Blogging - Oversharing or Healthy Bleeting?

No wonder we’re ready to confess our innermost thoughts to everyone: we’re constantly being shown that the surest route to recognition is via humiliation in front of a panel of judges.

Fascinating NY Times article here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Strength and Courage

It’s that challenge that best explains the emotional hold of the Kennedys. Whatever their personal and even tragic failings, the Kennedy message (the message that resonated so powerfully with the young back in the 1960s) was that we could step beyond our narrow personal concerns to achieve great things, that we could do better, be better, if only we had the strength and courage to work harder and dream bigger.

Whole story here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Recruiting and Sourcing Literature

Adam Deane asked, a short while back, over on ERE:

I was hoping for some advice. Is there a consensus regarding which books on recruiting and/or sourcing are most beneficial for the experienced recruiter? I’m not really interested in a motivational type book.

Answers with links here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

What Do I Say NOW?

Many people don’t know what to say to the sourced names we provide. Because these names are many times the truly “passive” candidate some recruiters who’ve been reared on resume farming are “reluctant” to call someone who isn’t actually “looking”.

Just about everyone is “looking”.

Out of 10 names you telephone source:
1-2 will be looking at the present time
3-4 (maybe 5) will be interested in listening to you immediately
3-4 (maybe 5) will be interested in listening to you at some point in time
1 won’t be interested

“This is Maureen Sharib. You’ve been identified as someone XYZ is really interested in regarding an open position – do you have a few minutes to spend with me to maybe discuss this?”

“Huh? Who, me? How’d you get my name?” they might reply, surprised, but at the same time somewhat flattered.

Repeat yourself, s-l-o-w-l-y. Tuck in another question.

“This is Maureen Sharib. You’ve been identified as someone XYZ is really interested in regarding an open position they have in their marketing research department – might you be interested in this opportunity?

Be alert to any discomfort. Offer to talk another time that is more convenient.

“May I call you this evening at home regarding this opportunity? Would your cell be better? What is your cell/home number?”

Stay in control of the process.

If he sounds like he’s willing to talk right then and there, continue. Expect this:

“How’d you get my name?”

“You’ve been specifically identified by XYZ through research as someone who could help take them to the next level.”

Who could say no to this?

“Oh,” is many times the response.

“Do you mind if we spend a few minutes together chatting and sharing a little information? If you do have an interest, a representative from XYZ will contact you to answer any specific questions I may not be able to, but first, I need a little information – you’re a Market Research Analyst there, right?”

All questions may not get answered on this “first” call.

Education, past and present job responsibilities and level of skill/knowledge are usually easily discussed.

Keep the call short - ten minutes maximum but you can usually get quite a lot accomplished in five.

Don't forget to ask, if he turns out to be in the 40% or so range that may not be interested AT THIS TIME, "Do you know anyone who might have an interest in this position?" It never hurts to ask!
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Running Straight and True

Bob and I went to see the third film in the Caribbean trilogy “Pirates of the Caribbean” shortly after it opened last year in May, 2007. Just recently I watched it again on a lazy Sunday afternoon and was reminded of this piece I wrote, though not sure where (or if) I ever posted it. I offer it now for your amusement.

The usurper of the pirate ship "The Black Pearl" and pirate lord of the Caspian Sea territory, Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), replies, gleefully, on the crew’s journey on a junk ship through a frozen ocean to rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker. When someone in his crew wails that they’re lost on their quest, Barbossa agrees that surely they were lost, and that “you have to be lost to find a place that can’t be found – else-wise everyone would be able to find it.”

They continue sailing until an enormous waterfall is spotted on the horizon. The crew is alarmed, but Barbossa dismisses their fears and shouts for the crew to let the ship run "straight and true". They fall down the waterfall and into Davy Jones' Locker.

I sat up in my chair like I’d been hit by lightening. How many times have I not known where I was going; how many times have I started a search “lost” in the ether until I ran a course, “straight and true” that delivered me at my destination?

“If it were easy everyone would be doing it!” You’ve seen me post this occasionally at the end of some of my diatribes on telephone names sourcing. I guess it’s another way of saying “you have to be lost to find a place that can’t be found – else-wise everyone would be able to find it” with one concept added –you have to be lost.

