Welcome to the first Monday in 2010. For many of you, this is your first day back to work in weeks. I wonder how you are feeling. Did you approach this day with dread? Are you sick of your family and kids? Were you excited to get back to work? What’s on your mind, today?
There’s a large unemployed faction that reads my blog, too. Like a gang. In pajamas and robes. Anyone out there excited about 2010? Anyone optimistic? I really want to hear from you, today. I know you’ve updated your LinkedIn profile and you’re out there on job boards like LinkUp. You’re schmoozing like crazy. You are considering walking away from your home and relocating to a better town. I feel for you. What’s on your mind, today? What’s the one thing you’re sick of reading on career websites?
Not that you asked, but I’m sick of talking about networking. I’m putting that on a list of things I won’t talk about in 2010. You know what else is on that list? Employment branding and social media in Human Resources. I’m done with it. If I have to talk about HR adopting social media tools and breaking down the company’s firewall so that employees can access Facebook, the shit. will. hit. the. fan.
There you go. That’s a promise. Happy 2010.
[*I don't like this song but it's in my head. Now it's in yours. You can thank me later.]
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Started this wonderful first morning back to work in the new decade rocking back and forth in a corner sucking my thumb.
Just kidding… but I did just read 5 blogs and discussions about networking, branding and social media in Human Resources. Thanks you so much for NOT writing about that anymore.
I am actually optimistic about this year. I’m looking forward to talking to less out-of-work people with outstanding experience and skills. I’m looking forward to calling more people to tell them about superior job opportunities. I’m looking forward to actually making some money myself!!
Lots of signs right now that we are moving in the opposite direction of down. Even the Optomitrist I saw yesterday for new glasses said that December was the best month they’ve had in over a year! Bring it on 2010….we are all more than ready.
Honestly in 2010 I’m contemplating where I’m going and what I’m doing. I’m not really unemployed…but then again, I’m not really gainfully employed either. And while there are times I really enjoy what I’m doing…I also really enjoyed the last 3 weeks when I was a (mostly) full-time wife & mommy, with a blogging habit. It was kind of nice not to have to think about monetizing anything or fixing any kinks on a website or wondering how and when traffic will start flowing to my job board.
So as 2010 starts I’m a bit conflicted…I’m guessing I’m not alone.
I didn’t listen to the song, so it isn’t in my head.
I have been happy to hear about some HR people landing new career opportunities, like Deborah Herman and Steve Boese.
Waiting to hear about secret plans from everyone. I don’t have any secret plans. I feel self-deprived.
Didn’t have to listen to the song but it is in my head!!!!
I did look forward to coming back after the three day weekend. I am also looking forward to hearing the unemployment number is shrinking because people are finding jobs that challenge and inspire them. I am looking forward to the delivery of our made in the USA washing machine. Doing my part for the economy!!!! I am looking forward to volunteering a day in the cold this Saturday to clean up a local park. Finally, I am looking forward to redeeming my volunteer voucher for a day at Magic Kingdom in June!!!!
Let’s have a great 2010!!!
Glad to be back at work…Seems there is much optimism about what we might accomplish this year. A real sense of urgency and purpose to make improvements on many fronts.
There is a rumor I keep getting from many sources that a worsening economic tide will come about late in the first quarter. Sort of like all the ground recently reclaimed will have been done so with nothing but borrowed money and advances. Fool’s gold. I’m told the recession will worsen by quite a bit, and that leaves me wondering…
Regardless, I am cautiously optimistic. I am (fortunately) with a group that continues to show profits. Perhaps I am in a bubble?
Best to all in 2010. Let the debates flourish, and may action follow.
I’m starting the year off optimistically. I think it helps that I’m keeping myself busy. And that everyone, like you, are so awesome and supportive.
I’m starting off the new year with optimism, and am glad to be recruiting once more!
Fuck I loved this post. It’s official, the first time I threw an f bomb was on your blog Laurie!!
I spent most of the holiday driving and being very sick— but I’m still not that glad to back to work— I think I need more sleep.
I have a feeling 2010′s gonna kick ass, though!!
What is the song? I am at work, and my company’s Firewall blocks out YouTube, or whatever program the song is in. Please don’t comment on that, Laurie. I don’t want the shit. to. hit. the. fan.
I have so many creative ideas for 2010–the sky is the limit! The hard part for me is getting the practicalities and day to day operational details of running a business under control. That is something I want to do for 2010.
My biggest goal of 2010 is to outsource the job of kitty litter cleaner. If I am able to accomplish that, I will be so far ahead.
Mondays sucks, I dont care if it is the first work day of a new year. #cranky I’ll be all “woohoo a new year” tomorrow.
I am looking forward to the new year though; new opportunities, prospects, and other goodies. And I didnt listen to the song either but I know it and it’s stuck in my head as well. Bad Laurie.
