The Daily Recruiter

Many of my close friends as well as my sister recently took voluntary separation packages from the large newspaper company for whom I toiled for 14 years.

I was long gone, but I still kept tabs on the shocking demise of my former industry, so the announcement of a buyout offer for anyone employed in the newsroom for at least five years didn’t take me by surprise.

What did surprise me was how many people had the guts to take the deal—seventy-five—and how many of them, especially my sister, Susan, who had edited the food pages for 18 years, handled the evaporation of their careers.

Yes, there were tears. But weeks before her last day arrived my sister embraced the idea of starting a whole new professional life as a cookbook author, slow food activist, restaurant consultant, recipe developer, magazine writer, Web site entrepreneur and whatever other opportunities should come her way.

How did she manage such a positive attitude when she was losing a job she loved?

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Even if you are not a sports fan, it’s been difficult avoiding NBC’s unprecedented coverage of the 29^th Olympics in China. Despite the fact that many skeptics wondered if NBC was crazy transmitting 3,600 hours of Olympic television and webcast coverage, the peacock network has struck gold. This Olympics’ Nielsen ratings have far outpaced the viewership of the previous summer Olympics in Greece, and its numbers are second only to this year’s Super Bowl. These Olympics have not disappointed for a variety of reasons; here are just two.

First, the Beijing Olympics remind us of the value of competition. Although a few select events have been won easily by a dominant individual or team (see Usain Bolt in the Men’s 100 Meter Dash), the victor has often been unknown until the last seconds of most events. Arguably the most enduring image of this Olympics is Michael Phelps, the winner of eight gold  medals in Bejing, celebrating with his teammates when the U.S. Men’s swim team came from seemingly certain defeat to out-touch France at the wall in the 4 x 100 Men’s freestyle relay. In short, competition affords its participants the ability to definitively measure one’s performance.

Second, the Bejing Olympics remind us of the value of cooperation. Name any other event in existence today where 202 nations meet and follow the same set of rules for two weeks. You can’t. As Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the French enthusiast that helped resurrect the modern Olympic Games, stated in 1896, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part” (Uschan, 2000, p. 8). Indeed, each Olympiad provides a snapshot of what can be accomplished when nations choose to agree, rather than disagree. (As a reminder, these events occurred against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Georgia.) In short, cooperation is the foundation of progress.

Competition and cooperation: Two reasons why these Olympics have drawn a record-breaking audience and two powerful tools for any CEO or manager focused on increasing company production and profits in these challenging economic times.

My friend works at Georgia Tech, and one of her tasks is keeping parents occupied while their kids attend new student orientation. She told me how a parent asked for ideas on what to get his son as a birthday gift. My friend advised golf lessons.

“My son doesn’t play golf,” the man said.

“He should,” my friend replied. “The golf course is where all these big business deals are made.”

Parents reached for their pens to scribble down those words of wisdom. It got me thinking how important hobbies are as a networking tool.

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It’s hard to believe, but 2007 marked the 25^th anniversary of In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman (1982). Their work is as significant today as when it was released, because of the question it asks (i.e., “What are the qualities of the exceptional organization?”), the answer to that question, and the research tradition it initiated. (See Jim Collins’ Good to Great for the latest installment in differentiating company haves from have nots.)

If it’s been some time since you reviewed Peters and Waterman’s analysis of 62 top- performing organizations (e.g., IBM, 3M, Proctor and Gamble), here is a quick refresher:

1. Excellent organizations react quickly to market changes.

2. Excellent organizations make decisions based on customer needs.

3. Excellent organizations encourage employee risk-taking.

4. Excellent organizations encourage strong superior-subordinate relationships.

5. Excellent organizations value employee productivity and performance.

6. Excellent organizations stick to what they do best.

7. Excellent organizations spell out, in detail, who is responsible for each task.

8. Excellent organizations prioritize a common value system in achieving stated goals.

As a corporate consultant, I encourage that company owners and mangers review these themes annually for a number of reasons: First, they clarify if a company is progressing or regressing over time. Like humans, companies exhibit distinct stages of growth over their life cycle (Miller & Friesen, 1984). Periodically, it is important to ask, “Which of these themes has our company prioritized to date?” Second, the themes function as standards for assessing current company performance (e.g., “How do our customers rate our service at this time?”). And third, the themes provide a template for developing future company objectives (e.g., “In what ways do we encourage employee risk-taking for the purpose of improving product quality?”).