You have to be lost before you can find your way and this is a concept that’s not very appealing to a lot of people. But sometimes you have to be able to let yourself go, to venture into those areas where you know little to nothing, before you can find a way. This takes faith and trust in oneself and how many of us have that?

“Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be revelation.” ~ Eileen Cady
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

"Montaigne's practical, ethical response to injustice in an uncertain world is to ruse with the law."

The interiority of the self is one of the great framing fictions of the Essais, a fiction that provides the space and the opportunity for Montaigne to carry out both the encounter and the dialogue with himself that are his project, to fashion himself, and to negotiate the boundaries between the self and the socio-political outside. It also allows him to ruse with the law, to submit without submitting his soul, to obey without relinquishing his spiritual freedom, to consent to the law and simultaneously to critique it. It is not before the sanctity of the law that he bows but within the sanctity of the inner self. ~ Richard L. Regosin, University of California, Irvine

If you can wade through the big words, this is an interesting argument.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

California Compete Covenants

California's ban on covenants not to compete gives departing workers substantial latitude to share critical ideas and knowledge with existing firms or spinoffs. Because this law predates the founding of modern technology industries in California, it probably contributed to the evolution of Silicon Valley's culture of employee mobility. As the Valley developed, court cases highlighted and reinforced limits on employers' ability to restrain the dissemination of their former employees' intellectual capital (see Hyde 1998 for two examples). Of course, departing workers are not allowed to reveal specific trade secrets. In this regard, California law is similar to that in most other states, under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act; in fact, California law provides somewhat broader trade secret protection than the model act (Gilson 1999). However, for workers with general industry knowledge, mobility in California is largely unrestrained.

Still-interesting 2002 article here on California Employment Law and High-Tech Development

More recent article here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

More than half of US workers to skip summer holidays: poll

I don’t know that 1100 respondents correctly represents the nation, but…

More than half of Americans will not be taking a summer holiday this year, opting instead to stay home and save money as the US economy slumps, a survey published Wednesday showed.

"The economic downturn is leading to layoffs and stretched resources, which in turn leads to increased workloads and pressure to improve performance," said Tom Musbach, senior managing editor of Yahoo Hotjobs, which conducted the poll.

Fifty-one percent of the Internet giant's 1,100 respondents said in an online questionnaire that they would skip their annual summer holiday. That is a sizeable increase over 2007, when 45 percent went without a summer vacation.

"Employees, now more than ever, need a break from the pressure, but are instead choosing to forgo vacation in order to meet growing demands and protect dwindling wallets," Musbach said.

Forty-four percent of respondents said their workload is heavier today than last year, and 57 percent said they felt "burned out" -- up from 49 percent last year.

If this is true, there are sourcing implications...

Whole article here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Spectacular Sourcing Strategist Shally Steckerl's Classroom Chat Log on the MagicMethod network is up!

Best Remark of the Day
“Sarah - the Sourcing in 10 minutes or less is what any recruiter should be able to do - get results in 10 minutes and get back on the phone.” ~ Shally Steckerl

May 22, 2008
Special Guest: Shally Steckerl, JobMachine founder

Jennifer Scott
Other than LinkedIn, what one other site would you recommend for networking with potential candidates, professional, not entry level, and cross function and industry? Where is your favorite place to find resumes?

Shally Steckerl
Jennifer Scott - I like xing, trybe, ryze, and ecademy but you can search them all from wink.com

Emily Vanderzwart
I recently started my own firm and am taking a chance at sourcing all passive candidates. Any suggestions on initally pitches to get candidates interested? I do mostly IT in trading and finance.

Shally Steckerl
Emily - you don't pitch or sell to passive candidates. Call from the perspective of LISTENING to them and understanding their needs, network with them and they will work with you.

Emily Vanderzwart
I guess, I mean because I call them at work, I introduce myself and then try to "pitch" them on why I can help but sometime I get, no and hung up on....

Dan Harris
What's your quick thoughts on Facebook marketing? Good Idea to have company page and branding?

Shally Steckerl
I also have a book http://jobmachine.net/products#books which is an excellent introduction to sourcing including some intermediate to advanced concepts

Shally Steckerl
Also regarding Diver I have a webinar on that here: http://jobmachine.net/products/webinarbundleDVD2008 and many of my friends have said that its the best webinar I've done so far

Shally Steckerl
Hello Dan! Nice of you to join us! Folks - Dan is a fellow CyberSleuth and one heck of a cool guy.

