"The Art of Working with Recruiters"

Whelan Stone offers their inside perspective on "how to maximize your relationship with recruiters so they’ll want to work with you." They've compiled a five-point list that they call a "Take Five on how to have a mutually beneficial relationship with your recruiter and stand out from the herd."

Here is a summary of their key points:

1. Be Clear and Realistic
2. Be Forthcoming
3. Be Responsive
4. Establish a Long Term Relationship
5. Be Appreciative

Here's one more interesting tid-bit to consider "when two candidates are “neck and neck” for the position, companies will often rely on the recruiter to help them decide who should get the offer." For more details about the five points above, read the full article here.

"Real-life Dilbert manager quotes"

The blog 'Architects Rule!' is managed by a lead developer with a Belgian office of Microsoft. He's tracked down 'the top ten quotes in corporate America'. These include some priceless ones, such as the winner:

"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks."
-Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA

Check out the rest of the quotes here...

Fast Company: Show Up and Deliver Your Best Everyday

Fast Company offers valuable insight: "In a recent conversation with a client, she mentioned that she and her team were in a "wait-and-see" mindset as it pertained to budgets and projects for next year. Given the current market, I could understand where she was coming from. However, I sensed a certain lethargy that I knew would put them in a bad spot in the months and year to come if not addressed..."

When the news hits hard, or you 'survive' a round of layoffs it's hard for you not to feel like your energy has been zapped. The article suggests "What you do today lays the foundation for what you do tomorrow, next week, next year, and the rest of your life. It's not an issue of results. It's an issue of momentum. When you believe you can have a positive impact, others believe it too. Everyone's inspired to action. And you build momentum. When you vacillate in that belief, others vacillate too. Action starts and stops. Momentum never comes. And you get resignation and exhaustion instead. In this way, delivering your best is not something you can turn off and on depending on circumstances. It must be a daily habit..."

Other useful tips offered:

1. Look at what's on your plate today or this week.
2. How do you feel about it? Does it inspire you, bore you, depress you? Be honest with yourself.
3. If it's not a productive mindset, find a way to shift it. Projects themselves are rarely boring or depressing, it's usually the approach to them that is.
4. If you work with other people engage them in the process of shifting this mindset together.
5. Remember, you can always have a positive impact on yourself and the world around you - it's merely a state of mind

Read the full article at fastcompany.com

Photo credit: Thorne Enterprises

Gifts For Coworkers

nicegesture.com has some sound advice for the holiday season: "Your coworkers and staff are your company's greatest assets, so it is imperative to gift accordingly. Giving gifts to your coworkers can build relationships, or can cause unanticipated problems..."

Here's an overview of their tips:

• DON'T discriminate
• DON'T play favorites
• Be careful about gifts for people of opposite sex
• Include everyone
• Double-check for personalization mistakes
• Buy gifts not work-related
• Be careful when giving food gifts

The article also offers some advice on giving gifts for a group of coworkers, get the full details here.