If you haven’t considered Peters and Waterman’s themes in a while, do so. They provide a time-tested framework for determining if your company is on the path to greatness in good, and not so good, economic times.

by Rick Houcek

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By Bill Catlette

In our 2007 book , Contented Cows MOOve Faster, we included a chapter on the vital role a leader plays in communicating with his/her troops, and transmitting real world reality back up the line. We noted that, despite all the information transmission modes and methods now available to us (think Crackberry, podcasts, blast email, conference calls, et. al.) we do a poorer job of communicating, as in making meaning, than ever.

It’s not that we don’t use the available devices, in fact, quite the opposite. As the result of all the pitches, directives, updates, and FYI’s being constantly beamed about, most of us go thru the day feeling as though our lips are permanently fused to an informational fire hose. While the “word” may be getting out, it is impossible for the human mind to deal with all that stuff.

There are additional unintended consequences to this situation. The frantic effort to deal with the constant barrage of data simply wears people out. Working your way through a hundred or more emails (probably ten of which are worthwhile), realizing that more are simultaneously arriving over the transom is tedious and tiresome, not to mention a bit depressing. Exchanging voicemail messages nonstop via cell phone while driving across town to meetings is equally exhausting, and dangerous.

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If you are a candidate and looking for new opportunities, you need to be prepared to clearly discuss your current and past achievements. There is a lot to be said about having a well rehearsed 30 second elevator pitch that provides a macro view of your company and role. You also need to be able to elaborate and provide your Key Performance Indicators / KPI’s.

The top performers in any field all know their statistics or KPI’s and more importantly, can discuss and articulate them. Whether you are a MLB baseball coach trying to put your team in the best position to win by using a past performance of a particular match-up or a Global Procurement Manager analyzing the best vendor to select using an established criteria scorecard; you need to know your KPI’s. Could you imagine a pilot flying without using KPI’s?

Recruiters are not immune to this either and should know their KPI’s – 5 to 1 resume to placement ratio, 4 to 1 job order to placement ratio, $20k average placement fee, 21 days to fill, etc. This information is vital to running a productive desk and can serve as a barometer of success of a given period of time. Recruiters need to know their KPI’s and use them while talking with hiring authorities.

Good data and statistics are hard to argue and professionals need to be able to identify the most critical success factors / KPI’s, track them and work towards your goals. I like to refer to this as ‘finger tip’ knowledge and when used properly is very powerful. If you are not already using KPI’s, I would highly recommend establishing them. In today’s competitive job market, having a well rehearsed elevator pitch and being able to articulate the scope of your role is paramount.

My friend Mark can’t help musing over how times have changed.

Three years ago, he had his pick of positions when he was ready to jump from Giant Corporation X to Smaller Company Y. Recently, he decided it was time to get back to a large company. He put his résumé out and made contact with the recruiters who had helped him over the years.

My how times have changed.

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By MICHAEL E. KANELL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The jobless rate in Georgia leaped last month to the highest level it has reached in May since 1993.

The official rate rose from 5.3 percent in April to 5.8 percent in May, paralleling the large leap taken by the national unemployment rate.

“Georgia’s May unemployment report confirms that we are facing an increasingly difficult economic environment,” said Michael Thurmond, state labor commissioner.

Higher unemployment rates often mean that the labor market has weakened. However, economists consider the rate to be a lagging and somewhat inexact indicator.

A slowing economy typically does not immediately shove jobless rates much higher. On the other hand, an improving economy is often accompanied by rising rates as more people seek work.

Critics often argue that the official jobless rate understates problems. It does not include people who are out of work and have not been looking for a job. And it does not include

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