Cincy Recruiter's World

Can an Internal Coach or HR Pro Be Trusted With Your Secrets?

At The Conference Board's Executive Coaching Conference that I recently attended, we spent some time in one of the sessions discussing concerns with HR pros being designated or trained as internal coaches in organizations due to trust and credibility issues. (Note: attendees at the conference were primarily external coaches and OD professionals.)

Here's a tweet I sent out during the discussion:

I guess the discussion made me a bit #sad because as a former Human Resources pro myself, I felt like I was effective as an internal "coach". Whether working with an employee as part of their career development process or providing support to some making it through performance improvement plans, I worked hard to balance their need for confidentiality in the process with my responsibilities to the organization. I took pride in being someone that employees at all levels could talk to and one CEO even referred to me as his Consigliere - which considering some of the bullets I took for him, was kind of fitting.

But I do recall a conversation I had one day with an employee who was experiencing some issues at work. When I offered to listen and provide support, she said "Unfortunately, I can't talk to you about this. It's not that I don't trust you personally. It's the chair that you sit in. You have the authority to fire me. And I can't risk that."

After she left my office, I thought about what she'd said. I wanted to be offended. But I kinda understood where she was coming from. While it was frustrating that she wouldn't allow me to try to help out just because of my position in the organization, I also knew that sometimes it was part of my role to be involved in making decisions about her career. So sharing a weakness or performance problem with someone who has that type of influence could be perceived as a risk.

Fast forward to today, where I work with clients as an external Executive Coach... The feedback I've received from clients is that one of the most helpful aspects of the coaching process is the opportunity to speak confidentially with someone outside of the organization who can listen, support, challenge and guide them. I've listened as senior level clients have shared with me a variety of potentially career damaging things - being afraid of making decisions, that they're intimidated by a peer or they're unhappy in their jobs. We've been able to work through and resolve those issues, but I've often wondered if it would be a challenge for me as an internal coach to have access to that same information.

HR often seems to get thrown under the bus in regards to confidentiality and credibility issues (if you're the one causing that to happen, then please STOP), but I don't agree that credibility/trust of internal coaches is an "HR" issue. I think it's more about the perceived confidentiality that an external coach can provide - no matter how good an internal coach may be.

I think it's hard for employees not to feel at risk when sharing information with people in a position to influence their careers.

What do you think? Can HR pros serve as effective coaches inside their organizations? Do external coaches have an advantage over internals?

The conversation at the conference has caused me to wonder if maybe the employee who was preoccupied with where I parked my derriere each day was on to something...

2 Secrets of Successful "Social Recruiting" Explained

Every day, somewhere out there in our universe, many Recruiters are losing their way in regards to using social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for recruiting purposes. I see the complaints (often ironically aired via Twitter) that <insert favorite social network name> simply doesn't work for recruiting and is only a waste of time. These rants are typically followed by statements extolling the virtues of the telephone - and how "real" Recruiters know how to magically work this ancient device. And I sigh.

<Sigh>

And I continue to think that they're not willing to evolve and learn how to use these tools successfully. 

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Recently, I came across two great examples that explain how I believe Recruiters should approach social networks for recruiting purposes. The first is from Amber Naslund, who writes the consistently informative Altitude Branding blog. In her post - How I Made $100k With Twitter - Amber shares 8 steps she took to make money using Twitter to build relationships and market her services. Be sure to check out the full post here.

In the excerpt below, I've taken the liberty of inserting recruiting-related terms to illustrate how I think the method Amber outlined is exactly the way to approach using Twitter (and other social networks) for recruiting.

The magic in making money <recruiting> with social media isn’t that the site or social network becomes a revenue center <candidate database> itself. I didn’t sell stuff <"recruit"> on Twitter. I gave people access to me and my expertise, and paid attention to when the time might be right to talk business <about opportunities at my company>.

That’s the trick here, folks. Social media is rarely the cash register <candidate Fairy>. It’s communication tools that help form the foundation for healthy business relationships that might eventually lead to sales <successful placements> elsewhere. Whether you’re B2B or B2C.

