If I Were Running A Company…Crashing The Party

I read a blog post on a blogger who is trying to get free food at think tank events. The person doesn’t reveal the name except “Panel Crasher.” The person was recently was let go from a  nonprofit and is going to graduate school in the fall. The person is using the blog in three ways:

1. To network to find an opportunity in the short-term.
2. The D.C. panel subculture.
3. Which think tanks have the best spread.

The “Panel Crasher” reminds me the one time I crashed a panel session. It was in 2010 when SHRM was holding their Leadership Conference in Crystal City. A day before, I had a conversation with Matthew Stollak over on Twitter that I wanted to attend the social media panel (which was a hot topic back then among HR professionals). Matthew said I can come by for the session.

The next day, I went to the hotel and went to the back entrances. I used to work at Crystal City, so I know the ins and outs of the place. I went to the social media panel and one of the SHRM reps asked me why you’re here. I told them I was invited by Matthew. we went around a few more times and then she backed away and I got to hear the session.

Would I want you to crash the party every time? No, that takes time and planning, but then again, you can mention that in your Linkedin profile under “skills.” I want you to be selective of who and where to go. Here are tips to properly crash the party:

1. Ask someone: Ask someone who is attending a session you want to attend and ask for an invite. They will let you in, but don’t cause a scene.

2. Check the attendee list: do not use the attendee list to steal someone’s identity. Look at the attendee list, see who is attending. If they can’t make the event, ask them to take their spot. Their contact info, if made public, is on Eventbrite or you could do a hard search.

3. Have a plan: Don’t crash the party for food or something else. If you want to crash, there has to be a reason. Look at relevant events, then look at who’s attending the events and their title at the organization. Talk to the people you want, then leave.

4. Happy Hour: Crashing the party is a hassle, go to a bar or restaurant. after the event, people go to bars and restaurants to take a load off. Talk to them before they start “unloading.”

Your economic situation might not be good, but you need to use the proper resources to get what you want. Don’t crash the party for the food or the people; crash it for the experience and the follow-up.

If I Were Running A Company…Experiencing

As I was saying…

A few months ago at my church, my priest gave a sermon about why people line up to Apple more than going to church. His reason is people want to make life easy and don’t want to do the effort. They believe the iPad/iPhone will solve all problems. First, the reason people are not going to church is not technology; it is about their stringent views and lack of willing to evolve in the current world. However, this post is not about religion.

Although the priest goes on a rant about technology, the base of his argument is that people are not going out there to experience it and this is where the priest and I meet eye-to-eye.  If you want to get something done, you have to be out there. You need someone to talk to have a feel for where you are. What technology does is to to post our experiences and share them to the world to give hope (or jealously) for others to go to that place.

Another example that it’s different between online and offline is poker. In online poker, you can be more aggressive since it is randomized and any card is a good hand. In live poker, there are so many factors to play: your cards, the players surrounding them, the dealer, betting styles, the atmosphere, their tells…and that’s the basics of it.

I’m all for technology that will benefit what we do, but don’t do it for pleasure for having the newest gadget out there. Use technology to share your experiences to everyone so they can come by the next time they are there. Pictures, tweets, videos are great, experience it yourself is a whole different environment you should try.

A Night of Legends

The name of the title refers to an event ESPN980 holds called Lunch with a Legend.  One of the lunches they conducted was  ”legendary Redskins broadcaster” Larry Michael.  EXCUSE ME?!!!  Anyway…

Last Wednesday seemed serendipitous.  I knew for months that January 27, 2010 will be big: I got Caps tickets against the Ducks for $15 each on StubHub and Shauna Moerke’s announcement that she was heading to  DC on a secret mission, which had a domino effect of the events to come.  I knew the night was going to be great…but I had no idea the day was going to be THAT great.

