“Hiding Spending does not reduce spending”

It isn’t unusual to hear such anti-spending rhetoric from Republicans these days. What makes Ryan a rarity is that he’s been preaching cerebral free-market ideas during his 11 years in Congress, despite getting little attention for his views.

Now the 40-year-old Janesville, Wis., native is emerging as the leading GOP voice on economic policy, thanks to his detailed blueprint for solving what both Democrats and Republicans agree is a perilous fiscal future. (How bad is America’s financial picture? The President’s budget for 2011 forecasts deficits running at more than $1 trillion, or an unsustainable 4.2% of GDP, in 2020 — and that assumes low unemployment and decent growth of the economy.)

Republicans aren’t the only ones suddenly taking notice of Ryan’s views on deficit reduction and government spending. During his now-famous appearance at the Republican congressional retreat in Baltimore earlier this year, the President singled out Ryan. "It was my 40th birthday, and I’m sitting at lunch with my 6-year-old son on my knee," marvels Ryan. "And the President starts talking about me. I was amazed!"

Obama noted that Ryan had "made a serious proposal" to rein in the deficit and then praised him for at least addressing entitlement spending. Following those apparently peaceful words, Democrats launched a withering assault over the next three days as budget director Peter Orszag, Democratic Congressional Campaign chairman Chris Van Hollen, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi all pummeled Ryan for threatening the safety net for the elderly and providing tax breaks for the rich.

Ryan got his chance to confront the President at the health-care summit Feb. 25. Seated across from Obama, Ryan addressed him directly with a six-minute, numbers-laden, wonkish analysis of the Senate bill that contradicted the administration’s pledge that the plan wouldn’t add to the mountainous deficit.

Ryan correctly stated that the bill projects that Medicare will lower reimbursements to doctors by $371 billion over the next 10 years, yet Congress would cancel those cuts in a separate bill, all part of an attempt to mask the true size of future deficits through "gimmicks and smoke and mirrors." Obama steered the discussion away from Ryan’s numbers, and the White House hasn’t challenged his analysis.

What is the Ryan plan , and why is the Obama administration seemingly obsessed with it? Ryan calls his proposal, published in January, the Roadmap for America’s Future. It’s a remarkably comprehensive, daring manifesto that tackles every part of the budget on a presidential scale, from Social Security to tax policy to health-care reform.

The goal is to eliminate the deficit, and eventually all federal debt, without any crippling tax increases. Under Ryan’s plan, for example, federal spending would reach just 24% of GDP in 2035 and then fall, vs. the CBO’s projection of 34% and rising from there. Ryan would make the deficit disappear by mid-century.

Ryan, to be sure, voted for President George W. Bush’s tax cuts, which added to the U.S. deficit, but he blames the current mess on excessive spending, which he proposes to control.

But he’s not trying to gut all programs. He wants to maintain promised health-care and retirement benefits for those who require them — the sick and the poor, and not just for today’s needy but for future generations. But he would also lower future benefits for the middle class. He would index future Social Security benefits to wage growth for, say, a family earning $28,000, but limit increases to inflation for households that made over $149,000.

Ryan also wants to totally change the way the government aids most Americans. His plan would use vouchers and tax credits to allow families to buy their own Medicare plans, private health insurance, and retirement accounts. His view is that by directly handing middle-class taxpayers part of the money the government now spends on their benefits, they will demand bargains and better service. Ryan predicts that what the middle class will lose in guaranteed benefits they’ll more than recoup through robust economic growth and lower prices.

His prescription for health care is radical: Ryan would eliminate the exclusion allowing companies to lavish on employees tax-free benefits and give the tax breaks to the workers themselves through a rebate of $5,700 a family, or a check for that amount if they don’t pay taxes.

"The problem with both Medicare and private plans is the third-party-payer system," says Ryan. "Consumers, spending their own money, will drive down prices." Ryan proposes a classic flat-tax solution: Americans could choose between using today’s byzantine rules and a simplified, post-card model with two rates, 10% and 25%. Believe it or not, the simplified system would disallow mortgage and other deductions.

In February the Congressional Budget Office analyzed Ryan’s road map — and confirmed that it produced the falling deficits and balanced budgets that Ryan promises. "By proposing cuts in benefits, Paul Ryan is demonstrating the nature of the solution that must occur," former Fed chief Alan Greenspan told Fortune. "You can’t close the gap with tax increases alone, and if you try to do it, you slow growth and reduce future tax receipts."

