From the monthly archives:

July 2009

Fresh from the studio 7.28.09 Gravity Free Radio: Stephanie Perrett + Me

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on July 30, 2009 · 3 comments

in I work in HR,I'm looking for a job,Management,Podcasts,Radio,Recruiters,Video blogging,Workplace Issues

Tuesday morning Stephanie Perrett and I joined Erik Wolf + Stephanie Frost in the studio LIVE for Gravity Free Radio!

Erik Wolf and Stephanie Frost in the Business RadioX studio

Stephanies at Gravity Free Radio July 09

Stephanie Perrett and Stephanie Lloyd just after the show

Stephanie Perrett is one of three interns I have recently asked to join the Radio Veracity team as a partnership in which I will help them with their job searches and expanding their networks, and in turn they will help me with various aspects of my business; from marketing to communications to PR to branding to…well, once you get to know these three you’ll see just how strong their capabilities are!

This morning was Stephanie‘s first radio experience and after the show I conducted a brief interview with her and asked about her studio experience as well as her internships(s) and her job search as a recent graduate of the University of Georgia.

If interested you can click here to listen to the show (approximately 20 minutes) during which we talked about both recruiting and job searching in today’s highly competitive job market.

And, stay tuned to learn more about Stephanie Perrett as well as Radiant Veracity interns Beth Farrar and Paul Eulette!

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Tagged as: Ask the recruiter, Atlanta, Business RadioX, Do you want this job or not, Erik Wolf, Gen X, Gen Y, Gravity Free Radio, I need a job, I work in HR, Lee Kantor, Recruiters, Social Media, Stephanie A. Lloyd, Stephanie Frost, Stephanie Perrett, We need a few more Stephanies around here

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TALES OF A POST-GRAD INTERN: “The Beginning: An Unlikely Friendship”

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on July 29, 2009 · 1 comment

in I'm looking for a job,Tales of a Post-Grad Intern

Introducing two new members of the Radiant Veracity team: Stephanie Perrett and Beth Farrar (from left to right) are currently working with Stephanie Lloyd as two of three communications interns. One of their weekly intern assignments is to chronicle their experiences as a regular blog series on Radiant Veracity. As recent college graduates and active job seekers, topics will range from how they met (they’ve been friends for two years) to their weekly assignments, victories and struggles.

* Series Logo Coming Soon*

Without sounding too much like a Harlequin romance novel, our story is quite serendipitous. Both 20-year-old journalism students at the University of Georgia, it took a nine-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean, followed by a two-hour bus ride from hell through the English countryside (a story for another time) for us to meet.

As rising juniors at UGA, we both found ourselves in a period of transition. For different reasons, we were each motivated to spend the summer of 2007 studying at the University of Oxford, thousands of miles away from Athens, Ga.

Eager to meet new people, Beth was among the first to apply for the Oxford study abroad program. The year had gotten off to a rough start, and the idea of expanding her comfort zone seemed the perfect antidote. With no inhibitions, Beth immediately began packing her 72-pound suitcase for the six-week sojourn.

Much more hesitant about the prospect of spending the summer somewhere so foreign – both literally and figuratively – Stephanie was one of the last students to apply for the trip. A mere four months before summer classes at Oxford began, she took an e-mail stating there had been last-minute openings in the program as a sign to throw all anxieties to the wind and leap into the unknown.

Upon our arrival at Oxford, we found ourselves decompressing from the long journey in a huddled common room, making small talk with a group of strangers who couldn’t have been more different from each other. The eight people in the room that night forged an unlikely bond that would continue throughout their college years and beyond. If we hadn’t been willing to take a leap of faith in to this unfamiliar territory, it is unlikely that we would have become friends at all, we would not be working at Radiant Veracity together and this romance would have never been written.

Moral of the Story: Take advantage of every opportunity. Consider studying abroad (trust us – it’s the experience of a lifetime!). Expand your horizons. Venture outside your comfort zone. Embrace new people (even if they appear to be very different from you). Stay in touch with old friends because you never know – they could be become your co-worker one day.

[Stephanie Lloyd here] Stay tuned to learn more about Stephanie and Beth’s internship adventures! Future installments include:

“Find an Intern (or Three) in Less Than 10 Minutes” – finding out about the internship
Our phone interviews with Stephanie Lloyd
“Three Stephanies, Beth and a Pizza Place” – the meeting at Pizzeria Venti
“Join the Circus” – getting to work, juggling other commitments

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Tagged as: Atlanta, Beth Farrar, Gen Y, I need a job, Internship, job search, job seekers, Post-Grad, Radiant Veracity Interns, Stephanie A. Lloyd, Stephanie Perrett, University of Georgia, University of Oxford, We need a few more Stephanies around here

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How blogs can work for recruiters (and you!)

