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Jessica Miller-Merrell
Norman
CEO, Xceptional HR
Human Resources
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Ryan Paugh This TED talk with Jason Fried reminds me of why I love not working in an office: http://bit.ly/huu4YF Personally, I find that I get more meaningful work done when I have long stretches of uninterrupted time to myself. When I do visit the rest of the team in DC, we have great brainstorming sessions that are very important, but the real work seems to get done when I'm working at home by myself.

62 weeks ago from Location Independent and Productivity & Time-Management

Dain: Ryan, sounds like your work environment is awesome. Coffee shop, a bar across the street, and a new dog :) Very lucky.
61 weeks ago
Ryan Paugh: I do have a great setup, Dain! I'm feeling pretty lucky right now :)
61 weeks ago
 
Brett Kunsch Do your goals just remain words on a page, a whisper of what could be…but isn’t? It's not lack of education or knowledge, or even lack of time. More than likely, it's because you are afraid, comfortable, skeptical, lazy, and/or impatient. I didn't make any moves in my life until I faced this fact. What holds *you* back the most? http://bit.ly/c1Cuy3

62 weeks ago from Professional Development, Young Professional Men (YPM), Personal Development, Ask Penelope Trunk! and Ask A Coach3 more

Kevin Li: @Brett: Time is an obstacle but not the main bottle neck. The big thing for me (in the tech start-up world) is time to market (development time). ...More@Brett: Time is an obstacle but not the main bottle neck. The big thing for me (in the tech start-up world) is time to market (development time). Moving from idea generation is much easier today because of rapid prototyping. Get an idea, refine it, talk to a few relevant people for acceptance and then just build... nothing gives you a bigger reality check than having the first user try it out and kick the tires. Obvious oversimplification of the process here.

Also, sometimes we just sit and think what markets we want to corner and what technology assets we have that can give us an edge. Most of the time though, the idea hits when you least expect it and then it's just all about execution at that point.

62 weeks ago
Wendy Graydon: R.I.S.K
61 weeks ago
 
Ryan Paugh I read an article on Mashable that said 59% of employed Americans check their email over holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of that 59% a whopping 41% say that they're annoyed or frustrated that they received work-related emails. I get annoyed too, but isn't it our own fault for not setting better boundaries? It's not your company's responsibility to balance your life, it's your own responsibility.

62 weeks ago from The Boss-Employee Relationship

Ryan Paugh: Email can easily become "Insecurity Work" which is the devil as far as I am concerned. I don't typically take advice from the Four Hour Workweek, ...MoreEmail can easily become "Insecurity Work" which is the devil as far as I am concerned. I don't typically take advice from the Four Hour Workweek, but in this case I tend to agree that setting up a couple time each day where you check your email is a good thing. It's difficult for me to do that though because of the real-time nature of the community that I manage.
61 weeks ago
Aaron Evans: Absolutely Ryan! I think there are business cultures that rely so much on e-mail that it would be difficult to implement. Like I said, I was ...MoreAbsolutely Ryan! I think there are business cultures that rely so much on e-mail that it would be difficult to implement. Like I said, I was skeptical at first. I have been amazed though at the results.

E-mail had become a huge distraction for me, and many of the e-mails were not related to the task at hand. You know how it is: everyone elses request is "top priority", when in reality it is low priority many times.

Now that I have made it clear to my colleagues to notify me directly of a crisis instead of via e-mail, we can get things done.

Other people have adopted this strategy, and I believe that this will allow us to be more productive in the future. It is a work in progress, I will update with the results in a couple more months.

All the best,
Aaron

61 weeks ago
 
Iris Aikins-Afful Hello everyone! I am curious about following up after you have applied for a position. I know that it is important to try to make yourself stand out from others, do you recommend always calling the hr office to follow up after applying for a position? If so, what do you think one should say when calling to follow up about a job? Thank you very much!

62 weeks ago from Human Resources

Jeff Ingman: Sending an email is nice but trivial. A phone call interrupts whoever you call.

Instead send a one page letter via USPS that conveys these ...More
Sending an email is nice but trivial. A phone call interrupts whoever you call.

Instead send a one page letter via USPS that conveys these points:

1. Based on the interview and your investigation thru independent sources you are convinced you would like to join their team.
2. You studied the job description and the answers given by your interviewer and have very little doubt you would be successful in the position given the opportunity.
3. "No matter what you decide... thank you for giving me the opportunity to apply for this position."

