We all hear about “persistence pays off” and “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”. We are told to be persistent about what we want and if we really try hard enough, we’ll get it. But at whose expense? And when is it time to let go and move on?

I’ve recently come in contact with someone who wants to sell me something. This is something I’ve been thinking about buying for some time, but have taken my time because I want to be sure it is right.  I’m usually an impulse buyer (bad, I know), but this is different because it pertains to my work. So, I’ve been looking at this particular product from a new company that seems on the up and up, even though they are brand new to this market.

As I was quietly browsing online, I decided to send an email with a question. Big mistake. It started an endless stream of emails, phone calls, and more emails to try and entice me to buy. The first few emails I didn’t mind, but now it’s become a hassle. I don’t like to be rude and I don’t like hurting anyone’s feelings, because he seems like a nice fellow. So, I’ve told him gently in my emails that I wanted to think on it some more. Still, the emails haven’t stopped. Oh, the emails, the emails. Please STOP!

Now, I don’t want the dang thing anymore, I just want him to lose my email address. With his constant persistence, he has lost my sale. Not only did he lose my sale on that one product, but I will never go to the site AGAIN. Why would I chance the month’s worth of emails and aggravation?

So, when is persistence too much? When is it too much during the job search/interview process? How many times should you call the HR person/recruiter? I’ve been asked this a lot. I think post interview follow up is an excellent thing. Post interview stalking is completely different. You really only need to call once. Twice is pushing it. Chances are, they DID NOT lose your phone number/email/address, etc. They will call you when they are ready. Believe it or not, they do have other things to do in their daily work life. Sales clients tend to think, ‘if I pester them to death, they will know how great I will be in the sales position’. Ix-nay that idea. It will work against you.

I know all about impatience and just wanting to know. I am terribly impatient and tend to hurry things along to get to the prize. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to sit back and wait for things. They usually always appear. So, rest assured, if you are the candidate they want, they will call. It might not be in your timeline, but they will call.

Wow. In a matter of a week, we lost four icons. To lose two in one day was even stranger. I was on Twitter each time I found out who had passed. It isn’t that I am on Twitter all that much. The kick of it is the news spread so far and wide and fast, that I heard it on Twitter first, then saw it on MSN.
I am amazed at the impact and the reach Twitter and other social network sites have on our society and even, our politics and the politics of other nations— so much so, that the State Department asked Twitter to NOT do a scheduled maintenance so that the lines of communication would stay open for Iranian citizens protesting the Iran election. Seriously.
As a rule, I stay away from news channels on TV. I don’t need to hear every death, every fight, every politician slamming each other, or worse, getting caught with their pants down, as it seems to be the norm lately (for Pete’s sake, keep it in your pants or get a divorce!).  Now it seems I can’t keep it away from me. Twitter is inundated with news. I admit, sometimes I am grateful for it. I probably wouldn’t even have known that any of the 4 had died as quickly as I did if it wasn’t talked about and “retweeted” repeatedly.
The upside to all of this is that Twitter, Facebook and all the others can work for us as well. Promoting your book, product or business? “Tweet it”. Looking for work? Post it on Facebook. With the power of viral marketing you can reach thousands of people in an instant. Talk about amazement. Gone are the days of spending hundreds of dollars on paper, ink, and stamps to get your message out. Now you can do it in a single tweet.

Brand New Web Site                                           

I have been MIA lately… it’s not that I haven’t wanted to blog, I really have, it’s just that I’ve been doing something really exciting and had to wait until it was completed until I could blog again. It was worth the wait.
I launched a new website.

It’s been a long time coming.

