Blake Cannon

What’s the Payoff? – RecruitingBlogs.com

Blake Cannon — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:41:05 +0000

What’s the Payoff? – RecruitingBlogs.com.

What HR Can Learn From American Idol

Blake Cannon — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:14:00 +0000

What HR Can Learn From American Idol.

Blake Cannon — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:19:16 +0000

SourceCon 2010: Resume Sourcing and Matching: Artificial Intelligence vs. Human Cognition

View more presentations from Glen Cathey.

Still having fun after 62 years of Marriage!

Blake Cannon — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:54:24 +0000

No Skin in the Game – Why?

Blake Cannon — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:59:23 +0000

2 days last week with many of the industries “Thought Leaders” at TRU London, all in one place to talk about what? I anxiously awaited Monday when I knew I would see pictures, videos and read the trail of comments about what a great time everyone had socializing in London. So what was discussed?

Heck, there are some very important topics out there that are discussed by all. We all love the subject of Gen Y –vs- Gen X – I mean, who doesn’t enjoy that? We can always look forward to the helpful, F@%k It Friday & Sunday Shout outs by one of the most Popular bloggers out there (I really do enjoy your blog). Hell, her cat has its own twitter account. We debate Social Media tools, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Job Boards, Boolean, Sourceology, Sourcery, bacon and even having brownies delivered, etc…! Check out the number and type of topics covered at the most recent gathering of the folks that are shaping the Human Resources and Recruiting industry today at the TRU London Un-Conference:

Social Media Circus
Employer branding v Employee branding
The future for recruiters
Endangered Species
Battle of the Bloggers
Technology shopping list
Sourceology – The dark arts
UK Sourcery – A new way of working
Recruiter Big Brother
The talent puddle
Global live lab – A social media experiment
Culture Clash
Gen Why & How
Leadership questions
H.R. Revolution
Who cares what the candidates think?
New tools, old rules?
H.R. Gen Z
Future Strategy

I have read the popular “thoughts on the Recruitment Unconference” by everyone and I was especially moved by the person that couldn’t make the last day of TRU London because they had sponsored “Love Balls” – a Male Cancer Charity and had to get to that event. When’s the last time someone sponsored an event for Veterans? It seems we are all concerned about a lot of things – just not the right thing. VETERANS! Not one mention/track/discussion of a “How to” help a veteran during all of the show in London. Nothing, NADA, zilch… Who cares? Do you?

I posted the resume of an individual I represent 3 times on twitter last week – He is a Major. A Green Beret. A member of Special Forces. A West Point Grad with a BS in Systems Engineering. He played Division I Football for Army. He has four total combat tours between Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Southern Philippines. 2 Bronze Stars. Speaks English, Mandarin and Chinese. Has a Top-Secret Security Clearance. Not one person responded or Re-tweeted any of the 3 times I posted his information. You WILL NOT be able to source, screen, or recruit a person with this type of background that would be a better Project Manager within any type of organization. Skin in the game? Sure he does!! He put his own skin in the game for over 10 years! Why no interest from the masses? Enlighten me please!

Here are a few of the immediate problems that need to be addressed right away

There are an enormous amount of recently separated Veterans that have entered the workforce and there will be more on the way with the upcoming withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Most companies do not currently have a defined Veteran Hiring Program
Companies hire differently today than they did after any other major military conflict
Most organizations are utilizing Internal recruiters who typically have zero military experience (and that’s OK)
External Recruiters – Companies typically will not pay a fee for Military Personnel with mixed backgrounds and experience – they do not consider Veterans fee eligible
Hiring from websites does not work for Veterans
Companies and the Public have a good outward message for supporting Veterans but they are not as a whole, willing to put any real skin in the game…
A veterans true experience & knowledge is not always conveyed to employers correctly.
Assessment Tools not available that relate to Military Personnel

What is the Solution – where do you start?

Commitment! It’s not just a word when it comes to veterans. It is a way they have lived their lives and now they need you to commit to prioritizing part of your budget to putting them to work. You can’t just think that the other companies are going to do it, so why should you bother? It’s not happening – primarily because hundreds gather and talk about Twitter or Gen Y instead of what we all need to do to engage just one veteran and make it your purpose to find him/her a job today!

