Welcome To The MN Headhunter Blog

This is a “what’s going on” here at MN Headhunter. Blog posts of interest, event announcements and links to Be Your Own Headhunter seminars and presentations.

You can also scroll down past this to see posts in chronological order.

Blog Posts (recent/popular)

• Five Things NOT To Do During a Job Interview
• Minnesota Jobs Report And Unemployment Rate April 2009
• A Rebuttal To Peter Weddle And His Blog Post The Great SCAM in Recruiting
• How To Show Employers That You Fit The Job
• Who To Follow In Minneapolis On Twitter
• TCF Bank Stadium: New Home For The University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team

Events

• June 26th 8 AM Social Media Breakfast - Twin Cities (attending)
• July 17th 8 AM Minnesota Recruiters (hosting)

Be Your Own Headhunter

• June 23rd 3 PM CDT Online Seminar Job Search Toolkit - Be Your Own Headhunter
• June 24th 3 PM CDT Online Seminar LinkedIn A to Z - Use LinkedIn Like A Headhunter
• June 25th 3 PM CDT Online Seminar Using Social Media For Networking, Lead Generation And Job Search
• June 30th 3 PM CDT & 7 PM CDT Online Seminar Job Search Toolkit - Be Your Own Headhunter
• July 1st 3 PM CDT & 7 PM CDT Online Seminar LinkedIn A to Z - Use LinkedIn Like A Headhunter
• July 2nd 3 PM CDT & 7 PM CDT Online Seminar Using Social Media For Networking, Lead Generation And Job Search

Have a question, comment or looking for some information? Leave a comment or send an email to paul@mnheadhunter.com

Paul DeBettignies
MN Headhunter

Join the Be Your Own Headhunter LinkedIn group

How To Decipher The Meaning Of Interview Questions

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Lorraine Russo

Interviewers ask certain questions for a reason. Some good...and some not so good. Like it or not, the same questions are asked just about every day during each and every interview in every company around the country. So if you understand the information an interviewer is trying to obtain from you, answering them will be all the easier.

Many, but not all, human resources personnel and hiring managers are experienced interviewers, so they typically know the “right” and “wrong” answers to questions. They also know what your answers say about YOU, both personally and professionally.

For example, if an interviewer asks you to discuss your strengths and weaknesses, do you know what he or she is looking for in your answer?

2009 Minnesota 4th Of July Fireworks Shows

I did my best to put a list together for the Twin Cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding areas.

I may have missed a couple or have a time or location that is incorrect so please use this as a guide and check/confirm with local city web sites.

Stay safe. Have fun. OOHH AAHH often:

July 3rd

• Anoka
  • Anoka High School | 3939 7th Ave. | 9:30 PM
• Bloomington
  • Normandale Lake Park | 8400 Normandale Lake Blvd | 10 PM
• Hudson
  • Lake Front Park | 621 First Street | 9 PM (???)
• St. Paul (Taste of Minnesota)
  • Harriett Island Regional Park | 371 Baker St. W. | 10:20 PM

July 4th

• Apple Valley
  • Johnny Cake Ridge Park-East | 5800 140th St. W. | 10 PM
• Blaine
  • National Sports Center | 1700 105th Ave. N.E. | 10 PM
• Chanhassen
  • Lake Ann Park | 1456 West 78th St. | 10 PM
• Coon Rapids
  • Sand Creek Park | 1008 Northdale Blvd N.W. | 10 PM
• Cottage Grove
  • Kingston Park | Dusk
• Eagan
  • Central Park | 1501 Central Parkway | 10 PM
• Eden Prairie
  • Round Lake Park | 16691 Valley View Road | 10 PM
• Edina
  • Rosland Park | 4300 W. 66th St. | 10 PM
• Excelsior
  • 21 Water St | 10 PM
• Hastings
  • Hastings Country Club | 10 PM
• Lakeville
  • Lakeville North High School | 19600 Ipava Ave. | 10 PM
• Mendota Heights
  • 949 Mendota Heights Road | 10 PM
• Minneapolis (Downtown)
  • 818 S. 2nd St. | 10 PM
• Oakdale
  • Tanner's Lake Park | 400 Glenbrook Ave. N. | 9:30 PM
• Prior Lake
  • Watzl's Beach | 10 PM
• Prior Lake (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel)
  • 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. | 10 PM
• Richfield
  • Veterans Memorial Park | 630 E 66th St | 10 PM
• Roseville
  • Central Park | 2540 Lexington Ave. N. | 10 PM
• Stillwater
  • 100 S. Main Street | 10 PM
• St. Cloud
  • Hester and Wilson Parks | 10 PM
• St. Louis Park
  • Aquila Park | 3110 Xylon Ave. S. | 10 PM
• St. Paul (Taste of Minnesota)
  • Harriett Island Regional Park | 371 Baker St. W. | 10:00 PM
• White Bear Lake
  • Memorial Beach | 4980 Lake Ave. N. | 10 PM
• Woodbury
  • Ojibway Park | 2695 Ojibway Drive | 10 PM