New week, new month, new year, new decade……same old, same old…….
But thinking back – in 2000 there was no Facebook, there was no Twitter there was no Linked in…… in 2020 they will probably be over the hill and superceded by a new generation….bloggers will be a thing of the past and HR……well it will probably have been rebranded 40 times by then at least.
As I said…..same old……
Happy New Year, Laurie. Passed SPHR re-cert this morning. I have had phone interviews for positions in Sidney, Nebraska; Eugene, Oregon; and Madison, WI. Seems I needed to expand the job search nationwide in order to have any chance; will keep home in Columbus and visit family once a month, I suppose. We’ll see.
I am trying to be optimistic this year, but I am also focused on doing things that I really enjoy and love, the sort that ‘builds character’!
I am out of a job but looking for a job. I am applying and targeting jobs in the non-profit, because that is what I love! My only experience working in non-profit is through volunteering and I am hoping my HR experience combined with volunteering will provide for opportunities that I can be truly excited about and inspired by.
I am giving myself only 1 mth to find another job. If my the end of Jan 2010 I have not come across something I love, I’m packing, moving back home to India and spending the rest of 2010 travelling the world as a backpacker. It’s what I have always wanted to do.
So either way, if I get a job in non-profit, I will be doing what I love; if I don’t, I’ll still do what I love….a win-win situation for me I think!
Bring it on 2010!!
I have a couple of more days off…I find that I need time off after the holidays to actually relax. My goal today is to be lazy while everyone else works. Yet I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and look forward to 2010. The 2000′s were filled with natural and man-made disasters so I hope the 2010s are better. I tend to be a half-glass-full person.
I am still employed but I have one of those PJ-wearing unemployed next to me. He isn’t sure about what 2010 holds but he is starting off with a positive outlook…which is really something because he is normally a half-glass-empty guy.
Who knows what new technology shows up that we can’t live without in the 2010s. I can’t wait to see so our company can block it on our firewall.
See, for me, this is one of the happiest days of the year. I love the clean of January. The holiday crap is over and gone and put away, and we get to refocus. There are fewer distractions. We can stop dinking around and DO STUFF.
Plus, this year, I’m starting lots of new things. I left a lot of old crap behind in 2009. I’m ready to go.
Plus–75% off Christmas candy. How can cheap Lindt Santas be bad?
I’m optimistic. Professionally I have a good year. I’m coming up on my 6th anniversary at the same company and am still finding opportunities for professional development. Personally it has been the most challenging year of my life, but that is another story, one I hope has at the very least lead to growth.
I supposed the main HR topic I’m really tired of hearing about from the media and/or blogsphere is the variation on the meme – Why we hate HR. Or Is HR is dead or dying… Yes there are a lot of terrible HR types. There are also a lot of terrible managers, accountants, teachers… Fact is people are messy and HR gets to sort through that mess. Our HR department absolutely contributes to the overall success of the organization and I know plenty of other HR types that do the same for their orgs.
Whoa! Dave Mendoza threw an F bomb. I can finally see a 2010 trend.
That song is *always* in my head. Thanks.
Employers will hire in 2010. I’m worried, though, that jobseeker skills won’t match employer needs.
I am starting off this year opposite of how I ended 2009. I must stop thinking I can fix everything at work because I CAN’T. Because I think I can I worry and have added stress in my life because of it. I am going forward trying to be more optimistic about life. I refuse to let work run my life anymore. Whatever happens. . .happens and I’ll go from there!!
Am I the only one who woke up 1/1/10 totally energized?
I launched a website redesign on 1/1 that had been in the works for months… for me, that act was like taking a shower: everything old was washed away.
I’m back in the saddle today and excited to be here.
Amen, Sara. I have begun the new year with the same mantra.
A Monday is a Monday is a Monday. Same crap, different day. I expect that 2010 will be better simply because 2009 sucked rocks. That’s not so much optimistic as playing the odds.
Thanks, I do have that song stuck in my head now without even playing it. But I just had Led Zeppelin stuck in my head thanks to the lame Monday morning DJ. Bleehhh! So I’ll count this as a vast improvement.
I have to admit, it was nice to take a break over the past week. i am unemployed and started the day trying to figure out how I am going to get a job. I am optimistic about 2010. Personally and professionally 2009 was an extremely difficult year. I am looking forward to 2010 and finding a job I am passionate about. In the meantime, I am getting myself, my house and my finances organized something that is long over due. I am tired of hearing HR people talk about how sympathetic they are about people who are unemployed. Put your money where you mouth is and call people back, follow up with them and treat them with respect. You will make your job and all recruiters job easier. Sorry tha pet peeve snuck out
It has been nuts for the last 2 months and it will be for a few more weeks. I am hoping that things improve. Career wise, I am feeling like some type of change is due. Once I have a chance to breathe, I will think about it in detail.