Dan Harris
Thanks! You too! I think your diver webinar is one of the best investments I ever made!
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To read Shally’s entire fast-paced one hour MagicMethod Classroom Chat with plenty (and I mean plenty!) of search string tips, go here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Is housing impacting your hiring results?

Housing Discussion on this subject going on right now over on ERE here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE sourcing chat - don’t miss Shally TODAY, Thursday, May 22 at noon (EST)answering your Internet sourcing questions here!

Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Shally Steckerl on the MagicMethod network TODAY at noon (EST)!

The MagicMethod phone sourcing interactive classroom chats are every Tuesday and Thursday on the MagicMethod network at noon (EST). Come to the network and look for the Chat Box in the middle of the Main page - you can't miss it!

There will be a special guest appearance TODAY, Thursday, May 22 at noon (EST) by Shally Steckerl, a renowned Sourcing Consultant and founder of jobmachine.net. Shally will be in Chat to answer your sourcing questions and to explain any questions you might have regarding any of his excellent sourcing products available here.

People really seem to enjoy these MagicMethod phone sourcing classroom “chats” and it's a chance for you to ask questions LIVE about telephone sourcing - it's very informative. I hope you'll join us in "class" and tell someone about us!

If you’d like to review previous chat logs, look for the MagicMethod Classroom Chat Logs listed in the “Blog Posts” section right under the Chat Box on the site. There’s a yellow talk cloud identifying each that says “MagicTalk” and valuable information inside. Enjoy!
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Do something today you don't think you can do.
Maureen Sharib
Telephone Name Sourcer/MagicMethod Trainer
513 899 9628
TechTrak.com, Inc.
maureen at namesourcer.com

Memorial Sourcing

Memorial Day approaches and we sourcers all know what that means – one of our better sourcing opportunities draws near! Customers “in the know” understand that getting their “holiday orders” in early will assure a bountiful harvest of names when they themselves return to work after the festivities. They understand that as summer approaches some folks may be re-thinking their employment options and maybe it’s not such a bad time to be offering opportunities – after all, if you don’t have it "on the shelf” you sure as heck can’t sell it, right?

Some of the behavior that fuels all this busyness in our industry is the simple fact that while the cats are away the mice do play! Sourcers understand that while others are away “merry-making”, opportunity abounds in the emptied halls of corporate America. Knowing that many people will take advantage of Memorial Day by turning the approaching one-day holiday into a five day hiatus as offices empty the previous Thursday through the following Tuesday, sourcers can be assured the week approaching and the weeks after (they forget to change their VoiceMails when they come back to work!) a holiday VoiceMails will be loaded down with information fuller than a Memorial Day picnic table.

“Hi, this is Joe Smith – I’ll be back in the office on May 27, in my absence if this is a quality issue call Pete Jones at xxx xxx xxxx and if this is a test issue call the Test Manager at Susan Wheeler at xxx xxx xxxx and if this is a delivery issue call my manager Mike Kincaid at xxx xxx xxxx and if all this fails call my Admin - she usually ALWAYS answers - at xxx xxx xxxx.”

VoiceMails can be the darnedest, most revealing things!

Regular receptionists may also be away during this time as well, replaced by lesser experienced gatekeepers so experienced sourcers adjust their approaches during promising times like these. A “temp” is very likely to confess to you that she is just that to explain her lack of knowledge/skill and many of them are more easily “influenced” – shall we say.

Lonely Security Guards can be not-too-pleased that they’re the only ones required to keep watch at this time of year over extremely valuable information (after all, what’s MORE valuable to a company than their employees? Really?) and some of their angst can be consoled in the simplest ways. You’d be surprised how many of them have access to corporate directories and if they don’t, how much is stored in their heads from long years of service. The human brain is a computer too, you know.

These are just a few of the many reasons this time of year is so productive for sourcing – batten down your hatches sourcers – we’re coming into one of the busiest seasons in our business - summer! Customers, get your orders primed and delivered to your sourcers – many of them welcome this time-consuming work at this time of year (remember the Introvert theory?) It gives some of them a welcome excuse NOT to attend those holiday get-togethers!
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE sourcing chat - don’t miss Shally TODAY, Thursday, May 22 at noon (EST)answering your Internet sourcing questions here!

Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Hard-nosed Gatekeepers

Interesting early '07 ERE string about Gatekeepers here.

I sense (and don’t get me wrong on this) irritation on YOUR part when you say things like “I know this is the operator, can you tell me your name please?” At this point you’ve already lost the battle. The main thing when dealing with receptionists/gatekeepers is to follow their suggestions obediently – chances are she will direct you somewhere that may be able to help you further. The object is to get inside – not to cross swords with the Gatekeeper at the point of entry!
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE sourcing chat - don’t miss Shally TODAY, Thursday, May 22 at noon (EST) answering your Internet sourcing questions here!

Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

TalkSourcing Radio Show TODAY!

The TalkSourcing Radio Show is today at 1pm (EST) on the Recruiting Animal's Radio Show here.

The Animal's segment starts at noon (EST) followed by TalkSourcing at 1:00!

You can call in to listen (and talk!) here: 646-652-2754. You will be able to hear the show but will not be able to speak until Recruiting Animal lets you in. Make sure that you are on a good phone and speak directly into the receiver.

To Call Online A "Click to Talk" button appears when the show is live. With Internet Explorer only. You also need a microphone to speak into your computer.

Is it too much to ask?

One of my MagicMethod students sent me the following remark (along with an enthusiastic testimonial for Magic!) that said:

"I once worked for a uniform company. My entry level job was to update the TMS (Territory Management System) forms via calling and asking for certain titles and extensions - then making changes to the database as we went along with each target company. It is crucial to monitor money making targets. Your very first module actually makes cash for those who know how to leverage the information via company ATD's."

As I read the words I realized the value of what his first hand experience was offering to phone sourcers – many people think asking for titles and extensions is an activity out of the ordinary – one that is sure to raise flags and get you blocked. It can, if you’re asking incorrectly! As evidenced by this past clerk-turned-phone sourcer the fact of the matter is Gatekeepers are receiving these kinds of calls all the time!

Lose the stinkin’ thinkin’ that so many of you engage in when you expect failure. Expect success!
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May 21, 2008
Good Morning Maureen,
I am spending time with Module 1 and Telephone Directories. I am looking at logging in 75 hours of practice to get this discipline down. I have been in the office early today and called 3 companies before they opened to gather the bounty of names spilled by the automated system. LOL, I am now able to title identify the raw names and/or begin to build an org chart for these companies. I am amazed!!!!! Everyone in the search industry needs to be beating a path to your door to take this course.
SD
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar - Cincinnati June 24

Don't Miss Maureen Sharib in Cincinnati on June 24!

Maureen will be presenting a full day of her MagicMethod telephone names sourcing training at the Greater Cincinnati Human Resource Association (GCHRA) on Tuesday, June 24 at the Baldwin Center near downtown Cincinnati.

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Price: $225 GCHRA members Non-members $275.00
Location: Baldwin Center/655 Eden Park Drive/Cincinnati, OH
Deadline to Register: Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The riveting 25 minute real-time telephone sourcing video will be shown!

The "Magic in the Method" is the only-of-its-kind telephone names sourcing training available today for persons interested in the little-understood practice of telephone names sourcing. Simply put, telephone names sourcing is the finding of people who hold specific titles (usually) within specific organizations (usually) so that you, as a recruiter, may contact them and offer them your opportunity. It’s the killer starter application (or should be!) for most of your searches!

Greater Cincinnati HR Association
4100 Executive Park Dr.
Suite 16
Cincinnati, OH 45241
phone: 513.554.4747
fax: 513.563.9743
email: gchracincinnati at aol.com

To make reservations to this event contact Suzy Hoffman at the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association at 513 554 4747.

May 21, 2008
Good Morning Maureen,
I am spending time with Module 1 and Telephone Directories. I am looking at logging in 75 hours of practice to get this discipline down. I have been in the office early today and called 3 companies before they opened to gather the bounty of names spilled by the automated system. LOL, I am now able to title identify the raw names
and/or begin to build an org chart for these companies. I am amazed!!!!! Everyone in the search industry needs to be beating a path to your door to take this course.
SD

To read Tuesday's MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log go here.

