Last week, Talent Net Live came to San Antonio for the first time.  It was an honor to host the group at Rackspace for the day-long unconference which brought in participants from around the world.

TNL officially started up on Thursday night at the downtown San Antonio restaurant Tre Trattoria.  The group gathered for a great Tweet-Up and some catch up time.  The food and environment were amazing!

The next day, we promptly started at 9am with a fascinating keynote by Robert Scoble (Scobleizer).  Scoble gave us an hour long adventure in technology, interesting recruiting approaches and some fantastic stories.  The topic of turning your recruiting brand into a social object was central and caused for some interesting debate and questions.  In essence, he stressed the importance of aligning your brand to something that ties in with your larger story, that’s easy to share and consistent.  He made me think and I enjoyed it.  Thank you Robert!

The rest of the day was filled with presentations ranging from employment branding to cool recruiting tools.

Some key takeaways:

In China Gorman and Alicia Arenas‘ presentation on Engagement, I learned that research is indicating some major movement in the labor market’s near future.  Employees, as a whole, are under-engaged and ready to make a move.

Matt Charney and Maren Hogan led a great session on the definition and future of talent communities.  The range in definition was almost as broad as the ways in which employers are trying to use them.  I think it’s fair to say that this dialogue will continue for some time.

Craig Fisher, Bill Boorman and Marianthe Verver led a session on Cool Recruiting Tools.  They shared a bunch of new tools that I hadn’t seen yet.  One of my favorite tools was Find People on Plus – a search engine for finding people who have joined Google+.  Super cool tool and very much so worth a look!  The other interesting tool was Smart Recruiters.  Jerome Ternynck gave us an overview of the product and how it’s impacting the market.  Open source ATS system… whoa!

Jason Seiden gave us his presentation on Profersonalism.  This is the second time I’ve seen him present this and, as expected, I took something new away.  If you haven’t seen Jason present this topic, I encourage you to.  It’s hard to put it into a nutshell, but I promise it will make you think differently about how your personal and professional lives merge.  Very compelling stuff!

There were many more fantastic presentations, but, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend them all.

As always, by the end of the day, my mind was packed with ideas… something I have come to expect from the unconference format.  Awesomely overwhelming

I took the TNL survivors for a tour around the Rackspace facility.  It was fun to show the group the mall (aka our corporate headquarters).

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the event!

China Gorman and Craig Fisher exploring the world wide web

Bill Boorman lookin’ Texan. Craig Fisher being Texan.

Matt Charney on talent communities

Bill Boorman in his hilarious Social Talent shirt.

 Any #TNL memories or lessons you’d like to share?

It’s full speed ahead with Daddy sappiness for me!

I’ve looked forward to having children for quite some time now, so this entire experience has been pretty amazing!

Kelly is progressing well with the pregnancy and we had our first 4D Ultrasound performed this past week at BabyVision in San Antonio, TX.  They were fantastic and it was an amazing experience to see Sophie moving around in full 4D motion.  Kelly is currently 29 weeks pregnant, so we are getting close!

I’ve chopped, diced and remixed the video a bit, as it was nearly 15 minutes long.  I’ve also added some Coldplay   The song is called Til Kingdom Come and it comes from Coldplay’s X&Y album – a great one to pick up!

So, here she is!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Soon, and to completely embrace my current mixed obsession with our baby and technology, I’m going to put out a post on some of the cool tools available for new parents!

The last year of my life has been a fun adventure!  I’ve met great people, learned a ton about myself and have been given opportunities to work on some very exciting projects.  In addition to recruiting, I work with clients that want to enter the realm of social media with their businesses.

It’s become apparent that a few ground rules are vital for any business that wants to venture in to this realm.  I’m no expert, but this is what I’ve learned works with any clients that I engage with.  In fact, this is a requisite for any client that I will work with.

Perhaps, as you evaluate your involvement, these will serve as some good points to think about.

Five Traits of a Great Social Media Client

• Creativity – If you are looking to do the same boring thing that everyone else has already done… don’t spend the money on implementing social media.  It probably won’t work.
• Candidness – Are you the type of person that can laugh at yourself?  Can you deal with criticism?  Are you confident enough to be yourself openly?  There are few secrets in social media.  Are you okay with that?
• Accountability – You WILL be held accountable online.  Are you prepared to deal with a disgruntled customer in an open forum?  This can be a huge plus for your business or an absolute disaster if you don’t do it right.
• Passion – Are you proud of what you do?  Do you have a true passion for your business?  If you don’t, social media is not where you belong.  Hide under a rock… or, better yet, do something else that you like!
• Time – Social Media takes time.  A solid strategy and implementation should replace other tasks that you are currently performing.  This can work out great if you are using the tools correctly.  However, if you are not going to take the time to learn the tools, execute consistently with them AND (most importantly) invest time into the new relationships that you establish, you are wasting valuable resources.  Think about this one!

