Something To Think About....: April 2011

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Trust

One word, Five letters, Able to do a lot of good or create a lot of damage. Something usually given too early and withdrawn too late.It’s hard to give at first, and real scary to receive. My question today: When do you know the time is right to “use” Trust ? This is open-ended as it could pertain to people, to jobs, to life-situations; basically to anything or anyone you feel will help you accomplish your end-goal in life.

Sure I understand that we must have enough respect for ourselves that any decision we make in regards to other people or projects will at least be thought through before beginning, and we are not signing any “big-money” deals without checking with those closest to us. Who do we know “they” are, and how do we know “they” actually have our best interest at heart.

We have to realize that in life, everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE has an agenda, and guess what: Your thoughts, feelings, concerns or well-being aren’t necessarily at the top of their list. The sooner you realize that two letters are all that is important to the other party (the first letter is “M”…you guess the other), the sooner we can bring some clarity to our life. As a judge of character, by nature, We Suck! Too often do we move ahead before we know the destination, too soon do we trust when we don’t know the motivation and too soon do we care when all the information is not forth-coming.

Recently, I have had cause to pause and (metaphorically) bang my head against the wall (anyone who knows of me will see the irony) all in the hope of making sense out of, not one, but two (2) crummy situations, Neither of which were of my creation, other than I proceeded on a path that wasn’t “fully paved”. The moment the rough patch was hit, those I was counting on had left for greener pastures. C’est La Vie… or something like that. I will survive and be stronger with the knowledge that I have to get up each and every time I am knocked down, and take the bad with the good. Hopefully next time, I will have the sense to see the forest, and look through the undergrowth before proceeding…..Who am I kidding, I’ll just dive in head-first like I always do, and pay the price with a splitting headache when it is all over.

Those who know me, know I wouldn’t do anything different, I’m just that type of guy.

If you think you see yourself in the above piece, think long and think hard before you firmly commit to something that the other party has no real intention of following through on. This has nothing to do with Sales, or with Recruiting or Sourcing; just a life lesson and….

…Something to Think About

Trust

Those who know me, know I wouldn’t do anything different, I’m just that type of guy.

…Something to Think About

Daniel J. Smith
Community Manager/ Sourcers’ Apprentice

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Monday, April 25, 2011

When in Doubt...Just be Yourself!!!

In this day and age where every little look means something, and every little phrase or #tweet means something else, where do we draw the line? At work, we are expected to achieve certain goals and carry a certain aura around us, In our personal life we spend an equal amount of time (or more) trying to distance ourselves from our work persona to lead a relatively happy home life. My question is this….What would happen if we just chose to put forth one (1) image and let the chips fall where they may?

Would it really be that bad to have some of the home-life drift into business? This may allow you to see obstacles in a new light, thereby allowing you to come to an answer in less time and with better-than-expected results. How bad would it really be if a little of the home-body or family-(wo)man to drift into the work arena and possibly keep the peace in a tense situation, or again set an alternative view to a pressing problem.

It doesn’t matter what you do, at some point that line has either become or will soon become blurred, your “secret” identity will become public and you will be outed as the super person you always knew you were. Why keep the good traits secret, or only bring them out on special occasions? You don’t (traditionally) keep secrets at home or with your inner-circle; so why not just take the bull by the horns and expand that horizon and allow everyone to see all facets of you.

Someone said to me recently, “Think of your life as a triangle, with you as the base and home and work at the sides. Do you not think that at some point home will blur into work and work into home?” If you think about it, it is rather inevitable and you will have to confront the obvious….No matter how hard you try, you are only one person and you can only please so many people in one day, why not start with yourself? Best laid plans occasionally do come to fruition and bear the mighty fruit that comes with success as surely as you can shoot yourself in the foot as you attempt to sell a new client on your product, thus losing the account. If we present one persona, one visible identity, then there would only be one person disappointed with the results… You!

Please yourself and by default you can have both a happy home life and a successful career.

Daniel J. Smith
Community Manager

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When in Doubt....Just be yourself!!!

Please yourself and by default you can have both a happy home life and a successful career.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Recruiting and the Upcoming Election… « Something To Think About…..

Canada is about to have yet another election on May 2,2011, Many people have varying degrees of opinion over the value of an election, from saying that there is merit in “shaking up” the status quo, to relegating it to a popularity contest where the winner was never in doubt, as the candidate got their name out just one more time than their opponent. And it seems invariably that after the election takes place, there are nay-sayers about the process, and that they were right in not voting, as “their vote doesn’t matter”
That is all well and good; and being a democratic society we all have the right to that opinion. I am of the mind that “Change happens when Change Happens” or the ripple in the stream effect: Change can happen, just not overnight, and you have to be prepared for the long haul. Great opinion, but what does that have to do with recruiting. Those who don’t take the time or do the research really don’t have anything to complain about if the election doesn’t play out just like they want, the same is said for the job-seeker who doesn’t do his/her homework
There are two parties involved in any recruiting contract: you have the Recruiter; and you have the Job-seeker. How the two came into this situation probably had to do with an opening at an expanding organization. The recruiter heard about it and went about finding the candidates required. Our job-seeker may not have actively been searching when (s)he was contacted; but was curious about a “better offer” and opportunity than they currently have. Dollar signs and thoughts of a better life and promotions fill their mind. Possibly they were bored with the current challenge, or feel that they were not appreciated enough to continue down the present career path, and opt for the new opportunity. This brings us to the election scenario. On the ballot there are a number of options, the candidates in your home area. You get to pick one and if enough of their friends get the vote; then you have a new government. If you haven’t done the homework, or the research, there is a possibility your vote may go to the wrong party.
In a job-search situation, the recruiter has an opportunity. Whether it is right for the individual, that remains to be seen. How many people actually map out a career anyway? More times than not, if an opportunity sounds solid, we pursue it. And when it goes “south” who do we blame: Everybody who had a hand in “the hire” except for ourselves.
I guess what I am trying to say in a long-winded way, is you have to take responsibilities for your decisions, and stand by them. A recruiter will present an opportunity, not break your arm if you choose not to proceed. You have to step up and follow through, however next time (and there will be one) you have to remember to do your homework first. This way you know what you will receive, and the surprises will be less.
That is a Radical idea….and Something to Think About….
©2011 thedanieljsmith