July 5th

• St. Paul (Taste of Minnesota)
  • Harriett Island Regional Park | 371 Baker St. W. | 10:00 PM

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit July 7th | LinkedIn A-Z July 8th | Social Media July 9th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60-90 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times (or are seeing this post after sessions have been held) either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of upcoming events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

Online Classifieds - Another Resource in your Job Search

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: CareerAlley

I don't really remember when Internet job searching overtook the old fashioned print classified ad, but it wasn't all that long ago that most of can remember the commerical "I found my job through the New York Times". But print classifieds are very much alive (although not a major force anymore) and their web-based "sister" versions are very much in use. So if you need to try something new, try some of these web-based classified ads.

Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis & St. Paul Has The World’s Largest Event

I can be a little (a lot) competitive and for my friends around the country who talk about how cool their Social Media Breakfast, happy hour club or professional network is let me say this...

We kicked your ass today.

Has your event ever had 300+ people, met 16 months in a row or had a jumbotron? Yes, I said jumbotron. Minneapolis/St. Paul is not the flyover prairie you think it is so step down from your “I am so cool sitting here on a coast” pedestal. (sorry, had to get that out of my system)

We owe this effort here to one guy, Rick Mahn (@rickmahn) Founder of Social Media Breakfast – Twin Cities. Rick is one of the nicest guys you will meet. He will mention he has had some help planning events and sponsors (including me two times in the beginning) and that this is about the community (which it is) but without Rick’s leadership this thing would not be what it is today. He is not doing this for himself but believes we have a great community here and it should get together.

LinkedIn Is Not A Social Networking Site

I know a number of people are going to disagree with me on this but read on and then tell me what you think.

LinkedIn is a professional networking site.

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the rest are social networking sites.

Sure LinkedIn has some of the features of other sites like:

Two Ways to Get Unstuck in Your Job Search

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Kevin Donlin

You can find great job-hunting ideas by reading publications that have nothing ostensible to do with job hunting.

Example: a new book by seminal marketer, Jay Abraham, called "The Sticking Point Solution."

What, you may ask, does a book for entrepreneurs and marketing/sales professionals have to do with your job search?

Nothing. And a whole lot.

6 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit June 30th | LinkedIn A-Z July 1st | Social Media July 2nd

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60-90 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times (or are seeing this post after sessions have been held) either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of upcoming events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

How To Show Employers That You Fit The Job

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Caroline Ceniza-Levine

One jobseeker asked:  If flexibility, versatility and cross-training are all the rage these days, why do recruiters seem to hold so firmly to the belief that a candidate must "fit the profile" exactly?

The above question is valid, and it demonstrates why boilerplate qualities with no substance or tangible metrics attached are meaningless.  In the above example, flexibility, versatility and cross-training are the boilerplate qualities.  Many job descriptions ask for these.  Therefore, these are not going to be the deciding factors; they’re a given.  Instead you need to find what makes that job unique, how that will be measured and appeal specifically to that.  When you do that, you fit the profile, and that’s what employers and recruiters want.

Federal Hiring Trends and In-Demand Jobs

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Lorraine Russo

Updated weekly, this page completes the top 50 Federal agencies with the most openings in the last calendar month.

For example, the agency with the most openings in a calendar month is Veterans Affairs / Veterans Health Administration, with 3,326 jobs (mostly highly-skilled medical jobs), followed by the Army Corps of Engineers with 3,126 jobs.

Because the list is updated weekly, be sure to bookmark it and add it to your calendar. It provides a ton of information about which agencies are hiring and the in-demand jobs (right now, there are nine in-demand jobs posted from two agencies: Department Of Energy (1 job) and Department Of The Navy (8 jobs).

Before you think that getting a Federal jobs is near-impossible, be sure to read the 9 Myths about Federal Jobs.

Here's the entire list:

Open Eyes, Open Mind, New Job

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Kevin Donlin

Despite the rotten employment news -- Have you heard? We're in a recession -- there are jobs to be had.

In fact, your next job might walk right into the room today or come disguised as a position you don't really want.

How can this be?

