Posts Tagged ‘Dave Mendoza’

Happy New Year: 2011 is Filled With Hope & Promise

Happy New Year.  2010 had its peaks and valleys, and what a year it was.  I founded a world-wide social media community that turned into social action movement: HireFriday.  I got the ear, eye, and voice of my new media role model, and author Chris Brogan who believes in what I am doing.

Chris Brogan, Author of Trust Agents, Guest on Compassionate HR in June 2010+ HireFriday Fan

After appearing on my radio show, Compassionate HR (which I started in Jan 2010) Chris was generous enough to tweet, and write about it.   Then, Amanda Hite of Talent Revolution tweeted about HireFriday.  She is not just a @SexyThinker, she is a charismatic genius who is setting the social network community on fire.  My twitter Angel, a beautiful woman named Joni Doolin tweeted HireFriday that same day.  She is the Founder of People Report, and they are the intellectual capital brokers for serious data industry-wide.   I will soon release an e book that discloses the history of HireFriday, my concept, my model, my dream, and how it manifested in 2010.  (I desperately need an editor). HRMargo.com is an identity blog.  It’s not an industry blog. There’s a big difference.  In 2011 I will unleash the HireFriday.com website, and e-books. Stay tuned.

Don’t judge me, I love pictures.  There’s just one problem.  I’m super talented at what I do in social media community management, and human resources… but … I’m not so talented at doing what I don’t do: graphic layout, and design.  Thank goodness each of us are snow flakes, unique, and special.  What you are about to see are my favorite people, and favorite moments of 2010.   My influencers.  The list that I created.  The lists we create are better than the ones we make, and here is mine.

Joni Doolin from People Report, appeared on Compassionate HR with Nate St. Pierre From It Starts With Us in 2010

This post is not about name dropping.  It’s about acknowledging, and appreciating people who’ve influenced my life.  Josh Letourneau became my friend, and he encouraged me to break out of the blogtalkradio silo, and get into video, and podcasting.  He encouraged me to launch HireFriday boot camp seminars.  Josh is a consistent source of intellectual support.

My brother from a different Mother, Craig Fisher

I befriended Craig Fisher who cares about me enough to take on the task of building my website (which he doesn’t really have time to do, but makes time when he can because he believes in my mission. He is a dear friend.)  Steve Levy has been my stead-fast friend, and advisor.    There is a Twitter application that creates a social network map of who your key influencers.    There isn’t a map big enough to fit in all the names of the people on social networks that I dearly love.

Chris Havrilla supported my concept for HireFriday, and was the first person to call me when she saw my tweet about Bozzie (my 15 yr old shih tzu) that passed way (while I was attending ERE & SourceCon. )   She saw my tweet, and responded immediately.  She’s been a braintrust of information, and a trusted friend.

Maha Akiki, Marie Journey, And Chris Havrilla

Marie Journey and I became friends after the SourceCon and ERE Conference, and she’s supported HireFriday ever since.  I met and dined with industry legends Eric Jaquith, who is just plain smart.

Interviewed Eric Jaquith in 2010, Met him at SourceCon & ERE, and bug him on the phone whenever I can

Shally Steckerl appeared on Compassionate HR in June 2010 a 2-hour show that had a record breaking number of listeners, second only to Chris Brogan (not too shabby)

I dined with Shally, Glen Gutmach, Gerry Crispin, Dave Mendoza, John Sumser, and Matt Charney.

Josh LeTourneau, Husband, Marine, Dog Lover, Recruiter, Sourcer, Social Network Analysis Consultant, and perhaps the smartest guy I know. Josh has been on my blogtalkradio show, I've written about him in numerous posts. He's been my friend, colleague, and I'm pretty sure he's encouraged a few people to stop hating me. And that is my definition of a true friend: someone who's got your back, even in your unattractive moments. I'm loyal, he's loyal. I feel a certain duty, honor, and a respect for Josh. He's my go to man when I need to ponder my latest brain candy concept, innovative idea, or just need a super smart sounding board. I can count on one thing from Josh, always: the truth, and for that I am truly grateful.

Dave Mendoza blogs at 6 Degrees of Dave. Appeared on Compassionate HR in 2010, and honored me with an interview on his blog (he moved me to tears) good tears.

Mike VanDerVort & Maren Hogan both appeared on Compassionate HR in 2010. Mike appeared on one of the two shows I broadcasted on relief in Haiti. He did a blog featuring all the HR Pros who vetted non-profit organizations that provided relief. Another show that made me cry (afterward).

