I am a native of Washington. I was born and grew up in the small Western Washington town of McCleary. I attended high school in nearby Elma, WA, and enjoyed the lifestyle that is possible living in a more rural area of the Pacific Northwest. I attended Grays Harbor College before graduating from Pacific Lutheran University.

My career consists of 20+ years in third party recruiting and executive search.  I co-founded and/or founded 3 firms before making a move into corporate recruiting in 1999. Prior to Microsoft, my work was in the technology, photonics and avionics companies.
 
At Microsoft, I am a talent sourcer and my focus is on building talent communities using social media platforms.  I am part of the baby boomer generation and believe I will offer a unique perspective to the job search process; that of a Boomer @Microsoft using the most contemporary of tools to find great career opportunities.

I am not a proponent of fads. I do not believe you do something because everyone's doing it. That said, sometimes we must join in a trend—particularly if you are looking for a job. Sometimes just because "everyone's doing it," it can be a perfect job search strategy.

In a previous post, I suggested that because Microsoft is one of the most social companies, integrating a social medial strategy into your job search would make sense. To further emphasize this point; please notice below the Percentage of Recruiters Using Specific Social Networking Sites for Recruiting. Clearly, every recruiter is using LinkedIn; nearly every recruiter has a Facebook account; and the majority of recruiters are on Twitter.  While The Web 2.0 Recruiting Trends Report covered a broader audience, I suspect the findings would be similar at Microsoft.

Percentage of Recruiters Using Specific Social Networking Sites for Recruiting 
2009 Versus 2010

- The Corporate Executive Board Company, CLC RECRUITING™ 
Web 2.0 Recruiting Trends Report April 2010

Note: The height of the bars in the chart indicate the percentage of recruiters that use the tool for either sourcing, branding, or conversion activities.

Also, Twitter was not rated in 2009.

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Simon & Garfunkel's epic lyrics were an anthem for my generation. Who can forget a young Dustin Hoffman staring thoughtfully into a fish tank with the words saying…"Hello darkness, my old friend; I have come to talk to you again.” Today, the "sounds of silence" seems to be what job seekers experience when they apply for jobs. As one waits impatiently for some communication, the stillness is stifling. 

Dustin Hoffman's character (Benjamin Braddock) in The Graduate, was drawn to the silence because of uncertainties about the course his career direction. Today's graduates (as well as most job seekers) are forced into a silent mode because of uncertainties generated by a lack of feedback from their position inquiries.  

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