Today I endorsed Alex Putnam on Linkedin as follows:

“A rustle in the leaves, a water cup stirs circled waves – it is a prelude to what mighty force is fast approaching …. and with force it did and with impact – for I am describing the arrival of teh Social_T-Rex that is Alex Putman.

I was fortunate enough to have Alex as one of my featured interviewees on my blog, sixdegreesfromdave.com and it is still one of the most read of interviews to date. I was flattered to know my blog inspired his goal to be the most networked in Atlanta but that was nearly three years ago and his outreach far exceeds those boundaries.

When I asked Alex what was the most impactful memory in his staffing career, on your sourcing/recruiting career – he answered in a manner much like my own sentiments: “going through a company closure (Panasonic) and a layoff from the very next job. I incorporated myself, built a home office and began my journey of becoming highly networked”

Alex has done it in his own style, with his own witty and thoughtful approach to what he writes and how he engages others. That featured article is the reason this series exists – it allows the unsung heroes to have the light shine on them for their own individual contributions. Alex’s ambitions match his successes. Once decided he proceeds and never fails. I admire Alex and I strongly recommend someone who has done so much to fuel blogging and best practice sharing., I salute him!” September 28, 2011″

When I completed my recommendation, I smiled and decided we needed to share Alex with the Audience again to remind the recruitosphere of someone special:

“Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit”
Paul “Bear” Bryant

• RecruitingBlogs Profile
• Linkedin Profile
• Facebook Profile
• Twitter Profile
• Personal Blog
• Community Volunteering: Habitat for Humanity of Atlanta (3 consecutive build years), Sentinels of Freedom (Gwinnett County, Georgia), Susan B Komen Breast Cancer Walk
• Personal Causes: Angel Tree Program, March of Dimes, Toys for Tots, and Church Outreach
• Phone: 770-346-7216 (o) | 678-557-0469 (c)
• Email Alex alex@alexputman.com, or aputman@eusebeia.com

Alex Putman is the first of a series on the most active members of the RecruitingBlogs.com community. He has contributed recent blog posts that have attracted attention such as “Dirty Words Recruiters Use“, “Be a Social T-Rex“, “Do Your Prospects Know“, and “Big Shoes Leave A Lasting Impression.”

Alex enjoys consulting & coaching other recruiters in techniques that enhance their marketability and capabilities. He has lead workshops for new and seasoned recruiting professionals via a managed training program focused on goals, objective and time management. In the past decade, Alex’s teams have been responsible for the fulfillment of 3,200+ requisitions and job orders.

Alex has a driven passion for utilizing social networking/social media, to benefit human resource services, talent acquisition, career coaching and assisting people in their search for career fulfillment.

Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world.

ALEX: I have been married for 7 wonderful year to my wife Tifany. We have 4 children including our beautiful twin daughters Alexis & Kathryn (6 yrs old), Gabrielle (3 yrs old) and son Corban (18 months).

I am extremely active in the lives of our children; participating in their many church and school events. I believe one of the greatest gifts given to us is the ability to see the world through the eyes of our children. This blessing has changed my entire outlook on life.

My personal hobbies include home renovation projects, working outside, getting together for cookouts with friends (especially during football season) and reading the Bible. I also enjoy Golf, College Football (Roll Tide), Basketball, pretty much a sports enthusiast. I am a strong family person; I do everything with my wife and children! We have a strong commitment to giving back within our community. I have had the honor of working with The Habitat for Humanity – Atlanta in partnership with 13 other local technology organizations. As a deacon at Shadowbrook Baptist Church, I am embedded in a multitude of activities offered at our church. My wife and I are invested in the College & Career class, Awana, and Children’s Worship.

Warm and fuzzy: Every month I take one of our daughters out for a date night! They enjoy going to the mall, having dinner at McDonalds and getting a giant pretzel. I hope this never changes!

Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry?

ALEX: I have been in the industry for 13+ years. I started in executive recruiting and then made the change to the corporate side (Panasonic). Once I made this change my career rapidly progressed from an individual contributor to the HR Manager for Employment, Immigration and Employee Relations. We grew form 88 people to 450 with a Canadian office. After 6.5 wonderful years, we closed the facility.

I then went to work for a DoD contractor in the satellite communications (VOIP) field and found myself in the growth mode again (375 employees to 600 in 1 year!!!!). Too fast, we began to experience the pains of layoffs. I then incorporated myself (Eusebeia Consulting Group LLC www.webstarts.com/eusebeia. I quickly picked up 2 contracts as a consultant, one with Danger (www.danger.com) – they make the Sidekick for T-Mobile and another with Synergis (my current employer). I then decided to go to work growing a staffing firm, and what an adventure it has been! Recruiting has provided for my family over the years and I am grateful to this business and the many wonderful people I have met along the way.

Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter?

Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career?

ALEX: Wow, huge question! I would have to say going through a company closure (Panasonic) and a layoff from the very next job. I incorporated myself, built a home office and began my journey of becoming highly networked. This is about the time I discovered people like Dave Mendoza existed. Prior to this I was in my corporate shell and let people come to me. I established a goal, “be the most networked person in Atlanta!”, Still working on this one, but the point is, I was able to quickly transition to perm placement from home and contract recruiting. I never missed a beat (or paycheck) and learned that having a strong network means everything (the 400 people from Panasonic all went to other companies, many of which I still do business with to this day!)

Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after?

ALEX: Many! Dan Bell from my first role was a recruiting machine. This man billed $1.5 million per year by himself! Many would not call Dan the “easiest” person in the world, however he instilled a sense of urgency in me early on. He once told me that he was scared to go to the bathroom during the day because he may miss a call that would lead to a placement!

I do plan to meet several “on-line” mentors at Recruitfest this year! This may come as a surprise to these people, but Jenny DeVaughn (whom I have met recently), Maren Hagen, Scott Love, Bill Radin (first person I heard speak) and you Dave are people I see on-line and love your stuff! The Recruiting Animal has some great stuff as well! I really try to find the best in their field and learn as much as possible!

Six Degrees: Tell us about your position as Director of Recruiting at Synergis:

ALEX: I am the manager of recruiting and currently have 4 direct reports (have had more prior to this year). I am part of our leadership team and have indirect responsibility for sales. Our total staff (Atlanta HQ) is 15 people. I have introduced a lot of social networking techniques and each team member has a personal branding plan. We boast a national client base with 300+ clients serviced. In conjunction with my recruiting, I maintain a few clients with whom we do a good portion of business (one client was $300k in sales last year — goes back to my Panasonic network). I am also a member of the leadership function and involved in the corporate growth and planning of the company.

Six Degrees: (A) What other companies’ recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples?

ALEX: TekSystems comes to mind, they are huge (12% market share), but what a success story. I respect them for their model, not their size. Apex Systems is a prime example, look at how fast they have reached the $360 million mark (10 years). Many other successful companies have utilized their model and are among the top in our industry.

(B) In what aspects are they superior?

ALEX: These companies have unbelievable training programs! I was fortunate to go through a strong training program, but TekSystems sets the standards. They really invest in the success of their employees.

Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why?

ALEX: I know everyone is still buzzing about social networking / social media, but it is a trend that is here to stay! People are so busy and we are use to getting our information in “bits”. I recently read an article on vlogs (video blogs), I believe the industry and technology are merging and we will see this more the norm!

Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry:

ALEX: Conferences are great! I am extremely excited to attend Recruitfest this year (booked and ready to go)! I regularly attend the Technology Association of Georgia conferences, The Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce meetings and the High Tech Career Ministries. Our company is a member of TechAlliance (formerly NACCB) www.techservealliance.org and we attend their annual conference in November. Last year I attended a “Lead Like Jesus” conference where Patrick Lencioni presented (great speaker).

This year I will be attending RecruitFest and possibly ERE (potential schedule conflict). I have worked closely with the Georgia Institute of Technology’s career center and participated in roundtable presentations. I am actively seeking opportunities to speak and be published. I am currently working on my first book and my goal is to speak at a major conference or forum in the near future.

Six Degrees: Can you detail how the recession has affected your particular industry niche? Has it effected your job or that of your fellow team members within the organization? strong>

ALEX: We are in the IT industry and although we have not been hit significantly, we have experienced some down time. In January of this year we (the leadership team) scrubbed our budget to the bare bones. We were able to plan for the year accordingly and to date have had a small increase in sales over last year, added to our sales and marketing functions and remained in the black for 2009.

Six Degrees: Aside from simply the generic term “Networking” what specific efforts have you made on your own behalf, or on behalf of colleagues to broaden your opportunities.

ALEX: So many! For two years I have aggressively encourage my team to develop their personal brand. We developed plans and events for them to attend. I created my own Yahoo user group (ConnectHiTech) as my initial platform into the social networking world. Recruitingblogs.com has been a real catalyst for blogging. This is something I always wanted to do, so I took the chance and my first blog written was a feature. After this boost of confidence, I have become a blogging machine ? I created my moniker “The Social T-Rex™” and have been running with this brand! I am currently developing a logo, website and many other features around this brand!

All of these have proven to be fruitful in extending my personal brand. My on-line brand has widened tremendously and has actually led to referrals, contacts and placements!

Six Degrees: Given your own Trial and Error experiences as a Networker, what advice do you have for your peers on what NOT to do?

ALEX: Don’t be scared! I know talented people, writers, speakers etc that are just scared of what people will think. I have learned, some people will like me, some will not…part of life! But by all means, put yourself out there and see what happens! In conjunction, be yourself, don’t be something you are not. If your personality can come out in writing or interviews then you will gain respect of peers and others (even if they don’t like you personally).

Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there?

ALEX: My ultimate goal is to be a motivational speaker! I want to write a book (professionally and personal ideas) to incorporate my life experiences to help others maximize their potential. I want to be the guy that is sought after for speaking engagements works hard from home and creates a socially big personal brand….maybe as big as a T-Rex!

What do I need to get there? Advice and assistance from people already there! Jenny DeVaughn has a “pay it forward” concept and I firmly believe in this. If those who are already there can pull us up and then we become the ones pulling others up, everyone wins!

Vice President of Workforce Solutions
Synergis

“Alex is a great manager and very results-driven. He is fair and always willing to take time and discuss anything that you feel is important. Alex has many years as a successful recruiter himself which makes him a more understanding manager over recruiters. He’s open and honest and most trustworthy. Alex is a great family man and a very devoted father as well as an effective manager…always has a smile.” August 24, 2007

Sharon Greco Spangler, CPC, Sr. Technical Recruiter, Synergis

“I have been working for Alex for about 2 years and he has been a great manager, mentor and leader for our recruiting team. Alex is constantly trying to find ways to improve our recruiting processes to make us more efficient in our jobs and is always willing to jump in and help out when needed. He truly cares about the success of every member of our team and will do whatever it takes to ensure that we achieve our goals and satisfy the needs of our clients. I have a lot of respect for Alex because he is very honest, ethical, diligent, and hardworking, and doesn’t believe in the word “can’t!” He has also been instrumental in getting the sales and recruiting teams to work more cohesively and effectively together to produce greater results.” September 10, 2009

Denise Wicks, Principal Recruiter, Synergis

“Alex is one of the most well networked, ethical individuals I have ever met. He has made a huge impact in transforming Synergis into an organization with efficient policies and procedures, and he has a knack for recruiting and training amazing people. I have enjoyed working with Alex not only on a professional level, but also a personal one. His positive enthusiam for the industry is contagious. I am honored that I have had the opportunity to work with him for the past 2 1/2 years.” September 25, 2009

Shanna Bradley, Account Executive, Synergis

“Alex is an excellent manager with outstanding leadership skills and work ethic. Alex leads by example and has made me a better professional through his mentoring. I would highly recommend Alex!” October 7, 2009

Rob Larson, Senior IT Recruiter, Synergis

“I’ved had the pleasure to work with Alex Putman on many occasions. He is very professional and always provide excellent service. I would definitely recommend anyone considering him to utilize his services.” July 12, 2010

Darius Hunter, MBA, Owner, 1st Class Resources

“Alex is an individual who takes his profession very seriously. If he tells you something, believe it. Alex is also “just one of the guys” with great communication skills, and a high level of integrity.” July 13, 2010

Ben Kirkland, Sr. Forensic Investigator, Fiserv

“Alex brought the best of all worlds to HR at Panasonic. He not only had a unique ability to locate and acquire the talent we needed in the company–he also had his finger on the pulse of the employee population. His keen insights and advice kept us from getting off track more than once. I would welcome the opportunity to work with Alex again.” July 14, 2010

Dr. Jim Marion, PMP, President, Panasonic Mobile Communications

“Alex is a dedicated and skillful recruiting professional. I had the pleasure of reporting directly to Alex. He is a strong leader that is constantly working to move his team forward. He takes a genuine interest in the professional growth of the individuals on his team. He was very open and listened to what his team had to say at all times and valued our expertise. Alex is a top-notch recruiting executive that has the ability to create, restructure and improve recruiting functions in any type of organization. It was truly a delight to work for Alex.” December 8, 2010

Annellie Holmes, HR/Recruiting, Rockwell Collins

“A wonderful person with an exceptional attitude. He is very professional and easy to work with.” January 10, 2011

Diane Hosch, Senior Documentation Specialist, Panasonic

“When Alex served in the Reruiting Manager role at Synergis he hired me right out of school to be an Associate Recruiter. Alex was instrumental in providing me with the training and knowledge I needed to be successful as a new recruiter. Within five months I accomplished the necessary milestones to move into a Technical Recruiter role and I attribute much of that success to Alex and his ability to be a servant leader and take a vested interest in my recruiting goals. I’ve now known Alex for almost four years and I can truly say that he has all the values that you would want in a manager/leader. He knows how to hold others accountable, how to encourage and motivate, how to lead by example, and how to be solution focused. He’s also an excellent writer and is very creative and innovative!! I have a huge amount of respect for Alex and can’t say enough good things about him!!” May 13, 2011

Janna Tucker, Technical Recruiter, Synergis

“I worked directly for Alex when he functioned as Recruiting Manager at Synergis. Alex is forward thinking, detail oriented and really cares about the growth and development of his employees. Alex excels at building teams and he grew and built an fantastic team of recruiters here at Synergis.” August 16, 2011

Christy Cifreo, Sr. IT Recruiter, Synergis

“I have worked with Alex at Panasonic as well as at Danger and found him to be a great recruiter. He is one of the best out there when it comes to finding the right talent for you. On his most recent assignment at Danger, Alex was able to produce outstanding results in extremely challenging circumstances. I have no hesitation in recommending Alex’s services to anyone looking to recruit top talent!” January 2, 2007

Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity
Joseph Mathew

“The most valuable relationships in business are built on trust. Alex places a high priority on the success of those he works with. His combination of knowledge and personal character provides a refreshingly positive business atmosphere. Truly, he is a great guy to work with.” November 22, 2007

Tim T., Financial Advisor, Strategic Financial Management, LLC

“If you ever need someone to speak to your group about integrating social media in you marketing plan, Alex is your man.
I learned more in 30 minutes by listening to Alex than from all the articles and “how-to’s” I reviewed.
He clearly lives and breathes social media – let him show you how to use it in your organization.

