Marketing Headhunter.com | Recruiters for Ecommerce

Background Checks = Credit Checks

PHILADELPHIA - The Courier Post reports that "Your employer may have access to more information about you than your mom."  Scary but true.  The Federal Trade Commission advises that reports pulled by current and potential employers can now include credit payment records, driving records and criminal histories.

As a marketing recruiter, I have seen this myself.  Years-old DUI's, in particular, have been an issue in my own searches.  Additionally, credit checks have raised the issue of how responsible a young online marketing candidate may be.  Increasingly, there are no secrets.

But candidates, please note:  There are rules governing how a potential employer gathers data on you.  According to the Courier Post, "If an employer wants your credit report, it must inform you in writing that it intends to pull it and get your permission to do so.  So, if you've been late paying your Visa bill, there's no need to announce it at a job interview; wait to be asked."
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Grass Roots Employee Branding

KENT, WA - It's called "employee branding" -- and it's the holy grail of corporate recruiting.  An employee brand is the essence of what it means to be an employee of your company.  At the risk of oversimplifying, it's the customer experience for the people on your payroll.

Ideally, your company is an extension of who you are.  After all, markets are conversations -- which is why staffing experts will tell you that all things being equal, it's better to "hire attitude and train skills."

Unlike product brands from the TV-Industrial complex, employee brands are organic:  They grow in direct proportion to the authentic love that's poured into them and flourish when a company's employees are also its biggest fans.  Again, it's all attitude.

To see what I mean, watch this video produced by the Perimeter (Georgia) staff of REI.

Their enthusiasm is contagious.  And it's authentic, too.

"Who wouldn't want to work at REI?"  It's a way of life.

Note to self:  If you don't actually l-o-v-e what your company does, then you might want to seriously reconsider where you are spending the best years of your career.  As my dad used to say, "It's only work when you stop having fun."
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Best Post Ever

This post should be required reading in all B-Schools.  (Because it smacks of Rosser Reeves, that's why.)

SEO Recruiter's Advice to SEO's

BOSTON, MA - Some quick advice for SEO's / SEM's looking to get ahead in the world:  Make sure that any brand you mention on your resume is on the first page of Google's organic rankings at the time of your resume submission.

I just reviewed the resume of an SEO who's working with a major consumer brand.  He has three bullets on his resume about all of the great things he's doing for the brand, but when I Googled the brand name (ie "Coke" or "Gucci"), he wasn't even on the first page.  Not good.

SEO's, please bear in mind that I use an SEO toolbar for Firefox, and I can tell how many back links your pages are getting (and from whom), how many times they get Del.icio.us'd, and so on.  It's all right there.  I also have a subscription to Keyword Discovery -- so I have an idea of how competitive your categories are, where you might be spending your PPC dollars, etc.

I'm not trying to impress you.  Actually, my point is that I'm not any smarter than the average recruiter.  All recruiters and potential employers can see how you are doing.  Your results are on the web.

When Google ranks your client, it ranks YOU.

These days, recruiters can tell if an SEO candidate is any good.  And given the dynamism of the web, it's okay to lose once in a while.  We understand, especially if your category is dominated by black and gray hats (mortgages, vitamin supplements, etc).

But it's not okay to lose and put it on your resume that you are # 1 or # 2 for seven out of eight keyword phrases.  I'm not as dum as you think I are.  I know how to use Google.  Everyone does.
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I feel smarter already.

Seth has a nice post about caricatures of a brand.

So what?  So this:  Earlier this year I dropped what my wife calls "too much money" (it wasn't that much) to have a caricature of myself professionally developed for my forthcoming website.  The character was dubbed Quippy by Wells Spence of Southern Progress -- a name quickly seconded by the infamous So Young Park of MusiciansFriend.com.

My awesome web developer was psyched, and so was I.  But when I tested the idea on a number of my clients and candidates, they all said that "a cartoon character is no way to market an executive search firm."  Naturally I waffled, what with the perils of group think and all.  I played it safe --like any corporation 100x my size.