#ConnectHR

After a long day of HR and Recruiting consulting (and beyond), I wanted to go early to the #ConnectHR event since I had “other bidness” to attend that night.  Amazingly, I was not the first person to come in to the event.  The event immediately became packed of HR/Recruiting tweeters;  bloggers;  members of SHRM;  HRA-NCA;  visitors as far from Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Boston, even Portland, Oregon; and others.   Imagine the event as you’re stuck in a Metro train (subway for non-DC area residents) stuffed with congenial people having a conversation and saying “excuse me” a lot.  It was the cavalcade of stars that I could have list a few superstars, but it needed a link since it was that special of who attended.  Since it was crowded, it was hard to navigate to network and I didn’t get to speak to everyone on the list, but for the most part, it was great connecting to people who came all over the country just to network with other HR professionals in DC.  For that, I like to thank SHRM, SmartBrief, Monster, and Recruitingblogs.com for handling the event.

The networking was the main objective of #connecthr, but there were three bonuses that night:

1. Everyone was taller than Mike Lupica.
2. I won a gift bag from Monster.  I was number 27…the same number as Washington Capital Defenceman Karl Alzner…who also shares a birthday with me.  By the way, my schwag had a Flip Camera, gift card, beanie cap, and others.
3. Before I left, China Gorman mention she uses my name as an example of a dedicated HR/Recruiting professional since I “crashed” the SHRM Leadership Conference last November and also my blog posts on HR and Recruiting.  I wanted to be sarcastic, but that was the nicest thing someone has done for me and the only thing I can say is Thank You.

#ConnectHR didn’t had many down moments, but:

1. I won a Monster Snuggie.  Let me be clear, I like Monster and Eric Winegardner since he gives Monster a human element to the company.  I just don’t like the Snuggie. I believe when you buy a Snuggie, some cult gets rich.  To be fair, my mother loves the Snuggie, so Eric and Monster made my mother happy, but since I had to carry the Snuggie all night, my Q rating dropped that night.
2. The event needed more Matt Bradley

Which leads to:

The Capitals and #Caps108

For two weeks, I announce that I had one ticket available for the Ducks-Capitals game, but there were no takers.  So sad because the missed a chance to get free wings since the Caps scored 5 goals in a 5-1 win over the Ducks.  In addition, they missed out on meeting Krafty at RocktheRed.net at a carving sandwich stand and another terrific #Caps108 tweetup.  Chasta and Caps Girl explain perfectly what #Caps108 is for.  If you’re a Caps fan and want to meet with other Caps fans/tweeters/media/jack of all trades, come to outside section 108 to chat and say hello.  I’ll be at the next #Caps108 next Friday against the Atlanta Thrashers to 1) root for a Caps victory, 2) convince Ilya Kovalchuk to come to Washington, and 3) bring the 2012 SHRM Annual Conference back to Washington DC from Atlanta, again.

What made the game (and the night) uniquely special was in the third period, during the last Kiss Cam segment, there was a marriage proposal.  I found that poetic that night since it was symbolic for that night.  to put a cherry on top, I finally met one of my Twitter friends, Addison (who also shares a birthday with me), at the Vienna Metro Station when both of us were heading home (he was going back to Arlington, I was heading back to Fairfax.)

***

In my mind, what could have been a Utopian Day was to my connect HR/Recruiters friends, Caps fans, Tony Kornheiser’s littles, the NPR Summer Class of 2005, and my friends and family all meet and network, although that might take 5-10 years for the right event .  That night made me think that 2010 will have a Mr. Tracy Experience* and hopefully this leads to bigger and better things.  I guess the stars and planets align on January 27, 2010 for mine and hopefully yours as well.

Oh, and Obama did his State of the Union Speech thingy.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Photos courtesy of Clearedjobs.Net

Below: Picture of me with the Capstronaut

*definition: I get pampered with love with all expenses paid trips and lodging to go to events outside of DC.  I will pay for my food and drinks

#ConnectHR in DC

Tomorrow,

After one and half years of following them on Twitter and been stuck in DC (area) all those times, some of the HR Twitter Stars are coming to DC for a networking event of epic proportions (sort of).  SmartBrief, SHRM, and Recruitingblogs.com are sponsoring the networking event and I can’t wait to finally see most of the Tweeters for the first time face to face to see who’s actually taller than Mike Lupica, albeit for only an hour (people coming on Wednesday will realize why I have to leave early).