Twitter was just the handshake that got the conversation started. It required an investment of time and effort for me to spend time there and converse without the intent to sell something <recruit anyone>, and lay the groundwork for trust and relationships. Much like having lunch or going to networking events. I spent time getting to know the people that might eventually be the decision maker for a project that I could be hired for <the potential clients or perfect candidates for positions I'm recruiting for>. And when they needed something like what I did, they often thought of me.

It’s that simple, and yet that complex.

Nailed it. To me, that's one of the simplest and best explanations that I've seen regarding how relationships are developed, business connections are made and successful recruiting is done via social media.

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Second, Andy Headworth of one of my favorite recruiting blogs - Sirona Says - interviewed Super Sourcer/Recruiting Trainer/Social Media Whiz Kid Jim Stroud at the recent TruLondon Unconference asking - "Where will social media recruitment be in 2 years?" Jim didn't disappoint, giving an interesting and insightful answer. (Email subscribers will need to click through to the blog to view the video)

Hint: It's not about being able to find more people folks.

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I think we've got to get more people thinking differently about how to use social networks for recruiting purposes. It's more about relationships and branding and less about having a large network or being able to find names.

What do you think? Do you think investing the time to build relationships and to establish a "personal brand" on social networks is required to successfully recruit? Or is the "old way" still the best way?

Executive Coaching: What Are Global Coaching Leaders Discussing?

Recently, at the invitation of The Conference Board *, I had the opportunity to attend their 2010 Executive Coaching Conference in New York City. As an Executive Coach, I was thrilled to be able to attend this event and learn from some leading coaches and global organizations about best practices and current trends. Today’s post is the first in a series where I’ll share some of my experiences, takeaways and observations from the conference. 

Below is an overview of my experience at the Executive Coaching Conference via take-aways and quotes from the speakers that I shared on Twitter using the hashtag #tcbcoaching. (Also included are some tweets from fellow conference blogger Barry Zweibel of GottaGettaCoach! Incorporated). During the conference, there were a number of great points made about internal & external coaches, measuring ROI of coaching and some interesting potential future applications were discussed (texting & Second Life). 

Please forgive the abbreviations and shortened words in some tweets due to the 140 character limit!

Conference Keynote (Marshall Goldsmith - Author & Executive Educator)

• Check out @coachgoldsmith's new book at www.MojotheBook.com - came out this past Tuesday.
• Tons of FREE resources for Coaches and Leaders at http://marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com
• Good job interview question @coachgoldsmith recommends: "Do you love what you do?
• Best coaching advice: Imagine you're dying & you have the ability to go back & talk to yourself. What advice would you have?

Peak Personal Performance Session

• 4 sources of energy - all critically important: Purpose (direction) Physical (quantity) Emotional (quality) Mental (focus)
• "Strategic disengagement" - new way to say "take some rest".
• There are 20,000 moments in every day where you can make a difference. Are you an Eeyore or a Tigger?
• Research shows that having an "attitude of gratitude" can add 5 years to your life.
• "The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions." Important to keep moving forward and stay sharp.
• Powerful things: 1) Craft a Purpose Statement 2) Get clear on Ur Top 5 Roles in Life 3) Define 100 Things U Want to Do in Life
• 80% of heart attack victims never change their behavior. 20% that do? They have someone who holds them accountable for change.
• It takes 21 days to establish a new habit. Invest extraordinary energy in it during that time & build in accountability.

