Lack of Balls

Recruiting Fly reports on Recruiting Trends for 2007. In it, he calls down:

#7 - Passive Gets Active - Finding qualified candidates will require more active sourcing techniques.

You can read all of them here.

But Edge wonders, do the masses REALLY understand what “more active sourcing techniques” are? Edge doesn’t mean the, “Well, we’ll get on the phone and actually call the person behind this resume that came in across the transom” garden variety that some interpret “sourcing” to be. The Edge is talking real live, get down in the ditches - get your hands really dirty digging them out of their hidden corporate environs kind of sourcing. The heart-stopping calling on the phone and asking, “Can you tell me who the manager is of your SEC Reporting there at ABC Corporation?” or one of the other derring-do truly active sourcing commands, “Please transfer me to your quality control department.”

Edge believes nine out of ten recruiters these days don’t possess the social skill it takes to actually call someone on the phone and ASK for information. Edge is being munificent here by calling it a lack of social skill – this recruiter reticence smacks of a far larger problem more commonly known as the communal “Lack of Balls” in our industry. This failure to engage is not only costly, it's deadly.

More Active Sourcing Techniques (MAST)
What are they?

There are several definitions for MAST in the dictionary; one being, “any sturdy upright pole”. Edge likes this imagery as it applies to active sourcing – and leaves it to the imaginations of those who dare to define the techniques.

Might that be you? When you look in the mirror in the morning, do you ask yourself, “Do I have what it takes to cut the mustard today? Huh? Do I?”

What do YOU define as an active sourcing technique?

Edge wants to know!

I Dream of Cheese

I dream of cheese most every day
Those RSS feeds that come my way
A contest won around Noel
I dream of cheese from Jo-el

I dream of cheese most every morning
Posts that arrive without a warning
Of SEO and Jobster threads
I dream of cheese it's how I'm fed

I dream of cheese around lunch time
As I read ‘bout companies rapid climbs
In prose so droll it makes me howl
I dream of cheese written by this owl

I dream of cheese on afternoons
His words just hit me like Del Monte prunes
He has a godfather whose name is Sumser
Whose dreams of cheese make Joel’s site stir

I dream of cheese when I have my dinner
And read recruiting.com’s blog winner
How he did it, how he beat El Dave
I dream of cheese it’s the food I crave

I dream of cheese as I go to bed
And wonder how his mind is fed
Does his wife add vitamins to his food?
No - I just dream of cheese, I now conclude

(congratulation Joel...)

Where your SHRM money goes...

"Poll shows most managers likely to bolt for right offer"

Just when I give SHRM credit for their LINE work they come back with another poll that makes me wonder if anyone there knows how to spell IQ.

Consider these:

"As the economy and job market continue to improve, employee retention poses a greater challenge for HR professionals. " Oh?

"The top three reasons people voluntarily leave their organizations are for better compensation elsewhere, career opportunity elsewhere, and dissatisfaction with the potential for career development." Really?

"HR professionals and employees agreed that promoting qualified employees, offering competitive merit increases/salary adjustments and providing career development opportunities are among the best employee-retention strategies..." Ah, insight into the mind of the HR professional.

Incidentally, 41% of respondents admitted they are actively searching for a new job, 35% considered themselves passive jobseekers, and 21% indicated they were not looking for a job at all. So if you believe the data there's the potential for quite a bit of movement on the horizon...

The CFO's Life

From CFO.com, a series of articles from 2006 about careers in finance. All recruiters should consider reading these...

Making the Short List for CEO
More finance chiefs are finding their way into the CEO slot.

Hire Callings
Leaving a finance career doesn't necessarily mean leaving finance.

Fresh Start
A break from CFO duties can be rejuvenating, but don't stay away too long.

A Perfect Fit
The demand for finance talent may be soaring, but candidates refuse to settle for just any job.

Bigger Fish, Smaller Pond
Leaving a large company for the CFO spot at a smaller company can be a great move—as long as you do your homework.

Private Club
Opportunity is knocking for CFOs who have the skills that private-equity firms demand.

Hire Power
Even if you're not looking for a job, a job may be looking for you.

Heavy Vetting
Boards of directors now want to talk to would-be CFOs—and vice versa.

Career Swings
Finance career paths increasingly include a stopover in IT.

Are You Overworked?
Surprise. A new study says the CFO's job is harder than ever. But the news isn't all bad.

UnitedHealth CFO Resigns Amid Overhaul
Incoming CEO will also see his options repriced downward and will have to let go of the value of certain options, with the two actions amounting to a drop in the value of past equity compensation worth $190 million.

Comverse CFO, Two Others Resign
A board questions the timing of stock option grants amid wider regulatory scrutiny of the issue by the SEC.

Will CFO Decker Take the Reins at Yahoo?
Yahoo taps CFO Susan Decker to head the most prominent of the company's three business units, sparking speculation that she is the favorite choice for the corner office.

HP CFO Wayman to Retire
CFO Robert Wayman, a 37-year veteran of HP, will step down at the end of the year. His final year with HP was tarred by a board room leak investigation that led to the resignation of then-chairman Patricia Dunn.

Bank of America CFO Resigns
Sarbox took the "fun" out of being a CFO, said de Molina, who may head back to his risk-taker roots.

Sears Taps Monaghan as CFO
Edward Lampert turns to former tank commander and AutoNation CFO Craig Monaghan to lead the ongoing integration of Sears and KMart.

The Post Office Gets a New CFO
The U.S. Postal Service looks to private industry for its new CFO, and selects Harold Glen Walker, known for his work building Whirlpool's innovative shared-services center in Dublin.

President Ford Dies - Keep Civil Rights Alive

Gerald Ford, an OpEd piece back in 1990 in support of Affirmative Action. Ford was one of the staunchest advocates of equal rights ever seen by a public servant in our country's history. Read Inclusive America, Under Attack, 8/8/99...

Top in 2006 - The Edge on Sumser

Johnny is William Wallace, George Washington, Samson, Zeus, and Yoda all rolled into one. His ERN - Electronic Recruiting News has been his mouthpiece since late 1995 and I first began reading it mid-1996.

Hated him at times, LMAO at others. Either way, I've read him every day since.

When he asked me to be part of his "Top in 2006" series, I was stutterlingly flattered. So much so that I probably overthought what I wanted to write - took me about eight days to finally get it to paper. Here's my take on 2006 - but don't believe what he says about my impish ears (I prefer ruggedly handsome - lol):

Top 10 in 2006 (V7)- John Sumser's Recruiting News

Every year, new technology rolls out and engulfs our profession. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not. But recruiting is ultimately not about the technology - don't get me wrong, the technology is really great (and I'm a card-carrying tech wonk) - but working on the brick-and-mortar skills will make for a recruiting career...