Ryan’s fan base cuts across party lines. "We both want to inject competition into the marketplace," says Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who is co-sponsoring another bill that would hand consumers tax breaks for health care they now get only from employers. "We need ideas and policy, not political points, and that’s what Paul is all about."

Despite some bipartisan support, Ryan’s ideas are a hard sell, politically speaking. The idea of indexing Social Security to inflation caused an angry backlash under President George W. Bush. On both Medicare and his health-care tax credit, Ryan would restrain expenditures by raising benefits for high earners and most of the middle class at a pace slower than the rate of medical inflation. As a result, Americans would be forced to spend more and more of their own dollars on insurance. Even though Ryan promises to leave today’s Medicare benefits in place for people 55 and older, his proposal is bound to raise the ire of the lobbies for senior citizens.

Ryan’s proposals contradict the Obama administration’s philosophy, which calls for the government to take on more responsibility for citizens’ well-being. Budget director Orszag conceded that Ryan "succeeds in addressing our long-term fiscal problem," but takes "a dramatically different approach in which more risk is unloaded onto individuals."

Ryan is a free-market adherent of the old school, who believes it is the government’s duty to invest maximum economic power in the hands of individuals. His own story is a primer in self-reliance. Ryan’s parents put the kids on an incentive system for allowances — if they got just one B on their report cards, their allowance was cut from $4 to $2, and a C meant no allowance at all. At 16, he discovered his father dead of a heart attack, and had to inform his mother and older siblings. His older brother Tobin, a private equity executive, says that one of Paul’s chores was brushing and braiding the hair of their grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s.

Ryan, who majored in economics and political science at Miami University in Ohio, says his chief influences are still thinkers discovered in the soul-searching that followed his father’s death, including Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and Friedrich Hayek.

In Washington he pursues an almost ascetic work ethic. He studies budgets and spreadsheets until 11:30 p.m., then crashes on his cot or on a mattress at his sister-in-law’s home in Bethesda. He seldom travels to campaign for politicians in other states or to burnish his national image. Instead he grabs the first flight to Wisconsin after the last vote on Thursday or Friday to join his wife and three young children at home.

Back in Washington on Monday mornings, and during the week, he leads about a dozen congressmen, including former football player Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), through a workout called P90X, a punishing bipartisan series of pushups, pull-ups, karate, and yoga. "Paul said I should join the yoga routine, but I can’t put my body through those contortions!" jokes Wyden. Ryan is prescribing an equally punishing workout for America’s future. It isn’t pleasant, it isn’t easy, but it may be the regimen on the table

I grow more and more impressed with this reform minded leader. He does what he says and takes responsibility where warranted.

Today I am taking a lesson from public figure, Irina Shamaeva’s playbook and hijacking someone’ else blog post to shine light on her online and public behavior in the same fashion … in public.

Irina I’m calling you out this time and today. You have the audacity to insult an informative piece that benefits everyone to make yourself seem all knowing and yet incorrect just the same. You hijack Shally’s post to promote your own blog post nonetheless. This self promotion at another’s expense reminds me of the time you took the microphone (LITERALLY) at sourcecon from Russ Moon during HIS presentation with John Turnberg – to then grandstand with a completely irrelevant mention of chrome when the event was concerning Firefox app – just so you could promote your own business. Everyone gasped but no one called you on it. Esp shameful since Russ was kind enough to assist you when you had issues at your own presentation a few months prior. You also undermined my effort to assist you when you used my interview series to promote your business without my permission when you understand my relationships as they are and you took advantage of a kindness. It was the FIRST time I ever took an interview down which is what makes you distinguished but for no other reason out of 200 interviews I have conducted in “Six Degrees from Dave”. Moreover, I know firsthand You misstated that you never took classes from Shally to upgrade your skills. Everyone learns from everyone else – hence the term community. You have not once acknowledged the benefits of sharing from Shally or other thought leaders and yet your mimic them as your own for your business. This is a public setting and as a Public figure Irina you should be cognizant that such grandstanding will be perceived with the opposite effect. I repeatedly give credit to my sources and to my mentors in every presentation I have made and yet rather than show humility you attack and, furthermore, link to your sites for publicity’s sake than earnest disagreement.

I have seen this behavior from Irina as have many others in the sourcing community and its shameful and it makes me feel sincerely embarrassed for you. It appears to be a genuine self confidence issue.

Use your talents to benefit others and you can start by making a pledge not to pick up microphones to toot your own horn virtually or in-person.

You have talents – use them for positive contributions rather than to assume we are unable to distinguish a debate from an attempt to undermine for self promotion’s sake

NOTE: I vowed never again to spotlight negativity, in the one instance in 4 years of this blog I regretted it and apologized for it. This instance the level of behavior was so audacious and for such a prolonged period of time, I am confident that I will stand by it to my deathbed. This is a public figure whose misbehavior and abuse of the podium virtually and in-person has risen to the level where i can no longer in good faith stand idly by. This is not about my relationship with Shally Steckerl – it is about Irina’s relationship with her public standing, or lack thereof.

I can always count on seeing Jason Buss at any of the assortment of staffing industry events as a speaker or as an attendee. He has an unblemished record for passion on behalf of sharing with his peers and building substantive discussions on how to improve talent attraction. I can sincerely state I have been a fan of his for a number of years for what he has accomplished and it is an honor to have him agree to be featured on “Six Degrees from Dave” today. Jason Buss is a Talent Management & Diversity Executive with over 10 years of global Human Resources Experience. He was the creator of the Recruiting News site – The Talent Buzz, – which has been regularly recognized as a leading industry blof and has built a reputation for designing and leading recruiting organizations as an internal competitive capability for companies.

Jason is also a frequent presenter at both local and national industry events and conferences and has been interviewed for and published hundreds of HR and recruiting related articles online and in several publications. You can connect with Jason through any of the following links / sites:

• LinkedIn
• twitter
• facebook
• foursquare
• The Talent Buzz
• Specialties: Workforce Planning, Employee Referral Programs, Applicant Tracking Systems, Blogs, Web 2.0, Executive Recruiting, Talent Management, Employment Law, Employment Branding, College Recruiting, Internships, Talent Acquisition, Recruiting Strategy, Succession Planning, Competency Development, Assessment and Selection, Collective Bargaining, Six Sigma, Blue Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, Project Management Office, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Process Design, Candidate Experience, Metrics, Diversity

Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world.

Jason: I am single, with 3 amazing kids. Jake is 13, Kaitlin is 11, and Josh is 7. There are also a couple of pets running around… Buddy (dog) and his arch rival Lewis (cat). My hobbies include a variety of sports, games, reading, technology, and outdoor activities with my kids. I also look forward to warm-weather vacation getaways (give me a break, I live in Minnesota). Additionally, I enjoy volunteering and giving to “Feed My Starving Children” and the “Children’s Miracle Network”

Six Degrees: How many years of experience in recruiting?

Jason: Time flies by when your having fun! It’s been 13 years. Before job boards… Remember, back in the day when a big display ad in the Sunday paper meant something and when career fairs were like social media is today?

Six Degrees: How do you find time to manage an Executive Career at a Fortune 500 company, your social presence, your blog, and your family?

Jason: For starters, these are all things I enjoy. My kids are my number one priority, that’s non-negotiable. Beyond that, all of these areas take a strong commitment, prioritization, a passion for the work, doing whatever it takes, and a few late nights along the way. While there is synergy between my career, social presence and my blog – a majority of the time I spend online is primarily after hours.

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

Jason: It is hard to think of one single event, however, I can think several individuals that have had a strong impact on my career. I have been very fortunate to work with some very talented professionals. I have also had great mentors and coaches throughout my life

Six Degrees: Leveraging social media for recruiting continues to be hot topic. What are your thoughts?

Jason: Let me start my answer to this question by stating that there are some great opportunities for HR professionals and Recruiters to leverage social media personally and or professionally. However, I do think that many are falling for the hype and are being sold worthless goods.

If you filter through all of the noise, most of what I see and hear is just that – noise and hype. Consider for a minute how recruiting (tools) have evolved over the past 2 decades – from newspapers and job boards – to the almost endless possibilities today (in comparison). The biggest difference between then and now is that now we can leverage all of these tools to brand our organization and get our messages in front of people world-wide whether or not they are looking for work. And more importantly, we can now do this faster than ever thought possible.

YET, part of the problem with the current focus is most are primarily talking about using social media for posting jobs (advertising) and finding people (sourcing). These are activities. They can be important, yet they are not fixing the issues at hand. These activities are not advancing our cause.
There is no reason to over-complicate “trends” and “best practices”. We don’t need to continue creating and leveraging more job posting tools and web sites. This isn’t about posting your job on twitter or creating a RSS feed of your jobs for your facebook fan page. It’s also not about a really cool expensive tool that will post your job instantly all over the place at once. Big deal.

