Empower Me! The Empowered Black Women’s Network

I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting my blog and sending your well wishes. I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a blessed & prosperous New Year.

Take this time to reflect and give thanks for what you have. Resolve to be kinder to people and to step up your game for the new year. Leave the remnants of 2008 behind you and focus on all the greatness that 2009 will bring.

Now I’m off to put presents under the tree and have some milk & cookies. Merry Christmas!!

Adrienne Graham

Hi everyone.

A couple of friends forwarded a link to a story about a couple who has vowed to shop all Black for 2009. It’s called the Ebony Experiment- http://www.ebonyexperiment.com A friend sent it to me again yesterday and I responded to her that I didn’t think it was feasible- for me. She didn’t respond to my email. Hopefully she will. LOL

Now, I am a proponent of buying black, but I feel it is not feasible for “me”. I’ll tell you why. There are no (to my knowledge) black owned utilities, hospitals, cable or phone companies in Atlanta (or Georgia for that matter) that I know of. The nearest black owned bank (for me) is way downtown with no branches anywhere near me. I live in Alpharetta! Not much Black owned anything up here. There are no local black owned gas stations where I live. Now as far as doctors, dentists, even supermarkets, beauty supplies, mechanics, book stores, bakeries, restaurants, I don’t mind going out of my way. Sometimes I do. As far as business related needs, I can find almost anything/anybody I want to do business with online. I can join a black investment bank to manage my portfolio. But are there any black owned software companies that can provide me with an applicant tracking system for my business? What about a black equivalent of MS Office, Adobe, Macromedia? What about a black Google? Is there a black owned postal service? Is there a black airline I can use for my travel needs? What about a black owned blackberry-like service?

I’m not being funny. I’m trying to look at this from a logical standpoint. We can dramatically shift the way we live and do business by buying “mostly black”. But I don’t believe there is a way to live “totally black”. Do we quit our jobs and work for only black owned companies? Do we fire all our non-black clients and only work with black clients? I mean how does this work? My son has one semester to go in high school. Do I pull him out now and put him in a black school to finish out? Yes he can choose to go to a black college, but is there a black FAFSA to fill out financial aid forms, what about a black NCAA clearinghouse? I’ve seriously thought about all of this.

My point is I want to support black business. But when are we going to make strides in major arenas so that we have the option to buy black in every arena? We have a black president and for that I am proud and grateful. But will this push our people to seriously step into those arenas or cause us to feel we’ve arrived and our work is done?

I’d like to get everyone’s perspective on this. How do you think this experiment will work for the Andersons?

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12112008/news/regionalnews/better_sign_of_times_143653.htm

As a recruiter, I have been face to face with innovative candidates trying their best to get their shot at an interview by doing something to wow me and get my attention. When I was contracting at CIBAVision years ago, a gentleman sent in a box of peanuts. Seriously, they were peanuts- the kind with the shells. They weren’t bagged or anything. Just a big box of loose peanuts. On top of the peanuts was a note that said “I’m nuts about CIBAVision”. Underneath the peanuts was a crisp resume. I had to laugh at that. I had gotten some weird things before, but never a box of peanuts. Two things came to mind. How did he know that I wasn’t allergic to peanuts and would find it offensive? I’m not and I didn’t. The other thing was if this man was willing to do something this outrageous without even considering the possible ramifications, how as a sales executive would he gel with clients?

Today as I browsed through the internet looking for interesting stories to read, I came across the story in the above link. Long story short, a gentleman who is a father of five lost his job a year ago. He was a casualty of the Wall Street fallout before it became a full fledged fall out. One day, he decided to make himself a sandwich board saying “MIT Grad for Hire” and wear it in the street, while passing out his resume. Some people might find this crude, some may find it interesting. But to me, it really is a sign of the times. I applaud this gentleman for going out of his way to stand out. I think it took a lot of guts for this man to do what he did. He ended up getting hired and that’s all that counts. People are going out of their way to be innovative and creative to find a job. Jobs are hard to come by these days and I can’t knock anyone who goes above and beyond to garner attention to get an interview. After all, don’t some recruiters (agency) pull out all the stops to get clients? It’s all about sales. Whether your on the hiring side or job seeking side, it’s all sales, and the best sales pitch (and expertise to back it up) wins the pot.

In the spirit of the times and innovation, I have put myself on eBay. No, I haven’t lost my mind. LOL Hey if the Governor of Illinois can “sell” a senate seat and Sarah Palin can “sell” a plane on eBay, why not me? It’s just an experiment I’d like to try to see if “innovation” is as accepted as people claim it is. I’ll keep you posted!

So what will you do to stand apart for the crowd? Are you ready to get down and dirty and bring out your true innovation?

Til next time,

Adrienne Graham

OK. I wouldn’t be a responsible recruiter, blogger, writer and networker if I didn’t tell you the truth. I have been and continue to be a huge advocate of social networking and using sites like Linked In to build your professional brand and network. But I think it’s getting a wee bit out of hand now. Let me explain.

Yes, the primary purpose of those sites is to get to know people and make lasting connections. However, I have read one too many articles and heard far too many “experts” tell people to get on and use it to find a job. “Don’t be afraid to seek out people in companies you want to work in and let them know you’re looking for a job or ask for an introduction to a hiring manager within the company”. Ordinarily I would agree with that, but with a caveat. Anyone who has read anything I’ve written knows that I tell people build relationships and get to know people. Yes, you should be bold and reach out to people you don’t know. But there is an etiquette to it. Make an effort to get to know the person and build some sort of relationship with them. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gotten an email asking to introduce someone to one of my contacts. I don’t have a problem making connections, but if I have never communicated with you or hadn’t heard from you since we initially connected, do not ask me to refer you. See, it’s a credibility issue with me. My name and reputation mean everything to me. Anyone I recommend is someone I know in some capacity. If I don’t know you from Eve, how can I introduce you to someone not knowing what you bring to the table?

