I'll admit it - I like a little marketing savvy in my candidates, especially for positions that don't require a marketing background. I'm a big believer that the best performers are the ones who add a little sales and marketing...  Read more...

I'll admit it - I like a little marketing savvy in my candidates, especially for positions that don't require a marketing background.  I'm a big believer that the best performers are the ones who add a little sales and marketing capability into what they do, regardless of their functional expertise. Of course, marketing savvy in the careers game is like style.  It's hard to define, but I know it when I see it.  Like you, I also know when someone's trying to sell too hard, because it's uncomfortable for everyone who comes in contact with the candidate who has crossed the line. Unfortunately, a recession means more people out of work and more desperation to cut through the clutter of hundreds of candidates for each job and differentiate.  Expect to see more sandwich boards on the street asking for your employment consideration.  More on the trend to impress via Extreme Job Hunting from Forbes: "Desperate times don't just call for desperate measures. They call for last resorts. Just ask investment banker Joshua Persky. After getting laid off from investment bank Houlihan Lokey, Persky spent 11 months searching for work. He met with recruiters, e-mailed résumés, networked with family, friends and old colleagues and even considered a move to Nebraska. On the brink of losing his family's Manhattan apartment, he finally took to the streets. Donning his best interview suit, he passed out résumés to executives on Park Avenue--all while wearing a giant sandwich sign that read "Experienced MIT Grad For Hire." Media outlets picked up the story and within three days, Persky was dubbed "the new face of the American economy." But unconventional job searching can range from the clever to the downright disastrous--often with a fine line in between.  Persky has had his share of copycats. Some have even taken his stunt to new levels. Last month, Javier Pujals, an unemployed real estate salesman, sported a sign outside Chicago's Mercantile Exchange that read "Will Buy Interview" with the name of his new website, www.buyaninterview.com. Other attempts at creative attire have been less successful. Actress Sean Young once infamously stormed a Warner Brothers studio lot wearing a homemade Catwoman costume, in an ill-conceived bid to secure the role in the 1992 sequel "Batman Returns." Director Tim Burton was nonplussed. He gave the role to Michelle Pfeiffer." I get the trend and I'm glad it has worked out for candidates like Pujals, but would anyone, besides me, avoid making eye contact with Javier, if you saw him on the street with the sign pictured above strapped to him? I thought so.  With that in mind, here are 5 ways normal candidates can distinguish themselves from the pack without looking like a panhandler: 1.  Ask for help by requesting an exploratory interview.  Before you laugh at me and say no one has the time or wants to do that, when's the last time you were asked?  I've done two of these in the last month, and as a result, I'll do what I can to help both individuals.  It separates you because no one has the guts to ask.  People like me are willing because they want to help folks out in a down economy. 2. Get your poet side on with a customized cover letter for every resume you send out.  Sadly, no one does cover letters anymore, and don't believe the cynics who tell you they don't matter.  Without question, they won't get you a job you aren't qualified for, but if you're one of two or three final candidates for the job in question, do you want to leave that differentiator on the table? 3. Have a "results focused" resume instead of listing what you did.  It's a hard knock world, now more than ever, and no one's that impressed with what you did at your last company, you have to tell them what you achieved, even if you were a clerk.  The best way to do that is to list 3-5 situations you faced in your last role, what you did to improve the situation and what the results were.  Don't be afraid to brag, just keep it classy. 4. Provide a strong portfolio of your work to help hiring managers determine that you're different. I'm a big believer of having a portfolio of your work to show and provide once your foot's in the door, and you don't have to be a graphic designer to pull it off.  So, you're a finance guy and think a portfolio doesn't fit?  What about the new budget model you masterminded in 2007 or the new monthly variance package you put together in 2008?  Do you really think your job hunt wouldn't be helped by someone seeing those products in full bloom?  Come now... My point?  You don't have to wear a sandwich board to be extreme, because most candidates don't execute the above items to their fullest potential.  So, hold a sign that says "will interview for food" if you must, but make sure you knock out the items listed above first.  The 6'2" skinny white guy trying desperately not to make eye contact, as you use the bullhorn on the busy street corner to draw attention to your plight?  That would be me. 