Chris Harlow, Sr Executive Advisor, Career Concepts Inc

“Alex delivered relevant information in a format that was fun and easy to understand and implement. I see Alex as an expert in social media and will look to him for help again in the future.” August 9, 2011

Rebecca Bowen, Employer Relations Specialist in Career Services

“I had the opportunity to meet Alex through Birmingham Recruiter’s Network. As a referral from one of our members, we invited Alex to speak on Social Media at one of our monthly luncheons. His presentation and knowledge of the topic was spot on! Since then, I have had the opportunity to network with him on another front, using social media to assist me in a personal job search. Through his guidance, I was able to market myself and open other doors of opportunity that would have otherwise been closed. Not to mention, Alex is down to earth and easy to talk with and always willing to lend a guiding hand. I would recommend Alex Putman for any opportunity he is challenged with.” August 16, 2011

Wade Roley, 2011 President, Birmingham Recruiter’s Network

“A rustle in the leaves, a water cup stirs circled waves – it is a prelude to what mighty force is fast approaching …. and with force it did and with impact – for I am describing the arrival of teh Social_T-Rex that is Alex Putman.

I was fortunate enough to have Alex as one of my featured interviewees on my blog, sixdegreesfromdave.com and it is still one of the most read of interviews to date. I was flattered to know my blog inspired his goal to be the most networked in Atlanta but that was nearly three years ago and his outreach far exceeds those boundaries.

When I asked Alex what was the most impactful memory in his staffing career, on your sourcing/recruiting career – he answered in a manner much like my own sentiments: “going through a company closure (Panasonic) and a layoff from the very next job. I incorporated myself, built a home office and began my journey of becoming highly networked”

Alex has done it in his own style, with his own witty and thoughtful approach to what he writes and how he engages others. That featured article is the reason this series exists – it allows the unsung heroes to have the light shine on them for their own individual contributions. Alex’s ambitions match his successes. Once decided he proceeds and never fails. I admire Alex and I strongly recommend someone who has done so much to fuel blogging and best practice sharing., I salute him!” September 28, 2011

YOU Dave Mendoza, Talent Acquisition Strategies | Social Media Architect | Blogger | Consultant | Sourcer | Recruiter, Six Degrees from Dave

Friends,
I will be sharing tidbits of my learnings as I travel from EMEA to India the next two weeks.”Dave Mendoza Tales From Paris, Luxembourg, Uk & India”

In the interim, I wanted to take this moment to share something rare. El Dave is Interviewee not Interviewer today!

Rather than referencing an interview of a corp staffing leader I engaged in to share their best practices … Today I share my own. I was interviewed by Luxembourg’s Leading Magazine “PaperJam” and I shared my own personal insights of the corporate staffing environment – the dysfunctions, the trends where inroads on innovation are being made – and my hopes.

QUOTE: “The Talent Strategist, blogger and sourcing consultant explained the ERE Recruiting Excellence Award for competitive mapping and talent strategy architecture he developed for Informatica in an event sponsored by OTYS recruiting technology. He talks about gathering competitive information using social media and other public domain web tools.”

VIDEO of my post keynote speech Interview discussion: Click http://bit.ly/k2uKkn

The Interview article itself is available as an online pdf – the second of two covers, starting on page 40
Click: http://bit.ly/iUQ1JG

I’ll be back in two weeks. In the interim, I’d appreciate friends who have a moment to tweet the links referenced. Thanks so much

• Doug Munro, Staffing Director at Interferometrics
• LinkedIn Profile
• Facebook
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• Corporate Website
• Office (703) 227-8415
• Cell: (202) 957-4620
• Email Doug
• Music: Depeche Mode, Sade, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Coldplay
• Books: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, Shutter Island, Black Hawk Down, The Road, The Da Vinci Code
• Movies: The King’s Speech, Do the Right Thing, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather, Good Will Hunting
• Television: The Wire, Fringe, Cougar Town, American Idol, and Modern Family

Six Degrees: How many applicants at your present employer do you estimate are hired from your corporate website as compared to how many are hired through referrals?

Doug:I’d say we are at roughly 10% employee referrals, 40% direct sourcing, 30% external job postings (job boards and niche sites), and 20% through our website. Among my goals are to increase the figures for employee referrals by engaging our folks and keeping them abreast of what we need and increase traffic to our site to bolster that figure.

Six Degrees: What is the source of the “Most Hires” collected from at your present employer? (In terms of Quantity #)

Doug:Direct sourcing accounts for the highest figure. Because of the very limited pool of qualified candidates with the requisite security clearances there is a constant need to ferret out talent.

Six Degrees: What is the source of your “LOWEST COST OF HIRES” – (least amount of invested resources for the easiest hires, regardless of quality) at your present employer?

Doug: I would say external job postings. I’m able to cross-reference postings on a multitude of sites to generate a steady flow with a minimal investment of resources. Integrating that with targeted efforts to drive traffic to our site builds a robust model; it creates a schema that works for me even when I’m not working, which is the essence of efficiency.

Six Degrees: What talent niche groups do you target and are these particular talent areas specialized under your review?

Doug:Currently the most significant group is Intelligence Analysts with very agency-specific backgrounds, but I also target highly-cleared Information Technology specialists in a broad range of disciplines: Software Engineering, Database Development and Administration, Systems and Network Engineering, and Systems Administration. One of the great things about working in such a clearance-centric recruiting environment is that I have had to recruit against a wide variety of positions, in and out of IT. I’m fortunate to be able to evaluate candidates with diverse skillsets.

Six Degrees: What types of training in sourcing/recruitment are available to you and have you taken advantage of?

Doug:In the last couple of positions training took a back seat to adding additional job boards and human resources, so I wasn’t able to do much in the way of formal training. Interferometrics, however, has an excellent benefits program in that regard so I’m currently evaluating a variety of courses, seminars, and certifications. I can’t wait to get started!

Six Degrees: What recruitment software tools do you use in your day to day recruitment activities & do they translate effectively within all of the different countries where you recruit?

Doug:There weren’t any tools in place when I arrived at Interferometrics. The first step has been to establish a proper foundation for recruiting: adding functionality to the website, fully utilizing the available targeted job boards, and beginning to forge a translatable company culture. Once that foundation is more fully realized we’ll start adding more tools to the mix. We recruit only within the United States, so translating our approach into different markets isn’t a factor.

Six Degrees: What tools (technology or old school file folder, for example) did you first encounter early in your recruitment career?

Doug:Contrary to those who know me who believe I was alive during the Lincoln administration, things weren’t significantly different when I started recruiting. Information was stored to a higher degree in hard copy form, which I don’t miss at all. One thing I do remember fondly is hand written thank you notes being utilized far more often. Something about someone taking the time to put pen to paper and mail a note still resonates with me.

Six Degrees: How did your expectations of being a recruiter compare to the actual, first time you got on the phone or in the cubicle? In your opinion, how do people’s assumptions about our vocation differ from reality?

Doug:I think I generally believed it was a pretty easy job: get on the phone, talk to people, give them jobs. I knew it was a little more complicated than that of course, but it was a shock to the system to learn how much went into effective recruiting: the sourcing, the learning curve on position requirements, candidate management, client management, compensation negotiation. I was amazed at how many elements there were and how much information I had to absorb.

Six Degrees: Worst mistake, biggest goof, lousiest practice you thought would fly but didn’t — and how that was a learning experience?

Doug:There have probably been hundreds of them, but I recall becoming acquainted with a very successful recruiter who was incredibly aggressive in his dealings with candidates. He would literally bully them into making choices that favored his clients. It clearly was working for him somehow, so I tried to incorporate some of that pushing into what I was doing…and it was a complete crash and burn. It didn’t suit my mentality and I was obviously projecting something insincere when I did it. I learned the importance of finding your own voice and staying true to it. Each of us has unique qualities that we bring to the job; while it’s important to always look for ways to improve it is imperative to stay true to who you are.

Six Degrees: How do you personally expect to facilitate change within our industry, and/or at your place of work? If you started that process, outline the problem, your solutions, and the vision.

Doug:In my current role I am focusing on employee engagement and company branding. The Federal marketplace is insanely competitive and as a Small Business we have to be able to differentiate ourselves in a positive way to attract and retain the best talent. It’s also very easy for our onsite personnel to identify more with their COTR’s and corporate partners than their own company. I’ve made it a point to involve our people in discussions on how we can develop an even more effective benefits package, shared with them insight into what the company is doing in a broader sense, and solicited their input as to how they envision the company developing. As I’ve recruited, I’ve gathered feedback from candidates on their impressions of the company and how various components resonate with them. Though we’re a 30 year old company, there is an opportunity to significantly impact its culture. My theme to both existing staff and those I’m recruiting is that we can actively create the kind of company we want to work for.

Six Degrees: “Best practice” you are most proud of developing (now or in the past) in your recruiting career?

Doug :I don’t believe I’ve reinvented the wheel on anything. I’ve tried to incorporate the best of what I’ve learned through experience and exposure to other recruiters’ practices into my methodologies. If there’s one thing I’ve found important it’s to try to incorporate something personal into every encounter. It’s important to relay technical detail in a conversation, but I look for a way to interject a personal experience into the communication. I think that it’s vital to connect in a personal fashion; we’re not selling cars, we’re selling what is a huge part of a person’s life and I think candidates are better able to connect to it if they can see their recruiter in human terms.

Six Degrees: What are some of the frustrating aspects/obstacles to your day to day as a staffing professional and in general?

Doug:That could be a very long list: finding the right people with the right skills to meet our technical requirements, working with our partners and the government to get those people through the system, managing the expectations of all parties in the process, getting all those disparate parties to respond in a timely and complete fashion…the list goes on, but if it was easy where would the fun be?

Six Degrees: What are the most common themes of strategic and/or tactical mishaps involving past or present HR/Staffing org?

Doug:I think in the best circumstances Recruiting and Human Resources work in parallel. As recruiters we’re trying to identify top performers and sell them on a position; HR serves to both protect the employee’s interests and make sure all of us are abiding by pertinent law and guidelines. I’ve seen instances where HR can lose sight of that imperative and not serve as effectively as an employee advocate but rather become more of an employer watchdog. We all represent the company, but the employees have to believe that they have someone internally looking out for their best interests above all else.

Six Degrees: Considering all of the frustrations you have experienced in your career as a recruiter, — what inspires you as you continue in your career?

Doug:It’s the people, Dave. Every day I get to meet dozens of people in person, on the phone, through the Internet…and all of those interactions have an impact on me. I learn something every day and what’s better than that? I’m also fortunate in that much of my work ends up, by extension, supporting mission-critical efforts that impact National Security. There’s definitely a satisfaction to that.

Six Degrees: What one thing do you ideally hope to accomplish in 2011? (OR) Six Degrees: What one thing do you find most ideal given the opportunity to develop/ implementing/ invent professionally that has yet to be done.

Doug:Aside from my immediate goal of helping grow Interferometrics, I’d like to become more engaged with the recruiting community at large. I’ve made strides in that area, but I’d like 2011 to a breakout year!

Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug?

Doug:I’d definitely like people to check out www.interf.com. We’re a very cool company and we have an extraordinary history; we’ve engineered some amazing scientific breakthroughs and have a long list of notable accomplishments. On a side note I’d like to plug a movie directed by an old friend of mine named Andrew Shortell. It’s a horror movie called Psych 9 and it’s being released here and in the UK. If you like the genre you’ll love it…you can learn more at www.psych9.com.

Six Degrees: How Are You Going To Change The Recruitment Industry?

Doug:I’m just going to keep pushing forward and trying to soak up all the amazing innovations and new insights that the industry is generating. I’ll apply my perspective and personalize everything I gather, but ultimately the journey is what excites me. It’s an enormous, collaborative community and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

“The very first word that comes to my mind every time I hear Keith’s name is “FourSquare”, for his constant need and desire to check in every place we go! I’ve known Keith though for many years and he is an awesome resource for Intel and one we are happy to have held on to for so long! He is ALWAYS the guy I go to when I need a vendor “negotiated” and my regular sounding board when considering new tools/technologies in the recruitment space. Recently I had the privilege of speaking with him at #ERE Expo 2011 and I’m never anything less than impressed by his professionalism and knowledge of his business.”
Tiffany Peery, Virtual & Marketing Program Manager –
Intel US College Recruitment & Internship Programs

• Keith Molesworth, Staffing Channels Manager at Intel
• Phoenix, AZ
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• Phone: (480) 723-7718
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ERE Expo Slide Presentation: “Social Media Strategy Secret Sauce: How Intel Makes Data-driven Decisions”
Career Highlights:
• Staffing Channels Manager at Intel
• Business Analyst Business Analyst – Global Staffing at Intel
• Vendor Management – Global Staffing – Business Analyst at Intel
• Program Manager, Employee Referral Prog /Staffing Vendor Management at Intel

You’re tweeting, you’re sourcing on LinkedIn, and you just hit the 1,000 fans mark on your Facebook page. Now what? How are you measuring your presence and success in the social media arena and what are you doing to optimize? These are the questions Intel asked itself not too long ago. Conference attendees at ERE Expo Spring 2011 were treated with a peek behind the curtain at Intel. Keith Molesworth, along with fellow co-presenters at Intel outlined “Social Media Strategy Secret Sauce: How Intel Makes Data-driven Decisions.” Their presentation shared the story of how their corporate Talent Acquisition organization empowers its employees to engage in social conversations to market its products, amplify its employment brand, and source great talent. I had the pleasure of observing and learning from Intel as they detailed what social channels it is using in the U.S. and globally, how it is engaging with candidates, and a deep dive into the data and results they’ve developed as a team.