Read on to learn how two people found work recently by doing simple, unusual things that you can do, too …

Five Things NOT To Do During a Job Interview

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Christina Archer is the Director of Healthcare Recruiting with AgentHR's Columbus, Ohio office

It doesn't matter what industry you are in, or what job you do, when you're trying to land your next job, you have to have a competitive mindset to win the job offer.  You've probably heard or read about the different things you are supposed to do when meeting with a prospective employer.  Let's turn our focus from what you should do, to what you should never do during a telephone, online meeting, or face to face interview.

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit June 23rd | LinkedIn A-Z June 24th | Social Media June 25th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60-90 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times (or are seeing this post after sessions have been held) either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of upcoming events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit June 16th | LinkedIn A-Z June 18th | Social Media June 19th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60-90 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times (or are seeing this post after sessions have been held) either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of upcoming events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

So Many Job Boards, So Little Time

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: CareerAlley

If you think that it feels like there are an endless number of job search boards, you are not alone. While they are not endless, there are way too many. Of course, not every job board is for everyone (and not every job board is worth the time). That being said, job boards should be a regular part of your job search for several reasons. The obvious one is job search, the less obvious is that that job boards are where both employers and recruiters look for candidates.

Job Search Secret: Trade Shows

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Lorraine Russo

As we've mentioned here before, about 80% of jobs are never advertised, so consider adding another useful tool to your job search toolbox: Trade Shows and Industry Association gatherings.

One of the best activities for locating unadvertised or hidden jobs is attending industry- or product-related trade shows. Because only 20% or so of jobs appear on the boards or a company web site, get a leg up on your competition and go after the 80% of jobs that few others are looking for.

Also, the Conference Board reports that "in April, there were 2.4 advertised vacancies posted online for every 100 persons in the labor force, down from a high of 2.9 in April 2007."

The 7 Most Difficult Interview Questions...And How to Answer Them

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Lorraine Russo

Because you will have only about fifteen minutes to sell your yourself to an interviewer (statistically, this is the total amount of real "talk-time" you have in an interview), you must be prepared for the "tough" interview questions and be prepared to answer them succinctly and effortlessly. Through your role-playing exercises, you will have prepared solid and candid answers to questions, which will vastly improve your success in every interview.

Once I learned how to answer the questions that follow AND the manner in which they should be answered, I received job offers after every interview I went on!

As well, you will be able to provide your answers in a comfortable, natural, and relaxed manner. This is because:

Challenger, Gray and Christmas Announced Layoff Survey May 2009

It is important to note that the Challenger, Gray and Christmas survey is of announced layoffs and not all layoffs. I point to this survey frequently because it shows trends and as we all try and figure out what is going with the labor market one more bit of data to take a look at.

The trend we see here as with other data that is coming out is we are at or likely have seen the worst of the jobs reports although here we see comments (and I agree) that we are not coming out of this as fast as some think or would like to hope.

Is this “good news”? I prefer not as bad news.

So to the trends...

• 111,182 announced layoffs in May is lowest level since 95,094 in September 2008
• 132,590 job cuts in April 2009
• 150,411 job cuts in March 2009
• 241,749 job cuts in January 2009
• 103,522 job cuts in May 2008

Minnesota Jobs Report And Unemployment Rate April 2009

April 2009 saw 9,500 jobs eliminated in Minnesota and the Unemployment Rate drop to 8.1% from 8.2% The U.S. rate was 8.9%

The number of jobs gained/lost the past 12 months (year over year) is -90,200 for April. For March it was -98,100.

18,900 jobs were lost in March so the April 9,500 is a sign to many that while job losses will continue that maybe we have experienced the worst of it here in Minnesota including this quote:

Job Leads and Links from Friends - Did You Network Today?

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: CareerAlley

Network, Network, Network - the most important three words in job search. I don't really know the real statistics on the percentage of jobs filled through networking. And, although you will see various percentages published all over the Internet, I'm not sure that anyone really knows the percentage of jobs filled through contacts versus any other source. Is Networking the most important source? Probably.

Today I will list a few links from my network and provide additional comments links to remind you what you should be doing with your network. Thanks to a reader for providing the following two links:

Minnesota IT Jobs With Minnesota Non Profits

The following new Minnesota IT jobs have been added on the MN Headhunter Volunteer Page:

• Senior Systems Analyst | Full Time Job | University of St. Thomas
• Data Management Organization-Lead Data Manager | Full Time Job | Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging
• MIS Technician | Full Time Job | YWCA of Minneapolis
• Help Desk Specialist | Full Time Job | PATH, Inc

 

Click weekly newsletter to receive the Wednesday message of nonprofit needs, IT jobs I am recruiting for, recruiter jobs, and most popular blog posts of the week.

If you are using a RSS Feed click Volunteer.