Okay:  Perhaps a cartoon character is, in fact, no way to market an executive search firm.  I'm guessing.  But as a recruiting industry outsider, I'm still of the belief that search firm marketing directors should let their hair down.  Just a bit.  Anyway, that's my opinion -- even though I'm too much of a wimp to take my own advice.

PS -- Quippy just landed a great job as mascot of my new job board, Online Retail Jobs.  Buenos suerte, Quippy!
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Hey, Technorati: PING THIS!

This just in from Mack Collier of the venerable Viral Garden weblog, where Marketing Headhunter has stalled-out in Viral Garden's weekly rankings of the top 25 marketing blogs ...

"... Poor Marketing Headhunter still hasn't had its link count updated since 1962 ..."

D'oh!

Dear Technorati, I have reached out to your client support technicians for a ping.  It has been 77 84 91 days -- or 45 blog years by Mack's calculations -- since my blog was updated by your system.  In that time, I have posted and pinged Technorati countless times.

So now I must ask you publicly:  Can you kindly update my site?  Is there anything I can do to help?  Is the problem on my side?  To paraphrase Jerry Maguire ...

Help me help you help me!

Many thanks.
Harry Joiner
Ph. (678) 749-7075

PS - Did I mention that I got reinstated on Facebook?

UPDATE (Day 91):  Still not a peep out of Technorati, even though I have emailed them at support@technorati.com and called them on the phone.  Do any of you readers know someone there who can help me?  I would greatly appreciate it.
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Career Planning: "Why industry matters."

Nov. 12, 2007 - Conversation last night between me and my 11-year old son, Jack:

• Jack (age 11):  Dad, I've got a social studies project due Friday.
• Harry (age 43):  On what?
• Jack:  On what I want to be when I grow up.
• Harry:  Maybe you can be a professional Nintendo player.
• Jack:  Seriously, Dad.  What should I be?
• Harry:  What are you good at?  And what interests you so much that you'd do it for free?
• Jack:  Do it for free?  No, I gotta get a job.  With money.
• Harry:  Fine, but just remember that your career only becomes work when you stop having fun.  Picking the right job is almost as important as picking the right wife.
• Jack:  Rock climbing.  That's interesting, and I'm good at it.  I think I'd like adventure travel.
• Harry:  Ever thought about international business?
• Jack:  What?
• Harry:  You know, like arranging really cool overseas rock climbing trips for people.
• Jack:  Why couldn't I just climb for sport?
• Harry:  Well, unless you win a lot, that kind of job might cost you more than it paid.
• Jack:  Hmm.
• Harry:  By owning a travel company, you could climb rocks and support your family.  Plus, I have seen you sell, and you have the gift.
• Jack:  Who said anything about selling?
• Harry:  Well, you'd have to market your travel company -- possibly to other businesses.
• Jack:  Would I need to go to special school to learn how to sell rock climbing trips?
• Harry:  No, but you will need to target the right industries.  That can involve a little homework.
• Jack:  "Industries?"
• Harry:  Yeah.  Like healthcare, or automotive, or entertainment.  An industry is a group of companies that all do the same thing.
• Jack:  I don't get it.  Why does industry matter?
• Harry:  Some industries have more money than others to spend on things like travel.
• Jack:  My travel company will be really good.  Maybe industry won't matter so much.
• Harry:  The heck it won't.  True story:  In my best month in 2006 I made more money than I did all year long in 2002.  And you know what?  I was the exact, same person in both instances.  I was no smarter in 2006 than I was in 2002.
• Jack:  Wow!  You must have had a really bad job in 2002!
• Harry:  Or a really great job in 2006 -- in a much better industry.
• Jack:  What was your industry in 2002?
• Harry:  Consulting.  Self employed.  First year in business.  Lousy economy.  Very sanctifying.
• Jack:  What's your industry now?
• Harry:  Executive search.  Still a consultative business, but I'm selling something much more  clearly defined to a market that already buys what I'm selling.  They know what they want already.  I don't have to create the demand.  It's already there.  I don't have to educate my prospects on what I do.  They already know.  All I have to do is out-hustle my competitors.  Same me, different industry.  Very different results.
• Jack:  I see.
• Harry:  Think of it this way:  If you were a plant, then choosing the right industry would be like choosing the right soil conditions, in the right climate.  And choosing the right company would be like picking the right farm in that environment.  Naturally, you want your growth to be managed by a farmer who will nurture you.  But a good farmer in bad conditions will do worse than a bad farmer in good conditions.  So pick your environment carefully.
• Jack:  Got it.  Can I have a snack?