Everyone wants to work at a quality company. Each of us wants to feel good about our place of employment and see our company's name on the "most admired" lists published each year. It's an admirable goal and the right...  Read more...

Everyone wants to work at a quality company.  Each of us wants to feel good about our place of employment and see our company's name on the "most admired" lists published each year.  It's an admirable goal and the right thing for your employees.  From a talent standpoint, it's critical.  Attracting the best and brightest - those you can rely on for superior performance year after year - is not only a function of great recruiting on the part of the recruiter, but also a function of the company's reputation in the market place.  Face it, it's easier to recruit for Google than for Countrywide Home Loans (voted wost company in America in 2008). It's Not About the Big Stuff When working with clients on ways to influence their employee behaviors and reinforce cultures, it seems that the first discussion is always about the "big" stuff - the program, the reward, the system.  The client almost immediately wants to launch something with a splash and show the employees they mean business with their reward and recognition initiative. I'm not against big launches, but what's really important is the little stuff - not the big stuff.  I think we can take some direction from the "Broken Window Theory" (BWT).  While still a bit controversial among social scientists and psychologists, I believe there is enough directional evidence that we should pay attention to it. For those that are unfamiliar with the BWT - it probably got its best press during the Rudy Giuliani years...  "Thus, Giuliani's "zero tolerance" roll out was part of an interlocking set of wider reforms, crucial parts of which had been underway since 1985. Giuliani had the police even more strictly enforce the law against subway fare evasion, and stopped public drinkers, urinators, and the squeegee men who had been wiping windshields of stopped cars and demanding payment. Rates of both petty and serious crime fell suddenly and significantly, and continued to drop for the following ten years (see: the 2001 study of crime trends in New York by George Kelling and William Sousa). - wikipedia"   The concept is that by paying attention to small things like fixing broken windows, painting over graffiti, cleaning up areas of the city, cracking down on pettier crimes - it will have a positive affect on the people and a detrimental affect on crime.  By keeping up with little things in the environment it communicated to people that the area was a good place and that crime wasn't welcome. Sweat the Small Stuff When it comes to company culture and having a reputation that attracts and retains quality people, the small stuff is the important stuff.  If the boss adds a little to the expense account, maybe the CFO adds a little to the balance sheet.  If the person in the cube next to you treats a vendor poorly, then maybe that vendor adds a little extra to the invoice next time - or tells 100 people not to do business with you.  In fact, in November, CBS on line had an article entitled "Bad Behavior Contagious, Study Finds" - highlighting some of the research on this phenomena.  For me, steeped in social psychology and the impact of the social norms - it's a no-brainer.  But most folks blow off the effects of small behaviors. Keeping your eye on the small stuff is probably the single biggest thing a company can do to influence culture. Some Comic Relief When thinking about the Broken Window Theory for this post, it reminded me of a Demetri Martin bit... for your enjoyment...

That's right - yesterday I was a snarky HR pro with a blog. Today, I'm Tony Robbins telling you that you can be anything you want to be. Of course, I believe that, but it's hard for me to say...  Read more...

That's right - yesterday I was a snarky HR pro with a blog.  Today, I'm Tony Robbins telling you that you can be anything you want to be.  Of course, I believe that, but it's hard for me to say it without the vision of Tony in a 22nd Century headset, pumping up a crowd of commercial real estate pros as the keynote at some forgettable convention in Reno. Props to Tony - getting 50K for a 90 minute keynote rocks, regardless of the locations and who you are talking to. Still, 2009 is almost here, and like everyone else, I'm making the list of things I'd like to do better in 2009.  Among my resolutions in my professional and personal life for 2009: #5 - Have more patience with my kids, and with the folks in my life who have little things about them that drive me crazy.  After all, they're likely asking for patience about me... #4 - Get 40+ hours of family video edited and viewable online/on demand.  Wish me luck on that one. #3 - Do something digital to generate a higher end community in the HR world, specific to true HR practitioners.  SHRM's not going to do it, so why not me? #2 - Get my LinkedIn game on in a much bigger way. And the simplest, yet most important resolution comes in first: #1 - Show up every day, kick *** and take names. Before you label me as a jock, frat boy or redneck, let me explain #1.  Most of the moderate success I've experienced in my life has come from me being willing to outwork others.  I always knew that, but the fact that grinding it out is responsible for most of my success has been crystallized by reading Geoff Colvin's "Talent is Overrated", which I hope to review in a multi-post series either here or at Fistful of Talent in January.  Colvin's big idea?  That the path to greatness (or at least success) is formed by the concept of deliberate practice.  Find out more about deliberate practice here.  Reading the book has convinced me more than ever that you and I can work our way to our goals, IF we work/practice smart, make good choices about what to pursue with our time, and most importantly - show up to work on it every day. So, I'll be grinding it out every day in 2009, including practicing the craft featured here.  The goals/resolutions?  They'll take care of themselves if I take care of #1. How about you?  I don't even need the DVD set from Tony to know what to do come Monday, January 5th.   

