Simply Hired Blog

Birthdays, LinkedIn and Dancing Bees

Yes, folks, that's right: we busy little worker bees here at Simply Hired have once again brought home the honey. SimplyHired.com is 3 years old today, and in honor of her third birthday, we've launched the first integration with LinkedIn's new application programming interface or API, for those of you who speak geek. When you conduct a job search on www.SimplyHired.com, you can now use the Who Do I Know^TM feature to view your LinkedIn connections at each company alongside your search results.

Didn't know your ex-girlfriend has the corner office at that firm you've been eyeballing, now did you? Maybe time for some flowers and a heartfelt apology for that whole "It's not you, it's me" thing? Or maybe you've got a long-lost college buddy who owes you a favor and can get you an interview.

Honeybees (genus APIS, for those of you who speak Entomologist) depend on community connections for their survival and productivity. In a beehive, all workers function as part of a team, helping each other for mutual benefit. In some cases they even do complicated interpretive dance moves to let the other workers know where the nectar is flowing.

We're no different, people. It's all about who you know. (Or whom you know... for those of you who speak Grammarian). What's good for you is good for us, and vice versa. So we're making it easier than ever to spread the honey. Er.. money. That is...

Worker bees of the world, unite!

[LinkedIn Integration Press Release]

Job Search API
LinkedIn API

UPDATE (3/26): LinkedIn has a video demonstrating the integration on YouTube.

How to Prepare for a Manager Interview vs. Leader Interview

There was a study completed by Warren Bennis, 1989, which may give us some insight we can use to determine whether you are a manager or a leader. Maybe you are both, maybe not. In either case, you must prepare for one or both of these to address the interview; completely. He felt there were 12 distinctions between the two groups.  I hope these provoke your thinking about  the "you" that you are selling in the interview. Here they are:

• Managers administer, leaders innovate,
• Managers ask how and when, leaders ask how and why,
• Mangers focus on systems, leaders focus on people,
• Managers do things right, Leaders do the right things,
• Managers maintain, leaders develop,
• Managers rely on control, leaders inspire trust,
• Managers perspective is short term, leaders perspective is long term
• Managers accept the status quo, leaders challenge the status quo,
• Managers focus on the bottom line, leaders have an eye on the horizon,
• Managers imitate, leaders originate,
• Managers emulate the classic soldier, leaders are their own people

Another study by Paul Birch, 1999, revealed that an effective leader creates and sustains competitive advantage though attainment of cost leadership, revenue leadership, time leadership and market value leadership.  A leader is characterized by the fact they achieve!

Then you have Lee Iacocca, who felt that leadership was a combination of curiosity, creative, communication, character, courage, conviction, charisma, competent, crisis and common sense.

When you interview, think about these issues and where you fit. Then, prepare as stated in Part I of the interview preparation and you might be ready to begin your interview journey.