Breanne Potter left a comment on my blog and told me that she frowns upon thank you notes. She is so hard core that she akshully rejects candidates who feels the need to write thank-you notes.

(To summarize: ‘Don’t be desperate, yo. You either get the job or you don’t. There’s no need for pleasantries.’)

Holy crap, dudes. She does not mess around.

I wondered, “What else makes you rule out candidates, Breanne?’

She told me. Go there and check it out.

I also wonder — what makes you rule out candidates?

First I changed the world with my awesome advice on how to save the auto industry. Then I counseled you to stop writing thank-you notes after your job interviews. Now I’m handing out some ground-breaking advice on the Cheezhead site, which was just ranked as the #1 talent management blog in the entire universe.

Really, I’m making all kinds of difference in the world.

Arianna Huffington was on The Daily Show, last night, and encouraged people to blog about the recession.

• Have you lost your job?
• Is your house in foreclosure?
• Are you still living with your spouse because you can’t afford to get a divorce?

If you don’t have a job, you have plenty of time to blog — as evidenced by the evolution of Punk Rock HR.

If I can do it, you can do it. You can always buy The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging to get started.

1. Are you looking for other HR bloggers? You can check out The Talent Management Blog Power Rankings 2.0 [Sponsored by FOT and the HR Capitalist] and you can read many of those writers (and more) on HRM Today. I was an honorable mention, last August, and now I’m on the Top 25 list. I am tied with Jibber Jobber. That’s pretty good company, akshully.

2. J. William Tincup posted interviews with awesome HR bloggers on his website. Check it out.

3. Finally, you can see John Hollon’s response to my post on writing thank-you notes after an interview. I still hold firm that writing a thank-you note has no bearing on a hiring decision; however, I can’t argue against manners. Here’s where I stand.

• Writing a thank-you note shows old skool class and a good upbringing, but I won’t hire you for your manners. I’ll hire you for your skills, which should include manners, but won’t be determined solely on the inclusion of a thank-you note.

Any additional thoughts? Any others sites we should be visiting, today?

I was going to post another punk rock HR vlog about the recession, Detroit, and the fake uproar over private jets. Instead, I thought I would just show you this video to sum up the state of America, these days.

I was like, he was like, I was like, we were like, I dunno, totally. THIS IS SO SO BRILLIANT.

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I must thank ICANHASLINDA and her new baby — ICANHASDANNY — for exposing me to the awesomeness that is ParryGripp. I’m not focused on HR, the economy, or record unemployment when I’m watching a kid get hit in the face with a soccer ball.

America has officially entered a recession, and I wrote a 400 word post about hiring managers who feel that they can have the pick of the litter during economic downturns. These are managers who will purposely slow down the recruiting process in order to ensure that they’ve seen every possible candidate on the market.

• I raged against arrogance.
• I warned against hubris.
• I reminded employers to uphold their end of the employment agreement and argued for a good-faith recruiting process where candidates would be given a fair shake at a job that affords an employee a decent salary and an opportunity to grow as a human being.

You can’t change Human Resources when you enable a dysfunctional talent acquisition process.

You — as the HR pro — have to stop the madness. Cut these hiring managers off at the knees by deauthorizing requisitions and taking ownership of the talent pipeline in your organization. Other departments engage in turf wars regarding parking spaces, offices, and budgets. If you’re going to play with the big boys, fight for something valuable: ownership of the company’s future.

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That’s the whole post, in essence — but I deleted the first draft because the song I Want You To Want Me was in my head as I was typing. It’s Cheap Trick…

…and at Budokan, no less.

That’s not very punk rock. You deserve better.

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The upside? Now you’re getting a shorter post with just the highlights.

The downside? Now that song will be stuck in your head — but at least I found a cute video.

If your life is anything like mine, your extended family will come together over the holidays and someone will drink too much light beer, eat too many cookies, and start complaining about his job.

It’s probably your cousin — the guy who wears a baseball hat to every family event. He will get all sentimental & shit and bemoan the loss of family values. He may also rage against the commercialism of Christmas and criticize corporate America — and you’ll have to resist the urge to point out that he drove to the holiday party in his Ford F150, he is wearing a pair of jeans from Old Navy, and he is eating his weight in government subsidized high-fructose corn syrup.

Deck the halls, yo. I don’t envy you.

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Why don’t you mix things up, this year? I dare you to be a shit-disturber and tell your family member to

• stop buying stuff he doesn’t need.
• sell one of his cars.
• learn how to cook.
• vacation locally.
• use coupons.
• give up red meat.
• cancel the cable TV.
• buy clothing at consignment stores.
• stop buying his kids soda and candy for snacks.
• find personal meaning in life by volunteering with animals, abused children, or those less fortunate.

Or you can tell your family member to STFU and eat another cookie.

What’s it gonna be?

Do you read Ventibate?

It’s a site that was designed to let you scream, yell, and vent before you take a gun to the office. I refer people to this site on a daily basis — especially readers of Punk Rock HR who write and complain about their jobs. You aren’t powerless if you can complain about Terrorists in India, if you can tell NWA to suck it, or if you can write a simple paragraph about The Backstreet Boys and The National Anthem. I’m also a big fan of the WORK category.

This site is so American that it makes me want to cry.

Go check it out while you’re on your Monday morning conference calls, yo.

As a Human Resources professional, I don’t expect a thank you note after an interview. Here’s a punk rock HR tip:

• Sending a thank you note has no bearing on whether or not you get a job. If you feel compelled to follow-up on our interview, please save a tree and send an email.

I operate differently as an aunt, a sister, and a cousin.

• If you don’t send a thank you note, you won’t get a gift on the following holiday.

Am I keeping score? You bet I am — and you’re on notice.

Much like 9/11 in the United States, I’m struck by how many of the victims in Mumbai were injured in the line of work. Hotel workers, police officers, taxi drivers, restaurant servers, and even white collar workers — enjoying business dinners with colleagues — were injured while doing their jobs.

The events in Mumbai remind me to remind you: it’s a good idea to kiss your loved ones and count your blessings before you leave for work.