Tesar-Reynes

On more than one occasion, a candidate has brought up to me their concern about giving personal information on corporate websites. They have felt, whether it is true or not, that they were asked to give permission to the company to investigate private information before they’d even had an interview. They felt uncomfortable answering questions about things like traffic violations and health care. This also included the release of their Social Security number.

In this age, I believe that these people have a perfect right to be concerned. When I asked them whether the corporate site promised to protect their information, none could recall such.

I honestly don’t know whether very many corporate sites do this but if it’s a perception then it’s a partial reality. If it is a reality then I can flat guarantee that certain companies …

In a recent meeting, where I was the keynote speaker, an individual asked me “Why don’t you guys get back to me?” She was frustrated by the fact that recruiters had called her on assignments, presented her to clients, and then there was no follow-up. She said that this had happened to her on multiple occasions in the last year.

My response was that many a client in the last year had started a search and then ended it by leaving things up in the air. We have had more than one retained search, where the client has paid front money and then just clammed up after a couple of months, and the search was never filled. It sort of just faded away. In other cases, the client would make no decision on a …

In a recent gathering I was asked my opinion on the subject of age and the job market. After the conversation progressed for a while, the issue broke down into two pieces: chronological age versus perceptual age and naive preemptive cutting of the candidacy due to age.

I fully believe that chronological age is a poor qualifier for an individual’s candidacy. I have known people in their teens that acted like they were in their 50’s, conversely I have known people in their 80′s that acted like they were in their 40’s.

Perceptual age, how one acts, is all about enthusiasm, flexibility, curiosity and the ability to relate. As a search company we are much less concerned by someone’s age, and more how than by how they act and think.

There was a general consensus in the room that …

I had the good fortune on the second of June to speak at the Chicago chapter of the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG). Check them out. There were about 60 or 70 people in the room, and I was impressed by their level of commitment to help one another.

As I understand it, about one third of the group worked for local companies, one third were consultants, and one third were in transition to a new job. The leadership of the group was enthusiastic, helpful, and offered a great deal of resources. The members reflected the leadership’s emotions and seemed genuinely concerned about helping fellow members. They have branches all over the country.

On a fairly regular basis I’m asked by senior management about whether there should be a great deal of space devoted on their resume to their corporate summary or the bullet positioning of their experience and accomplishments. In most cases, these people have agonized over this piece of real estate. They’re unsure how many words to use and how all the key words will be scanned by recruitment software.

My position on this is pretty simple. I never read this part of their resume until after I’ve read the meat and potatoes down below and I feel that this candidate belongs in our database or that they fit a search that I’m working on. Only then will I go back and read a summary and only then will …

I am a natural born optimist and have been looking for something that would show a sign that the economy was turning for quite some time. I think I got my first sign in the second week of May. That’s when our phone started to ring, and we got six new searches or projects in the course of the next seven days. We are not back to full activity, but it’s nice to be busy again.

The one frustration is dealing with a couple of clients that have fought the good fight internally and are now looking for people to join their company. Some of these hiring managers feel that they can get good people for less than market value and that they are doing them …

One thing that drives me nuts is mechanical filtering that some of our clients use to screen resumes. I have had HR people tell me, after they had left their company, that the whole system stinks.

HR, like every other function, has been subject to cutbacks. In many companies, all that are left are the very young and the very senior. As a result, a great deal of resumes are processed by the more junior members of the department. These people depend on software rather than judgment. This makes total sense if the person doesn’t have a great deal of background in the field.

The problem is in the dependency of mechanical filtering: both a Lexus and an Accord have four wheels, are foreign made and can cost the same amount in the used car …

A resume lives in two dramatically difficult dimensions: on the monitor and on a piece of paper. I am amazed at how few people take advantage of this distinction. Most everyone knows how to put together a good print resume but how many use the cornucopia that is available through their resume on the screen?

Here is a perfect place to embed objects that will lead the reader to write ups or citations about you or your product. With Flickr being so easy to use, why not show examples of your products, displays, logos or print ads. Consider posting your creative reel on YouTube. If the site you created or revised for the client is still up, refer the reader to there! It’s all real time. All the world is interactive today. …

I listen to people all day. Many of them admit to their level of terror: they are out of work and can’t find a job; they have taken a lesser position to tide them over; they are consulting and they have skimped on health insurance; they fear they will be part of the next cutback. On and on.

I have lived through a bunch of recessions since I got out of school, but this is the worst I have seen. Normally they seem to bottom out and start ascending after 12-14 months. This one is longer. It is sucking at me.

When I get up in the morning I have to kick-start by resolve before I go to work. Listening to National Public Radio is getting tougher because I …