Spahn Law Firm

I was very happy to start working with an awesome legal firm here in San Antonio.  First, they filled all of the requisites above… but, in addition to that, they are just excellent people!  Matt Spahn, the Founder, wanted to communicate that his firm is not your average law shop.  To the contrary, they are easy going, down-to-earth, funny… and, on top of that, they know what the heck they are doing!  Fantastic client!

I finished up Matt’s first video today.  As you will see, Matt is willing to step outside of the box (way outside!), be candid, openly express his commitments to his clients, show passion… and, of course, he has commited the time to following through.

So, I’ve been having fun with this one!  Here is the video that we released today.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnQbgh-LsqI

My challenge to you is this.

Do something brave.  Step outside the norm.  Express your brand and be willing to show your true self.  You’ll be happier, your clients will get to know you and, ultimately, you will have some fun with what you have dedicated your professional efforts to.

Have I lost my mind?  Are we all supposed to stay in little boxes?  What’s your favorite “outside the box” effort you have seen from a company?

I received a call the other day from a friend asking if I wanted to tag along with her to a job fair here in San Antonio.  I’ll be honest… job fairs haven’t necessarily been the most enjoyable episodes of my career in recruiting.  Perhaps it was the guy who had sweat dripping off of his palm… or the sick lady who constantly cleaned her hand on her dress before saying hello… oh yeah, I can’t leave out the people who spit when they talk – oh the joys of a job fair.

Putting all preconceptions aside, I thought it might be interesting to go in order to observe how job seekers are approaching employers.  Having been in the recruiter’s position on more than one occasion in the past, I’m familiar with how quickly a candidate can win or lose favor with the recruiters.  I also know that people have a real urgency to identify employment in this sort of market.. so, it’s important to get some objective feedback.

So, I packed up my laptop and headed out to the event.  After meeting up with Taryn, a great friend and recruiter for Rackspace in San Antonio, TX, we headed over to the event.  We decided that my cover was going to be as “The Assistant,” which I was totally cool with.  I lugged around a few boxes and helped her get set up.  Occasionally, I would make sure that the line of people had brochures to look at… very official “Assistant” duties!

The rest of my time was spent sitting in a corner watching how people approached the various booths.  I must say, it was interesting to just listen and watch… beyond feeling like a total voyeur, I did have a number of takeaways that I’d like to share with those of you who plan to attend job fairs in the near future.

So, here you go… a list of things not to do at your next career search excursion.

Things NOT To Do At A Job Fair

1. Do not ask what the company does once you arrive to the booth… if you don’t know, go figure it out first.
2. Come prepared with your resume… seriously – this is job search 101.
3. Make sure that your resume is clean (coffee stain free) and in good condition – pulling out a folded resume went out of style years ago!
4. It’s a job fair, not a prison sentence.  It’s okay to speak with the other people in line… you might just make a good connection.
5. Do not give the recruiters “stalker eyes” as you wait in line… it does not help break the ice.
6. Bring some water or have a beverage available.  You do not want to have squeaky voice once you get through the line.
7. Take a deep breath and remember that most of the people around you are in the same boat.  It’s okay to be nervous, just work to take control of your emotions.  No crying.
8. You had better be a rock star if you are going to say “Let them know that I’m brilliant.” – I saw a guy pull it off, but it could have been a train wreck.
9. Remember the basics… eye contact, firm handshake, smile – if you have wet palms… figure something out before shaking the recruiter’s hand.  Any suggestions on this one?
10. Do not drop the “F” bomb in the first 20 seconds… or during the interview process for that matter.
11. When asked “What type of job are you looking for?”… it’s not okay to respond “Anything.”  Be specific.
12. Having a sense of humor goes a long way… if you know how to, use it.
13. MASTER your 30 second commercial… practice until you are blue in the face!  That’s all you have at the job fair.
14. MOVE THE PROCESS FORWARD! Do not just say “Thanks” and walk away… are you kidding me.  You came to accomplish something, so ask about the next steps in the process, who to contact… anything.  Just keep the process moving along.  OR, get the “No.”  No risk, no reward… be brave.
15. BE CONCISE in your short meeting.  This is not chit-chat-catch-up-on-little-league-hour.  State your case, ask for the next step, move on.  In those steps, you do your best to make a good impression… but, you must keep it short.

What I’ve Learned At 30+ Job Fairs

I’ve learned that when I finish meeting 100+ candidates and I’m walking back to my car… there are only 2-3 that really stand out in my mind.  That’s right… 2-3 people that I consider high priority targets.