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sourcer or Recruiter.What Am I?

This week I took part in a #Radchat on Recruiting and some of the issues in the profession moving forward. There was alot of talk about mystique, “magic”, Smoke and Mirrors, and how its an issue to find the line where Sourcing stops and Recruiting begins. Now I know I’m still fairly new in this circle, and I will be the first to admit I don’t have the answers, but I do have some sure-fire ways to get them and be successful.

1. Ask Questions and lots of them, you will never know the answer unless you ask the question. There are a lot of people in the field and on the internet who are more than willing to share their experience and knowledge with you. I know this, because in my professional circle I look towards experience and willingness to share over “Look here, and here, and maybe there…and you will find what you need”. This is not to say I am opposed to research, but being able to repeat back what I have learned helps it sink in just that much better.

2. Find a Mentor. If Human Resources, Sourcing and Recruiting is the field you wish to pursue: Congratulations and give it your best effort. Realize up front that you will need an education, so you may wish to find someone who has put their time in and are willing to give back to this community. These people again, aren’t that hard to find if you do some research. Check out the professional web-sites, the blogs and other like areas where the experts hang out. When you ask for help, Show that potential mentor that you are serious about your goals and you do need their help. In the beginning, this may mean interning for little or no money, but once you have established yourself and your professional reputation, that internship could make all the difference in your career.

3. Clarify the answer. Yes, this does kind of go with point 1. however it can’t be said too many times, REPEAT BACK to your mentor what you have heard, making sure you actually understand what was said and that you see the reasoning behind the method.

4. Be willing to make mistakes. In the beginning you may find yourself in over your head, with tasks and requests piling up making you feel like you are drowning; Wait it out and stick with it. I haven’t met any skilled sourcing or recruiting professional who won’t admit to making a few mistakes, or admitting that there was more than one occasion where they were in over their head. It’s natural and it’s normal- believe it or not these people are human too, just like you and I.

5. Your word must become your bond. As you move forward and become more seasoned in the industry, your word is going to count for alot. Yes, there will probably be legal paperwork if you become sub-contracted to a firm, and working on their products or the finding of personnel, but you have to be willing to accomplish what is asked of you in a respectable amount of time, and you MUST deliver on what you promise. Being ahead of schedule is nice, but don’t do a half-assed job just to finish. A good job will lead to a solid reputation, which in turn will lead to more work, and one day possibly giving back and mentoring someone just like you.

There are no smoke and mirrors, and most of the mystique can be explained, at the end of the day the amount of effort you put forth will decide how successful you are. It’s just like sports—you like to be on the winning team; but first you must master the rulebook.

That is Something to Think About……

Monday, April 4, 2011

But How Can I...?

The best way to share a new skill or approach a new goal is to figure out how to make that task seem second nature. That is to say, I wish to accomplish A, B, C, but I only have a comfort level for A; What’s the best way to learn B, and C? I have been told many times in the past that you don’t make alot of progress on the first attempt, and you won’t answer an unknown question unless you ask somebody who has the knowledge needed.

Recently I was given a task to share some rather simple computer technology with a new user. I was proud of this person for wanting to challenge themselves with a new skill, and frustrated with myself when I caught myself thinking that the best way to explain it would be to do the task myself. Once I caught myself, and realized that the task wouldn’t be learned or remembered in future if I did it; I found myself in an interesting position as “Teacher”. I then was caused to flash forward to my current goals, and the realization that I, myself would be looking for guidance of my own, not wishing the job to be done for me, rather show me the skills and let me fine-tune on my own.

What makes this amazing is that knowledge is something to be shared, and that the more it is shared, the more rudimentary the task will become. As teachers, we are expected to share what we know, and as students we are expected to learn from someone with the skills we need. This seems to hold true in any facet of life. The ones who truly benefit in this equation are those who realize the more we give and take; rather than take and take, the more we truly will learn. No one is born with all the knowledge, and we spend at least 12-25(+) years gaining an education through school, only to “learn” that we still don’t have all the answers, and that the learning must continue, even as we are expected to cope with other life issues; like bills, employment, illness, or even death.

Learning is a cycle, where all the intersections created are by giving and sharing; the more we give, surprisingly the more we receive in kind. You then become something of an expert, even though at the start of the day you had no idea what was ahead of you. Self-learning is possible, a second opinion never hurt.

Have a Fantastic Day!!