Tesar-Reynes

When a salesman calls, you have a perfect right to cut him off pretty quickly or not return the e-mail or voice mail. This is just part of the times. He gets it and no feelings are hurt. When a candidate calls a potential hiring company and gets no response or a curt response, there is a lost opportunity.

I totally understand that the corporate world, large and small, has been cutting all departments to the bone; HR has not been excluded. The department is overworked and understaffed. Pragmatically, answering unsolicited resumes has to be at the bottom of the to-do list.

There are two problems here. Firstly, today’s applicants are not your average letter writer. They are hurting; they are scared; and they are desperate. They are perfect vulnerable targets for good will. Secondly, as a good corporate citizen, …

I remember when Kermit the Frog first sang “It’s not easy being green.” It was such a sad song. Much later, it was actually sung at Jim Henson’s funeral. It is amazing how things have changed – green is now where it is happening.

At our search firm, we have started a whole new sub practice for this category. What surprises me is how many people already have some chops in green and do not merchandise it on their resume. For example:

• I talked to two people in Detroit who work in hybrids and neither pointed that out in their experience.
• I spoke last year to some candidates in Ohio who were involved in batteries/power trains for future cars. They saw their work as …
  
  [ More ] February 19th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Getting a Job, Our Industry |

The economy, the news, your 401k and the world in general eat away at your psyche. Here are some steps you can take to ward off bad vibes if you are out of work.

1. Don’t Isolate

Make sure that you have friends in your life; physically meet them and don’t depend on the phone and e-mail.

2. Improve Yourself

Improve on an annoying habit you have; if you conquer that, move on to another one.

3. Get Physical

Exercise. It releases endorphins, a natural pain-reliever. This can range from a walk to working out; keep slowly increasing the duration of these sessions.

4. Learn Something New

You must have some topic you’ve been interested in; this can be work related, a new hobby, or some subject that’s always …

It takes a special person to be in marketing or any form of communications. Having spent time there myself, and I guess I still do, there is particular specialness that we all have that I want to address: empathy.

I don’t believe anyone can be in this industry unless they can feel what the consumer is interested in. As a result, we are all condemned to feel more of what is going on than the average person. I think of the powers of Mr. Spock or Obi-Wan’s sense of The Force. In this deep recession, where almost everyone is a participant, there is a ton of pain out there. And I think we all feel it whether we like it or not. For those of us who have been in the …