Think about it. Would you refer someone you don’t know? If things went wrong, that could damage not only your reputation, but also your relationship. One time I passed along an introduction figuring I would help this person out because they needed a job. I didn’t know her, but she sent an email introducing herself to let me know she was on the market. I made the introduction and forgot to tell my contact I did not know her personally. The person went on to badger my contact. She called her repeatedly and sent email after email asking for an interview. My contact said she told her she didn’t have anything at the time but to watch the website. She also told her she’d be in touch if something came up. The woman would call her every time she saw a new opening on the company website. I was so embarrassed and had to work overtime to mend my damaged relationship. Well, I generally applaud initiative. But stalking is another issue altogether and I cannot condone that.

I think writers have been very irresponsible to tell readers to go ahead and reach out to people without giving them the proper etiquette lesson that goes along with that advice. I truly hope that you all do go out and network, you’re supposed to, otherwise how would you build your network. But please be responsible about it. Don’t go in there reaching out to folks you never met asking for introductions or worse, making your initial contact about getting a job. I am not heartless. But I am a realist. Get to know the people you reach out to. Ask to speak with them via phone and chat a little about yourself. Don’t go into interview mode or ask to send your resume. What you can do is talk about your expertise, and casually mention that you may be interested in hearing about the right opportunities. As them if they mind if you keep in touch with them periodically. Remain in touch by sending relevant articles, events and books. A follow up email every now and then is welcomed by most people. Sending an email every week, well, is stalking.

So “Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers”, but do it responsibly. Be courteous and respectful. If you manage your network with class, common sense and respect I promise that you will benefit from leads because you took the time to nurture the relationships. Remember, it’s give and take.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

Are you prepared to swing into action should you suddenly lose your job? Well these days, that’s a reality many people face or worry about facing. Nobody is safe from the long hand of layoffs and pink slips. Until this economy picks back up (which I have faith it will) nobody is safe. The key is to not wait until the last minute or worse, hide your head in the sand obliviously with the hopes of never having to face a lay off. The first 30 days are the most critical because unlike with a planned exit, you don’t have time to get your house in order or your ducks in a row before the boom is lowered.

I was doing my usual morning reading of digests from a forum I frequently read but hardly participate in.  It’s a recruiter’s forum.  For the most part, the messages I see are utter nonsense, but every once in a while, I come across some sage advice.  You see, in my opinion, the forum is over run by people who have too much time on their hands and think way too highly of themselves and look down on anyone who dares disagree with them.  But that’s neither here nor there.  Like I said, it’s my OPINION. Again, there are a few good people on there and every once and a while I get some good advice. 

This morning I had my fill of the rhetoric and decided to blog about it. The topic that caught my eye was Pet Peeves of Recruiters.  The usual was expressed (typos on resumes, lack of communication, unqualified candidates, etc, etc). But one particular poster really upset me.  He gave an instance of a VP level person applying for a customer service position and getting huffy when he was not considered.  He then went on to say that he couldn’t understand the man’s attitude and what recruiter in their right mind would hire or take serious a VP level person for such a position.  Ladies, I give you this to think about.  Longstanding companies on Wall Street have been obliterated and I have a feeling that before it’s said and done, there will be many more.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  There are a whole lot of people out there who are suddenly unemployed through no fault of their own and they need to feed their families. There are MBAs out there who couldn’t find a job BEFORE this crisis and many more who really can’t find a job now.  Not to mention, perhaps some people are looking to change careers and realize they have to start from ground zero. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am a Recruiter.  A damned good one too.  But I am also human and very cognizant of the world around me. There are a lot of folks out there who have no choice but to go for jobs they know they are overqualified for.  Does this give recruiters the right to mock them or dismiss them because they are deemed overqualified?  No.  But it happens a whole lot.  Now let’s look at the other end of this spectrum.  What about the recruiters or hiring managers who want people with all of this outstanding expertise but want to pay them way below what they are worth?  In a sense, isn’t that the same thing?  So why is it a crime when people make a conscious decision to go for something lower by their OWN choice, but not when a company decides to get over and try to get away with hiring them for less pay?  See where I’m going with this? They, recruiters, don’t get to arbitrarily decide to disrespect you or judge you based upon your circumstances.

Listen, with so many people on the market, you have got to brand yourself to stand out from the next person. You have to take charge of how you present yourself and how people perceive you.  You’ve got to exhibit the best you possible.  It has swung to a hirer’s market and it is ultra competitive. There are more people to choose from and companies can afford to leisurely watch the battle royal and pick from the remains of the survivors.  That gives them an inflated sense of worth and not to mention ego.

Do what you must to command respect. Don’t let anyone make you feel less than just because you are seeking “alternative” types of work. There is nothing wrong with it.  In my opinion, it shows you have strong work ethic and will do whatever it takes to make things work, even if it means taking a job that’s less than.  The next time a recruiter tries to brush you off, respectfully as why.  Have them explain to you why they think you won’t work. Don’t get an attitude, but a healthy discussion should assure them that you are indeed serious and that you have truly given this some thought. “Because I have to feed my family” may be the real answer, but you can’t use that and expect it to float.  Sit down when you have a quiet moment and write out your thoughts about why you are going down that road. Be honest with yourself.  Make sure you list all the pros and cons (preferably more pros than cons). Remember what they say, the best defense is a good offense. 

Good luck.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham