Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

This amazing video has been viral since early Feb. I picked it up from John Battelle's Searchblog.

Business 2.0's 25 Startups to Watch

Click here to meet Business 2.0's pick of the litter in five categories that embody the spirit of the Next Net: social media, video, mobile, online advertising, and enterprise applications.

The list is pretty impressive.

Here's the top startups in each of the 5 categories (click each picture for a website view):

Woman Fired For Writing About Avoiding Work

If anybody needs some JobLuv it's Emmalee Bauer.

Here's the story of how Emmalee wiled away her days at work doing....well...nothing. Except for the fact that she was journaling about the fact that she was doing...nothing.

source: CBS4Denver.com

An administrative judge has denied unemployment benefits to a woman who was fired from her job for keeping a journal detailing her efforts to avoid work.

Emmalee Bauer, 25, of Elkhart, was employed by the Sheraton hotel company as a sales coordinator in Des Moines. While on the job, she kept a handwritten journal. A supervisor told her to stop writing on company time, but instead, Bauer wrote her journal, all 300 single-spaced pages, on her work computer.

In the journal, portions of which were introduced during a recent hearing regarding Bauer's request for unemployment, Bauer describes her efforts to avoid work.

"This typing thing seems to be doing the trick," she wrote. "It just looks like I am hard at work on something very important."

Bauer also wrote: "I am only here for the money and, lately, for the printer access. I haven't really accomplished anything in a long while ... and I am still getting paid more than I ever have at a job before, with less to do than I have ever had before. It's actually quite nice when I think of it that way. I can shop online, play games and read message boards and still get paid for it."

In her journal she speculated it could someday be published.

Bauer was fired for misuse of company time after a supervisor discovered the journal late last year.

Administrative Law Judge Susan Ackerman denied Bauer's request for unemployment last week, saying she the journal demonstrated a refusal to work, as well as Bauer's "amusement at getting away with it."

Jobster Widget

My new Jobster widget:

Click here to view my Jobster profile.

Technical Recruiter Wanted: 20-25 hours/week (Frisco, TX)

Just got a call from a colleague of mine who owns a technical recruiting firm in Frisco, TX.

He's searching for a Technical Recruiter interested in working 20 - 25 hours/week at their headquarters office in Frisco, TX.

If you have an interest, shoot me an email. I'll put you in touch with him and let you talk $$.

JobLuv@gmail.com

5 Things to Avoid When Job Hunting Online

excerpt: Content Matters

5. Check your LinkedIn profile, myspace page, facebook listing, ZoomInfo page and anything on the first page of Google results; the employer most likely will.

4. Don’t name your resume sally_smith_projectmgr_resume.doc. That makes me assume you’re not really a project manager, but have modified your resume to look like one. Yes, it’s OK to have multiple versions of your resume. Just don’t name them that way. Instead, just name them all generically (sally_smith.doc) then use your directory tree to store different versions (e.g. my documents\resume\project management\sally_smith.doc).

3. Write a real cover letter and take the time to make it relevant to the job that was posted. Don’t use a merge letter, where your first line ends up saying “I am seeking an opportunity as Director-Product Marketing-NYC.” Take a few minutes to read the position description, then browse through the company’s website. Use what you learn to make your cover letter compelling. Contrary to popular opinion, job hunting is not a “numbers game”. Applying online for thousands of positions for which you are not qualified will not get you hired. Identifying those where you have specific experiences that match the requirements, and clearly highlighting those experiences in a cover letter will get you an interview.

2. If the position is based in New York City and your Monster posting says you are only exploring opportunities in Phoenix, don’t bother applying. In fact, if you are applying for any position where you would be interested in a relocation, use your cover letter to explain that. Say “For family reasons, I’m looking to return to the northeast” or whatever. Otherwise, you won’t get consideration unless you have a very unique set of skills unavailable in the employer’s market.

1. The first thing I see when you send your resume is your email address. What does that email address say about you?

If it’s an AOL address, it says you’re not a very sophisticated technology user. That’s fine for some positions, but if you’re applying for an e-Commerce role, you’ll be dead in the water. Even a Yahoo or Hotmail address makes me think of a teenager rather than a serious business professional. If you have your own domain, that’s great. Otherwise, get a Gmail account. It’s free and it looks professional.

Also, please keep your email address simple. Ideally, you should just have your name, such as john.doe@gmail.com. I realize that’s not always possible, particularly with more common names than mine, but if you try using the underscore and perhaps a middle initial, you might have luck. Regardless, avoid using things like deenalicious@hotmail.com or fratboy99@yahoo.com.

Will following these guidelines get you hired? No promises there. However, they will keep you from being automatically routed to my junk file.

Regional Engineering Recruiter, T-Mobile USA (Chicago, IL)

T-Mobile USA, a national provider of wireless voice, messaging, and data services, has an opportunity in Chicago for an Engineering Recruiter with a solid technical recruiting background. Preferred candidates will have a strong telecom background with a thorough understanding of wireless networks and protocol (GSM and/or UMTS).

Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, presentation) are required, as well as the experience to deliver world-class customer service to VP-level customers within the region.

T-Mobile USA offers an outstanding benefits package, employee and spouse phone and service programs, and the best Paid-Time Off (PTO) package in the industry.

Additionally, this position currently resides at our facility located at 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. However, these offices will soon be relocating to either the Itasca or Oak Brook areas.

If you have an interest in this opportunity, please forward your resume to Dennis Smith @ wirelessheadhunter@gmail.com.

Please include a cover letter with one paragraph detailing your most significant accomplishment of 2006.

Tech Jobs Rising

(click image for larger view)


I love recruiting.

And, I love recruiting in the technology sector.

And, I really love recruiting in the technology sector when tech jobs are hopping - and they are hopping.

Here's an excerpt from Investors.com that gives you a feel for what's going on with tech jobs:

"U.S. tech jobs are finally bouncing back, as venture capital flows to a new wave of Silicon Valley startups, Texas telecom firms go wireless and a tech hub emerges in North Carolina.

Silicon Valley leads the way. The tech center added more than 33,000 jobs in the 12 months ended June 30, according to a report released Sunday by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, a regional public policy group."

Read the entire article HERE.