As I said, little ever really substantively changes about recruiting - the laws notwithstanding.

Now go out there and meet someone.

Thanks to Maureen

Many of you in BloggingLand don't know whether to love Maureen or hate her. First off, I'm not talking "loooooove" in the same way Jeff H. does or hate in the way those anti-rusing folks do. I'm talking the same love I have for going to the gym or dojo; the same love I have for waking up every morning and smelling the coffee; the love I have when I walk on the sand of Jones Beach early in the morning. I'm talking about things that I just cannot do without.

99 out of every 100 calls I have with Maureen end up in a combination of hysterical laughter and more ideas than there are hours in the day to implement them. We bounce our ideas off each other knowing there are no ideas that are foolish - ok, maybe a bit foolish; don't worry Mo, I won't be talking about the idea you had about opening a school in Nevada to teach women who wanted to leave the "adult ranch business" sourcing - I remember you- or was it Bob? - who wondered that since they're already good at drilling down they might be good at drilling down into company directories. I trust you won't be spreading the word about my idea about opening recruiting cafes in Starbucks where recruiters receive $50 gift cards for every job they post on The Starbucks Recruiting Network...

Maureen and I just connected from the first day. It was professional and creative and fulfilling and liberating all rolled together. We pushed each other intellectually; we most certainly learned so much from each other.

Just so everyone knows this once and for all, The Recruiting Edge is a pure 100% collaborative effort between us. I honestly cannot imagine blogging on my own without Maureen there to give me some feedback - and at times telling me, "Steve, I don't think you want to post that. You REALLY don't want to post that."

Most of the time I listened to her - and she was right more often than that. But did she ever laugh when I posted some of my bad stuff.


Thanks for the year Maureen.

Howard Thinks Active/Passive is BS

The Myth of the Passive Candidate - Articles - ERE

New Years Resolution #1 - I will stop referring to candidates as active or passive and begin to call them as I see them: If after interviewing them and believing they have the right stuff, they're now simply "candidates."

Enough of this A/P crap.

Thanks Howard - for all out there who arrange speakers for association meetings, you must secure Howard Adamsky. Period. His business number is (978) 897-8500. Tell him the Edge sent you.

The Myth of the Passive Candidate - Articles - ERE

Free PC Tools - Really

Now that the presents are all unwrapped and you're contemplating what exercise regimen you'll be on come the New Year, let's look at the geekier side of our business - tech tools. I'm not talking about ATS' or any automated recruiting tool - I'm talking about the 46 best-ever freeware utilities.

Yep, free.

Ho-Ho-Ho

Women - Smash the Glass!

Women CIOs: How To Smash the Glass Ceiling

Executives interviewed for this article offered the tips for rising up to the CIO's position:

Manage by facts: Cora Carmody, CIO of engineering and technology services firm SAIC

Be someone who people want on their team: Loyola University Chicago CIO Susan Malisch

Understand power and politics: Ogilvy CIO Atefeh Riazi

Learn from mentors: Judy Arteche-Carr, consultant to global companies

Know Your Incompetencies: Judy B. Homer, executive recruiter

The Flight of the Creative Recruiter

There’s a very interesting article over on Fast Company about the Creative Class. It got the Edge to wondering if some of the “discussions” in our industry over the last year or so are stymieing creativity, or encouraging it?

“Creativity is organic. You can't plan for it. You can only allow it room and freedom to grow -- something that many leaders fail to do in their pursuit of maintaining the status quo. I'm not asking people to force creativity on their companies, cities, and communities; I'm just asking them to allow it to flourish. There's a big difference”

“...talent is a FLOW, not a stock. The places that win this global competition of talent will be the ones that realize that talent moves.”

The Principled Profit

I'm sure someone has mentioned this blog somewhere, right?



Principled Profit: The Good Business Blog

Churning and Jobseekers

MercuryNews.com | 12/21/2006 | HP churn: Boot 1, hire 1

This is sure to get some people all hot and bothered - HP hiring while firing. Yet the street follows this activity closely...

Steven Cochrane, a senior economist who follows Silicon Valley's labor market for Economy.com, said, "This is what you would expect in a dynamic industry or a dynamic economy. Understanding the churn is important to understand whether the industry is truly shrinking or whether it's trying to change shape so it's more competitive in the future."

Churn is used commonly to mean all kinds of departures from companies, including voluntary resignations and those fired as well as those laid off. Looking at the intentional churn created solely by layoffs gives insight into how much companies are controlling how their workforce changes.

as well as old school management types...

"HP was one of the holdouts of an older-style commitment firm," said Diane Burton, an associate professor at MIT Sloan School of Management who has taught a popular Harvard Business School case study on HP's pre-churn workforce practices. "Now they're treating their people as disposable workers."

Sadly, not everyone can be retrained in the time frame required to be competitive. So churn has to take place or else MORE jobs will ultimately be lost.

Still, I can't help but scratch my head at the loyalty position held by some in our profession when the reality is that companies are ultimately loyal to shareholders and customers first. Companies benchmark themselves to see how competitive they are so why shouldn't employees benchmark themselves (that would be listening to recruiters and frequently going out on interviews). Here's what will happen - by dipping one's toe into the ocean of opportunity several things will happen: Some employees will move on after realizing that they can get more for themselves somewhere else, some will stay put after recognizing that they have a better deal where they are, some will realize that their skills need to be improved before they are in a position to move to the the big leagues, and some who lack the drive may realize that they're goal is to do just enough to keep the job. Yet all may be churn material.

So talk to every recruiter who calls - don't be afraid to move on, to not be "loyal." Make the time to speak with them but be a good consumer first. Only a few in this profession are bastards - when you meet them be sure to get their card and come back to the blogs and let us know. The market will take care of them for you.

Tag Team

Yesterday one of the regular posters over on Sourcers Unleashed noticed that one of the sourcing process suggestions had a "different flavor". It was funny he noticed it - this was just about the same time I was thinking about how to brighten things up a bit around there as many of the posts seemed to be repeating each other and themselves (mine included) and I was thinking what fresh topics and ideas we could bring to the group that might put some different "slants" on things.

Then an idea hit me.

