Job Hacking

Have a great Independence Day!

Independence Day is a national holiday that strongly resonates with me.

It's such a great story, an amazing piece of history. The men & women who gave birth to this country are owed a great debt by all who live in the U.S. today.

The thing I wonder about is the passion with which these people pursued the creation of the nation. Or, more accurately, I wonder who has this sense of future for their progeny, this level of passion for their life's work?

This level of passion is so very compelling. It's instantly recognizable. It attracts talented people like flies.

Bring it to your next interview.

re: "Top Down" or "Bottom's Up"

Hillel at Jackson Street Fish Market has an interesting post, "Are you a “Top Down” or “Bottoms Up” kind of person?"

It's a good read, and shares some points with Tom Peter's posts on the topic of who the most important people are for your business: The Employees.

That said, have you been in Whole Foods lately? Have you watched their staff? Now, maybe it's just the team at the Bellevue, WA store, but I see far too much lack of attention to the customer, and way too much talking amongst the staff about non-work stuff.

I'm sure there's a balance to be struck between these two methods, as one can be too extreme in either case. Plus, there are a fair number of studies that articulate which leadership styles work in various environments. And, not every leader (or follower) can easily switch gears between these styles. So, this 'choice' is not so clear-cut as one would think.

Food for thought, nonetheless. Especially when you're considering building a team, or joining a team!

LinkedIn Contact Settings

I have a buddy, we'll call him Mr. Pink.

Mr. Pink is a very experienced, very talented, and very technical software network type. Has very rare skills.

He was solicited the other day for a role via linkedin. He was a bit taken aback since his contact settings specifically state that he is not interested in career offers. I can guarantee that the recruiter who contacted him will not be the one Mr. Pink uses in the future for having violated his stated contact preference.

As I noted yesterday, everyone is interested in a new role, given the right offer.

Here's what I wonder. What if, instead of a binary state for this setting, linkedin provided a set of elements that one could fill in that would identify what you're looking for in your next role? Wouldn't this be super  helpful to all concerned?

Here's what I'd want to see in the 'my ideal next job' section: Salary, Title, Location, and a short description of what you're doing.

What if you simply stated this in your Summary section on linkedin?

Recruiting Truth

Everyone is a candidate, all the time.

The only question is what are the parameters that would be attractive to you in your next job.

If you are a software engineering-type in the U.S., and you're reasonably good at what you do, you should assume from here on out you will be regularly contacted by recruiters. Instead of saying 'no, not interested', say "yes, and here are the top 3 or 5 key items that would make me consider looking at a new role".

One of those items should definitely be salary (then title, work content, product, team, etc). For those of you happy in your role, there should be a premium to get you to move. Make sure it's well above market. Remember, you're good, and you're happy where you are. There is always risk in moving to a new role!

Put it this way, it's much easier to say 'no' with a big price tag, plus you might be surprised at what you find out regarding a new opportunity.

How do you make a recruiter's job more difficult?

I just got through chatting w/a colleague of mine from way back who has just accepted a role at a new company. Very exciting time for him.

One of the things he said to me was, "You know, if my current company just paid me 20% more, there was no way I would even consider a recruiter's introduction. But now, after I've accepted this offer, if they came back w/a 20% bump in my salary, I wouldn't even consider it."

This person has a very unique and specialized role, and the career path is atypical for most Internet-focused firms. Further, he has been with this firm for some time, certainly long enough to know the ropes, and how to get things done there. And, with a few more coins, they could have kept him. Now, they're going to have to find a new employee to join the firm, who knows how much in recruiting fees, effort, lost time, etc., and get someone who may or may not work out.

Honestly, the firm's got a good 6 month search ahead of them before they get to a replacement. Someone was asleep at the switch.

If you have employees in your company or on your team that have a high replacement cost, you should be thinking hard about how to protect them from other companies looking to head-hunt them.

How?

