Fluidhire

Sooo.....how's your VORP?

2010-01-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

I'm a baseball fan, a relatively educated one. The kind of fan who appreciates Nyjer Morgan faking a bunt on one pitch so he can move the 3rd baseman two steps and slap single to left on the next pitch. But I'm no StatHead, that's an entirely different breed.

StatHeads have sliced and diced baseball statistics a million different ways to try and solve a myraid of arguments about players. All have failed, and annoyed many fans along the way.

But StatHeads do have some value. One of their more relevant innovations in recent years is VORP, or Value Over Replacement Player. VORP's goal is to quantify the difference between true "A Players" and everyone else. It's a great way to compare players and a concept that could be applied to hiring and talent management.

VORP is a complex equation based on a simple premise. How much more valuable is a player compared to what a readily available replacement could do in the same situation? Here is an example.

How much better is Albert Pujols than a readily available replacement? According to VORP measurements, over the course of a 162 game major league season, Mr. Pujols contributes 98.6 more runs to his teams offense than what a readily available replacement would. For non-baseball fans, that's a ton of runs.

More runs = more wins = more paying fans = more $$ for Mr. Pujols' employer. You get the idea. Mr. Pujols is significantly better than a readily available replacement and he makes significantly more in salary each year than the average Major League player. That's a good thing.

In HR/Talent Management, I feel like we tend to normalize people toward the middle. I've seen too many times when average employees get 5% raises while superstars get 6%. I've seen true "A" candidates, I mean legitimate One-In-A-Million finds, lost over a few grand because of existing compensation bands or a hiring manager's quick scan of Salary.com.

If the difference between your superstar employee's compensation is within 10% of their readily available replacement's - that's a problem. Figuring out how to calculate VORP for your organization could be part of the solution. It can help separate great employees from average ones, and reward each appropriately. And that is good for business.

Hiring and HR should be talking about VORP during every interview process, salary negotiation, and employee review. It will take a while, but with good data and persistence, VORP could catch on and make talent acquisition/retention much more efficient.

The Employment Brand I Love to Hate

2009-10-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

I hate the Yankees - with a passion.

Born and raised a Mets fan, I have to hate the Yankees. That's just part of the deal. It burns me that they are on the verge of another World Series appearance.

But as a recruiting professional I have to admire their employment brand. Sure the Yankees pay well (the average Yankee salary is 50% more than the average of the next closest team). But the biggest reason that the Yankees payroll is so large is because is that when the best players in the game have the choice to play anywhere, more times than not they choose to play in pinstripes.

Last off season, the Yankees landed top free agent slugger Mark Teixeira. Teixeira had at least 5 other competitive offers including perennial playoff teams Bostson and Anaheim, as well as his hometown teams - Baltimore and Washington. Teixeira choose to play in New York, despite having to change his preferred number (23) which he had previously worn in honor of his boyhood idol, New York Yankee legend Don Mattingly. This might seem trivial, but many professional locker rooms have had battles over players' numbers.

Ace pitcher CC Sabathia recently choose the Yankees over other offers that would have kept him closer to his family and home in California. Alex Rodriguez re-signed with the Yankees in 2007 despite long battles with the New York fans/media, and the fact that A-Rod will always be second banana to Derek Jeter, who's status as Mr. Yankee forced A-Rod to switch positions from Shortstop to 3rd Base. And all Yankee players have to deal with playing under the unrelenting scrutiny of the New York media, for an ownership family that at times has been overbearing and counterproductive to the team's success.

Why do top players, who have their choice of places to play and will make gobs of money wherever they land, choose to play in the Bronx? Because the Yankee organization has a long and storied history of winning - and great players want to be around winners. 26 World Championships, Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Berra - all winners, all icons, all Yankees. The winning culture and history of the Yankees helps them attract and retain great talent.

I hear a lot of buzz about employment branding, and I'm a fan. Organizations need to figure out what makes them unique, and do a great job of conveying that value to potential hires. But the best employment branding starts with committing the time and resources required to hire and retain great people, building a culture of winning, and then leveraging your success to attract other great people. The rest is just fluff.

Go Phillies.

Hello Monster? CareerBuilder? Is anybody listening?

2009-08-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

What a waste. In the two plus decades since the Web became part of everyday life, recruiting technology hasn't significantly moved the needle. Online tools have changed recruiting, but not necessarily improved the quality or efficiency of the process.