OK - two days to go until the new year is here - what are your professional resolutions for 2009? I've got a couple, and as you might expect from a blogger, at least one of them involves 2.0 technology......  Read more...

OK - two days to go until the new year is here - what are your professional resolutions for 2009?  I've got a couple, and as you might expect from a blogger, at least one of them involves 2.0 technology... #1 - I'd like to get my LinkedIn game on in a much bigger way. Check out my profile and you'll find that I'm not a total novice. Couple hundred connections, have had a pro account at numerous times to try and unlock LI's potential as a recruiting tool, etc.  Still, I'm no power user, so I intend to ramp it up in 2009. Here's where it gets interesting.  I've got lots to do to become a power user - become more disciplined at inviting warm contacts I encounter to join my scene, complete my profile in full, get the LinkedIn logo back on the blogs, etc.   One thing I thought I could get started on right away is getting recommendations from the people who know me best in the professional world.  To do that, I've got to track down the folks from my past and also determine a strategy for my current co-workers (doesn't it seem a little weird to have your current co-workers singing your praises?). With all that in mind, I started by asking a few folks in the human capital blogging space who have been positive about my work at the Capitalist and FOT to recommend me.  I put out some emails before Christmas, and the community was very kind and gracious in the response.  Then I got a gracious response that included the following snippet - "I've got a no-rec policy on LinkedIn". That one stopped me dead in my tracks.  Not because I was offended, because it came from a super-cool pro who I look up to.  Instead, I was intrigued because it reminded me of the commoditization of recommendations that can be caused by LinkedIn. Here's how it works.  As you might expect from a service that can hijack your outlook and push out a thousand invites to join your network, LinkedIn has an automated recommendation tool.  That means if you are like me, you've received at least 20 automated invites to recommend people that you had marginal knowledge at best regarding the quality of their work.  Those requests always hit me a little cold, as did the fact that the LinkedIn technology makes it super simple for anyone to view every recommendation you make. Clearly not the old days of the talent game, when requesting a recommendation meant you had to have the guts to actually contact someone personally to write a recommendation for you. Instead, with LinkedIn, you can point and click.  It's like Internet Marketing, with the exception that your "close rate" will likely be smaller than the guys pumping out 100,000 emails touting Viagra for $5. As for me, I'll be soliciting LinkedIn invites the old fashioned way - by requesting them personally from people I believe truly know the quality of my work.  I know I'm on the right track when some of the potential recommenders shoot me a note back and say, "Hey, it appears we actually have to be connected on LinkedIn for me to recommend you".   Hopefully that means I've earned the recommendation, and the technology is an afterthought. 

2008 has been a bang-up year for me. Many of you know a year ago I made the jump from a contract sourcing role in the defense industry to working for my current employer, and a couple of months later,...  Read more...

2008 has been a bang-up year for me.  Many of you know a year ago I made the jump from a contract sourcing role in the defense industry to working for my current employer, and a couple of months later, I hopped into the blogging world with Fistful of Talent.  My sourcing has gone to a different level - that's for sure!  My day job has been a super intense boot camp for sourcing and admittedly, 95% of the services and sources I use now are free, or have nominal (say less than $20) monthly fees attached.   One of my big take-aways from year one? Know your Boolean. Know it cold.  If you want to become a Boolean Blackbelt - you have to practice and you have to be patient.  Penelope Trunk's advice during a recession?  Get educated.  And once you're educated and understand the strings that will make your life easier - get organized.  If you have not created some kind of RSS/Reader account, make it your New Year's Resolution.   I've also learned to leverage technology and take advantage of new products and services online.  Yes, I roll my eyes when another "networking site" comes out, but as sourcing and recruiting professionals,  we know one site doesn't contain all our potential candidates, and you truly need a smorgasbord of sources to get your job done - so check that site out. Just don't spam me with invites while you do.   I still consider LinkedIn the "big daddy", though I have also found, depending on the project I'm working on, some sites fit my needs better.  Be conscious of that and think about your demographic as you source.  And even more importantly, look at every site and determine if it can be a source.  XRay can become your BFF too! If you're a die-hard IE fan, this next year may be the one for you to tap into Google Chrome - its speed is amazing.  And even though out of beta, it still has kinks to work out, I think it will.  So, be patient, and read up on it.  There are plenty of advanced Chrome users out there ready to help.  And while new high quality search engines seem to be few and far between, Viewzi continues to update and tweak its site and gives us so many fantastic ways to view information online.  Are all useful from a business sourcing standpoint, maybe not, but it definitely leaves us with many options.  This probably goes without saying, but 2008 has been a HUGE year for networking.  I use Twitter to find people (this goes back to knowing Boolean cold), but I also use it as my virtual watercooler.  I love it that we have to get our point across in 140 characters or less.  Makes you think and choose your words carefully.  But more importantly, it lets you connect.  And I've enjoyed chatting with all of you, especially the FOT gang.  There is not a better team of bloggers to write and exchange ideas with, and for that gift in 2008, I'm extremely grateful. And with that, I wish you all a very Happy Holiday and all the best in 2009!  Editor's Note - Kelly Dingee is a Technical Writer/Sourcing Researcher for AIRS. Prior to joining AIRS, her experience includes sourcing for Thales Communications, Inc., and Internet recruitment for Acterna (now known as JDSU). Follow her on Twitter and get the lowdown on what's going on each day in sourcing - she's a Twitter machine...

If you're a Recruiter or HR Professional, 2008 may have been the first year that you actually heard the terms Web 2.0, social media or social networking. So you may be a little late to the game, but congratulations -...  Read more...

If you're a Recruiter or HR Professional, 2008 may have been the first year that you actually heard the terms Web 2.0, social media or social networking. So you may be a little late to the game, but congratulations - you're here - so that's a start! And just so you know, I'm officially declaring 2009 to be THE year to get to know and effectively utilize social media tools that can help you in your career. To create your Personal Development Plan (gotta call it something you're familiar with so you'll feel comfortable), I'm recommending 10 tools that you need to implement or increase your involvement with in 2009. You'll get 5 in this post, and 5 in a subsequent post. You may already be using many of these tools, and if you're rockin' and rollin' with all 10 of them, then move to the head of the class! (Of course, you're probably already there since using social media tools has likely set you apart from your peers who haven't figured them out yet.) Go where the peeps like you hang out on the web. The best way to get smarter about something is to surround yourself with people smarter than you. There are plenty of options to choose from, including - RecruitingBlogs.com, HRM Today, ERE.net, and The Fordyce Letter Network - just to name a few. Check them all out, see which one best fits your niche and join at least one. Create a profile and set aside a few minutes each day to explore. Next, add some contacts and join Groups of interest. Work your way up to commenting on blog posts and forum discussions and participating in the live chats. Graduate to posting content and questions of your own as well as helping others. By participating, you'll be able to network with other recruiting and HR professionals who are dealing with and solving similar challenges, and you'll be able to build a community of like-minded folks who are willing and able to help you when you need it. If you're not involved with these groups, you're missing great information like this, this, this and this.  Learn how to use (really use) LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a no-brainer these days for business professionals. I'm regularly surprised to find HR or recruiting pros on LinkedIn with incomplete profiles (or worse, no profile), very few connections and no Group memberships. LinkedIn is one of the best on-line tools out there for Personal Branding, Job Search, Business Development and Recruiting! An effective profile is your on-line business card, marketing brochure, Google-rank helper, etc. Create a great profile, connect to others, join and/or create Groups, participate in Discussions, ask and answer Questions, etc. Need help? Here's some great resources to get you started: Jason Alba's "I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What??" book and blog, the Social Media Headhunter's LinkedIn Recruiting Companion, Shally Steckerl's LinkedIn Cheatsheets, and the LinkedIn Blog for the latest news on what's new at LinkedIn. Read more Blogs by becoming an RSS Rockstar or Ninja. I started reading blogs early in 2008, and like most, I subscribed via email. Like most, I also get too much email, so I found myself moving blog posts to a "Read Later" folder - which I never got to. After discovering Google Reader (there are others too), I now subscribe to over 300 blogs, and I can skim through or read content at a much more efficient pace (and my email box is happier too). Some people get their info from books or newspapers - I read blogs and feeds. And I learn. A lot. Need some suggestions for your starter kit? Start with FOT's latest Talent Management Blog Power Rankings, Business School Directory's Top 50 HR Blogs, and RecruitingBlogs.com Best 2007 Recruiting Blogs. (You can also find many smart bloggers who syndicate their feeds on RecruitingBlogs.com and HRM Today.) Subscribe to several, and then add and subtract as you go. Pretty soon, you'll be up to 300+ blogs in your Reader too. Or not. It's up to you! It's time to try Twitter. If you've been resisting using Twitter so far, then it's time to give in. I resisted initially too, but since I started Tweeting in March 2008, Twitter has become one of the best resources I have as a recruiter, coach and talent consultant. Why? Because I connect with thought leaders who share what they're working on, resources, tips, links to interesting articles, etc. Twitter doesn't have to take over your life. Like you, I have a day job. Some days I check in a few times in between phone calls, interviews and client meetings, and other days I'm not there at all. And for those that say the people they need to connect with aren't on Twitter - think again. I deal mostly with senior level professionals and executives, and I have clients, candidates and potential clients/candidates following me on Twitter. Trust me. They're there - or will be. Need help getting started? Check out Why Recruiters Should Use Twitter on RBC, and my post over at CincyRecruiter's World on 10 People All Recruiters Should Follow on Twitter. Figure out how to use Facebook for recruiting. I'm also adding this one to my own PDP for 2009. LinkedIn wasn't necessarily the place to be in early 2006 when I joined, and while recruiters were certainly some of the early adopters, it's most definitely the place to be now. Because I got in early and spent time developing my network and learning to use the tools, I'm ahead of many of my counterparts in using LinkedIn to develop my business, my personal brand and my relationships. I predict that Facebook will become an even more important tool for Recruiters and HR professionals in the future. Many companies are already effectively utilizing Facebook to connect with and recruit young professionals, but I'm seeing more and more senior level talent signing up and trying to figure it out as well. (Translation - everybody's doing it.) Facebook has some cool tools for recruiting and employment branding. So stop thinking about all of the pitfalls of Facebook and just do it already! And when you figure out how to use it well, share your knowledge on all of the tools above. Stay tuned to Fistful of Talent for 5 more social media tools to get involved with in 2009. (And if you need help with subscribing - see #3 above, or just click here and add to your Reader! I'm on all of the tools above, so hopefully, I'll see you/meet you on the Interwebs!

We've been experimenting a good bit on our company-based social network (affectionately named "Sourceapolooza") and I'm becoming increasing convinced that the killer app for any internal social network is video. After all, YouTube rocks the casbah, and it's what people...  Read more...

We've been experimenting a good bit on our company-based social network (affectionately named "Sourceapolooza") and I'm becoming increasing convinced that the killer app for any internal social network is video.  After all, YouTube rocks the casbah, and it's what people now expect/want in any web offering. The only thing better than video on your internal flavor of Facebook?  EMPLOYEE generated videos.  When employees care enough to create their own videos, in my eyes that's pretty much the definition of engagement.  Which is why the recent 401k contest sponsored by Best Buy is such a great idea.  More on the contest at BestBuy via HR Marketer: "Last week one of our team members attended a Webinar about the power of Web 2.0 in talent management. One of the highlights was how Best Buy increased their 401k participation by 30%. 30%? How the heck did they do that?  With a contest. A video contest. They asked employees throughout the retail chain to submit motivating videos that would help increase overall 401k participation. They did just that and the winner is below." You have to admit, that's pretty sweet, and if you're not the type of HR pro who doesn't have their wheels spinning as a result, then... well, you probably need to take a break and find your motivation or consider another career. If I had to split hairs on the video, I'd say it's too long - if you want people to watch the whole thing, you have to bring a length no longer than a movie trailer - 2:30 tops.  Still, that's mindless quibbling vs. the impact of employees caring enough to cut a video like this.  What can you do early in 2009 to give control to employees and empower them to get creative on video?

Dateline: Monday, December 22nd, 2008 Location - I-65, somewhere south of Nashville in the early stages of a 12 hour roadtrip from Birmingham back to the Missouri homeland... Topic: Christmas gifts from the team, which answers the following question from...  Read more...

Dateline: Monday, December 22nd, 2008 Location - I-65, somewhere south of Nashville in the early stages of a 12 hour roadtrip from Birmingham back to the Missouri homeland... Topic: Christmas gifts from the team, which answers the following question from longtime friends of the Capitalist - "I know you're in HR and all, but can you please admit it's OK to compliment someone on the fact they look nice today?" (hat tip to the fact that the Capitalist plays it pretty vanilla with his public persona).. Scene - My wife opens up the new Nickelback CD, which was part of a gift from my team.  For the record, I have a great team and the gift basket included Starbucks, Twizzlers, Diet Mt. Dew and Nickelback, all of which were money in my eyes. Mrs. Capitalist: (who told them to buy me the new Nickelback, btw) wonders aloud if we can play the new Nickelback with the kids in the car, breaks the CD case open and starts laughing.  Me: What's funny? Mrs. Capitalist: Here's the first set of lyrics from the first song (laughing and whispering so the rest of the car won't hear): "...got to meet the hottie with the million dollar bodythey say its over budget, but you'd pay her just to touch it, come on..pretty little lady with the pretty pink thongevery sugar daddy hittin on her all night long" Me: I guess we're not listening to that in mixed company, eh? Mrs. Capitalist:  You got that right... Me: Nice selection for the gift from the team, honey... Full disclosure - my team is great, and we thought it was waaaaay funny - not personally offended in the slightest, especially since my wife told them to get it for me.  But think about this.  What if I had a habit of telling a direct report of the opposite sex she looked nice, then I gifted her the CD and she's driving down the road with her husband, and her husband starts reading the lyrics and it all starts feeling creepy? Too sensitive on their part if they're offended you say?  Perhaps.  Juicy anecdotal fodder for any harassment suit?  Without question.  I've seen it play out for others, and so have you... I'm just sayin...  The audience ALWAYS decides what's appropriate in the workplace, and that's why we play it to the lowest common denominator related to the "I'm offended and feeling harassed" threshold.  It's a personal thing.  You don't get to decide.  They do. It's also why you don't play Nickelback CD's (Justin Timberlake, Alien Ant Farm, or whatever . . . you fill in the blank) unscreened in the lobby at work.  Or work the word "thong" into daily conversations.  "Bong", maybe.  "Thong"?  I don't think so... What is Mrs. Capitalist going to recommend the team buy me next year?  Luke Skywalker's greatest hits?  The Bloodhound Gang?  Like any kid, I'll be running down the stairs to find out....

True story - we had a Christmas party last Sunday, and when the folks were leaving, I told them "Happy Holidays". We're Christians, so my wife gave me a look that said I could do better by our friends, who...  Read more...