Gerry Crispin is a leader in the recruitment industry. He appears frequently on Compassionate HR. When I covered the ERE Foundation's Charity Poker Game, he crowned the winner with the coveted bling bracelet! Winning was quite a feat. Our industry's best poker players all ponied up the dough to aid Haiti Relief this year. He's also a champion for aiding military veterans. He's my advisor, and my friend. Plus, he's another one of those people I call just to say hello, and thank you. He is so genuinely nice.

I call Steve Levy Yoda, because he's a wise recruitment Jedi Master. I call Jerry Albright The Rock & Roll Recruiter (the name of the post I wrote after I interviewed him). I met them both on blogtalkradio, twitter, and at TruUsa where I led a track on the importance of Compassionate HR-It's not just a radio show: it's a way of life!

Kevin W Grossman, Me & The Late Bosco Da Gama "Bozzie" my 15 yr old shih tzu who died 8 weeks after Carmen Sr passed away in March while I was attended the ERE/SourceCon Conferences. Kevin is my source of inspiration for all things HR Marketing, Talent Culture, And Organization Behavior & Change. He's a good Dad, and a very dear friend. Love him big bunches.

It Starts With Us: Nate St. Pierre Appeared on Compassionate HR with Joni Doolin. I'm a member of his tribe. We are two roots in the same background. I admire and respect his work. He reminds me that each of us can, and will change the world for the better. Simple, yet profound!

RayAnne appeared on Compassionate HR in 2010. She works quietly behind the scenes doing amazing things to raise funds for families who have a member that has Cancer. She's a performer, singer, dancer, and has the coolest logo I've ever seen. Broadbean is lucky to have her. She's an amazing blogger at recruitingblogs. I love her dearly.

The Recruiting Animal, Jennifer McClure & Jeff Lipschultz helped to Re-Brand me on Twitter. I went from PawSpaGal to HRMargo. After 10 yrs exp in corporate, leadership & outplacement training, I lived the dream, founded and built The Paw Spa, a pet boutique, spa, and dog barkery. Don't laugh the pet care industry is a 38 billion dollar industry. After 3+ years I closed, and transitioned back into human resources & social media where I belong. Welcome home. It's good to be back!

Shauna Moerke is the co-host of hrhappyhour, and Sarah White of the ImSoSarah blog--are two HR Professionals that I admire from afar. We don't talk regularly, but when they speak, I listen. I've met them at HRevolution and TruUsa. They are bright stars on the HR Tech landscape.

Jim Stroud, World-Class Talent Acquisition Specialist. He spoke at SourceCon 2010. I had breakfast, and lunch with him. I hit it off with his sweet wife Carmen (who is a masterful shopper & bargain hunter) No really, she trains people how to save money at the grocery store. In addition, she quietly raises funds through the church to feed really hungry families. Jim is cool too. He's one of the leading authorities in candidate sourcing. He is a prolific writer, podcaster, and has developed teaching videos that are used by the best in our business. This picture ranks up their with my high school senior year book. I interviewed Jim on my blog this year. Next year, I will recruit him to be on my 2011 HireFriday podcast. He doesn't know it yet, but he will be brilliant, I can feel it, and I have a knack for scouting talent.

I

Amitai Givertz appeared on Compassionate HR. He was gracious, and patient. A caller heckled him in a line of hostile questioning that I should have stopped, and muted abruptly. The caller was a colleague I respect. I didn't realize just how bad things sounded until after the show was recorded. I learned a very important lesson. Vet your guests, and callers carefully. I felt blind sighted, and sorry for my guest. I apologized profusely. What impressed me most about Ami was not so much his talent, and the content he shared, rather, it was his grace and courtesy in how he handled the hostile caller. That was smart, and classy. Very classy. That's Amitai Givertz: a mensch. I found a whole new, and unexpected respect for this man.

met and interviewed Toby Dayton from linkup.com, Gary Zukowski from TweetMyJobs, and Carmen Hudson from TweetAJob.

I also must thank ERE and SourceCon for giving me a bloggers pass, and making my attendance extremely affordable for my employer.   I enjoyed having their leaders on my blogtalkradio (twice) to discuss the ERE Poker Charity, and ERE Foundation.

