How do you brace for Hurricane Sandy?

October 29, 2012 by Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare in Hurricane Sandy, Jersey Shore, Nature, New York, Sandy, weather | Leave a comment

There is no easy way to answer this question. There are no words or amount of preparedness that can really give a complete sense of safety during the days and hours before this impending hurricane brings its wrath through the tri-state area. Whether you live there or not, millions of us around the country and around the world are nervous in eager anticipation.

Being a New Jersey native, it is very apparent that I have family, friends and colleagues throughout New Jersey, Connecticut and New York who are concerned about the safety of themselves and everyone around them.

We are fortunate to be in a moment in history where communication access has hit a peak of accessibility. Through the most trying times, the importance of communication has never been more important. Whether it is a text, email or just hearing the voice of a loved one, there is something calming about knowing we are all keeping our thoughts and prayers collectively together.

As I speak to others in my personal and professional circle who have reached out, it is not just for the safety of those I know but for each and everyone living in the path of potential destruction that they are asking about.

The likelihood is that there will be casualties from this event. Some even fatal, but nature is a beast and we have to brace for this level of terror. In the tri-state area, more times in the last two years then we have come to expect.

I don’t know what the outcome will be and in my best case scenario, we will all be safe and only property damage will be incurred, but no matter what, I will be there to support anyone and everyone that needs emotional or moral support.

If an outsider were looking in without any prior knowledge of the events at hand, they will have to be impressed with the way the politicians, communities, families, neighbors and friends have all banded together as one unified front.

Maybe I need a comic to visually explain my mental picture, but right now there are 25 million people forming a wall as the hurricane comes near. In my mind, we won. It is a nice thought though metaphorically.

Growing up in New Jersey, you learn to be tough (Look at Jersey Shore…ok bad example). Let’s go with the Sopranos (I am not doing well here). Springsteen!!! Much better. We learn that life is hard, but if you have the courage to face it head on, you will find a way to succeed. I love my state and always will and now for two straight years nature has gotten in our face. I was in New Jersey last year for Irene and we handled her well. I am confident this time around, we are ready and stronger than ever.

So I ask the question again, “How do you brace for Hurricane Sandy?”

The answer is simple:

Strength
Confidence
Courage
Unity
Community
Family
Love
Preparedness
Knowledge
Communication

Those are qualities we all share at the core of our soul and when we are at our lowest point, we find a way to fight back and win.

To all my friends, family, co-workers and strangers that are on the path of Sandy, the rest of world has you in their thoughts and we will stay with you every step of the way until we know you are safe once again.

Depression is only the beginning – Original Poem

October 26, 2012 by Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare in Alone, Death, depression, deserted, emptiness, Pain, Poem, Poetry, Recruiterpoet | 1 Comment

Alone
Faint
Dormant
Abandoned

Depression is a term reserved for those that seek help

Insanity is the deafening silence ringing in my ears
No one to turn too
Friends are distant; friends are near; friends are nowhere

Each moment, a thousand years
Each breath, closer to my last

I swallow the last remaining call for hope
We are at the epicenter of a black hole swallowing us at speeds faster than light

Imprisoned on these tracks
Trains coming from both directions
So slow
I will them closer
Anticipation only makes it worse
When?
When?
When?

Back to this dark room of covered in black
An irony of poetic justice
I hear the voice
I sense the feel but know I no longer have that ability
There is no strength in my muscles
These bones are now pillars of sand

Never before has the end seemed so tempting
Like the rich nectar of fruit forbidden from this dead palate
I want to taste the emptiness of death
I want it to swallow me whole and release me from this cage

Is it time?
The ticks of the clock are so loud now
Like a thousand screaming birds piercing my eardrum
Make it all stop
Make the pain subside

I pray to this deserted vacuum called humanity

Never has a word been uttered back
Never has a glimmer of happiness landed on this defeated lap

A Love for All Time – To Season and Webb (Original Poem)

October 24, 2012 by Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare in admiration, Beach, Destiny, Love, Marriage, ocean | Leave a comment

In a heartbeat the seasons changed
As quickly as a gust of wind tempting the morning dew

