Grand Central

I've been using GrandCentral and thought you might like to try it out. Here's an invitation to create an account.

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To accept this invitation and register for your account, visit
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This invite is only good for one user. If it is already used, reply to this post with your email address and I'll forward you another if there are some still available.

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Information without the BS

I've wondered a bit about the question of style in writing this blog. Should I stick to the typical corporate politically correct, bland, model? or go with a more rogue, bare-knuckles approach, where some posts might offend?

I guess I've tried to strike a middle of the road approach and provide some real information on how recruiting works (from my point of view anyway) and not worry too much about how much or how little marketing value the blog provides (while hoping that somehow it does provide some). Some may disagree with some of the content, but I doubt much of it is going to get anyone's temper up, though some people may have a different point of view on some of the topic.

Judging from the site traffic statistics, it gets some readership, but I'm not likely to make a gazillion dollars selling it off to someone any time soon.

I have gotten several notes from others who said they liked the style and found it refreshing.

In reviewing the site traffic statistics, I'm able to see where the traffic comes from. Google searches are of course one of the large sources, and the traffic info actually provides the phrases entered as search criteria. Frequently, the search phrase is not an exact match for any of the content, but nevertheless, was close enough to lead someone here. So for a new wrinkle, I thought I'd review some of those and make them a topic for a subsequent post.

One recent query was: "sales and recruiting what is a pipeline" ?

Not having the option to ask the person to clarify, I suppose I can interpret the question as best I can and take a stab.

A "pipeline" refers to the business, in this case, search assignments, that are in work, or coming. It could refer to actual searches in work, or possibly potential searches not yet started. A key metric for a recruiter is his/her ability to have plenty of searches in work, and therefore a fair number of opportunities for candidates. However, having too many can also mean that the recruiter is not serving the needs of the client well if they are spread too thin. Quality is also a key factor. Some assignments may come from clients that are using a lot of recruiters, or who won't pay the recruiter's normal fee. Or that may be using the recruiter as a back stop while they try and fill the assigment themselves.

The best pipeline is usually made up of a small number of quality clients with whom the recruiter has done business in the past. There is a high degree of communication, and a well developed relationship, which translates into the recruiter being able to share much more detailed information with the candidates with whom they work.

Resume Graphics

Food for thought:

Not infrequently, I receive resumes containing logos, graphics, etc for certifications, prior company logos, or other graphics. Sometimes a lot of effort has gone into these, and some look pretty good.

However, there's another consideration. If done inappropriately, documents containing graphics, even only one, can be quite large. I received one today with a logo, and the 3 page resume was 2MB, whereas other similar ones might 30-40KB. Since email systems store copies when you forward, you can easily end up storing 6 or 8MB of files if you send it to a couple others.

Unless the individuals are of immediate interest, I am sometimes tempted, and occasionally do, delete these files, since when you accumulate enough of them, they can inflate your data storage requirements rather quickly, and in some cases, hamper the your system performance.

Use graphics sparingly, if at all. They are usually unnecessary.