I know 2 waitresses working in the same restaurant. They are both pleasant, outgoing, and efficient at their jobs.
One waitress receives a 20% tip and the other waitress receives a 40% tip. What is the difference between these two seemingly similar servers and their respective tip amounts?
The 20% waitress sails away to her other tables once she has a paid bill. She is appreciative, says all the right things and appears genuinely thankful. But she is gone like an airplane off a sinking carrier ship in the mid-Atlantic ocean.
The 40% waitress stays in service mood even after the bill is paid. She refreshes drinks, cleans off paper debris, and brings new napkins, drops off ice in clean glasses, handy-wipes, and the occasional breath mint and toothpick in rip-proof plastic warp. She drops-off to-go cups with fresh drinks and straws.
All this happens without a single word from me.
Beyond my initial order the 40% waitress delivers great service without my input - even after the bill is paid.
I can only guess the amount of forethought, mental planning or training this waitress has undertaken to increase her added value and the bottom line for her company and herself.
The difference is these waitresses is simple. They close the loop at different times.
The 20% waitress closes the loop promptly and efficiently at the time the bill is paid. Her thinking or training has her convinced more effort at my table would be an inefficient use of her time.
The 40% waitress knows the loop closes only when I leave the building.
The 40% waitress proves each and every visit that her added service generates more revenue, too. Dessert to-go always sounds better after being taken care of without prompting.
Know when to close the loop and act accordingly!
Dirk Spencer Recruiter
Dirk Spencer Creator of Resume Psychology
Dirk in Dallas Twitter.Com http://twitter.com/DirkinDallas
Dirk Spencer Group Manager Resume Psychology LinkedIn.Com (http://tinyurl.com/c3zcpy)
Dirk Spencer LION – LinkedIn.Com
Dirk Spencer DFWTRN.Org Member
Dirk Spencer AIRS Trained
Dirk Spencer Cyber Sleuth
Dirk Spencer 150+ Experts on Twitter ALL Job Seekers MUST Follow http://tinyurl.com/mdydcn
Podcasts
– http://tinyurl.com/qmzcpp (Radio Interview - April 18th)
– http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7 (Your Digital Footprint - MBBC CTN Speaker Panel)
Dirk Spencer ©
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Your Digit Footprint – The Fast Five – Amazon Notes
MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church (MBBC) Career Transition Network (CTN) in Irving, Texas had a 5 panel presentation on career search in early May.
There were 80+ people in attendance. It was a great turn out. They recorded the whole program including the Q&A session.
The full audio is loaded on the MBBC web page. Find the Career Transition Network (CTN) image on the front page and click it to find the bios and the podcast. Great information on networking, career transition, and having a marketing plan.
These are my notes on Amazon.
Amazon! This is the biggest bang for the buck on your name and it you get to help Amazon and authors selling more books. Win-Win.
The method? Critique books. Review books. Promote books.
Here is the but - do it in a positive, productive, and enlightened fashion.
Do it in a way that demonstrates your knowledge on the subject, the author, the industry.
Before becoming a recruiter and needing to teach this stuff I wrote about origami books on Amazon. As an enthusiast I didn’t care why a book sucked. I cared why you would buy a book.
This helps sell more origami books. More books sold would mean more books get written…and the cycle repeats itself. Yea origami.
Do what I did – accidentally or not – find something worth sharing. Find the up-side. Find something to recommend in the book.
I would find a great picture, diagram or model - something to make the book worth owning or borrowing. You do the same thing in your space.
Do not be the crank that complains about the short-comings of a book – even if the criticism is accurate. Do not be the crank that piles on about how bad the book is.
We do not want to work with cranks and guess what? We don’t hire cranks either.
Write something that promotes the book via your insights to the profession.
If it is a really bad book – find a different book.
The goal is to showcase your knowledge and by doing so infer your commitment to the profession. This is the first trick to using Amazon for your digital footprint.
The second trick with Amazon is the same trick with writing recommendations on LinkedIn – include your name, job title, and contact information. That’s it.
Since Amazon is not a meta-site you can space out the phone number and use periods between the area code, prefix, and exchange.
