Friday, January 28, 2011

Nevermind Dodd-Frank….here comes the recovery

In today’s NY Times there was an editorial about whether or not 2010 was a good year for big banks in the US. I would love to give the author credit, however I didn’t see the name mentioned. You can read the article in its entirety here: http://tinyurl.com/4nv4vh2 . The article tells us that with the exception of Bank of America, all of the big banks were profitable in 2010. Then it explains that the numbers are misleading, as all of the bank’s profits were boosted from by large withdrawals of cash reserves set aside to cover losses. Thus, to get a truer sense of a bank’s condition, you need to look at its actual revenue.

The author suggests that although revenues are not what they used to be, this is a good thing because a slower recovery would be a more stable recovery with less future risks. She goes on to state that the new reforms would go even further toward protecting the consumers as well as the US Economy against future meltdowns. It seems from her tone that she is rooting for Obama and the Dodd-Frank Reform Law.

While I could see why some people would be for the reforms and others could be against them, I see a win-win scenario. If the Dodd-Frank Reform Laws are held up, then our banks should grow slowly with less risk to all of us which would be a good thing. If the new laws don’t pass, the banks will be able to take more risks and probably grow faster. This would be a good thing, too. We can’t live in a fear of a future economic meltdown. In either scenario, if the big banks do well, more jobs are created and more homes are brought; or better yet, not abandoned or foreclosed. Either way, it still sounds like we are on the road to recovery, which means everybody wins.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Mobile App Recruiting Specialists?

A while back I was looking to hire a recruiter and in the stack of resumes was one that was very intriguing: the candidate was a recruiter who specialized in filling positions for Mobile Applications. Her resume mentioned many of Apple’s products; including the iPhone, iPod, and iPad as well as Blackberry and other mobile devices. She indicated in her cover letter that she would be interested only if I would look to move my business in this direction. I decided she was not a candidate since that’s not what I was looking to do.

Just because it’s not what I want to do, however, doesn’t mean it’s not a great idea or worth exploring. If you are in sales or run your own desk maybe you should try going after clients in this space? If you are looking for a recruiting job, perhaps you could add “mobile” or “applications” to your key word searches when you’re looking for jobs. Apple and their products seem to be popping up everywhere, and now TV’s are incorporating applications similar to mobile products, so it seems to be a growing sector. Certainly Apple shows no signs of slowing down as per their recent quarterly report http://tinyurl.com/6x6awuc .

Friday, January 14, 2011

I Had a Dream

I know - very original title on the Friday before MLK day, but at least I’m current! Usually I try to write about something that touches me or inspires me that is related to recruiting. This week, ESPN did a story on Dr. King and how “whites and blacks” agree and disagree on various race issues in sports. I tried to find it on youtube to post it here for you and was unsuccessful. I get the feeling, knowing ESPN, that they’ll show it again so hopefully you get an opportunity to see the story.

I can’t remember all of the different topics that were covered on a survey, though among them were the “Rooney Rule” and the most admired man in sports. These two things stood out to me initially because they were the two questions that generated the most discussion. Secondly, the “Rooney Rule” could easily be parlayed into diversity recruiting.

First, the most admired man in sports was the thing both races agreed upon most. The person is Michael Jordan. Second, the biggest difference in the survey came regarding whether or not the NFL still needed the “Rooney Rule.” The Rooney Rule, as per Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule, requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations opportunities. The rule is named directly for Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the chairman of the league's diversity committee, and indirectly for the Rooney family in general. This is due to the Steelers' long history of giving African Americans opportunities to serve in team leadership roles.

There are two ways I could think of that we could adopt the Rooney Rule in recruiting. The first is to commit to presenting at least one diverse candidate for each opening your firm attempts to fill. The second is to ask your clients how important diversity is to them. Then again, if you know they are football fans, ask how they feel about the Rooney Rule.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Check Yourself

I originally was going to title this blog “Got Attitude” as my intention was to write an editorial on a blog by that title featured on INC magazine’s website. Then I thought copying the title might be some type of copyright infringement, so I went with Check Yourself, as in “you better check yourself before you wreck yourself,” like my man Ice Cube once famously rapped. Here is the link to the blog: http://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/got-attitude.html.

The blog was written by Marla Tabaka and is geared to solo entrepreneurs, although I felt that it was the type of message we could all relate to, especially at the start of a new year. In the article Marla lists 20 questions and asserts that the more you can answer positively the closer you are to having a “million dollar mindset.”

I’m not really all that into resolutions, although I do believe in setting intentions; and that we are capable of change. Whatever 2010 was for you, good or bad, it’s over. Now is the time to take a look at your belief system and see if your thoughts are holding you back or making success easier to attain. I’m not writing any highlights from her blog because it’s so good you need to read it for yourself. So go, click on the link above and then set your intentions to improve in the areas you need to do in order to position yourself for a great 2011. May 2011 be the best year of your life, and so be it, and so it is. Namaste.