I’m on time. Always have been. In fact, I’m early. Being late just isn’t something that I can do.

Which leads me to a question: Would you hire someone if you knew they were always late? I’m not talking about being an hour late. I’m talking about just a few minutes each day. And that number of minutes wasn’t predictable?

I’ve told you this before, but my dad ran on Lombardi Time. When the Green Bay Packers coach told his players that a meeting started at 8am, he meant that players would be in their seats 10 minutes before that. My dad used to say, “We’re leaving at 8. Lombardi time.” We didn’t make any mistakes. We didn’t make him wait. I value that.

My take: I value people I can count on. Being on time is a big part of that. Is being on time part of your HR orientation? I’ll bet it matters to others, too.

Looking for Some Obnoxious Hipster Scum

Now here’s how to really look for talent. This job posting for an administrative intern at Pitchfork Media is the way real people communicate:

Pitchfork Media is looking for some obnoxious hipster scum to beat up in the back alley of our New York City office. But more importantly, we’re seeking an administrative intern. (Seriously, no mustaches.) The ideal candidate will be available 10-15 hours a week and have prior administrative experience. It’d be pretty great if you also have some general office experience and familiarity with business applications (you know, like Microsoft Office). A good presence on the phone and strong writing skills are mandatory. Tasks include, but are not limited to, coordinating schedules, shredding watermarked promos, and assisting all departments with daily operations as needed. Qualified applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@pitchforkmedia.com. Deadline is Friday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

That’s just brilliant writing of a job posting. And how do your job postings compare?

[Via yvynyl]

The Eyes Have It

Want to understand people? Look ‘em in the eye. You can tell a lot about how someone’s thinking by tracking their eye movement.

Go G-Hog: Another Recruiting Video Goes Horribly Wrong

Here’s my next business: Creating recruiting videos that don’t suck. Like this one from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recruiting people to healthcare careers that uses a dancing groundhog and the tagline “Go G-Hog, Go G-Hog.” Go throw up in my mouth is more like it.

This isn’t the worst recruiting video ever, but it’s close. Note to marketers and HR recruiters: It costs the same amount to make a great recruiting video as it does to make one that sucks. Call me. I’ll explain how.

Recuit or Die: The Kids Think You’re as Old as Dirt Anyway

Recruit or Die. Okay, it’s not quite that dire, but the book by that name was an interesting read this week. The book was described this way:

RECRUIT OR DIE: How Any Business Can Beat the Big Guys in the War for Young Talent — the first front-line look at the entry-level college recruiting game. In the book, the authors share dozens of recruiting anecdotes that demonstrate the way successful recruiters are working their magic, as well as showing how not-so-successful recruiters are blowing it.

The authors know what they’re talking about. Chris Resto heads up MIT’s largest professional development and internship program, the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program; Ian Ybarra is a recent MIT grad; and Ramit Sethi is a recent Stanford grad and Web 2.0 entrepreneur. They’ve seen them all come and go. And they have stories to tell.

Want to dazzle prestige recruits? Forget the pizza parties say the authors of Recruit or Die — you’d better show them your senior people, what they’ll be doing, and where they’ll be doing it. And you’d better be interested in working with the placement offices all year. The big three in prestige recruiting — McKinsey, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs — do it. They dazzle their candidates. And they get the best ones.

One big lesson from the book: The great companies not only go after the best people and get them, they are great places to be from. That’s how college recruits are thinking these days. Note to managers: Young people are not planning to spend their life at your shop. So make it good while they’re with you and a good place to be from. Then you’ll get the superstars.

Recruit or Die
by Chris Resto, Ian Ybarra, and Ramit Sethi
Published by Portfolio; August 2007
ISBN 978-1-59184-161-6
B&N, Amazon

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