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Your Passport to Recruiting Success (I am rolling my own eyes at that title)


Being the perennially disorganized person that I am, I recently found myself in the position of looking for my passport (for the reason why I need my passport, see here). I looked everywhere it was SUPPOSED to be: the "family docs" baggie (no silly firesafe for us, our birth certificates, marriage licences, adoption papers, SSN cards, all in the trusty Ziploc bag), the bottom of the purse I took to Italy, my old wallet, my prototype of the travel book I meant to write, EVERYWHERE. It was in none of those places. I was flummoxed.

As I looked in old nightstands and moving boxes, I came across some neat stuff though. I found the "dating journal" that my hubby and I made with all the goofy junk you give each other when you're young and poor, I found pictures and writing from the orphans in Albania I had kissed and cuddled nearly four years ago, I found old travel stubs and boarding passes and even a list I wrote in Spanish class about "stuff I want to do before I die". It felt like a treasure hunt.

So I tossed all that stuff back in a box and didn't care what happened to it. . . What? No I didn't,
BUT

Sometimes we do that with candidates, um I should say PEOPLE. While on a search for something very specific, we overlook, press over, ignore and forget about the treasures we literally stumble upon. I'm not saying to let every resume grab your eye until you wind up chasing your tail. I am saying, carefully set those treasures aside with the respect they deserve for future examination. Ways to do this:

- Lend support. Not all job seekers need you to find them a job. But letting them know you're keeping your eyes open and giving them specific insight into their market is invaluable.

- Evaluate their resume. It takes about five minutes for a great recruiter to give preliminary advice on how a resume could look better, read better, hone in on specific skills. Take those five minutes for those treasures. It's worth it.

- Relo help. Your job isn't over when they get a job (whether through you or someone else). Do they have questions about your town? Can you reccommend a great condo or neighborhood? Do it? It doesn't cost you a thing!

I found my passport and the doozy is that it didn't take me any more time to find it and still treat those other treasures to a little extra attention as well. Now I have a box full of memories to go through and I know just where that comic strip my hubby gave me in the 90s is!

The Dark Side of Twitter and Social Networking



Ive noticed in the last few weeks, disturbing trends that can catch you unaware if you don't tread carefully where social media is concerned.

Diversity, the state of HR in Omaha and taking education seriously


Today, I'd like to turn the spotlight on someone else. (Shocking, I know). Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a Talent Anarchy seminar given by Joe Gerstandt and Jason Lauritsen. I went with the intention of supporting them and maybe to learn a thing or two. I was shocked at the quality of their presentation.

I don't mean fancy powerpoints, amazing statistics and funny stories (although their presentation contained all of these things). What I was shocked at was the sheer volume of information and research that went into their talk (just one of a lineup BTW). Normally, with that much information, very little that comes out is enjoyable or easily put into practice.

The presentation was on "Generational Diversity", oft discussed ad nauseum in these hallowed halls. But this was a fresh take with new insight that I'd never heard before. Now many of you are thinking, well yeah, of course Maren has never heard of it before. But there were HR Pros from some of the biggest cos. in Omaha seated around the table and they were duly impressed as well.

Why am I waxing on and on about these fellas? Because they take the responsibility of education seriously. It's not really about promoting themselves, although they wouldn't mind that. The research, the well rehearsed presentations, the interactive way with the crowd, it's about ensuring that people not only get what they paid for but get what they HOPED for.

And in that room, looking around at some of the women and men, genuinely seeking greater understanding of the different generations and how they could help make that happen in their companies, I was greatly encouraged at the state of HR. Someone called me an idealist today. I'm okay with that. Omaha is in good hands!

You're ticking me off!


There are a lot of jobs you can get in this world. And there are a lot of ways to automate processes so you need fewer employees, there are also open source programs that eliminate the need for high-cost tech. But my particular soapbox is talent and technology (in that order), so I am going to say it.

You can't keep eliminating people. There's a company in Omaha who in an astonishingly dunderheaded move, is reducing its workforce very systematically (in an almost Nazi-like way). They let departments know that the later they get called in, the more likely they are to get cut, leaving entire groups of people fearful, uncertain and certainly unproductive. This company goes through this process nearly every quarter. ( I am not opposed to firing or even layoffs but this process is ridiculous).

Beyond the obvious, no wait, staying IN the land of the obvious, this will eventually kill a company and is extremely short sighted. While it's possible that the company will never need to re-staff (doubtful but whatever), their reputation is so tarnished that the quality of hire will be very low. If they were to contract with an RPO or third party recruiter like myself, they would have to hand over the control of their entire recruiting (and some HR functions) dept. just in order to be taken seriously.

I suppose there's a chance that some hotshot amazing HR pro will move to Omaha to provide a resurgence in Employer Brand but it's pretty slim.

As repetitive as the "seat at the table" discussion has been, it's obvious to me that now HR Pro worth his or her salt was present here. What a legacy. What a shame.
 

Latest Activity

Jason Libes and Maren Hogan are now friends 13 minutes ago
Maren Hogan replied to the discussion Nice to be Recognized - Thanks 14 minutes ago
Maren Hogan and Keeley Mitchell-Wallace are now friends 5 hours ago
Maren Hogan commented on the blog post How Do You Tell A Client That Their Relo Program Sucks? 13 hours ago
Maren Hogan left a comment for Rayanne 13 hours ago
Maren Hogan's profile changed 14 hours ago
Syed Basith Ali and Maren Hogan are now friends 14 hours ago

Maren Hogan's Blog

Diversity and Who's Awesome

Posted on August 14th, 2008 at 6:16pm — No Comments (Add)

You're ticking me off!

