Harry Joiner over at Marketing Headhunter has a sweet post on something I've seen, but not every day like he has to contend with it.  The topic?  Turning your resume into a piece of spam by adding a "keyword" section to make sure it is picked up in as many searches as possible.   Here's Harry's definition and an example:

"Keyword spam is a long string of words at the end of a resume put there by the job-seeker with the intention of improving his chances that a recruiting researcher will find it.  For example, here are the keywords at the bottom of a resume I just pulled up ...

RESUME KEYWORDS: online, on-line, interactive, ecommerce, e-commerce, ebusiness, e-business, marketing, internet, web, executive, COO, CEO, CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, CIO, EVP, SVP, Senior Vice President, VP, President, GM, Managing Director, multichannel, multi-channel, retail, retailer, etailer, e-tail, e-tailer, online retailer, product, product management, brand management, online marketing, SEO, search engine optimization, SEM, search engine marketing, paid search, affiliate marketing, email marketing, merchandising, merchandise, catalog, cataloger, direct marketing, direct marketer, six sigma, 6-sigma, business-to-business, B2B, B2C, business to consumer, CRM, education, content, strategy, business process, public relations, media, French, international, multinational, apparel, clothing, fashion, jewelry, accessories, luxury, designer, branding, finance, bank, banking, home furnishings, private sector, not for profit, nonprofit, non-profit, environment, new media, entertainment, vision, leader, innovate, innovative, innovator.

Here's what I see as a recruiter at a software company.  Lots of technical resumes with about 50 technologies listed on each, and having to decide, based on the information shared, whether they are worth a call.  Additionally, I also love the candidates who list 50 pieces of technology, then act put out when they answer the phone, like I should have figured out that they haven't really used Cold Fusion that much.  Was it listed?  Sure... But I should have known that it is really not their strength...

Harry goes on to make a great point in his post.  Keywords are fine, but as a high-end candidate, you have to have a special competency that you can prove and create a niche in.  Similar to many of the theories of Seth Godin, who also encourages you to "specialize and dominate" (Harry's words, Seth uses similar theory).

If you haven't plugged Harry's blog in your google reader, do it NOW.  Harry's got some great insight into the deep science of the recruiting world, which is why I read him and why he's even been a part of the HR Blog Power Rankings as a marketing pro.

Thanks to all readers and bloggers for your support of the HR Blog Power Rankings!  It has been a blast to do, and I'm happy to do it.  There's just this one thing though - every two weeks is too aggressive on the frequency front.   Now that we've done a solid launch, time to make the feedback just a little more scarce...

To make sure you don't get tired of it (and to make sure I don't get tired of doing it), we're moving the frequency to monthly.  With that in mind, see you the in the first half of November with the next round.  Keep writing and remember - Google Reader is watching, like the neighbor you wish would just look the other way once in a while when you come out for the morning paper (in your flip flops and Bon Jovi t-shirt)....

Picture this.  The year is 2012.  I've just been tapped as a SVP of HR at a Fortune 50 (Exxon?  Wal-Mart?).  Weird deal - the CEO was a Feedburner subscriber to the blog, and he just called me up.  Go figure.  Anyway, I roll into HQ and find out ALL of the previous corporate and field team has donned their parachutes and booked before they even had a chance to meet me.  Nice.

So, I've got key positions to fill.  What's a hack like me to do? Call headhunters?  I don't think so.  I'm going  with the highest end human capital people I know.  The people who have brought it every day for the last 5 years, naked to the world with their thoughts on how to get it done.  That's right - the bloggers...

So I start pounding out the calls and emails.  After two weeks, my team is in place.  It's a good team, one with the talent to make my options worth something when they vest.   As for me?  With this team, I'm staying in the strategy, baby.  A player, like Gordon Gekko.  On the treadmill in the office while doing deals.  Here's the lineup of the team that makes that possible:

At Corporate:

--VP of Compensation - Ann Bares, Compensation Force.  First order of business, make my vesting shorter..
--VP of Benefits - VACANT - A hole in my blogger strategy... Ann will have to fill in, no interim pay... Savings go to my stash of Diet Mt. Dew and Powerbars...
--VP of Staffing/Recruiting - Michael Wolfe, The Career Revolution or Jim Stroud of Jim Stroud 2.0.  Time to fill moves to 40 days or I move to the next guy....
--VP - Employment Law - Michael Moore, Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer & Attorney.  A steady and calming influence around a bunch of freaky type A's...
--VP of Labor Relations - Seth Borden, The Union-Free Employer.  I like bulldogs in this role.  Experience in this firm fits the bill based on my past engagements...
--VP of Training and Development - Rowan Manahan, Fortify Your Oasis.  Need someone who thinks differently, plus the whole Irish thing buys him at least 18 months with a tough crowd of customers at corporate...
--VP - Leadership Development - Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership or Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace run my version of GE's Crotonville...

The Field Generalists -

--VP, HR - Eastern US - Lisa at HR Thoughts calms everyone down when corporate (me) makes bad decisions...
--VP, HR - Western US - Deb at 8 hours & a lunch providing literature and music to show all the value of work/life balance, all while hitting the goals...
--VP, HR - International -  Evil HR Lady.  She keeps the name and remains in the closet with her identity.  No one challenges her and says "were different" with that mean title on the business cards.  Come to think of it, she gets California as well...

Locked in the Lab:

--VP of Incentive Design/Rewards and Recognition - Paul Hebert of Incentive Intelligence, making the front line happy and motivated...
--VP of HR Branding - Frank Roche of KnowHR Blog, making my cost control ideas look progressive...
--VP of HRMS/Technology - Jason Averbrook of Knowledge Infuser, giving me all the toys to play with...

Now that's what I call a team.  Of course, it will take me three months minimum to negotiate deals with this group of sharks leaders.  They would probably have a wiki going to share notes with each other during the process.... 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This pipe dream brought to you by the HR Blog Power Rankings for the week of 10/8/07!  Rankings below reflect blog entries from September 25th to October 10th across 113 HR-related blogs.  How do we rank them?  Check out the complete Poll Methodology here...

See what rants and riffs spurred my recommendation here...

In our opinion, the top 25 and those also receiving votes represent the best of the HR/Human Capital Blogs.  Thanks to all listed here for your commitment to HR/Human Capital community!

1.   Evil HR Lady (Power Rating- 7, Last Poll - #13)
2.   Fortify Your Oasis (Power Rating- 6, Last Poll - #1)
3.   8 hours & a lunch (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #7)
4.   JibberJobber (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #24)
5.   Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer & Attorney (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #5)
6.   KnowHR Blog (Power Rating - 5, Last Poll - #3)
7.   The Business of Management - John Hollon (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #8)
8.   Knowledge Infuser (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #11)
9.   All Things Workplace (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #9)
10. HR Thoughts (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #15)
11. Compensation Force (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #4)
12. Incentive Intelligence (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #2)
13. systematicHR (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #20)
14. The Career Revolution (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #14)
15. Three Star Leadership - Wally Bock (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #10)
16. Employee Evolution (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #16)
17. McArthur's Rant (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #19)
18. Execupundit (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - #6)
19. Jon Ingham's (HCM) Blog (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - #12)
20. Managed Care Matters (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - NR)
21. Ask a Manager (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #21)
22. My Global Career (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - NR)
21. Taleo Blog (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #21)
22. Suits In The Workplace (Power Rating - 2, Last Poll - #22)
23. The Union-Free Employer (Power Rating - 2, Last Poll - NR)
24. I Hate Your Job (Power Rating - 2, Last Poll - NR)
25. Guru (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - NR) (Power Rating - 5, Last Poll -3)

Also Receiving Votes: Marketing Headhunter, Guerilla HR, The Work Clinic, The Future of Work Weblog, XpertHR > Homepage, Brazen Careerist, People Signals, SittingXLegged, cheezehead, Race in the Workplace, Complete Potential, Donald H Taylor, Jim Stroud 2.0, The Human Capitalist, Stanley Bing, Trizle, Talent In China

On Probation/Not Eligible For Poll - The HR Capitalist (Please Read Anyway!!!)

See the game by game results here....

By now, some of you know that I run a poll I call the HR Blog Power Rankings.  I use Google Reader to track the blog entries across 112 HR-related blogs, then rank them according to the posts I would recommend to my HR cronies.

Simple enough, and not without work.  Most people liked it.

But not Guru, a writer for a British print and web property call Personnel Today.  Here's his take:

"Guru has (inexplicably) not yet been inducted into any of these human resources blog halls of fame, and now notes that his arch enemy Peter Gold of Hire Strategies is celebrating his own inclusion in such a list (albeit at 97 out of 100) and rubbing Guru's nose in it.

In response, Guru has decided the best course of action is to expose this league-table scam for the self-serving propaganda that it really is.