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on July 29, 2009 · 3 comments

in I work in HR,Management,Networking,Recruiters,Social Media

Thanks to Dan Schawbel‘s generosity on Twitter I recently discovered an article on AJC.com, “Here’s how blogs can work for you” by Laura Raines.

Raines writes, “Blogs are spreading faster than kudzu in the business world. Why? Because, when done effectively, they are a great marketing, sales and public relations tool for corporations or entrepreneurs,” said Barbara Giamanco, CEO of Talent Builders Inc., which helps professionals attract business and increase sales by using social media strategies and tools.

“You know it works when you start getting calls from people you don’t know who want to work with you,” she said. Recently, Giamanco garnered a major corporate client. A friend had referred her, but before calling, he did an online search, and read her LinkedIn profile and her blog, which relates to her core competencies of sales, people development and social media technology. “He liked what I had to say, so before he even met me, I had made an impression as a professional with credibility and integrity,” Giamanco said.

What Giamanco describes are the fundamentals of relationship-based selling. These are the same principles that successful recruiters apply to their businesses, and a blog can be a fantastic vehicle to demonstrate your expertise and connect with others in the field, as well as with candidates and prospective clients.

“The technology has made it easier than ever to start a blog, and with search engines preferring content that is relevant and recent, blogs often top the results list of a search. That can be a business advantage—-or not.”

Cartoon by Hugh

The same rules apply when using social media tools to build meaningful relationships with people. Nobody likes spam and people aren’t interested in “bots” spewing information at them. It’s the difference between the law of attraction and an obvious sales pitch. Developing credibility takes thought and energy. It’s an investment.

Says Raines, “A blog is not a brochure. “One of the quickest ways to fail is to make it an online sales pitch,” Giamanco said. “Nothing turns people off faster than a ‘slick Willy’ hawking his product or services. You want to have a conversation with people and get them to participate.”

Giamanco goes on to say. “People want to do business with people they know, like and trust, but building that relationship takes time. Don’t expect instant results.”

Raines says that you should be authentic when writing on your blog. “Use your own voice and be real,” Giamanco said. “But always treat others with courtesy and respect. If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, don’t say it online.”

Brett Borders recently wrote on his blog, Social Media Rockstar, 10 simple ways to show kindness online, “Some of the top social media “rockstars” come across as incredibly nice people. They’ve cultivated a conscious, polished online interaction style that makes other people feel included, welcome, important and appreciated. An “aura of awesomeness” is crowned upon them, in part, because their fans feel good after interacting with them.”

Be prepared to make a commitment. Blogging requires time and effort to draw readers in and keep them interested and engaged. Once you get started you’ll need to post at least several times a week.

However, it doesn’t have to be as difficult or time-consuming as it sounds if you’re smart about it. There are so many things you can write about, and so many ways that you can structure a blog post without spending too much time. I suggest a healthy combination of several different types of articles.

Write a response to something you have read. It could be something you read in a book, article, or blog post. I don’t comment on other people’s blogs very often but I do write blog posts in response to what I read and link back to it. (Bloggers like it when you do this FYI. Unless your blog post is horrible or you are launching a personal attack on them but let’s assume that’s not the case and I do not recommend either of these things.)
Do an email interview with someone. I do these a lot. They’re easy to do for both the blogger and the interviewee and very popular with readers, and I love the fact that unless you are a complete idiot this leaves very little room for misquoting someone.
Answer people’s questions in a blog post. I do this all the time too. Someone comes to me with a question and I ask them if I can write my response in the form of a blog post and I have yet to have someone say no. Plus even if they said no you could just do it anyway and not mention their name so there.
Obviously you need to write about original ideas that you have related to your field. I’m just saying that not every single post needs to be one of these.

Michael Kogon, CEO and founder of Definition 6, a leading interactive solutions marketing company, suggests focusing on a subject “that draws from your expertise and is broad enough to interest readers. It should be professional, not your personal musings. No one wants to read your thoughts on the universe, unless you’re Stephen Hawking.”

Five things that I recommend when blogging:

1. Write about things you care about. Tell us what you do and how you do it and tell us how you feel about what you do and why you do it the way that you do.

2. Let us in to your life. We want insight. While we definitely do not want a play-by-play account of a day in the life of your pet snail we do want to know your interpretation of the information you are sharing with us so don’t just say Apple just released the next gen iPhone. Tell us if you bought it and if so why and if not why and do you like it or love it or hate it and why.

