BlueBlanketBlog.com

Thank you for visiting.  Your time, thoughtfulness and feedback are sincerely appreciated. 

Recruitment News -- HR Ideas -- Career Advice

 



Author Information 
Chris Fleek is Director - HR Services for Octane Recruiting (http://www.octanerecruiting.com), 
providing outsourced Recruitment and Human Resources services to small and mid-sized businesses. 

Welcome to the Blue Blanket Blog!   The purpose of this blog is to learn from the successes and mistakes of others...both job seekers and the companies trying to hire them.  Having spent over 12 years in the recruitment/staffing/human resources business, I've seen many things worth writing about...both good and bad.  I'll draw from personal anecdotes, current news and advice articles, as well as feedback and ideas from you.  While I do not promise to have all the answers, I hope to bring up relevant and timely issues and encourage dialogue to examine these issues from all angles.

If you have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see discussed here, please contact me directly at chris@blueblanketblog.com.  Thank you for your interest.

 
Why blog?
When I first began to blog, I had visions of greatness in my head. I thought that the ‘Field of Dreams’ mantra “If you build it, they will come.” would hold true for my blog.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 1/22/2008 9:15 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Behind the Scenes
The bottom line is that I’m amazed at what must go into a project like the AI finale in order for it to be a successful production. In reality though, I’m no less impressed by the simple projects that take place in any office or factory in any town around the world.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 5/24/2007 6:11 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Greatness?
...The challenge for all of us is to find a way to create those moments of greatness just a little more often and to encourage those around us to achieve that greatness as well...
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 4/16/2007 8:17 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Quick Follow-Up
Likewise, my presence was a good reminder to them that there is a person behind the phone and the computer, and that they can trust that I have their interests in mind in my day to day activities. Each of us has "felt" that our partnership has been strong all along, but a handshake and a collaborative strategy session goes a long way towards helping us to "know" it.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 3/26/2007 8:29 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Tonight's Random Thoughts
With social networking sites such as facebook, myspace, xanga and friendster in the U.S., along with Mixi (Japan), faceparty (Britain) and facebox (Europe) around the world, it is now easy to conduct even more online research about job candidates. While a simple Google search used to turn up a good amount of information about a person (and it still does), only a thorough scour of the social networking sites will allow a researcher to really dig into someone's online history.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 3/20/2007 9:57 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
R stands for Requirement
If a degree, clearance, or specific skill is listed as a requirement within a position posting, most companies will refuse to hire anyone not meeting the listed criterion. This certainly applies to large companies with well-developed HR policies (and legal teams) but should apply universally to companies of all sizes.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 3/14/2007 8:54 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Are you the best?
The bottom line – the hiring process isn’t about you. It’s about the organization, their needs, and ultimately their success. I recommend that as a candidate, you view the entire process from the point of view of the hiring team.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 3/1/2007 3:55 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Finding the Gems in all the Junk
For hiring managers, going through a candidate pool is like wading through my hotmail account. There is typically far too much “junk” and far too few relevant documents. My best estimate is that 50% of any candidate pool can immediately be considered clutter.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 2/15/2007 5:35 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Big Problem Might Need a Simple Solution
How can an organization possibly expect to act in an efficient manner when the employment system is FILLED with no longer valid data? A simple way to improve efficiency in any organization is to look inside the databases and HR Management Systems. If the information you find is not helping you, it is most certainly acting as an electronic speed bump.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 2/9/2007 3:27 PM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks
Be Careful What you Wish For.....
It's easy to say you are looking to hire an anti-establishment candidate, but I encourage you to understand the extra effort it will take to support the newly hired employee. Expecting a person to enter an organization and challenge the institution, without very visible public support and reinforcement from management, will make failure for the new hire (and the team) inevitable.
MORE >>
Posted by Chris Fleek at 2/6/2007 11:11 AM | View Comments | Add Comment | Trackbacks