Sure, we don't have to buy newspapers to see job listings or swing over to Kinko's and buy heavy-stock, marbled resume paper. And we have some terrific new sourcing tools, but more often than not, the hiring transaction comes down to the the exchange of static text resumes and static text job descriptions. And that's a shame.

Many progressive companies are trying to leverage the Web to set themselves apart. Corporate recruiting videos have become mainstream, and Peter Radloff at comScore has a good one. But I don't know that there are a ton out outlets for Peter to use his video as an active sourcing tool. Most posting sites are text based and have little or no video integration.

Some innovative job seekers are trying to leverage technology as well. Video resumes are gaining momentum, but have significant hurdles to overcome with employers and recruiters. Maybe video resumes will never replace text, but we need to figure out a way for them to compliment each other and work together.

In what I think is the saddest commentary on the state of recruiting technology, Fistful of Talent's Jessica Lee highlighted an innovative job seeker on her blog. Near the bottom of the post, Jessica includes the resume of a Sarah Barnes, a budding web marketing strategist who tried to create a Web 2.0 resume by formatting it to mimic a Twitter page. Whether or not you like Sarah's attempt isn't really the issue for me. It's that her innovative, Web 2.0 Twitter-ish resume had to be built in Microsoft Word - or risk not being accepted by recruiters or applicant tracking systems.

I think we owe to to creative candidates like Sarah, and to ourselves, to think beyond text and start thinking about ways to use the power of the Web to more recruiting cycles more efficient.

Some entrepreneurs like VisualCV and Startuply are making progress, but I haven't seen anything yet that resembles the next generation recruiting platform. What does that platform look like? I have some ideas. A lot of 'em. Stay tuned.

The First Search That Actually Matters

2009-08-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

I’ve conducted a lot of searches in my career. Most have been successful, and many have had significant positive impacts on companies and careers. Having impact is, in my opinion, what makes recruiting worth doing. For the first time though, I’m helping out with a search that really matters. Problem is that I don’t have the first clue where to start on this one.

My friends, Jenny and Lee have chosen to take a big step forward as a family, and have begun the search for a private adoption. And I’d like to do whatever I can to help out. So just in case this post ever gets in front of a potential birth mother considering adoption as an option, here’s the recruiting pitch.

Jenny and Lee are quite simply two of the best people on the planet. Like any couple, they’ve had their share of triumphs and tragedies during their time together. What’s remained stable throughout their travels has been their commitment to each other, their families, their friends and to their values. I can’t imagine a better environment for a child to grow up then within Jenny and Lee’s home.

I could say a bunch more about Jenny and Lee, but I think they do a much better job on Jenny and Lee’s Adoption Web Site.

The usual tools of the recruiting trade - such as LinkedIn and Boolean search strings - can’t help with this search. But maybe if we can help spread the word, we can find a match and make a big impact on the lives of others.

Experience = Opportunity

2009-06-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sport's Illustrated's Peter King published an article earlier this week that bothered me on a couple of levels. 11-time Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks can't find a job because he's too old - at age 36. Football is a brutal game made for indestructible 25 year-olds, and the physical punishment inflicted on NFL players makes age a significant and relevant hiring criteria. I get that. But a guy my age too old to work? Took me a second to recover from that one.

What was really striking about the article were the comments Warren Sapp made about the current mindset of young NFL players. He indicated that there was very little interest on the part of younger players to learn from the veterans, as if the older players had nothing of value to share. If what Sapp is saying is true, I hope it's isolated to the NFL, and not a generational trend. If young professionals are not taking advantage of lessons learned from those who've been there before, they are missing out on a tremendous opportunity.

I was very fortunate to have a great mentor early in my recruiting career. The best advice he ever gave me was to not just learn from him, but to also seek out others in the industry for a different perspective. So I looked around my office, identified the top performers, and made it a point to spend time talking shop with them. Along the way I learned some new tricks and heard some interesting ideas on how to be successful in recruiting. Some of what I learned worked for me, and some didn't. But each new idea, approach, or perspective made me a better recruiter and added more tools to my professional arsenal. I can point to specific times in my career where - for a moment - I became Brad, or Bryan, or Vern, or Jim because their approach was the right one to get a particular deal done. I wouldn't have had nearly as many professional accomplishments without the advice of those who had been there before me.