I had the opportunity to sit across, break bread and discuss talent engagement strategies one-on-one with both Keith Molesworth and Intel’s Recruitment Marketing Program Manager, Allen Stephens at a dinner hosted by Jobs2Web recently. Beyond Keith’s gregarious sense of humor, is a genuine passion for innovation and collective teamwork. How could I possibly not meet Keith and not ask him to share his insights with our audience at Sixdegrees? It is a pleasure to introduce both his insights and his expertise with you today!

Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world.

Keith: I’ve been with Katherine for about 4 years now. I have more fun with her than I have with any other person I’ve ever known. She’s my best friend and I feel lucky every day. I have two awesome boys from my first marriage, they’re 13 and 10 and they keep me really busy with the usual sports running around. My oldest loves football, it’s his thing. He’s the kind of football fan that watches College Spring games on ESPN. My younger son is more of a baseball kid. Living in Arizona allows us to spend lots of time playing sports – except in the summer when we lay low (and inside). I don’t have any pets, but I pet-sit for friends often enough to remind me why I don’t have them.

I used to volunteer at an ESL program, but it’s been a while since I’ve been able to make that happen. Fortunately, Intel not only supports but encourages volunteerism so I’m able to volunteer at my sons’ school and Intel even matches that time with donations to the school. Also, Intel offers a bunch of group volunteering activities in which I participate. In recent years we’ve donated our efforts to a food bank and a local Hospice. I don’t have as many cool hobbies and pastimes as I did when I younger, as I mentioned much of my time is spent running kids to practices and games and of course work. When not doing that I enjoy watching movies from Netflix, mostly documentaries and dramas, of course I love comedy too. My Netflix queue has a couple of hundred movies in it, so, like my DVR, it taunts me. Also love reading and I subscribe to way too many magazines. I Enjoy reading non-fiction but growing up was a huge Steinbeck fan, in fact I’ve read everything he wrote. Lately I’ve become a fan of more “modern” fiction like Roth, DeLillo and Colum McCann. The one hobby I still try to fit in is Genealogy I think because it combines my interest in research and history and, of course, family. I traced a few lines back as far as 1650. I know that my relatives come from England, Wales, Germany, what is now Hungary and the Czech Republic.

As I mentioned above, my kids play a lot of sports and I love photography so I have hundreds, if not thousands of pictures of the boys playing football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. At a very early stage in my academic career I was a Photography major, but once photography became about assignments and homework it stopped being fun. I take lots of photos now of things that interest me.

Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry?

Keith: I started out working in Staffing after Grad school (Go Ducks) and a short stint at a VERY small software company (4 employees small). I joined Volt as a recruiter about 14 years ago in Seattle. I worked for Volt and another agency in Portland before I was hired at Intel as a contract recruiter. I’ve had a bunch of jobs at Intel since 99 but all of them in the Staffing organization. Everything from Recruiter and Staffing Consultant to Business Analyst and Vendor Manager. Today, I’m Global Channels Manager and I also oversee the Global Employee Referral Program.

Six Degrees: How did you get started in the staffing industry?

Keith: I kinda stumbled into recruiting. After I finished grad school with a Masters in Industrial Relations I had a tough time finding an HR job. My first job (after temping for a few months at Sears in Eugene…is there anything more depressing than taking that freshly minted Masters degree and making about $7/hour putting together store displays?) was working for a small Software Company in Portland. We didn’t do much recruiting, but I did a little bit of everything else from training new clients, telephone support and payroll taxes. After a while there, we got transferred to Washington State and that’s when I got the job with Volt. Initially, I worked in their South Seattle IT branch, then the onsite recruiter for Weyerhaeuser. The program manager and I shared an office next to the photo lab in what could likely be considered the basement. After about a year, we were transferred back to Oregon and I moved to the Portland IT branch. I did a short stint at another agency in Beaverton, and in Dec 1999 was hired as a Contract recruiter at Intel. It’s been a while since I was actually working as a recruiter. As I mentioned for the past 6-7 years I’ve been outside the more operational parts of Recruiting, supporting those who do the recruiting with implementations and improvements to tools and business processes.

Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career?

Keith: Because I fell into recruiting part by accident and part by necessity when we moved, I’d say the most impactful event was being hired by Volt back in 1997. In fact, I still keep in regular contact with the manager who hired me in the Seattle office.

Six Degrees: Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after?

Keith: I have had a number of people whose vision and outlook on recruiting have shaped how I think. Fortunately, I still work with a number of them at Intel on a regular basis. There are also other recruiters that I’ve worked with over the years whose opinion I still value and I connect with them whenever I need advice.

Six Degrees: Tell us about your role as Channels Manager and ERP manager for Intel

Keith: I work with our channels vendors (job boards and social media outlets) and oversee a couple of teams comprised of regional owners in those areas. I work very closely with Allen Stephens and his team who own Employer Marketing and Branding. We recently created a dashboard for Intel to measure the performance of our channels, this has been instrumental in helping decide where to invest and disinvest in channels and it also helps Staffing build credibility with hiring manager as we build out sourcing plans using this data. We’re still looking at adding new functionality to the dashboard including some level of predictive intelligence. That’s still in the works.

I’m also heading up the effort to re-ignite our ERP program and looking at new ways to improve it. Finally, I’m driving an effort and coordinating with a number of stakeholders and partners in Staffing, Communications and IT to build out our Mobile recruiting roadmap.

Six Degrees: What other companies’ recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples?

Keith: In our channels and marketing and branding space we pay attention to companies like Deloitte, AT&T, Sodexho, PepsiCo and Microsoft, but we’re not limited to just a few companies. We try to pay attention to ANYONE who is doing anything interested and innovative in the recruitment space.

Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why?

Keith: Two things, and no great insight here, but Social Media and Small Form Factor devices will have a big impact on how we all do our jobs.

Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry:

Keith: Recently we stepped with our efforts to talk about what Intel is doing in the recruitment space. Personally, I’ve been on a panel at HCI last year and just recently Allen Stephens, Tiffany Peery and I spoke at ERE in San Diego. Other members of our team have spoke about Social Media and recruitment.

MEET OUR NEWEST GUEST WRITER Hint: He metaphorically drinks Tiger blood and in truly is always **”WINNING!”** and does it all while being sane!

• Doug Munro, Staffing Director at Interferometrics
• LinkedIn Profile
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Corporate Website
• Office (703) 227-8415
• Cell: (202) 957-4620
• Email Doug
• Music: Depeche Mode, Sade, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Coldplay
• Books: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, Shutter Island, Black Hawk Down, The Road, The Da Vinci Code
• Movies: The King’s Speech, Do the Right Thing, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather, Good Will Hunting
• Television: The Wire, Fringe, Cougar Town, American Idol, and Modern Family

As part 2 of a 2 part series on Doug Munro, we asked and he delivered on sharing his best practices as the staffing director operating one of DC’s best known Intelligence Staffing Experts. He is our resident “Spook Superstar” and I am delighted to announce he will be a guest writer on “Six Degrees from Dave“.

Over the last three years one familiar and often visited friend has been Doug Munro. Though we haven’t met in person as of yet – social media has provided a varied platform for our ideas to be shared, and more likely than not … our own strong political views. Suffice to say our views on the day’s events are rarely in agreement but a touch of enjoyable spice to the day’s dialogue. Our chats make the mornings lively. Passion for love of country is a wonderful thing, and coincidentally – it’s his day job. Doug specializes in the DoD and Intelligence Community niche of staffing. In all our exchanges, he is the willing sounding board and he does so with wit, charm and above all, grace. It is a pleasure to give that written word another venue and to concentrate on Doug the personality, Doug the professional and as a friend to community. I am confident we will be hearing more from him in the months ahead and jump in together in the driving process.

Six Degrees: How many applicants at your present employer do you estimate are hired from your corporate website as compared to how many are hired through referrals?

Doug:I’d say we are at roughly 10% employee referrals, 40% direct sourcing, 30% external job postings (job boards and niche sites), and 20% through our website. Among my goals are to increase the figures for employee referrals by engaging our folks and keeping them abreast of what we need and increase traffic to our site to bolster that figure.

Six Degrees: What is the source of the “Most Hires” collected from at your present employer? (In terms of Quantity #)

Doug:Direct sourcing accounts for the highest figure. Because of the very limited pool of qualified candidates with the requisite security clearances there is a constant need to ferret out talent.

Six Degrees: What is the source of your “LOWEST COST OF HIRES” – (least amount of invested resources for the easiest hires, regardless of quality) at your present employer?

Doug: I would say external job postings. I’m able to cross-reference postings on a multitude of sites to generate a steady flow with a minimal investment of resources. Integrating that with targeted efforts to drive traffic to our site builds a robust model; it creates a schema that works for me even when I’m not working, which is the essence of efficiency.

Six Degrees: What talent niche groups do you target and are these particular talent areas specialized under your review?

Doug:Currently the most significant group is Intelligence Analysts with very agency-specific backgrounds, but I also target highly-cleared Information Technology specialists in a broad range of disciplines: Software Engineering, Database Development and Administration, Systems and Network Engineering, and Systems Administration. One of the great things about working in such a clearance-centric recruiting environment is that I have had to recruit against a wide variety of positions, in and out of IT. I’m fortunate to be able to evaluate candidates with diverse skill sets.

Six Degrees: What types of training in sourcing/recruitment are available to you and have you taken advantage of?

Doug:In the last couple of positions training took a back seat to adding additional job boards and human resources, so I wasn’t able to do much in the way of formal training. Interferometrics, however, has an excellent benefits program in that regard so I’m currently evaluating a variety of courses, seminars, and certifications. I can’t wait to get started!

Six Degrees: What recruitment software tools do you use in your day to day recruitment activities & do they translate effectively within all of the different countries where you recruit?

Doug:There weren’t any tools in place when I arrived at Interferometrics. The first step has been to establish a proper foundation for recruiting: adding functionality to the website, fully utilizing the available targeted job boards, and beginning to forge a translatable company culture. Once that foundation is more fully realized we’ll start adding more tools to the mix. We recruit only within the United States, so translating our approach into different markets isn’t a factor.

Six Degrees: What tools (technology or old school file folder, for example) did you first encounter early in your recruitment career?

Doug:Contrary to those who know me who believe I was alive during the Lincoln administration, things weren’t significantly different when I started recruiting. Information was stored to a higher degree in hard copy form, which I don’t miss at all. One thing I do remember fondly is hand written thank you notes being utilized far more often. Something about someone taking the time to put pen to paper and mail a note still resonates with me.

Six Degrees: How did your expectations of being a recruiter compare to the actual, first time you got on the phone or in the cubicle? In your opinion, how do people’s assumptions about our vocation differ from reality?

Doug:I think I generally believed it was a pretty easy job: get on the phone, talk to people, give them jobs. I knew it was a little more complicated than that of course, but it was a shock to the system to learn how much went into effective recruiting: the sourcing, the learning curve on position requirements, candidate management, client management, compensation negotiation. I was amazed at how many elements there were and how much information I had to absorb.

Six Degrees: Worst mistake, biggest goof, lousiest practice you thought would fly but didn’t — and how that was a learning experience?

Doug:There have probably been hundreds of them, but I recall becoming acquainted with a very successful recruiter who was incredibly aggressive in his dealings with candidates. He would literally bully them into making choices that favored his clients. It clearly was working for him somehow, so I tried to incorporate some of that pushing into what I was doing…and it was a complete crash and burn. It didn’t suit my mentality and I was obviously projecting something insincere when I did it. I learned the importance of finding your own voice and staying true to it. Each of us has unique qualities that we bring to the job; while it’s important to always look for ways to improve it is imperative to stay true to who you are.

Six Degrees: How do you personally expect to facilitate change within our industry, and/or at your place of work? If you started that process, outline the problem, your solutions, and the vision.

Doug:In my current role I am focusing on employee engagement and company branding. The Federal marketplace is insanely competitive and as a Small Business we have to be able to differentiate ourselves in a positive way to attract and retain the best talent. It’s also very easy for our onsite personnel to identify more with their COTR’s and corporate partners than their own company. I’ve made it a point to involve our people in discussions on how we can develop an even more effective benefits package, shared with them insight into what the company is doing in a broader sense, and solicited their input as to how they envision the company developing. As I’ve recruited, I’ve gathered feedback from candidates on their impressions of the company and how various components resonate with them. Though we’re a 30 year old company, there is an opportunity to significantly impact its culture. My theme to both existing staff and those I’m recruiting is that we can actively create the kind of company we want to work for.

Six Degrees: “Best practice” you are most proud of developing (now or in the past) in your recruiting career?

Doug :I don’t believe I’ve reinvented the wheel on anything. I’ve tried to incorporate the best of what I’ve learned through experience and exposure to other recruiters’ practices into my methodologies. If there’s one thing I’ve found important it’s to try to incorporate something personal into every encounter. It’s important to relay technical detail in a conversation, but I look for a way to interject a personal experience into the communication. I think that it’s vital to connect in a personal fashion; we’re not selling cars, we’re selling what is a huge part of a person’s life and I think candidates are better able to connect to it if they can see their recruiter in human terms.

Six Degrees: What are some of the frustrating aspects/obstacles to your day to day as a staffing professional and in general?

Doug:That could be a very long list: finding the right people with the right skills to meet our technical requirements, working with our partners and the government to get those people through the system, managing the expectations of all parties in the process, getting all those disparate parties to respond in a timely and complete fashion…the list goes on, but if it was easy where would the fun be?