I hope you come by from car, plane, ferry, horse (but not a Segway)  to #ConnectHR in DC and rest assured, without a shadow of a doubt that Washington, DC, the area with 5 area codes is the Best HR City (thank goodness its not trademark yet for the other city , although San Francisco is dominating the charts for HR cities)

Event link: http://hrconnectdc.eventbrite.com/

If I Was Running A Company…Greetings

When I go to an event, I always do the proper thing and shake the person’s hands.  I’ve done it since I was born and it is in the general business handbook.  However, it seems passe that I’m doing the handshake now, but can’t resist.  According to the HR Bartender, the fist bump is the new business greeting and I’m at a young age that I’m not hip anymore.  The Obamas do it, HR is doing it, even doctors recommend do the fist bump to prevent spreading the flu and I’m a dope of not doing the fist bump.

The reason I bring this up is because people have their own opinion on how to greet.  There are people who are accepting to greet, some are cautious, and there are people who thinks a certain type of greeting symbolizes surrendering.  Personally, I don’t care how you greet others;  just be respectful, courteous and don’t make people sick, although I need to get in a habit of doing the fist bump or an occasional hug.

However, for a few who want to say hello to me, I prefer this greeting:

If I Was Running A Company…Chances

I attended my alma mater’s alumni weekend festivities and attended a session where Jim Larranaga was talking about George Mason basketball.  In the session, he mention how Dr. Alan Merten, the President of George Mason University, persuaded him to be the head coach of George Mason in 1997.  Larranaga told another story of how Merten persuaded Vernon Smith, an economics professor at the University of Arizona at the time, and staff to go to Mason.  As a result of those moves, Smith won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002 and Larranaga lead George Mason to a Final Four run in 2006.

Alan Merten’s actions has position George Mason as the number one  up-and-coming university in the United States, which leads to what organization need to grow…ONIONS!

To paraphrase what Larranaga said about his boss, “When Merten became President, he had a vision of what George Mason should be and use his networking skills to get what he wanted to achieve that vision.”  This should be what other executives mindset if they can get superstar talent.

(To get this out of they way, if your organization has numerous problems, don’t read the rest.  Your organization likely has internal problems and there are too many problems to fill.  Now, if your organization has a few problems, read the rest).

In your organization, if there is one piece of the puzzle that is missing and there is someone out there that the organizations wants, bring the kitchen sink.  If there is one (or two) piece(s) missing, the employees and executives feel they are getting close and optimism arises within the organization, but it must start with a vision in place so you can tell your organization’s current situation and tell the person why they are important.  Then, the organization tells what they’re doing great and what weaknesses they have and explain to the person why is he/she an important piece of their organization.

The best case scenario is if the superstar accepts the decision, jubilation ensues throughout the organization and anticipation comes and after a few months, the superstar meets expectations.  The worst case scenario is with all the hoopla within the organization, the superstar fails to meet expectations and demoralize the organization. 

Simply put, it is alright to take a chance at something that your organization needs.  It will give a temporary boost within the organization.  It the organization takes a chance and fails, that happens and you move on, but if you’re not taking risks, how can your organization improve long-term?  All you need is a vision, specific goals, a great workplace culture,  networking depth, and timing to force the issue.  In Alan Merten’s case, the stars were aligning in his favor because he forced George Mason to be great.

If I Was Running A Company…Authenticity

Authenticity is the hot word in the job and social media realm.  You can easily define authenticity as real, honest, transparent, and genuine.  If the definition is easy, then why is it so hard to find it?  The answer is it varies if you talk to individuals.