Do we really think candidates understand the mess being created online with over 40,000 job sites? Are we that naive to think 99% of the job sites even matter – at all? It’s unnecessary clutter, it’s confusing to candidates, and the online experience can be an embarrassment. And people ask how HR and/or recruiting get bad labels.

From my viewpoint, I would argue we need to think broader than job postings, and start thinking about total distribution models, meaningful delivery of content and mechanisms, and true communities of influence that provide a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties – the candidate and the company.

Six Degrees: What motivates and inspires you about the recruiting industry?

Jason: Everyday, we are building the future of the companies we work and recruit for. We have an amazing opportunity to create such a competitive advantage – whether we are focusing on workforce planning, succession management, or filling a req. From these activities all the way to the candidate experience – they all matter and add to the returns on our hiring investments.

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

Jason: Stay tuned…

Six Degrees: How do you personally expect to facilitate change within our industry?

Jason: Great question. I think we all have an opportunity to facilitate change and shape the future of recruiting. For me, I will continue focus on being an advocate for the importance – and competitive advantage recruiting plays in any organization. I’ll also continue publishing articles and content from an objective point of view – and by creating dialogue mechanisms for other HR and recruiting professionals.

Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug?

Jason: Sure – for your readers interested in networking with HR professionals and Recruiters, please check out the following groups on LinkedIn and facebook.

For those interested is getting a fill for industry news in one place, check out the re-designed HR News site – HRbloggers.com.

For twitter novices, pro’s and cynics – get a flavor of hot topics being talked about in the HR and recruiting community – via twitter on HRtweeps.com.

Last, for those professionals looking for work, check out postings directly from the source on the free HR Jobs site.: http://www.HRjobscenter.com

VP, Talent Acquisition & Diversity
Ameriprise Financial
“Jason is a true builder, a prime mover, an authentic leader. Ideation alone does not ensure success. Building, planning, organizing, and designing processes that dovetail into an organization is both science and art. Combine that with Jason’s ability to bring together a diverse team capable of thinking at many different levels and with various approaches, and you have the makings of a true talent acquisition battlefield commander.”
Shally Steckerl, VP Arbita ACES

“Jason is one of the most strategic and innovative Recruiting Executives I have had the pleasure of working with and for. Jason is a respected thought leader in the industry and quickly builds credibility and relationships with colleagues, staff, and clients.”
Jackie Moes, Business Development / Consulting, Ameriprise Financial

“Jason stands out as a true leader not only for his organization, but also with his talent acquisition peers across the globe. I have had the privilege to work with Jason on several projects over the last couple of years. Jason is an innovator and highly authentic in his approach to solve large scale strategic challenges. Jason has the innate ability to design and implement complex processes and solutions seemingly with ease. Make sure to follow Jason where you can as he readily shares his tremendous wealth of knowledge!”
Craig Butas, Sr Account Executive – Enterprise Solutions, LinkedIn

“Jason is by far the best executive leader I have worked with in my career. Though we work from different locations (read countries), he always makes me and the team members in India feel that he is very close to us. He is a very caring leader and always ensures the team members are motivated, engaged and happy with the work and challenges. Jason always leads from front when it comes to guiding the team to implement latest technologies and innovations in the field of recruiting. It’s a pleasure to work with a leader like him.”
Amit Babbar (Open Networker), Team Lead – Talent Acquisition, Ameriprise Financial

“Jason is a true visionary. I have worked for him at Allianz and Ameriprise and it has been a pleasure. Jason is always on the cutting edge of what is new in recruiting. I look forward to the opportunity to work with him again.”
Chris Wedum, Senior Recruiting Manager Talent Acquisition and Diversity, Ameriprise Financial

Director, Talent Acquisition
Russell Investment Group

“In the short time that I have worked with Jason, I have experienced his pragmatic and focused approach to evolving Russell’s talent acquisition model. Jason is steady in his approach, highly ratioanle, and customer-centric. I appreciate his attention to details and follow through. He is a Can Do guy.”
Rick Len, Director, Contract Consulting Services, Russell Investment Company

“I have had the opportunity to work with Jason twice over the last few years and can say with confidence that he is a true leader in talent acquisition. Jason has a remarkable ability to gain trust and respect and does this with a calm and assertive manner. He understands how to position his recruiting team to create a collaborative partnership with business lines. Jason highly values his staff members and operates with determination, conviction and the fortitude to see his vision through.”
Emily Sell, Recruitment Consultant, Russell Investment Group