I’m grateful to Geoff

Joan Ginsberg, Geoff Webb, and a really cute recruiter from New Zealand...Joan Ginsberg, SPHR is an attorney, an HR Pro, and pet parent to border collies. She and I share a passion for dogs. When I lost Carmen Sr. She found a picture of his twin, and created the sweetest sympathy card I've ever received. It sits on top of my TV. We were in transition together, and she was in one of my very first HireFriday tweets. She is successful, beautiful, articulate, and smart. She has a kind, gentle spirit, and she is well...as she says...taller than her avatar. Geoff Webb, The Radical Recruit is CEO of Radical Events. He's a masterful sourcer. Before we met, I heard him say on blogtalkradio, "I'm a sourcer, I tag em, bag em, and turn them over..." Not knowing what a sourcer actually did, I blurted out, "you make me want to vomit, you can't treat people that way. We are human beings." Fast forward. Bill Boorman explained, kindly I might add, what the role of a sourcer is. I was hooked. One day, I secretly called him and asked him to prep me for a job interview (to be a sourcer). G-d the irony. He cheerfully agreed. We've been fast friends ever since. I'll always remember the amazing time I had leading the Compassionate HR track at TruUsa.

Webb who supported me to become a track leader at TruUsa.    I am a candidate advocate, which is different than a recruiter, or internet candidate sourcer.  Yet, the skills learned at these conferences are critical core competencies that everyone ought to know, embrace, and enjoy.  Prior to my attendance to all these wonderful events something magical happened.

(Random photos of people who influenced me this year in 2010)

Shenne Rutt and Amanda Hite are like the heart and soul of my world on Twitter. You'll never meet anyone more compassionate, caring, dynamic, lovely and kind. They are both talented in different ways. Amanda is fire, and splashy smart. She's a motivational speaker, social media and talent acquisition pro, and a social activist that fights hunger in humanity. Shennee a soft spoken angel who works quietly behind the scenes easing the pain of others without being noticed. She is humble, and it is her humility that makes her so beautiful in my eyes. She has a sparkling soul, and spiritual essence that can literally warm an entire room. Shennee supported me when I started Compassionate HR. She was my co-host. She was also fighting Lupus. An illness few people understand. My heart goes out to her when she hurts. Yet, she's a figher, a hard worker, and tries to do 100% of what she can to be an outstanding recruiter. Though she was only on my blogtalkradio journey for a brief time, I will forever be grateful to her for helping me Launch my radio show. She's been my supporter, my friend, and a very compassionate dog lover. We've cried on each other's shoulders more times than I can tell. We've also laughed more giggles than I can count. I tear up as I write about Shennee. I cry a little when I remember her unconditional love for me, and the volunteer service leadership I provide. Whenever I need a morale booster, I call Shennee. She's always there with a smile, a wink, or a happy hello. Amanda's been behind me from the beginning. She encouraged my passion for compassionate service. She got behind HireFriday from the get go, and encouraged others to do the same. Shennee-Amanda-tip of the hat to you both. I love you.

I interviewed Glen Cathey for my blog in 2010-The boolean (and artificial intelligence/semantic search) blackbelt

February 2010 was a month that forever changed my life.  I founded HireFriday.

Unemployment is hard. HireFriday can help. Lend A Hand, Encourage A Heart

I hit the jackpot when I befriended Robin Schooling, HR Director of The LA Lottery. We met via Twitter via MadMen, LOST, hrhappyhour, HRevolution & Facebook

matt charney, social media, monster.com booked Monster's VP of Corporate Philanthropy, National Director from Dress For Success & Career Gear for my radio show, Compassionate HR in 2010