MagicMethod Classroom Chat Log Tuesday, May 20, 2008

"This is amazing!!!! It works it works it really works! I can sit on the phone and get the names from A-C and then get all the names from DEF LOL - I can go direct extension to the president and all depts! LOL!" ~ SD
MagicMethod Classroom ChatTuesday, May 20, 2008 Noon – 1p.m. (EST)
Best Student Remark of the Day
"Rusing is what people do who are not confident in what it is they are selling or looking to obtain so they lie to get info instead of just asking for it." ~ John T. Sloan
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Jamie Schwartz
Maureen - can we talk about rusing...

Maureen Sharib
We can talk about anything you guys wanna talk about.

Kim Monmonier
sorry but what is rusing?

Maureen Sharib
Rusing is when you call and lie to get information.

Maureen Sharib
Ruse: Web definition - a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture). Also spelled rouse and rouge as in, “I’m so ashamed by my lying that my cheeks turned rouge.” Word raises hackles for a lot of people. Some say it’s illegal to misrepresent yourself to gain any kind of information (this theory hangs on the unfair trade practices rulings), some say it’s not illegal but acceptable practice in love and war and recruiting tactics. A good researcher understands how to elicit information by ASKing the right questions in the right manner. Subject usually raises a firestorm of controversy resulting in name calling and mud slinging. The object of discussing rusing here is to point out that a good researcher does not have to ruse, it’s a choice each one makes on the front line of battle. CONTROVERSIAL: Rusing may be a right-of-passage, in so much that sourcers who began their careers “rusing”, that is, lying to get information, were made so uncomfortable in their psyches by it that they’re challenged to increase their skill sets to the point where it’s no longer necessary to ruse.

Maureen Sharib
That definition is from the Sourcing Glossary - if you want it send me an email: maureen at techtrak.com

To view the entire chat log, go here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing chat and don’t miss Shally on Thursday, May 22 answering your Internet sourcing questions here!

The New Workplace Flirtation

In the realm of online dating, there is an awkward moment in which one party removes his or her profile before the other. By “delisting,” the removing party is basically saying that she (or he) is no longer looking. Interestingly, the way the delisting party figures this out is by logging onto the site and looking, which raises the issue of whether the other half of the couple is, in fact, completely not looking. You may be wondering what all this has to do with careers.

We are all getting used to the idea that it is all right to be keeping up with our professional network even if we are already attached — to an employer or a gig of our own design. When we post a profile on LinkedIn, we are basically saying that we are open to connecting, not necessarily that we are looking to leave our current situation. It is an age of permissible workplace flirtation, and we should all be involved in it. For those who are actively looking, why not post a profile on as many sites as possible? And whether or not it’s true, we can all be frequenting social networking sites under the guise of forging relationships in service of our current situation...Still, many people spiff up their profiles and start sifting through the profiles on various sites when they are getting restless. So the actively looking and the actively networking can happily co-exist. Whole post here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing chat Tuesday, May 20 at noon (EST) and don’t miss Shally on Thursday, May 22 answering your Internet sourcing questions here!

High-Tech Japanese, Running Out of Engineers

Japan is running out of engineers.

After years of fretting over coming shortages, the country is actually facing a dwindling number of young people entering engineering and technology-related fields.

Universities call it “rikei banare,” or “flight from science.” The decline is growing so drastic that industry has begun advertising campaigns intended to make engineering look sexy and cool, and companies are slowly starting to import foreign workers, or sending jobs to where the engineers are, in Vietnam and India.

It was engineering prowess that lifted this nation from postwar defeat to economic superpower. But according to educators, executives and young Japanese themselves, the young here are behaving more like Americans: choosing better-paying fields like finance and medicine, or more purely creative careers, like the arts, rather than following their salaryman fathers into the unglamorous world of manufacturing.

Whole story here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing chat Tuesday, May 20 at noon (EST) and don’t miss Shally on Thursday, May 22 answering your Internet sourcing questions here!