TCF Bank Stadium: New Home For The University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team

M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A

Minnesota

Minnesota

yyyyeeeeaaAAAAHHHH!!!!! Gophers

Rah!!!

OK, it has been a really long time since I posted anything about Minnesota Golden Gopher Football here. When I started this blog 4+ years ago Gopher football was a part of it but for some it was annoying. Especially after then Head Coach Glen Mason was fired and through the hiring of current Head Coach Tim Brewster.

I blogged more about the head coach job search than my day job.

Protean And Boundaryless Careers

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Amit Puri is the Managing Consultant at Sandbox Advisors. He has over 10 years of business and HR related experience, with companies such as Bain & Co, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. Sandbox Advisors is based in Singapore and provides career management and HR consulting services in Asia.

Two trends have changed the world of work in many ways. The first is the shift towards a knowledge based economy that many countries are seeing and the second is global connectivity, interdependence and integration. The new career context that is emerging as a result of these trends has given rise to the terms - Protean and Boundaryless careers.

Who To Follow In Minneapolis On Twitter

UPDATED: I should have titled this How To Find People To Follow...

I get this question regularly from new users to Twitter. I don’t put a lot of weight on the rankings on these lists (including my appearance on them) but they are a good place to start.

Note that you see Minneapolis and not St. Paul or Twin Cities. Most directories recognize Minneapolis as “the city” when they mean both. Some folks in St. Paul are being creative and in their Bio saying, “St. Paul not Minneapolis” and are getting listed in the Minneapolis directories.

To my friends across the river, no I am not trying to be a snob. I am just going with the crowd:

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit June 9th | LinkedIn A-Z June 10th | Social Media June 11th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60-90 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

The Job Search System That Never Fails

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Kevin Donlin

It's been said that the best new ideas are the best old ideas.

Put another way, there's no need to reinvent the wheel in your job search if others before you have found ways to succeed.

What if I told you there was a success "system," invented by Benjamin Franklin in the 1730s, that helped create millionaires in the 1930s, when unemployment stood at 25%?

Do you think it might help you find a job faster today, with unemployment at less than 9%?

The Quest for Jobs - Search Boards

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: CareerAlley

In your quest for a new job, you really do need to manage your time and ensure you use several methods of search. Everyone has their own view as to what works best but using only one or two avenues of search is not the best use of your time. You need to have a mix of job search boards, company career sites, recruiters and, of course, networking (including social networks like LinkedIn).

A Rebuttal To Peter Weddle And His Blog Post The Great SCAM in Recruiting

UPDATED: 

- Check out Jim Durbin’s blog post Peter Weddle Owes A Lot Of People Apologies

OK, before I go on a rant a few disclaimers:

• I have never met Peter Weddle
• I respect Peter Weddle
• I am responding to his blog post with a blog post rather than comment there as I have a lot to say.
• I am responding because for someone who is highly respected in our industry to have this opinion and state it so strongly it needs a rebuttal

Wednesday Peter Weddle posted The Great SCAM in Recruiting on his WorkStrong blog. I had copied and pasted his post below but took it out. Read his post, see my reply below:

My Twitter URL Analytics Using Cligs

Metrics, metrics, metrics. I have to say this is the most boring conversation to have. So I am going to keep this short.

I have been asked what kind of metrics/stats I have for the URL shortener I use on Twitter, Cligs.

Before giving some numbers I want to say that I post stuff that I find interesting. It may be something from my blog, another blog or a site like MSNBC or ESPN. So while I tend to focus on recruiter, HR, career stuff there is also a dose of politics, sports, economics, etc.

What do recruiters want from a resume?

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Amit Puri is the Managing Consultant at Sandbox Advisors. He has over 10 years of business and HR related experience, with companies such as Bain & Co, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. Sandbox Advisors is based in Singapore and provides career management and HR consulting services in Asia.

We asked a few recruiters what they like and what their pet peeves are, when it comes to resumes. Here’s what they had to say.

What they look for in a resume:

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit June 2nd | LinkedIn A-Z June 3rd | Social Media June 4th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60-90 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

Top 10 Ways to Ace Your Medical Sales Interview

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Peggy McKee, The Medical Sales Recruiter

Here are 10 of my best tips to help you have a great interview and get the job you want in medical sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, research laboratory sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, medical device sales, pathology sales, pharmaceutical sales, DNA products sales, and biotechnology sales:

10.  Dress appropriately and watch your language.

9.  Do your homework on the company and what they are looking for before you get there.

8.  Have questions of your own to ask.

7.  Know how to close the interview and ask for the job.

6.  Remember that it’s a conversation.

5.  Know what to say if it turns out to be a behavioral interview.

4.  Know what to do when the money question comes up.

3.  Bring your brag book.

2.  Bring your 30-60-90-day sales plan.  It’s a sure-fire way to impress hiring managers.

1.  Before you go, visit with your medical sales recruiter for custom consulting and individual advice.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Reading Business Books: A Must-Do for Entrepreneurs

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Mary Gormandy White, M.A., SPHR

As a business owner, one of the most important things you can do to boost your business and improve your professional skills and knowledge is to take the time to keep up with the latest business literature.