I wonder if sometimes if NFL teams, and employers in general, seem to forget the value of experience in favor of youth and potential. I wonder if after we recover from this recession and cycle through another boom time, employers will be smart enough to hire and learn from experienced professionals to make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. I guess time will tell.

Maybe Derrick Brooks isn't as fast as he used to be. Maybe he's not an every down linebacker. But all indications is that he's still got enough gas in the tank to warrant a roster spot and is willing to work hard to stay ahead of the game. If was an up and coming young linebacker in the NFL, you can be sure that I'd have visited my General Manager's office more than once already, asking if they could take a shot at getting Derrick Brooks. I'd want the opportunity to soak up all of his experience.

Superhero Resume!

2009-06-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Recruiters love superlatives. I’m no exception. Through the years I’ve used rockstar, guru, genius, stud, and other extraordinary terms to let colleagues and clients know that I had a stellar candidate on the hook. But yesterday I received something truly different, a resume for an actual Superhero – sort of.

I thought it was terrific. For a Graphic Artist, what better way to showcase your creativity, skills, style and passion than to let them emanate from your resume? The super hero theme was reflected in the artwork, text, and presentation. I was both informed and entertained while reading his resume, which was a very nice break from the ordinary plain text submissions I receive.

But then, reality started to set in. Would an applicant tracking system be able to handle this type of format? What about companies that require plain text resume submission? Would the casual tone and wording of the resume hurt his chances of being found through keyword searches that rank results by relevancy?

All of these questions made me wonder if recruiting/job hunting tools and technologies were ready for conceptual, video, or other multimedia resumes. I don’t think so. I don’t think that recruiting innovation has gone much farther than taking newspaper classifieds and hard copy resumes and putting them into electronic format. Hiring is still text-based and a keyword matching game until you get to the interview stages. But I think we can do better than that. I think we have to do better than that.

We owe it to Super Graphic Artist and other super heroes like him who are willing to put forth the effort to separate themselves from the crowd. We need to give great candidates and great companies a platform to show not only what they do, but how they do it. I have some ideas on that topic, but they are for another post.

BTW – Super Graphic Artist is actively looking for a new position here in the DC area. If you are interested, give him a ring.

The Toughest Job of All

2009-05-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day, please take a moment or two to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom by doing the toughest job of all.

How Albert Pujols Would Conduct a Job Search

2009-04-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

Albert Pujols will likely never hold a real job. He’ll never write a resume or go on an interview. He’s an two time National League MVP, All-Star in 8 of his 9 seasons, and has the highest career batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS (for baseball geeks) of any active major league baseball player. Given his current career trajectory, Phat Albert will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Mr. Pujols has been rewarded for his excellence with a $111MM contract with Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals. So working outside of baseball is unlikely for him. But if Albert had to go out and find a job, I could envision him using the same approach to his job search as he does at the plate.

The three things that separate Albert from other major league hitters are Mechanics, Discipline, and Consistent Contact. At the plate, Pujols has a near perfect mechanical swing – hands held high, weight balanced, and a short, compact, efficient swing with a great follow through. In the job search I could see Albert spending time to craft an elegant and effective resume that made a simple, clear value statement to employers. I’d see Albert doing extensive interview preparation, wearing a suit and shined shoes to interviews, and following up with appropriately timed Thank You and follow up notes. The basic mechanics behind effective job hunting.

Great mechanics are the foundation of a good hitter, but Discipline at the plate is what allows for those mechanics to be fully leveraged. Although Pujols has staggering power in his swing, it’s rare to see him strike out, and even rarer still to see him swing at a bad pitch. He’s selective. He looks for pitches in his zone, ones he can hit and hit hard. I think Albert would be equally as selective in the job search. I don’t think Albert would be spamming his resume across the Web for jobs he wasn’t remotely qualified for, or trying to spin his resume and experience to pretend he was something he wasn’t. I think Albert would have the discipline to know that his time would best spent networking and searching for openings that were truly in his wheelhouse. Jobs he could hit, and hit hard.

Great mechanics and disciplined pitch selection put Pujols in position to make solid, Consistent Contact with the baseball. Sometimes his laser-like line drives find the gap or are hit high enough to clear the fence for a home run. Other times he hits balls just as hard, but directly into the shortstop’s glove for an out. Pujols knows that sometimes you do everything right, but things don’t work out. However, the goal for his next at bat remains the same – make solid contact. Over time, those who have good mechanics, pitch selection, and make consistent, solid contact end up coming out on top. I don’t think Albert would get frustrated with the job search. Each failure would drive him to work harder on his mechanics and pitch selection to make solid contact again the next time at bat.

