Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wow! Two Postings in One Day!
Figured I would give you an update. As you can see from my first post in January and it has been a long time since I have posted, I am now successfully managing my Type II Diabetes. My blood sugar is now averaging between 95 and 115 as the medicine has helped out tremendously.
Type II Diabetes is brought on by being overweight, and I have been overweight nearly my entire life. I am working on reducing that and throughout the year I had put on close to twenty pounds due to the medication. I can now say since being diagnosed, I have shed fifteen of those pounds and slowly but surely work my way back to a healthy BMI.
For those of you who are reading my blog, I have found that in testing my blood, I much rather use my forearm versus using my fingers. Since I type all day and in front of a computer, I have found that the tips of my fingers were always raw and that shea butter doesn't do too much to alleviate the discomfort. If I am in a rush, which now I am, I will prick my finger rather than go to my forearm.
Type II Diabetes is brought on by being overweight, and I have been overweight nearly my entire life. I am working on reducing that and throughout the year I had put on close to twenty pounds due to the medication. I can now say since being diagnosed, I have shed fifteen of those pounds and slowly but surely work my way back to a healthy BMI.
For those of you who are reading my blog, I have found that in testing my blood, I much rather use my forearm versus using my fingers. Since I type all day and in front of a computer, I have found that the tips of my fingers were always raw and that shea butter doesn't do too much to alleviate the discomfort. If I am in a rush, which now I am, I will prick my finger rather than go to my forearm.
Corporate Trampolining
"...for accounting, press one, for human resources press two.....beep.....'hi, this Sal Governale in accounting, I cannot get to your call right now.....blah, blah, blah....leave a message"
As a good recruiter, I am never on my way home when the proverbial bell rings at 5:00. For someone who has been doing this as long as I have, you know you are never going to get to speak to the person you want to until after hours.
But what if there was a way to identify who the good candidates are versus the bad ones? Better yet, who are they, what are their extensions, and find out what they do? The answer, my fellow recruiters, lies within one of the first tricks I learned in recruiting - corporate trampolining.
So, what is corporate trampolining all about? Corporate trampolining allows a recruiter to call into an organization and press the magic button(s) (usually 0, 8, or 411) to allow someone to access the directory, should you not know your party's extension :) From there, you can type in three common letters for the last name as I usually go for S-M-I for Smith. As you would know from dealing with voicemail, a certain number of extensions will come. Sometimes you'll get the name and the extension, but most times you will only get the person's name. It's quite simple and does not involve rocket science. Here are the steps for being successful at it:
#1 - Have a pen and a pad with you to write down the names of your potential goldmine.
#2 - Leave a cryptic general message that will generate interest (we'll go into this in more detail in another blog).
#3 - Begin to put together a matrix or an organizational chart with names but not titles.
#4 - Over the next few days, call into human resources to verify the names and titles of key personnel. If you are working with a team of recruiters, this works even better as this will not arouse suspicion.
#5 - Recruit those individuals who best fit your needs in short-term, and have a list of names in your database for the long-term.
A few years ago, I practiced corporate trampolining with a rather prominent company in the Philadelphia area. Not only was I able to follow the steps listed above, but when I went to visit the company for business development purposes, I brought along with me an organization chart I developed. Although it was rather crude, the senior manager I met with was impressed and I was awarded an exclusive on the search of a finance professional.
Corporate trampolining may not work for everyone, but it is a guaranteed way to reduce sourcing time and focus more on delivering quality candidates your hiring managers will want to meet.
As a good recruiter, I am never on my way home when the proverbial bell rings at 5:00. For someone who has been doing this as long as I have, you know you are never going to get to speak to the person you want to until after hours.
But what if there was a way to identify who the good candidates are versus the bad ones? Better yet, who are they, what are their extensions, and find out what they do? The answer, my fellow recruiters, lies within one of the first tricks I learned in recruiting - corporate trampolining.
So, what is corporate trampolining all about? Corporate trampolining allows a recruiter to call into an organization and press the magic button(s) (usually 0, 8, or 411) to allow someone to access the directory, should you not know your party's extension :) From there, you can type in three common letters for the last name as I usually go for S-M-I for Smith. As you would know from dealing with voicemail, a certain number of extensions will come. Sometimes you'll get the name and the extension, but most times you will only get the person's name. It's quite simple and does not involve rocket science. Here are the steps for being successful at it:
#1 - Have a pen and a pad with you to write down the names of your potential goldmine.
#2 - Leave a cryptic general message that will generate interest (we'll go into this in more detail in another blog).
#3 - Begin to put together a matrix or an organizational chart with names but not titles.