Posted on August 12th, 2008 at 1:37pm — No Comments (Add)

Lonely Hearts and Hungry Recruiters and Why Web 2.0 Owes US!

Posted on August 7th, 2008 at 1:27pm — No Comments (Add)

Being @yourself

Posted on August 5th, 2008 at 11:39pm — No Comments (Add)

Profile

Name:
Maren K. Hogan
City:
Omaha, NE
ZIP/Postal Code
68104
State/Region (spell it out please, no abbreviations!):
Nebraska
Country:
United States of America
How do you introduce yourself to people you meet in business?
I say: "Hi. My name is Maren Hogan. I work for a recruiting and consulting firm called HCI. I handle all of our business development and marketing efforts."
Name someone you most admire
I admire Jason Davis and Dave Mendoza (they have been so nice to me, which I did not expect to find in this industry. . . and now I am blushing!)
Company or business name:
HCI
Website:
http://www.hciresults.com
Blog:
http://bigorecruiting.blogspot.com
Online profile/Homepage
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marenhogan
What kind of networking are you open to?
Open networking, Referrals between friends, Very targeted/niche
Who referred you to RecruitingBlogs.com?
I found it all on my own! (so, Google?)
Which combination best describes your professional profile?
Agency, Contract, Independent, Virtual, Human Resources/staffing, Vendor/Consultant
How many years have you been in the business?
2 - 4 years
Which industries do you work in now?
Financial, Services, Technology
Which online communities do you actively participate in?
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Other
What other social networking/sites do you like best?
Currently, I am enjoying the benefits of seesmic.com and twitter.com. Of course, I must say that for a regular old BLOG www.fistfuloftalent.com is phenomenal for conversation. But RBC tops them all.
Which conferences do you plan to attend in the next year?
ERE, Fordyce Forum, Kennedy, NAPS, Onrec, RecruitFest, Recruiting Roadshow, SHRM, SourceCon
What recruiting tools can you not live without?
my computer, a phone, the internet
Which blogs would you recommend people read?
www.fistfuloftalent.com
bigorecruiting.blogspot.com
sixdegreesfromdave.com

You can see my entire blogroll on my blog. . .
What do like best about RecruitingBlogs.com...
The ability to let one's hair down and enjoy the company of other professionals who do what I do and do it incredibly well. I enjoy learning from people who I never would otherwise have access to and hearing the questions of recruiting professionals newer than myself! I like the ability to chat and share our triumphs and woes and that Jason hears it all in my British accent!
...and what would you change and why?
I would like to see some attn paid to the sales and deve end of the business. That is a large part of recruiting and currently represented in substantial numbers in our community. Where's their help? Otherwise, currently, I am very happy with the setup. I firmly believe that if you take a few minutes at the beginning of each day to learn a little something new (which is always provided here on the main page) it will make you a better recruiter. I would love for us all to be able to chat all day long but then no one would get any work done. i do like Susan's chat room as I believe it is a natural extension of the thought pool that exists here and before now, was largely untapped.

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Comment Wall (138 comments)

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At 10:56am on August 19th, 2008, Mickey Matteson said…
Maren,
Thank you for the invite and the comments. I wish you all the best in your recruiting efforts this year!. Please think of me if you need to make any placements that involve relocation. Our company specializes in supporting recruiters, their candidates, and clients with complimentary relocation support. We do everything from helping buying and selling homes, rental, temp housing, and big discounts on moving. For you the recruiter there is also cost of living information, lateral salary assessments, and moving trends. Call or email me if I can help in any way.

Best Regards,
Mickey
Mickey Matteson - Account Executive
Recruiter Relocation
Scottsdale, Arizona
Office: 1-866-787-4949 Fax: 480-361-8883 Cell: 480-282-7362
mmatteson@gmsmobility.com
www.recruiterrelocation.com
At 12:01pm on August 15th, 2008, Anji Williams said…
Thanks for the invite!
At 6:41am on August 14th, 2008, Philip Bartfield said…
Thanks Maren. Just getting going and appreciate the note.
At 10:57pm on August 12th, 2008, Bobby Belloste - Akken, Inc said…
Thanks for the welcome! You seriously put some work into your profile. I'll get there eventually.
At 2:59pm on August 11th, 2008, Jim Lauckner said…
hello Megan
I am quite impressed with your writings and your insight. Let's also connect on LinkedIn - jlauckner@msn.com if you'd like to send me an invite.
Jim
215-470-2684
At 8:52pm on August 10th, 2008, Jessica Rubinstein said…
Thank you for your message.
At 11:07am on August 6th, 2008, Frank said…
Nice video, particularly the good looking guy at the end.
At 10:47pm on August 5th, 2008, Donato Diorio said…
Only get brownie points for pictures of my newfie.
At 12:18pm on August 4th, 2008, Prabhu said…
Hi ,

I would be appreciated if u add me as your friend.
At 10:25am on August 1st, 2008, Maha Akiki said…
Hi Maren,
Happy to connect :-)
Looking forward to meeting you at RecruitFest!
As a "local girl" please tell me how I can help prepare for your visit :-) Any local info you need?

And Happy Belated Birthday!
 
 

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