Earlier in the day I had been quality checking a job one of the male sourcers had just completed. The sourcer had not hit the required number needed so I was also adding to the job (where I could) as I called through it. The job called for Extrusion Process Engineers (food industry) and the customer seemed to think there were only a hundred or so of these guys in the country. I told him if that was the case it was critically important that he identify which companies had them on board. He did that with the help of his customer, the hiring authority, who knew the industry intimately.

We needed 35 and the sourcer had gathered 25. As I called through each company verifying the name’s spelling and title, I also asked, “Is that all there is in the group? I don’t want to miss anybody...” and I’d let my voice trail suggestively off, brazen hussy that I am.

Usually the receptionist would offer the answer, “Well, it seems you may have missed Sam McKay – he’s the other extrusion engineer around here; Tim Malone is the Drafter in the group, I guess you could add him.”

“Okay, I will – is that it?” I asked, and nine times out of ten the group list was complete. I extra checked while I was in there if the company appeared to be big enough, “Are there any groups I may be missing?” Usually there weren’t, the companies being rather small that held these people and the skill set being rare.

Occasionally she would transfer me to someone else “who could help me”. Usually that person did.

“Oh, I’ve heard all that before,” you may be thinking. You have heard it, but what you probably haven’t extrapolated from this process is that this example is a Tag Team effort. The first sourcer went in and did the hardest part, as far as I’m concerned. This checking part is usually gravy for an experienced sourcer and bears some thought for you that want to improve your processes.

Get a partner! This may seem anti-thema to the traditional phone sourcer’s mentality – “leave me alone and let me do my thing and don’t call me, I’ll call you!” Well, yes, until you think about the beauty of this Tag Team suggestion. Sometimes you can be the one who goes in first, and sometimes the other person will be. But the idea is that you complement each other, you perform quality checks on each other’s work and you both ratchet up a job’s results. It doesn’t take too long (twenty companies took me about a half hour to complete and gather ten more out of!) and it’s a win – win.

Now, the lesson here for those of you who don’t want a partner – quality check your own work a couple times, a day or two apart. Always will new information emerge and always does the job become more polished. Any job that’s worth doing is worth quality checking!

How ‘bout you? Got any other new ideas that might work?

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” ~ Aristotle

Our goal is to save you time and help you succeed.

Maureen Sharib is a seasoned telephone names sourcer, names sourcing since 1997. She and her husband Bob own the names sourcing firm TechTrak.com and Maureen telephone-names sources daily as well as teaches telephone-names sourcing in her online telephone names sourcing course "The Magic In The Method." She can be reached by email at Maureen at techtrak.com or by phone at (513) 899-9628. Maureen will come on-site to your company to teach telephone names sourcing to your sourcers.

Maureen can also be found here at the new networking site, Naymz. Be sure to check out her "other groups" while you're there!

25 ways to climb the career ladder

From here - requires free sign up (TechRepublic and all its newsletters is an Edge-fav)

Master written communication
If you want to move up in any organization, you must be able to construct a well thought out, grammatically correct, spell-checked (yes, I feel I have to say this) memorandum, e-mail, report, bid response, project plan, etc. This can be a weakness for many in IT, and it is something that has to be worked on if it does not come naturally to you. Get yourself a copy of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. A class at a community college is helpful. At least start paying attention to the grammar help that Microsoft Word offers.

Master verbal communication
As important as it is to write clearly and concisely, you also have to be able to speak clearly. It does not matter if your audience is one person or a hundred. No stuttering, no ums, ahs, or jargon. No mumbling, staring at the floor, or hiding behind a document. You need to be able to convey that you know what you are talking about and that you have confidence in yourself. This takes practice (literally, go stand in front of a mirror and speak) or join Toastmasters or take a speech class at night. Hone this skill!

Be a self starter
Go to your supervisor and find work. If you are assigned work, start early and finish early. If you know what needs to be done, do it if your work environment allows it. Ask permission if you need to—but get it done. Supervisors and management LOVE self starters.

Perform quality work
This goes hand in hand with the quality above. Develop a reputation for getting things done right—the first time. If you can become one of those people who can be counted on not only to get it right, but to deliver an excellent product, you will be successful.

Develop good listening skills
Engage your mouth when necessary, but keep your ears open at all times. Learn to be a good and thoughtful listener. It will aid you in your work, you will develop a reputation as being easy to talk to, and most important, you will learn what is going on around you.

Don’t be a gossip
Develop a reputation for being a confidant. By all means LISTEN to what is going on (I call it intelligence gathering), but don’t be a grouser.

Know how to behave
Actions and behaviors that are appropriate in small team meetings among your co-workers are not necessarily appropriate when addressing a team of vice presidents. Know the difference and act appropriately.

Deliver on your promises
Become known for keeping your word and delivering on your promises—and if you can’t, let people know why.

Be honest in your dealings
If people “can’t trust you as far as they can throw you” or think you always have a hidden agenda, you will go nowhere fast. Conversely, being known as an honest broker and a truth teller will gain you much credibility when working with others.

Be a willing collaborator
You don't have to give in on everything, but be willing to be a partner on efforts led by others. If people find you easy to work with, you are more likely to have more opportunities presented to you.

Be knowledgeable
Don't talk about things you don't know about. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know but I will get back to you.” Also, stay well read and—while you might not be an expert on every topic—make sure you can talk intelligently about most topics in your area.

Be a quick study
One of the hallmarks of good leaders is the ability to quickly gather information, interpret it, and use it in decision making.

Be prompt
Lateness is interpreted as slothfulness or the inability to manage your time properly. If at all possible, be early! Just-in time-is good for inventory management, not your time management.

Don't disregard your image
First impressions are hard to overcome and people do judge you on your appearance. While you don’t have to dress like you are straight out of a fashion magazine, your attire speaks for you, whether you like it or not.

Get out of your cube
Meet people within your department and outside it. You have to gain exposure and also make yourself comfortable mingling with people outside your area.

Learn the business
Whatever the core business is for your organization, learn it. Also learn what it takes to support that core business. It never hurts to know statistics and facts about your organization. This will help you empathize with your clients.

Be empathetic
Being able to see things from another person’s perspective, regardless of whether you agree or disagree, will help you immensely no matter what you are doing.

Don't be a drama queen
Learn to quickly determine what's a genuine crisis and what isn't and act like you have things under control. You can scream, cry, pout, or whatever later in private. Emotional outbursts are not welcome in the workplace.

Be a critical thinker
You have to be able to see the forest AND the trees. Learn to look at all the information and perform a quick analysis to determine what are causes, what are effects, and what variables come into play regarding any problem.