Keynote: The Role of Virtual Coaching – Pros and Cons

• "No correlation between fees that are charged and the Quality of coaching you get"
• So true: "If you know where the conversation is going... It's not Coaching"
• "Really good coach helps redefine a clients goals" (via @ggci)
• "The more detail you put into a definition, the less meaningful it likely is" (via @ggci)
• Most coaches are under qualified - even those chosen by the executive (via @ggci)
• "To be an effective telephone-based coach, you need to first be a good in-person and via-email coach" (via @ggci)
• Case study done on an instance of Coaching by text. Hmmm... does it make me old-fashioned if I don't think that'll work?
• Levels of coaching - skills, performance, behavioral, transformational (via @ggci)
• Clutterbuck suggests not dismissing Second Life in terms of coaching either.
• A broad sense of purpose has a higher correlation to success than goals. Goals are an outcome of your Purpose.
• Important in Coach/Coachee relationship to have enough similarity to create rapport, but enough difference to create stretch

2009 Executive Coaching Practice Survey (results overview)

• Exec Coaching survey: In large orgs, most resp 4 coaching are managed centrally re: strategy. Local takes active role in matching
• Average length of coaching engagements (external coaches) - majority in 6 - 9 month range, very few lasting longer than 1 yr.
• Survey: Majority (50%) of large orgs work with external coaches who have 1 - 5 coaching engagements in their orgs per year.
• Survey: #1 reason for engaging an external coach - Development. 2nd 360 Debrief. 3rd Other assessment debrief. 4th Transition
• Survey: Majority of coaches (0ver 50%) are paid as services are rendered or monthly. Only 2.8% are paid at end of engagement.
• Survey: Internal coaching is on the rise and growing, but in its infancy. Internal coaches tend to be HR prof vs line leaders.
• Survey: Almost 80% of internal coaches spend less than 20% of their time on coaching activities.
• Discussion happening as to whether or not #HR is the right place for internal coaches due to trust/credibility issues. #sad
• "Line business leaders trained as coaches have double the credibility - because they know the business" #HRopportunity

How Coaching Is Being Used With High Potentials (Panel)

• Panelist: It's more important for external Coaches to focus on gaining experience & strong reputation vs specific certification.
• At Amex, coaching evolving into high-touch, targeted investment closely linked to business results. (via @ggci)
• At NY Life, coaching is about culture change, and creating ‘distributed’ and 'principles-based' leadership (via @ggci)
• At Microsoft, coaching program "allows emerging and experienced leaders to learn from each other." (via @ggci)
• At Microsoft, coaching dev plans include more observing/interacting w/senior leaders; building strong networks w/other hi-pos (via @ggci)
• At Amex, "coaching must leave a footprint in the organization that builds our internal capability" (via @ggci)

Identifying & Developing Coaching Competencies for Managers (Panel)

• Very cool job - panelist at #tcbcoaching = Coach at NASA. Challenge of getting highly technical folks to understand "art" of leadership

It’s a wrap!

• Finishing up at The Conference Board's Executive Coaching Conference #tcbcoaching. Top notch event with sharp speakers/attendees. Good info!

* Disclosure: By accepting TCB’s invitation to attend, I’m asked only to help them get the word out about their events and the programs that they offer to leading organizations and senior executives. I’m free to share my opinions (positive or negative) about my experience in attending and comment on the content shared by the speakers at the conference.

The Best Lists? The Ones You Make! (Top 25 Most Influential Online Recruiters)

Today, John Sumser and the good folks over at HR Examiner have unveiled their latest list of Online Influencers - the Top 25 Most Influential Online Recruiters - and apparently somebody left the back door open, because yours truly somehow managed to sneak in!

<insert massively awkward happy dance>

Hey I know it's just another list, and there are always more people left off of any list that should be on it than there are actually on it (and I can think of several folks I would say are missing from this one) - but like any awards show nominee will tell you, it's still nice to be included.

The HR Examiner uses an online reputation discovery tool - Traackr - to measure reach, relevance and resonance in the online world in an effort to keep their lists objective and this one follows the announcement of the Top 25 HR Digital Influencers 2009 released this past December. 

I'm honored to be included on any list along with the likes of Sumser, Steckerl and Sullivan - widely recognized recruiting thought leaders and influencers that I've followed and learned from for many years.

Thank you very much HR Examiner and a huge congratulations to everyone that is mentioned!

