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Rediscovering “Moneyball” July 25, 2008

Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

"Moneyball" is a great book for those looking for an analogy to looking at things from a different mental framework.

Bob Hoffman, over at CopyBlogger, has a nice post about "Moneyball", The Art of Winning the Online Marketing Game.

Given Malcolm Gladwell's new book, due to arrive in November of this year, we should see a resurgence of interest on "Moneyball". Malcolm's latest is to be about the "mismatch problem", which is loosely defined as the inability of organizations to define the skills & talent necessary for their jobs.

If you haven't read "Moneyball", or it's been a while since you last cracked it open, it might be time to take a look at it. Especially if you're planning on adding a new role or two to the team.

Oh, that's right, you'll know the right person to hire when you see them.

Hmmm.

An Example Profile July 24, 2008

Posted by hardly Online Presence Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

A few years back, I had the opportunity to work w/James Gallagher. He is a fine example of a sales leader here in the Seattle area.

James also happens to have what I consider to be a very nice business profile on LinkedIn. There are a number of notable attributes about his profile, and in particular, he states what he accomplished for each of his employers in clear and certain terms.

Should be fun to see what James accomplishes next!

Circling back around to Turkish Getups? July 23, 2008

Posted by hardly Bar, Dumbbell, Other, Run, Turkish Get-ups Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Oh, lordy, who invented this? I need to hunt them down and kill them like the dog they are! You know, after I can get up from my seat and walk up the stairs. Locomotion is challenging at the moment.

Warmup:

Workout:

Workout:

Learn how to stand up to your Voicemail! July 23, 2008

Posted by hardly Other Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

I like this post by Peter Kretzman.

One of the points he makes is that of leaving succinct vm messages. Amen to that!

Applying the Opposite Test July 22, 2008

Posted by hardly Resumes Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

So, you read my post about the Opposite Test and thought, "Yeah, good idea for all those losers who aren't good at writing their resume (but I'm great, so I'm not going to worry about it)".

Read the following lines from resumes I've seen recently:

What do you think: Are these differentiating statements? Would you call any one of these people for an interview based on their ability to stand out and show you that they can do something great for you? That they are enthusiastic about your open position?

Put your thinking caps on boys & girls, because there's going to be a test. Send in your resume and see if you get called!

I hate coming back to working out! July 21, 2008

Posted by hardly Bar, Jump Rope, Max reps, Medicine Ball, Other, Pullups, Pushups, Row, Run, Sit-ups Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

I was not in the gym last week, more on that later, and both fell off my diet, and didn’t participate in any “high-intensity” workouts. To my detriment, I might add!

Today’s torture session…

Warm-up

Workout:

Workout:

A little thinking about your career July 21, 2008

Posted by hardly Career Development Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Communicatrix has a nice post regarding overestimating and underestimating what you can do.

Now, the last time I referenced one of her posts, I got a few befuddled 'Huh?' responses. "What in the world does this have to do with recruiting?" was a common theme.

Heading this all off at the pass, one thing I commonly see in candidates (and hiring managers, too), is a focus on the immediate future. In developing a career, it's important to set a long-term goal, and then identify those skills & attributes you need to develop to get there. You will likely have a number of stops along the way getting to the goal.

It's amazing what we can accomplish during our career(s) in time, and with conscious, directed thought.

Apply the opposite test July 21, 2008

Posted by hardly Resumes Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Sometimes, you just need to say, "Yeah, vanilla is a great flavor." Or, "Gosh, didn't Toyota knock it out of the park w/the Prius?" And of course, "Guy Kawasaki sure knows how to write a good business book!"

I began reading "The Art of The Start" last week for a project I'm working on. While the book is ostensibly about what one needs to do to get a company going, there nuggets for everyone.

For those of you out looking for a job, one entry you should pay attention to is, "Apply the Opposite Test", pp 39.

Guy's point is that most companies describe their product(s) in terms that other companies use as well. So, you should describe your product in a way that is opposite that of the competition in order to stand out.

Here's the paragraph to pay attention to: "For example, it would be fine to describe your product as 'intuitive, secure, fast, and scalable' if your competition describes its product as 'hard-to-use, vulnerable, slow, and limited.' However, this probably isn't the case, so you're saying nothing."

Same applies for candidates resumes - you're a product, too!

Being Recruited July 18, 2008

Posted by hardly Other Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Had a funny thing happen yesterday - I got recruited.

Sorta fun to have the shoe on the other foot. And, it's very flattering to have someone say, "Hey, we want you on our team."

Not that I'm taking them up on the offer, but the recognition was nice!

June Unemployment for Washington State July 16, 2008

Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

From the 7/15 Puget Sound Business Journal:

Washington State Unemployment: 5.5%, up .2% from May's 5.3%.

Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area for June: 4.0%, which hold steady from May.

A couple of very interesting points in this article.

First, 12 months ago, the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area was at 3.8%. So, we're up a bit in our overall metro area from last year. Remember last year, just before the mortgage industry crisis went critical when we were all feeling pretty good about things?  I'm thinking that this report underscores my own observations in technical recruiting: Seattle is doing O.K., and the software/internet industry here as a whole is doing fairly well, with some exceptions (firms that are tied to construction, real estate, and travel are probably facing a tough headwind at the moment).

Second, look at the difference between the average for the overall state and Seattle-Bellevue-Everett. The overall state average has been ratcheting up quite a bit, and if you think about it, the area outside the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area has got to be much higher than the state average.

I'm betting we'll be seeing more people migrating to Seattle for work. Any takers?