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Valeria Maltoni's Advice for Job Seekers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Valeria Maltoni of Conversation Agent has a tremendous post today on in-person spamming -- the act of getting to know someone just well enough to "monetize" the relationship.

I never thought about it that way, but it makes a ton of sense.  "Networking relationships" don't usually turn out to be true friendships -- but that's not the fault of the event.  It's a mentality, according to Valeria, who believes that we all need to be more authentic.  Right on.

Advice for Job Seekers

Valeria offers some good "back to basics" tips on putting the real back into our realationships.  Among these recommendations are listening, offering value first, and keeping one's promises.  Valeria also suggests sending thank you notes ...

clipped from www.conversationagent.com How many thank you cards have you sent out this week, month, year?  If you cannot remember when the last time was, it's time to go buy some.  A well written thank you card always makes a strong impression.  Often I send a book along, not just any book -- a book that I think the recipient will enjoy, learn something from, find useful in their line of work.

Good karma goes a long way.  Few things are more powerful than a sincere, well thought-out thank you sent on an engraved correspondence card.  You can get them from CardsDirect.com, which offers very nice, highly effective cards for not a lot of money.

Or you can go even farther "up market" -- like I do.  I get my cards from Reaves Engraving, and they are extraordinarily effective.  There's not an ounce of pretense to them.  Elegant and professional -- like a Ritz-Carlton hotel.  Strictly first class.  Isn't that what you want to project?

I get the Classic 125CL, and they are cheaper once Reaves makes the plate -- which you must mail them each time you reorder.  Figure $1.50 a pop with postage.

Of course, part of what makes engraved correspondence cards so effective is that I don't send them to get brownie points.  I send them simply to say "I enjoyed meeting you.  You've got a great story to tell.  Thanks for sharing."  The other thing that makes correspondence cards so effective is that very few people send these anymore.  They're old school, reserved for ladies and gentlemen.  [And me.]
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Resume Spam: "What is it?"

ATLANTA, GA - Quick post on a Friday afternoon.  I have my watch's countdown timer set to ten minutes, and I am logging off when it gets to zero to go do something more productive.  Bartender!

I am working on two major searches right now:  A VP of Marketing search for a multichannel retailer based in the mid-west, and a VP of Ecommerce search for a northeastern two-channel retailer (catalog / online).  I am in the early stages of both searches, and I have been reviewing resumes all day.  I'm wiped.

Though my eyes are completely glazed over, here's what I am starting to see from more and more candidates:  Keyword spam.

What is Keyword Spam?

Keyword spam is a long string of words at the end of a resume put there by the job-seeker in the hopes of improving his chances that a recruiting researcher will find it in a given resume database.  For example, here are the keywords at the bottom of a resume I just dredged up ...

RESUME KEYWORDS: online, on-line, interactive, ecommerce, e-commerce, ebusiness, e-business, marketing, internet, web, executive, COO, CEO, CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, CIO, EVP, SVP, Senior Vice President, VP, President, GM, Managing Director, multichannel, multi-channel, retail, retailer, etailer, e-tail, e-tailer, online retailer, product, product management, brand management, online marketing, SEO, search engine optimization, SEM, search engine marketing, paid search, affiliate marketing, email marketing, merchandising, merchandise, catalog, cataloger, direct marketing, direct marketer, six sigma, 6-sigma, business-to-business, B2B, B2C, business to consumer, CRM, education, content, strategy, business process, public relations, media, French, international, multinational, apparel, clothing, fashion, jewelry, accessories, luxury, designer, branding, finance, bank, banking, home furnishings, private sector, not for profit, nonprofit, non-profit, environment, new media, entertainment, vision, leader, innovate, innovative, innovator.

