2009 Top 10 Christmas Gifts for Recruiters and HR people

Firstly, thanks you to everyone that provided me with the input for my 2009 Top 10 Christmas Gifts for Recruiters and HR.

This is obviously a little tongue in cheek, so this year, please don't expect me to be giving you a list you can take to the shops and buy your favourite recruiter a nice Christmas gift! 🙂

So here you go, your top 10 christmas gifts you selected for 2009:

10. An iPhone app which will send a subliminal message to all hiring managers within 5 feet of a candidate's iPhone saying "Hire them… hire them… hire them". From corporate recruiter Dan Nuroo from Australia. While this is a great idea, he may find that Aussies have still to master the power of the iPhone, so he may have to wait a little longer for this app to get some traction (probably 2014 I reckon!).

9. Water! No this isn't to save the African droughts, it is much more selfish than that! Justin Hillier is moving back to Australia and launching a social media consultancy. As we all know, social media is still way too far advanced for the Aussies, so Justin is hoping for some water to help grow the social media industry in Australia - or was it the gardens in Melbourne that needed the water? Anyway good luck to Justin back in Oz!

8. A Recruiters Handbook. Jennifer McNally is obviously struggling with some colleagues in her office. She has simply had enough of them stealing her ideas and constantly questioning her why she is so successful as a recruiter. So, she went out there and purchased recruiter handbooks for everyone in her office. Either she is brilliant and wants to make her colleagues better, or she is just a moody recruiter who hoards all her candidates -  you decide!! LOL

7. An (old fashioned) Pen and Paper. I have to say this is a revelation and one that I just can't argue with 🙂 The guys over at HR Case Studies think that recruiters need these, and need them quick!
They think that recruiters have lost the knack of communication, and that they need to the pen and paper to remind them of when to phone their candidates with feedback! Bad experiences me thinks!!

6. A Crystal Ball. Bill Boorman, went off on a longwinded explanation of why we need to all have access  to a crystal ball for 2010 (in his nomination for this top 10), but to be honest I just ignored it! 🙂 Bill's suggestion is very valid though, because if we all had one then we wouldn't be making all these stupid mistakes by ignoring social media like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as recruiting tools!!! Go Twitter Bill, as you shall named in 2010!!

5. An automatic nose job tool. This is my idea - and I have to say I am thinking of patenting it!! As well know too many recruiters are fond of a little 'truth extending' (or just plain lying if you want to be truthful about it!!) As we all know, when you lie your nose grows a little (OK, I might have 'borrowed' this concept from Pinocchio!), so to stop recruiters from poking many holes in the walls of the offices they work in, they will need to have their noses surgically changed (probably every week!). Hence the need for a tool that cuts your nose off regularly! Barbaric? Yes! But an essential tool of a recruiters office 🙂

4. Sh*t Proof Umbrella. This ia a small light portable titanium & completely wind proof umbrella which you can carry around the office and deployed quickly when the sh** hits the fan! The mysterious MaskedBloggHR came up with this good suggestion - maybe he/she hides their anonymity behind their own personal umbrella!! Obviously, they work in an office that has some serious sh*t flying around in it!!

3. Internal Candidate Seek & Destroy Missile. I love this one!! Those clever guys over at Purple House HR have been playing with bombs again! This is genius  - It is a high explosive missile for those times when even though you've asked if they exist, an internal candidate suddenly pops out of the blue when you least expect it (usually at final interview stage). Simply hit the big red button and hey presto, bye bye internal candidate………..oh yes! >>BANG<<

2. Phone based Bullsh*t detector. Brilliant -  an HR Top Choice!!  Things is I reckon Alex Hens is getting a little too clever with his suggestion!  This detects a recruitment consultant calling you speculatively and rather than hanging up, answers the call, and then sends them on a hold loop for the next 10 minutes before then hanging up. This saves hours in a working week, helps your peers and colleagues and gives massive personal satisfaction to boot - surely that's perfect gift? Do you know what Alex, you might have a good point here! But, sorry Wendy just pips you to the post of no.1 spot:)

1. A Magic CV Tool! Virgin blogger Wendy Jacob came up with this simple yet brilliant Christmas Gift for us all. Wendy has devised a computer program that you can run all the crappy CVs though which then magically extrapolates all the good stuff and formats it into the perfect CV! I think Wendy has had enough of seeing all those CV's that are a pile of crap and constantly need reformatting! Well done Wendy, I look forward to getting a copy of your new product!!

A big thanks to all of you that entered your ideas for this 2009 Christmas list. I hope you have enjoyed reading these - it has certainly been fun for me to crowd source this list, and put it together!

Obviously, up north, they work on a different timezone or is it just because she is blond? I have just had a late suggestion from a certain Lisa Scales, which I have to say, does actually merit inclusion at no.11, hence my last minute addition:
She would like to see a Twitter plug-in that knows when someone claiming to be an expert about social media is bull sh*ting and auto amends their post to say “I am not an expert and will stop RT'ing articles to make myself look good”
Anyone want to guess who she is talking about?