Six Degrees: What are the most common themes of strategic and/or tactical mishaps involving past or present HR/Staffing org?

Doug:I think in the best circumstances Recruiting and Human Resources work in parallel. As recruiters we’re trying to identify top performers and sell them on a position; HR serves to both protect the employee’s interests and make sure all of us are abiding by pertinent law and guidelines. I’ve seen instances where HR can lose sight of that imperative and not serve as effectively as an employee advocate but rather become more of an employer watchdog. We all represent the company, but the employees have to believe that they have someone internally looking out for their best interests above all else.

Six Degrees: Considering all of the frustrations you have experienced in your career as a recruiter, — what inspires you as you continue in your career?

Doug:It’s the people, Dave. Every day I get to meet dozens of people in person, on the phone, through the Internet…and all of those interactions have an impact on me. I learn something every day and what’s better than that? I’m also fortunate in that much of my work ends up, by extension, supporting mission-critical efforts that impact National Security. There’s definitely a satisfaction to that.

Six Degrees: What one thing do you ideally hope to accomplish in 2011?

Doug:Aside from my immediate goal of helping grow Interferometrics, I’d like to become more engaged with the recruiting community at large. I’ve made strides in that area, but I’d like 2011 to a breakout year!

Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug?

Doug:I’d definitely like people to check out www.interf.com. We’re a very cool company and we have an extraordinary history; we’ve engineered some amazing scientific breakthroughs and have a long list of notable accomplishments. On a side note I’d like to plug a movie directed by an old friend of mine named Andrew Shortell. It’s a horror movie called Psych 9 and it’s being released here and in the UK. If you like the genre you’ll love it…you can learn more at www.psych9.com.

Six Degrees: How Are You Going To Change The Recruitment Industry?

Doug:I’m just going to keep pushing forward and trying to soak up all the amazing innovations and new insights that the industry is generating. I’ll apply my perspective and personalize everything I gather, but ultimately the journey is what excites me. It’s an enormous, collaborative community and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

• Doug Munro, Staffing Director at Interferometrics
• LinkedIn Profile
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Corporate Website
• Office (703) 227-8415
• Cell: (202) 957-4620
• Email Doug
• Music: Depeche Mode, Sade, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Coldplay
• Books: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, Shutter Island, Black Hawk Down, The Road, The Da Vinci Code
• Movies: The King’s Speech, Do the Right Thing, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather, Good Will Hunting
• Television: The Wire, Fringe, Cougar Town, American Idol, and Modern Family

Over the last three years one familiar and often visited friend has been Doug Munro. Though we haven’t met in person as of yet – social media has provided a varied platform for our ideas to be shared, and more likely than not … our own strong political views. Suffice to say our views on the day’s events are rarely in agreement but a touch of enjoyable spice to the day’s dialogue. Our chats make the mornings lively. Passion for love of country is a wonderful thing, and coincidentally – it’s his day job. Doug specializes in the DoD and Intelligence Community niche of staffing. In all our exchanges, he is the willing sounding board and he does so with wit, charm and above all, grace. It is a pleasure to give that written word another venue and to concentrate on Doug the personality, Doug the professional and as a friend to community. I am confident we will be hearing more from him in the months ahead and jump in together in the driving process.

Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world, Doug

Doug: I’m blessed with an amazing family. I’d been married once, but eventually divorced and as time went on I started making peace with the idea that it might not happen again. I had a full, happy life but wasn’t getting the “thunderbolt” from anyone I was meeting. I met my wife through a friend and she was a bit intimidating; she was so gorgeous I found it hard to form sentences around her, but I finally summoned the nerve and asked her out. She said yes and we’ve been together ever since. Beyond her obvious beauty, Michelle has a passion for life that colors every part of the world we’ve built together. I tend to be fairly laid-back and her emotional fire and unwillingness to accept stagnation in life are great counterpoints to that; she helps me to keep looking ahead and demanding more out of life. My love for her is unlike anything I have ever experienced.

We have a seven year old son and he is a piece of work: loving, charming, bombastic, and of course happily destructive! It seems like I blinked my eyes twice and William turned seven. He makes me wish I could wrestle time into slowing down, but watching him grow and develop into an amazing little man is an incredible journey. He reminds me every day how important it is to hold onto our curiosity and sense of amazement about life.

We also have my wife’s eighteen year old daughter living with us. She came to us three and a half years ago after living with her father for a good part of her life. It was definitely an adjustment to have a teenager suddenly appear in the house, but Natalie is an extraordinary young woman and I am fortunate to have had the experience of developing a unique bond with her. I could not love her more if I had been there when she was born. She’s off to college in the fall and I know I’m going to miss her terribly.

We’ve also got an adopted cat named Hannah and a poodle named Heidi. We’re fortunate to have a wonderful network of friends and we love to have a full house, so there’s always plenty of noise and laughter in our home and I love it!

Six Degrees: What do you do outside of the industry to enjoy some R&R?

Doug: To be honest, I’ve lost touch with some hobbies in the rush of family life. With a full load of work and responsibilities I find the most rewarding pastime to be time spent together. We love to explore and are fortunate to live in a place that is close to some truly fascinating and beautiful locations, so we take day all the time. We travel well as a family, so whether it’s a short trip or an extended vacation we have a blast. I have personal interests in politics and history; living in DC is amazing in terms of all the history and museums available to us. He probably enjoys it more for the treats he ends up getting, but William and I love exploring the museums around town. When babysitting arrangements permit, Michelle and I love sampling the wide variety of exceptional restaurants in DC and some drinking and dancing around town with friends (Michelle dances and I drink, a perfect pair). I love movies and see as many as I can; in fact, Michelle and I’s longest standing date is watching the Academy Awards every year.

Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry?

Doug: I started in 2001, so I have a big anniversary coming up this year. I’ve learned so much and seen so many changes that it feels like it’s been much longer!

Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter?

Doug: I’ve done a lot of things to make a living over the years. I’ve been a Bartender, a Bar Manager, a Mortgage Broker; I’ve even done voice-over work. I was looking for a change back in 2000/2001 and realized that living in Washington, DC it might make sense to get into something related to politics. I did some work in the national fundraising office of a Senate campaign, but wanted more. I connected with a gentleman named John Miyasato, who is a very successful political consultant here. We talked about the political arena for a while, but he brought the conversation back to a technical recruiting firm he owned and eventually offered me a job. I knew NOTHING about recruiting or Information Technology, so it was quite an immersion. Most of our clients were in the DoD and Intelligence Community, which added another interesting element. It was a great fit from the start: the connection to people, the fluid nature of IT, and the excitement of supporting mission-critical efforts. I was fortunate to find my way into that job and the subsequent corporate recruiting positions I’ve had; the beauty of the whole experience has been that I have learned a great deal from some very savvy people, but have also been thrown into the deep end of the pool along the way and had to figure out a lot for myself. That combined education is invaluable.

At Crossroads I began as a recruiter, but the role was more like what we’d refer to now as a Sourcer, though it wasn’t as sophisticated as that. I had a knack for making strong personal connections with candidates, so I quickly progressed into full lifecycle recruiting and then into account development and management. Selling prospective clients on our value-add was challenging at times, but helped thicken my skin and has helped me in subsequent roles, even where business development wasn’t a direct component of my work. I was getting my first lessons in Information Technology at the time, so the combined necessity of building a knowledge base in IT and learning to recruit successfully was challenging in the best way imaginable. The other layer was that most of our clients were in the DoD and Intelligence Community space, so I had to learn the intricacies of clearances and recruiting in classified environments. We would tackle any challenge, so the Crossroads years allowed me to recruit for the full range of IT disciplines and up to the highest levels of clearance.

From there I moved to be Manager of Recruiting at Integrated Communications Solutions, a Federal Systems Integrator specializing in Network Engineering, Information Security, and Information Assurance. It was a wonderful exposure to the corporate side of the fence. As an agency recruiter one of the challenges was to get as much information as possible from the client; beyond that, I would often chafe at a client’s inability to make the offer I wanted for my candidate. Once I got to ICS the walls came down and I was able to see everything. I participated in proposals, learned how pricing was done, became more knowledgeable about bill rates and wrap rates and how they affected competitive bidding, gained intimate knowledge of the relationship between government COTR’s and contractors, and most importantly was able to see directly into the details of the requirements. It was also my first deep foray into Cyber Security and that proved fascinating and enlightening.

I recently joined Interferometrics as Staffing Director and it qualifies as my most unique challenge to date. I’ve been tasked with creating a recruiting model nearly from scratch, so I’ve been able to apply all of my experience in a condensed time frame. One of the intriguing elements to this position is that Interferometrics provides both services and a unique product line-we are one of only two companies in the world that produces an effective Transmitter Location System. We have a history of unique scientific and technological accomplishments to go along with the services we provide and it differentiates us from many companies in our space. Of course, I’m still sourcing IT and Analysis specialists with high-level clearances, but the tangible value of selling a product as well is exciting to me.

Six Degrees: Tell us more about work on behalf of Interferometrics, Doug.

Doug: In the past I have been in charge of recruiting teams and the chance to mentor and collaborate has been very rewarding, but at Interferometrics I am a one man show. It is a challenge to build a foundation where none existed and help craft a brand and culture that sells our unique place in the industry effectively while simultaneously doing full lifecycle recruiting to fill very specific positions with high-level clearances for our existing contracts. That, however, is also the most exciting element of the work, the chance to build something from the ground up. The company has been in business 30 years but has never had a dedicated recruiting component, so I get to build the sand castle myself.

Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your recruitment industry career?

Doug: I don’t think there was one event so much as an evolution. Job boards and the internet have been around for some time, but the last few years have seen an explosion in the ways that people connect. Social media is likely the most obvious area and I was admittedly a little late to the party and am still soaking up as much as I can. Integrating LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook into a cohesive web of connection and information exchange has changed the model dramatically. It has accelerated the pace of information sharing and changed the way candidates and recruiters interact. We’re able to paint so much more vivid a picture with these tools and I believe it’s made all of us more discerning in our professional choices, while at the same time putting so many more choices in front of us. The level of connection available to us now is unprecedented and it has become imperative to navigate that universe effectively.

Six Degrees: Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after?

Doug: There was a Vice President at Crossroads named John Capozzi whose influence still sticks with me for a few reasons. One, he was always looking for another way to get things done, constantly thinking out of the box. It’s very easy to get stuck in rote practices-they may even be successful-but it’s important to keep looking for a different path. He was also incredibly persistent. Phone calls, emails…he stayed after candidates and clients alike until there was resolution. Too often we meet with a little resistance and become frustrated; even if the outcome is negative, it allows you to move forward and hopefully learn something in the process. Our president at Crossroads, John Miyasato, was also a great tutor. He had a very analytical mind; he was able to break a situation down into its components and simplify the approach. He also taught/forced me to be self-analytical down to a fine point. Every call, every email, every blog should have a reason behind it. I find myself still sometimes writing down what I want to accomplish before making a phone call, then checking myself afterwards to see where I succeeded and where I could have done better. I have John to thank for that. From both of them I learned the importance of effective communication and how each layer builds to the next. Even as the ways and means to communicate explode the basic rules still apply; a phone call is better than an email and a personal meeting is better still. With each layer we are able to deepen the connection and minimize misunderstanding.

Beyond that, there are people like yourself Dave; you, Glenn Cathey, Stacy Donovan Zapar, Marvin Smith, Gerry Crispin, people who are constantly pushing the envelope on how to source talent and create a brand and culture that evolves with the technologies that are emerging. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet any of these folks in person, but their influence is significant. Their constant quest for improvement and growth, coupled with their willingness to share their knowledge, is both inspiring and instructive to me.

Six Degrees: What other companies’ recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples?

Doug: I have a lot of respect for Sodexho, Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft to name a few.

Six Degrees: In what aspects are they superior?

Doug: I believe the common threads are innovation and engagement. They are constantly tweaking their model and trying new ways to attract and retain talent. The engagement aspect starts in their recruiting approach; they’re transparent with information and maintain steady contact throughout the process. It extends to the structure of their corporate environment; they’re inclusive, receptive to new ideas, and allow the employees to have a tangible stake in creating the company they want to work for-I think that attitude bleeds into everything they do.

Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future?

Doug: Given the arena I work in, the Federal budget is a big concern. Drawdowns in the DoD and Intel budgets will impact all of us in this space. Work is being eliminated, bill rates are being squeezed, government agencies are crossing contractors over to Fed positions, and one of our challenges is going to be guiding candidates through that evolution. Changing jobs isn’t going to mean an automatic pay increase any longer, so how do we explain the situation and how do we differentiate ourselves from our competition in the pursuit of talent? There will always be work in these arenas, but we are going to have to be aggressive and creative in the way we market ourselves and the ways in which we engage and reward our employees.

Six Degrees: Have you broadened your involvement within the staffing industry?

Doug: I have not had nearly the opportunity I would like to attend conferences and share information with others in the staffing industry. Typically I have attended job fairs targeting the talent pool I’ve been sourcing, specifically cleared candidates. I also attend industry-related events like AFCEA and DHS-sponsored events in DC. One of my goals is to get more personally involved in the larger staffing community, but I haven’t become a media mogul just yet!

Six Degrees: How did the recession effect your particular industry niche?

Doug: As an industry I would say the primary effect has been the increased pressure on the DoD and Intelligence Community to pare down their budgets and transition their contractor workforce to a Federal one. As bill rates get squeezed in such a competitive marketplace it becomes even tougher to vie for talent. We’re still asked to provide candidates with exceptional experience, high-level education, industry certifications, agency-specific backgrounds, and the highest levels of security clearance civilians can obtain. Yet in order to aggressively bid for work, even work where we might be the incumbent, we have to slash our rates and that often makes it difficult to pay the salaries to which candidates have become accustomed. It’s an ongoing challenge to create a broader compensation package and attractive culture to make our company stand out from the crowd.