The idea is simple, ingenious and fraudulent.  The latest exponents of this 'art' in the HR blogosphere are: Bootstrapper (Top 100 HR Bloggers); and The HR Capitalist (producing the bi-weekly top-25 HR Blogs Power List)."

Ouch.. So one of Guru's friends smacks him around, and I get kicked like a dog as he walks in the door?  I actually like Guru's writing, and he's part of the 112 blogs that are in my reader.  He writes pretty broadly, and not always about HR.

As far as the bootstrapper list, there's a lot of great bloggers on that list.  But, in my opinion, there were also a lot of blogs that have been updated 2-3 times since May, which isn't frequent enough to keep my attention or subscribe to.  With the Power Rankings, I incorporated a method where the folks who work on their blogs frequently are rewarded, as long as the quality is there.

The real downside?  My Technorati ranking that Guru references in his post hasn't grown that much.  If I was really after a higher rating on Technorati, I would feature a different 25 blogs each week, because your authority only grows if new blogs link to you - the same ones linking multiple times doesn't count.  Since the top 25 is fairly consistent, I won't grow it that way.

The one link that was new to my mix based off the 9/26 Power Rankings?  Guru!  With that in mind, I'm going to make sure he's in my next poll (at least in the "also receiving votes" category).  At the end of the day, his post was funny, his writing is very good, and he deserves it. 

Guru, be on the lookout for your emergence into my next poll.  Be sure to rub it in Gold's grill that you are in one with an actual methodology that requires at least monthly writing!!   

Brands rule.  Think about your life - you are a brand flunky...

Look at you with your iPod, HBO, "Trucker Hat", SUV and most impressively, that "Members Only" jacket.  Nice...

The HR Blogs you spend time with are no different - they're brands, just like the products you pay a 50%premium for.    Rather than pay extra for blog brands, you subscribe via RSS with a tool like Google Reader, or have Feedburner deliver it to your digital doorstep to show your loyalty. 

Which got me to thinking... What world famous brands are some of the top HR blogs most like in my eyes?  Here's my list of blog brand equivalents in the real world:

• KnowHR Blog - KnowHR is the blog equivalent of Apple.  Stylish and always ahead of the curve from a communication/brand image perspective... Thinking Different...
• Compensation Force - I've been drinking the Ann Bares Kool-Aid for some time (more sugar in the next pitcher, Ann), and I think the best brand comparison is IBM Global Services.  Solid.  Savvy.  Won't get you fired by selecting them as a vendor.  Might get you promoted.  Cool commercials...
• 8 hours & a lunch - Let's see, I can get literature, music and quotes at 8 hours.  Sounds like Amazon.  Or Oprah...
• Evil HR Lady - Evil is eBay.  Lots of people passing through and checking in.  Added bonus of not having to give your name, so you can satisfy your needs to bid on that used Charlie's Angels lunchbox without people judging you. 

OK - that's all I got.... I'll take another run at it on the next poll....

The HR Capitalist is proud to announce the HR Blog Power Rankings for the week of 9/24/07!  Rankings below reflect blog entries from August 26th to September 24th across 112 HR-related blogs.  How do we rank them?  Check out the complete Poll Methodology here...

See what rants and riffs spurred my recommendation here...

In our opinion, the top 25 and those also receiving votes represent the best of the HR/Human Capital Blogs.  Thanks to all listed here for your commitment to HR/Human Capital community!

1.   Fortify Your Oasis (Power Rating- 8, Last Poll - #8)
2.   Incentive Intelligence (Power Rating- 7, Last Poll - #9)
3.   KnowHR Blog (Power Rating- 7, Last Poll - #1)
4.   Compensation Force (Power Rating- 6, Last Poll - #1)
5.   Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer & Attorney (Power Rating- 6, Last Poll - #3)
6.   Execupundit (Power Rating- 6, Last Poll - #12)
7.   8 hours & a lunch (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #4)
8.   The Business of Management - John Hollon (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #6)
9.   All Things Workplace (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #16)
10. Three Star Leadership - Wally Bock (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #17)
11. Knowledge Infuser (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #7)
12. Jon Ingham's (HCM) Blog (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #10)
13. Evil HR Lady (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #13)
14. The Career Revolution (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #14)
15. HR Thoughts (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #15)
16. Employee Evolution (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #22)
17. Trizle (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #5)
18. Talent In China (Power Rating - 4, Last Poll - NR)
19. McArthur's Rant (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - #24)
20. systematicHR (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - #18)
21. Ask a Manager (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #19)
22. Jim Stroud 2.0 (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #11)
21. Taleo Blog (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #21)
22. Suits In The Workplace (Power Rating - 2, Last Poll - NR)
23. Stanley Bing (Power Rating - 2, Last Poll - NR)
24. JibberJobber (Power Rating - 2, Last Poll - NR)
25. The Human Capitalist  (Power Rating- 1, Last Poll - #20)