Be yourself
People can sense someone who is not genuine. Keep in mind that humbleness is a good quality, as no one likes a pompous person, but don’t be afraid to toot your own horn occasionally when you deserve it.

Take the next step
When it is obvious what the next step might be in a project or product, take it! Unless you are being micromanaged, don’t wait to be told to do the next logical step in something if it is within your purview to do so. This can get you in trouble if you have really heavy-handed management, but in most cases, people will be glad you did.

Treat people kindly
Treat people at all levels of the organization with courtesy and respect. You never know when and where you will encounter them again. Abide by the golden rule. Treat people the way you wish to be treated.

Remember that it’s a small world
Word travels quickly, people have long memories, good deeds will be rewarded, and slights are never forgotten. So do not burn any bridges and do not try to make any enemies—you never know where people will show up again in your life.

Be sincere
Linus knew something special when he was sitting in that pumpkin patch. While there is no Great Pumpkin (Sorry, Linus), people do appreciate sincerity. If you make a sincere effort to accomplish something, it will be noted.

Don’t be afraid to ask why
Don't ask for explanations in a whiny way, but in the form of, “I’m trying to better understand X; can you help me gain a better understanding by explaining why we do X?” You would be surprised how much you can learn with.

A Price on Your Head

I receive several LinkedIn emails each week about business opportunities - frankly, after a very brief read, they're deleted. But several weeks ago, I received an email from a company with a business proposition that was very difficult to ignore - Jeremy Lappin, CEO of BountyJobs.com - and his team - finally bent my ear enough for me to listen. I'm just describing here...

BountyJobs.com is an Internet marketplace where companies post jobs - and a bounty to be paid when the job is filled - while recruiters post detailed profiles about their expertise and experience. When a recruiter sees a job, they use the site's communication tools to contact the employer and request to be engaged on the search; the employer then reads the recruiter's profile and decides to engage them - or to not engage them, contacting them back through the site (the communication does not go through normal email channels but through BountyJobs' very internal communication system).

Over time, recruiters' reputations are modified based on a variety of performance metrics - such as fill rates, number of engagements, and number of bounties received that are tracked by the site. The better recruiters – the ones who perform better - will receive more employee engagements and will the opportunity to earn more money.

I think that this concept is paradigm shifting because market forces set bounty prices and the results will define who is the "better" recruiter. Further, the site seems to promote quality on all three sides of the equation - the employer recognizes that a better job and a better bounty will result in more engaged recruiters; the recruiter recognizes that they are no longer bound by percent rules and that flooding an employer with resumes actually hurts them - forcing them to focus on better quality candidates; and candidates recognize that employers and and the recruiters they engage actually work in tandem to improve the quality of the candidate's experience. A triple play?

Another plus for recruiters, is that BountyJobs is a place where you can match more of your candidates with employers seeking their skills - why do splits when you can keep more of the fee for yourself? Also, with bounties posted directly to BountyJobs, recruiters do not need to spend any time doing collections or business development…only finding talent.

For employers, BountyJobs has he potential to decrease time-to-hire metrics because of how it promotes competition between recruiters - who can see when someone else who is engaged by the employer has submitted a candidate. Employers maintain one vendor relationship with BountyJobs - essentially, BountyJobs serves as a master vendor management tool for all recruiters rather than with individual recruiters and the intuitive interface clearly and cleanly organizes resume submissions.

If nothing else, BountyJobs.com is worthy of a look by recruiters and employers. Click here for Jeremy's email.

RMac Speaks out - Phone V. Internet

This is why Apples are so good for you.

"Phone vs Internet"...Seeing the woods for the trees!!

For those of you that know me (and there are a few of you in this forum) I am the "Lurk and Swoop" type of member in groups like this. I am not a prolific poster or commenter, but generally if it is a topic dear to my heart or needs a perspective that I might bring then I will jump in.

So why are you telling me this Rob you may ask yourself?

Well the topic of the hour ("Phone Sourcing vs.. Internet Sourcing") that has been burning up the charts in forums like this as lured me out of my posting slumber, and enough that I felt I needed to make it it's own thread. I am going to give you my 2 cents on this subject as a Corporate leader that now runs probably the largest sourcing organization in the US today.

Bottom Line: Leaders do not care where the talent comes from or what the journey actually looks like, but more so the end result is our interest....solving a business problem that in this case means finding the best available talent to fill current and future headcount for the organization regardless if it was obtained through primary or secondary means.

So what this means is we recognize that each geographical region, job profile, target market, current market conditions of supply vs...demand, cost inhibitors, time to fill demand, ROI, blah, blah, blah (you get the point), requires that we need to look at every conceivable sourcing channel and tactic and apply it appropriately to the laundry list I just eluded to to "get the results".

I have seen instances where phone sourcing by itself was brilliant, other times is was useless. Others, where 80% response rates to broad emails sent to targets found on the internet alone produced great result and others where what was found by Internet researchers was never actually consumed by recruiters or leveraged by Phone Sourcing at all. I have seen phone Sourcers and Internet Researches work in great harmony with each other and produced some of the quickest and most effective list of names I have even seen.....but unfortunately, I have seen the car wrecks as well. I think I have seen every iteration of sourcing in combinations of teams with different sourcing channel focus using different weapons of choice.

Right now I have an issue (will not disclose specifics because of confidentiality) where given my laundry list above the internet research plays little to no role just because of the target audience and in project it plays the quarterback role.

So at the end of the day Phone is not better than Internet and visa versa. I and other leaders have to look at doing whatever is going to produce the greatest results in the shortest period at time with the best ROI. So in my world that means everyone in Sourcing has a part to play where the only difference is what role depending on business problem at hand.

I am happy to continue to "lurk" and read the healthy debate on this subject, as it is entertaining to see the passion for the topic from both sides.

Just My 2 cents.
"Rob M"
from Sourcers Unleashed (YAHOO)

Is your Inbox overflowing

Some shrinks believe it may reflect your view of the world. Scary...

Read it here

Blog of the Year contest

You may have noticed the hideous colors that have invaded the Recruiting Edge - yes, they're the colors of Recruiting.com's Blog of the Year contest logo (a cross between a bad Taco Bell experience and a LSD trip - both of which the Edge has NO experience in).

Yes, the Recruiting Edge has been graciously nominated and while we'd appreciate all of our votes, we recognize that there are many fabulous reads out in BloggerLand. So please vote for your favorites and if you can, please think about participating more in 2007 - lurking is great but adding your comments just makes all of us better.

Click here to vote for your favorite blog.

