shannonsmedstad

Real Life Lessons I Learned (the Hard Way) from My Mom

Before I begin, there are a few things I’d like for you to know about my mom. She raised four kids of her own and then in her early 50s, adopted a baby girl who is now four. She’s a full-time LPN (which she says stands for the Low Paid Nurse), loves the Beatles and [...]

May 13, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Building Your Street Cred When You’re the New Recruiter on the Block

by shannonsmedstad

Monday nights at 9 pm ET, there is a great Twitter community that comes alive for #internpro, hosted by @YouTern. We network, share some laughs and above all, provide meaningful career advice to Gen Y and one another. This past week, the topic was on credibility as a young professional. A few days later, I [...]

May 6, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Recruiting is NOT a Transaction, it’s an Interaction

by shannonsmedstad

Several years ago, I listened to a senior leader from a major corporation speak on the importance of providing exceptional customer service. He stated something to the effect of customer service is not a transaction, it’s an interaction, and each interaction has the ability to attract and retain customers. Or, conversely the ability to put [...]

April 29, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

It’s Earth Day: Easy Ways to Be Green at Work

by shannonsmedstad

I’ve always been a little crunchy: my family composts, we have a rain barrel, I use my own bags at the grocery store and I’m a fanatic about turning off the lights. Working from home for the past seven years as enabled me to reduce my carbon footprint, too. Every little bit counts, but I [...]

April 22, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

How to Send an Annoying Email

by shannonsmedstad

The first time I sent an email was in 1995. I was a freshman in college at Shippensburg University and had to go to the campus computer lab and “telnet to the arc.” Remember those days? Anyway, the point is email has been around for nearly 20 years. Therefore you would think that 21st century [...]

April 15, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Video, Vine, Social Campaigning: One Grad’s Quest to Land a Job

by shannonsmedstad

Billboards. Sandwich boards. Ebay. Amazon. Once in a while, a job seeker does something so wildly different that it draws much attention to him- or herself. Then amidst the media attention, some of these non-traditional tactics end up working. But, why do some people go to such extremes to be seen in the first place? [...]

April 10, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Tuning In To Life Outside of Your Bubble

by shannonsmedstad

In our 24/7, global world of information overload, it’s sort of ironic that we can still find ourselves living in our own little bubbles. I find that there is so much going on with work and life, that I sometimes lose touch with what’s going on outside of my work-at-home-mom-world. Sure, I have LinkedIn, Twitter [...]

April 8, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Up Your Cool Factor with 21st Century Resume Tips

by shannonsmedstad

True or false? There is an abundance of resume advice available online. True or false? There are many ways to receive feedback on your resume at no cost. True or false? There are still too many job seekers who have terrible resumes. True, true and, yes, true. How did you do? There’s been some debate in [...]

April 1, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Why You Want to Hire SWANs

by shannonsmedstad

Before working at GEICO, I was employed by a Bethesda, Maryland-based association that served the finance profession. While there, I wore several hats: compensation analyst, employee relations, HR training and recruiter. Of all the aspects that I was responsible for, I loved recruiting best! The association was made up of a lean team of 60 [...]

March 25, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Sneaking in Some Workplace Fitness

by shannonsmedstad

Exercise. Watch your diet. We’ve all heard it, for years. Research by the University of Australia* should scare the bejeezus out of all of us, stating that the sedentary lifestyle of sitting at work all day with little to no physical exertion increases our risk of dying of all causes. Yet, when your day goes [...]

March 17, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Some Great Recruiters are Born. Others are Made.

by shannonsmedstad

Some great recruiters are born, but others can be made … and we all have opportunities to improve. If you are looking for ways to become better at your profession, I say, “Kudos to you!” But, where to start? With more than 11 million search results on Google for “how to be a better recruiter,” [...]

March 11, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

The Power of an Unexpected Thank You

by shannonsmedstad

They say that a job well done is its own reward, but still you should know how much your hard work means to those around you. Thanks for doing such a good job. That little Hallmark saying was on a card that a colleague of mine recently received from his senior vice president (and direct [...]

March 3, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Social Media Week in NYC: Breaking Down the #smw140resume Event

by shannonsmedstad

Social Media Week 2013 Talks Twitter for the Job Search NBC. NPR. The Daily Muse. Mashable. AppNexus. WOW! What a lineup of organizations … all on one stage to serve up some job hunting advice with a twist of social media. And, in the audience – eager to devour their insights – many job seekers, minglers, employers and even some of our very [...]

February 25, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

Before You Quit Your Job, Have an Exit Plan

by shannonsmedstad

Remember the dot-com crash? Soon after, I upped and quit my job. I was working for base-plus-commission at a boutique recruiting firm and couldn’t take the sales cycle or rejection any longer. Then, while my boss was on vacation, I called and quit. For many years after, I regretted how my 23-year-old self handled things. So, [...]

February 17, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

The One Question Your Resume Must Answer

by shannonsmedstad

Resumes are a dime a dozen, so making yours stand out is of great importance. You may think that filling your resume with a head shot, industry buzz words or graphics will capture a recruiter’s attention, but in reality, it may just get your resume thrown to the bottom of the pile. Creating an attention-grabbing resume [...]

February 11, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

The Secret Lives of Work at Home Moms

by shannonsmedstad

It’s been seven years since I first began working at home. Back in 2006, I did not have children and working from home was much simpler. Today, I am a work-at-home mom (WAHM) of two beautiful, energetic daughters (ages five and one), who is also fortunate to be employed, full-time, by a major U.S. corporation. [...]

February 3, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

How the New Facebook Graph Could Benefit Recruiters

by shannonsmedstad

I was on the waiting list for the new Facebook Graph Search feature. This week, the Beta version went live on my profile and I am trying really hard to figure it out. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to be conducive to actually searching the expansive online world of Facebook. Though the more I play around [...]

January 28, 2013 CONTINUE READING THIS POST →

2013 HR and Recruiting Conference Preview

by shannonsmedstad

Download a copy of the 2013 HR and Recruiting conference list as a pdf by clicking here. HR and Recruiting Conferences in 2013 While this is not meant to be an all-encompassing list, it is a good starting place for individuals interested in attending a conference or two this New Year. Social Recruiting Strategies Conference [...]