for all 1.6 of you that read this you may, or as is most likely the case, may not know that i have a new(er) "job." i'm hesitant to call it a career because i'm pretty sure that i will not be making a career out of what i am doing now - it's merely a stepping stone to a greater calling for me. new skills being learned that i can apply to what i ultimately want to do.

i enjoy the job i do - to a greater extent. i find problems with it on a daily basis, but if we're being perfectly honest, what my job consists of is largely administrative, while the good skill building is quite a bit smaller. roads are being paved to make it less administrative and more fulfilling, but it will take a bit of time to get out "of the jungle and into the desert" - so to speak.

because of this, i have to take quite a few matters into my own hands (i'll get to why). i really have to drive this road myself, it's actually 100% expected of me to do so. and if i don't, i'm out of a job. hell, even if i do, i still may be out of a job (which is also a part that explains the "great extent").

with that said, i need help. it dawned on me today that i need help in learning how to do the fun stuff around here and to put it rather bluntly, my team can only help so much. i have a mentor, so to speak, but by in large, i could use more time with him. my management group is less than helpful in providing tools, but very helpful in providing motivation. what is it that i need help with you ask? well, background would probably help first, eh?

so, i am on a contract at a rather large...well, at what i think is the great state of washington's largest employer. my job consists of making sure that my group of recruiters is in government compliance (thank you ofccp) - that is the administrative part and it is rather easy. the other part of my job is sourcing. and to be quite honest up until recently i was mortified of doing it. what if i sourced the incorrectly? what if what i was providing my recruiters were all shit candidates? how do i discern buzzword heavy resumes from resumes with some meat and potatoes? on top of that, i'm in a tech heavy field. i know nothing, wait. no. knew. i knew nothing about systems engineering, software development, systems architectures, etc etc. needless to say, i'm learning quickly.

coming full circle, that's the type of help i need. i need to be pointed in the direction of blogs or books that will help me learn the recruiting world. i'd like it to be as industry specific, however, i don't want to limit myself. i think learning how to find great talent should be first and i'll learn the business (tech in general) as i go.

so please, if you know of anything, please comment. be it blogs. personal experience. what have you. i'm asking nicely.