Leading Economic Indicators August 25, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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Mr. Cringely has a thought-provoking article this week regarding leading economic indicators, in which he makes the case that the % of CCIEs in a given population, or the amount of GDP per CCIE is something to pay attention to.
CCIE = Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
If one were to relate this to late 19th-century economic development, it might be equivalent to the % of Master Mechanics in a given population (you know, the guys who made the key parts of trains, automobiles, industrial tooling, etc.). But back then, we didn't think about leading economic indicators as people doing a given job.
Interesting shift in thinking regarding important economic factors (although I would have preferred 'people' not 'men' in the title). There are probably others which are technically focused, but all about the people in the role. Wonder what they might be...
Looking at Classmates’ Proposed Move August 22, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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John Cook tells us today that Classmates is moving from Renton to Seattle, and specifically to 333 Elliott Avenue West.
Oh my, where to go with this!
How about recognizing Classmates for having the smarts to move their Internet-focused company out Renton? Finally.
As a recruiter, I know there's no doubt that Classmates looses a fair number of people to the competition. Second, some percentage of the people who leave do so because of the location, and bigger percentage say they are leaving because of the location, but it's really something else (their boss, going to work on a sexier product, etc).
What puzzles me is the location of their move. 333 Elliott is a very nice place to work. Especially if you live on Queen Anne, or in Belltown, or Ballard, or even up on Capitol Hill. But if you're commuting in from the suburbs, wow, it's a pain. And that's only going to get worse.
Now, look at this quote from the article, "...its (Classmates) audience is typically made up of people over the age of 35. That audience has different needs...". Yup, I'll agree with that.
Here's the thing. If you agree with the notion that you should have people creating a product that is made up of the target audience, wouldn't you want to locate your firm in the suburbs of Seattle? Where the 35+ yos are (with their families & kids in the public schools)? How about Bellevue, or Kirkland, or Issaquah, or even North Bend? Think of all the disgruntled ex-Expedia folks they could land!
On the upside, I'll be working with some folks who are about to be ex-employees of Classmates! ;-)
A different take on stories August 20, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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Seth has a great story today about creating stories that resonate.
When I've written about creating your story, the point of view is from the positive perspective. Tell your audience what you can do, what you want to do, and align that with their story (works from both the candidate's and hiring manager's perspectives).
In Seth's post, he illustrates very clearly how the use of the negative story works. Or doesn't.
A helpful illustration by way of the negative example.
Hiring Criteria August 19, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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Tom has another thoughtful piece of advice.
What she said August 14, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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Wanna help solve the world's problems? Find someone a job!
Punk Rock H.R., gotta love it!
Being careful of the behaviors you incent August 14, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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My youngest daughter is just over 2 years old.
We're potty training her.
Every time she goes to the potty on her own, and successfully, she gets an M&M.
Today, she got up WAY early, about 15 minutes after I did (I'm an O'Dark:30 kinda guy). She went to the bathroom, asked for an 'MM'. I give it to her, she toddles off. 10 minutes later, she has to go to the bathroom. Gets done, comes out, asks for 'MM'. 10 minutes after that, she goes to the bathroom. Gets done, comes out, asks for 'MM'. Dad says, "You can go to the bathroom again if you want, but no more M&Ms for a while, O.K.?"
Guess what, no more bathroom runs!
Got someone doing too many bathroom runs on your team??? Stop with the MMs already!
Seattle Unemployment - July, 2008 August 12, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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We continue to see unemployment increase in Washington State, 5.7%, up from 5.4% in June, and also in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area, 4.3%, up from 3.9% in June. Although, I'd argue that an ovearll unemployment rate of 4.3% is about where it ought to be, give or take a tenth of a percentage point or two.
The big news is that in addition to the unemployment rates going up from the previous month, the state also added 3,300 more jobs. Um, what? Basically, there are areas of the economy that are growing, and then there are those that aren't (brilliant, I know).
Digging into the data, what one sees in the Non-agricultural employment data is that 'Wholesale Trade', 'Retail Trade', 'Information' area continues to grow across the state, but other parts of the economy are in decline ('Construction', 'Financial Activities', 'Professional & Business Services', 'Admin & Support & Waste Management and Remediation').
From my end, I definitely continue to see challenges in finding Software Development talent of all kinds, so that's not changed one bit. What's new is that I'm now seeing more people from outside the Seattle-metro area seeking employment in Seattle. Makes a lot of sense since we're adding jobs!
Puget Sound Business Journal has July's report here.
What makes a good manager? August 11, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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I had coffee last week w/a long-time comrade of mine. He's a an architypical linux system engineer, and he's done some amazing things where he's worked.
He's also curmudgeonly in that linux-system-engineer-who's-seen-too-many-well-meaning-execs-screw-things-up way.
I asked him what he thinks makes a Good Manager.
His answer is that, and this is a necessary but not sufficient condition, the manager can do the job of any of his/her direct reports. Maybe not to the same level, but they can, if necessary pinch-hit and get on base. Thus, they can also organize the team and get stuff done.
Not a bad answer.
Not bad at all.
Best Employee Handbook Ever August 6, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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I've been exploring Alltop over the last several weeks, and ran across a number of HR/Recruiting blogs that are fun.
One item that caught my eye is the Punk Rock Employee Handbook. Might have to run this past my HR Director...
What does it mean to do Good? July 29, 2008
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns
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For you internet technologists out there, the recent news regarding Justice Department Hiring & Promotion Practices raises an age-old question: If what you create is used for bad, Evil things, what will you do about it?
If Google's motto is, "Don't Be Evil" and they know that their search engine or other Internet tools are being used by the Dept of Justice, or the current Administration, to do something illegal, or maybe even Evil, what should they do?
What would you do?
