Do you work for a cartel?

If you work in Silicon Valley for one of the majors, you probably do... So says the article below: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-24/apple-google-intel-adobe-settle-antitrust-hiring-case.html With the settlement in this case, most of the money will go to the attorneys not to the individual employees who banded together to make the case. In today's world of the "free agent nation", it is surprising to me that the settlement wasn't more. While many companies have had "gentleman's agreements" not to poach from one another, it is a restriction of the basic at will employment agreement to do this. Many companies who do business with one another often have these "don't hire away" practices.

LinkedIn Endorsements

Too much of a good thing? Like every recruiter, I look for endorsements of my candidates from people who really know their work - that is, former managers, close colleagues, long time workmates. Every time I see one of these endorsements from people I barely know, it devalues the endorsement process to me. But Kelly Dingee refutes that theory, and has another one about stickiness, the web generally, and search engine optimization ala LinkedIn. You go, smart girl... http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/02/from-the-sourcers-desk-those-endorsements-theyre-a-good-thing.html

Great article on Smart Career Management and Marketing

If you don't know who Lady Gaga is, you have no teen or adult children, don't ever listen to the radio or watch TV, and have been under a rock for at least a year.
She's a very unusual rock star with a unique look and a big voice. She is really putting her stamp on the music business with her different sound and darkly realistic lyrics.

Check out this article on the lessons from Lady Gaga's meteoric career and how this author thinks they apply to you managing your own non-rockstar career.

http://www.careerjockey.org/for-greater-professional-success-let-lady-gaga-make-you-a-star/