Michael and Kelly Long: The RedRecruiter, Rackspace Executive, and the lovely Kelly Mitton, HR Executive. Long story short. I met Kelly and Michael on Twitter, and again at HRevolution 1. HRevolution was a life changing, and transformational experience. He and Kelly followed me, and became my twitter colleagues. He was one of the few people who witnessed my black swan dive into blogger hell. After an evening of insomnia, I drove home from HRevolution 2 feeling unsettled. I had just lost my dog Carmen, I was tired, no exhausted. I rattled on about the conference to my roomie and conference BFF Chris Havrilla. I promised I'd email my post to her before it went to press. Foolishly, I didn't. So, with red eyes, and a wicked pen I wrote a regrettable, ill-fated post. A post I've taken back a thousand times. A post that was only live for less than 2 hours. I pulled it down immediately, but the damage was done. I deleted it, and couldn't retrieve it myself. My mentor yelled at me, and then demanded that I "Put that post back up so people can compare it to your retraction." It was LOST. I'm not kidding. Gone. Up went the second post. I never mentioned anyone by name, not one person, but everyone who attended the conference knew exactly who and what I was talking about, and therein lies the harm I caused. It wasn't much nicer than the first. I threw water on the fire, but I did not put the fire out. What does this have to do with Michael, and Kelly? Michael tweeted, "Who are we to censor HRMargo?" He didn't necessarily agree with what I wrote, but he fought for my right to say it. He picked up the phone and called me. To this day, I have no idea how he got my unlisted cell number. That was my bat phone. I thought only my boyfriend had that number. He's a recruiter through, and through. A good recruiter will find you, and the bat phone you thought was hidden. That WOWed me. Ironically, it was the Recruitment (not HR) community that rallied to my defense. Again, grateful, humbled, and a little surprized. The recruiters were saying, "It says HRMargo at the header of your blog, you can say what you want." There were people coming out of the woodwork to read what I said. It's gone, "I thought." No it wasn't. What happens on your blog gets texted, and emailed around the world. It gets indexed on google, and an amateur sourcer can find whatever you say-ALWAYS. Forever. If you say it on a social network, it's in stone. Don't kid yourself, there's no such thing as hiding out in cyberspace. So you can say what you want. Gird your loins because it will follow you around for the rest of your life. When you blog, your posts create a permanent record. There's no such thing as a delete button once it's published. Rookie mistake. Smacked down, bruised, and bloodied, I got back up. 98% of the people who unfollowed me are either following me again on Twitter, or are my Facebook friends, or Linkedin Colleagues. The other 2% could care less. Long ago, my Mother once said, only grieve over things that can grieve over you. She also said, never put something in writing that you would want me, or the readers of The Cincinnati Enquirer to read the following day. People come into our lives for a reason. They leave for a reason. I was sorry. I apologized. I learned, and I never made the same mistake again. Over the past 18 months I've been blogging, I've grown up in more ways than one. I'm outspoken. I occasionally butt heads with people who I perceive are acting like bullies. Cyberspace doesn't need another bully. I will never use my blog as a bully pulpit again. Michael and Kelly had my back. They defend me among their peers. You can defend someone without agreeing with them. They are compassionate hr. It requires a tremendous measure of compassion, and deep wisdom to see someone hurting, hear their pain, and say...ok I don't agree, but I do understand. Thank you Michael and Kelly Long. Your example influenced me more than you'll ever know.

Karen Siwak, Resume Confidential. There are good resume writers. Then, there are gold-standard, "Great," resume writers. Karen is a great, world-class professional. She's not a self-promoter, or a salesperson. Her stellar work speaks for itself. She doesn't need to advertise. Her work comes from referrals, and from people like me who consistently refer people in my job seeker community to her. I've had companies offer affiliate marketing deals. I have not yet acted on the temptation. The bulk of my referrals go to Karen because she's just that good. Sure, there are other people I refer to, however many of them charge way too much money. Frankly, most of the unemployed people I know do not have deep pockets. I used to work for Right Management Consultants, an international outplacement firm. I worked in corporate outplacement career centers. I taught resume writing workshops. As a consultant with this firm, I offered the soup to nuts career development assessment, and accelerated re-employment services. The company paid. It was a great service we provided job seekers. I only bring this up because I have seen few people who can write a resume with the skill, panache, and effectiveness of someone in Karen's class. Ironically, I don't like writing resumes. I'm more interested in the entire career development process. That is why I tend to refer that work to those who love doing it each and every day. Karen has my vote as one of the best of 2010. Award winning resume writers are hard to come by. Let me introduce you to Worthington Career Services. Janice and Jeremy Worthington are also in the "best of" class in 2010. They live right up the road in Columbus, OH. Janice operates a career development process. She and Jeremy have courses, they coach privately, and they do their best to serve their clients well. They also provide the added benefit of helping people land jobs through their VAST contact network. Jeremy offers courses, he's creative, and smart. I like Janice Worthington personally. We met for the first time this summer, and it was like meeting a long-lost cousin. She treated me to the best Italian dinner I had all year. I'll be forever grateful to her for being my phone buddy during my own career transition. She always had an open ear when I needed to talk. Thank you Janice. My friend, when it comes to Dancing with The Stars, we disagree, but when it comes to loving humanity, we are sisters in spirit.

Janice Worthington. Nationally recognized, award winning resume writer, career coach, and employment accelerator (pretty sure that's not a real word, but I do have some creative license. Janice and I are serious about one very important thing, and that's accelerating the employment of every client we help. Like me, she cares deeply about the people she helps. My Mother, of blessed memory passed in 2007. In 2009, when I needed someone that would nurture me, and encourage me on my path, Janice was there. We spoke via blogtalkradio, on the telephone, and mostly on Twitter. We became facebook friends, and now I find myself telling her everything. When you partner with Janice, you don't just get a career coach...you build a professional relationship with a person who is like a friend. As a collegaue, I respect her work. As a friend, I love her sense of humor, and delightful personality. Janice Worthington is a good person to know. Follow her on twitter @ExecJobCoach. Her son Jeremy @JobSearchCoach You'll be glad you did.