Yes - Spell out the @ symbol with (AT) and spell out the period using (DOT) if you are worried about spam…but include this information.
If Amazon sells products related to your space and you can write something to the up-side and reviews those products, do it.
How does any of this help your digital footprint?
The search engines index Amazon like it was its own sub-set of the Internet. Amazon allows this because it allows for viral marketing of their products (books).
You benefit by viral promotion.
That is the fast five – it should be your minimum start for creating Your Digital Footprint.
Dirk Spencer - Recruiter
Dirk Spencer – Creator of Resume Psychology
DirkinDallas – Twitter.ComResume
Psychology Group – LinkedIn.ComLION – LinkedIn.Com
Member of DFWTRN.Org
AIRS Trained
Cyber Sleuth
Podcasts
– http://tinyurl.com/qmzcpp (Radio Interview - April 18th)
– http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7 (Your Digital Footprint - Podcast MBBC CTN)
© Dirk Spencer
There were 80+ people in attendance. It was a great turn out. They recorded the whole program including the Q&A session.
The full audio is loaded on the MBBC web page. Find the Career Transition Network (CTN) image on the front page and click it to find the bios and the podcast. Great information on networking, career transition, and having a marketing plan.
These are my notes on Amazon.
Amazon! This is the biggest bang for the buck on your name and it you get to help Amazon and authors selling more books. Win-Win.
The method? Critique books. Review books. Promote books.
Here is the but - do it in a positive, productive, and enlightened fashion.
Do it in a way that demonstrates your knowledge on the subject, the author, the industry.
Before becoming a recruiter and needing to teach this stuff I wrote about origami books on Amazon. As an enthusiast I didn’t care why a book sucked. I cared why you would buy a book.
This helps sell more origami books. More books sold would mean more books get written…and the cycle repeats itself. Yea origami.
Do what I did – accidentally or not – find something worth sharing. Find the up-side. Find something to recommend in the book.
I would find a great picture, diagram or model - something to make the book worth owning or borrowing. You do the same thing in your space.
Do not be the crank that complains about the short-comings of a book – even if the criticism is accurate. Do not be the crank that piles on about how bad the book is.
We do not want to work with cranks and guess what? We don’t hire cranks either.
Write something that promotes the book via your insights to the profession.
If it is a really bad book – find a different book.
The goal is to showcase your knowledge and by doing so infer your commitment to the profession. This is the first trick to using Amazon for your digital footprint.
The second trick with Amazon is the same trick with writing recommendations on LinkedIn – include your name, job title, and contact information. That’s it.
Since Amazon is not a meta-site you can space out the phone number and use periods between the area code, prefix, and exchange.
Yes - Spell out the @ symbol with (AT) and spell out the period using (DOT) if you are worried about spam…but include this information.
If Amazon sells products related to your space and you can write something to the up-side and reviews those products, do it.
How does any of this help your digital footprint?
The search engines index Amazon like it was its own sub-set of the Internet. Amazon allows this because it allows for viral marketing of their products (books).
You benefit by viral promotion.
That is the fast five – it should be your minimum start for creating Your Digital Footprint.
Dirk Spencer - Recruiter
Dirk Spencer – Creator of Resume Psychology
DirkinDallas – Twitter.ComResume
Psychology Group – LinkedIn.ComLION – LinkedIn.Com
Member of DFWTRN.Org
AIRS Trained
Cyber Sleuth
Podcasts
– http://tinyurl.com/qmzcpp (Radio Interview - April 18th)
– http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7 (Your Digital Footprint - Podcast MBBC CTN)
© Dirk Spencer
Your Digital Footprint - Podcast from MBBC CTN
http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7
The link to the podcast is in the middle of the page between the speaker list and speaker biographies.
This was part of a five panel presentation at the MacArthur Blvd Baptist Church (MBBC) in Irving, Texas.
They sponsor the Career Transition Network (CTN).
Thanks you Hilanne Myers and Sandra Skrepnek for the invitation. Y
Your Digital Footprint is the first presentation.