You have to identify internal needs that can be filled by a Veteran. Do it today!! If you have no clue where to start – call me now! I will help you. Get creative and start to build and or suggest training programs and out of the box solutions to allow Veteran hiring within your organization. Identify internal veterans within your company and create a company champion and/or mentor program.

If you need Top Level Support to get this done then get me involved – I can talk a dog off a meat truck and will get those ‘C’ Level folks on board for you! I know that helping Veterans can be Ugly for HR but it has to be done. In the words spoken by the famous Sports Agent Mr. Jerry McGuire, “Who’s with me?”

Step up and do the right thing!

Blake Cannon
Disabled Veteran, US Army and a Proud Recruiter!
blake.cannon@recruitveterans.com

Strategies for Effective Time Management

Blake Cannon — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:30:00 +0000

The first step is being aware of where your time is going, now.
You can’t find something you’ve lost when you don’t know where you might have lost it in the first place. So the first strategy for managing your time is to know where it’s going, now. That means actually tracking or logging your time daily, for at least 1-week (preferably 2). Track the exact time you begin and end an activity, make a note of the duration in exact minutes, and a few words to describe the activity. This step requires you to be really honest with yourself and track EVERYTHING you do in your work day so you can see where your time is really going — so if you spent 23 minutes chatting with coworkers at the coffee machine (no cheating by logging all your time in nice, even 15, 30 or 60 minute intervals) — write it down exactly.
Analyze and summarize your time logs.
At the end of the week, review your time logs and start to summarize the tasks (and the amount of time spent on each) into categories. You will create these categories yourself, and you should have between 6 and 12 categories. They should be meaningful to you, self-defining, mutually exclusive and as concise as possible. Some examples might be Administration, Business Development, Sales & Marketing, Computer, etc. You will then summarize, for each day, how much time you spent doing tasks or activities for each category, in the exact number of minutes. You might also do a little math, to figure the percentage of time each category takes out of each day. You make this step as detailed as you like, but the key here is awareness.
Create a New Daily Routine.
If you were honest and diligent during steps 1 and 2, chances are you had a rude awakening when you reviewed and analyzed your time logs. You no doubt can see where the time drains are occurring — and now you’re ready to make better choices and create a new daily routine. This routine will maximize the time you spend on productive work by conforming to the natural flow of your day and with your natural rhythms, by taking into consideration when you’re at your best for certain tasks, grouping similar tasks together for greater efficiency, and by setting aside dedicated time for doing uninterrupted work. How do you create your routine? Look at where you’ve been spending your time and start making some decisions about where the different tasks can best be fit into your day, then actually write this routine down and post it where you’ll see it every day. Strategies 4 through 10 will give you some food for thought as you develop and implement your new daily routine.
Prioritize and stay focused.
Once you’ve done the up-front work of tracking and analyzing your time, and creating a new routine, how do you keep it on track? You will also need to do some work on prioritizing what you do. You can create your own easy tools to do this. On one sheet of paper, create 5 sections: High Priorities, Secondary Priorities, People to Contact, Telephone Calls, and Schedule. You can fill this out each day, first thing in the morning (or better yet, at the end of your workday so you are well prepared to start fresh tomorrow!) Each day, ask yourself: “If nothing else gets done today, what are the one or two items that absolutely MUST be done?” Those are the items you will use to focus your day. You should also periodically go back to the time logging exercise, so you can determine if you are slipping back into those old bad habits and take immediate steps to get back on track.
Reduce interruptions by creating stronger boundaries. It is true that interruptions to your day can and will happen, and to some degree they are out of your control. However, you probably have more control than you think. Instead of blaming other people and getting frustrated with them for interrupting you, take responsibility for creating stronger boundaries with your co-workers where appropriate. Keep in mind, other people don’t mean to be inconsiderate by interrupting, they are just caught up in their own “stuff” and probably don’t realize. It is really up to you to set up some guidelines for when you can and cannot be interrupted, to communicate them to others, and then to stick by them. For example: you might institute a “quiet time” policy (mornings are usually best) where you let everyone know that this is a time where you cannot be interrupted — and then set up another time later in the day where you have an open-door policy. This strategy creates a firm boundary but also provides time for you to be accessible to others. At first, those around you might try to cross your boundaries, and it’s up to you to gently remind them that they can come back and talk during your “open door” time. After a while, they’ll get used to it. Change takes time, so stick with it!
Structure your telephone time.
Set aside certain periods of the day to accept, initiate and return calls. The best time to accept incoming calls is just prior to lunch or at the end of the work day (the other person will not want to dawdle on the phone at those times either) — so whenever possible, let others know this is your preference and set that time aside so you are available. When initiating or returning calls, the best time to contact those difficult-to-reach clients is early in the morning, just before or after lunch, or late in the day.
Don’t procrastinate.
Procrastination is probably one of the biggest “time hogs” we have. Not only are we NOT doing the thing we’re procrastinating about, but we also end up wasting even more time worrying about how much we’re procrastinating. So, if you have an unpleasant task to do, simply make up your mind to take care of it immediately and just get it done.
Under-promise and over-deliver. You may have heard this one before, but a little reinforcement never hurts. Many of us have too many requirements on our time because we take on more than we should. When we over-commit ourselves, we are not only creating unnecessary stress in our lives, but we are also creating potential situations where we cannot deliver what we’ve promised. We also don’t realize that when we can’t deliver what we’ve promised, we can inadvertently cause more pain and hurt feelings than if we’d been willing to say no in the first place. Remember that you’re not doing yourself or anyone else any favors by taking on more than you can reasonably deliver. Commit yourself to making this strategy a high priority in your life, and watch what happens.
Separate your work from your personal life.
It is critical for your health and emotional balance that you find a way to separate your work from your personal life. If possible, don’t take work to be done after hours at all unless you are certain you can get to it. It’s better to stay a little longer at the office (but be sure and set time limits for yourself) to get it done, then enjoy your leisure time without the stress of having to do work after hours. If you work from a remote office, you will need to be even more diligent in setting aside separate times in your day for work and for your personal time and family.
Remember that you’re only human.
We all have only 24 hours in the day — and sometimes that just doesn’t feel like enough, does it? There will always be days where things happen that are unplanned and which can throw even the most organized day into a tailspin. When that happens, take a deep breath or two, and accept that you are doing the very best you can, right now. Tomorrow is a new day and a chance to start fresh. Let go of the need to be a perfectionist and remember you’re only human.