It would be nice if my company would allow access to Facebook. It would not a single thing for my job but I could significantly improve my Mafia Wars score. It might improve my morale if I did it during pointless conference calls. So maybe it do something for my job.
“What’s on your mind, today? What’s the one thing you’re sick of…”
Am I the only one who gets mad when nobody at the company I’m researching seems to know what their value/mission is, much less actually embody any elements of it in practice? Job seekers read this stuff, and even incorporate elements into their documents. If you have the words “customer service” listed no less than 32 times in your value statements and on your career site, is it too much to expect that the HR/Recruiting dept would remember my name, the role I applied too, or the times of calls and interviews without me confirming? I realize that no company perfectly matches up, but at least buy a ticket to the ballgame so you have a better chance of getting into the ballpark.
All that said, I’m pretty optimistic about 2010. The blinders are off now. Sounds stupid, but I know better what I like and what I want to avoid (see above paragraph). I’ll be happier moving forward. Controlling your own destiny is always empowering. 2009 madness was necessary to wake up.
@adowling Sorry
@TheHRD Forever the optimist.
@Ken Congrats on recertifying!
@JS Don’t give yourself a month. Do it now.
@Ginger I hope 2010 brings you patience.
@Kerry I think this is your year. Also, I bought 75% off dove dark chocolates at Walgreens. Yeah boi.
@Corey I thought we settled this in 2009? HR is dead. Long live HR. (& happy new year!)
@Peopleshark We need a Sharkie playlist for 2010.
@Sara/Kelly So much healthier than 2009. Good for you.
@Jason You are the only one.
@H.Aria Some people rebel against their parents by doing drugs. I rebelled by hating Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Those 70s bands kill me with their mediocrity.
@Christine S. I am tired of hearing HR people talk about how sympathetic they are about people who are unemployed. Put your money where you mouth is and call people back, follow up with them and treat them with respect. It’s not the HR people. It’s recruiters and hiring managers who don’t call you back. (That’s me — shifting blame in 2010.) But I totally hear you. Here’s to 2010.
@SalesComp Oh, so you’re the guy who keeps sending me Mafia Wars invites?
@RyanW I love that the blinders are off. Peripheral vision is critical in 2010.
@Fran I love your optimism. Thank you for that.
@Leanne You are *not* alone. Not at all.
@Michael I’ll join your nosecretplans club.
@HR Mark I’m glad you’re back to work, too. Someone has to earn a paycheck around here.
@Dale I’ll take your cautious optimism.
@Minion xoxoxoxo
@Love Yeah. Recruiting is a good feeling!
@Dave Holy crap. That’s the f-bomb heard round the world.
@MattyMat Oh no! Glad you are feeling better. Yuck.
@BZ I cleaned the basement, yesterday, and almost had to use an inhaler. If I struggle with five cats, and I scoop daily and vacuum my basement weekly, how do other people do it? (This is why Hoarders really scares me.)
2010 feels the same to me. Energized, but get sucked in by the wintry mix and now cold heavy winds in Fairfax…and love it.
Oh @JS, forward me your resume and I’ll take a look since I specialize in nonprofits.
BRING ON 2010! I am VERY optimistic about 2010! Something I heard yesterday summarizes my hope and faith for a better year ahead:
“Competition is out. Collaboration is in.”
The most effective collaboration will happen when we understand and embrace our true strengths and have the b*lls to shout them from the rooftops: “I want THAT work because I’m the best at getting it done!” And enough humble-pie-a-la-mode to ask for help when someone else does the work better. Rely on our strengths and those of others to make work more productive, more efficient, more effective and a helluva lot more fun.
And for someone who actually BELIEVES in and PREACHES real team development (vs. the ropes-course brand of “team building”) that’s good enough for me. Can I get an amen?
“Hi. I’m Meredith. And I’m a Pollyanna.” [And I like me that way!]
["Hi Meredith"]
I may not be in pjs and a robe, but I am in the “unemployment gang” you referenced. Looking back at 2009, I noticed that I spent a majority of the year searching, dissecting, and studying ways to connect my personality to my professional work. Why did I get so worked up about the balance, because career sites wouldn’t let me forget it!
The “authorities” on how to integrate your personality into your social media presence to position yourself as a “desirable employee” have such an array of opinions its mind boggling. There are enough conflicting viewpoints on what is and isn’t acceptable I could write a book on it. So, in 2010 I’m presenting myself as, well myself. Mind blowing, I know. It’s a strategy that will help me land a job that fits my personality without all the stress of who I am “supposed” to be on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, ect.
PS – All I had to do was read your tweet and I was off and singing… now that’s the way to start the first Monday of the new year.