'Twas the Night Before Judging

In honor of Recruiting.com's Best Blog of the Year contest...

'Twas the night before Judging, when all through the Net
Dave Mendoza was emailing, brow covered in sweat.
Inboxes were bulging with pleadings to vote,
"Six Degrees is the best," he hoped to promote.

Back on the West Coast, typing a thread,
Heather was flummoxed, "To the gym or to bed?
My readers are interested in what I consumed,
my crockpot, remote, or how my curls they are groomed."

Somewhere north in downtown Toronto,
Animal snorted, “JD, come here pronto!
“Mendoza is trying to win this whole thing,
he’s sent emails to everyone – he wants to be king.”

In the heart of the Apple, Manaster wondered aloud,
“Are my blogs a good thing or a hopeless black cloud?
ERE started with one and now there are twenty,
each has an ego but are all cognoscenti?”

Harry was talking to Jim in St. Looie,
“I just read an email from a blogger who’s screwy."
“Don’t worry,” said Jim, “he’s in for surprise;
viral marketing for votes will be his demise.”

"Now David! Now Jason!
Now, Harry and Heather!
On, Animal! On, Durbin!
It’s now or it’s never!
To the top of the list!
To the top of the heap!
Blog away! Blog away!
The losers will weep!"

The nomination period finally ended,
the list of top bloggers was truthfully splendid.
JD posted a thread on recruiting dot com
with a prelude by Animal with usual aplomb.

"Wait a minute people - hold on to your hats!
It’s a battle royale with bloggers and bats.
365 days of opines and fighting,
poking and prodding and far too much whining."

“Vote for your favorite in ten categories,
tell us why but be brief with your hideous stories.
Vote once and once only and try to behave,
and do not, above all, spam like El Dave.”

Mendoza, he read this and looked up with great sadness.
“They don’t want me to win, this all reeks of madness!
I’ll show them, I will; they can’t keep me down!"
and a look of great evil replaced his sad frown.

His knubby li'l fingers started furiously typing,
constructing an email filled through with hyping.
He knew he had one chance, one last chance to shine,
He laughed like Doc Evil, “It’ll be mine – yes, all MINE!"

Back in wet Redmond, still dressed in sweats,
Heather’s writing wildly – she's clearly upset.
“I started all this and that imp thinks he’ll win?
I’ve a few tricks up my sleeve,” she said with a grin.

JD raised his head, looking no more like Opie,
and to Animal said, "Stop acting so dopey!
We created this prize - we can’t possibly lose.”
Said Michael, “No way - we’ll just tighten the screws.”

David understood the numbers at hand,
sixty thousand ERE members were at his command.
“To lose is not possible, in fact, it’s appalling,
“Because winning blog-of-the-year is my higher calling.”

Durbin Media's full forces were pressed into play;
the winning plan was now well underway.
“It’s mine, all mine – it’s me they’ll admire.
I’ll be a Hall of Famer, just like Mark McGwire.”

Harry knew well multi-channel marketing’s power,
he’d be on the podium in the contest’s last hour.
As a sherpa his skills helped others climb high,
As a blogger he knew Mendoza would fry.

El Dave never knew that the judges were crooks,
the tallying of votes taking place in cooked books.
Sending email upon email, at least six times each day,
He neglected one thing – and that was to pray.

But the judges forgot they were not one - but six,
each filled with guile and their own bag of tricks.
While El Dave for months had cultivated his fans,
The judges' lack of gravitas ruined his plans.

Once all votes were counted Harry and El Dave didn't win;
neither did Animal, David, Jason, Heather or Jim.
It was the readers who won which in truth was quite right,

“So Happy Blogging to all, and to all a good night!”

Entrepreneurs - Born or Bred?

Estro Edge is having an interesting conversation with Bob Gately offline on the subject of entrepreneurship. They seem to be on the same page when bemoaning the fact that our educational system, for the most part, simply ignores teaching the subject. Bob sent EEdge an email containing an answer on the question that she had asked in the groups a day or so before: “I could write a book on any one of Ms. Fiorina's statements, but for brevity's sake, I'm going to select the first, “...my first advice would be find what you love," about which EEdge proceeded to ask you, gentle reader, why this one simple statement, so simple in its promise, eludes so many people. Your thoughts?”

Bob’s answer follows:
“Many parents, too many in fact, don't want their children to learn what it is they would love to do. Parents want their children to go to college even if they'd hate it, fail at it, or graduate to do a job that makes them unhappy. High schools aide and abet parents in this endeavor. Our 50,000+ clients hire for talent and they do for their new hires what the new hires' parents and schools could not do, match them to jobs they'll enjoy doing. Entrepreneurship is the right choice for very few college graduates and even fewer high school graduates. Only 20% of jobs require a 4 year college degree even if hr departments require 4 year degrees.

To be successful in a job we need to have the requisite knowledge, skills and behavior. Job knowledge and skills are acquired through education, training, and on-the-job experience which is time consuming and often difficult. Behavior however is something we bring to the job not something we pick up on the job or in school or in the training room. Entrepreneurs need specific knowledge and skills, we are not born with either, and more importantly the behavior, we are either born with it or acquire it over our lifetime, to effectively use and enjoy the knowledge and skills.”


EEdge agrees that entrepreneurs need specific knowledge and skills, but remains adamantly steadfast in her belief that entrepreneurs are “born” and not bred. She believes that if schools did teach classes geared towards entrepreneurship there would be far fewer people so dissatisfied in their work today because their natural abilities would be nurtured and allowed to blossom in a more self-fulfilling experience. Our society would have much less of what Ms Fiorina stated in that HP-exodus interview as one of the problems in our workplaces today – human dysfunction. As it is, schools for the most part, produce “employees” for the workplace and that is where the saga ends for most people.

All that being said, how do you feel about entrepreneurship?

Bob Gately, PE, MBA, Gately Consulting offers the FREE Employer's Advantage Newsletter
You can reach Bob at his office: 508-634-7748 or email him here: gately at compuserve.com

Our goal is to save you time and help you succeed.

Maureen Sharib is a seasoned telephone names sourcer, names sourcing since 1997. She and her husband Bob own the names sourcing firm TechTrak.com and Maureen telephone-names sources daily as well as teaches telephone-names sourcing in her online telephone names sourcing course "The Magic In The Method." She can be reached by email at Maureen at techtrak.com or by phone at (513) 899-9628. Maureen will come on-site to your company to teach telephone names sourcing to your sourcers.

Learn telephone names sourcing techniques that work!