2009 it begain. 2010 it mushroomed.  I was back.  I was a social media evangelist, and a human resources/career development professional.  Suddenly, I was no longer a evangelist, I was an in the trenches HR/SEO practitioner.  Sure, I had an HR Masters Degree, and years of experience, but it was my first real social media job, and it was my reintroduction back into trench HR after a foray into the Pet Boutique & Spa Industry (see June blogposts for information about The Paw Spa).

The small firm that employed me had me develop a social media marketing plan, create a new media community development plan, and design a social network strategy whereby I was to create, and boost the online presence, drive traffic to the existing website, write copy for the new website, develop a brand strategy, and increase the professional digital footprint.

I was also tasked with being a cyber sleuth.  Humbly, I said, “I’m not a paralegal, but I have learned a thing or two about internet research.”  Next thing you know, I added internet researcher to my tasks and duties.

I simply stated that I wanted to attend conferences this year to sharpen my skills, and network with the thought leaders.  I assembled a benefits list of what I could deliver after attending the conferences.  I presented my list (every single conference, workshop and seminar was approved-and paid for in full).  Wow, that in itself was transformational.  I attended social media workshops,  industry conferences,  regional seminars and I traveled around the country meeting people I’ve grown to dearly respect.   With every fiber in my passionate being, I wanted to share what I learned.

Everybody talks about giving back, and paying it forward.  I WANTED TO PAY IT NOW!  Give it now.  Be here with the people who really need me NOW.  There’s no time like the present.  I went to my managing partner of the firm and asked for his support.  I said, I want to work remotely on Friday so I can attend to a steward leadership project I want to launch.  I promised I’d make up the time at on Sundays.  He graciously agreed.  I owe this man a tremendous debt of gratitude.  While I no longer work with the firm, he has been a constant source of referrals for new business, and for that I am truly grateful.   Here’s how it happened.

The firm’s founding Partner said, Margo, your plans are excellent, your work is solid, and now I want you to do this for a few of our clients.  With a fire in my belly to make a difference, I went to work.   My hands were busy, my mind was engaged, and my heart was soaring with wonderment.  However, I made a decision that I never wanted to forget what it felt like to be unemployed, and in career transition.  The firm gave me my start back into my new chosen path.  I will forever be grateful to the firm, and its managing partners for believing in me, investing in me, and spinning me off into my own business.    I am now free to work as a contractor for whomever I choose.  Fortunately,  HireFriday worked for me.  In fact, I found my recent social media community management project with ICUC Moderations Services through Twitter.  I found my previous job at the law firm through Twitter as well.  ICUC partnered me with AMC Theatres.  I am their Social Media Community Manager, and am working tirelessly to launch a brand new Brand Ambassador Program.  This is another new baby our team will give birth to this year.  I was the planner, the creator, the consultant, and the team-player, and worker bee. The ICUC Team that works with me is BRILLIANT.  The AMC Theatres Social Media Team is incredible.  We work together each day to mold, shape, and improve everything we do.    There’s an old Buddhist saying:  ”Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water…After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”  So so it goes.  Daily I do what I do in essence with HireFriday, I monitor the website like a hawk, I monitor what our social media monitors, and moderators are doing.  I comment.  I blog, I seed content.  I get my hands dirty.  I count beans.  I file the beans I count.  Some people call it tracking metrics.  I call it what I like to do while I eat lunch at my desk.  It’s what I sleep, drink, eat and breath the work.  I am in essence, immerse.  I broke out of the HR Silo, but not entirely.  I will launch HireFriday bigger, and strong in 2011.  I will attract, recruit, and retain sponsors.    Fun.  Exciting work.  Never-ending, but rewarding.    HireFriday is never over.  It’s 24/7.

Cyndy Trivella, Angel of Mercy, HR Consultant extraordinaire. Cyndy is the smooth to my rough edges. She's learned how to speak in a quiet, articulate way that captivates attention, and makes people listen. She's world-renown in her craft of human resources consulting. Cyndy has worked with the top firms in the United States. She's not just an A-Player--she brings the whole A-Team along with her. One word describes Cyndy: incredible. She's trying to help me put together a volunteer publicity team to move HireFriday forward. Words will never describe just how grateful I am for her tireless work in our linkedin group, and during HireFriday on Twitter. She's been a shining light of support for me. I know I can reach out to her whenever I need help, or just a pep talk. Following your passion with every bit of life's gusto is hard sometimes. Often, I get tired, and weary. Cyndy is always there for an "atta girl" when I need it. We all need more Cyndy Trivellas in this world. I wish I could clone her.

