The sheer amount of information available today is staggering. A latest article shows that there is no let up in the growth of the Internet.

With all that you are asked to do in in recruiting, how do you deal with this reality? Get a personal researcher to track it all for you? Expensive. Just write it off as one of those yeah-right- when-I-have-some-spare-time things? Even more expensive.

A few thoughts:

1. Foster your own curiosity.

• Genuinely asking the “why” questions will keep you on the look out for answers and in a healthy mindset of student. This can be one of the “fun” aspects of your craft.
• If you’re like me, being bottom-line can mean missing a lot of color and nuances to events and news. So seek out those who are curious and listen.
• Realize that you are looked to for pivotal content and knowledge. Since there is some much Steve Rubel gave a presentation, captured in a blog by Angelo Fernando. I think the description of “content curator” is quite apt. How do I capture relevant for my clients, candidates, business projects -0r my craft in general?

2. You need to organize your information. Know where there are major streams of content. Here is a partial list of possible sources:

• PR/Marketing: I subscribe to the same clipping service that our PR clipping service
• Corporate events/quarterly earnings: This varies from org to org but on-line versions exist
  • Day-to-day: I leverage Google News and have it customized to my company
  • Listen in on earnings calls. If your org is public, the call is too and free
  • Attend/listen in on company meetings. You will likely not be able to share this externally, but you will certainly know the why
• Know your celebrities in your organization. Sure your CEO and top management likely have their bios on the web – but what about your immediate client too. Your PR person can likely help you.
• Regional dynamics. Local, state and industry are all factors in recruiting. I leverage the Business Journal and the finance section of your favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo!) to collect this information and more. You can bookmark them and keep them handy.
• Externally, a RSS reader is your best source. I have mine organized into three listings: recruiting, marketing and industry (see “recruiting” below). When it comes to using RSS as a tool, I’d recommend Steve Rubel’s blog – particularly this one.

If you have any other tips, please comment. In the mean time, happy curating. 8~)

Note: Photo furnished by Leo Reynold