CEOs Dumping, Recruiters Humping

"Top executives seem to have grown bearish concerning their own companies' shares. Last month, stock sales by chief executive officers exceeded purchases by the widest margin since 1987, according to an analysis of insider trades by Bloomberg."

So says an article on CFO.com today. "Insiders sold $8.4 billion in shares last month and bought nearly $133 million, for a sell-buy ratio of 63.18, according to the wire service, which cited data compiled from SEC filings by the Washington Service. The sellers include such high-profile executives as Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates, Google Inc.'s Eric Schmidt, and Kohl's Corp.'s William Kellogg."

SBR, which ranges from 99,999 to 0, is calculated by dividing the total dollar value of all sell transactions by the total dollar value of all buy transactions and can be quoted over any time frame.

Many investors believe that a rising sell-buy ratio (SBR) implies that tech corporate insiders do not see as much value in their own shares as they once did. Executives are typically one to two quarters ahead of their stock. It's bullish when you see management believing in the story themselves (buying more than selling) - essentially letting their money do the talking, and bearish when the SBR is rising.

What does this mean? From a recruiting standpoint, tracking the SBR of your competitors may allow you to recruit from a leaking ship. And here's a study that identified statistical evidence that insider trading decreases prior to any M&A activity - another perspective that is good for recruiters to know.

Gotta love finance!

Google Blog Alert

From ResearchBuzz - a very fine source of research info and tools... a reminder that Google alerts now include blogs.

Player Patter

The following is one of the NEW LESSONS in the about to be released FIFTH MODULE of the online telephone sourcing training series, "The Magic in the Method". Enjoy!

Player Patter

You know how when you call that Gatekeeper and NO MATTER what you say, you just can’t get through? You know why that happens?

It happens because your “player patter” is all wrong. “Player patter?” you wonder. Yes, your player patter.

I’m going to make a confession. You know those annoying emails you’ve been getting lately from some guy directed at single men, challenging their masculine efforts about meeting women? It sounds something like this, “The Ten Most Dangerous Mistakes YOU Probably Make With Women—And What to Do About It”.

So I got to thinking, “Why should single guys have all the fun?” So I clicked on the link a few days ago (who says repeated mass e-mailings don’t work?) and to my surprise was drawn in by a master marketer’s writing. His name is David DeAngelo and his product is Double Your Dating. I thought to myself, “This guy’s stuff is great and applies across any sales discipline,” and, as I so often do, I copy and pasted much of his over-long but enthusiastic offer and signed up for his e-zine. Yes, I signed up, and believe me, the stuff this guy sends you every other day or so is fun to read. Basically, it’s a program on how to sell yourself to women and for you guys out there, I recommend it! But getting back to our sourcing business at hand, it’s also, as I said, a sales program and his “personal” advice can be segued into a business format. Bear with me. I know it sounds crazy.

He uses the term “player patter” to refer to his methodology of meeting women. I suppose the premise is that a man needs to be a “player” on the field and David offers a “C&F” remedy to turn a regular guy into a Superstar on the dating field. “C&F” stands for cocky and funny, the palliative mixture that makes it all happen. Anyway, believe me, it’s entertaining. This guy has advice for everyone.

Today’s e-zine referred to the term “player patter” in such a way that it made me think of today’s names sourcing subject. I return to my earlier remark regarding why Gatekeepers turn you away, “It happens because your ‘player patter’ is all wrong.”

I’ve said many times before; it’s not what you say but HOW you say it. If you call and brusquely demand of the Gatekeeper her attention and cooperation, you’re more than likely NOT going to get it. Now, if you call, and introduce yourself politely, removing some of your “mystery” in the process, the chances that she will help you go up dramatically. Your “player patter” is in sync.

Why?

Because you’ve made her feel somewhat comfortable. When you do this, you’ve become not just a voice, but a name on the other end of the phone. This is one way, as David recommends his readers do, to create an attraction early on. The first thing you have to do though is get her attention and you’re not going to do that if she immediately takes a dislike or has resentment against you. David remarks that, “there's an old saying in sales that ‘no’ means ‘know’". She needs to “know” you somewhat before she’ll buy in to what you’re “selling”, and what you’re “selling” is yourself.

The more you interact with Gatekeepers the better you’ll get at making them comfortable. You must accept the fact that you’re going to make some boo-boos along the way and that your player patter will get better the more you practice. The important thing is, though, that you continue to practice.

NEXT: Ratcheting Up the Tension -There is a place and time to give her a hard time - another of David’s love lessons extrapolated to sourcing.


Our goal is to save you time and help you succeed.

Maureen Sharib is a seasoned telephone names sourcer, names sourcing since 1997. She and her husband Bob own the names sourcing firm TechTrak.com and Maureen telephone-names sources daily as well as teaches telephone-names sourcing in her online telephone names sourcing course "The Magic In The Method." She can be reached by email at Maureen at techtrak.com or by phone at (513) 899-9628. Maureen will come on-site to your company to teach telephone names sourcing to your sourcers.

"You're as sick as your secrets."

Carly Fiorina, in a recent interview with Forbes magazine, said,

"...I never had a plan to become a CEO. I never said, as I sat at that typewriter [as a secretary], I'm going to be a CEO someday. You know, I just focused on the job I had and was brave enough to answer opportunity when it knocked. But that set of experiences has been a wonderful ride and a wonderful adventure. But it's also true that people are people wherever you go. And so I guess what I would start out with, why did I drop out of law school, I dropped out of law school because I hated it. So my first advice would be find what you love. I happen to love big business because I like the complexity of it, I like the challenge of it and most of all, I love the people
of it."

"So my first advice would be find what you love."

Then, when asked if the complexity of big business is what "tripped her up" at HP, she answered,
"No, I think actually it's the fundamentals that get to be the most destructive in a business, actually, the fundamentals of ethics, the fundamentals of values, the fundamentals of human dysfunction. I mean, in the end, it really is all about the people. One of the things I thought as a secretary is you know, these people in the mail room, I understand what we're like but it must be different way up there. You know, somehow people must be different when they get to big positions of responsibility. In fact, they're not. People are people wherever you find them. And in the mailroom or around the dinner table or in the board room or—I'm in the process of reading
State of Denial—in the White House. Dysfunction is caused by the same stuff. Dysfunction is always caused by the same things, it's pretty basic human stuff."

"The fundamentals of human dysfunction...Dysfunction is always caused by the same things, it's pretty basic human stuff."

