I was at the HRPA Peel Holiday lunch today.  I try not to miss this event.  It is the one where everyone comes in a good mood and a great time is had by all. And, of course, I can never pass up the bonus box of chocolate!

At one point during the lunch, someone at my table mentioned that he was a fairly regular reader of this blog, and that he had grown into the habit of forwarding around the EO List jobs to people he knew each week.  Others said that they did the same.  This started a discussion about the value of networking and the challenges of being in a profession where for a number of reasons, how you get in and move upward in the field can be based upon who you know.

I am excited about the launch of https://eolist.com/ website.  The idea of initiating a network where my friends could help friends of their friends started as a very rudimentary concept more than ten years ago.  In the early days, we might have circulated 20 to 30 jobs a year, and almost everyone knew each other.  To see us approaching 600 jobs this year alone is well, astounding!  To be at the stage where we need a place to connect beyond LinkedIn and Twitter is incredibly exciting.

In truth, with regards to my own HR career, I consider myself very lucky.  I entered the profession when there was still frontier to be discovered.  There were incredibly nice people, mostly older folks, who supported me as I moved up in the profession.  Their genuine interest in my success was never lost on me.  For that reason, I feel very compelled, perhaps this is my legacy, to find ways to help others achieve the things I did and more. 

The EO List is a “pay it forward” endeavour.  If this isn’t your personality and you don’t ever intend to help someone else, don’t bother participating as you won’t get much out of the experience. To quote the late John Lennon, who died 30 years ago this week, “If you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain’t gonna make it with anyone anyhow”.

It is neat to see how many people do participate and pay it forward.  Thankfully, over the years, there have been plenty of people out there who have pitched in to help. Some have received recognition, but many have not, rather choosing to help others anonymously.

I don’t expect that everyone will adopt the behaviour of helping other HR people all the time.  Hey, I’m human too, and sometimes I have neither the time nor the ability to get personally involved in every situation that arises.  The Holiday season is upon us though, and I would ask you to think about how you might help your fellow comrades.  Using the EO List, here are some ideas:

• Did you find a job or a candidate through the EO List?  If you did, then post a testimonial.  These are designed to encourage those who are starting out in their search.
• Did you try something different in your job search which worked?  If you did, then send us your tips, or blog about it.  We’re happy to have guest bloggers.
• Is your company planning to hire in the New Year? If yes, then be sure to get the job circulated here first.

In closing, I hope that you find this new site useful, and look forward to connecting.

p.s. many thanks to my husband John, who put many, many hours into the design of the site, and has always supported my dreams.  Babe, you’re the best!