I was personally affected by the recession. I was laid off from my last position. They were very gracious about it; I had done work I’m proud of and helped them grow and add some superb talents to the team and they treated me well. However, some leaner times in the beginning of my tenure there left a mark and the ongoing struggle to grow in the ultra-competitive Federal market forced them to change lines of credit. The new line left them temporarily cash-poor and quick action had to be taken. Since there were other recruitment resources in place, I became a luxury in the moment and was among a group of people let go. I don’t believe they saw it coming and I certainly didn’t; I bear no ill will, but it was definitely a shock to the system. I reached out to everyone I knew and was thankfully inundated with both well wishes and concrete leads and connections. My unemployment was blessedly brief. On the other hand, it was a chance to put on jobseeker shoes again and be at the other end of the recruiting conversations. I spoke with some extraordinary people, but also some that have a long way to go to be a service to the industry. It was very instructive, but more than that I touched on the emotions that so many are feeling these days. It is, no matter what the circumstances, a personal blow to lose your job and the fears and questions it engenders are difficult to manage. If anything I hope the experience added to my empathy for everyone touched by this economic downturn.

Six Degrees: Aside from simply the generic term “Networking” what specific efforts have you made on your own behalf, or on behalf of colleagues to broaden your opportunities.

Doug:I have been working to broaden my base in the online community through LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. I’ve grown my LinkedIn base exponentially over the past two years and reached beyond areas specific to my work. I began tweeting last fall and have started getting increased traction there; its immediacy is very attractive and has forced me to seek out relevant content, which has the ancillary benefit of exposing me to a wealth of pertinent information. I had historically used Facebook purely as a personal forum, but now I’m integrating them all. Beyond the numerical aspect of increased connections, one of the great benefits to that unified exposure is that it gives prospective employers and candidates the chance to see beyond my job title and function and view me as a complete human being. There are risks of course; I try to be very aware of what I’m sharing, but I want to be a part of the human experience, not just a job peddler. I share connections with anyone to whom they might be a benefit, I put candidates together with other employers if I think they might be a fit for them, and I counsel candidates who don’t fit our requirements on how they might improve their job search. I think it’s important to do these things for their own sake, but I believe they pay off in tangible ways as well. My current position was facilitated by Debbie Peda of The Josef Group; she was in the process of establishing a fee agreement with my current company but knowing I was looking she pre-sold me to the CEO as an in-house alternative. Relationships like that are priceless.

Six Degrees: Given your own Trial and Error experiences as a Networker, what advice do you have for your peers on what not to do?

Doug: Don’t try to be something you’re not. It sounds so simple, but I think we can all get caught up in trying to measure up to something we believe is important. Put yourself out there honestly. Use your own voice and be sincere and direct about what you’re hoping to gain from the connection. Okay, I guess I strayed from the “don’ts”, but it all relates. Don’t pretend to be an expert, don’t promise something you can’t produce, and don’t ever minimize any connection-every encounter adds to who you are and what you can accomplish.

Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there?

Doug: In the immediate I want to help Interferometrics grow, establish a foundation that can outlive my tenure here, and contribute to a culture that everyone in the company can be proud of. Beyond that, I’d eventually like to work with one of the large corporations that are doing such amazing work as it relates to attracting talent (ideally in San Diego!). I have only worked in relatively small companies. That experience is extremely rewarding and offers an unparalleled sense of satisfaction when you can contribute to growth, but I would like to be involved with a larger corporate being at some point as well. I’d like to experience the difference in scope, see what I could do with additional resources to leverage and a big name flag to wave, and soak up the lessons as to how a large corporate entity is able forge their identity and engage their employees.

“Doug and I have collaborated over the past year or so on business matters that are beneficial to both of us. Doug is a person who maintains the highest level of integrity and is a trusted business partner. Doug is well connected, thoughtful, honest and resourceful. He comes with my highest level of endorsement. .”
Lee Wanless, Internal Recruiter, Applied Network Solutions, Inc.

“Doug was a terrific manager and mentor. He came to ICS when I was still figuring out what a recruiter was and he really led the way for me. He taught me a lot of tips and tricks to help me successful and was always a great motivation.”
Chrissa Dockendorf, Talent Acquisition Supervisor, Integrated Communication Solutions, Inc.

“During the two-year period I worked with Doug he demonstrated excellent capabilities as a corporate recruiter. For example, in many instances Doug was able to recruit a large number of highly qualified technical staff within a very few days when contracts were awarded with a short ramp-up period. He also consistently demonstrated a capability to recruit excellent project managers and other key personnel resulting in a high degree of customer satisfaction. Doug is a team player and he is well liked and respected by both employees and management.”
Wayne Bavry, Director, National Security and Financial Services, Integrated Communication Solutions

“Doug is the consummate professional. As a recruiter, he has come through for me more times than I care to count.”
Edwin Covert, CISSP, CISM, PMP, Senior Program Manager, Integrated Communication Solutions

“I worked with Doug when we were involved in a proposal in which I would be the requirements analyst. He was responsible for finding the staff required for the proposed tasks. There are three attributes for which I can vouch in his behalf:
(1) Attention to details: he made sure that all proposed staff met all requirements.
(2) He managed all changes that evolved as the proposal effort progressed.
(3) Most important from a personal point of view, in an activity involving bringing in new personnel, he strives to make potential recruits feel welcome.

In my extensive job hunting experience, Doug is by far the best recruiter I’ve come across.”
Alfonso Dominguez, Requirements Analyst, TCDI

“Doug is an experienced technical recruiter who has worked both the Agency and in-house side of the fence. A quick study and persistent recruiter, Doug is able to adapt to any environment and can work effectively with candidates and clients. He also was a great networker with other recruiters and agencies. Doug will fill the positions that need to be filled, and make all parties happy about the process.”
John Capozzi, Vice President, Crossroads Consulting

“Doug is a dedicated, aggressive, and friendly recruiter. We worked together to grow a company from 15 to 60 people in less than two years. As an outside consultant, Doug took the time to learn our company and provide top prospects that really fit our job requirements and culture. Not only is Doug a great recruiter, but he is a good friend and I would definitely work with him again.”
Larissa Fair, Platinum Solutions

“I have known Doug for several years now. We had the opportunity to work together when he was a recruiter for a staffing agency and he provided us with quality candidates. We have since worked with him helping to staff his positions at ICS. He has always been professional and just a pleasure to work with. I consider him a friend. He has great interpersonal skills and is extremely knowledgeable about recruiting.”
Debbie Peda, President, The Josef Group Inc.

• Linkedin
• Facebook
• Twitter: @constantsearch
• Website: TheConstantSearch
• Blog: Staffing for Women
• Office: 651-342-1620
• Email:

Our audience was intrigued – the topic of women in staffing is one rarly addressed specifically, and one with its own challenges and opportunities.

Today we follow-up with the second half of our interview with our friend, Marni Sampir.

Marni: As part of our staffing division at StaffingForWomen.com, we realized that there is more we can do than provide a service to our clients. We feel our mission is better served supporting our candidates and staff. As a female business owner and mother, I have many challenges to overcome every day. But the biggest challenge I have is getting out of my own way. As I go through my journey I come to realize that I need to share what I have learned and support others. You read about amazing companies like, Deloitte, Kraft, General Mills, just to name a few. These companies have won honors as being top companies for women to work for. That’s great, but what if you don’t work for them? The “Glass Ceiling” is a great concept, but it is broken. It has brought to light the problems women have faced in the workplace, and we are grateful. My question is, “does it fix the problem”? The answer is “no it does not”. We as individuals have to learn how to get out of our own way. We as women have to learn how we were designed, how we think, how we feel and how to manage ourselves. StaffingForWomen’s vision is to provide information on challenges we face as women. We are constantly searching for tools and technology to support our candidate’s personal and career goals. This is a “work in progress” and we look forward to this journey.

Six Degrees: What will this do for your clients?

Marni: We are looking to build a “best in class” Talent Management Process. Through Training, Career Planning, Onboarding and Performance Management our candidates will become the top talent your organization needs to succeed. Historically, Contract or Temporary Staff has had the stigma of being “C” players. We would like to do our part to change that. Our clients will be expected to do their part in supporting the processes we have established. If you choose to “drop the ball” on your end, our partnership will end. This is a team effort, and we take that very seriously. For our clients we also provide a strict “Job Sharing” management process. This will enable you to support a workforce that need to be more flexible or work less than a 40 hour week.

For everyone to benefit from StaffingForWomen.com, communication is the key ingredient. So please feel free to add your thoughts, ideas and what you would like to see us provide. Whether you are a candidate or a client it is important to “Speak Up”. Because we all need a woman’s intuition.

Six Degrees: How many applicants at your present employer do you estimate are hired from your corporate website as compared to how many are hired through referrals?

Marni:

• 75% of our hires are the result of sourcing through LinkedIn.
• 15% are the result of an ad we placed on LinkedIn.
• 10% are the result of me sourcing on the web and Jigsaw
• 5% are referals

Six Degrees: What is the source of the “Most Hires” collected from at your present employer? (In terms of Quantity #)

Marni: LinkedIn by far

Six Degrees: What is the source of your “LOWEST COST OF HIRES” – (least amount of invested resources for the easiest hires, regardless of quality) at your present employer?

Marni: Jigsaw

Six Degrees: What talent niche groups do you target and are these particular talent areas specialized under your review?

Marni: NEW Network of Executive Women is a group I am interested in. There are many women organizations out there, but very few that are corporate based. Given the fact that I own a small business, I do not have the support of a corporate setting. Other strong groups like NAWBO and WBENC are geared towards small business owners. I enjoy being a part of an organization that discusses the challenges women face in a large corporate environment

Six Degrees: What types of training in sourcing/recruitment are available to you and have you taken advantage of?

Marni: Anything that has to do with Social Media! When I first started recruiting, I took any class I could on hiring, interviewing, job boards and recruiting. Now, I read Mashable everyday-my favorite blog.

Six Degrees: What recruitment software tools do you use in your day to day recruitment activities & do they translate effectively within all of the different countries where you recruit?

Marni: Outlook, Sendouts for our ATS. I still an “Constantly Searching” (shameless plug) for the perfect solution. Sadly, the older I get, the more confusing technology seems to become. When did I start becoming my parents?

Six Degrees: What tools (technology or old school file folder, for example) did you first encounter early in your recruitment career?

Marni: I did two things right away. Every new search was given a job number starting with the year. So if was the 30th job we received that year it would be 2007030. This way if we happen to be working on multiple HR Manger roles at the same time, we could distinguish them. Also, any cost associated would have this number referenced for ROI costs. The other thing we did was every search had a file folder with 5 dividers in them. EVERYTHING went in there, resumes, notes, job descriptions. Before we had an ATS system it was a great way to keep things organized. I just pulled out a few old folders the other day and contacted a few candidates. It was nice flipping through paper again instead of staring at my computer!

Six Degrees: How did your expectations of being a recruiter compare to the actual, first time you got on the phone or in the cubicle? In your opinion, how do people’s assumptions about our vocation differ from reality?

Marni: It’s not about recruiting, it’s all about sales. More importantly, it’s not whether or not the candidate can do the job, but will they fit in with the culture of the company? But more important than that to me is, will my client have what they are looking for. To me my candidates are more important than my clients. Companies will recover if a candidate leaves or doesn’t work out. But to this individual it can have a major impact on their lives if things do not work out.

Six Degrees: Worst mistake, biggest goof, lousiest practice you thought would fly but didn’t — and how that was a learning experience?

Marni: YOUTUBE! I tried advertising my jobs on Youtube, I sound like I a 12 when my voice is recorded. It can have its advantages when telemarketers call my house and Ask for my parents. They are always “not home”, ends the phone call quickly.

Six Degrees: How do you personally expect to facilitate change within our industry, and/or at your place of work? If you started that process, outline the problem, your solutions, and the vision.

Marni: I would like to utilize the tools that companies use in managing and growing their talent. Implement this process in my temporary staffing business to help our contract staff learn and grow, to be more affective at their jobs.

Six Degrees: “Best practice” you are most proud of developing (now or in the past) in your recruiting career?

Marni: Onboarding. Most of my clients are smaller, mid-size businesses. I feel that most candidates don’t move from their current positions because of fear. The fear of the unknown is a big factor in candidates turning down offers. Developing an Onboarding process can help a candidate feel a part of the organization before they even start. This will also force my clients to think about the candidate and their first 30-60-90 days on the job.

Six Degrees: What are some of the frustrating aspects/obstacles to your day to day as a staffing professional and in general?

Marni: I have a hard time with the fact I can’t always help everyone that is referred to me. Many times and friend or candidate will refer someone to me. I take that very seriously, this person thought enough of me to suggest that I can help. I am often on the phone all day, so one more phone call can be hard to fit in. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but I am not a career counselor or an outplacement service. Many times people think that because I am a recruiter I can help people that are unemployed find a job. I wish I could, and I do whenever I can. There have been occasions in the past where I have taken the time to show people how to use LinkedIn and find open positions. Only to get stabbed in the back when I don’t continue to spend time searching for jobs for them or finding out names of hiring managers for them. Makes me wish I trained horses again, people can be annoying some times.

Six Degrees: What are the most common themes of strategic and/or tactical mishaps involving past or present HR/Staffing org?

Marni: Even if you have all the latest technology set in place to automate your recruiting and hiring, there is still a person on the other end of it. That will never change.

Six Degrees: Considering all of the frustrations you have experienced in your career as a recruiter, — what inspires you as you continue in your career?

Marni: I am not a doctor, or a scientist creating the next wonder drug, but I change people’s lives. I will share this story with you. I placed a candidate for a VP of Operations role this summer. He said this to me and it sums up why I do this. He said, “My wife and I have dreamed of moving back home and finally settling down out west to be by our families. My job is very demanding; I don’t have time to think about my family’s future. One day I am sitting at my desk working away and I get an email from some annoying recruiter. I get emails from recruiters every day. But this time I stopped and read her email a few times. She said “how would you like to move back out west”? I thought, “How did she know I wanted to move back out west”? What he didn’t know is that on his LinkedIn profile I read where he had grown up and where he went to college. So I thought, maybe he wants to move back there. On with this story… He goes on to say that 3 months later they are living their dream in the mountains, all because of some crazy recruiter and an email. This is why I love my job, I change people’s lives.