3. Put a picture in your blog post. At least one. Some of us are visual and some of us have absolutely no imagination whatsoever and we need to look at a picture.

4. Don’t be all business and don’t be stuffy. If we wanted to read a textbook we would buy one and no we do not want to read about your cat. That is not what I’m talking about.

5. Have a blogroll. Call it what you want but we want to know what blogs you read so we can learn more about you and also if we like to read your blog (?) we might also like to read some of the blogs that you also like to read.

Last but not least, do not forget: Links are good manners! Chris Brogan says, “Links are good manners. They signal intent. They connote sharing. They help your audience connect better. Link, even if it takes a bit more time. Fair?”

Ready to get started? I suggest you read How to get a job by blogging in order to learn how to set up the kind of professional blog that will get you hired. This is an excellent article that walks you through the process, step-by-step, with links to and explanations about the things you’ll need. And then check out and bookmark @Animal’s guide to basic HTML for bloggers.

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Tagged as: Blogging, Cartoon by Hugh, Entrepreneur, I work in HR, LinkedIn, Online etiquette, Recruiters, Social Media, Stephanie A. Lloyd

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My interview with Heather Huhman: Today’s entry-level job market in Atlanta, GA

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on July 25, 2009

in I'm looking for a job,Management,Networking,Podcasts,Social Media,Tweetups,Workplace Issues

This morning I was honored to speak with Heather Huhman about the entry-level job market in Atlanta, Georgia. This was her first in a series of interviews she will be conducting and recording for her website, Come Recommended. I first wrote about the site for my Examiner column when Heather launched it in May.

“Come Recommended is an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. Unlike other exclusive recruiting networks, Come Recommended requires both candidates and employers to provide at least three recommendations to gain access to the community.”

I will post the audio from our interview here as soon as it is available. Below is a transcript of our discussion.

Overall, how would you describe the internship and entry-level job market in Atlanta?

Like in many cities around the country, opportunities for paid internships – and for entry-level jobs – are tighter than under normal circumstances. This is a time to really get creative and see where it may lead.

In fact, just yesterday I hired two PR interns, Stephanie Perrett and Beth Farrar, both recent University of Georgia graduates, to help me grow my business, Radiant Veracity; a talent and social media strategies firm based here in Atlanta.

Rather than paying them a salary we have worked out a trade arrangement. They are helping me with various aspects of building and promoting my business – which gives them additional experience and more accomplishments to add to their resumes – and in return I am helping them by providing them with job search coaching, help with their resumes, cover letters, and job applications, and I’m helping them to significantly build and boost their professional networks.

I have many fantastic contacts whom I will introduce them to over the next few weeks and months, and who knows? They just may land a paying job through one of them!

I am also featuring Stephanie and Beth in a series of guest posts on my blog, Radiant Veracity. In this ongoing series they will chronicle their internship experience. We’re hoping that by sharing their experience throughout a mutually beneficial internship other people will grab on to the idea and work together in creative ways to help one another in this challenging economy and job market.

How often do people move around and/or change jobs in Atlanta?

Atlanta has long been known for being a transient city. Many people relocate to Atlanta from various parts of the country for new jobs, job transfers, to be near family members, or to move to a warmer climate.

What are the flagship industries of Atlanta?

Atlanta is home to many wonderful companies, including Coca-Cola, Chick-Fil-A, CNN, Waffle House, The Weather Channel, TNT, Delta Airlines, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), AirTran, Rubbermaid Newell, 11 Alive News, UPS, Haverty’s, and Emory University and Healthcare System.

As you can see, we have quite a diverse industry population! You’ll find manufacturing, retail, hospitality, television and other media, airlines, and professional services here, to name a few.

Many U.S. and foreign companies maintain a regional presence in Atlanta across various industries.

Which industries do you think are up-and-coming in your area?

According to The Ladders, media & advertising is up dramatically in Atlanta. Health/bio/pharma have also seen a slight increase recently.

Which industries in Atlanta do you think will rebound the most quickly from the economic downturn?

Because they’ve experienced such a dramatic downturn I think that technology as well as the service industry will be poised to rebound quickly.

How do you think the economic downturn has changed Atlanta?

The city of Atlanta, like many other cities around the country, is experiencing deep financial trouble which has many impacts. Safety is an issue with the increases in crime that arise as a result of a poor economy and fewer police officers to deal with it.

Of course, we’ve also felt the impact of the housing crunch in Atlanta, like so many other cities; though not necessarily with same severity as other East Coast areas.

