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August 2004 - Posts

More on avoiding resume blunders

Posted Tuesday, August 31, 2004 3:51 PM by HeatherLeigh
On MSN, resume blunders to avoid. You can pretty much file most of this under "duh!", but I guess it's a good reminder. Because I still see people making these mistakes all the time. Read More...
1 Comments

Friendster coder fired for blogging

Posted Tuesday, August 31, 2004 12:43 PM by HeatherLeigh
Yikes! (Read her blog here). I'm not sure what she said that was against some Friendster policy, but nobody wants to see this happen to a fellow blogger. And hey, could they have reprimanded her first? Warned her? Or is she supposed to be an example? Read More...
6 Comments
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What happens to your corporate blog when you leave the company?

Posted Monday, August 30, 2004 10:40 AM by HeatherLeigh
Rebecca is leaving monster.com and is handing her blog over to her co-workers . Gosh, I don't know if I could ever do that! I feel too personally connected to my blog. I know I don't post that much about my personal life (you don't really want to hear Read More...
15 Comments

More cool viral advertising...

Posted Thursday, August 26, 2004 3:19 PM by HeatherLeigh
Adrants take on the banned Corvette ad. I'm not naive enough to believe that this was accidental. So I am going to think of it as more good viral marketing. Read More...
4 Comments
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ilovebees.com...hacked server, conspiracy or fantastic Halo 2 Marketing?

Posted Wednesday, August 25, 2004 4:27 PM by HeatherLeigh
You decide... Here's some background: http://ilovebees.blogspot.com/ And here is the site: http://www.ilovebees.com Here's discussion about it in the Bungie forums: http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=364518&viewreplies=true&postRepeater1-p=1 Read More...
11 Comments

Something disturbing in the vending machine...

Posted Wednesday, August 25, 2004 2:53 PM by HeatherLeigh
I recently noticed something in the vending machine that really disturbed me in a major way. It's a bag of pork rinds with a packet of hot sauce inside (as if pork rinds themselves aren't nasty enough). I swear I am dry heaving just thinking about it Read More...
21 Comments
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Tricks of the Trade..from circus clown to software developer

Posted Wednesday, August 25, 2004 2:32 PM by HeatherLeigh
The Morning News ran this article on tricks of the trade , from people in different occupations. Interesting how he made the connection between clown and software developer. Don't blame me...I didn't make this up. I'm just saying! What's really weird Read More...
2 Comments
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Microsoft words...

Posted Tuesday, August 24, 2004 6:26 PM by HeatherLeigh
Andrew Coates blogs about words that are over-used at Microsoft . I guess I do know what he is talking about. One of my beloved co-workers starts most sentences with "Hey!", but I'm not telling who it is ; ) I've taken to using the non-word "anyhoo" a Read More...
21 Comments

Resume word of the day: "Expert"

Posted Tuesday, August 24, 2004 6:09 PM by HeatherLeigh
I've already told you how important the right key words are in terms of getting your resume/bio/blog found by a recruiter. But lately I've been thinking about what some of those words mean during the interview process . <Taking off my Microsoft hat> Read More...
13 Comments

Getting noticed at Microsoft...

Posted Monday, August 23, 2004 11:02 AM by HeatherLeigh
Michael Swanson posted about his experience applying to Microsoft by sending a life-size foam cutout of himself. Cool story. It makes me think about having a "most interesting application" contest. You know...I don't want anything of monetary value, but Read More...
7 Comments

Sir, would you like to drink that shot of vodka or smoke it?

Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 5:19 PM by HeatherLeigh
Niall Kennedy's weblog ... Alcohol Without Liquid . If this thing becomes popular, I'll eat my hat. Or maybe I'll have to smoke my drink (OK, so I know it's vapor, not smoke). Read More...
7 Comments

Monster.com and the top keywords recruiters use to find you

Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 1:40 PM by HeatherLeigh
Here are the top 100 . Might make you think about including some of these key words in your resume if they match your background and if you are posting your resume to monster. But you'll need to think differently if you are trying to attract recruiters Read More...
10 Comments

We are just normal people trying to do a good job!

Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 12:09 PM by HeatherLeigh
Lenn talks about his relationship with Microsoft before he worked here and how getting to know some MS Tech Evangelists made him want to join the company. It's interesting how many people are surprised that the Microsoft employee they've just met is actually Read More...
6 Comments

Ten Companies that Missed Blog Opportunities

Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 11:45 AM by HeatherLeigh
B.L.Ochman over at MarketingProfs writes about ten companies that missed a great blogging opportunity. If you do cool marketing to build buzz, why wouldn't you blog about it? Read More...
1 Comments
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Costco is selling caskets

Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 11:34 AM by HeatherLeigh
I love shopping, especially when I get a deal, but this is just weird and morbid. Read More...
5 Comments
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Increasing competition for Monster.com

Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 10:32 AM by HeatherLeigh
In BusinessWeek Online, Olga Kharif writes about increasing competition in the job board space; where Monster.com has been a leader for quite some time (I was reminded recently of the "old days" when people used OCC...remember that?). She references eBay's Read More...
3 Comments

I experienced the new soda dispensers

Posted Wednesday, August 18, 2004 2:00 PM by HeatherLeigh
I was in building 112 yesterday and experienced the new soda dispensers. Yes siree the soda is still free free free! It looks like a regular pop machine (oops, my midwesterness just took over there), except where the price would normally be it says "free". Read More...
4 Comments

Avoiding salary disconnects when you are interviewing with a company

Posted Wednesday, August 18, 2004 12:14 PM by HeatherLeigh
There are many so-called "rules" out there about discussing salary during a job search/interview process. Stuff like "don't talk about compensation on the first conversation". It's a bunch of bunk. You think there are 2 sides to negotiating salary? Well, Read More...
5 Comments

RealNetworks launches online petition and feels the wrath of the iPod people

Posted Wednesday, August 18, 2004 9:53 AM by HeatherLeigh
I often tell my friends "don't ask for my opinion unless you REALLY want it". If nothing else, I am honest. On the internet, if you ask for an opinion, there's a public record of the response. And I guess there's some value in doing some research ahead Read More...
1 Comments
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My geek blog is better than yours...thats right! It better than yours!

Posted Monday, August 16, 2004 6:40 PM by HeatherLeigh
OK, blame Zoe for this one. I read Chris Sells' blog regularly so I saw this a while back, but Zoe has it up on her bulletin board. I went into her office today and noticed it and now I can't get that darn song out of my head. And for that reason, I must Read More...
8 Comments
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Customer product complaints and blogs

Posted Monday, August 16, 2004 1:25 PM by HeatherLeigh
If you are in marketing, you've probably heard an adage about how many people an unsatisfied customer tell about his/her experience (hint: it's more than the number a happy customer will tell). Well, blogs seem to be a place where lots of people are willing Read More...
3 Comments

I *finally* have something to point to!

Posted Monday, August 16, 2004 1:41 PM by HeatherLeigh
There are a handful of people in the staffing industry that are branded. By this, I meant that if you say the person's name to someone else in the industry, they know exactly who you are talking about, what this person does, their area of expertise, etc. Read More...
1 Comments

Sick of the job board chaos? Try this!

Posted Monday, August 16, 2004 12:26 PM by HeatherLeigh
Gerry Crispin told me about this tool: Job Search Toolbar . I haven't tried it out yet, since I am not a candidate (I may do some experimenting later on). But I would be very interested to hear from anyone that is trying it. If it does what it says it Read More...
1 Comments

eBay and Craigslist

Posted Monday, August 16, 2004 9:55 AM by HeatherLeigh
Hmm, sounds like eBay has bought a 25% stake in Craigslist . I wonder what this means about the businesses eBay sees itself involved in in the future (classifieds?). As a recruiter, I would hate to have to list my open positions on eBay in the future. Read More...
3 Comments

Earth, Wind, Fire and Heather

Posted Friday, August 13, 2004 1:55 PM by HeatherLeigh
This Sunday, I am doing something that I have wanted to do for a VERY long time. I am going to see Earth, Wind and Fire at the White River Amphitheater . Actually, it's Chicago with Earth,Wind and Fire, but I think it should be the other way around. I Read More...
6 Comments
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When you spend more time talking about blogging than actually blogging?

Posted Friday, August 13, 2004 11:38 AM by HeatherLeigh
Some of my fellow Microsoft corporate bloggers have gone a bit dark. Robert Scoble , Lenn Pryor , come back! I suspect that are doing work on Channel 9 , among other things. And I know that they are spending time talking to people about blogging (like Read More...
2 Comments
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I could use a little customer feedback here...

Posted Thursday, August 12, 2004 5:18 PM by HeatherLeigh
One of the things I am focused on in my work is creating a positive experience for applicants and candidates. Part of that is working in a content overhaul on our marketing careers site . I worked on this the last time we updated the content and that Read More...
5 Comments

Heading down to Silicon Valley again...

Posted Thursday, August 12, 2004 5:04 PM by HeatherLeigh
Today I spoke with Sid, who handles "alliances" for the Silicon Valley American Marketing Association . Sounds like I am going to be heading back down to the Valley to talk with their group and do some exploratory interviews in October (Sid's clearing Read More...
2 Comments

Someone's keeping a list on...