“Jason is a thoughtful, creative and fair manager who allows his team to bring new ideas to the table and act on them. He is able to gather and allocate resources to enable his staff to focus on their core roles.”
Beth Arrisi, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner, Russell Investments

“As a mentor and manager, Jason stands out as an innovative leader. He provides great vision, is down to earth and really listens to his people.”
Lisa Ingle Buttitta, Sr. Recruiter, Russell Investments

“Jason is an outstanding leader to the recruiting team within Russell Investments. He fosters a highly professional and mature work environment based on mutual respect for all people within the group.”
Rob Payne, Talent Aqcuisition Partner – East Coast, Russell Investments

“Since coming to Russell, Jason has brought a ton of great ideas and processes to the recruiting function. Under his leadership, he has redefined the recruiting function and has dramatically changed Russell’s presence in the recruitment market. Jason has a love of technology and isn’t afraid to try new things.”
Rebecca Carlson, HR Project Manager, Russell Investments

“Jason is very effective in managing a Talent Acquisition team and comes highly respected by all executive levels within Russell Investments. He is very knowledgeable and has had great success in developing and implementing a “Best in Class” proactive recruiting organization. Jason offers a broad perspective both tactically and strategically in all aspects in Talent Acquisition/ Management and has been successful in providing direction to meet Russell’s business needs. He is an outstanding manager to work under!”
Marybeth Maino, Recruitment Consultant, Russell Investments

“In working with Jason on website projects for Russell, I found him to always have clarity around his priorities and vision. He provides strong leadership and direction around fundamental aspects of the project while remaining flexible enough to allow the creativity and expertise of others to inform and improve the final outcome. He combines graceful professionalism with an upbeat, lighthearted way of communicating and building relationships. It is a treat to work with Jason.”
Kathryn Wachs, Senior Project Manager – Marketing, The Lux Group, Inc

“Jason was a client during his tenure at CUNA as well as at his current position with Russell Investment Group. It was a pleasure having Jason as a client as he is a strategic thinker and understands how to incorporate technology with his company’s vision resulting in measurable value to his organization. He is very knowledgeable about the space and was a great advocate for us. I would love to have Jason as a client again.”
Nicola Medeira, Sr. Account Manager, Kenexa, Inc (formerly Webhire)

“Jason is dedicated to successfully developing and implementing Talent Acquisition initiatives globally. He is customer focused, and has built a solid foundation for executing strategic hiring goals.”
Amod Damle, College Recruiting Leader, Russell Investment Group

“Jason has elevated our talent acquisition function to a new level of effectiveness and professionalism by implementing best practices and forward-thinking process development. Jason’s customer-focused leadership abilities have contributed significantly to the continued evolution of our HR team.”
Pam Johnson, Manager, Global Mobility, Russell Investment Group

RT @shally Complete this Five Question Survey and Benefit from Study Results http://bit.ly/a9z34z via @ERE_net

Shally “asks you to describe some of your tough to fill job requisitions and what methods you’ve used to fill them. We will compile all the data we gather and will publish our observations on what you tell us works (or doesn’t work) in today’s recruiting environment. Once this survey is complete, anyone who contributed by completing any part of the survey will have access to the full set of results published thus far.”

is only five quick questions, and will take you less than a minute. Please click here to complete it!

• Congressman Paul Ryan: The Tipping Point on Social Security http://bit.ly/9Q7NkN #

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I just love this song after rediscovering it in my collection. The lyrics are outstanding!

Have a great weekend my friends!

For more info on my buddies and a great use of social media to benefit your career and talent searches, check out catalyst.climber.com or call 888-815-9677 – tell them El Dave sent ya!

Do You Pass the Smell Test? Mike & Nick Convey the Sniff ….

What to do at the Interview? You landed the an interview with the company of your dreams. This will help you understand what to do at the interview.

Chrissy McKenzie, Sourcing Partner
Commercial Non-Sales, Operations & Enabling at AstraZeneca
• Linkedin
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Corporate Website
• Community Volunteering: Habitat for Humanity, Haiti Relief, Big Brother Big Sister – Harrisburg PA
• Office: 302-885-4227
• Cell: 610-952-2974
• Personal Email

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?