Dirk Spencer - RecruiterDirk Spencer – Creator of Resume PsychologyDirkinDallas – Twitter.ComResume Psychology Group – LinkedIn.ComLION – LinkedIn.Com
Member of DFWTRN.Org
AIRS Trained Cyber Sleuth
Podcasts
– http://tinyurl.com/qmzcpp (Radio Interview - April 18th)
– http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7 (Your Digital Footprint - MBBC CTN Speaker Panel)
The link to the podcast is in the middle of the page between the speaker list and speaker biographies.
This was part of a five panel presentation at the MacArthur Blvd Baptist Church (MBBC) in Irving, Texas.
They sponsor the Career Transition Network (CTN).
Thanks you Hilanne Myers and Sandra Skrepnek for the invitation. Y
Your Digital Footprint is the first presentation.
Dirk Spencer - RecruiterDirk Spencer – Creator of Resume PsychologyDirkinDallas – Twitter.ComResume Psychology Group – LinkedIn.ComLION – LinkedIn.Com
Member of DFWTRN.Org
AIRS Trained Cyber Sleuth
Podcasts
– http://tinyurl.com/qmzcpp (Radio Interview - April 18th)
– http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7 (Your Digital Footprint - MBBC CTN Speaker Panel)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Flair VS Facts – Writing Resume Content
Joe Friday was a character on a TV show called Drag Net. His character’s catch phrase was “just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.”
Make “just the facts” your mantra while building resume content. Repeat this statement over and over out loud or internally. Do this to focus your attention. Do this to drown out doubt. Do this to limit self-deception. Do this to minimize distractions. Do it to harness the power of your mind by directing the activity in your brain.
Marketing is about flair, flash and hyperbolic language. Marketing is about getting attention with vague details and creating enough interest to generate a sale.
The resume is not a marketing document any more, if it ever was.
My proof? Ask yourself this question – is your next manager, boss, or co-worker going to request an interview based on vague details and a general interest about your background?
Do these people have the time to waste on interviews for the “maybe” candidate?
What do you think wins offers? Facts or Flair?
Dirk Spencer - RecruiterDirk Spencer – Creator of Resume PsychologyDirkinDallas – Twitter.ComResume Psychology Group – LinkedIn.ComLION – LinkedIn.ComMember of DFWTRN.OrgAIRS TrainedCyber Sleuth
Podcasts
– http://tinyurl.com/qmzcpp (Radio Interview - April 18th)
– http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7 (Your Digital Footprint - MBBC CTN Speaker Panel)
Make “just the facts” your mantra while building resume content. Repeat this statement over and over out loud or internally. Do this to focus your attention. Do this to drown out doubt. Do this to limit self-deception. Do this to minimize distractions. Do it to harness the power of your mind by directing the activity in your brain.
Marketing is about flair, flash and hyperbolic language. Marketing is about getting attention with vague details and creating enough interest to generate a sale.
The resume is not a marketing document any more, if it ever was.
My proof? Ask yourself this question – is your next manager, boss, or co-worker going to request an interview based on vague details and a general interest about your background?
Do these people have the time to waste on interviews for the “maybe” candidate?
What do you think wins offers? Facts or Flair?
Dirk Spencer - RecruiterDirk Spencer – Creator of Resume PsychologyDirkinDallas – Twitter.ComResume Psychology Group – LinkedIn.ComLION – LinkedIn.ComMember of DFWTRN.OrgAIRS TrainedCyber Sleuth
Podcasts
– http://tinyurl.com/qmzcpp (Radio Interview - April 18th)
– http://tinyurl.com/r7hlh7 (Your Digital Footprint - MBBC CTN Speaker Panel)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Today - The Resume is the Interview
Anyone who believes they can use the resume to tease a hiring manager or recruiter into scheduling an interview is working with bad information.
In this day and time of instant messaging, email, on-demand movies, and Twitter people do NOT expect to be teased by a document called a resume.
Managers, recruiters, and HR professionals are overwhelmed. Their day is tied up doing lots of other duties given the lack of budgets and support staff. You may have heard about the layoffs and economic turn down happening in the country?
Given this environment the people reading and reviewing resumes have long moved past the concept of being intrigued by a resume!
Think back to your own life and options for services.
