Amitai Givertz’s Recruitomatic Blog

When John Sumser sent me an invitation to post on interbiznet as part of his Top Ten in 2006 year-end review, I could not have been more surprised, gob-smacked actually. It was not that he referred to me as “one of a few” or that he said – quite nonchalantly – the others were “leading thinkers in the industry.” The reason that I was taken aback was that anyone widely respected in the bubble – let alone the patriarch of recruiting bloggers – would place me in such esteemed company, let me post first. Well, ain’t that something? I mean, I am accustomed to being spanked on the bottom for being naughty, not pat on the head for being good:

We had lunch with Ami in a prototypical Manhattan diner the first time we physically met him. We’d been hearing from and about him while suffering the lash of his pen over the past year or so. Ami is the single most provocative and infectious of the new voices that have emerged in the blogging fury that has taken center stage in the industry. It felt like a gathering of old Bolsheviks plotting the overthrow of anything that came up. We were completely unprepared to like him so much.

As each contributor posted their take on the 10 most important things that happened in our industry during 2006 I realized – seeing that on so many points we were agreed – that perhaps I could hold my own as a panelist at some fancy-schmancy recruiting conference, command some un-Godly fee. We “thought leaders” do get paid un-Godly fees, don’t we? No? How about .01% of the take plus actual expenses? No? How about some free publicity, stroke of the ol’ ego then? Hmmm…that sucks. I might as well stay at home and blog then, don’t you think?

Thank you for honoring me John…

• Amitai Givertz : Top 10 in 2006 (v1)
• David Hurst : Top 10 in 2006 (v2)
• Scott Dow : Top 10 in 2006 (v3)
• Kevin Wheeler : Top 10 in 2006 (v4)
• Hank Stringer : Top 10 in 2006 (v5)
• Tim Driver : Top 10 in 2006 (v6)
• Steve Levy : Top 10 in 2006 (v7)
• Martin Snyder : Top 10 in 2006 (v8)
• Don Ramer : Top 10 in 2006 (v9)
• Hans Geiskes : Top 10 in 2006 (v10)

…and who knows, one day you might invite me to join one of your panel discussions, eh? I’ll negotiate a special rate just for you, John.

While everyone is inhaling to blah-blah-blah Jobster over the rumored downsizing, dehumanizing, rightsizing, realigning and pocket lining of the business – all probably in the works, concurrently no doubt –  I would venture to make a couple of suggestions as to where we should look for inspiration in what is about to unfold…

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Rob Robinson: this guy has got it licked.

I see this year Time magazine’s lauded Person of the Year is “You.” Anticipating widespread annoyance at this editorial cop-out no doubt, the sub-title for their cover issue is: “Yes, you. You control the Information Age. Welcome to your world.”

Personally, I think this year’s choice and tag-line is dopey. If Time wanted to draw inspiration from the “Information Age” – that phrase is so 1970′s isn’t it, hardly inspires confidence in their thinking this thing through – there is no shortage of interesting people who have made a contribution to “our world” and who could have been profiled this year, made the cover.

So, my question is this: who from the digital-, virtual-, networking-, information-, cyber-, yada-yada-space would you have put on the cover of Time this year and why?

Well, my slide into obscurity – not posting much – has been rudely interrupted. I am being spammed out of my inbox by bloggers and wannabes desperate to get their emotional needs met with a big win in this year’s 2006 Best Blog Awards, a Recruiting.com production.

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