Passion - It's Not a Dirty Word in HR

Today's guest post is from my good friend and mentor Steve Browne, who is Executive Director of Human Resources at LaRosa's, Inc. - a regional Pizzeria restaurant chain employing over 1,400 Team Members. Being passionate about HR is a subject that Steve is uniquely qualified to talk about - because that's how he's consistently described by others. (For example, the words passion, enthusiasm and energy are used 19 times to describe him in his LinkedIn recommendations!) Learn more about Steve at the bottom of this awesome post.

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In the wild world of HR, I come across many HR people who either hate the profession or feel that everyone hates them. There are blog posts about the death of HR.  Magazines love to fill themselves with how the profession is failing.

HR is tough. It is. That’s because we have to deal with people and people are tough. However, that's also the BEST reason to be in HR! Seriously. The main reason I went into HR was to mess with people. Trust me. It’s allowed.

When it comes to “passion”, some people tend to think that it's not appropriate in the work environment. Unfortunately, because many people aren’t passionate at work, they often feel disillusioned and are thinking about how to leave their employer more than they're seeking how to drive performance. The reason the TV shows “The Office” and “30 Rock” are so popular is because people know folks that work beside them who are reflected in the characters of the shows.

People who love what they do scare us too! Really. People who are passionate are often under suspicion of not being genuine or just a cheerleader who doesn’t have a clue. That’s sad. We’ve come to a point in work environments where drudgery is often preferred to enjoying what you do! Think about that.

HR, more often than not, is the catalyst of this drudgery because they don’t see the ability, or avenue, to be passionate at work. This needs to change! HR professionals have to ask themselves – "If this is so bad, then why am I doing it"?

HR people who aren’t passionate should get out of HR. Sounds harsh – but it would be better for you and the profession if you went into a field you were passionate about.

So can you be passionate about HR these days ? The answer is a resounding YES! Here’s how:

1)       JUMP IN OVER YOUR HEAD

Get away from your desk and into your people. Your desk doesn’t miss you as much as you think it does. Your people do. Too often HR’s answer to people is - “I’ll get back to you” - when we never intend to do it. Stop this! Get in front of your employees and let them know that they do exist, they're valuable and that you (and the company) appreciate what they do.

2)        BE CONSISTENT

Get out of the fairness and compliance mode. Compliance is the law. We can’t change laws, so quit trying to. Be consistent with how you handle situations and understand that the majority of what we do is gray and not black and white. Consistency is essential and people will see how “fair” you really are when you're consistent.

3)        BE GENUINE

Who likes fake people? Anyone? You can’t teach this. You either are genuine or you aren’t. And your employees know it right away.

If you knew me and saw my office, you’d hear my iPod blaring and see my lava lamp bubbling next to my Magic 8 Ball and the sword on my wall. I also just got a bobble head made of myself! (a gift from a vendor) I only wish it was a tie dye shirt versus a blue oxford!

I'm passionate about everything I do. Honestly. More often than not people respond to this positively and most of them say that HR at our company is better because this is the tone that HR sets: "Love what we do and what you do!"

So, give it a try. Passion is awesome! Passion is critical! And - HR MUST be passionate!!

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Steve Browne, SPHR is an HR pro who is passionate about connecting people. He runs an internet message board (the HR Net) - with over 5,500 global subscribers - and enthusiastically facilitates monthly HR Roundtable meetings in Cincinnati (recently highlighted here and here on Rehaul by Lance Haun). Steve actively serves on the Ohio HR Conference Committee and is a popular speaker at HR Conferences (next here), HR Associations and business/community groups. His HR street cred includes serving as a past President of the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association and being named HR Professional of the Year in Greater Cincinnati. Catch his recent guest post for the "HR in the Trenches" series on HR Fishbowl if you haven't already.

Want to be a part of the HR Net? Let Steve know! Follow him on Twitter at @sbrownehr.