Six Degrees: What one thing do you ideally hope to accomplish in 2010?

Marni: Starting my staffing business, The Constant Staff, Inc. with my other piece to that- Staffing for Women When you need a woman’s intuition…

Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug?

Marni: Not really, having you put my name up in lights will be overwhelming enough

Six Degrees: How Are You Going To Change The Recruitment Industry?

Marni: One person at a time

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says “Oh Crap, She’s up!”

* Part 1 of 2 Part Series

• Marni Sampair, CEO
• The Constant Search/Staffing for Women
• Stillwater, Minnesota
• Linkedin
• Facebook
• Twitter: @constantsearch
• Website: The Constant Search
• Blog: Staffing for Women.com
• Office: 651-342-1620
• Email

I first met Marni a few years back, I think in 2007 in fact – on a recruitment online group in an exchange of posts and I found her pleasantly strident in defense of staffing ethics and I was instantly charmed. I likewise had the pleasure of meeting her in person at an ERE Pre-Conference workshop I contributed to with the maestro himself, Shally Steckerl. She has been an alumni to the Six Degrees Top ten listings of yesteryear and someone that always brings a smile to my face when I get an email out of the blue. Yes Marni is actually one of those recruiters who actually keeps in touch and that is one of many of her finer qualities. I have been hoping to feature her for sometime and its because she is something special that that the community at large should be familiar with.

Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world, Marni

Marni: This summer I enjoyed my 40th birthday, sailed through the month of July with no “mid-life” crisis. No deep “how did I get here” discussions with myself. Well not until I received an email from Dave Mendoza requesting an interview. I thought to myself at first, “he must be desperate”, why would he want to interview me? But then I was extremely flattered, the famous Dave Mendoza (no folks I didn’t pay her! – editor) wants to interview me. Reviewing the interview questions my mind starts racing, who am I, what are my career goals, what do I want to accomplish? Well now here comes my “mid-life crisis

I’m married to my handsome husband Tom Sampair he is a National Sales manager for 3M. We have 3 boys Jack (11) plays goalie for Woodbury Squirts. Sean is (6.5) Played coach pitch baseball and flag football this year. Ryan (5) mostly just plays tricks on us. Then we have 2 dogs a one year old Black Lab named Rowdy and a 6 year old Boston terrier named Nemo

Six Degrees: I understand you gallop?

Marni: From my earliest memory as a child he only thing I ever wanted was a horse. I never walked to school, I galloped. I never played with dolls, I had Breyer Horses. When I tell you that I lived, eat and breathed horses it is not an understatement. We did not live on a farm, nor did I have any family that had them. My parents divorced when I was 10 and my mother did not have an extra penny. We moved around a lot, staying with friends or relatives. Lucky for me I stayed with my Grandmother one summer when I was 13. I worked all week long doing chores she assigned me to earn enough money to go on a 2 hour trail ride on Saturday’s. That turned into me working at the stable Saturday’s, which turned into me working every day after school, etc. I earned enough money to buy my first horse and continued working to pay for her boarding and whatever else she needed. My dream was now a reality, and I started training horses, teaching riding lessons and showing horses. I turned my hobby into a career, working full time and earning a good living with horses. Then one day I realized horses have become my job, and I quit.

Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry?

Marni: 15 years

Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter?

Marni: When I was in having monster number 3, my husband had to take our middle son Sean to the doctor. He had been sick on and off over the last year with little things. But this time we can home from the doctor with information on what they thought he had and all the testing that we need to go through. The word still scares me to this day; Chemotherapy- my baby is going to have to go through six months of CHEMOTHERAPY. Instantly your world changes without warning. I had to quit my job and be home. Sean would not be able to go to daycare as Chemo opens him up to get every cold, virus and bug that was floating around. A good friend of mine asked me if I ever considered being a Headhunter. Many of the headhunters she worked with are doing it on their own working out of their homes. So I incorporated The Constant Search, Inc. in February 2006. Sean was finished with Chemo in June of that year, just in time to celebrate his 2nd birthday. That is almost 5 years ago already, where does the time go?

Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career?

Marni: I attended ERE Spring 2007. The one seminar I signed up for was given by Shally Steckerl and Dave Mendoza. I could have gone home then, I learned everything I needed to know after that.

Six Degrees: I find we never stop learning! LOL. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after?

Marni: Dave Mendoza of course! I only wish I had his technical abilities.

Six Degrees: Tell us about your current role

Marni: I own a recruiting firm, The Constant Search – Because the right candidate is out there…

Six Degrees: What other companies’ recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples?

Marni: Harvard, Stanford or Notre Dame. How have they sustained their status for so long as being the best? They aren’t businesses, but they have been at the top for so long. Many corporations have gone through layoffs lately and that may have tarnished their reputations. Also, when great companies get so large they can lose their personal touch. I believe their recruiting is affected by it at times.

Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why?

Marni: I believe contract/temporary staffing will be a huge growth industry. There are still so many unknowns about the future of this recession. It is not over yet, but it is defiantly getting better.

Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry:

Marni: Lately I have only attended NEW conferences. I would like to attend a HR Technology and a Social Media Conference this year. I am starting a staffing business in 2011 and will be exploring technology to help with that.

Six Degrees: Can you detail how the recession has affected your particular industry niche? Has it affected your job or that of your fellow team members within the organization – If so, to what extent? (If you have been laid off, tell us about the experience, when it happened)

Marni: I will always remember the recession and will be grateful for it. It has humbled me and grounded me. I had to look at myself and changed the way I did business and live my life. I have come out of this with a great appreciation for what this business is about. It’s about making connections and fulfilling lives.

Six Degrees: Aside from simply the generic term “Networking” what specific efforts have you made on your own behalf, or on behalf of colleagues to broaden your opportunities.

Marni: Within my own community. This last year I realized how out of touch I am within my own community. There are so many amazing people in Woodbury, MN where I live.

Shore Agency and looking to make a career move. From our first conversation, Marni was extremely involved and took the time to listen to what I was looking for, and in explaining what she could offer to help me reach my goal. Fortunately, Marni identified a terrific opportunity that offerred everything I was looking for professionally, financially and geographically and helped me through the intensive interview process. During the process, my wife was involved in a serious car accident which demanded much of my off-hours time making trips across the country for Corporate interviews and tours difficult, but Marni had a strong relationship with the firm, and she was able to deftly manage the interview process during this timeframe to everyone’s benefit. In the end, I was offerred the General Manager position I was looking for all my requests were agreed to; however, despite the great job Marni had done to date, I had not as yet discovered her true professionalism and value to me. My current employer unexpectedly offerred me a vastly improved position and compensation package that exceeded the offer I had received from the firm Marni had identified. Despite the fact that if I had chosen to turn down the offer from this firm, Marni would have lost a significant fee, Marni understood I was faced with a difficult decision that would affect my career and family for years, and she consistently offerred her support regardless of my decision. In the end, I chose to remain with my current employer, which has worked out extremely well for me, and it turns out the other firm shortly thereafter shut down its operation that I was to take over. Despite a significant financial sacrifice, Marni always looked out for my best interest and she has earned my perpetual respect and I can only offer my most sincere recommendation to anyone who is looking for a recruiter to help them with their career goals.” August 8, 2009. Top qualities: Great Results, Personable
Bob Engeman

“What separates excellence from average? While on a mission to find my next big challenge, I had numerous “contacts’ with recruiters who predictably engaged me in classic form, except one…. I had the privilege of working with Marni and ultimately landing in a role and company that is a perfect fit. What differentiates Marni and her team at The Constant Search is the depth of understanding of the client and prospect. She took the time to understand both of are wants and needs, built the relationship, and delivered the result!
Patient, Determined, Professional, and Responsive. I highly recommend Marni and the Constant Search, she is an excellent recruiter and highly valued network connection.” June 5, 2009
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable
Bill Olsson

“A wonderful business partner. An honest and trusted friend.” February 8, 2009
Jim Sampair, Owner, Sampair Financial Group

“Marni is creative in her approach to marketing to businesses as well as candidates. Her insights for candidates are right-on, because she does a great job understanding each potential candidates’ background before she presenting them to her clients. I look forward to working with Marni in the future.” January 28, 2009 Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert
Kelley Dickerson

“Marni has been great to work with and has helped us grow our business with her expertise in the staffing/recruiting industry. I would recommend Marni to any company that utilizes recruiting firms for direct hire placements.” October 24, 2008
Justin Knutson, Business Development, CMG

“Marni works hard to provide high level results for her clients. Many recruiters only see the bottom line, but Marni tries to create clients for life.” October 24, 2008. Top qualities: Personable, Expert
Don Breckle

“Marni is an absolute joy to work with. She conducts herself in a highly professional manner, with openness, honesty and high ethical standards. I trust her to represent my professional credentials to prospective employers and provide meaningful feedback. It is with no sense of hesitation that I would give Marni my highest possible endorsement.” October 23, 2008
Top qualities: Personable, On Time
Jeff H.

“Marni is a results oriented recruiter who is driven by creating win/win solutions. She is very personable, easy to work with and takes the time to get to know her applicants so that she can make informed recommendations to the businesses she serves. I look forward to my next opportunity to work with Marni on a project.” September 18, 2008. Top qualities: Personable, Expert
Chris Stith

“Marni has repeatedly shown to deliver great results in recruiting situations that otherwise seemed stagnant with her peers. Marni’s optimism and is an attribute which influences those who engage with her, on either side of the recruiting equation. My experience with Marni is that she presents herself well, but equally important, she represents me well. It is paramount that I have someone who can carry forth my brand, as she is in the workforce on my behalf. Marni delivers strongly on this level. If reference is required, I can be contacted.” September 16, 2008. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert
Daniel Gore

“Marni is a fantastic person and recruiter with high intergrity. She has her heart in the right place which has enabled her to continue to build and grow her search firm successfully. I enjoy working with her and have learned a lot from her. She’s an excellent recruiter, business owner and friend. I HIGHLY recommend Marni!” September 7, 2008. Top qualities: Personable, Good Value
Twanda DeBorde, WBENC Certified

“Marni really goes a step beyond in the recruiting arena, by truly matching high quality candidates with employers. The team she assembled was incredibly talented and complimented each others skills in such a way that the company saw incredible growth. I would definitely use her services again.” August 25, 2008. Top qualities: Great Results, Personable. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative August 15, 2008
Brian Gruidl

“Marni has been great to work with and has helped us find a number of qualified candidates!” June 2, 2008. Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert
Karly Sybrant

“Marni is a delight to work with! Her enthusiasm and passion for the work she does is contagious! What I respect most about Marni is her genuine concern for others and it really shows in all that she does. I would highly recommend Marni for any position or endeavor she is seeking.” May 29, 2008
Carol Grannis, Owner, Leading Edge Coaching and Development

“Only one word can truly describe Marni and that is amazing. She has a gift for building relationships and for understanding the needs of her clients. I had the privilege of working with Marni to identify my next career step. I felt well connected, informed, and truly cared about by her and her staff. She took the time to get to know me as an individual and what I was looking for in my next career move. Now, I hope to utilize Marni’s passion, energy, and skills to bring great new talent into my new organization. Marni you truly are world class and I look forward to continuing our partnership.” December 31, 2007
Ann Reynolds, SPHR, Human Resource Manager, Hearth & Home Technologies

“The Constant Search was an excellent choice for us. Marni worked exceptionally hard to find a candidate who fit our requirements perfectly. A great result on a difficult project.” October 18, 2007. Top qualities: Great Results, Personable
Joseph O’Brien

“I highly recommend Marni Sampair, Owner and President of The Constant Search (www.TheConstantSearch.com), as your next stop in finding your new employee or your new career. Marni is well a respected professional in the recruitment industry and does a fantastic job working with companies to match them with the right candidate for the position.” November 13, 2006. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert
Michele Erwin

“I have already recommended Marni to a friend of mine who is thinking of pursuing new career options. Marni is the rare find in the placement industry who takes the time to get to know all the important considerations for a candidate. She seeks a match for all aspects of the position; not just the salary, but the skills and talents needed for the work, the company culture fit, growth potential and whether it’s a match for your entire career arc. It’s like working with the best real estate agent who cares about finding you the perfect next career “home” – invaluable!” September 17, 2006
Diana Eavzan, Manager, Print & Web Services, Iconovex Corp.

“Marni’s persistence and tenacity allowed me to explore companies I would have never thought of networking with. She has spent considerable time asking questions, understanding my passions and desires for a career and company. I would highly recommend Marni and in fact, I have.” September 12, 2006. Top qualities: Personable, On Time
Stacy Kehren, PMP®

“In the past year, I have had the pleasure of getting to know and work with Marni. Her work ethic, reliability and attention to details are unmatched. She is great at networking and is extremely personable. Because of these attributes, she is always the first person that I will refer to anyone looking for a change in career.” September 11, 2006. Top qualities: Personable, Creative
Dave Turnham

“Marni is a personable, professional, reliable and fun business partner! I was very impressed with the time she took to get to know me. She always listened closely to what I was looking for. She also completely understands her clients and their needs in detail. A great combination of skills. I would absolutely recommend Marni to anyone I know looking for help with a job search!” September 9, 2006. Top qualities: Personable, Expert
Jennifer Ott,

“Marni is a very helpful and creative recruiter. She was able to track me down, open to trying to connect me even though there wasn’t an official open request and helped me throughout the interview, negotiation and acceptance stage. It was a pleasure to work with her – and she got results!” September 7, 2006
Tim Corsaro , Group Manager of Systems Support, Fingerhut

“I knew it was time for a change. I felt deeply that it was high time to shine the light on jobseekers instead. So one Friday in Feb. I tweeted, “Instead of #FollowFriday, let’s launch #HireFriday and put our friends and family back to work.” Followed by “Let’s put America back to work #HireFriday…and a movement was born.”