62 weeks ago
Jessica Miller-Merrell: Call them. Connecting with someone takes a little bit of luck and timing. Email is good but there is nothing like a face to face or over the ...MoreCall them. Connecting with someone takes a little bit of luck and timing. Email is good but there is nothing like a face to face or over the phone conversation. You can provide sincerity, interest, and determination through your spoken word that you can't using the written word.

I'd recommend calling either early in the morning before 9:00 am, just after lunch, or after 4:00 PM. These are times when an HR person is most likely at their desk and not distracted with meetings and conference calls.

Jessica

@blogging4jobs

62 weeks ago
 
Raquel Elle Bell I feel like I'm stuck in the middle.. I'm on the edge of Gen X and Gen Y -- Because I look a lot younger than I am Gen X has a hard time believing in my expertise until they have worked with me and with Gen Y I don't feel like I can relate to them because of my experience. I'm not just starting out and the issues that they are plagued with I've already mastered.

62 weeks ago

Jessica Miller-Merrell: You probably are stuck in the middle. It's called a cusper. I've written about it on my blog. I like to think that as a cusper, I'm comfortable ...MoreYou probably are stuck in the middle. It's called a cusper. I've written about it on my blog. I like to think that as a cusper, I'm comfortable with being uncomfortable. I can see both point of views and help bridge the gap. It's been huge for me in my career and didn't always think about it until recently. I work in the world of HR and relating and engaging people has always been so important.

Best of luck!

Jessica

62 weeks ago
Raquel Elle Bell: @All - I love all the feedback really good comments.
62 weeks ago
 
Jessica Miller-Merrell just merely plotting world domination. . . .

62 weeks ago

 
Dan Schawbel I've spoken to a lot of people outside the Brazen network about personal branding, leading up to the launch of the 2nd edition of Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (which comes out today). I wanted to survey the Brazen community to see what your biggest fears are concerning personal branding? Are you afraid that you will lose your own identity or that you will get criticized? Please comment here and we can have a conversation about it!

70 weeks ago from Personal Branding

Kolene: My question is in a world and environment that is constantly evolving does creating a personal brand limit your ability to grow and evolve your ...MoreMy question is in a world and environment that is constantly evolving does creating a personal brand limit your ability to grow and evolve your focus organically and quickly if the desire or need arises. Does providing a consistently genuine personal experience whether in professional or personal situations organically create a reputation that speaks to your qualities which I believe sells you a much larger audience. Finding the balance between tell me and show me.
69 weeks ago
Sam Elijah: my fear is if i brand myself in one way, i won't be able to grow and evolve, i don't want to brand myself into a box i can't get out of. but i ...Moremy fear is if i brand myself in one way, i won't be able to grow and evolve, i don't want to brand myself into a box i can't get out of. but i believe that it's a growing need to be able to quickly sum up your skills and build an identity to market and make it easy for people to remember you
64 weeks ago
 
Jessica Miller-Merrell Thinking about lunch. Any suggestions?

70 weeks ago

 
Jessica Miller-Merrell Dilbert Comic Strip announces Social Media Manager http://bit.ly/9MSBPL #brazen

73 weeks ago from

 
Christie Scott I'm looking for a few passionate entrepreneurs who are trying to "save the world." I'm producing a new reality show for the net where I talk to entrepreneurs about their ups and downs. If you're interested in being a guest, leave me comment below so we can connect. Thanks!

91 weeks ago from Entrepreneurs, Social Entrepreneurs and Young Entrepreneur Community1 more

Kenji Crosland: Hi Christie. The site is live now: www.goldhat.org. There was also a ...MoreHi Christie. The site is live now: www.goldhat.org. There was also a good review of it here: http://www.killerstartups.com/eCommerce/goldhat-org-a-community-site-for...
84 weeks ago
Adam Toren: Christie, We'd love to hear more about the show. Have you begun shooting it yet?
74 weeks ago
 
TOP IDEA: Jessica Miller-Merrell Check out my co-moderator and partner in crime for twitter #jobhuntchat, @cornonthejob at http://www.cornonthejob.com. http://www.brazencareerist.com/profile/jessica-miller-merrell#

79 weeks ago

Interests
blogging, yoga, gardening, music, painting, photography
Goals
  1. To build a successful recruitment/social media firm.
  2. Host my own television show based on my webshow.
Favorite Quote
"To climb the ladder of success, you don't need more techniques and strategies, you need more friends." --Jeffrey Gitmore
Specialties
Blogging, Recruiting, Human Resources, Headhunting, Employee Relations, Policy and Procedure, Training, HR, Employee Relations, Social Media, New Media.

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