Personal Branding and Women Leaders

Today, I had the privilege of speaking about Personal Branding to the 50+ participants in the 2009/2010 class of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber's Leadership Development Program for Women - - WE Lead. It was an honor to be able to spend some time with some of Cincinnati's leading women and to talk with them about the importance of having a "personal brand" to better manage their careers and attract business opportunities. 

During the presentation, I shared how my own personal brand has evolved over the last few years and is currently "under construction" (see my last post) as I prepare to take this itty bitty world by storm in 2010. Stay tuned...

An embed of the presentation is included below (email subscribers click through to view):

Your Personal Brand

View more presentations from Jennifer McClure.

Resources shared with participants:

10 Steps to Uncovering and Building Your Authentic Personal Brand by Meg Guiseppi

Books:

* Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand by William Arruda & Kirsten Dixon

    - Free downloadable workbook

    - 360°Reach™ - Personal Brand Assessment (with book purchase)

* Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton

    - Take Gallup’s StrengthsFinder.com profile online (with code from book purchase)

e-Book:

* Free e-book on Personal Branding by Chris Brogan

Assessments:

* What’s The Value of your Personal Brand Quiz

* Online Identity Calculator

Recommended Blogs:

* Personal Branding Blog

* Executive Career Brand

Google Alerts:

* http://www.google.com/alerts

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Personal Branding was all the rage a couple of years ago, but the hoopla seems to have faded a bit recently.

While it may be called something different in the future, I think it will always be important to define who you are, what you do, who you do it for and the value you offer. Doing so helps you to focus your efforts and target opportunities and also allows you to engage your network to assist you in getting what you want.

What do you think about having a Personal Brand? Is it still necessary? Or is the concept so 2000 and late?

Can Your Awesomeness Be Contained To 7 Words?

Recently in the LinkedIn Group that I founded and manage - LinkedCincinnati - a member posted an interesting Discussion topic that sparked over 175 comments - by far the most active Discussion in our Group since it's inception in October 2007.

It was a simple request:

Describe what you do in exactly 7 words.

It was interesting to see all of the responses to the question over a few weeks and through them I learned about/became interested in several people I wasn't familiar with who conveyed their personal or business brand in a concise and meaningful way. Others paid no attention to the 7 word limit and rambled on as they likely would in person (rule-breakers). A few used less that 7 words (show offs/rule-breakers) and at least one person answered the question several times with a different 7 word response each time (confused?).

Whether you're a seasoned/employed professional, a business owner, a person in career transition or a recent college grad, it's important to have a descriptive and succinct response to the inevitable question you'll encounter when meeting someone for the first time - "What do you do?". 

And while it's not typically required to limit yourself to 7 words, I think this is a good exercise that I've been giving some thought to myself - but it's not easy, so I'm still working on it.

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So - can you describe what you do in exactly 7 words?

Give it a shot in the comments and from those who participate, I'll pick a winner of a $25 Starbucks gift card using Random.org.

And if you win and you're like me and don't drink coffee, you can spend your winnings on their lovely selection of bottled water. Which leads me to the perfect 7 word description for myself...

World's only human who doesn't drink coffee.

| seven | uploaded by arquera

Unsolicited Emails: I See Spam - Some See Bacon

As I'm sure you do, I get tons of email - much of which is spam or unsolicited - but I've come to accept that as something that goes with the territory of having a pretty public presence on the internet. So I spend a portion of each day eliminating the junk. Unsubscribe. Block. Delete. You know the drill.

I rarely give these unsolicited emails much attention after the first sentence or two, but recently, one pulled me in - at least long enough to annoy me more than usual. I've included it below for your reading enjoyment:

Dear Jennifer,

The title "HEADHUNTER" is often gratuitously adopted by some within the employment industry.
 
To be blunt, I'm reaching out to you for one of two potential purposes while illustrating an important differentiation within the recruitment industry.
 
1.  To solicit you for search assignment business.
2.  To inquire with you about your current personal career status as a potential candidate for future search assignments.
 