Make them feel wanted and loved. And, in the context of the larger U.S. economy, coupled w/the FUD from our news sources, secure helps, too. How about a one-time bonus for a job well-done? Or, telling them that they did a good job? Or, giving them a gift-card to their favorite coffee shop. ANYTHING to make them feel recognized and wanted.

Next time, they might not answer that email of vm from me!

Adding to the recruiting blog role

I've been waiting patiently for this moment to arrive, and I'm pleased to announce that my two recruiting partners, Gina Peckman and Chris Englin have started their blog, Seattle Executive Recruiting.

Pretty exciting stuff!

Gina and Chris are VERY experienced recruiters, and they are danged good at what they do. I will not mention anything about how long they've been at this, but suffice it to say they are highly experienced. And effective.

Looking forward to see their posts - should be more than a few gems in there!

"Oh, I'm such a big fan of yours..."

Over the course of my career, and more so now that I'm a third-party recruiter, I've had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of really amazing people. Even a few who are famous or well-known in their sphere of work.

Thing is, if you're a Software Dev candidate (I'm including test and systems in this), sooner or later you're going to run into someone who is well-known in your world, or who you've read, or who created something amazing. And, since you're a human, there's some chance that your behavior will devolve to that of fan-boy or fan-girl. The important thing to remember is that this person across the table from you is a human, too. And though they are well-known, they still face-down the same problems you do: What do I wear today, why can't I lose that fat around my belly, I need to fire my cleaner, my car needs an oil change, jr is spending too much time in front of the Xbox this summer, etc., etc.

Pamela Slim has a great post today on fan behavior, and how to identify it in yourself. It's a great read if you're out doing interviews, just so you have a measure to check against.

Oh, and for you hiring managers out there, remember this applies to you, too. You know, when you meet Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki, Elon Musk, Burt Rutan, Brad Silverberg, Linus Torvalds, Fred Brooks, Patrick Naughton, Bill Joy, Patrick Naughton, Marc Andreeson, David Heinemeier Hansson, etc, etc.

How do you know when you've succeeded?

Seth has another rant about customer service today. I love his rants about Customer Service - they are always so spot-on!

A long time ago, in galaxy far away, I ran Customer Service and Technical Support teams. I've been on the opposite side of his frustration, creating the process that should solve customer problems.

The thing that's interesting about Seth's post is that the intense focus on certain metrics in Customer Care end up creating something that actually hinders the Customer Care process, and indeed, actually harms an organization's reputation. This has come about because it's much, much easier to measure costs than it is potential future revenue.

What does this have to do with recruiting you ask?

Simple. What are your measurements for recruiting success? Just because you can measure something doesn't make it meaningful to your business.

How do you know when you've found it?

Let's say you're a hiring manager, and you've figured you need to add a new member to your staff. Let's also say that you're pretty savvy on the recruitment process, you've done your research and you know what this person will do (you even wrote up MBOs), and you have a spiffy, new job description. You KNOW what you want.

Flip this around.

Now, let's say you're in job-hunt mode. Yesterday, you came to the conclusion that you've had enough, or that you want to do something new, or a combination of the two. Have you written up what you want to do next?

Most candidates don't take the time to do the write-up. If you don't know what you want to do next, how do you know which job offer to accept?

re: The deluge strategy

"Deluge strategy"

"Shotgunning my resume"

"Applying for everything in sight"

Candidates, particularly if they are getting desperate for a new role, sometimes resort to a mass communication strategy.

Does it work? Sometimes.

But consider all the outcomes:

• You send out a lot of resumes, which requires a lot of time and effort on your part.
• You see a few responses, and fewer interviews.
• You get depressed.
• You repeat the cycle.

See where this leads?

A better strategy is to be targeted in your search. There are two good ways to spend/invest your time:

1. Re-energize your network. There's nothing quite so satisfying as inviting at least one (or two or three or ...) former colleague to coffee or lunch per week. Yes, they actually do want to see you again and catch up!
   
2. Respond only to those roles that are a close match to what you want to be doing next, or for those roles which have responsibilities that you are passionate about.