Lost in a field of uncertainty
No direction home
No memory of past love, but an empty glass filled with hope

Running to the light of a new world, her dreams now within reach, she stumbles into a web of enchantment

Tangled and confused, she soon feels the warmth of its touch, the strength of its hold, the security of its protection

As the web wraps itself around her gentle skin she knows she found the home longed for in the dreams of every young princess

A prince arrives without warning to lift her to the clouds and welcome her to the heavens of eternal bliss

Once a young fragile bird with weak wings now a beautiful eagle soaring
With her guardian angel and partner by her side, they fly

Fly higher than life
Fly further than the stars and welcome each day together as a foundation for the infinite love they feel

For Season and Michael are now a symbol of truth
The truth that when two souls collide led by destiny, the explosion is a million points of light that all lead to love

In this devotion, we are all blessed with a piece of this affection carried into our hearts by the soft breeze off the oceanfront

Writing a Cover Letter? – Make it a great one!

October 17, 2012 by Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare in bikes, cover letter, Interview, Jobs, passion, Research, Resume, Trek | 2 Comments

My friend Erica is a Marketing Business Analyst.

For those of you that do not know what the entails, you are not alone. Marketing is like the CIA of the corporate world. The day to day responsibilities are so secretive, even marketing professionals do not know what they do. It is a little Dead Marketers Society, where they hide in caves, sip wine and determine how they can mislead the public with analytics, reports and high powered PowerPoint presentations. They plan has been executed with brilliance for hundreds of years.

She recently found her self back in the market and in search of the next great career adventure. Now Erica is an avid outdoors woman. Bikes, hikes, eats healthy, supports local farms and gets her feet wet or muddy quite often. She is the role model for healthy living. It made sense that Trek was one of her targeted organizations to woe.

The question that lingered on her mind was, “how do I make them understand that I was born to be a part of that culture?” Sure she could put biking and hiking in her interests category on her resume or even through out a few biking clubs/organizations to boot but that seems cliché and forced. Why not make this one competitive, topical and passionate.

That is just what Erica did. She reached deep inside her creative juices and let it all out with this cover letter:

I’m not writing you a cover letter.

Those are boring and nobody reads them, anyway. Instead, I’m providing you a brief background on why I’m looking to become a Trek-ie (who cares if the Star Trek people have already coined that one) along with my list of demands, should I accept your offer of employment.
I didn’t start out a Trek-ie. My first “real bike” was a Cannondale M450 steel frame Franck Roman (if you don’t know who that is, shame on you, and you’d better look him up because there will be a quiz) that I purchased while stationed in Augsburg, Germany, in 1995. I purchased my first road bike 15 years later – an Orbea Lobular, AKA the DreamCYCLE.

Since then, my friends have started to slowly convert me into a Trek-ie (and, my husband, I suppose, who has a Madone 5.0). Ok, maybe slowly is not really the word when the first Trek you purchase is a Project 1 Speed Concept 9.0, but hey, who is keeping track here? My most recent bike purchase was not a Trek, however. With all the 29ers out there, I still wanted 26’s on my mountain bike, so I ended up buying a used Gary Fisher. BRING BACK THE 26’s…!

So, enough of the background drivel – below are my list of demands, should I accept your offer of employment:

1. There will be no making fun of the DreamCYCLE. Even if she is aluminum/carbon, with the right rider, she can kick butt any day of the week.

2. When the Speed Concept is in the office, she will enjoy indoor, premium parking, and a wreath of flowers will be draped over her handle bars so that she always feels like she’s in the winner’s circle.

3. When you interview for the communications specialist position you have posted, I expect to have a vote on whether or not the chocolate cookies pass muster.

4. And, I will not actually interview for this position; instead, I challenge the hiring manager to a road race on the bike of his/her choice. I, of course, will be on the Speed Concept. If I win, I get the job. And, the hiring manager’s bike. 🙂 If I lose, I get the job anyway, and I get to keep my bike.
If you agree to these terms and conditions, I look forward to hearing from you at the number provided in my online application.

With tongue in cheek,

Erica ______

P.S. Don’t take my resume seriously; it’s all drivel, too.

There you have it. A cover letter that addresses: