One of the latest questions asked us:

I was told during a couple of recent interviews that I should go back to school and finish my Bachelors degree. I have been consistently promoted throughout my career so why should I go back now?

Completing your college degree—or starting one-- later in life as a working adult with a family at home can be far down the list of priorities, but here is why you should reconsider, particularly if your career has been on an upward track: Keep it tracking upward! Bachelor’s degrees have become a common item on the employment screening checklist. At some point in your career you are going to want a job that requires a Bachelors degree. It may be for that VP title or it may be when you lose a job and need to go back out to the marketplace, but somewhere along the way you are going to have competition for a role you want and it may come down to: Bob doesn’t have a degree and Jim does.

Being in executive placement, we see this all the time with Masters degrees. If there are two great equal candidates with similar experiences and similar compensation structures, sometimes the only thing that sets one apart is the simple fact they went back to school to get their MBA. Do they have better business acumen because of the MBA? Maybe or maybe not, but the perception is that they do and in the business world perception counts.

By not finishing a degree which you started you raise the question on whether you complete projects or leave them half done. By not beginning your degree, the question is often, “Why not”? Did you not have ambition to grow in your career? Obviously, there are some industries where having a four year degree is not the norm, but with technology becoming so advanced in most facets of life, we don’t see the trend reversing itself. By going back to school or starting school later in life you not only show you can multi-task with the best, but that you are a continuous learner and are invested and proactive in improving your career options and learning new tools and best practices.

We all know that most interviewers decide whether they like you within the first ten seconds of an interview. Having a degree or not having a degree can determine on the first run through your resume whether you will even be considered for an interview. Will having a Bachelors degree get you a job? No. But it can help ensure that you get a chance for the job. And in that interview, you can show all those other important skills like leadership and common sense that you didn’t get in school.

Quote of the Day

"I don't want yes-men around me. I want everyone to tell the truth, even if it costs them their jobs.
~Samuel Goldwyn

So Sorry, too busy to write

I have had a lot on my mind recently. Much of it has to do with wanting to take a baseball bat and slinging it around a little bit just to shake things up a bit, but I digress and I haven't even gotten started yet. Of course, for readers who live anywhere around Memphis, you know that the weather, prior to a week or so ago, was enough to start a violent streak in any sane person, but that isn't the problem now either.

No. What I have had on my mind has had to do with personal accountability versus collaborative decision making. Matter a fact, it is going to be the theme of my e-newsletter coming out in a couple of weeks. If anybody tells me they have to go ask for permission or have a meeting to decide something, I think I'll scream. What happened to the days when someone in business could make a decision without going to ask a committee or "team" for their "input?"

Nike's slogan, "Just do it" has lasted successfully --since 1988-- because some brilliant person laser focused a HUGE problem and the solution down to those three words. If all companies could just take that attitude, we might have less economic malaise and more UMPH in our workforce right now.

So besides sitting around and pondering life's issues, RSG has been working on an expansion plan that I'll be sharing over the coming weeks and months. I hope everyone has had a terrific summer and email me at whodges@rsghunt.com if there is a Ask The Recruiter question I can attempt to answer

How Flexible will Oil Drive US

Today is a landmark: Oil hits $138 a barrel. You know the saying, "Its going to get worse before it gets better."
Well, I think this is one of those moments.
How much more can consumers take? I saw today on the news that the city of Birmingham is letting their employees work a four day work week to help with the commuting cost. That is pretty proactive and we have discussed the same option here at our recruitng office as well.

I am curious to hear from my blogger buddies out there about other companies and creative measures people are taking to cut back on their gas consumption.

And on that note, I am outa here--I've got to go fill up my car.

Diagnosis: News Fatigue

It is Monday morning and I'm reading the headlines on all my news channels and I have finally found a diagnosis that fits me: "News Fatigue." Of course, the articles I've read have not really given a great definition of what "news fatigue" is but it feels right. I mean, I read headlines, click on the article, scan it for interest and go to another and another until I am full of useless information and can not for the life of me, recall what led me to look at the news page in the first place.

Of course, the last similar new disorder I can recall is "attention deficit disorder" so maybe "news fatigue" is like that but more focused on being bombarded by facts and bits of news that do not contribute at all, in any way, to my quality of life.

I would like to think this is a side effect to my career as a recruiter since we pick up tidbits of info and trivia from every conversation we have throughout the day. Perhaps I could receive hazardous pay? Whoops. Forgot. Self-employed so probably not.

At least now, when I lose my train of thought, I can say, "Oh, its just my NF acting up." I think I'll got take a couple of aspirin and see what is happening on Fox.

Why I Won't Be Invited to Dinner Again

I just got a phone call inviting me to have dinner with President Bush up in Washington in June! Asking why, I was told because I was a "successful business person" which translated means I might be willing to shell out the thousands of dollars for my invitation for cordon bleu, sour wine and a fine speech or two. Wow. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

Do I sound cynical? Maybe just a bit. Its been that kind of week, but it did lead me to down the mental path of politicians in general: I don't know of one that is really qualified to run the most successful country in the world. Matter a fact, I would say today, if it was up to me, I would disqualify all politicians for running for office.

As a recruiter, my job is to access talent. Part of accessing that talent is looking at education, experience, values, competencies, strengths, weaknesses, etc....What candidate do we have that has run a large profitable business? Who has opened up new markets around the world and dealt with the complexities of a publicly run corporation? Am I forgetting somebody? Because nobody in the game today comes to mind.

I would love to have a candidate I could cheer for but I don't.
One day, maybe we can pick a handful of the most successful CEOs in the nation and test them the Donald way, "You are fired!"

Paranoid? Tips on how to search for a job quietly

I want to start a job search, but my current employer is pretty paranoid about people leaving. How do I conduct a good job search quietly?
Confidentiality is always a concern when you are gainfully employed. Before you start an active job search, there are a few Do’s and Don’t s that we can share to help:

DON”T:---Post your resume on job boards—I don’t care how confidential they say they are, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who is who at their company if they choose to look

---Tell your co-workers—The conversation around the water cooler can be dangerous because it often spreads. It is best to keep your mouth shut on your search around the office, even amongst friends early on.

--Wear your new suit to work and then announce you are going out to lunch or have to leave early for a dental appointment. If you need to dress for an afternoon interview, keep your clothes in the car and change somewhere along the way.

--Conduct phone interviews or send out your resume from your office. A lot of people do, but if you are trying to search quietly, you don’t need the IT department seeing your outgoing email and/or your peers walking by your office and over hearing your conversations.

--Check out of your current job mentally. Stay engaged with what you are doing because as soon as you check out, your behavior becomes suspect and worse, can end up costing you your job and/or future references goodwill.

Do’s in your job search:
--Add to your resume and any interviewing correspondence, “ Do not contact my current employer”. Although this seems obvious, some people in the interviewing process, may forget you are still employed

--Use Recruiters and trusted advisors to help you—they can be your eyes and ears while you are still being productive in your current role.

--Be careful about modifying your routine and interviewing. For instance, if you are flying out of town on an interview, tell co-workers you are flying out to see family—If you are seen at the airport (this happens quite often, by the way) no one will question it.

--Plan ahead and bank your vacation time. You want to make sure you have enough time off to really evaluate your options so invest in your future and bank some vacation days for your interviews.

Keep in mind that your employer today will need to be a reference down the road so do yourself a favor and work diligently while you look toward the future.