The Comment Club

Audio Version here

As you all know, unlike everybody else in the recruitosphere, I am not a thought leader. And I am not a visionary.

But nevertheless, late last week I created the very first portable group blog in world history. Here's what I mean.

A bunch of my friends and I agreed to work together as team of roving commenters.

When we see a blog posting that's just begging to be criticized we send a message (like ants) to the other members of the team.

And they all descend on it at the same time and start discussing it back and forth until all of the errors are exposed and corrected.

Now please tell me, what's wrong with that?

I think it's a marvellous idea because not many people leave comments on recruiting blogs so a blogger is free to say any kind of nonsense at all and never get called on it.

You get guys like the great Shally, who complain that there's too much noise in the recruitosphere but do they ever come up with a plan to do anything about it? No.

But did the Recruiting Animal come up with a solution to the problem? Yes he did. And it's a fun solution too. But do you think anyone is patting me on the back for it. No. No they're not.

Instead I'm starting to hear the same old story: Why do you have criticize everybody. I don't think that's nice.

Yeah. Well look at Lifehacker. That's a software blog. They recommend software. And when they do they get a bunch of comments from people telling you what the shortcomings of that software are

So tell me, would it be better if the people who know something and are trying to help you just shut their mouths because the guy who made the recommendation isn't humble enough to handle anybody else's opinion? I don't think so.

And the same rule applies to us. If you tell me is that your company's great and you don't offer any evidence, I'm going to say you better prove it, Bub.

And if you tell me that when a Gen Y person gets laid off she won't have any trouble writing a great resume, activating her network and getting a new job in just a few weeks. I'm going to say you better prove it.

Because that's the difference between blogging and propaganda. And that's the difference between being boring and being a part of a dialogue. And people who write political blogs, they get that -- but, recruiters they don't. They don't get it.

Now, remember when Obama said that today is the day the oceans stop rising? Well I'm telling you that today is the day that the noise starts dying down.

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 18, 2009 at 5:06pm

Honey, you're right. You didn't use the phrase Gen Y. But what does this mean?

"while outplacement is nice, for some employees it’s not necessary.

"There is a whole new generation of employees that can connect themselves to recruiters who work in their field, polish up their resume, mobilize their network and create opportunities in a matter of weeks (in fact these things may already be happening).

"Perhaps a more generous severance package, so they can do their job search, their way?"

Don't feel bad. What would I do without bloggers like you who fall for that stuff?

And you're still a genius -- in my book, anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on March 18, 2009 at 5:57pm

Man, reading this a strange thing happened to me (sorry can't prove it).... I can actually hear you animal, that non accent of yours, even the intro music... OK maybe i've had too much coffee already

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 18, 2009 at 6:05pm

Thanks Jess & Dan. I need some show of support here because the flack we're getting so far is going to discourage the weak-kneed members of the comment club.

Look at Maren. Such a sweet, quiet girl and our activities have driven her to all caps! (She was the first target so you think she'd be saluting me, don't you. After all, we gave her about 26 comments under a nothing-special posting. But it doesn't work that way I guess. Ah, the life of an innovator).

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 18, 2009 at 7:59pm

Maren K Hogan is arguing that she is meeting a unique wave of job hunters. People who want to take charge of their own job hunts and are very eager to learn the skills to do so.

What's more, her old granny is online and so's her pappy and this proves that the world is changing, yadda, yadda, whether the Recruiting Animal recognizes it or not.

Well, let's talk about granny first. The 86 year old woman who doesn't even speak English. What's she doing on LinkedIn? Looking for guys? I think she'd have better luck on MySpace. Or Match.com. So don't use her as an example of the entire world's online social networking savvy.

And, tell me, honestly, how did she get on LinkedIn? Does she know she's got a profile? Or did you just put her there so you could brag about her?

But, let's leave that for a sec and go to the job hunters. Maren wrote:

"I am swamped with lunches, resumes, introduction queries and speaking requests."

A bunch of losers invite a sweet, pretty girl like you to come and speak to them about job-hunting and you see this as what? A sign that:

"There is a whole new generation of employees that can connect themselves to recruiters who work in their field, polish up their resume, mobilize their network and create opportunities in a matter of weeks"

Dear, just because they like you, the recruiting animal's social media rookie of the year, does not mean that they have an affinity to advanced job hunting techniques. It just means they like pretty girls.

Let's talk resumes. I'm a recruiter and I have a website. And I get quite a few unsolicited resumes. And 99% of them stink. And I don't think it has anything to do with age. Younger people might like video games but they're just as brainless as anyone else.

Next surprise:

"THEY are reaching out to recruiters rather than the other way around."

I've been in a recruiter in a recession before. You haven't. They're just trying to use you, dear, that's all. It's the same-old, same-old, not a cultural sea-change.

When I worked in an office I had people calling me every day. "Recruiting Animal, find me job!" Everyone laughed about it because I didn't have the heart to shake them.

"People no longer want to be handed a fish, they want to be taught to fish."

Okay, let's say you don't have people crying "Maren Hogan, find me job!" Instead, it's a bad economy and they are asking you to tell them how to look for a job. Why does that seem so incredible to you? I can only assume it's because you think that people were total vegetables in the past and never looked for jobs on their own.