The job market is tough these days, and it’s hard not to focus on the end result. But my advice to job seekers is to run your search like Albert Pujols would. Focus on the mechanics – solid resume, interview prep, dress, follow-up. Be selective – Look for companies and positions that you know you are qualified for and then network like crazy to get to the table for an interview. And remember that in this market, you might do everything right, make solid contact and still hit a screamer into the shortstop’s glove for an out. But that’s OK. Go back to the dugout, focus on the fundamentals, and keep hitting line drives until one clears the fence.

Resume advice : Don't try so hard

2009-04-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a lot of requests from friends and colleagues lately seeking resume advice. I’m happy to help, but it’s tough. Each individual has their own writing style, and each recruiter/hiring manager might review resumes differently. But I thought I’d share one piece of universal advice about resume writing.

Put your old resume aside and build a new one from scratch.

Start with a blank page, look at the clock, and in less than 20 minutes draw up a fresh resume. No cheating, you can’t look at an old résumé for ideas. Worried you’ll forget something? That’s OK. If you can’t recall it quickly, it’s probably not that relevant. Don’t worry about fonts/formatting, colors spacing, flow or anything like that. You can go back later and make it look nice.

The compressed time frame forces you to focus on the content. Your core responsibilities, key accomplishments, critical skills. The important things. The things that employers are looking for.

I know there are volumes of books, articles, seminars etc. on how to write resumes, sell yourself, position your experience for the job search. Many probably have value. And you should spend time making your resume look professional. Using a recommended font, starting bullets with action words - all good things. But the bottom line is that content is king. But all the formatting, spin and positioning in the world can’t make you into something you are not.

I’ve seen way to many resumes where form and flowery language dominate the document, and I find myself having to work hard to figure out what exactly this person does for a living, how they can add value to an organization. Don’t be that candidate.

Imagine you only have 15 seconds to capture the attention of a recruiter or hiring manager. Because in reality – that’s about what you get. Especially now with more job seekers and more resumes flooding recruiter’s Inboxes. You have fifteen seconds to convince them that you can add value to their organization. What is the one statement you’d want the reader to come away with after reading your resume? For instance, I want people reading my resume to remember “Ian is a kick ass recruiter who is very aware of the business impact of his job”. If someone gets that from their 15 seconds with my resume, I’m happy.

Once you’ve built a new resume from scratch and taken some time to clean it up, see if you can find someone who has no clue in the world about what you do for a living. Ask them to take a minute to read your resume and give you a one sentence summary of what you do well. If the answer is close to what you want it to be, great. If not, get another blank page.

NHL MVP Not Good Enough

2009-02-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

In cased you missed it, Washington Capitals all-star Alex Ovechkin scored one of the most amazing goals in NHL history earlier this week.

The skill and determination that it took to pull the play off was amazing, but really blew my mind was Alex’s quote after the game. This goal wasn’t a fluke. He’s practiced the backhand self-pass before.

"You have to try something new," Ovechkin said. "Sometimes I try in practice, and [teammates] say, 'What are you doing?’ Sometimes I just need to change my game and it is working.”

For those of you who don't know, Alex Ovechkin is the reigning league MVP and the#1 hockey player on the planet – period. There is no one better. Whatever he does, it obviously works - really well. He’s got a big contract and enough talent to be an perennial all-star just doing what he does naturally. Yet here he is talking about trying something new, changing his game, evolving. He genuinely wants to be better, even though he’s already the best.

Ovechkin has an internal drive to not just be the best in the world, but to push himself to reach his full potential. He competes fiercely against the competition, but more fiercely against himself. He knows that each year, he gets older and his competition gets younger. They are all working their tails off to be the next Alex Ovechkin. He wants to get better - he has to get better – in order to stay on top and meet his own expectations.

So what does that mean for the rest of us without $100+ million dollar contracts? To me it means that I need to continue to evolve my business, my tools, my strategies to stay ahead. The economy today isn’t what it was two years ago. I can’t expect to be successful doing the same things in the same way. Recruiting had changed, communication channels have changed, and I need to change as well, even though I’ve had a pretty good run.

Even if you are the MVP of your company, your team, or your industry – here is a reality check - you are not good enough quite yet. Just ask Alex.