True story - we had a Christmas party last Sunday, and when the folks were leaving, I told them "Happy Holidays".  We're Christians, so my wife gave me a look that said I could do better by our friends, who also happened to be Christian.  She had a point... What can I say?  I told her my broad wish for holiday cheer has nothing to do with Atheists demanding equal time at Washington state nativity scenes, and everything to do with working in a multicultural workplace.  It doesn't bother me to go broad in the greeting, as a HR pro it's kind of second nature for me.  Problem is, all my Christian friends don't swim in my HR waters - they just see CNN coverage of the Washington state atheists and think I'm trying to water down the holiday.  Merry Christmas to you guys if you're reading, sorry for the secular moment. Next time, I'll channel Frank Constanza and wish everyone a Happy Festivus - nobody gets their feelings hurt if you are channeling Seinfeld.  Enjoy the video, and however you celebrate the holidays, be safe out there.  Also, check out the space below the video, We've dropped an image of a gift I've tendered in your name,  Thanks for everything you do to make the Capitalist a groovy place to be... --------------------------------- To: HR Capitalist Readers From: Art Vandeley, Chairman of the Board, HR Capitalist Industries

Read this blog long enough, and you probably have a sense of how I must vote. Pro-business, less government, empower and reward the performers, etc. - it's not really hard to figure out, if you think about it. Here's the...  Read more...

Read this blog long enough, and you probably have a sense of how I must vote.  Pro-business, less government, empower and reward the performers, etc. - it's not really hard to figure out, if you think about it. Here's the problem with trying to typecast me - and probably a lot of you as well.  I'm a moderate in all things.  When there's an election coming up, I like to hear about the issues and shock of all shocks, I find things to like on both sides.  I'm automatically cynical with the polar extremes of either party, and if you really want to appeal to me, you have to connect me with how your platform is going to help people accept accountability in their lives, while enabling the business community to expand the economy and preparing the local workforce for a global world. Which brings me to Al Sharpton. I don't know a lot about Al Sharpton, and I've heard people rant about the typecast they claim he represents.  I also would expect him to be a polarized Democrat based on what I heard from people with opinions on him. Like guys who run sites called "The HR Capitalist", Sharpton's got a brand and after a couple of soundbites, most people think they know the platform.  Based on listening to the opinions of people who claim they know Sharpton, I thought I knew him too.  So imagine my surprise when he went on the record as being against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) on his radio show.  Here's the transcript from the Al Sharpton Radio Program via the National Review: "Al Sharpton: Yeah, well, what I don’t understand about it which is why I’m in the campaign is why wouldn’t those of us who support workers being protected, why would we not want their privacy protected.  I mean why would we want them opened up to this kind of possible coercion? Sylvester: Well, and that’s the 50 million dollar question, Rev. Sharpton, it’s a question we’ve been trying to answer but we think that the heart of this issue is not about protecting workers, the heart of this issue is about the decline of union membership that’s been going on in this country for the past thirty years.  The unions at this point are in a death spiral and much of it’s tied to the exportation of production jobs from this country to other countries and the unions… Al Sharpton: Yeah, the outsourcing, well I’m all for, and as well for those who don’t believe in the right to organizing, clearly I’m for any legislation to give any state the right to organize, but I’m talking about specifically where workers are not protected from coercion, in terms of these card-checks that you talk about, and as arbitration because explain, Charlie King, to me the whole question that you raised, if you have a federal arbitrator who says that this is the deal, even when the union only established out of card-check, is the deal for two years, and there’s nothing you can do about it, I mean, a lot of the business that we afford for the African American community to get contracts and sub contracts and all.  They could face some very serious problems here. So, Al Sharpton's a vocal proponent for the African-American community, and instead of falling in line with the Democratic line of thought on the EFCA, he takes a stand for African American business interests and questions the legitimacy of the bill, based on those concerns.  OK - that's pretty interesting... And poof!!!  All the typecasting I had heard by the opinion mongers is gone.  By doing an analysis of how the bill could hurt his constituency and then opting to raise a voice of concern rather than fall in line with the Democratic party, Sharpton has me listening to the rest of his platform.  So, the next time I see Sharpton on a news channel or on the radio, I'll stop and listen - and try to understand.  That's what makes America the cool place that it is... Still don't know what the EFCA is?  Check my full rundown at Workforce early this year here, and be sure to hit the links from others here, here, here, and here. And Al Sharpton?  He's invited to do a guest post any time he wants.  Go get 'em on the EFCA, Mr. Sharpton...