Monday, September 26, 2005
The Clever Rule Of Three
The best parties are the ones where everyone is having a good time. Everyone is loving the food, the music, the ambience... The atmosphere is contagious because everyone is enjoying being together and despite all the differences, that party brought everyone together (at least for a night). How does this tie into recruiting? Glad you asked...Once you brand yourself as the recruiter for the wireless industry (for argument’s sake), stay in contact with your “audience.” Cater to their “vibe” as it were and exist (at least during office hours) in a total state of “wirelessness.” Speak the lingo of wireless, know the players of wireless, and interact with wireless technologies so that you “live” wireless. Am I trying to turn you into a hippy? Yes, and you should be one for your industry. Why? Consider this...
A very good friend of mine is a DJ par excellence and only plays what he calls, “good music.” What is good music to him is determined by his emotional and intellectual response to whatever hits his turntable. When approached by record companies’ representatives to play their CD, they must present themselves as people who love music as deeply as he does. If they do not, he perceives them as “pretenders” and does not give them serious consideration. If you are recruiting wireless professionals, you must exhibit a passion for wireless that is evident to those you recruit and for whom you recruit. To do so will separate you from those “pretenders” who only want money, versus those few “good recruiters” who share a passion for wireless. As a result, you are the one they “connect with” and in party terms you are the “cool one” and not one of the bashful wallflowers in suspenders and glasses trying to get a dance.
Okay, so you get the idea but are a little fuzzy on the tactical. No biggie, I have the cure for what ails you and its called The Clever Rule of 3. If you would like to hear it, here it goes:
A. Subscribe to 3 magazines that pertain to your industry and read them religiously. Make sure that they are a fair representation of what is happening now. Chances are they can help you figure out future trends.
B. Buy 3 best-selling books that target your industry; highlight interesting quotes from industry leaders and commit them to memory. Use them when interviewing a potential hire, shmoozing a client or networking among peers. Nothing shouts “Industry Authority” more than someone quoting the gurus of a particular space (trust me).
C. Select 3 things about your industry on which to harp. Good or bad, it does not matter. As long as you can prattle on about something in your industry, this will communicate “passion.” Consider too the negative side - if you bore someone silly with your knowledge at least they will remember you as an expert in your industry (albeit a dull one).
Links to Industry Media Resources
MagPortal
http://www.magportal.com/
World Biz Media
http://www.worldbizmedia.com/
Professional & Technical Trade Publications
http://www.mcgraw-hill-sales.com/
Magazines.com
http://www.magazines.com/
All You Can Read
http://www.allyoucanread.com/
Open Directory Project
http://dmoz.org/Business/Resources/News_and_Media/Magazines/ 9:00 AM