Chrissy: This is a dynamic figure, but the range for employee referrals is 28% to 35% and 32% to 38% for corporate website.

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

Chrissy: We are unable to accurately measure given the limitation of our ATS. We currently track to the number of landings to our career site. Internet Boards currently have driven the most traffic to our career site.

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?

Chrissy: We are unable to accurately measure given the limitation of our ATS. We currently track to the number of landings to our career site. Postings to key niche sites and search engines have resulted in a lower than average cost per landing.

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

Chrissy: We see key talent targets in Operations/Supply Chain/Engineering, Corporate Functions, Finance, IS architects and project managers, Legal, Intellectual Property, and pharmacists with business acumen.

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

• We currently use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques which serve as effective tools to improve the volume and quality of traffic to a web site. This also improves AZs search relevancy (organic search results).
• A tool effective in building pipelines and keeping potential candidates engaged is the use of a Candidate Relationship Database (CRM). Through segmentation and targeting, AZ employs a communication matrix to connect with key talent targets and potentials.
• MicroSite or Landing Page has been an effective tool to target potentials with critical, niche and difficult to find skill sets. Thus allowing us to appeal to and attract key talent targets with relevant and engaging information specifically for them.
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?

Chrissy: At AstraZeneca, we use a variety of tools globally to build online networks and communities of candidates. Looking at the team as a whole, I feel we have most successfully utilized LinkedIn. LinkedIn has been a great tool that Recruitment Partners and Sourcers have used globally. It’s a tool that we can use to help meet each other half way around the world. I have introduced my peers to great candidates local to their geography and they have done the same for me. Outside of sharing candidates, LinkedIn has been a great source for conversation between each country’s recruitment team based on its searchabilty from google. Sharing search strings and ways to find candidates outside of our networks has been a fun journey. We even have a few shared case studies to show our success and partnerships in working collaboratively with the tool.

(“What’s mine is yours to leave or take..What’s mine is yours to make your own” – The Fray, Look After You)

Six Degrees: What tools did you first encounter early in your recruitment career?

Chrissy: This is a great question. As for tools, when I first started out, my only tool was my “attitude”. Let me explain what I mean. When I first began recruiting, we didn’t have much in the way of technology. It might have been out there, but the company that I was working for was old school and didn’t purchase much. LinkedIn was new and the company that I was working for couldn’t afford AIRS certifications for everyone. Sure we had Zoom and Hovers but really that was only to kick start the process. Basically, I listened to the guy at the desk next to me make a few calls on my first day as an official Recruiter. I became bored just listening and picked up the phone. Yes, the first few calls were brutal, but I found a balance between polite and direct and it worked. I watched what others were doing online and copied it. I read articles on sourcing and asked a ton of questions. It was my goal to learn something, anything, new each day. Believe it or not, I think this was a great way to start out in the industry. Was it difficult to find people? Yes, at times, however it taught me to be resourceful with very little available information. It also taught me how to have great verbal conversations with candidates. In today’s times, it can be so easy to communicate through email and text messages without even picking up the phone. Picking up the phone and making the exchange past an internet conversation personal is really what I believe recruiting is all about. I can type until I am blue in the face…I can use CAPS and exclamation points to show passion in my writing but you are still missing the tone and reflection in my voice. These are things that I look for in conversations with candidates. Voice tone, a pause, even rambling can say a lot without having to be specific. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for all of the technology we have today. Our “upgraded” way of recruiting has allowed me to reach my time to fill goals much faster than ever before. It has also allowed me to have great telephone and face to face conversations with many more candidates. I believe it was my genuine interest in recruiting and my attitude that I was going to make it happen that helped me to find the foundation of being a recruiter.

(“I’m feelin’ good from my head to my shoes…Know where I’m goin’ and I know what to do..I tidied up my point of view…I got a new attitude” – Patty LaBelle, New Attitude)

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?