Prepare for the job fair, practice your 30 second commercial, make sure your resume is stellar… be ready for action!  Be among the 3% that gets remembered when it’s all said and done.

Recruiters know who came prepared and who did not.  We, by nature and practice, are usually very in tune with how candidates act… that’s what we get paid to do.  You will automatically stand out in the crowd if you plan in advance and gain the internal confidence to impress a recruiter.

What other tips do you have for attending a job fair?  Any other disasters that job seekers should avoid?

Special thanks to R.O.A.R. San Antonio for hosting an excellent event!  Great employers, great venue… awesome turn out!

Photo Credit, striatic

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFdb-OMsa-M

I made it back home to San Antonio in one piece.  The trip to Las Vegas was great!  Over the course of three days I was able to meet face-to-face with a number of people that I’ve communicated with for some time and even make some new friends.

Whoever said that people don’t read Twitter bios was crazy!  I found this out very quickly when I was asked on three occasions if I brought my guitar.  If you haven’t read my bio on Twitter, the last sentence says “Official campfire guitarist by night…”  Now, I’ve been known to travel with her before, but I didn’t think there would be an opportunity on this SHRM excursion.

So, I made a few promises since I had a lapse in judgment and I agreed to film this.  I must admit, it’s a little bit awkward to see myself on a video… even more so when I’m playing guitar.  But, a promise is a promise… so, here you go!

On a somewhat related note, we’ve all heard about this concept of “transparency” in social media.  In fact, I’ve gone so far as to teach people what it means.  Taking the next step of sharing something previously reserved to the confines of my home was/is a stretch.  The great news is that I should be able to connect on a whole new level with all of those functional campfire guitarists in the world!  And with the singers of the world, this should make you feel really great about your progress!

How far have you stretched yourself?  Has it resulted in connecting with people you previously would not have?

Well… I wish I had a ton of great stuff to tell you all about today, but it was pretty much occupied by travel.

Regardless, the day had a few adventures.

Leaving San Antonio, I was fortunate to sit by a gentleman from Australia named Kelvin.  He is visiting the U.S. for the first time and traveling the country with his friend Marty who lives out in Washington, D.C.  Now, I’m not sure if you have met many Australians, but, in my experience, they have always been great people.  Very easy going, open to new ideas, easy to have a conversation with.  So, despite the cramped airplane, it was a great flight.

Once I arrived to Las Vegas, I was greeted by my Sister.  We headed out to the Hilton Las Vegas so that I could get checked in.  I must say, this city has grown tremendously since the last time I visited.  I’m not quite sure how they pack all of the hotels every night… or do they?  As we drove down the strip I pondered how much money is spent every single minute in Las Vegas.  Can you imagine how much money is poured into the slot machines?

After getting checked in to the hotel, we headed down to the lobby.  My Sister went ahead to play slots for a few minutes while I headed over to the SHRM registration area.  Given the time, most of the people had already cleared out.  I went over to the exhibition hall to see what I could see.

Among other things, I came across a booth for Bernard Hodes… read the sign in the picture.

While I knew that this question was one of the hot ones… it was interesting to see it so vibrantly displayed on a booth from a pretty well-known company.  It leaves me wondering how a large brand is going to communicate such a personal approach to other corporations.  I hope that they do.  The people at the booth were great!  I told them about Red Shoe Project and asked them to bring in their red shoes tomorrow… hopefully they will.

After walking the grounds a bit, I headed over to the official SHRM display booth to see if I could catch China Gorman in the act of Twittering… unfortunately, I arrived too late.  Fortunately, I was able to meet a couple of SHRM employees (Nicole and Christina) who were still around for the passing visitors.  We spent a few minutes talking “Twitter” before I headed off to meet back up with my Sister.

On the way out I ran in to Matt Adams from NAS Recruitment.  He is going to be on the panel tomorrow for Social Media in HR.  You can find him on Twitter under the username @madam.  He might even be sending out some Tweets from the stage… we shall see.

Walking out of the main area, I ran in to an attendee of the conference (Dennis) and struck up a conversation about social media.  He really viewed this whole movement as a great thing for HR.  In summary, his determination was that social media will end up holding companies more accountable for being honest and transparent in their hiring practices.  I tend to agree with him.

So… I finally met up with my Sister and we headed out to a local restaurant for some Vegas-Style steak.  Good stuff!

All in all, the day was pretty long.  As a regular night owl, I’m up way to late and I know that morning will come way to soon.

That’s it for now.  Hopefully I’ll have some really informative stuff for everyone tomorrow.

Is there anything that you want me to find out while I’m at the convention?