You can't be all things to all recruiters.

Am I to believe that this candidate is qualified for both B2B and B2C C-level positions?  I mean, "6-sigma .. education .. apparel .. luxury .. bank .. home furnishings .. not for profit .. entertainment?"  I doubt it.

And that's my point.

Even if it were true, it's unbelievable.  Candidates, it is always better to have a small, provable circle of competence that's sharply defined around the edges than one that's big and fuzzy.  Specialize!  Dominate!

As a marketing recruiter, I'm starting to think like Google:  If I suspect that you are keyword loading your resume in a superficial way that diminishes [my] user experience, I am going to penalize you by moving you down in my [candidate] rankings.

That does not mean that you won't be considered for my searches.  But it does mean that during our interviews, I am going to drill you pretty hard about each of these areas of expertise.  Furthermore, I will instruct any technical consultants I'm using to screen candidates to do the same.  So bring your "A-game."
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Expired Domains

ATLANTA, GA - This is interesting.  Three weeks ago, I let the following dot-net domains expire, and that was the end of my involvement with them.  (I still own the dot-com versions.)  Today I saw my old dot-nets listed for sale on SnapNames for 59 bucks a pop:

1. executivesearchalbuquerque.net
2. executivesearchatlanta.net
3. executivesearchaustin.net
4. executivesearchbaltimore.net
5. executivesearchboston.net
6. executivesearchbuffalo.net
7. executivesearchcharlotte.net
8. executivesearchchicago.net
9. executivesearchcleveland.net
10. executivesearchcolumbus.net
11. executivesearchdallas.net
12. executivesearchdc.net
13. executivesearchdenver.net
14. executivesearchdetroit.net
15. executivesearchelpaso.net
16. executivesearchfortworth.net
17. executivesearchfresno.net
18. executivesearchhongkong.net
19. executivesearchhonolulu.net
20. executivesearchhouston.net
21. executivesearchindianapolis.net
22. executivesearchjacksonville.net
23. executivesearchkansascity.net
24. executivesearchlasvegas.net
25. executivesearchlondon.net
26. executivesearchlongbeach.net
27. executivesearchlosangeles.net
28. executivesearchlouisville.net
29. executivesearchmemphis.net
30. executivesearchmesa.net
31. executivesearchmiami.net
32. executivesearchmilwaukee.net
33. executivesearchminneapolis.net
34. executivesearchmontreal.net
35. executivesearchnashville.net
36. executivesearchneworleans.net
37. executivesearchnewyork.net
38. executivesearchnorfolk.net
39. executivesearchoakland.net
40. executivesearchomaha.net
41. executivesearchorlando.net
42. executivesearchphiladelphia.net
43. executivesearchphoenix.net
44. executivesearchsacramento.net
45. executivesearchsaltlakecity.net
46. executivesearchsanantonio.net
47. executivesearchsandiego.net
48. executivesearchsanfransisco.net (sp.)
49. executivesearchsanjose.net
50. executivesearchseattle.net
51. executivesearchstlouis.net
52. executivesearchtampa.net
53. executivesearchtokyo.net
54. executivesearchtoronto.net
55. executivesearchtucson.net
56. executivesearchtulsa.net
57. executivesearchvancouver.net
58. executivesearchwashington.net

I am still unclear how they got listed on SnapNames.  Not my doing.  Perhaps my registrar, Godaddy, has an expired domain distribution agreement with SnapNames.  That's all I can figure.

If you are a recruiter, please (!!!) buy any one of these domains and build a nice big fat website on top of it.  Simply go to SnapNames.com and register for the auction.  Just think of the traffic!
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