Counter Offer Tips

Blake Cannon — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:27:41 +0000

Consider the following points for discussion during this conversation with the Candidate:

Any situation in which an employee feels compelled to seek an outside offer to use as leverage in his or her present job before receiving a raise, promotion, or better working conditions is suspect.
No matter what the current employer says when making a counteroffer, the employer now knows the employee was looking for another position and will consider him or her at risk.
The employer now realizes the loyalty factors are gone and trust may become an issue. A counteroffer can be a stall tactic to give the employer time to replace the employee.
A counteroffer is made in response to an employee’s threat to quit. Will the threat need to be made each time better working conditions are deserved and desired? How many times will the employer tolerate these threats?
If a counteroffer is accepted, the employee’s reasons for wanting to leave may still exist. Working conditions are made more tolerable only in the short-term because of a raise, promotion, or promises made.

Remember, Time Kills ALL Deals!!

Electrical Engineer – Product Development – Lancaster, PA

Blake Cannon — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:59:01 +0000

Position Summary

This position is responsible for completing electrical engineering tasks critical to new product development and maintenance of existing products. The individual will be a key participant in the Product Realization Process and contribute in a dynamic team environment. The individual is expected to perform functions independently with technical guidance from senior team members.

Principal Responsibilities

Lead development of advanced designs for power supplies, analog circuitry and high speed digital circuits
Complete FPGA/Programmable logic design including writing VHDL code and test benches, simulating, and synthesizing FPGA designs with timing constraints.
Develop hardware prototypes and analytical simulations for design concept validation.
Support System Architects and Product Managers in the development of building blocks and product roadmaps through technical input and feasibility analysis.
Provide guidance and assistance to hardware test group during approbation and validation testing.
Support task manager in development of project scoping and work list creation.
Lead DFSS initiatives to improve product performance and reliability through design reviews, FMEA’s, DFA’s and developing hardware test plans.
Support PQIM through evaluation of supplier capability studies of new processes.
Provide engineering support to resolve customer complaints and production product issues.