Chrissy: The first time I picked up the phone I dialed with confidence. There was no script available (who needs one anyway, this is easy!) I had everything I needed: a list of names and telephone numbers that were previously sourced and the job description. When the person on the other line answered, all of my confidence went right out the window. As I mentioned, I had listened to a few calls and thought it seemed “easy”. Luckily, I was listening to a talented recruiter that had a lot to share. The call went something like this:

Candidate: Hello?
Me: Hello?
Candidate: Who is this?
Me: Ummmm, My name is Chrissy and I have an opportunity to share with you. Do you have a few minutes to spend with me to learn more?
Candidate: Thanks but I am not interested
Me: Ummmm
Candidate: *click*

I actually sat holding the phone in place so long that the dial tone began to beep in my ear. What had just happened? That’s not what happens to the guy at the desk next to me that was now laughing hysterically at me! So I hung up and asked him to show me again. This time, I really paid attention. I took notes. The next call went something like this:

Candidate: Hello?
Me: Hello, My name is Chrissy, I am calling from ABC on behalf of DEF. Are you licensed with your Series 6 and 63?
Candidate: Yes I am, why do you ask?
Me: Great, I am working on an opportunity that you could be a match for.
Candidate: Thanks but I am not interested in making a change.
Me: How do you know what you are saying no to until you hear me out? If no next steps are gained from this call, at the very least, you will know a bit more about your role at a competitor.
Candidate: Okay, what is it….

I looked up and saw the nod of approval from my new mentor and knew I had found my groove. That first year I placed over 150 people for my client.

(“Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah, yeah..Show ‘em how we do it now” Peaches and Herb, Shake Your Groove Thing)

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

Chrissy McKenzie: A lousy practice where I was a victim comes to mind. It’s actually really funny. Well, it was for me at least. Before joining AstraZeneca, I interviewed with a large well known staffing firm for a Recruiter /Business Development role. The interview process was quite intense. There was a multiple choice test, a panel interview, a one on one interview, a 30-60-90 day paper due and a case study type situation. I made it through the first 4 levels of the process leaving the final case study to complete. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in the case study but at that point I wasn’t about to give up and let the process win. I was taken to the bull pen and introduced to the guy that drove the yellow Ferrari parked out front. I guess that was supposed to be inspiring? The office manager sat me down at the next desk and placed a phone in-front of me. It became clear that the case study was about making live calls while the manager listened in. Fine – whatever. I was given a list of names in my right hand and told to call the first person and pitch them the job description that I was now holding in my left hand. You could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet. The hiring manager had smirk on his face showing his complete happiness in making others uncomfortable. I picked up the phone and dialed the first number. Long story short, the “candidate” had just resigned and joined another organization. Instead of hanging up as instructed, I put the job description down and started talking to the guy. Where are you going? What type of business is it? Where is it located? I could tell the hiring manager was getting irritated because “time was money” as he had already mentioned a few times. By the time I hung up, I had the candidates new information, including his new managers name and contact information. The company he was going to was local, and they were hiring. Based on the relationship I was able to quickly build with the candidate, he asked for my name so he could recommend that his new boss reach out to me for their hiring needs. Seeing as I didn’t have a desk or my own line, I gave him the hiring managers information. He also provided a few referrals that were keeping their options open. I added them to the name list. When I hung up, the hiring manager quickly said: “That Never Happens!” to which I responded: “Apparently it does.” He offered me the job and I declined it on the spot. It felt great to know that I could still perform well in a high pressure situation, but I knew that negative environment wasn’t for me. As I walked out, I kinda felt bad for the guy with the Ferrari. Sometimes, it just not worth it.

(“Can call all you want but there’s no one home, you’re not gonna reach my telephone” – Lady Gaga, Telephone)

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.

Chrissy: I think the best way to facilitate change is to lead by example. Successful results are hard to argue with. No one is perfect. No one recruiter will have the perfect candidate for every role given to them every single time. Which in a way is good. Think about it. If someone is perfect, they are almost impossible to follow. Following someone that is perfect is like playing a game with a person that never lets you win. Sure the competitive piece is fun, but after a while it gets discouraging and boring. There is always going to be someone more strategic, faster, more networked..whatever..then you are. Learn from them and share your learning’s with others. In the war for talent, it’s much better to show up at the battle with a team then alone.

(“In a New York minute…everything can change…” – Don Henley, In a New York Minute)