Posted Thursday, August 12, 2004 4:33 PM by HeatherLeigh
news stories about blogging. I'm trying to find good media quotes about blogging for my presentation (then I get to call my slides "done" and work on something else!) but there's too much noise in google for me to find it quickly. If you have a good media Read More...
4 Comments
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We're All Journalists Now

Posted Thursday, August 12, 2004 1:59 PM by HeatherLeigh
Wired News article: "We're All Journalists Now". Xeni Jardin talks to Dan Gillmore, reporter for the San Jose Mercury News and opinion leader on media and technology: In his new book, We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, forthe People , Read More...
2 Comments
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Picking a social networking service

Posted Wednesday, August 11, 2004 1:00 PM by HeatherLeigh
Good article today on MSN: Online Social Networks Go To Work . Most of the articles I've read so far have really only introduced the idea of social networking and highlighted its "coolness". In this article Xeni does a good job of peeling back the onion Read More...
8 Comments

How do you work reading into your daily/weekly/monthly routine?

Posted Wednesday, August 11, 2004 11:12 AM by HeatherLeigh
I have a basket in my office that I dump articles, business magazines, long e-mails into. I don't want my desk to get all cluttered up with stuff and there doesn't seem to be an obvious time to tackle the reading I need to do. Once or twice, I've grabbed Read More...
8 Comments

Research and open doors

Posted Wednesday, August 11, 2004 10:52 AM by HeatherLeigh
I've always loved doing research. OK, well, not always, but ever since I became a grown-up. One of the things that I like most about my job is that I am often given a problem to solve, the resources to solve it and the autonomy to get it done. There's Read More...
9 Comments

Zach Braff is the new Wil Wheaton...kind of.

Posted Monday, August 09, 2004 8:52 PM by HeatherLeigh
I just read that Zach Braff, the actor on Scrubs and new filmmaker (Garden State), is blogging . Cool...I think. This may be an interesting experiment on what happens when your blog becomes your corporate website, Hollywood style. I mean, how do you read Read More...
1 Comments
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"Sponsored Links" are freaking me out!

Posted Monday, August 09, 2004 3:39 PM by HeatherLeigh
Now that I have had my Tivo for a few months, I have been getting used to a life with less advertising. My ability to fast forward through commercials plus my use of software that blocks pop-up advertisements, has really limited the number of marketing Read More...
21 Comments
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Whatever happened to job fairs anyway?

Posted Thursday, August 05, 2004 5:46 PM by HeatherLeigh
Back when I started my recruiting career, job fairs were a staple of the recruiter role. I lived in Chicago and, being a big city, with lots of people and lots of job openings, I knew that many people would be matched up with potential opportunities at Read More...
11 Comments

Why recruiters don't blog...

Posted Wednesday, August 04, 2004 5:51 PM by HeatherLeigh
So I presented my blog site yesterday to that group of staffing industry folks. And while I got many comments about how cool it was, I doubt that there will be a bunch of recruiting blogs popping up next week. We talked about how I use my blog to share Read More...
8 Comments

Best blogging tools for *new* bloggers

Posted Tuesday, August 03, 2004 4:11 PM by HeatherLeigh
Hey, fellow bloggers out there, what are the free blog tools that you would recommend for recruiters that want to start a blog? What are the best aggregator tools for people that want to read blogs? Us recruiters, we tend to be non-technical folks (most Read More...
29 Comments
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Is this Tuna or Chicken what I'm eating?

Posted Tuesday, August 03, 2004 12:05 PM by HeatherLeigh
One of the highlights of my day today was getting an opportunity to imitate Jessica Simpson in front of a room of staffing industry leaders. If you ever have a chance, try to find a way to say something really stupid to a group of really smart people Read More...
5 Comments

And this is how I know I am cool...

Posted Monday, August 02, 2004 6:08 PM by HeatherLeigh
You know how sometimes when the bagger at the grocery store calls you “sir” or “ma'am”, you start to doubt your coolness (if the checker cards you for alcohol, it lessens the sting though)? If you are under 30, just wait, it's Read More...
6 Comments

Recruiting blog void...

Posted Monday, August 02, 2004 5:50 PM by HeatherLeigh
One of my co-workers told me that I was the top ranked google result for the words “marketing”, “recruiting” and “blog”. I guess I kind of already figured that. Because last week I asked you where all of the recruiting Read More...
3 Comments

Its Prime Wine

Posted Monday, August 02, 2004 3:23 PM by HeatherLeigh
A few weeks ago, I stopped into Chili's with a friend for a beer. I noticed a wine store next door called “Grape Escape” (no web site to link to but they are in Crossroads Shopping Center) and loving wine as much as I do, I went inside. Just Read More...
0 Comments

Watch out for "Sales and Marketing"

Posted Monday, August 02, 2004 11:32 AM by HeatherLeigh
Most recruiters looks at hundreds, possibly thousands of resumes a week. As much as I'd like to tell you that a recruiter thoroughly reviews your entire resume before making a decision on whether to contact you, that's usually not true (hint: the top Read More...
9 Comments
 
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