I’m excited. I started last year thinking about reinvention — had to put that on hold to think about survival — so in 2010 will resume the process. People in the tech world used the word “disruption” a lot last year — when I proposed the word “reinvention” to a leading VC, he said that the two were pretty much the same thing. I think they are related but different. One is the catalyst, the other the response. Last year was a catalyst for change…I mean if ever there was evidence of a lot of things gone wrong, that was it. However, I also believe it was a tremendous opportunity — and that is what I will be figuring out and implementing in this coming year. Those lessons were too hard won to waste. A lot of what will be up for “reinvention” is how I do recruiting — not changing the tried-and-true basics, but asking hard questions that allow what I do to represent an even more relevant partnership with clients and their business objectives — with results that have more long-term impact on the organization. It’s got to be about more than merely filling jobs, right? And, I will be talking a lot about employment branding — because I believe that a lot of what the employment enterprise is all about is good marketing — not that anyone will be listening.
@Laurie I have a friend who rescues feral cats– and has 40+ cats living in two locations. It’s a gargantuan task finding names for them let alone feeding, cleaning up after them, medications, etc. And the economy really hit her hard in the donation department as well.
I hear if you breath in too much cat urine, it can effect your brain? My friend is a little nutty…… hmmmmm…..
Laurie, I’m actually excited about the new year. I voluntarily left a great job in NJ to live and start a new HR Consulting business in TN. I am definitely optimistic about the new year. I also agree that networking and branding are OLD topics. I would like to see more written on what HR is really doing to be innovators – not just tired old HR police. By the way, is HR really a profession or is it really a function trying to disguise itself as a true profession? What do you think, I’d love to hear from you.
Am I the only one who hates LinkedIn? I guess I am just a little “old skool” and would prefer to pick up a phone, find out who the hiring managers are for the position I am interested in, and try try try to get on their calendars AT LEAST for an informational interview. It’s hard, but to me, face-to-face does a lot more than stalking someone on a social networking site.
This is also why I don’t use online dating sites.
Happy New Year Laurie. I hope I’m lucky enough to run into you a few times this year!
I didn’t get out of my pajamas today, but I only wear a bathrobe when I go into the hot tub.
I didn’t listen to your video because it’s not a Broadway show tune so I don’t want it in my head.
I loved today because the house is totally cleaned and only one dog vomited once – and she hit the wood floor part instead of the carpet.
I am sick of hearing and reading almost all job search advice because most is redundant and worthless. I’m just going to keep smiling and searching.
A gang in robes….funny shit LR. Funny shit….
Today was a fantastic day. I had a lot of energy, optimism and focus. I purposely didn’t schedule any appointments today so I could brainstorm, innovate and create (and also because it’s so bitterly cold here in DC!). I really got a lot done.
And like you, Laurie, I am somehow over the social media phenomenon and how it ties into HR too. It got old quick for me. What did it was the Mashable post a week or so ago that said 15,000+ people on Twitter consider themselves social media experts. That just made me NOT want to be one, and plus being one would take away from my love of HR. I’ll just stay old school!
@Tracy You’re a wintry mix of awesomeness.
@Meredith I’m too lazy to collaborate. I expect others to carry the burden. 2010 might not be my year.
@Heather It’s just that simple, isn’t it. Be yourself, god forbid.
@Donna I’m listening — & I hate the word disruption. It doesn’t mean the same thing as reinvention. Good luck to you in 2010.
@Matty Your friend is a saint.
@Cindy Welcome to the blog. Thanks for the comment.
@Aytch Some would argue that a blog, like this one, is a social network.
@Amanda Here’s to a successful 2010!
@Joan Amen. More hot tub. Fewer HR blogs.
@scott Happy New Year!
@extra I’m so over social media that Mashable can go f–k itself. (Hahahahaha. Suckers.)
I just landed a new HR job in Denver, so I have to say I was very excited to be back to work (after relocating from Detroit and job searching for 8 months). 2010 is already on my good list.
I have to say that in the last few months of my job search I basically avoided all job search/interview/networking “advice” sites. Top ten interview mistakes! The ONE thing not to forget on your resume! Etc., etc. Maybe I’m not looking on very creative sites, but these all seemed pretty repetitive. It made me wonder whether the writer *really* thought they were putting together something that someone else hadn’t already said or thought of 100 times before. Or that was actually useful.
“Employment branding and social media in Human Resources. I’m done with it.”
Sarcasm … I hope?
@Megan There are no new ideas out there. This blog is proof of that. congrats on your new job!
@Ken I was done with talking about it. Now I’ve been asked to do a webinar on it. D’oh!
Hey Laurie – What happened to #hrmediateam and the #socialrecruiting summit initiative? I’ve been highlighting you and a few others as thought leaders in social recruiting. Have you lost interest since moving to RecruitingBlogs?
Enjoy San Diego.
@Ken I’m totally in it. I live it. This is my job. I’m just sick of blogging about it because it gets lost in the chatter & noise. I’m all about social recruiting as the new norm — so don’t lose faith in me.