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

Chrissy: I am learning from my MBA classes that I am what is termed a “soft skill” person. Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person’s “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces. Soft skills are also defined as ones personal management skills such as attitudes and behaviors that drive one’s potential for growth and team work skills. Honestly, at first I was in denial when I learned this about myself. I thought that meant weak, non-strategic and/or analytical. How could I be a sourcer and not be strongest in strategy and analytics?! How embarrassing for me! But the more I thought about it, the more I noticed that this is in fact my style. The best practice that comes to mind is more of a soft skill example. I have a rule for myself. Whenever I receive a voicemail, I call whomever it is back within 24 hours. Whenever I receive a resume, I follow up within 24 -48 hours. I respond to those that reach out to me via LinkedIn, on Twitter and other social networks that I am a part of. I provide honest feedback to those that want to hear it. I help those that I can by at least sharing their interest with someone that might be able to help when I personally can not. Why? It helps people and in turn, people usually help me as well. People know I am not going to leave them hanging. We live in such a small world, and even smaller by industry. I can’t tell you how many calls I receive weekly from candidates that start like this: “A colleague of mine suggested I reach out to you to introduce myself…” To me, that is a win. I may not place either of these people in my organization, but my personal brand has grown successfully. My network isn’t made up of “names”. It’s made up of people. Let’s face it. Recruiters have a lot of the same names in their databases, especially for niche roles. There are only so many people at the top of the talent pools. When a top talent candidate gets two calls from two recruiters, they might call both back. They should call both back. But in the end, the chances are strong that they are going to go with the one they trust has their best interest and the company’s best interest in mind. Anyone can make a cold call. It’s the warm call that takes talent.

(“Call me on the line, call me, call me anytime”, Blondie, Call Me)

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

Chrissy: In general, often times people pin the saying: “You are only as good as your last search” on Recruiters. I could understand this if Recruiting was a “job” but I see it as a “career”. It’s like saying I love visiting Disney World but I had to wait in line recently so I am never going back.

(“Cuz we lost it all, nothing lasts forever, I’m sorry I can’t be perfect” – Simple Plan, Perfect)

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

Chrissy: The absence of feedback from hiring managers and candidates. At times, when we miss feedback from either party, our role as a Recruiter becomes that much harder. From a hiring manager perspective: pausing for a moment to provide better information can aid in our research to find the right candidates. From a candidate perspective: letting us know why, if you are not interested, can open the door to the next conversation for the right role. We are experts in recruiting, not always in the daily minutiae of the roles that we are recruiting for. At times, we don’t know what we don’t know. And that can lead to unsuccessful results.

(“Oh, let the walls burn down, set your secrets free, You can break their bounds, cause you’re safe with me” – Stevie Nicks, Talk to Me)

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?

Chrissy: What inspires me? What doesn’t inspire me these days! Recruiting today is completely different then it was pre social media and social networking. I enjoyed recruiting back when information was less available and I even more so enjoy it now that there is an overload of information available. Recruiting isn’t cut and dry. There isn’t one strategy that has been used year after year. It is consistently reinventing itself. We are reinventing it. When I think about Recruiting, I picture it as a large table top puzzle. Many pieces have been put in place and those pieces hold the foundation. There is a picture forming as we are connecting pieces over time, but it’s still a mystery what the puzzle will exactly look like when completed. You can use your imagination to create what the end result will look like, but there are still pieces of the puzzle that we will need to “earn” over time. In most cases, the past predicts the future. I like believing that the best is yet to come. I like talking to people and positively impacting their careers. I like hearing candidates smile over the phone when I share their successful interview results. I like attending our year end meetings and seeing the employees I recruited win awards and be acknowledged for the contributions they brought to our organization. I like continuing to network with employees that I recruited in the hallways, in the café and in meetings at work. I could go on and on…but I think it’s clear that I honestly enjoy getting up every day and working as a Recruiter. I have a sense of pride for the work that I do. In the end, regardless if you are great at your job, whatever job that might be, that’s what I believe to be most important.

(“You should know, everywhere I go, Always on my mind, in my heart, In my soul” – Chicago, You’re the Inspiration)

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

Chrissy: There are many things that I hope to accomplish in and after 2010. One in particular would be starting my own blog. I plan to do so after completing my MBA in December. I read a lot and I have learned a lot from reading…and I am pretty sure I have enough to say. Until then, the rest is still unwritten.

Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug?

Chrissy: Visit the Astra Zeneca Careers Universe!
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/AstrazenecaCareers
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AstraZenecaJobs
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/astrazenecacareers
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Jobs Site: http ://jobs.astrazeneca.com
CRM: Candidate/Prospect Relationship Database

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

Chrissy: I don’t expect to change anything alone. I plan to remain flexible with change, to continue to try new things with an open mind and to share what I have learned with everyone that will listen. I promise not to ever take myself too seriously but continue to do the best job that I can every day for the business that I am employed by, myself, my peers and my candidates.

(“If you need a friend, don’t look to a stranger, You know in the end, I’ll always be there” – When In Rome, The Promise)

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