I had been thinking of starting a transformational way to reach out to unemployed people, shine a light on their strengths, and introduce them to my world.  While that did not take root until February 2010, I’d been noodling the concept around in my mind for a while.  February is when I tweeted HireFriday, blogged about it, posted it on facebook, and linkedin.  Now we are in 6 countries, and have a groups, and pages world-wide.   My next post will be an excerpt from my book: HireFriday 2.0: Your Boots On The Ground Approach To Online Job Search.   If it worked for me, it will work for you too.

Thanks to Cynthia Trivella who is my muse, my friend, and HireFriday Linkedin Group Moderator.

Steve Browne, Human Resources Director at LaRosas. Compassionate HR Guest. I should just refer you to the two posts I wrote about Steve this year. I should send you to the blogtalkradio show I taped with him last month. When it comes to trench HR, he's royalty. Like me, he wants to put the human back into human resources. He's also a gregarious extrovert, an eloquent speaker with rapier wit, and true wisdom. If you are reading this post, e-hem, scroll down. He's one of the few people on my blogroll. And, oh yeah, he just started his blog yesterday. Blogrolls around the world will be filling up with his name. As we say on Twitter (hashtag) #Fact.

Thanks to Joanne Wolfe, Cat Herder, and HireFriday Lead Facilitator.  Joanna is seeking a new IT Position, but you better grab her while you can, or somebody else will!    Thanks to Jillian Paige Jackson who is my HireFriday Facebook Page Facilitator.   She’s a wonderful bundle of exuberant energy.  Any company would be darned lucky to have her.

If I forgot to mention your name, send me a direct message on Twitter, and I’ll give you a shout.  Why?  Because I want to move everyone in The HireFriday Movement forward.   If you are reading this post, you are in my community.  I hope you’ll hang around long enough to share some tweet, linkedin love, or facebook help with someone you meet here.

Thank you for reading my blog.  Thank you for sharing my posts with your colleagues and friends.  Most importantly.  Thank you for supporting my passion to be uniquely helpful to others.  Today, I end this post with a link to my very post about my maiden voyage: The first blogtalkradio show from January 2010. Meg Bear, Vivian Wong, and Amy Wilson from Oracle.  These bloggers literally traveled around the world to bring computers to orphanages in India.  They help people in third world countries.  They organize their teams to do service work at The Shelter Network, and at a Food Bank in California.  They were my first muse for what compassionate hr is all about.  It’s great people doing great things for humanity: Globally.

My second show featured a famous blogger, and human resources/organization development professional: Sharlyn Lauby, and Jessica Miller Merrill.  Sharlyn’s work with SHRM is world-renown.  Jessica is popular as well.  Both of these women volunteer to help the disadvantaged.

While I can’t tell you every story about every person I’ve interviewed on my radio show, blogged about here, or featured on HireFriday…Just know if you are reading this: you matter to me.  No, better yet you matter. Period.

Meghan M. Biro, Founder of Talent Culture. Recruitment expert who understands the true meaning of compassionate recruitment. She never leaves the human touch element out of the equation, because like me, she is well aware that she is dealing with people's lives, livelihoods, families, and careers. She doesn't smile and dial. Every person that comes in contact with her is treated with the dignity, respect, and pure integrity that they deserve. Meghan sees talent and culture as one. She's one of the very few recruiters that knows anything about organization development, and sound OD practices. I wrote my thesis on organization culture and change. She didn't attend the same graduate school, nor did she have the same kind of training that I did. Better yet, she intuitively knows how to treat humanity, and has keen instincts about organization behavior, and change. I miss trench OD. I really do. Those departments I worked in went by the way side during the last recession...but in Meghan I see something beautiful. I see something that shines. It isn't rubies. It's the purest essence of human intelligence. Her mind is like a shining crystal of intellectual might. I could literally talk to her for hours and never run out of things to ask. Meghan never complains. I've never, ever heard her cry. She's so brave, and incredibly strong. She reminds me of an HR Warrior. I've suffered so much loss. Everyone is my family is dead, except for my Son, and a few cousins I never see. I used to think of myself as the Mother of all survivors. That is another post. In Meghan, I see a sister, a survivor, a woman of strength, integrity, and valor. Walk on brave Sister. Walk on, and hand in hand we will see our journey through this path we call life.

