Talent Forever

BE CONFIDENT. BE ADAPTABLE.

If you’re a normal college senior, you’re starting to realize that you need to get a job. You’re also starting to realize that you have almost no real job experience and you think that you don’t know what you’re doing.

That’s okay, because you don’t know what you’re doing. The professional world is so different from everything that you’ve done so far that if you think you know what it is, you’re wrong.

Really, every list of “HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL” can be boiled down to the need for you to be adaptable, constantly learning, and applying your knowledge in creative ways. Adapting what you know to new situations. If you were any good as a student, you’ve already done this thousands of times.

The other thing you learned in school, if you were any good at it, was how to get shit done. Or, in more office friendly parlance, how to complete projects on deadline with limited resources.

This is what you should be selling in any interviews: I’m adaptable and I get shit done.

Katherine Smith :: May.13.2008 :: Candid Dates :: No Comments »

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Lin Grensing-Pophal, SPHR, about an article she was writing about blogging for SHRM’s Consulting Forum (SHRM Members Only). I haven’t been as active on this blog as I would like to be, but I absolutely see value in having it and it was a pleasure to work with Lin on her article.

Blogs are so much more immediate than static websites, and if you’re good about updating, you can remain up to speed in your discipline very easily - the blog drives your need to keep your knowledge and repertoire up to date.

Of course, having an extra hour or two in the day to write a post help, too.

Katherine Smith :: Dec.01.2007 :: Consulting Services, Wide Wide World of Web :: No Comments »

How to Write Resume

A pretty well researched article on resume writing (found via Lifehacker).

In case anyone is wondering which format I prefer, it’s pdf or txt file. Too many potential complications with other types of files.

Katherine Smith :: Aug.29.2007 :: Wide Wide World of Web, Candid Dates :: No Comments »

RTFM is, in certain circles, understood to mean Read The F***ing Manual.

I wish applicants would read the job posting - RTJP, you heard it here first! - too often, I get submittals from people who are either not qualified for the job or don’t follow the application instructions.

Wetpaint is looking for an intern on our editorial team - it’s a great role - and in every job posting for it before the responsibilities & required skills there is this section:

TO APPLY
Go to wetpaint.com and set up your own personal wiki (be sure to include your résumé and why you’re going to rock the socks off this internship), then send the link to jobs@wetpaint.com

I’ve received lots of emails, lots of attached résumés and cover letters, but not even a handful of links.

This is an extreme example, but if you’re serious about your job search, the absolute least that you can do is meet the application requirements of the company - if you don’t, chances are that you’re not going to be considered in the slightest.

Katherine Smith :: Aug.21.2007 :: Candid Dates :: No Comments »

This interview with Ben Elowitz, the CEO of Wetpaint, gives a lot of insight into the current start-up culture. Of course, since I recruit for Wetpaint, this is the quote that I love:

What are the key types of employees or co-workers that you like to bring on to Wetpaint?
It’s an amazing team that I’m very privilege to work with. A key trait is that these folks have been around the block and know what they are doing. They aren’t guessing, but instead are working from experience.

Number two is that they’re focused on valuing the consumer experience. That’s so important at all levels, really. They understand what’s important to our customer.

Number three is that we have such a talented group, and we believe in having very high standards, so we look for people who are really experts at what they do. Then we’re able to trust the expertise that each one of us brings to the team, and work extraordinarily well with them.

If that’s the kind of company you’d like to work for, drop me a line.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Katherine Smith :: Aug.07.2007 :: Wide Wide World of Web :: No Comments »

I’ve got a post up over at the Wetpaint Fresh Coats blog about recruiting online. I don’t only use online resources, so here are some of my thoughts on other tools in my toolbox.

Networking
For every job opening, my hiring managers ping their networks for referrals. The team that is hiring pings their network for referrals. I ping my mom for referrals. The point is that we’re always communicating to our colleagues, family, friends, and acquaintances that we’re hiring. We make sure to reciprocate, referring people to other companies or connecting people we think might be good matches.

Search Firms
Contingent firms fill in the gaps, but what you’re paying for in most cases is a shorter time-to-fill, which in the tight timelines of a start-up can be worth it. But if you rely on firms too much, you can end up sacrificing your “employer brand” and becoming invisible to candidates.

Interns
Internships are another great way to get people in the door. It’s a win/win situation. Even if we don’t end up hiring our interns full-time they have brought us their energy and enthusiasm and we’ve taught them extremely valuable skills. Interns power through low level work with a joy incomparable.

Katherine Smith :: Aug.02.2007 :: Wide Wide World of Web, Candid Dates :: No Comments »

If you’ve used Wetpaint and liked your experience, you can go here and rate Wetpaint. This is a great company that I’m really pleased to be associated with - and I love their product.

Needless to say, I rated them “100.”

Katherine Smith :: Jul.12.2007 :: Wide Wide World of Web, Clients :: No Comments »

What’s the best way to follow-up with candidates? I think so many companies fail to follow-up at all that candidates are satisfied with emails, phone calls, or cards.

I prefer emails (for convenience they can’t be beat) but I also think they leave the door open to candidates to reply, keep in touch, or ask for feedback. It also provides me with a nice piece of documentation of my most recent contact with a candidate.

I’m surprised at how few replies I get to phone calls and voice mails. Maybe in our world of immediacy they get lost in the shuffle? I think emails have more staying power - which is my subtle hint to candidates to use email to ping me!

Katherine Smith :: Jun.15.2007 :: Candid Dates :: No Comments »

This article over at Guy Kawasaki’s blog is a great read for new and continuing careerists. I will be picking up Penelope Trunk’s book for sure.

More and more, I’m encountering candidates who don’t desire a career track. No longer looking for a clear path from Entry Level to Individual Contributor to Management, and a corresponding timeline, they are focusing on other things.

Recently, I spoke to a candidate who started out at a big company (1,000+), worked there for 5+ years, realized that even though her title got “better” she was still doing the same kind of work and reporting into the same people as always. Totally stagnant. She quit to go work for a smaller company (200+) in a more focused role, but she was still reporting into someone pretty far down the chain, and wasn’t seeing a ton of impact. She still felt stagnant. Her next move was into an even smaller organization (<100), reporting directly into a Director, whom she decided that she didn’t like. Now, she’s looking for an even smaller company (25-ish), where she can report directly into a VP, work on a peer level with senior professionals, and point to something and say, “I made that!” And she doesn’t care what her title is anymore as long as she can use the vacation time that she’s earning. She referred to her career path as “backwards.”

I have to disagree. She’s identified what’s really important to her and she’s making the moves that she needs to in order to get it. Nothing but risk-taking and forward momentum as far as I can see. These things are what great candidates are made of.

Katherine Smith :: May.16.2007 :: Wide Wide World of Web, Candid Dates :: No Comments »

Here’s a great article on Emurse about improving your phone interviews. I think that candidates are kind of lazy when it comes to learning about their prospective employers. If people would just follow the tips outlined here, their phone screens will most likely result in an in-person interview.

I can’t emphasize researching the company enough.

Preparation isn’t cheating.

Katherine Smith :: Apr.30.2007 :: Wide Wide World of Web, Candid Dates :: No Comments »