Do you go to the doctor, mechanic, or discount-retailer who “hints” at their credentials, experience, inventory, or pricing structures?
How many of us do shopping by surprise for our clothes or random doctor visits hoping for a relevant cure?
Why would anyone believe positioning for a job via a resume would allow for less transparency than the consumer market place?
The idea that somehow candidates can tease the reader of their resume into scheduling an “interview” is absurd.
Time is so precious. People will only interview candidates who have proven their relevance and fitness for duty in a cogently written resume.
Think about it – would you interview someone who is not clearly in the running?
Do you think the interview is ever wasted on people who do not meet the minimum standards for being hired?
It is critical that your resume communicates crisply, concisely, and thoroughly how you delivered results. This is done by sharing the “how” – How-To, How-Many, How-Much, How-Frequently and also showcases your communication abilities as well.
Realize the amount of free consulting on the Internet, vendor web pages, white papers, and online books makes any “free” consulting given away by a detailed resume a retarded argument.
Candidates must communicate their scale, and breadth of knowledge and abilities in ways people can appreciate – proving your value in the real time of reading your resume.
Today - the resume is the interview.
Dirk Spencer
Recruiter / Speaker Resume Psychology
- DirkinDallas – Twitter.Com
- Resume Psychology Group – LinkedIn.Com
- LION – LinkedIn.Com
- Member of DFWTRN.Org
- AIRS Trained
- Cyber Sleuth
In this day and time of instant messaging, email, on-demand movies, and Twitter people do NOT expect to be teased by a document called a resume.
Managers, recruiters, and HR professionals are overwhelmed. Their day is tied up doing lots of other duties given the lack of budgets and support staff. You may have heard about the layoffs and economic turn down happening in the country?
Given this environment the people reading and reviewing resumes have long moved past the concept of being intrigued by a resume!
Think back to your own life and options for services.
Do you go to the doctor, mechanic, or discount-retailer who “hints” at their credentials, experience, inventory, or pricing structures?
How many of us do shopping by surprise for our clothes or random doctor visits hoping for a relevant cure?
Why would anyone believe positioning for a job via a resume would allow for less transparency than the consumer market place?
The idea that somehow candidates can tease the reader of their resume into scheduling an “interview” is absurd.
Time is so precious. People will only interview candidates who have proven their relevance and fitness for duty in a cogently written resume.
Think about it – would you interview someone who is not clearly in the running?
Do you think the interview is ever wasted on people who do not meet the minimum standards for being hired?
It is critical that your resume communicates crisply, concisely, and thoroughly how you delivered results. This is done by sharing the “how” – How-To, How-Many, How-Much, How-Frequently and also showcases your communication abilities as well.
Realize the amount of free consulting on the Internet, vendor web pages, white papers, and online books makes any “free” consulting given away by a detailed resume a retarded argument.
Candidates must communicate their scale, and breadth of knowledge and abilities in ways people can appreciate – proving your value in the real time of reading your resume.
Today - the resume is the interview.
Dirk Spencer
Recruiter / Speaker Resume Psychology
- DirkinDallas – Twitter.Com
- Resume Psychology Group – LinkedIn.Com
- LION – LinkedIn.Com
- Member of DFWTRN.Org
- AIRS Trained
- Cyber Sleuth
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Apprehension – Is Holding the Economy Hostage
I said it. Apprehension is holding the economy hostage and I will explain my reasoning.
No one wants to be known as the person who hired the wrong talent. Not in this climate. People are very apprehensive to bring on new hires – even if the delay in hiring is costing their company money in lost business opportunities.
Apprehension about candidates is high because far too many allow their desperation to cloud their behavior.
Candidates sabotage their offer with something as simple as off-handed comment about aspirations for work in another industry, preferences for full-time instead of contract, or even a sarcastic remark about the drive time back and forth will worry a hiring manager. That worry gets candidates flagged for bad reasons and they wonder why they did not get the call back. Stupid candidates. Scared hiring managers. Poof – deal dead.
The countermeasure to apprehension about a candidate’s abilities and fitness for duty is leveraging and controlling their digital brand, Rex Saoit calls it the digital footprint.
In establishing a digital footprint candidates can nullify apprehension. Their brand becomes “the known” factor about the them.