When pressed to elaborate on human dysfunction, she says, "Well, dysfunction happens when people no longer can speak plainly about tough issues, can actually put stuff up on the table and deal with it right up on the table, can go through their disagreements and their debates. When people start putting stuff under the table, whether it's the dinner table, the board table, the East Wing table, bad stuff happens. When people's personal agendas or their petty power struggles or their personal resentments or their personal vendettas get in the way of a larger issue, dysfunction happens. And dysfunction can happen among any group of people."

"When people's personal agendas or their petty power struggles or their personal resentments or their personal vendettas get in the way of a larger issue, dysfunction happens."

Three interesting statements, that all seem to point at one common foe: dysfunction. On Monday of this week there was a NY Times article about the need for work- place counseling. It reminded Edge of the dark haired betazoid beauty Counselor Troi on Star Trek, the therapist-in-residence on the Starship Enterprise who dealt with the emotional baggage of the characters, including her own. Maybe the time has come.

Edge could write a book on any one of Ms. Fiorina's statements, but for brevity's sake, let’s select the second: “Dysfunction is always caused by the same things, it's pretty basic human stuff." What’s dysfunctioning in your functioning?

Help Wanted: Play Santa, Get Peed On

Patricia Kitchen of Newsday has a very insightful post on the job hazards and career development issues of those who work as Santa during the holiday season.

In discussing the results of a survey conducted by Auntie Anne's Pretzels Inc., she noted that it was discovered that 34% of mall Santas have been "wet" on by a child.

I'd enjoy sure reading the performance-based job description for this job (and would you source at dry cleaners?).

Other details of the survey included:

• If Santa could "pimp his sleigh," 44% would add a GPS for Mrs. Claus
• More than 60% are sneezed or coughed on up to 10 times each day
• 74% have up to 10 children cry while on their lap each day
• Nearly 90% of mall Santas have their beard pulled each day to see if it's real
• Nearly half of mall Santas' black boots are between a size 10 to 11½, and more than 50 percent of Santas have children step on their boots 1 to 10 times a day
• 45% of Santas see camera "flash" spots more than 25 times a day
• Nearly 50% have up to 10 children try to take their glasses off each day
• Nearly 30% of mall Santas have more than 100 children sit on their lap every day
• If moms and dads think requests from their little ones are over-the-top, here's a sampling of the far out items mall Santas are asked for - exotic pets (giraffes, pigs, elephants and penguins to name a few), cookbooks for Mom because she can't cook very well, a new sibling because kids don't care for the one they have or to have their little brother taken care of - if you know what we mean!
• While most people look forward to family vacations or watching football games after Christmas, 52% of Santas look forward to taking a nice, long nap
• After spending her year freezing at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus wishes for time alone with her jolly old husband in a warm climate

Gen Y Wants More Feedback, Access to Managers and Social Interaction than Older Workers

From the Hudson Highland Group, a survey on more differences between the generations of employees...

"Beyond formal reviews, 24% of both Gen X (1965-1979) and Y (after 1980) workers said they would like feedback from their boss at least once a week, if not every day. Comparatively, only one-fifth of Baby Boomers (1946-1964) want feedback that frequently, and just 11% of Traditionalists (1928-1945) would like that level of communication."

"Younger workers were also more eager to have access to managers -- their own as well as senior management -- than older workers. [48%] of Gen X and [55%] of Gen Y consider it to be very or somewhat important to work in the same office as their boss. However, that figure was 44% and 41% for Baby Boomers and Traditionalists, respectively."

"When asked how important direct access to senior management was to them, 69% of Traditionalists state it is very or somewhat important. That figure jumps to 81% for Gen Y. Baby Boomers and Generation X were in the middle, with 76% and 77%, respectively."

"On top of everything else, [26% of] Gen Y employees also prefer more frequent social interaction with their managers - at least monthly. This is compared to 21% for Gen X, 16% for Baby Boomers and 17% for Traditionalists.

It seems that recruiters may be conducting more interviews in the future in bars while the candidate holds hands with their potential hiring manager.

Press Release for survey (details will be posted in a follow-up post as soon as their dang site is up again).

Sourcing and Recruiting from an Oasis

It's happening all too frequently - recruiters and heads of HR tasked with recruiting will post on the ERE and other online recruiting communities practically begging the readers for any kind of assistance in identifying some other website or job board, claiming they've done everything they can think of and can't understand why they haven't yet completed the search. Back in the days when that doyenne d'recherche téléphone, Maureen Sharib first began her small little groups (ASK Maureen and Sourcing Techniques and Methodologies) with ERE, I gave her just a little bit of advice - tell the posters to let the readers know what they've done so far, what has worked and what has not as a prelude to receiving the community's assistance.

Since then - and thousands of readers later - most posters have pretty much said the same thing - we've done all we can, we've posted to all the major boards, we don't know what else to do...are any of your aware of any other job boards or websites we might want to visit?

So many recruiters are crawling on their bellies across a desert in search of water. Asking for another website and another job board is nothing more than a mirage of a oasis, a psychic way station that can be used as fodder when sheepishly crawling back to the hiring manager to say, See? I've checked everywhere and the people who fit your description just don't exist.

But there is an oasis that isn't a mirage - in fact, there are several...

1. Identify specific targets and call in - names source.
2. Build your brand around your existing employees and sell it.
3. Host relevant user groups at your location and have your employees speak at these meetings.
4. Mentor a local elementary or high school in your area using employees as teachers.
5. Issue "work for us" t-shirts for employees to wear at their gyms.
6. Company baby wear.

I can go on and on but all have something in common - breaking the strategic and tactical mold that has settled in your joints and like arthritis have predestined your searches to be lethargic and in some cases, wholly unproductive. Calling in to companies - names sourcing - and other brand-based strategies take one of two (or both) things - guts and time. Guts to call in to competitors or parallel businesses to get to the passive job seeker and time to develop the relationships that in time do fill the talent pipeline.

Stop crawling on the sand and believing the mirage is your salvation. Dig for water.

Picking Apples from the Same Orchard

“...how long can Yahoo and Google exchange people?”

In today's New York Times, Executive Searches, Done With Sharp Elbows discusses the challenges of identifying, recruiting and retaining executives in India. Read it with an eye towards improving the underlying strategies and processes.

Jobs Creation my Assets!

Back in 2004, Einstein in the White House signed the American Jobs Creation Act; the goal of the legislation was to create jobs by offering tax breaks to U.S.-based companies. For multinationals, those breaks include a one-year tax holiday during which companies could repatriate their overseas earnings at 5.25% percent versus 35%. Unfortunately, there were no rules specifically earmarking those savings for new jobs back home. Read a bit more about this here (and please, read this before you red-faced, pro-Bush, small-government, Reagan-maniacs get your 1040's in a bunch).

