alstin communications

There are good and bad ways to stand out from the crowd.

Really bad.

Really, really bad.

When it comes to your resume, make it good. Sometimes standing out from the crowd in a good way can be as simple as having the only resume with no typos. This person’s resume made a list dubbed the 70+ Most Artistic and Creative Resumes of All Time. I picked it for my never ending love of vinyl and it’s overall good design, however the other 69 are pretty impressive and worth a diversion in your day too, so be sure to check them out.

In one of many promotions designed to hype the season premier of Mad Men, fans of the show can now find out if they’ve got what it takes to join the team over at the newly formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in this fun time killer mock interview. See if you make the cut and where you fit in by taking the interview here. Season 3 premiers Sunday, 7/25 at 10pm!

For those that don’t remember, Primetime Glick was a short-lived comedy show featuring Martin Short as the rude, clueless Hollywood reporter, Jiminy Glick (if you don’t recognize Martin, don’t worry, he was in a body suit and under tons of makeup). I came across an old clip on YouTube recently, and I was struck by the way Jiminy’s style represented the very worst in HR interviewing. Specifically:

• Being ill-prepared for the interview

• Having your facts completely wrong

• Going off on wild tangents

• Asking questions but not listening to the answers

• Making snap judgments about one’s abilities and qualifications

• Being dismissive

• Letting your emotions get the best of you

• Asking inappropriate questions

• Talking more about yourself than listening to the candidate

To see an example of bad interviewing in action, watch Jiminy’s interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus here:

You can also watch Jiminy as he takes over CNN and makes many of the same interviewing mistakes with Anderson Cooper:

Unfortunately, I bet many people reading this blog have worked with people who are almost as bad at interviewing as Jiminy.  Let’s join together, think about the above bullets, and resolve to never let it happen to us! Have a great weekend everyone!

Do not adjust your monitor! We are now in control. Resistance is futile!

Just kidding. Here’s the deal: The person behind the blog curtain, the one who edits, publishes and puts this fantastic blog together, is none other than our VP of Operations, Annette DeHaven. Annette is on vacation this week–I can’t believe we let her do that—but that means I am in charge, and this blog is mine (at least for a few more days).

Hmm, so how should I do my evil bidding? Run a seven page manifesto on how frustrating the Phillies have been to watch so far this year? Craft another embarrassing love letter to Honest Tea?

No, dear readers, it’s too hot here in Philly (approaching the record of 97 degrees today) for such drama or angst.

Come to think of it, just the thought of the long days of summer melts my evil heart. I know that before long I’ll be writing a blog complaining about the chill of fall, so let’s all join together and make a pact to seize the day. Here’s how:

In the next week, you MUST do at least five of the following:

• Catch a lightning bug.

• Drink water straight from the garden hose.

• Offer a drink from garden hose to a loved one and then splash him/her in the face.

• Play wiffle ball with the kids in your neighborhood (you’re allowed to peg them on their way to first base).

• Take a nap in a hammock (your neighbor won’t mind).

• Go for a long walk some evening and marvel how it’s still light at 8:30pm.

• Perform an embarrassing cannonball, can opener or belly flop at the next pool party you attend.

• Go camping. Sleep in a tent. Enjoy the fresh air and quiet while not complaining about the heat, bugs, lack of shower or appropriate bathroom  (if you can do this, please write to me and tell me how).

• Get a big, fat summer novel and knock it out in a few days (I’m going with the last in Stieg Larsson’s amazing Lisbeth Salander trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest).

• Hit the beach, any beach. Stare out at the ocean. Feel calm.

Finally: realize that the languid days of summer are fleeting, and do as much as you can with those you love to get the most out of them.

I saw this TV commercial on one of my favorite blogs, AdFreak (forget the Super Bowl – this is where some of the funniest spots wind up and the write-ups are sometimes even funnier), and it only made me picture what it would be like if all of us here at Alstin heard what sounded like an ice cream truck in the office. Would I be running for cover, or running to be first in line?

It doesn’t take sophisticated surveillance equipment to find out that Alstin is giving one lucky blog visitor a chance to win a $50 gift card to Amazon.com with this month’s “Picture This” contest.

Use you ingenuity to come up with a clever caption/headline for this photo – as always, bonus points if it’s recruitment/HR related! The winner will be announced next Tuesday, April 27, 2010.

Update: Congrats to Michele Meehan – this month’s winner!

I recently came across this video from the folks at HR.com While the debt to Monster’s “When I Grow Up…” campaign from several years ago is rather obvious, this one concentrates all its sarcasm and sardonic humor on the human resources industry.

 Here’s hoping you find this video funny, but not in any way an accurate portrayal of your career!

Undercover Boss turned out to be a real lemon of a show. I kinda figured it would, although I totally fell for the preview. To prove that good things can come from bad reality TV, here’s the proof:

Thanks to the PunkRockHR blog (where I first spotted this clip) for leading me to the hilarity I just shared with you. Saturday Night Live is officially DVR worthy.

Is this cat just crazy?…or crazy like a fox? Ever walk away from your laptop and come back to find disaster and your cat looking pretty pleased?

“Paws” to write a caption for this photo (more points if it’s recruitment/HR related) and if we deem yours the best, you’ll WIN a $50 gift card to Starbucks.

Caffeine junkies unite – bring us your best.

Update: Congrats to Tonya Sanchez for her winning entry, selected on Tuesday, March 9th. A “Picture This” contest will be back to the blog in April, so keep coming back for more.