Many that understand the real intended meaning of the word "headhunter" don't view it as a slur. In fact, recruiters like myself view this title as a "badge of honor" because it suggests that real search is done by the recruitment practitioner.
 
Many in the employment industry adopt the title headhunter when in reality they are in fact just "Head-farmers". "Head-farmers" don't do active research and/or cold calling to accomplish their mission. Head-farmers primarily use advertisements to attract candidates and in essence operate as advertising campaign managers. In fact and ironically, the seemingly benign usage of the word "agency" can be more offensive to a true headhunter.

What's the point?
 
Sometimes the best candidate isn't "looking" and they must be HUNTED! Sometimes there's a need for a "silent search" where discretion is paramount and advertising can't be done. 

We certainly would like to be of service.  While we are somewhat flexible in the assignments we will take on, we focus primarily on the IT professional services, IT consulting, management consulting, ERP software, specialty applications software and IT solutions marketplace.

Generally, our assignments have packaged compensation programs ranging from $150K to $1MM. We are usually looking for the consulting director, executive deal maker, subject matter expert or sales professional. Often our assignments require candidates with specialty vertical market expertise.  Depending on the assignment, we will work upon either a contingency or a retained basis. 
 
I welcome your inquiry and would be very interested in elaborating on our capabilities at your convenience.

Best regards,

President you’ve never met from Unknown Recruiting Firm

Here's What Annoys Me About This Email

It's impersonal and not at all targeted. Even though it was addressed directly to me, there's no mention of how this person got my name or why they thought I might be interested in receiving it. They also didn't take the time to do any research on who I am - a Recruiter (not a potential client) who has never once been confused for an IT professional (their stated focus).

Lots of words - but none of them about results. All the smack talk about being a Headhunter? Whatever Dude. Clients don't care what we call ourselves. They DO care about results. How about listing successful placements made in recent months, touting your candidate to placement ratio or mentioning the percentage of clients who do repeat business with you? Now THAT would potentially be interesting.  

What Do You Think? Does This Approach Ever Work?

Maybe there's some business development magic in this formula I'm missing that only the "true headhunters" mentioned in this email know.

If so, I'm open to being educated - and I do like Bacon - so please school me with your thoughts.

Spam with Bacon uploaded by srqpix

Wanted: A Positive Onboarding Experience

Earlier this week, Michael VanDervort shared a post on his blog The Human RaceHorses about his first day on the job in HR. It’s a great read and made me think about my own “first day” experiences. Unfortunately, I’m long overdue for a good one.  

Job 1

My first job post graduation was at Margaret’s Employment Service. I responded to a “Help Wanted” sign in Margaret's front yard and when I met her - a recruiter for 30+ years - she put down her phone only long enough to say “You’re hired”. I was provided a desk, chair, phone and the Yellow Pages and my training consisted of “Make calls”. So I smiled and dialed. Within a couple of weeks, someone actually talked to me at a bank that was hiring and I scheduled an interview. For me. I don’t think Margaret noticed when I left.

Job 2

My new job was an Internal Auditor position – a job typically filled by Finance grads and MBA’s. Clearly, someone wasn’t paying attention in the interview process. (Me.) My first day involved showing up in the wee hours of the morning to drive to a branch office where, like Ninja, our secret arrival was timed with the opening of the doors. Once inside, the auditors scurried off immediately to capitalize on the element of surprise. I was instructed to count and balance the cash drawers of the Tellers. And I had no idea how to do that. Left alone to count more money than I’d ever seen in my life, it wasn't pretty. One. Two. Three…

Job 3

After 18 months of terrorizing bank employees, I networked my way into an HR Manager position in a small company. On my first day, I entered the Plant Manager’s office full of youthful hope and exuberance. He looked at me and said: “I don’t know anything about HR. Don’t expect me to help you. There’s some books in your office.” And he went back to smoking his cigarette. So I found my office and started looking at books. I was a little less hopeful, but thrilled to finally be working in HR. Even if no one else cared.

