able to contact can have great impact on their organizations, I am putting out this call for aid. With your help we can quickly raise over $1,000,000,000 (yes one billion dollars) and help people to find work to support their families.

We have so many large and successful firms in our great country that could easily write a check for $10 Million dollars. Every person in every Human Resources department in America needs to get up right now and walk into their CEO’s office and ask, “What are we doing to help?” The entire Fortune 500 for example can stand together and each donates $5 Million and we would have $2.5 Billion. It’s time to give something back.

As the people who support people for a living it is our duty to act quickly to help the people in the affected gulf coast areas. This natural disaster is way beyond what any of us could have ever imagined. This is a call to action, a grass roots effort to mobilize our industry to immediately begin funding raising efforts. President Bush just stated on national television to donate to the American Red Cross as our top priority.

Don’t just sit there. Do something! Be the person who helps put your company into action today. I have direct contact to over 50,000 Recruiters and Human Resources people that are going to see this message and together we can have a big impact.

Let’s get creative! I am putting together a staffing industry advisory board to work on this project. If you are interested in participating please contact me.

Please also help to spread the word by forwarding this message to your contact list, posting this on blogs, forums, etc.

Many thanks for your support in this effort. I am confident in you and your organizations and look forward to seeing what we can do to help the people who desperately need it.

Craig Silverman

Executive Vice President

HireAbility – The Recruiting Network

650-378-8592

csilverman@hireability.com

My LinkedIn Profile

StlMgmt Networking, August 26th.

The next meeting of the StlMgmt Networking group will be on Friday, August 26th at 7:00 a.m.
We have a speaker on the topic of employment litigation and personal liability. 

You should have received a notice.  E-mail me if you have not.

What's Going On?

Three announcements.
First:  I should have the dates and times for StlMgmt for August and September later this afternoon.  The Security discussion with Brian Pfeffer, cancelled because of the flu last month is reschedulled, and George Lenard of George's Employment Blawg will be giving a presentation on management liability in employment.  Check out George's weekly round-up.

Second:  This week should see the launch of THIS WEEK, the weekly summation of Recruiting.com blogposts presented in e-mail form.  Send me an e-mail to be added, and be sure to check out the Recruiting.com website.

Third:  My e-mail has officially been changed to Jim@recruiting.com.   

StlMgmt Networking

Next week’s STLMgmt meeting is going to be at 7:00 a.m.  It’s also on a Tuesday, and we have a Speaker:

__________the Senior Manager, Security Solutions for _____’s going to be giving us an overview of how upcoming security issues will affect companies and commerce in the years ahead. 

I need confirmation on everyone attending so we can prepare the presentation.  We should be done by 7:45 a.m., and ready for questions.

Information on Tuesday, July 19^th meeting

Solidarity

Donald Rumsfield:

“But if these terrorists thought they could intimidate the people of a great nation, they picked the wrong people and the wrong nation. For generations, tyrants, fascists, and terrorists have sought to carry out their violent designs upon the British people only to founder upon its unrelenting shores.

Before long, I suspect that those responsible for these acts will encounter British steel. Their kind of steel has an uncommon strength. It does not bend or break.”

Buying a Home

For those not in the know, my fiancee and I are purchasing a home this morning. Involved in that purchase has been enough shopping for other items to wear out even the veteran shopaholic. Many of you know that my pet peeve is customer service. Places I like, I visit frequently. Those that tick me off only get one chance, and , and often become my next overtold joke.

With that in mind, here are three rules when purchasing a new home.

1) Always ask salespeople to drop the price of their product. You'd be surprised how much leeway they have, even at corporate stores. You may or may not get a price discount, but you'll learn what makes the salesperson tick, and if you're willing to be flexible, what they're getting spiffed on that day.
2) Always deal with decision makers. When you're speaking to someone without authority, nothing they say matters. This sounds terrible, but if you expect a salesperson, or a subcontractor to have the authority to change your order, you're missing the boat. There is money involved in everything, and if you don't know who holds the purse strings, chances are you efforts to get something changed are going to be ineffectual.
3) Plan out your strategy ahead of time. You and your spouse are a terrific combination. One can play the tightwad and the other the picky one. This makes salespeople walk a tight line between money and quality, and often results in the best deal. Don't feel bad about playing games. If you're polite and respectful while remaining firm, decent people will respect what you're doing.

With that in mind, here are the Winners and Losers of our housebuying experience.