#4 - Over the next few days, call into human resources to verify the names and titles of key personnel. If you are working with a team of recruiters, this works even better as this will not arouse suspicion.
#5 - Recruit those individuals who best fit your needs in short-term, and have a list of names in your database for the long-term.
A few years ago, I practiced corporate trampolining with a rather prominent company in the Philadelphia area. Not only was I able to follow the steps listed above, but when I went to visit the company for business development purposes, I brought along with me an organization chart I developed. Although it was rather crude, the senior manager I met with was impressed and I was awarded an exclusive on the search of a finance professional.
Corporate trampolining may not work for everyone, but it is a guaranteed way to reduce sourcing time and focus more on delivering quality candidates your hiring managers will want to meet.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Funky D-Day: January 22, 2008
January 22, 2008 was indeed a very tough day for me. If you asked me a few weeks back, it would have been like any ordinary Tuesday. But this was not starting out like an ordinary Tuesday for me. An ordinary Tuesday that would definitely change my life as I knew it.
For the first time in six months, I had health insurance and I was looking forward to my yearly physical. I was also looking forward to seeing my new doctor, as my insurance is not taken by my former primary. Particularly, I was looking forward to this visit because for the first time in my life, I did not feel well at all. Over the last year or so, I felt funky, but not in a Bootsy Collins/George Clinton way. My anxiety and depression were spiraling out of control. I didn't feel the love, but also too, I was mad at the world - for no apparent reason. Therapy has helped me to cope with the psychological messes, but physically something did not feel right.
Enter my new doctor, Dr. T, as I will call him throughout the blog. I was excited, new doctor, routine physical, draw some blood and you're out. Since I was 25, that has how my routine physicals went. But, January 22nd, was a real funky day for me. I visited Dr. T at 9:00 AM and I was going to my grandmother's funeral later that afternoon. During our conversation, I explained to Dr. T the situation and that I wanted to keep the appointment. He smiled and asked me some more questions - do I get anxious, am I a smoker, do I consume alcoholic beverages, etc. He assessed my answers and then asked me if I was ever tested for diabetes. I said I never was and that with my family history I should. Dr. T called for an Accu-Check meter and the nurse pricked my finger to test my blood sugar.
WHAM!
264!
My blood sugar was 264. Normal blood sugar should be around 80 to 100. I panicked; I broke out in a sweat, nearly naked to the world. Of course that's rather uncomfortable, but what could I do in that situation. But in the back of my mind I was relieved. Now I know what's wrong. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.
Funky. Now what?
My plan with this blog is to document what I am going through and share my experiences. Given my family history, I ignored the warning signs. I brought this disease upon myself, as in our teens and 20s we feel indestructible. At 30, I just found out we are indeed. I also hope to encourage others who are going through similar experiences to share those with us as well.
For the first time in six months, I had health insurance and I was looking forward to my yearly physical. I was also looking forward to seeing my new doctor, as my insurance is not taken by my former primary. Particularly, I was looking forward to this visit because for the first time in my life, I did not feel well at all. Over the last year or so, I felt funky, but not in a Bootsy Collins/George Clinton way. My anxiety and depression were spiraling out of control. I didn't feel the love, but also too, I was mad at the world - for no apparent reason. Therapy has helped me to cope with the psychological messes, but physically something did not feel right.
Enter my new doctor, Dr. T, as I will call him throughout the blog. I was excited, new doctor, routine physical, draw some blood and you're out. Since I was 25, that has how my routine physicals went. But, January 22nd, was a real funky day for me. I visited Dr. T at 9:00 AM and I was going to my grandmother's funeral later that afternoon. During our conversation, I explained to Dr. T the situation and that I wanted to keep the appointment. He smiled and asked me some more questions - do I get anxious, am I a smoker, do I consume alcoholic beverages, etc. He assessed my answers and then asked me if I was ever tested for diabetes. I said I never was and that with my family history I should. Dr. T called for an Accu-Check meter and the nurse pricked my finger to test my blood sugar.
WHAM!
264!
My blood sugar was 264. Normal blood sugar should be around 80 to 100. I panicked; I broke out in a sweat, nearly naked to the world. Of course that's rather uncomfortable, but what could I do in that situation. But in the back of my mind I was relieved. Now I know what's wrong. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.
Funky. Now what?
My plan with this blog is to document what I am going through and share my experiences. Given my family history, I ignored the warning signs. I brought this disease upon myself, as in our teens and 20s we feel indestructible. At 30, I just found out we are indeed. I also hope to encourage others who are going through similar experiences to share those with us as well.
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