The thing about authenticity is everyone knows what they’re looking for, but can they find it?  Authenticity has two tiers: the one that’s on your profile and the one where you meet face-to-face.  The one on your profile (resume, social media profiles) quantifies your attributes while going into the real world and meeting other people is the quality attribute of you.  The latter is hard to determine and that is where most of us have a hard time looking for authenticity.

The main problem why it’s hard to determine if the person is authentic is we don’t know how many layers the person has.  The person could be a straight shooter in all of their conversations; the person knows how to speak in different environments from on and off work to home; the person might be a terrible employee but might have a heart of gold; or the person might be a great employee but is a terrible person.  There are a trillion plus possibilities of personalities, but people want to put labels.  This is where the line is blurred if each of us want o be authentic or be authentic according to our opinions.

There are two things about being authentic:

1. Keep an open mind to whoever you meet.  There are some will surprise and some you expect and some will disappoint.  That’s why we meet in person.
2. We know who we are, but if someone has a different view about you, can you accept that answer?  If not, can you defend yourself?

Basically, we all know what authenticity is, but can we see who’s authentic?  That question depends on your point of view and gut instincts.  Our judgment will lead to a certain direction, but is it the direction that you want?

If I Was Running A Company…Adapt and Ask

In the past couple of weeks, I have learn a lot from the recruiting world.  It all started with this tweet from Chris Hoyt, aka The Recruiter Guy, which then lead to a blog post from Jessica Lee, which lead to Jessica and I having lunch about our lives and careers.  That conversation then in turn lead me to start these virtual chat sessions at my virtual office, which I have some success (wonderful if you’re near the Washington Post Headquarters, not so well in Fairfax City or in Ballston.  Must be Location, Location, Location!!!).

This past weekend, there were three great posts I read: The HR Maven on personal and job interviews, Carmen Hudson on starting her own company, and Bob Corlett on backing up your talk.  What all of these have to do exactly?  I still got a long ways to go.

It is easy to sit on what you have and say you’re an expert on it, but even experts need to learn more and hone their craft.  I can say that I’m a damn good recruiter (you can ask my references), but there is still room to improve.  These posts I highlighted above made me adapt what I’m doing and tweak my business expectations.  If you want to grow in your position: adapt to change, have added responsibility, develop a versatile of skills, and be proactive what you do.

I also mention this on behalf of recruiters because we get a bad reputation for looking for talent and profit from it.  However, we are human beings and we care that you get a job.  You might not fit with an organization I’m recruiting (that’s business), but I know someone who might like you and if I like you personally, let’s have a talk outside the office building.  Remember, build a relationship first, then ask.

So for the recruiters out there, pay it forward if you know they’re a great fit with an another company and facilitate with who you’re talking to.  For the job seekers, ask a recruiter or an HR person. Some will deny you, some are cautious, and some will leave the door open. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

For everyone, if you want a conversation with me on anything from job seeking, your organization, sports, weird news, the word neufchantel, I’m easy to approach.  If you live in the DC Metro Area and want to chat one-on-one, give me a reply. If you live where I can’t take the local bus, here’s my contact information:

Phone: (703) 334-8454
Cell: (703) 618-2176
Skype: tracy.tran2
Google Chat/Talk (whatever its called): thispersonstinks

My door is always open and you’re always welcome…but don’t disturb Puffy.

If I Was Running A Company…Graduate Degrees

This is not a good time for new graduates (undergraduate and graduate) of getting a job.  They’re only hope is landing an internship or an entry-level job just to get a foot in the door.  Sadly, there are a few openings of those positions.  An easy solution is to get a graduate degree that you’re still honing your craft.  That might be true 2-3 years ago, but with all the information that is available, is it really necessary to have a graduate degree?

There are only a few positions that need graduate degrees from being a doctor, an architect, an engineer, and a lawyer.  A graduate degree in those areas is required because there’s an additional skill beyond what you learn and think.  Those positions are essentially a minor league farm system for firms in those areas.