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit May 27th | LinkedIn A-Z May 28th | Social Media May 29th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit – May 19th | LinkedIn A-Z May 20th | Social Media May 21st

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

Massachusetts DUA: Unemployment Insurance Hearings

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Techruiter

Today I experienced my very first unemployment insurance hearing. I was representing my company against a claim made by one of my former consultants.  The following document is a must read for anyone looking to file for unemployment. It is essential that both employers and employees understand just how vague the law delineates why someone may or may not file for unemployment.

See this PDF: Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance

Essentially, if you quit, get fired, or refuse a job you cannot file a claim. However, termination is a thorny issue and even quitting can be viewed from various angles differently.

If your claim is challenged by your former employer you will have an opportunity to present your case at a hearing. The reason the employer is interested in having those benefits denied to you is that their unemployment contribution to the Massachusetts unemployment fund is directly related to how many employees file for unemployment and how much they collect.

See this lnk: 6. Financing Unemployment Insurance

For this reason, your former employer may send a representative to present their side of the story. The hearing takes about an hour depending on the circumstances as a Massachusetts Division of Unemployment agent gathers your testimony under oath. I suggest not lying under oath whether you are the employer or the claimant.

If the employer succeeds in challenging your claim, you will be liable for all the money the State of Massachusetts paid you over those months. You may also be persecuted for fraud, although I suspect this rarely happens since employment law is designed to protect the claimant rather than cause additional pain.

On the other hand, if the employer does not show up within 10 minutes of the hearings official start, the case is decided in your favor by default. I saw a very happy claimant when he was informed that the employer had not shown up. Whether his claim was legitimate or not become irrelevant in the eyes of the Massachusetts once the employer defaulted on the hearing.

Whether you file or not is completely up to you. Know your rights, but also beware of the employer challenge and Massachusetts State Law about fraud. After the hearing, I have no idea which way the agent will decide.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Not Enough Time To Network Becomes A $48,000 Mistake

Last year at this time I was telling a Minnesota IT Consultant friend of mine, “You have to start networking again. This market is starting to change, starting to slow and you need to be ahead of the curve.”

My friend is very talented and well connected but lazy when it comes to staying in touch with people. He has always has been but always had been able to get a new gig within 2 weeks of the previous one ending. With the market being good he would treat the 2 weeks as a vacation or a chance to do other things.

We knew his contract was coming to a close at the end of November after a 16 month run.

He kept saying, “Dude, I do not have the time or energy. I do not have time to attend industry events and my LinkedIn profile looks fine.”

Happy Mothers Day

I Love You

Check Out Ignite Minneapolis And My Favorite Mykl Roventine And His Bad Fonts

I was not able to get to the Ignite Minneapolis event on April 22^nd but I did watch the first half on video stream and now seen the rest on the web site.

Ignite is an event with a variety of topics (some serious most not so much) with each presentation 20 slides and 5 minutes in length.

Mykl Roventine did a presentation on “Bad Fonts”. I do not have a clue what font is best or worst to use but Mykl certainly has made it so I know to not ever use Comic Sans.

Here is his presentation:

 

The Ignite Minneapolis site says they may be doing another event mid to late June. I am going to submit an idea on doing a job search but this one will be much more fun than what I usually do.

And they are looking for sponsors so if want to reach the crossroads of the Minnesota marketing, PR, Social Media and tech community this is money well spent.

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit – May 12th | LinkedIn A-Z May 13th | Social Media May 14th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.

3 FREE Online Seminars: Job Search Tool Kit – May 6th | LinkedIn A-Z May 7th | Social Media May 8th

While Be Your Own Headhunter is under going a facelift this is how to stay in touch with upcoming seminars:

• MN Headhunter RSS Feed
• MN Headhunter RSS Via EMail
• MN Headhunter Newsletter

All presentations are 60 minutes with a Q&A that follows.

If you are a Twitter user and would like to provide immediate feedback during a presentation add #BYOH to your comments and suggestions. I will follow up with you on Twitter after the presentation.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the sessions during these times either click MN Headhunter Blog or Be Your Own Headhunter where you will find a calendar of events or register anyway so you can get the slides via email.