For those of you who had to double check what you spelled when you realized the page you were on looked nothing like my old site, it really is the same company, Professional Résumé Services.
We’ve improved!!
I’ve had a vision in my head for a long time of what I wanted my new site to look like, but kept putting it off because it seemed like a lot of work, time, money, effort, work, time, time, time…
Then I met Carl Chapman.
Not only is Carl an SEO expert, designer and all around nice guy, but he also creates very cool websites. I took a look at a couple of sites he’s created and thought… SOLD! He has made this a very painless process and took over all of the work I thought I’d have to do (my old web host really didn’t do a thing for me except charge me a lot each month in fees—buh bye!). I like not having to think all of the time on what I could be doing to improve my site. We are all busy, so you can relate. I’ve never delegated a thing in my life. But hiring Carl has been wonderful. Ahhhhh.
So, now I have this new website that showcases what I offer, is fun to look at, and easy to maneuver through. Plus, I’ve been able to add things to the site I always wanted and it has allowed me to expand my product and services offerings.
Having said that, I hope you stop by my site and let me know what you think of it.


Here is the link:     https://exclusive-executive-resumes.com
Until next time…

Interview with a Recruiter

Recently, I had the pleasure of having a conversation with a smart, straight-talking recruiter, Peggy McKee.
Peggy McKee is the owner of PHC Consulting. Her firm specializes in matching medical and laboratory sales reps/candidates with companies, and does so with great success. Despite the economic downturn, Peggy’s company has flourished and she’s had to hire additional staff to meet the placement demands. With her strong understanding of the medical sales industry, interviewing and hiring, she’s helped develop teams of top sales talent for laboratory service companies.
Having my clients in mind, I asked Peggy several questions about her recruiting process, what is important to her regarding hiring the right candidates, her thoughts on résumés, and more. I’ve wanted to “officially” interview a recruiter for a while because of the number of questions I get from my clients about what recruiters look for.
Our conversation went something like this:
EK: “Peggy, where do you find your candidates? Do they come looking for you? Do you recruit them? How does it work?”
PM:     “40-50% of candidates come straight to my website (www.phcconsulting.com). The other half is split between referrals, direct soliciting and social networking. “
EK: “Are candidates are expected to pay you?”
PM: “Absolutely not. Candidates should never pay a recruiter. Companies pay the recruiter for the placement. That’s how it works.”
EK: “It seems like I remember way back when some candidates had to pay the recruiter a percentage or a fee for the placement. I’m glad to know it’s not like that anymore… at least not with all recruiters.”
EK: “So you use some of the professional and social network sites to find talent?”
PM: “Definitely. I use LinkedIn and Twitter to find candidates by typing in keywords, names, titles, searches, groups, etc.”
EK: “And you’ve had good luck going that route? I’ve heard LinkedIn is really a great platform to find top talent. I tell my clients about it all the time.”
PM: “Yes, I use it all the time and love it.”
EK: “OK, let’s talk résumés. Do you have any pet peeves? What are your likes and dislikes? What do you like to see or not see?”
PM: “Well, I want to see 3 things:  how can you make me money?… how can you save me money?.. and how can you save me time? This is what the client wants to know, so this is what I look for.  I don’t like to read long paragraphs. I prefer bullets. I like to see experiences and accomplishments. Love to see numbers, rankings, percentages, etc.”
EK: “Just bullets? Ugh. Boring. I tend to stay away from just bullets. It looks like a grocery list. Numbers are great. Especially in sales résumés… definitely a must.”
PM: “No, I like the bullets. Paragraphs are too long. And yes, numbers are great and show me what they are capable of doing. “
EK: “OK. What about cover letters?”
PM: “I don’t like them, but I have to add that if you are going to write one BE BOLD! Don’t worry about “expectations”. Write something interesting!
EK: “I agree. Nothing worse than a canned cover letter. Make it as authentically YOU as possible.”
EK: “Any last thoughts about the résumé or cover letter?”
PM: “Have your references ready. Bring them to the interview. Have a clear and focused objective on your résumé so we don’t have to guess.  Be ready to answer “tough” questions at the interview. Don’t shy away from them. Be honest.”
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Peggy was so fun and enlightening to talk to that I look forward to continuing this conversation and bringing you more insight.
In the meantime, if you want to get in touch with Peggy McKee and help her celebrate her 10th year in business, you can go to her website or visit at www.phcconsulting.com.