The hiring manager perceives, rightly or wrongly, a level of connection or familiarity with the candidate that is not real - but shifts their thinking away from apprehension to belief that this candidate will succeed in “my house.”
We all do this - once we know someone (or think we do) we let the odd comment or quirky mannerism slide. Our defenses are down and we were relaxed and confident because we believe we know the person and our expectation is set that they will or would deliver when the time requires it. Some call this faith.
Whatever you call it - when it comes to digital branding candidates must decide if they are technicians, tacticians, or masters of their trade craft and present themselves accordingly on-line.
Whether is it one web site or a combination of member sites, blogs, communities we are no longer all “sales people.” We are now all “marketing people.”
Think about it this way. At one time tenure with a company was perceived as “proof” of skills and commitment to the company and perhaps career acumen. But that is gone. Longevity is now seen as a lack of drive or ingenuity (rightly or wrongly).
At one time a college degree was “proof” of commitment and tenacity. Now with online offering and Internet in every home it only proves your ability to play the game and get funding.
At one time an advanced degree was “proof” of advanced skills and abilities in the workplace. Now - it can be a career anchor and not the good kind...
At one time being published, an inventor, a patent holder, or speaking on your industry was “proof” of work commitment and excellence.
Today because of the apprehension factor candidates must consistently deliver on their digital brand.
The digital brand is the new proof of professional commitment. Why? Because doing so is the only outward measure that is based in real-time, readily checked and cross-referenced for free.
How well and how consistent candidates present their digital brand is the new proof of their commitment and their best shot at removing apprehension before they are ever called, let alone interviewed.
All part of getting the offer instead of the interview!
No one wants to be known as the person who hired the wrong talent. Not in this climate. People are very apprehensive to bring on new hires – even if the delay in hiring is costing their company money in lost business opportunities.
Apprehension about candidates is high because far too many allow their desperation to cloud their behavior.
Candidates sabotage their offer with something as simple as off-handed comment about aspirations for work in another industry, preferences for full-time instead of contract, or even a sarcastic remark about the drive time back and forth will worry a hiring manager. That worry gets candidates flagged for bad reasons and they wonder why they did not get the call back. Stupid candidates. Scared hiring managers. Poof – deal dead.
The countermeasure to apprehension about a candidate’s abilities and fitness for duty is leveraging and controlling their digital brand, Rex Saoit calls it the digital footprint.
In establishing a digital footprint candidates can nullify apprehension. Their brand becomes “the known” factor about the them.
The hiring manager perceives, rightly or wrongly, a level of connection or familiarity with the candidate that is not real - but shifts their thinking away from apprehension to belief that this candidate will succeed in “my house.”
We all do this - once we know someone (or think we do) we let the odd comment or quirky mannerism slide. Our defenses are down and we were relaxed and confident because we believe we know the person and our expectation is set that they will or would deliver when the time requires it. Some call this faith.
Whatever you call it - when it comes to digital branding candidates must decide if they are technicians, tacticians, or masters of their trade craft and present themselves accordingly on-line.
Whether is it one web site or a combination of member sites, blogs, communities we are no longer all “sales people.” We are now all “marketing people.”
Think about it this way. At one time tenure with a company was perceived as “proof” of skills and commitment to the company and perhaps career acumen. But that is gone. Longevity is now seen as a lack of drive or ingenuity (rightly or wrongly).
At one time a college degree was “proof” of commitment and tenacity. Now with online offering and Internet in every home it only proves your ability to play the game and get funding.
At one time an advanced degree was “proof” of advanced skills and abilities in the workplace. Now - it can be a career anchor and not the good kind...
At one time being published, an inventor, a patent holder, or speaking on your industry was “proof” of work commitment and excellence.
Today because of the apprehension factor candidates must consistently deliver on their digital brand.
The digital brand is the new proof of professional commitment. Why? Because doing so is the only outward measure that is based in real-time, readily checked and cross-referenced for free.
How well and how consistent candidates present their digital brand is the new proof of their commitment and their best shot at removing apprehension before they are ever called, let alone interviewed.
All part of getting the offer instead of the interview!
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