10. Support BOM creation and release of product documentation.

11. Coordinate tasks and provide guidance for technologists.

Education

Required: Bachelor of Science Degree in a technical discipline (BSEE, etc)

Preferred: Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent

Experience

Minimum: 5-10 Years of experience in the field of electrical engineering is required.

Special Skills

Experience with VHDL for FPGA programming is required. Experience developing circuit block diagrams, schematics and high-speed (100s of MHz) PCB layouts optimized for EMC performance is required. Familiarity with stepper or brushless DC motor control algorithms and slip ring technology is desired. Familiarity with UL & CE safety agency approvals is desired. Experience with analog and digital video is desired. Must be able to communicate effectively with other business disciplines. Strong communication, interpersonal and PC skills are required. Position requires a self-motivated individual able to work in a team environment.

For immediate consideration – please send your resume with salary requirements to blake@ibotconsultants.com

Java Developers (2 Positions) Michigan

Blake Cannon — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:57:13 +0000

Java Programmer/Analyst

Our industry leading client is looking for someone with a minimum of 2 years of programming (although 3-5 is more realistic for the requirements) using Java, Rational Application Developer and Websphere. They should have experience with AJAX, Crystal Reports, HTML, Javascript, JSP pages and Java Servlets. We aren’t doing any EJB development. The salary range is going to be $55-60K.

Beyond technical skills, this is a Programmer/Analyst position where they will be involved in teams, have close contact with business areas, and essentially be a solution provider versus a pure programmer. Project leadership experience, insurance background or strong communication skills are a big plus in this category. Also, because of the need for strong business skills and being a solution provider, they may tend to shy away from individuals with only contract programming experience. Someone with background as an employee and part of a larger business community is going to find the position far more suitable than someone who is always looking for new technical challenges and skill development.

While the primary focus is on Java programming, a person with a blended background including C# and .Net would be more attractive because they have a blended environment.

Essential Functions: Provide programming and analysis for the applications supported by the Web & Agency Systems section. Provide leadership and/or serve as a team member on projects. Research, analyze, prototype, program and test software applications for intranet applications using Java, HTML, Javascript and Websphere. Provide on call support for Web and Host Based Systems.

Required Qualifications: Two years programming and/or systems analysis background. Current knowledge of Java, AJAX, JSP, Crystal Reports, Javascript, Websphere, and Rational Application Developer. Experience with testing techniques. Must be able to take calls and complete work outside of standard working hours.

Preferred Qualifications: Ability to communicate verbally and in written form in a clear and concise manner. Willingness to participate in systems and insurance training classes. Ability to work with minimum supervision. Associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer information systems or data processing preferred. Experience with C# and .Net technologies is a big plus as the environment contains both development environments – Java and C#/.Net.

For immediate consideration – please send your resume with salary requirements to blake@ibotconsultants.com

Electromagnetic Engineer (Motor Design)

Blake Cannon — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:52:56 +0000

Electromagnetic Design Engineer – Salary in the 80s to lo 90s

Our client is a rapidly growing global manufacturing business with approximately 20,000 employees worldwide and annual sales in excess of $2 billion. Serving a wide array of markets from high technology to heavy industry, the company’s product lines include electric motors, generators and mechanical power transmission equipment.

Fortune 1000 company with manufacturing, distribution and sales presence in the: United States, Canada, Mexico, India, Australia, Thailand, Europe, and the People’s Republic of China.

Location: Indiana

Responsibilities:

Primary responsibility will be as a key and active member of the New Product Development (NPD) team responsible for electrical and electromagnetic design of NPDs that are based on Single or Three phase AC induction motor or brushless DC motor platform and other topology.

Key role in motor design, building and testing the validation of engineering samples, design growth and design confirmation samples all the way through pilot run and production ramp. Must work closely with manufacturing engineering and production facilities to develop manufacturable designs, and safety agency engineers to ensure UL/CSA approvals.

Utilize simulation tools like ANSOFT/Infolytica to optimize electromagnetic lamination of Single & Three phase AC induction and brushless DC Motors. Development and maintenance of mathematical models & simulations tool to perform analysis and design systhesis of single phase KCP, KC, KH, KCR induction motors and three phase induction motors required. This effort will include continuous improvement of tools based on feedback of design engineers.

Qualifications:

Bachelor/Masters of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering required

For immediate consideration – please send your resume with salary requirements to blake@ibotconsultants.com