Also Receiving Votes: The Union-Free Employer, Marketing Headhunter, Guerilla HR, The Work Clinic, The Future of Work Weblog, XpertHR > Homepage, Brazen Careerist, People Signals, SittingXLegged, Employee Handbooks, cheezehead, Race in the Workplace,  Complete Potential, Gruntled Employees, Donald H Taylor, My Global Career

On Probation/Not Eligible For Poll - The HR Capitalist (Please Read Anyway!!!)

See the game by game results here....

Good Poll Results - Oklahoma drills Miami and moves from #8 to #3 in the College Football Top 25...

Bad Poll Results - Michigan drop-kicks their first two games to App State and Oregon and drops out of the same poll....

What about the HR Blogs?

The HR Capitalist is proud to announce the HR Blog Power Rankings for the week of 9/10/07!  Rankings below reflect blog entries from August 12th to September 11th across 112 HR-related blogs.  How do we rank them?  Check out the complete Poll Methodology here...

The short version the methodology is that I have my Google Reader set up to read all 112 blogs for the period in question.  Using the star feature, I identify the entries I would recommend to my HR colleagues.  The more recommendations, the higher the power ranking and the poll position. 

See what rants and riffs spurred my recommendation here...

In our opinion, the top 25 and those also receiving votes represent the best of the HR/Human Capital Blogs.  Thanks to all listed here for your commitment to HR/Human Capital community!

1.(Tie) Compensation Force (Power Rating- 8, Last Poll - #1)
1.(Tie) KnowHR Blog (Power Rating- 8, Last Poll - #16)
3.   Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer & Attorney (Power Rating- 6, Last Poll - #3)
4.   8 hours & a lunch (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #5)
5.   Trizle (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #24)
6.   The Business of Management - John Hollon (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #6)
7.   Knowledge Infuser (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #25)
8.   Fortify Your Oasis (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #9)
9.   Incentive Intelligence (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #19)
10. Jon Ingham's (HCM) Blog (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #14)
11. Jim Stroud 2.0 (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #15)
12. Execupundit (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - NR)
13. Evil HR Lady (Power Rating- 5, Last Poll - #11)
14. The Career Revolution (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #13)
15. HR Thoughts (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #4)
16. All Things Workplace (Power Rating- 4, Last Poll - #23)
17. Three Star Leadership - Wally Bock (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - #7)
18. systematicHR (Power Rating- 3, Last Poll - #2)
19. Ask a Manager (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #8)
20. The Human Capitalist  (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #10) 
21. Taleo Blog (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #17)
22. Employee Evolution (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #12)
23. The Work Clinic (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #25) 
24. McArthur's Rant (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - #22)
25. The Future of Work Weblog  (Power Rating- 2, Last Poll - NR)

Also Receiving Votes: XpertHR > Homepage, Suits In The Workplace, Brazen Careerist, JibberJobber, Evil HRIS Guy, People Signals, SittingXLegged, Employee Handbooks, cheezehead, Race in the Workplace,  Stanley Bing, Complete Potential, Gruntled Employees, Donald H Taylor, My Global Career

On Probation/Not Eligible For Poll - The HR Capitalist (Please Read Anyway!!!)

See the game by game results here....

Last Week, The HR Capitalist announced the first installation of the HR Blog Power Rankings, with rankings reflecting blog entries from July 30th to August 29th across 103 HR-related blogs.  Check out the complete Poll Methodology here...

Next Poll is set to print on 9/13 or 9/14.  Who's hot leading up to the next poll?  At the halfway mark, these blogs are "moving on up" the list:

--KnowHR Blog - Frank's on fire with posts on Jerk Free Jobs, Counterintuitive Communication and giving high school grads a chance. 

--Trizle - Quirky style, but it works for me.  An original flavor...

--Fortify Your Oasis - Rowan's waxing on zero-sum training games and the Definitive Job-Hunt. 

--Knowledge Infuser - Jason has a cool poll determining your technology typography and applauding the Crackberry in your organization....

--The Career Revolution - Michael's got a nice case for the wisdom of flaming former co-workers and runs down Big Blue's Vacation policy...

Others are moving up, some are moving down, but quality is everywhere.  See you on the 13th with the next HR Blog Power Rankings....