What about the professional services positions like finance, communications, human resources, and others?  Although a graduate degree would be nice on your resume, it should not be a requirement in these jobs.  There are some positions that require or “strongly recommend” a Masters or MBA and some might be hesitant to apply for those positions.   Is there a way to go around it?  Absolutely.

Let’s be honest, if you are in a professional services position like myself, you’re expendable.  There are many financial, HR, marketing and communication positions.  If you’re doing a bad job, the employer can find someone else from the street and do the same work.  So, how could you differentiate yourself from the others?  You literally have to throw the kitchen sink.

Have the basics like your resume, cover letter, and references, but do not stop there.  Do some networking, build your social media profiles, join groups and follow your peers.  Then, study your position, the industry, and potential employers you want to focus from the resources you’re given from your local public library to the interwebs.  When you have the knowledge down, try to blend your knowledge, skills, and interests and start a blog.  Write a few posts of your experiences and ideas on how to tackle a situation and be very specific about it.

When you have all the materials needed, try to integrate your blog to the rest of the social media sites.  Also, start creating business cards with your contact information, background, your social media profiles and your blog website.  When you’re at a networking event, write your name on your badge and include your Twitter handle.  Then, follow-up on your contacts with your new signature line with the same things I mention on your business card.  It’s all about integration and if the recruiter loves what you’re doing, you might get a pre-screen.

A graduate degree is expensive, yet it brings a prestige to your resume which is great and all.  However, I would want employees who care about their craft.  If you’re willing to share your knowledge to an organization, do not be afraid to be out there and forward everything to a recruiter and flaunt it.  At the least, you might get a shot in a pre-screen.  .  The blog and social media would not help you get a job, but there will be someone who will give you an opportunity and when that comes…Seize It.   That is what all this information is there in the beginning: opportunity.  When you land a job, do not stop.  Continue writing your blog and still continue to learn through the different mediums because you never know the future will hold.

A graduate degree might cost a lot of money, but learning is priceless.  Don’t forget that lesson;  it might come up in an interview or a meeting.

If I Was Running A Company…Shared Interests

You have seen me write about the basics of networking, speed networking, and when networking can be too much.  Those tips was more towards your profession.  This one is more towards your interests.  

The difference between networking your profession and your interests is in your profession, you are there for business and mingle.  When you network with your interests, the room (or bar) has one thing that everyone shares: their love at something.  Those shared passions and interests are icebreakers in any conversation and it helps build a commodity throughout the room.  In my case, I mention that I was at a Capitals tweetup several times and and had a great time meeting Caps fans I never met and they all come different backgrounds from government, science, and public relations.  I was also at a Tony Kornheiser get-together (Let me say it again…yes, it does exist) where we all have different backgrounds but we all have one thing why we are join to the hip…our like of Tony Kornheiser.   In both cases, I got something out of these get-togethers for their benefit and mine.

For these type of networking (or get-together) events, stay on course of the topic of interest since you’re still developing a relationship in real-time.  Then, when you feel comfortable, ask for help.  Unlike networking events where you’re searching for something, these get-togethers are a real community that is willing to help on your situations and issues because you have something in common that both sides are passionate about.  

So, if you’re a Trekkie, join a Star Trek group. If you’re a fan of Gossip Girl, join the group.  You enjoy kittens and bacon at the same time, join a group that people like kittens AND bacon, not either/or.  If you’re a parent who has a tween or teenage daughter who likes Jonas Brothers but you cannot stand them, join that group. If you can’t find a group, create one and promote it to everyone.  These groups can be find either local, regional, national, or virtual.  

If you’re shy of doing networking, that’s fine, but don’t hold yourself back too much.  Look into Facebook and Linkedin groups and the people you follow on Twitter and find common ground.  Start warming up and when you feel you’re ready, join or setup a get-together.  Utilize the people that share your interests and be open to them as they are more helpful than your peers at your profession because these people will always have your back.  That’s why communities are there for a reason.