Don Ramer. President of Arbita. What can I say about a man who has had an audience with The Dalai Lama. When I had Shally on Compassionate HR, he confided that he'd try to get Don on the show. He told me he was Buddhist, and Jewish, and my only question was simply this: Is he married? Joking aside, I had Don on my show and we didn't talk much about recruiting at all. In fact, we talked mostly about the true definition of compassion. Compassion, when boiled down in its barest essence is selfless love, and spiritual understanding. It's knowing the difference between right, and wrong, and doing the right thing, even if it isn't the easy thing to do. Don didn't say that, but that was my take-away. His life story, his education, his experience as a teacher, a man, a business owner, and quiet leader speaks more that mere words. I can't articulate what it meant to me to have Don on my show. Truthfully, it is the only show I've listened to more than once. Everytime I listen to his message, I pick up something different I didn't hear the first time. I don't want to gush about my intellectual respect for this man. He is not my friend, just a mere acquaintance who was kind enough to be a guest on my show. If you do nothing else before the end of 2011...go back through the archives and listen to my podcast with Don Ramer. I will uplift your spirit, make you think critically about the recruitment industry, and more importantly, it will make you think twice about life. Thank you Don Ramer & Shally. Here's a little secret I've never told anyone before. Whenever I'm bummed out about work...I say to my self just a few times "Shally, Shally, Shally...Arbita, Arbita, Arbita." It makes me smile, and it actually makes me feel better. I've never worked for either of you, nor would I care to at the moment. It's just the sound of your names that cheer me up. The sound has an essence that rings like gong in my mind. Random fact.

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First, I will give you an overview.  Second, I will introduce you to our conference speakers, and Third, I will give an editorial of what I learned. By the end of this post, the learner will have a taste of what was discussed at SourceCon today, and be able to experiment with at least one of the tools presented. I want to begin by saying everything I know about sourcing can be stuffed in a thimble.  I realize I only a little, but my appetite for learning is unrivaled.  The fact my sourcecon community is so generous with their teachings, we can all learn, practice new skills, and grow with the best of them.  You see, even the best of the best realize their own humanity, and limitations.  Perhaps, that’s why I love them so, genuinely.   The sourcer community is Margo’s muse.

SourceCon brings together the braintrust of knowledge brokers.  World Class recruiters proved that the gold standard for recruitment and the art of candidate sourcing is alive and well.  Today I learned that sourcing, one of the most admirable professions in the industry, is both a science, and an art.  It encompasses true intellectual capital, and competitive–internet intelligence–and interpersonal contact both by phone & the open sourced web.  Semantic machine learning was discussed, (I’m obsessed with artificial intelligence) as were boolean search strings.

 In fact secrets sprang forth from the vault to offer the participant the ability to practice, and master new skills. (Lots of backchannel fun with @Jer425 of Starbucks.) Part of the fun is engaging and interacting with participants via twitter. I first met Jeremy Langhans when I covered The ERE Foundation during SourceCon in San Diego. The ERE Poker Game funds charities around the world. Turns out Jeremy likes starbucks pumpkin spiced lattes (we share that passion). Gerry Crispin, Jer, and the gang and I became fast friends.

When Shally gave away his super sleuth secrets, he didn’t spoon feed us, rather he gave us examples, and the sweet smell & taste of what is possible.  Go and experiment, he said.  He empowered us to search, learn be humble, and never, ever fall asleep at the wheel.  You see regardless how powerful and advanced semantic search capacity on the “open web,” people program machines.  Before I get too carried away with my unbridled enthusiasm for the “sport” of sourcing (yes, I said it’s like a competitive sport) let me introduce the speakers.  They are as follows:

Led by our chairperson Eric Jaquith, (click to read my interview with Eric) this year’s speaker lineup includes sourcing experts such as:

• Glen Cathey
• Gary Conway
• Jeff Eveler
• Chris Gould
• Kristin Kalscheur
• Earl Mann
• Shannon Myers
• Michael Notaro
• Tim O’Connor
• Maureen Sharib
• Shally Steckerl

Our first Key Note Speaker was Glen Cathey.   I have a soft spot in my heart for him because he works behind the scenes with egoless aplomb.  Glen allowed me to interview him for my blog.  He didn’t judge me for being a reporter, rather he was gracious, and kind. Glen is, in my opinion, a man shrouded in mystery.  You see, his clients pay him to be low key, and in so doing, he can find the candidates that most people miss.  He is a world-wide consultant, and one of the most sought after professionals in our space?  Why?  I think it’s because he’s humble, and could care less about the spot light.  He can monitor intelligence, and human capital like few others because he’s not just using the technology he’s creating it.  That’s right he’s an inventor, and an innovator.  While he’d probably blush, and disagree, I’d argue he is the smartest man in the room today.  I don’t know much about sourcing, but I do know how to spot a genius when I see one.  I was watching him present…with my eyes glued to the computer…it was as if I were watching a gripping mystery on the silver screen.  His animated presentation had the audience oooo-ing, and ahhhhhhhh-ing, and virtually sitting on the edge of their chairs.

Here’s a sample tweet:
#sourcecon @GlenCathey faceoff data mining vs. Cold calling–Like I’ve always said, you’ll never get the sale you don’t ask for, so why not go for the call of action before you leave the room?  Glen is my favorite because, like me, he’s interested in machine learning.  Now, people program machines, but the day of semantic machine learning becoming status quo is not to far into the future.  In fact the CIA thinks boolean is passe’.  Glen broke it down for us.  Anyone that can articulately describe semantic search, the open web, and universal intelligence is aces in my book.  Ok enough gushing.  Read the post I wrote about him this year.

Via AmyBeth Hale, blogged live-and as a gifted writer, broke it down for the participants, for example she defined the term “cryptology” the study of obscure and obfuscated information:

Cryptology, by definition, is the practice and study of hiding information. A good cryptologist is not only good at hiding information, he/she is also good at uncovering it. It is imperative to pay close attention to details when sniffing out hidden data; it can be a tiring task and is not for the faint of heart. Eveler mentioned the word “vigilance” when referring to what makes a good sourcer. This means watchfulness, the process of paying close and continuous attention. As a way of being vigilant in sourcing, he shared with the room a way to map out talent intelligence, broken down into eight categories.  Thanks AmyBeth. Great live blogging.

Personally I loved our third speaker.  His candor and nod to our fallen Heroes from 911 brought tears to my eyes.  I wept as he spoke.  You see, I want to start an off shoot of HireFriday.  HireAHero & HireAVet are the perfect companion to the grass roots movement and community that is #HireFriday.  Let’s give our first responders and military vets a second chance.  They rescued us, NOW let’s extend our helping hands to them.

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If This Video doesn’t give you chills, and a sense of gratitude-nothing will!

Our differently abled Americans need recruiters, and hiring managers to value their talent. Our veterans and differently abled workforce become invisible, they fall through the cracks sight unseen. Yet, their voices must be heard. They WILL be heard on an upcoming episode of Compassionate HR with Josh LeTourneau, Gerry Crispin, Steve Levy, and Dave Mendoza. Please read Josh’s Post From Fistful Of Talent.

He articulates the importance of coaching veterans how to interview. He articulates how we can support our vets through transition. Josh, Gerry, Dave and Steve are on to something here. Their work is groundbreaking and I invite each of you to get involved (call to action time). Read Gerry Crispin’s inspirational article, he invites us to join a worthy survey effort regarding the disability candidate experience.  Imagine, being in a wheel chair, arriving on time for an interview, only to find you can’t make it up the stairs? Let’s change that.

Our workforce can only be strengthened when we put our differently abled veterans to work.

The Disabled American's are Differently Abled-Not Dis-Abled. They have strong skills and are worthy of a great job!

Many of our veterans have been rendered with disabilities by wars. They are NOT disabled. They are differently abled perhaps, and they deserve our respect. Our veterans, and people of different ability are still strong and capable human beings who can and want to work.

Don’t patronize a disabled American, hire them; they are gifted, and able human beings. A poignant article by the FederalTimes.com reports that The Federal Government is not doing enough to attract retain, and accommodate these incredible workers.

Unfortunately, many erroneous perceptions exist about their plight. For instance when a military veteran, fresh from the field returns homes, the business community doesn’t welcome them with open arms. As Steve Levy said on my show last week, “Hiring managers are afraid they are going to go postal,” whatever that means: it’s hogwash. Levy started a movement, 1000 recruiters of light. Veterans will be paired with a recruiter and will receive one to one coaching on how to get prepared to re-enter the workforce. Gerry Crispin and Dave Mendoza have embarked on a similar mission, and are working tirelessly to mentor, help and find jobs for our military veterans.

Today, and everyday ask yourself, what can I do empower our gifted, all too often invisible veterans and disabled workers in transition?

Please comment, share an experience. If you are a veteran, share your thoughts. Your voice is important to me. You matter in my life. And, if no one has told you “I care about you,” today, let me be the first.

Your twitter pal,

@HRMargo

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