2013 is a very special year for LinkedIn…the company started the new year off by breaking the 200-million member mark.

Now while that’s great news for the company and its shareholders, as well as many of its business-owner members, it can mean a bit of a challenge for you as a job seeker.

The good news is that as a member of LinkedIn, you have a HUGE audience.

The bad news is, you also face a TON of competition.

So how do you tap into the vast…

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I needed a chance to collect my thoughts, with so much crowding in in the holiday season, with work busier than ever, and with family holiday moments seizing the stage, one must remember why they do things - and what drives us forward in our careers. 

 

It is in this journey where you find the greatest relief, the greatest lessons, and the greatest outcomes and achievements.  Staffing isn't just about filling jobs, and having family isn't just about having relationships. …

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Recently I read an article on ‘fear’, which stated the 12 top types of fear and what/where they generally stem from. An example of this would be “Fear of failure – This type of fear has its roots in the misconception that everything you do has to be 100% successful.”

I object to fear for the most part, anything thought in this vein is an…

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I'm the current newbie here at Lipton Fleming and the other evening, whilst sharing a few civilised drinks and a game of Trivial Pursuit in the local, I was grilled by my friends about my new job. After the usual platitudes the conversation evolved into the way people perceive recruitment consultants. I doubt it will come as much as a surprise to hear that we aren't regarded very highly.

Recruitment consultants, on the whole, have a pretty bad reputation. I think it is…

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If you look back in time, maybe around 40+ years ago, employees found a job within a company and were expected to stay with that same company for their entire career in exchange for a pension and a gold watch or pen. Now times have changed dramatically, most people have 5-8 career changes in their lifetime.

So now employees are faced with a new decision, how to determine when to leave their current job. This may…

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 Yet again this morning the headlines in the news revolved around the slow and sluggish economy and why we as citizens should look after our elderly counterparts and how many under 14 year old children would sacrifice their pocket money and entertainment time if their parents/guardians would give up smoking! It’s as if the media is requesting us to check our moral compass. Now not only are the powers that be asking that we start being prudent and put in as opposed to take…

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A career change is a life altering decision and should be properly thought through and planned. It can mean a complete transition to a new job, a new employer or a new industry. If a person chooses to change career direction, for example they have been in …

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Achieving organizational alignment is a strategic HR activity that can deliver significant benefits to an organization. Alignment is more than ideal state. It is imperative to ensure the organization is successful in getting all employees to move into the same direction, to achieve the vision of the organization.

Alignment is one of the power words in an organizational change consultant’s toolkit. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t use or refer to alignment.

Some years ago, I…

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Change.  It could be classified as an irritant, and it can be classified as a help.  It certainly puts itself right smack dab in the middle of any choices you make as if it had all the trimmings for your journey in life.  You are flowing along, things are working well, and then BOOM - a change comes mighty and stubborn setting itself in your path like a nice giant boulder.  Now you can be the one pushing the boulder or be on the other side and get crushed, I'd like to think this little…

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How committed are you to constant and fearless innovation? When someone tells you an idea is farfetched or it cannot be done, do you go out of your way to make it happen? Are you afraid to fail? I have seen far too often people get complacent and stop innovating, stop bringing ideas to the table. Complacency should not exist. People should want more, want better. Why do we stop wanting more? Why does what is OK get left alone? Why do we not want the best? We should want to strive for perfection… Continue

The last time I checked there were only 21,185,836 views of this video which should give you some idea of how "tuned in" I am!

The video is part of a series put together by Playing for Change and if you are one of the 21 million plus mentioned above, of course, you already know that.

But for those, like…

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One of the benefits of being a part of a community like twitter, linkedin or any other face-to-face and/or internet community is that you have the ability to meet and interact with people that you would otherwise not. You have a chance to change your own typical routine and better show and witness the similarities people share, rather than the… Continue

One of my all-time favorite writers, Bill Simmons* of ESPN, credits Rocky Balboa for ending the Cold War by defeating Ivan Drago in Rocky IV . The thought is intriguing. Communism began its decline very shortly after this movie’s release.



I watched Rocky IV for the 200th time over the Thanksgiving holidays. I was astonished by the allegorical similarity of Rocky’s one-man disarming of the… Continue

Staying fluid to the changing times is as necessary as the air you breathe to support your life. Change is constant. Inclement weather to clear skies, poverty to abundance, fear to certainty, unemployed to employed, in order to remain current you need to embrace change like an old familiar friend. Remaining flexible and being confident that change is imminent whichever way the wind is blowing will help you. Go ahead and bend really, you won’t break.



Your career will take shape when… Continue

When the economy tanks in one sector, the advice you hear from ABC, CNN, Employment Blogs, HR professionals, and even your second-cousin is that you need to target sectors that are growing. That sounds like really smart advice, but like most mainstream pithy wisdom it has it's flaws doesn't it? And I feel like it is our job as talent identification professionals to knock some sense into the growing ranks of "cross-over applicants".



Only Applicants with Experience Need… Continue

Recently, I gave my family as a Christmas gift a copy of my childhood journal kept from the time I was a wee lad.



I reread, and reread and as I prepared this gift it occurred to me that I have seen so many blessings this past year.



2008 will be the year I remember where I turned a corner professionally. I had all the mortar and bricks to build something great, but 2008 was where crucial life decisions, professional turning points, and a foray into and a return to staffing… Continue

Many of the popular applicant tracking system (ATS) vendors continue to strengthen their client retention rates. Hirebridge currently boasts a better than 98% retention rate. However, there are a number of users looking to switch to a different ATS for a variety of reasons. Below are highlights of the biggest factors I’ve found for changing to a different ATS.



Price

The pricing of ATSs has become one of the largest areas of competition for vendors. Many web based (SaaS model)… Continue

Recently, I was called by my church to assist others in taking steps to better themselves in thier career situations. In this down economy, many folks are struggling to make ends meet as they strive to find a new opportunity. In this economy it is important as a recruiter to help others define their career trajectory.



I think I have always taken for granted networking. I think as a recruiter this comes naturally, and it is part of our… Continue