Some did and some will. But not all. Because when people call me for advice and I start telling them how to market themselves, I can tell that they're not really interested. They don't want to call lots of strangers and I don't blame them. It's scary.

And I see that you agree with me because after all of your huffing an puffing you confess that "this does not apply to all job seekers, everywhere". Amen, sister. Testify!

As for the social networks of the new generation of job hunters, the internet does give people more reach than they had before. If not for the net, you and I wouldn't know eachother and I might not even know JD and he lives, like, three miles away from me.

But, Maren, I'm not so sure that people have social networks that are going to deliver jobs in the way you suggest. (Ask Dennis Smith). I'm from Missouri, dear. You've got to show me.

By the way, I wasn't defending outplacement companies. Didn't you see me say that my cousin went to one and the resume was okay but the stuff the guy told her was total garbage - that she would easily find a job that was better than the one she had lost - she didn't.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on March 18, 2009 at 8:10pm

I'd like to jump in here with a comment. Can I do that like in the old days - like last week - where I'm simply commenting for discussion's sake? Great.

I don't really think job seekers are interested at all in learning about the "process" of job seeking. Sure there are neat gadgets and stuff to make it seem a bit friendlier and easier. But when it's all said and done a person looking for a job wants just that - a job. Why do so many of us want to think anyone outside our little world actually gives a hooey about how we do what we do?

I use professional services in many apects of both professional and personal life. Accountants, doctors, lawyers, carpenters - you name it. I'm "interested" in what they do - right up to the point of them doing it FOR me and then we go our separate ways.

They may seem to be interested in fishing - but only until they land a fish.

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 18, 2009 at 8:17pm

Jerry said: I'd like to jump in here with a comment. Can I do that like in the old days - like last week - where I'm simply commenting for discussion's sake?

Jerry, you don't get it. Nothing has changed.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on March 18, 2009 at 8:21pm

Animal - are you familiar with the DISC Personality Test? I'm what they call a "high 'I'" so that means it's quite important for me that others like me......it's my personable nature that I value and build upon in social settings....

I suspect you're a D with a pinch of S/C but it's been a while since I spent much time with that particular test. I might be wrong. (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

Recruiting Animal said:

Jerry said: I'd like to jump in here with a comment. Can I do that like in the old days - like last week - where I'm simply commenting for discussion's sake?

Jerry, you don't get it. Nothing has changed.

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 18, 2009 at 8:42pm

Jerry, since you bring up personalities, I'll refer to yours.

I know you to be a friendly guy but you also seem to be a no-nonsense businessman who doesn't put a desperate need to be liked over the free statement of reasonable ideas. (I ain't no D. I think I'd be a lot wealthier if I was).

More to the point, the comment club doesn't demand anything more of you than you were doing last week.

It's just tells you where there is a posting that warrants attention. And, we're just as inclined to follow your pick of articles as we are anyone else's.

So what's changed since last week?

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Permalink Reply by Amitai Givertz on March 19, 2009 at 7:28am

Um, Jerry are you referring to the Animal [internal profile] or the man behind the mask [external profile]?

I say he's a S over I which, as you know, is somewhere between "rare" and "odd" on the wacky scale.

Oh, if you're interested I'm an off the chart D. The test always comes back flagged for a retake suggesting the "subject may be overly stressed or unusually agitated."

Are you familiar with Margaret Graziano's work with KeenHire? It's groundbreaking. Check it out.

Jerry Albright said:

Animal - are you familiar with the DISC Personality Test? I'm what they call a "high 'I'" so that means it's quite important for me that others like me......it's my personable nature that I value and build upon in social settings....
I suspect you're a D with a pinch of S/C but it's been a while since I spent much time with that particular test. I might be wrong. (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

Recruiting Animal said:
Jerry said: I'd like to jump in here with a comment. Can I do that like in the old days - like last week - where I'm simply commenting for discussion's sake?

Jerry, you don't get it. Nothing has changed.

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 19, 2009 at 11:10am

Quote 1:
"This is good news for recruiters, who are already starting to see how much a needed part of society they have become.

But with this new lauded status, with all this conversation about how the black sheep cousin of HR can actually be of use, comes a more sinister slippery slope."

Quote 2:
"As recruiters we are in the middle of the storm and have wind blowing at us from our clients (who are overworked) and our candidates (who are freaking out).

I had a candidate who felt he was qualified for a position that I had already filled and couldn't understand why I didn't get him in at the 11th hour. He was very upset."

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Permalink Reply by lisa rokusek on March 19, 2009 at 11:50am

Animal, Maren, Jerry, Jessica, Dan,

I love this whole thing because I have looked at RBC more times in the last week than I have in a year. In 2007 I left a company I'd been with for over a decade and went out on my own. So I have been busting my buttons running my desk (and being a curmudgeon on twitter) more than I have been talking to recruiters about recruiting.

But recruiting is one of my favorite things, and I do like to talk about it. I like having my feet held to the fire by solid critique, and I like doing the same to others, but only in a way that lifts us (collectively) up. It is possible to seek accountability and critical thinking without resorting to mob tactics. It takes practice and determination and a willingness to put for the effort.

I think it is good for us (again, collectively) as an industry to require that accountability of each other and ourselves.

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 19, 2009 at 11:55am

According to Socrates, the role of a gadfly is to to "sting people and whip them into a fury in the service of truth".

Socrates, of course, was sentenced to death.