"Efficient" Start Ups Still Hiring

2009-02-06T21:42:00.000-08:00

It seems as the economy continues to tighten, businesses and consumers are less inclined to trying new things. Instead, people are trying to become more efficient, do more with what they already have. For many start ups and innovative technology companies that’s a problem, because they are often built on the premise of delivering new “next generation” technology. But there are some DC area start ups that are still growing and hiring. While each has different goals and products, they are each united by one common theme – their products make what consumers and businesses already utilize more efficient.

Here are some examples.

Unless things get really, really bad I’m fairly confident that most people are not giving up their mobile phones. Individuals may cut their plans back to control costs, but what if there was a way for mobile phones to actually save money? Even better. Mobile Posse in McLean is making that happen by leveraging previously wasted mobile real estate – the idle screen display that is visible when your mobile phone is not in use. Their platform delivers targeted, real time, location based messaging about deals being offered by local merchants to a customer’s idle screen through a downloadable application from the carrier. Mobile Posse’s technology increases the efficiency of commerce for retailers, saves individuals some cash through the real time discount offerings, and generates revenue for carriers by monetizing previously unused mobile phone real estate.

Have you had a look at your power bill lately? Rates are up and it’s been a cold winter in DC. Positive Energy in Arlington is helping to make consumers more energy efficient and helping utility companies better managed their resources to lower operating costs. Positive Energy is taking what’s been happening for over a century – power consumption – and simply making it more efficient through innovative technology and analysis. Talk about a triple bottom line – consumers save money, utilities become more efficient, and more efficient energy usage is better for the environment. And they are able to ride the Green technology wave without the years of massive research, development, and implementation hurdles faced by companies that develop photovoltaic cells or wind turbines. That’s smart.

The good news is that innovation and cool technology companies are still alive and well in DC. Ask around, find out who’s focused on making everyday consumer actions more efficient. That’s where you’ll find the growth and the jobs.

Obama's New Gig

2009-01-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

In a few hours, Barack Obama will do something we’ve all done before, start a new job. Granted, it’s a much bigger job than most of us have ever tackled, but I’m sure he’s feeling the same emotions of excitement and fear we all do when heading in the door for our first day. President Obama is faced with historic challenges. Economy, security, environment, healthcare….this list is long and the solutions complex.

With every new job there is a sense of renewal and optimism, that we can change things and improve our personal and professional lives for the better. I think that optimism, even if it’s unrealistic at times, is a good thing and spur productivity. I’m taking it upon myself to approach my work with a renewed sense of optimism, excitement, and commitment.

I figure that while I can’t directly impact energy plans, foreign policy, or the war in Iraq – I can impact the economy by working a little harder, a little smarter, and with a little more passion. If millions of Americans did their jobs just 1% better than yesterday, think of the value added to our economy. A slight change in our collective productivity and efficiency could impact operating costs and profitability and spur investment and job growth nationwide. We have the power to help turn our own economy around.

Take time out today to enjoy the inauguration. Let the significance soak in. Try and capture some of the excitement and energy from the millions of people on the Mall. And tomorrow, on your way to the office, try to pretend that you are starting a new job. Feel the butterflies and feed off the excitement, fear, and optimism. Use it to make yourself and those around you that much better, and know that your efforts can help make our new President’s difficult job just a little easier.

Fired for Interviewing?

2009-01-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

Jeff Jagodzinski, head football coach at Boston College, was fired on Wednesday because he interviewed for the head coaching job for the New York Jets. Many have joked that even interviewing for the Jets head coaching job shows enough lack of judgement to justify termination. As a Jets fan, I have to acknowledge that there might be some truth in that jab.

The Jets history of failure aside, this situation does bring up a interesting discussion about the state of employer/employee relations and how employers position themselves to attract talent. Mr. Jagodzinski was two years into a five year contract with BC, and had been doing very well. Well enough that when the Jets were looking for a new head coach, he was on the short list of candidates. When presented with the opportunity to interview, Coach Jagodziniski took it. He was immediately fired by BC for his actions, which is exactly what BC stated they would do. So at least everything was done with full disclosure, which is good.

But I wonder if BC lost sight of what's really important as this situation was playing out....

I understand BC's desire to have a coach (or more realistically the perception of a coach) who is 100% committed to their school. But at the same time, what did they gain from their stance and actions? It's not like he was interviewing at a conference rival, or for a lateral move, Mr. Jagodzinski had a shot at the big time, the pinnacle of all coaching careers - the NFL.