So this week, Pfizer announces a 20% cut in the US sales force (which according to my friends who are Pfizer reps, they will hear about their situations this coming Friday - 12/8). This will save $400-$500 million. The repatriation of their overseas earnings saved the company $39 BILLION.

Once again, our elected officials show how much they really know about jobs. And some out there actually believe that agencies such as the DOL and EEOC understand what is truly happening in the workplace? Please.

EstroEdge on the radio on Monday!

Sue Tovey, Co-Host and Producer of the TOVEY/FOSTER REPORT will be interviewing me, EstroEdge, along with her Co-Host, Sande Foster, this coming Monday at 9:20AM on the 1110 am dial (Channel WTBQ, an ABC affiliate). Sue says, “We'll have lots of fun and let people know some of the 'phone secrets' that evade so many!”

I’m looking forward to this opportunity to remove some of the mystery surrounding our business by explaining some of it. I’ll be giving a few “tips” to the listeners along with some of my entrepreneurial background. I hope you’ll tune in!

Sue and Sande are both nationally recognized career professionals as well as renowned radio personalities. They specialize in taking people where they want to go one step at a time. Check out their FREE Tools at their website:

WTBQ broadcasts a mix of local and national talk and news along with a unique mix of music, playing popular songs from the 50's to the present.

What: TOVEY/FOSTER REPORT every Monday 9-10AM
When: Monday December 4, 2006, 9:20AM – 9:40AM
Where: On the am dial 1100 (Channel WTBQ, an ABC affiliate) covering Orange County, NY (and parts of NY, NJ and CT)
Radio station website
Radio station coverage map
Hosts: Sue Tovey and Sande Foster of Priority Solutions Unlimited
Sue & Sande’s website


Our goal is to save you time and help you succeed.

Maureen Sharib is a seasoned telephone names sourcer, names sourcing since 1997. She and her husband Bob own the names sourcing firm TechTrak.com and Maureen telephone-names sources daily as well as teaches telephone-names sourcing in her online telephone names sourcing course "The Magic In The Method." She can be reached by email at Maureen at techtrak.com or by phone at (513) 899-9628. Maureen will come on-site to your company to teach telephone names sourcing to your sourcers.

I can also be found here at the new networking site, Naymz. Be sure to check out my "other groups" while you're there!

Learn telephone names sourcing techniques that work!

How To Get Noticed

Participation isn't just privilege

I had a lovely note from a young woman asking me for advice on how to get the word out about her unique niche site. I don’t think she would mind me mentioning her by name, as it will accomplish what she’s setting out to do, so her note follows:

Hi Maureen! I am the newest member to your group. I have an online company called professionaldiva.com, it is a trendy career site dedicated to young female professionals (20-34). I wanted to promote this among recruiters, especially because it is a unique niche site. Any advice you can give me on how to get the word out or other insight you can offer is greatly appreciated! If nothing else, I would love you to check us out! Thanks Maureen! ~ Allyson Morehead

The reason I am posting about this is that I get many notes from people asking me, essentially, “How do I get (me or my services) noticed?” My answer back is usually the same, and it goes something like this:

Introduce yourself to the groups you join and tell the group who you are and what you're doing - that is one way to get publicity - also tag line your signature with info about yourself and your stuff! Like I do - work to make your signature interesting and fresh. Change it up every couple months. Include links in it so they can get to where you’d like them to go easily! Also, contribute posts about your subject matter that offer real information to the group – offering your knowledge in exchange for someone’s business is a small advertising price to pay. Also, answer questions you see posed by others when you can and, every bit as important, don’t be afraid to ASK questions when you have the opportunity. Samuel Goldwyn said it best, “For your information, I would like to ask a question.” Remember, being a member of an organization carries the responsibility of participation. You can write a check in life, or you can offer what is most valuable, your time and experience, to others.

The other thing you can do to get noticed is curry favor with those who can move you along in your expedition – like she did, she dropped a nice note to a group Moderator and ASKed for help. Being asked for your advice is a very flattering experience – a gift that is of much more value than what you’re being asked to impart. Thanks Allyson!

“Freedom of expression - in particular, freedom of the press - guarantees popular participation in the decisions and actions of government, and popular participation is the essence of our democracy. “ ~ Corazon C. Aquino

Our goal is to save you time and help you succeed.

Maureen Sharib is a seasoned telephone names sourcer, names sourcing since 1997. She and her husband Bob own the names sourcing firm TechTrak.com and Maureen telephone-names sources daily as well as teaches telephone-names sourcing in her online telephone names sourcing course "The Magic In The Method." She can be reached by email at Maureen at techtrak.com or by phone at (513) 899-9628. Maureen will come on-site to your company to teach telephone names sourcing to your sourcers.

I can also be found here at the new networking site, Naymz. Be sure to check out my "other groups" while you're there!

Learn telephone names sourcing techniques that work!

Holiday Magic Special -10% Off!

The new year is approaching and things are beginning to wind down for the holidays (or are they?) If you think you might have some approaching "down time" over the coming holidays that could be filled with some interesting telephone training, "The Magic in the Method" training course allows you 24/7 access at your own pace.

As a holiday offering on the "Magic in the Method",the telephone names sourcing course, a 10% discount off the one year individual access (regular price:$500) membership price is offered through the end of the year.

One year gives you access to all the training modules; four are up and the fifth is ready and will be up by the end of the year. Another three - four modules are anticipated going up during 2007. Each module has three or four actual sourcing scripts within it.

$50 will be sent to you as a rebate after you sign up and pay at the site! Just send bob at techtrak.com an email that you are an Edge reader, that you signed up and paid for the ONE YEAR ACCESS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, and include your mailing address. This offer good through December 31, 2006.

Our goal is to save you time and help you succeed.

Maureen Sharib is a seasoned telephone names sourcer, names sourcing since 1997. She and her husband Bob own the names sourcing firm TechTrak.com and Maureen telephone-names sources daily as well as teaches telephone-names sourcing in her online telephone names sourcing course "The Magic In The Method." She can be reached by email at Maureen at techtrak.com or by phone at (513) 899-9628. Maureen will come on-site to your company to teach telephone names sourcing to your sourcers.

Maureen can also be found here at the new networking site, Naymz. Be sure to check out her "other groups" while you're there!

Learn telephone names sourcing techniques that work!