Job 4

A few years and a relocation later, I took an HR role with a new start up that was part of a bigger company. On my first day, I showed up at the main office as instructed, but since I’d been hired for the new company (still being built) and I wouldn’t be located there, there was no place for me. My boss suggested I find an empty desk and make plans for recruiting and training the new employees that would be needed. I worked on that project (making plans) for the next 5 months at random locations before the new building was finished. During that time, I worked in a crowded office, but wasn’t really part of a team - because there wasn’t one for me yet. As a result, I attended lots of meetings with myself. They were very efficient.

Job 5

Eventually, I was recruited to a position at a company with a new CEO who’d been brought in for a turnaround and wasn’t seeing eye to eye with the VP of HR. It was a confidential search, so once the current VP was notified of his unplanned departure, the CEO and I were supposed to meet with him the following weekend while the offices were closed so he could pass the torch and provide me with the keys to the kingdom. Except the CEO forgot to show up that Sunday so it was just the two of us. Awkward. The next day I met with the HR team that had just been informed of my arrival the Friday before. They told me that because of the changes that had taken place and the way things were handled, they felt like outcasts. And I knew how they felt because I'd been there before. Thankfully, we were able to fix that. 

So Why The Big FAIL When It Comes to Onboarding?

All of the companies that I worked for were great places to work (except maybe Margaret's) and they were filled with smart and capable people. A couple of my bosses were even amazing and inspiring Leaders to work for who really challenged me and helped me to grow. But all of the companies I've worked for - both the small ones and those in the Fortune 500 - failed me as a new hire on my first day because they didn't plan effectively for my arrival or take the time to make me feel welcomed. 

Research shows that 90% of companies believe that employees make their decision to stay at a company within the first six months, but many of us have experienced an onboarding process that started our career with the company off on the wrong foot. Things that make you go hmmm...

Do you have an awful new hire experience similar to or worse than mine? What was your worst (or best) first day/week on the job like?

I showed you mine. Now you show me yours. Tell me about it.

Don't Call It a Comeback...

"Don't call it a comeback / I've been here for years"

Sorta. 

Many of you probably recognize the first line as coming from rapper LL Cool J's 1991 hit song Mama Said Knock You Out.

Those of you that are readers of this blog may also recognize the second line as coming from - well, me.

You know. The Random Blogger.

Oh, I've got reasons. Lots of reasons. All of which are poor. I overthink potential blog posts: "it's too personal", "it's off-topic", "it's been too long since the news broke", "Kris Dunn / Laurie Ruettimann / Lance Haun beat me too it" - or, my personal favorite - "I haven't posted in a while, so I need to write something really good first, before I post something like this".

Whatever. Bad blogger.

The reality is, blogging is one of the best things I've ever done in terms of building some great relationships, learning, my professional growth and developing business opportunities. So every day missed is a missed opportunity. Seriously.

And I don't want to miss anymore opportunities.

So I'm going to post more often. Not just for the sake of posting, but I'll be scheduling time for writing as part of my job and not treating it like a hobby. Sometimes posts may be short and to the point (the ultimate goal). Sometimes I'll share something I found elsewhere that I'd like to pass along that you may or may not have seen. I'll also continue to write about my experiences - both what I've learned and what I'm learning - and I'll share my opinions on stuff that's going on in the worlds of recruiting, HR, leadership development, career management and social media.

2010's going to be an interesting year for me - and also for many of you! Some new focus and re-branding is in order here in my world (too bad RandomBlogger.com and BadBlogger.com are already taken) and you'll want to stick around for that journey.

Please know that I really appreciate each and every opportunity to connect with you here. Make sure you're a subscriber - either via RSS or by email - and contribute to the conversation by commenting on posts that spark a thought or reaction. I don't have all the answers and sometimes (gasp), I'm even wrong. I just can't recall the last time either of those two things happened...

I'll take the liberty of borrowing just a little bit more from LLCJ. Here's what's ahead in 2010:

"I'm gonna take this itty bitty world by storm / And I'm just gettin' warm..."