BC could have supported Coach Jagodzinski and either accepted him back if he didn't get the job, or sent him off in style. If BC chose that strategy, they likely could have leveraged Jagodzinski's accession to the NFL as a selling point in hiring their next coach. BC would be known as a supportive employer, with a high profile program that can help get coaches to the ultimate goal, the NFL. I think that would be an attractive employment brand for BC.

Instead, the situation is now this. Mr. Jagodzinski is out of a job. BC has no head football coach and might have a harder time finding a good one. BC has made it obvious that they expect 100% commitment on the part of the coach for the full length of the contract, regardless of what circumstances arise. But are they willing to reciprocate that relationship? Will they keep a new coach if he starts losing and the program heads downhill? Would the new coach have to watch is back and be worried about his job if he innocently talks with the wrong people?

I don't think those are the questions you want good candidates to be thinking about during and interview process.

Timing the Job Market (for employers)

2009-01-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

The stock market is bad. That’s not news anymore. Google, a year ago trading near $700 per share hovers around $300. And GE is down nearly 50%. But anyone who took Finance 101 or watches Mad Money knows that econmic downturns, while painful, can also create a tremendous buying opportunities. Now is the time to take a look at your investment portfolio and dump any underperforming stocks and take advantage of the discounts on companies like GE and Google while they are relativly inexpensive. Buy low, sell high is the mantra, and I think it applies as much to the employment market as the stock market.

In the last few years, the employment market has been heavily in the favor of job seekers, not employers. Job growth was strong, and candidates (even average ones) were scarce and expensive. Now that the job market is a little softer, employers have been presented with the opportunity to take a step back and evaluate the quality of their staff “portfolio”. Performance or attitude issues? Address the immediately. Or maybe its just that you have some average performers who were hired during desperate times and are not quite earning the salaries they demended at the time. Either way, this is defintly NOT the time to close up shop and stop interviewing. It’s time to consider upgrading your potrfolio.

During tough times, companies may resort to emergency cuts, sometimes with little regard for performance. As a result many good candidates are entering the job market who typically are not looking for work. Now is the time to entertain top notch candidates, be diligent in your selection process, and upgrade your team when you find the perfect person.

For the first time in a long time, the job market is in employers’ favor, don’t miss out on the opportunity.

Taking my own advice

2008-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

A few months back, on a social networking site, I came across the following posted question.

"If you had the chance to give advice to a room full of people and could only say three things, what would they be?"

I posted the answer below, received a couple of nice notes from a few motivational speakers (cool), and then forgot about it until it came up in conversation with a very good friend a few weeks ago. The friend liked my answer so much that he asked if he could use them in his training classes and materials. (Really cool!)

Curious? Well here they are:

Build social capital. Be nice to people. Help others out without asking for anything specific in return. In the long run, those investments will pay huge dividends when you need them most.
Everyone, yes EVERYONE, will make a million mistakes in their lives. The sooner you make those mistakes, the more you learn, and the quicker you'll be successful and happy. If at first you DO succeed,the try and try again until you fail. Only then will you find your limits and reach your full potential.
Find your passions and enjoy them. Work, family, recreation, art, music, whatever. If you don't have anything you are really passionate about, keep trying new things until you find it. Life without passions is just sad.

The most profound words ever written? Probably not. But as I'm venturing out on my own, trying to fulfil a desire to build my own business through FluidHire, I find that I'm referring back to the "Big 3" on a daily basis to stay focused.

I'm so thankful for the help and support I've gotten from friends and colleagues in getting FluidHire off the ground (including getting this blog set up. Thanks Lee!). I guess that means I've build some social capital over the years, so that's good.

I've been successful in many areas of my career. But doing it by myself, without a net, that's a whole new ballgame. Will I find my limits through FluidHire? Too early to tell. But I know there will be both triumphs and mistakes along the way - so I'll definitely be pushing myself farther than ever before. Two for two.

I stumbled into recruiting by accident, and had a passion for it from the word "go". I love it. I thrive off the challenge, the chase, the close. I love learning about new and exciting companies, meeting talented people, getting to know them, and most of all adding value to careers and business I serve through my services. What I do improves people's quality of life and makes our business community stronger...and that is really what it's all about.

Wish me luck!