MagicMethod Classroom Chat Log Thursday, May 15, 2008

Best MagicMethod Student Remark of the Day
"I'm always envisioning these individuals on the other end who are confused once the call ends...kinda funny." ~ Jamie Schwartz

NEXT Magic Method Phone Sourcing Chat: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 NOON (EST)
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Robert Ossakow
Right, I am just looking for the names of the staff accountants only.

Maureen Sharib
Let's go to Robert's question about Accountants. I would call and ask for Finance - first I would look see who heads up Finance.

Jamie Schwartz
I'm wondering how you "end" the conversation once you confirm the contact info. It seems "sudden".

Read the whole chat log here.

Phone Sourcers Network

If you have an interest in learning how to telephone names source please consider joining the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing network here. The network offers a "chat" feature in which we have LIVE Classroom "Chats" every Tuesday and Thursday at noon (EST).

THIS COMING THURSDAY, May 22, Special Guest Shally Steckerl, Serious Sourcing Strategist, will be in residence to answer your Internet sourcing questions for one hour.

There are eight past classroom chat logs up at the site - once you join the network (it's FREE!), look for the yellow balloons in the "Blog Posts" section (it's right under the Chat field) that say "MagicTalk" and you can read the entire chat logs for the past eight classroom sessions. There's a trememndous amount of pertinent telephone names sourcing information in those alone!

See you there.

The Devil is in the Details Part II

Names sourcing follows two distinct paths and we're talking apples and oranges here. Internet sourced names delivers a different product than Telephone sourced names. It is possible to up your return on Internet names though with the highly refined and honed skills of those pulling them - guys like Glenn Gutmacher and Shally Steckerl and a few others demonstrate this to us everyday and companies realize this. These guys aren't relying on names services to feed their hungry channels - they're going outside those boxes that are being used by the masses and creating unique results with their imaginative and deeply honed skills. Their results, in all probability, more than likely triple the casual searcher's finds. In other words, great Internet sourcers can deliver a more lasered and unique candidate than what is traditionally available from the "services". This is a complicated subject and we could go on for many more paragraphs discussing the refinement levels of Internet Sourcers. This is a subject that is better addressed by one of them.

I believe the numbers I presented in Part I are the numbers that make Telephone sourcing tick.

Whether you're Internet sourcing or Telephone sourcing, the numbers that emerge form both deliver immediate value AND ongoing value. I believe telephone sourced names delivers a different value than Internet sourced names and I believe Internet sourced names by great researchers delivers a much higher value than research from a simple to ordinarily skilled Internet researcher. Of course it gets messy. It's hard to measure and someone said it well on one of the boards - names sourcing might be one of those things that can't be measured. As Richard Stack, President of RightFish recently noted, also on the boards, "there are various of other quality metrics that need to be considered, like uniqueness of candidate, qualifications/fitment, interview suitability, and competitor representation within the list itself, to name a few." I agree with him, again, when he says, "the residual value of quality name generation and candidate discovery typically goes unmeasured". I believe the voices that should be listened to on the subject are the voices that are actually in the trenches doing it.

Despite the hammering and yammering and jackknifing that is going on over this subject and all the current writhing commotion that is attempting to put names sourcing "in its place", and understanding there are other costs associated with handling these hires, think about it; what do even ten hires normally cost you in your organization? I offer that it's a whole lot more, and I mean a whole lot more, than the amount of money names sourcing costs you plus your costs of ownership.

From this point forward I can't really speak about the companies that are aggressively adding thousands of names per year into their pipelines because the projects (mine) really aren't much older than three years now at this writing and since I originally wrote this article one year ago we have entered a recession as severe as any I have witnessed in my fifty plus years on this earth. To report what things will be like next year I cannot. I can guess and my guess is that I'm going to be doing more of these large volume projects in the future for many more companies, recession or no recession. Names sourcing is one of those businesses that seems to benefit during a recession - go figger!

I can also tell you, once again, from my own experience, and for me, THIS is the real equalizer, I have hundreds of repeat customers and they would not be using me over and over again if what I was representing wasn't working. Names Sourcing has traditionally been the backroom secret everyone didn't want to talk about. Now that it's being discussed there are plenty of people howling. Interesting, isn't it?

"The man who can keep a secret may be wise, but he is not half as wise as the man with no secrets to keep." ~ Edgar Watson Howe
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing chat today, Thursday, May 15at noon (EST) here!