HR/Employment Blogosphere Update for November 7, 2005

I have a strong sense of “place” (as in definition 1 here.) Familiar places evoke memories for me, just as smells and music do. Visiting a place from my past can almost feel like time traveling.

So today I had a strong urge to take the boys to go say goodbye to Busch Stadium — a familiar place that sure evokes memories of good times — and take final photos of it. Tomorrow the wrecking ball starts to swing. As this photo by cottergarage shows, its replacement is well under way.

We arrived in late afternoon to find that others had the same idea. A construction fence surrounded the site, and machines were already loudly at work tearing up the interior. Fans circled the site, alone or in small groups of family and friends, cameras in hand. A security guard passed chunks of concrete over the fence. (Did we take one? You bet.)

Yeah, some memories got stirred up. Including the day I interviewed for a job in St. Louis 20 years ago and found that some law firm partners were interested above all else in showing off the stadium, with crowds streaming towards it for a day game, and taking me to lunch at the Stadium Club. The sea of red outfits on fans and red seats and bright green turf on a sunny afternoon made an impression all right. That’s also when I first heard this: “St. Louis is a great baseball town.”

I didn’t much care then, being a sports-non-fan, but it rubbed off a bit over the years, especially as my boys developed into baseball nuts. It will be lots of fun having a brand-new state-of-the-art facility next season, but I’ll sure miss having that old place full of memories (mine and those of thousands of other fans).

Now on to this week’s favorite human resources and employment posts, this time drawn solely from the recruiting segment of this corner of the blogosphere.

Why just recruiting? Because I ran out of time and energy before I got any farther!

What Do Networking, the Flu, and Hobbies have in common?

One Thing Microsoft is Doing Right

Why Blog “for Free,” Anyway?

Somewhere Across the Sea

Of Drinking, Knives, and Pumpkins — a Beautiful Combination

The Bathroom Initiative and Recruiting

Hurry Up and Wait

Jobster Makes a Friend

Online Recruiting Grows Up

What Do Networking, the Flu, and Hobbies have in common?

Jim Stroud’s “Jobseeker’s Revenge” discusses all three (separately). First, Jim offers a plan for becoming a Referral King (or… Queen) using existing personal networks and interests, coupled with simple internet communication (he doesn’t mention a blog, just a static web page, but a blog would be even better).

Jim ’s full of good advice, as he also plays doctor, reminding us of the classic symptoms of the true flu (influenza), and encourages “using your favourite hobby or pastime to create an income.”

Jim writes with such enthusiasm (not about the flu, but the other two posts) that I really got the urge to run right out and follow his advice.

One Thing Microsoft is Doing Right

Jason at recruiting.com writes glowingly about the way Heather Hamilton at Microsoft uses her blog as an e-recruiting tool, calling it the “Amazing Microsoft Recruiting Blog.”

Why Blog “for Free,” Anyway?

Talentism (Talent, business and technology) expresses so well the business blogger’s sometimes lonely and frustrating venture, answering the question “Why put in the effort and time and heartache when it doesn’t make any money?” The answer in a nutshell:

The secret to participating in the creative economy (otherwise known as the network economy, or the economy of the community of practice) is that I have to pay in advance, before I ever get anything in return. And the market that I am paying (now there’s a concept for you – buying from your market) sits in silent witness to my authenticity, commitment and competence.

Somewhere Across the Sea

My lunch buddy, recruiter Jim Durbin of Stl Recruiting reports on his wedding/honeymoon Mediterranean cruise (photos included). Follow the trip starting in Chicago.

Congratulations!

Of Drinking, Knives, and Pumpkins — a Beautiful Combination

Speaking of photos, But Less About Me… Life, Staffing, and the Chocolate by the Printer shows us what happens when you give “a group of adults alcoholic beverages, really sharp knives, and an assortment of pumpkins to butcher.”

Maybe I need to try the drinking part, as I can never carve a pumpkin nearly as well as the primo examples depicted!

This pumpkin post relates directly to my Halloween Fun in the Workplace post. See how the creative juices got flowing!

The Bathroom Initiative and Recruiting

The Canadian Headhunter at Recruiting.com and Regina Miller at HR’s Brand New Experience both discussed the importance of bathrooms in making a good impression (”the ‘john’ reflects your brand!”), making employees take a turn at cleaning bathrooms, and an email from a French chef named Pierre about his bathroom remodeling approach. Headhunter wryly asks: “Can you imagine seeing a guy in the washroom on his hands and knees cleaning a toilet stall and then a, few minutes later, he comes into the waiting room and offers to shake your hand?”

Hurry Up and Wait

Hiring Revolution has three posts expressing in various ways recruiters’ frustration with the conflict between the “get-me-the-perfect-candidate-NOW” demand and the delays and the “I’m too busy” and “maybe we’ll find someone better” excuses that slow down the recruiting and hiring process .

Jobster Makes a Friend

Recruiting Revolution tells a positive personal tale of experience with newish e-recruiting firm Jobster, though the headline sounds more negative than the post actually is: “Jobster Advisory Born.”