“I believe in the milk of human kindness, and I refuse to give up on humanity. It doesn’t cost a dime to be kind. Compassion is not just a word, for me it is a way of life.”

• Margo Rose, Founder & CEO of HireFriday
• M.Ed., Human Resource Development
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Linkedin Profile
• Facebook Profile: Margo Rose
• Twitter Profile: @HRMargo
• Website: http://HRMargo.com coming soon http://hirefriday.com
• Community Volunteering: Founder of HireFriday, Radio Talk Show Host of Compassionate HR, bi-weekly show 7:30p ESt 4:30 PSt
• Board Member of Heartprints
• Personal Causes: Helping under privileged people find jobs, and be prepared for the workforce challenges they might face
• Expertise: Social Media Branding & Marketing, Digital Campaign Design & Execution, Search Engine Optimization & Web Analytics, Communication Strategy, Coaching & Training, Inbound Marketing, Strategic Alliances, Social Media Event Production, Business Blogging, Social Book Marks
• Office: 513-509-7762
• Personal Email:

In a time before Margo the brand – few know her as the owner of Cincinnati’s “The Paw Spa.” Then as in now, she lived her passions. She crafted the business concept and strategic plan for a high end pet boutique, barkery and pet styling center. But prior to, and since, catering to Humanity’s best friends, Margo was retained by professional services firms to help them create and develop digital brand identity so that they can attract top talent. She has since been known among clients for her expertise in researching and quantifying key performance indicators and critical success factors within and across positions and industries. She has also been known for territory more familiar to her fans; coaching job-seeking clients to accelerate reemployment process by defining career goals, revealing the hidden job market, developing effective online and offline career marketing & networking strategies. Margo is literally known as one who wears many hats and in this instance, we take an opportunity to discuss the hat that suits her heart best: in all things, the evangelist for “CompassionateHR.”

Margo is a tireless evangelist for promoting the stewardship of leaders who are going above and beyond to make a difference in their communities. She features people who get involved in strategic philanthropy, service learning, and community stewardship. It’s what makes Margo different, in her consistency for this common thread of advocacy and folks, it’s what indeed, makes Margo a special person in our broader industry. In the bestselling “Purpose Driven Life,” the author stipulates that “It’s not enough to say, “One of the things I want in life is to be loving,” as if it’s in your top ten list. Relationships must have priority in your life above everything else. Why? Life without love is really worthless … “No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”

For Margo Rose, her relationships have priority, her life abounds in moments of awe to what we universally perceive to be the compassionate. It was stated, “If you are facing trouble right now, don’t ask, “Why me?” Instead ask, “what do you want me to learn?” Margo teaches that and above all “How” – but in doing so, the answer she inspires from her audience is always within the listener and reader alike, — never without.

Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world, Margo.

Margo: I’m single, but truly, I’m a home and hearth type of woman. I love my new rescue pup Carmen Jr. and lead a simple life. I’ve had money, and not had money, and what I’ve learned is that in the final analysis, it is far better to be happy than rich. A Talmudic Rabbi once asked, “Who is rich? He who wants what he has.” I am grateful to love everything I have in my life, and take no simple blessing for granted.

Six Degrees: We share something quite special Margo – a special interest in the four-legged in addition to the bipeds. To our readers the initial topics of conversation that created a bond with Margo was our mutual love and admiration for our dogs. I have three four legged best friends, Thatcher, an Aussie and my two poms, Reagan and Nala. It has been said how you treat God’s creatures reflects on how you treat your fellow man. In this instance, aside from her tweets and posts speaking about the remarkable amongst us in all things compassionate, Margo I know your love for your own dogs is a matter of the heart. Tell us about this cause dear to your heart.

Margo: I operated an all volunteer dog rescue that I developed through my extensive database. I had a 99% placement rate. It was a heartwarming and amazing adventure. I found homes for stray dogs, and reunited lost dogs with their families. The unique feature is that I did it almost all by phone and email! I also was an volunteer for an organization that stepped in and rescued animals where there were floods, fires and natural disasters. In addition, I am a member of the Board of an Organization called, Heart Prints. Heart Prints focuses on providing mentoring, resources and help to disadvantaged youth, and their families. I am the social media chair, and provide organization development advice to the founder of the organization.

Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the Human Resources industry?

Margo: I have been in the Human Resources Development Industry exceeding a total of 15 years, and 3 years invested in the social media/new media community development focus Six Degrees: How did you get started in the industry?

Margo: My first job out of high school was in recruiting. I worked for Gloria Sustar Agency. Gloria Retired years ago, but I learned the basics of staffing and business development from her. Then I worked for Manpower as a temporary services coordinator. I was in charge of candidate assessment, and placement. I learned about human resources during my tenure as Membership Director at the Cincinnati Zoo. I sourced, recruited and managed seasonal membership salespeople. It was there I fell in love with training and development and decided to go back to school to get my Masters in Human Resources Development. The core area of studies was in Organization Development, which shaped the way I see business today.

Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your career?

Margo: I would have to say that being involved in the outplacement industry in the late 90’s had the biggest impact on the way I view my career. For the first time, I observed human suffering in that I had not before. I saw people devastated both emotionally and financially. It was also deeply gratifying knowing that the skills and resources my organization provided not only accelerated their re-employment, but it offered new career direction, support, and life success.

Six Degrees: Interesting Margo, another mutual period of enlightment between us. It was the post 9/11 and dot com bubble period that reawakened my sense of purpose in what I do as a talent acquisition professional. We realized we not only place people in seats, – we provide the opportunities that help put food on family’s tables. It’s an honorable vocation we often neglect to appreciate for its impactful results on human lives. Your friends and fans are well aware of your contributions but our broader audience could benefit from learning more about your current engagements.

Margo: I am the founder of HireFriday: A pay it forward community I started in February 2010 .What started as a simple tweet has spread to 3 other countries in the first 3 months: The United Kingdom, Canada, and France. It all started when I grew weary of #FollowFriday on twitter with its meaningless rows of names, and faceless people. I knew this once popular trend lost traction with it’s replication without meaningful expression. I knew it was time for a change. I felt deeply that it was high time to shine the light on jobseekers instead. So one Friday in Feb. I tweeted, “Instead of #FollowFriday, let’s launch #HireFriday and put our friends and family back to work.” Followed by “Let’s put America back to work #HireFriday…and a movement was born.

I had no idea when it started tweeting for my unemployed friends on #HireFriday that this would turn into a world-wide community, and movement. The sentiment resonated. I was interviewed by both local and national media, and it was then I realized this meaningful community wasn’t just a zeitgeist, but truly emblematic of our economic stature. People need hope, and faith. Unemployment is hard. HireFriday can help. We lend a hand, and encourage a heart. Most importantly, we give our unemployed friends exposure to our contact network by retweeting their credentials and strengths, knowledge, and abilities to our friends, and colleagues. I put people in touch with jobs, key people, networks, and resources. Thousands of people participate each week, hundreds have found jobs, and recruiters are using HireFriday as another tool to source candidates.

Recently, I decided to monetize #HireFriday, but do so in a way that is keeping with my core values of what the Buddhists refer to as “right livelihood.” The work we do on twitter on Friday and with our #HFChat (Noon est), in our linkedin group, and facebook group and page will always be pro bono. I’ve enlisted a group of great #HireFriday volunteer leaders and evangelists who help me in this quest.

What I plan to monetize is my coaching time, workshops, and soon to be published book “HireFriday 2.0: A boots on the ground approach to your online job search.” I will also charge a nominal fee for personalized webinars, and online coaching. Dave, my goal is not to make a lot of money. Rather, it is to make a difference, change the world, and do my part to alleviate the suffering of others. That is the basis of my show, Compassionate HR on blogtalkradio. I interview steward leaders who are going above and beyond to make a difference in their communities. I feature people who get involved in strategic philanthropy, service learning, and community stewardship.

Six Degrees: Often people either know us by what we do for a living or, even better, by our passions. You are fortunate to be known for both. But Margo, tell us about your contributions in the social media space.

Margo: I am a social media moderator and community manager with ICUC Moderation. We manage and moderate social media communities. What this means is I get paid to hang out on facebook, twitter, linkedin, and websites doing what I love to do most: engaging, and interacting with people in a way that truly makes a difference for my clients. What could be better than that?

While it appears I’ve left my HR roots, that isn’t at all the case. I’ve just broken out of the “in the trenches” silo. I’m out there in the world-wide community doing what I do in a new and innovative way.

Six Degrees: Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook or model your career after?

Margo: I have had many mentors over the years. Each of my mentors has shaped my career, and my professional perspective. It is difficult to pin point just one. I can say that its about a standard. In the words of Gerry Crispin, a great recruiter is not just someone good at his, or her job, a GREAT recruiter is one who is doing great things in their community.

Six Degrees: I understand your interest has piqued this past year in the area of sourcing and candidate generation, — areas of focus which put us in the same room rather than virtually as in the past.

Margo: This year I wanted to learn more about candidate sourcing. I had the chance to meet you, shally, Glen Cathey, and Eric Jaquith and many more at Sourcecon. This conference piqued my interested, and have since become fascinated to learn more. While it is not in my career path to become a sourcer, there is profound value in understanding the art and science of internet research. In order to be an effective, human resources professional it is important to understand the basics, and core competencies of sourcing and recruiting.

Six Degrees: What practices within our industry do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples of bringing compassion to our industry?

Margo: This is not to be a suck up, but David, I admire your organization. Like me, you are a community steward, featuring great people doing good things in our industry. I love you Dave, but then again who doesn’t? Six Degrees of Dave could be renamed, “How much do we love Dave?”

Six Degrees: Ahem … well Margo I should have you call my wife and kids so they can be in the same room to hear that one! You are too kind LOL. Any others you see as advisors or organizations which share a common outlook to that of your own?

Margo: Steve Levy is one of my key advisors. He’s been a recruiter for years. The reason I like him so much is that once you are on his radar, he’ll pick up the phone and just give you call. The first time he called me, I was floored, and so honored. He does what good recruiters do best…he knows how to make you feel really special, and valued. So many recruiters could take a page from his playbook.

I’d also have to mention Arbita. While I’ve never worked with them professionally, I’ve had both Shally and Don Ramer on my show. Their spiritual and work values are in concert with my own, so I’m a little biased here.

Six Degrees: What do you see has the most important considerations in OD and HR for the future?

Margo: The important thing organizations should consider is that of workplace profiling, workforce and succession planning. The recession has had a detrimental impact on organization. The problem is that as organizations downsized, too often they didn’t take into account for the future needs of the organization. If jobs, job families, and clusters were not properly analyzed and assessed a huge skill gap will leave gaping holes in the organizational structure. Learning organizations understand the importance of a balanced organization. We have to start thinking ahead. Each time a person leaves a company a piece of the intellectual capital leaves with them. If on the other hand, proper job profile analysis has been conducted, the skill clusters important to the given position can be off set with proper training, recruitment strategies, and succession planning. Organizations are short sighted during recessions. From an organization development standpoint, this short sightedness can have unforeseen consequences in the future if the organization did not plan for succession prior to layoffs.

The organization structure is weakened when jobs and human resources are depleted. The economy dictates change, but a good organization assessment, and organization effectiveness strategy can eliminate the gaping holes that occur during a economic downturn. Organizations are wise to do their succession planning now before the next worker shortage. Yes, I said worker shortage. The day will come in the not too distant future when another worker shortage will occur. In certain industries, and job sectors this is true now. If organizations put together strategic plans now for talent acquisition and succession now, they won’t panic in the future.

Six Degrees: What do you see as the most relevant organizational development trend?

Margo: Open system communication is critical. Information gets log jammed in certain channels. By encouraging open networking small group networking sessions within the organization’s work day will help keep information flowing freely. How many times have you heard someone say “I’ve worked here for 10 years, and I still don’t know what Mary does, or how she garners her resources?” By allowing for open communication clusters during the work day, the information gap when people leave can be mitigated. We also need to have more job shadowing, to build cross functional teams. The right hand simply must know what the left hand is doing. The more ways we can allow for cross functional learning, the stronger the organization structure will become. The issue of losing intellectual capital during job attrition must be stopped if organizations are to remain viable.

Six Degrees: Based upon your expertise, – What’s the simplest way for an organization to build a stronger team?

Margo: Develop service learning and strategic philanthropy programs. Get input from the teams what humanitarian causes mean the most to them. Give them time and resources to work on an charitable project. With just a little facilitation, this project could lead to building a stronger team, improving company morale, and ensure stronger retention. People tend to stay where they feel their values meet the organization’s. Most people want to feel they are working toward the common good. Programs like this can boost problem solving, planning, and execution skills while offering positive reinforcement. It doesn’t cost a dime to organizing a team to build a habitat for humanity home. This is what compassionate HR is all about. A few employees at Oracle decided they wanted to build a computer library at an orphanage in India, another group of Oracle employees developed a fund raising event to raise funds for a shelter on the West Coast. That same group worked diligently to organize an effort at their local food pantry. Programs like this strengthen the fiber of organizations. This is but one of hundreds of examples of human resource professionals going above and beyond the call of duty to be steward leaders, and cultivate the spirit of service learning.

Six Degrees: I’ve enjoyed your featured guests on your online radio show. Could you expand on the purpose driven advocacy of your on air contributions?

Margo: On my show, Compassionate HR on blogtalkradio, I feature people who are not just good at what they do, but also people who are doing great things in their communities. I’ve seen amazing examples of transformational leadership take place during service learning group projects. People change, and grow, and at the same time, the world around them a better place.

Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why?

Margo: Human Resource and Organization Development Pros are undergoing a big shift with the growing trend of social media. More and more, people in training and development are using webinars instead of seminars to launch their leadership development programs. OD Pros are networking with people around the world like never before. Communication channels are wide open. People are building strong, and very close relationships and alliances. For human resource professionals, the ability to benchmark is far greater. HR, OD, and Training professionals are able to hone their craft like never before. People are now getting speaking engagements, publication opportunities, and consulting contracts via social networking channels. It’s changing the way we sell, market, and execute our businesses. New Media strategies are now included in budgets, where 5-8 years ago, that would have been un heard of-and now it’s common place. HR people are working to train, and encourage brand evangelists inside their organizations to be true brand ambassadors on social media channels. Intranets are being used like never before within organizations to update statuses, post articles and blog posts, and photos like never before. Some companies are now launching their own internal version of facebook.

Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry:

Margo: I’m a conference junkie, because I’m addicted to life-long learning. I attend as many conferences as I can. I used to attend ASTD local and national conference (The American Society For Training & Development). The OD Network is another smaller, but strong organization. This year, I wanted to learn more about recruiting and sorcing so I attended ERE, SourceCon and had the chance to present a track about “Compassionate HR” at TruUsa. On December 15 Chris Havrilla and I are facilitating a Track at Radical ATL in Atlanta. I will be speaking about HireFriday, it’s history, the trend, and how recruiters and sourcers can tap into my community.

Six Degrees: Can you detail how the recession has affected your particular industry niche?

Margo: They say when a recession hits HR, OD, and Training positions are the first to be cut. In my experience that is true. When I closed the PawSpa and decided to transition back into HR I had a difficult time in 2009. Unemployment was at an all time high. I finally landed, and it was then that I decided I never wanted to forget how hard unemployment is. I decided to devote my life to career development again. As I say during HireFriday “Unemployment is Hard, HireFriday can help.” People cannot underestimate the devastating impact unemployment can have on the human spirit. That’s one reason getting behind HireFriday can boost your spirits as well. As recruiters you know how great it feels to make a good placement. It also feels great to retweet a job seeker in our stream. We remind job seekers, they are not alone or forgotten. strong>

Six Degrees: Aside from simply the generic term “Networking” what specific efforts have you made on your own behalf, or on behalf of colleagues to broaden your opportunities?

Margo: Bill Boorman wrote a great post this week that summarizes the main twitter job search groups here “Word on The Tweet: 5 ways to get a job in 140 characters: http://t.co/iZfUyb9” Susan Whitcomb, Chandlee Bryan, and Deb Dibb wrote a great book called “The Twitter Job Search Guide.” I am also a big fan of our counter part job angels. In terms of social media networking, I am on the steering committee of New Media Cincy, and attend Cincy Social Media Events. HR People are well served to attend HRevolution, Shrm, and HR Roundtables. We are lucky to have a leader here in Cincinnati, Steve Browne @sbrownehr who heads our local HR Roundtable group, and it is fantastic.

Six Degrees: Given your own Trial and Error experiences as a Networker, what advice do you have for your peers on what NOT to do?

Margo: Do not just unload on someone. Ask questions, and show you are genuinely interested in the other person before you request what you need. Do not send canned linkedin invitations. People are genuinely flattered when you reference their work, how you know them, and why you think they’d be a great contact. Always express how you can be helpful to them. While some people don’t agree with me, I think the personal touch goes a long way to building a strong contact network. I’m looking to build meaningful relationships.

Six Degrees: Thank you Margo. It’s one thing for our circles to know of your generosity, but I felt it incumbent upon me to share it as broadly as possible. We succeeded today in doing that. Folks, remember its not simply a job, it’s a Purpose Driven Vocation – and we could all give and receive the benefits of Compassion. It’s a timely message this holiday season, but more so, – for all seasons.

Valerie Scarsellato
Technical Engineering/Software Sourcer/Recruiter at Intel
Tempe, Arizona
• Linkedin Profile
• Twitter
• Intel Blog
• Community Volunteering: Foundation for the Blind
• Personal Causes: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Arizona Animal Welfare League
• Personal Email
• Past:
Talent Sourcing Specialist/Sr. Engineering Recruiter at Freescale Semiconductor
Sr. Recruiter at ConsultNet
International Recruiter at Mastech Systems (now Igate)

Today is a momentous occasion for me my friends. Like waiting for Haley’s comet – the drama of anxious anticipation to have the opportunity to interview Valerie Scarsellato is a milestone for me, 4 years in the making since the early days of this blog when once upon a time I sourced analog mixed-signal engineers on behalf of Valerie’s req load at Freescale Semiconductor. I say this without undue flattery, and with the sincerity of a true, unabashed fan of someone who out of over 200 interviews I can honestly state is one of the very best recruiters I have known in my entire career and among those featured since “Six Degrees from Dave” originated. Yes, I said one of the very best I have known in my career – emphasis added.

I learned as much from Valerie as I could have hoped she learned from my tenacity – what it is to be a professional, to take pride in one’s work, to be direct in one’s assessments, and to enjoy the camaraderie of someone you respect. She may blush, but credit is given to where it is earned and I was blessed to have her as a colleague and as a friend.

Valerie and I met awkwardly when on a rare occasion I submitted candidates as a third party one man firm and a year later recognized recent hires made and contested them. She was the recruiter who made the offers. As stated, Valerie takes great pride in her work – but from that question we were both rewarded with the unexpected opportunity to collaborate directly with one another. It was my good fortune. Together we questioned odd requests and personnel matters and we soldiered on. I learned that the way to make Valerie smile was an occasional panda video or jpeg or we could take turns contributing online to support pets left abandoned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. To this day, I smile recalling our conversations and I still laugh when I recollect being given a free upgrade at a car rental with a 300ZX and not being accustomed to the horsepower as I drove up to meet the team in Phoenix and catching witty remarks from Valerie at how well sourcers were “being taken care of.”

For those who don’t know Valerie, she distinguishes herself at one of the most powerful technology companies in the world. She serves as a Technical Engineering/Software Sourcer/Recruiter at Intel. She sources and recruits for distinguished technical talent in the field of Technical/Product Marketing Engineers in the areas of Software Apps (Linux, Java, C++ for handheld/multimedia devices), BIOS, Telehealth, Medical Devices, Software Business Development, SOA.

She has over 14 years of extensive full life cycle sourcing/recruiting experience in Software/Hardware/Design/Electrical Engineering and related industries. Formerly, she focused on sourcing and recruiting for analog designers, applications engineers, product definers, technical/product marketing, product and test engineers in the area of sensors and power management.

Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world, Valerie

Valerie: I’m from the Pittsburgh, PA area and yes, I’m a lifelong Steelers football fan, that will never change no matter where I may live!! However, in 1999 I decided to move from the ‘burgh to Phoenix, AZ after a 2 week backpacking adventure to Sedona, AZ and the Grand Canyon. I fell in love with the red rocks, the hiking and the sunshine. At that time, due to the upcoming Y2K scramble, there were many IT agencies looking for recruiters and I found one that was willing to relo me so I was on my way!

As destiny would have it, I met my future husband, Gary, the second day after I had moved to Phoenix. The reason this was an extremely synchronous meeting is because we both graduated from the same high school but a year apart and didn’t know each other. My husband is a rocket scientist for Orbital Sciences (no really he is!) I’ve actually seen 3 of his rocket launches from Vandenburg AFB, which of course sealed the deal. We were married on a beautiful afternoon in February2003 in the wilderness of Sedona by a shaman We are the proud parents of 2 adorable Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Jibboo, a 9 year old female and Tugboat , a 5 year old male.

Six Degrees: Tell us about a “day in the life” – the Valerie who I recall enjoyed panda videos and pictures to the animal lover who contributed with me online to pet causes during Hurricane Karina

Valerie: Being a recruiter is awesome, however, it is my dream to one day have an animal sanctuary! I enjoy working with and being around animals as much as I can. I do what I can to donate to AZ Humane Society and Best Friends Sanctuary. I’ve also volunteered at the Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue http://www.bhrabbitrescue.org/ These are organizations/charities that are really close to my heart.

I have to say though, Intel is unbelievable with its support of employees putting in community time. They’ll also match your time for any charities you volunteer for with a donation. Intel is an excellent example of a great corporate citizen.

For fun, my passion is music, specifically live music! My husband and I travel predominantly out-of-state to music festivals and to see our favorite band, Phish! Since the new year we’ve been to Miami, Raleigh, Charlotte and Boulder, CO. Last year we saw Phish at the Gorge in Washington state, and Indio, CA at Fest 8. We have a blast and we have such great friends in the jamband community.

Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry?

Valerie: 14 years! Frank Sinatra may seem like an unlikely role model for me but his song “My Way” seems to be the mantra I’ve been living. I didn’t follow the same path as most by immediately going to college from high school. However, in 1992 I decided it was time to grow up and get a degree. Of course I had to make it hard on myself and work full-time plus go to school full-time but somehow I managed it and got a BS degree in MIS from Robert Morris College (now University) in 4 years.

My degree is what enabled me to get into recruiting. I certainly wasn’t the programming type but I figured it was a marketable degree when I first started school in 1992. It paid off because it was why I got an interview, and eventually the job, working for the VP of Global Sourcing at Mastech Corporation, an IT solutions company. I started out as her executive assistant, six months later she recognized my strengths and felt I would be a good global recruiter. The next thing I knew I was getting a passport and on a flight to the Philippines 2 weeks before Christmas to recruit for RPG programmers. After that came several trips to Brazil for COBOL Mainframe programmers. It was an awesome time for me, what person didn’t want to go to Rio on a business trip?!! It was very fast-paced work but I loved every minute of it!

I’ve been recruiting now for 14 years, hard to believe! I’ve been a recruiter in multiple types of environments: IT Solutions, agency and corporate. Once I entered the corporate recruiting world is when I transitioned from recruiting for IT professionals, into Engineering professionals. I’ve worked at Motorola, Freescale Semiconductor and now Intel Corporation, Freescale and Intel have given me a well-rounded background into the worlds of electrical engineering and computer science. My recruiting experience has all been at the professional-level, from those elusive low power analog design engineers, 3D Graphics engineers, wireless software architects, tablet applications developers…the list goes on and on. And, as I’m sure you all know and deal with, it’s always in a niche area so the talent is a real challenge to find….it’s why we have jobs!;-)

Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career?

Valerie: I would have to say recruiting in Brazil had the most impact on my recruiting career. These trips required a lot of pre-trip backend work: sourcing, gathering resumes (making sure they were written in English and not Portuguese), phone screens and then scheduling them for on-site interviews. I would fly all night, stand in line through customs, rush to my hotel and have one hundred people already waiting to be interviewed by me. They were such wonderful people though and I thought, this is the best job in the world, exhausting, but the best job ever.

Six Degrees: Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after?

Valerie: I’ve had a few mentors that I’ve learned different components of recruiting from. Of course Dave, you know you’re in the top few? Without you, I wouldn’t have learned the value of LinkedIn early-on and the art of being tenacious! I would also say Glen Cathey of Boolean Blackbelt is another mentor, the man is an unbelievable sourcer. Of course others such as Shally Steckerl and Glenn Gutmacher are impactful to me as well.

Six Degrees: Tell us about your staffing organization at Intel, Valerie.

Valerie: At Intel, the staffing organization is set up somewhat differently than my past experiences. The organization is more compartmentalized in the sense there are multiple positions within the full-life cycle recruitment model. I’m on the Strategic Recruiting Team, I support individual job requirements, as well as, pipeline recruiting for niche skill sets. In this type of a model, recruiters do not own extending offers, which has been a challenge getting used to, even though I’ve been there for over 2 years. I’m focused on sourcing for the talent, engaging the candidates and getting them interested in Intel and in the position, and them passing them off to the hiring manager.

A project that I’ve been involved in for nearly a year has been as a driver for software recruitment branding. It’s been a very cool campaign and I’ve been involved every step of the way, including the idea for using a cartoon character as part of our marketing. This project has been a natural progression since I’ve been recruiting for software engineers and now Intel is in the space where we need to get brand awareness out in the industry that INTEL does SOFTWARE!!

Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why?

Valerie: I’m a proponent of utilizing social media as one of my channels for sourcing/recruiting. I believe it will continue to evolve as we understand what the ROI of these channels may be. I also think that as companies wake up and understand that utilizing social media as their main sites of content, we’ll see a shift. One thing I’d like to note, there is no technology that can replace relationship building. We can network all day long but if we don’t maintain those relationships, it’s all for nothing. I pride myself on being responsive, credible and honest as a recruiter. Sometimes the outcome is out of my control, however, I do my best to keep a candidate in the loop whenever possible.

“There are very few recruiters that I would personally endorse. Valerie happens to be one of them. She knows how to find top passive talent, and many recruiters these days simply don’t. She knows the technology, and understands the needs of each client she supports. She is very detail oriented and knows how to manage her time, her candidates and her clients with ease. She’s gained the respect of the senior leadership within Freescale and Intel because of her efforts in building our Analog and Sensors teams. I look forward to working with Valerie for many years to come in the industry.”
Tiffany Peery, Technical Recruiter, Intel

“Valerie is an outstanding Recruiter and Sourcer. She is always aware of the needs of her clients – both candidates and Managers. At Freescale Valerie was highly respected by her peers and the Managers she supported. She regularly suggested with process and system improvements to me.”
Muir McDonald, Staffing Systems Manager, Freescale Semiconductor

“Val is one of the best full cycle recruiters I have had the pleasure of working with. Her commitment to the hiring team and the candidate exemplify customer service. She has the ability to source difficult skills, and has developed a great understanding of the technologies she recruits. I appreciate her insight when solving critical issues that impact the ability to attract talent. Val is comfortable working with all levels of the organization, and always asks the questions that need to be asked regarding her role. Val has been instrumental in developing and implementing strategies around recruiting niche skill sets. I truly enjoy working with Val and consider her a great asset to the Freescale staffing team.” May 23, 2007
Bill Fulton, Staffing Manager for the Americas, Freescale Semiconductor

“Valerie was very professional, easy to contact, and always willing to provide information with minimal response time. Her ability to streamline the process and make you feel at ease is a true assest.” June 1, 2006
Scott Shadley , Sr. Applications Engineer, Micron Semiconductor Products

“Valerie is hands down the best recruiter I have ever met. She truly cares about the people she is recruiting and also understands the company’s need for excellence in personnel. She doesn’t just use job boards to find people.. she is a hunter!” Julie Gosnell Campbell, CTS, Account Manager, CN-tec