From a jobs perspective, according to The Ladders, telecom and tech in Atlanta have recently plummeted, while media & advertising is up dramatically. Health/bio/pharma have also seen a slight increase recently.

Can an entry-level professional or intern live comfortably in Atlanta based on their industry’s average salary?

Like anywhere else, entry-level salaries vary greatly by industry and by firm or company in Atlanta. The good news is that Atlanta has a very reasonable cost-of-living compared to so many other places in the U.S. which makes it much easier to manage expenses…especially as graduates are entering in to the workforce for the first time.

What networking opportunities are available in Atlanta?

Atlanta has no shortage of networking opportunities, that’s for sure! If you are active on Twitter you know that there are Tweetups (which is another word for meetup, or cocktail party, or networking event) at least once a week in the metro-Atlanta area.

I just co-hosted a very successful Tweetup last week, in fact, with Stephanie Frost and Rachel Rose. This event was the first ever Atlanta Chicks Tweetup – designed to bring professional women in the Atlanta area together for a Girls’ Night Out – and to network. We had 85 women in attendance at the brand new luxury St. Regis Hotel in Buckhead!

Due to the success of the first #ATLChix Tweetup we plan to make this a quarterly event. For more information women in Atlanta can follow the hashtag #ATLChix on Twitter or visit ATLChix.com in the very near future for details.

And, on August 4 beginning at 6 pm I am co-hosting a “co-ed” Tweetup at Pizzeria Venti on Lenox Road in Buckhead with Miriam Salpeter of Keppie Careers. The owners, Brian and Jaime Lackey, have been truly fantastic sponsors and partners to work with. For more information people can follow the hashtag #ATLMix on Twitter, or visit my website, radiantveracity.com.

For information on additional Tweetups and networking opportunities around Atlanta, people can check out the website atlantabuzz.com and search under Professional/Networking.

What major changes have you seen take place since you began working in Atlanta?

I’ve been living and working in Atlanta since 1997 and I have seen the marketplace here grow dramatically in terms of flexibility and creativity.

I’ve also seen a shift in a willingness to work together and help one another, rather than viewing others as the “evil competitor.” There is very much a sense of “if we help one another we all rise together” in this community.

Where do you see the job market trends in Atlanta going in the short-term and long-term?

Unfortunately, I don’t forsee a quick turn-around in the job market whether we’re talking about Atlanta or nationwide. From an economic perspective the stock market is a leading indicator and the job market is a lagging indicator; meaning that the job market is typically the last to rebound in an economic downturn. Unemployment in the state of Georgia is now at 10.7% and predicted to go even higher. Unfortunately, I think we’re probably looking at a couple of years more of higher than average unemployment.

The good news is that I do think we’re nearing the end of the massive job cuts; it’s just going to be a while before we see jobs really open up.

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Tagged as: Atlanta, Come Recommended, Do you want this job or not, Gen X, Gen Y, Get a life, Heather Huhman, I need a job, internships, Miriam Salpeter, Social Media, Stephanie A. Lloyd, Tweetups, Twitter

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The Red Shoe Project by Michael Long: June, 2009!

July 24, 2009

My completely awesome friend Michael Long, whom some of you [on Twitter] may know as @theredrecruiter, is not only a brilliant recruiter…he’s a very giving and charitable guy! While I’ve known him for less than a year, I can tell you one thing about Michael. He is one of the most selfless people I know! [...]

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Interview with Craig Fisher: How do you use Twitter for recruiting?

July 21, 2009

Today as part of an ongoing series I had the opportunity to ask my friend Craig Fisher how he uses Twitter in his recruiting efforts. Craig, Co-Founder of A-List Solutions and a veteran sales leader in the staffing and recruiting industry, was gracious enough to allow me to spend some time grilling interviewing him about [...]

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Guest-hosting High Velocity Radio: Social Media + The Job Search

July 20, 2009

Today I guest-hosted High Velocity Radio for the second time while Stone Payton is enjoying a summer vacation with his family. Today’s discussion with Jenny DeVaughn, Senior Talent Consultant with Talent Connections, and Miriam Salpeter, owner of Keppie Careers, centered around using social media for both recruiters and job-seekers. Click here to listen to the [...]

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Guest-hosting The High Velocity Radio Show, Take II

July 19, 2009

Last week I guest-hosted The High Velocity Radio Show with featured guest Jason Prance. Apparently I did not get fired after that so I get to return tomorrow morning with an all-star guest panel including Miriam Salpeter and Jenny DeVaughn! Miriam Salpeter, owner of Keppie Careers, has been advising clients regarding their career plans and [...]

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